of Normandy, is often weak and involved, Meyerbeer has
understood in masterly fashion how to adapt his music to it, infusing
into it dramatic strength and taking his hearer captive from beginning
to end. The instrumentation is brilliant, and the splendid parts for
the human voice deserve like praise. The famous Cavatina "Air of
grace", as it is called, where the bugle has such a fine part, and the
duet in the fourth act between Robert and the Princess Isabella, in
which the harp fairly rouses us to wonder whether we are not listening
to celestial music--are but two of the enchanting features of an opera
in which such passages abound.

The following are the contents of the libretto:

Robert, Duke of Normandy, has a friend of gloomy exterior, named
Bertram, with whom he travels, but to whose evil influence he owes much
trouble and sorrow. Without knowing it himself, Robert is the son of
this erring knight, who is an inhabitant of hell. During his
wanderings on earth he seduced Bertha, daughter of the Duke of
Normandy, whose offspring Robert is. This youth is {296} very wild and
has therefore been banished from his country.

Arriving in Sicily, Isabella the King's daughter and he fall mutually
in love.

In the first act we find Robert in Palermo, surrounded by other
knights, to whom a young countryman of his, Raimbaut, tells the story
of "Robert le Diable" and his fiendish father; warning everybody
against them. Robert, giving his name, is about to deliver the unhappy
Raimbaut to the hangman, when the peasant is saved by his bride Alice,
Robert's foster-sister. She has come to Palermo by order of Robert's
deceased mother, who sends her last will to her son, in case he should
change his bad habits and prove himself worthy. Robert, feeling that
he is not likely to do this, begs Alice to keep it for him. He
confides in the innocent maiden, and she promises to reason with
Isabella, whom Robert has irritated by his jealousy, and who has
banished him from her presence.

As a recompense for her service Alice asks Robert's permission to marry
Raimbaut. Seeing Robert's friend, Bertram, she recognizes the latter's
likeness to Satan, whom she saw in a picture, and instinctively shrinks
from him. When she leaves her master, Bertram induces his friend to
try his fortune with the dice and he loses all.

In the second act we are introduced into the palace of Isabella, who
laments Robert's inconstancy. Alice enters bri