of the utmost importance to the history of
opera--the concerted finale. Nicolo Logroscino (1700-1763) seems to have
been the first composer who conceived the idea of working up the end of
an act to a musical climax by bringing all his characters together and
blending their voices into a musical texture of some elaboration.
Logroscino wrote only in the Neapolitan dialect, and his works had
little success beyond the limits of his own province; but his invention
was quickly adopted by all writers of opera buffa, and soon became an
important factor in the development of the art. Later composers
elaborated his idea by extending the finale to more than one movement,
and by varying the key-colour. Finally, but not until after many years,
it was introduced into opera seria, when it gave birth to the idea of
elaborate trios and quartets, which were afterwards to play so important
a part in its development. Logroscino's reputation was chiefly local,
but the works of Pergolesi (1710-1736) and Jomelli (1714-1774) made the
Neapolitan school famous throughout Europe. Both these composers are now
best known by their sacred works, but during their lives their operas
attained an extraordinary degree of popularity. Both succeeded equally
in comedy and tragedy, but Jomelli's operas are now forgotten, while
Pergolesi is known only by his delightful intermezzo 'La Serva Padrona,'
This diverting little piece tells of the schemes of the chambermaid,
Serpina, to win the hand of her master, Pandolfo. She is helped by
Scapin, the valet, who, disguised as a captain, makes violent love to
her, and piques the old gentleman into proposing, almost against his
will. 'La Serva Padrona' made the tour of Europe, and was received
everywhere with tumultuous applause. In Paris it was performed in 1750,
and may be said at once to have founded the school of French opera
comique. Rousseau extolled its beauty as a protest against the arid
declamation of the school of Lulli, and it was the subject of one of the
bitterest dissensions ever known in the history of music. But the
'Guerre des Bouffons,' as the struggle was called, proved one thing,
which had already been satisfactorily decided in Italy, namely, that
there was plenty of room in the world for serious and comic opera at the
same time.

There had been a kind of opera comique in France for many years, a
species of musical pantomime which was very popular at the fairs of St.
Laurent and St. Gervais. This