lt the inspiration of the
solemn subject is shown by the manner in which he conceived it, and by
the exalted devotion of the music which accompanies the last words of the
Man of Sorrows. The lines which Bombet quotes from Dante in this
connection are hardly exaggerated:--

"He with such piety his thought reveals,
And with such heavenly sweetness clothes each tone,
That hell itself the melting influence feels."

Ariadne.

The cantata "Ariana a Naxos" was written in 1792, and is for a single
voice with orchestra. As an illustration of the original cantata form, it
is one of the most striking and perfect. Its story is an episode familiar
in mythology. When Minos, King of Crete, had vanquished the Athenians, he
imposed upon AEgeus, their king, the severe penalty that seven youths
should be annually sent to Crete to be devoured by the Minotaur. In the
fourth year the king's son, Theseus, was among the number. He was more
fortunate than his predecessors, for he slew the Minotaur and was rescued
from the labyrinth by following the thread of Ariadne, daughter of Minos,
who had conceived a violent passion for the handsome warrior, conqueror
of Centaurs and Amazons. Upon his return to Athens she accompanied him as
far as the island Naxos, where the ungrateful wretch perfidiously left
her. It is this scene of desertion which Haydn chose for his cantata.

Ariadne is supposed to have just awakened from sleep and reclines upon a
mossy bank. The first number is a recitative and largo in which she
hopefully calls upon Theseus to return. The melody is noble and spirited
in style, and yet tender and fervent in its expression of love for the
absent one. In the next number, a recitative and andante ("No one
listens! My sad Words Echo but repeats"), hopefulness turns to anxiety.
The contrast between the blissful longing of the one and the growing
solicitude expressed in the other number is very striking. The next
melody, an _allegro vivace_,--

"What see I? O heavens! Unhappy me!
Those are the sails of the Argosy! Greeks are those yonder!
Theseus! 'Tis he stands at the prow,"--

is remarkable for its passionate intensity and dramatic strength. The
clouds of despair close over her, and she calls down the vengeance of the
gods upon the deserter. In the next two numbers, an adagio ("To whom can
I turn me?"), and an andante ("Ah! how for Death I am longing"), the
melodies closely follow the s