aring from her
servant Gubella of the outrage to her name and honor complains to the
Duke, who promises immediate punishment of the malefactor.

Gennaro enters, and terror-stricken Lucrezia recognizes her son.
Vainly does she implore the {187} Duke to spare the youth. With
exquisite cruelty he forces her to hand the poisoned golden cup to the
culprit herself, and, departing, bids her accompany her prisoner to the
door. This order gives her an opportunity to administer an antidote by
which she saves Gennaro's life, and she implores him to fly. But
Gennaro does not immediately follow her advice, being induced by his
friend Orsini to assist at a grand festival at Prince Negroni's.

Unhappily all those young men, who formerly reproached and offended
Lucrezia so mortally in presence of her son, are assembled there by
Lucrezia's orders. She has mixed their wine with poison, and herself
appears to announce their death. Horror-stricken she sees Gennaro, who
was not invited, among them. He has partaken of the wine like the
others, but on her offering him an antidote, he refuses to take it; its
quantity is insufficient for his friends, and he threatens to kill the
murderess. Then she reveals the secret of his birth to him, but he
only turns from this mother, for whom he had vainly longed his whole
life, and dies. The Duke coming up to witness his wife's horrible
victory, finds all either dead or dying and Lucrezia herself expires,
stricken down by deadly remorse and pain.

{188}

THE MACCABEES.

Opera in three acts by ANTON RUBINSTEIN.

Text by MOSENTHAL, taken from Otto Ludwig's drama of the same name.

This opera when it appeared, created a great sensation in the musical
world. In it the eminent pianist and composer has achieved a splendid
success. The music belongs to the noblest and best and is in most
masterly fashion adapted to the Jewish character. Ludwig and
Mosenthal, both names of renown in Germany, have given a libretto
worthy of the music.

The hero is the famous warrior of the Old Testament. The scene takes
place 160 years before Christ, partly at Modin, a city in the mountains
of Judah and partly in Jerusalem and its environs.

The first act shows Leah with three of her sons, Eleazar, Joarim and
Benjamin. Eleazar is envious of Judah, the eldest son, whose courage
and strength are on everybody's lips, but his mother consoles him by a
prophesy, that Eleazar shall one day be High-priest