f
refined tastes and great culture, and an enthusiastic collector of
pictures. In 1859 he married Mlle. Lefebre, an actress at the Opera
Comique. Of Faure's Mephistopheles, in "Faust," a critic of 1876 writes,
"No impersonation of this character at all approaching the general
excellence of his could be named." What Faure respected most was the
intention of the composer. It is impossible for any one to penetrate
more deeply into a part, to adorn it with more delicate gradations of
light and shade, to hit upon more felicitous contrasts and juster
intonations, to identify himself more thoroughly with a character or an
epoch. He proceeded by degrees, led his audience to sublimest heights of
enthusiasm by cleverly calculated stages,--he fascinated them.

Of French baritones, Victor Maurel is the one who has succeeded Faure.
His creation of the part of Iago, in Verdi's "Otello," was considered a
masterpiece of lyric acting, and Iago is at the present day his greatest
role.

Maurel was born in 1848 at Marseilles, and, having a penchant for acting
and singing, began to play in comedy and light opera in his native town.
His ambition soon led him to Paris, where he entered the Conservatoire
and studied singing with Vauthrot, and opera with Duvernoy. He gained
the first prizes in both subjects in 1867.

In 1869 he made his debut in "Les Huguenots," but he was not considered
sufficiently successful to secure a permanent engagement, so he went for
a series of tours in Italy, Spain, and America. His first London
appearance was made in 1873, when he took the part of Renato at the
Royal Italian Opera, and was engaged there, as a result of his success,
every year until 1879, playing the parts of Don Giovanni, Tell,
Almaviva, Hoel, Peter the Great, Valentine, Hamlet, and the Cacique. He
also played Wolfram and the Flying Dutchman, and in 1878 appeared as
Domingo in Masse's "Paul and Virginia."

In 1879 he once more appeared in Paris, taking the part of Hamlet. His
name had become established since his previous appearance in that city,
and he was now a most decided success.

About this time M. Maurel undertook the management of Italian opera at
the Theatre des Nations. His enterprise was hailed with joy by the
Parisians, who were desirous of having Italian opera.

Maurel surrounded himself with a company of the finest artists,
including Mesdames Marimon, Adler-Devries, Nevada, and Tremelli, and
Gayarre, the brothers De Reszke, and