hope, and succeeded
by another of Annchen's arias, beginning with the gloomy romance,
"Einst traumte meiner sel'gen Base," and closing with a lively allegro
("Truebe Augen, Liebchen"), which is intended to encourage her sad
mistress. Then the bridesmaids sing their lively chorus, "Wir winden
dir den Jungfern-Kranz," so well known by its English title, "A rosy
Crown we twine for Thee." The pretty little number is followed by the
Hunters' Chorus, "Was gleicht wohl auf Erden dem Jaegervergnuegen,"
which is a universal favorite. It leads up to a strong dramatic
finale, crowded with striking musical ideas, and containing Agatha's
beautiful melody in the closing chorus.

Few operas have had such world-wide popularity as "Der Freischuetz,"
and yet it is an essentially German product. The composer's son has
aptly characterized it, in his Biography of his father: "Weber did not
compose 'Der Freischuetz;' he allowed it to grow out of the rich soil
of his brave German heart, and to expand leaf by leaf, blossom by
blossom, fostered by the hand of his talent; and thus no German looks
upon the opera as a work of art which appeals to him from without. He
feels as if every line of the work came from his own heart, as if he
himself had dreamed it so, and it could no more sound otherwise than
the rustling of an honest German beech-wood."

OBERON.

"Oberon, or the Elf King's Oath," a romantic and fairy opera in three
acts, words by J.R. Planche, was first produced at Covent Garden,
London, April 12, 1826, in English. Its first Italian performance was
given in the same city, July 3, 1860, the recitatives being supplied
by Benedict, who also added several numbers from "Euryanthe." The
original cast was as follows:--

REIZA Miss PATON.
FATIMA Mme. VESTRIS.
PUCK Miss CAWSE.
HUON Mr. BRAHAM.
OBERON Mr. BLAND.
SHERASMIN Mr. FAWCETT.
MERMAID Miss GOWNELL.

The librettist, Planche, in a tribute to Weber, gives the origin of
the story of "Oberon." It appeared originally in a famous collection
of French romances, "La Bibliotheque Bleue," under the title of "Huon
of Bordeaux." The German poet Wieland adopted the principal incidents
of the story as the basis of his poem, "Oberon," and Sotheby's
translation of it was used in the preparation of the text. The
original sketch of the action, as furnished by Planche, is as
follows:--

Oberon, the Elfin King, having quarrelled with his f