rrupted by the appearance of Masetto and his friends.
Zerlina is summoned to the scene by the cries of Masetto after Don
Giovanni has beaten him, and sings to him for his consolation the
beautiful aria, "Vedrai carino," which has more than once been set to
sacred words, and has become familiar as a church tune,
notwithstanding the unsanctity of its original setting. The second
scene opens with a strong sextet ("Sola, sola, in bujo loco"),
followed by the ludicrously solemn appeal of Leporello, "Ah! pieta,
signori miei," and that aria beloved of all tenors, "Il mio tesoro."
The finale is occupied with the scenes at the statue and at the
banquet, a short scene between Donna Anna and Don Ottavio intervening,
in which she sings the aria, "Non mi dir." The statue music throughout
is of a sepulchral character, gradually developing into strains almost
as cold and ominous as the marble of the Commandant himself, and yet
not without an element of the grotesque as it portrays the terror of
Leporello.

It is said that in revenge at his Italian rivals, Mozart introduced an
aria from Martin's "Cosa Rara," arranged for wind instruments, and
also a favorite aria of Sarti's, to be played at the banquet when the
hungry Leporello beholds his master at the table and watches for some
of the choice morsels, and parodied them in an amusing manner. He
never could retain an enmity very long, however, and so at the end of
the banquet he parodied one of his own arias, the famous "Non piu
andrai," by giving it a comical turn to suit Leporello's situation.
The criticism of one of the best biographers of Mozart upon this opera
is worth repeating in this connection: "Whether we regard the mixture
of passions in its concerted music, the profound expression of
melancholy, the variety of its situations, the beauty of its
accompaniment, or the grandeur of its heightening and protracted scene
of terror--the finale of the second act,--'Don Giovanni' stands alone
in dramatic eminence."

THE MAGIC FLUTE.

"Die Zauberfloete," an opera in two acts, words by Emanuel
Schickaneder, was first produced at Vienna, Sept. 30, 1791, with the
following cast:

QUEEN OF NIGHT Mme. HOFER.
PAMINA Mlle. GOTTLIEB.
PAPAGENA Mme. GORL.
TAMINO Herr SCHACK.
MONOSTATOS Herr GORL.
SARASTRO Herr SCHICKANEDER, Sr.
PAPAGENO Herr SCHICKANEDER, Jr.

The "Magic Flute" was the last great work of t