nward struggle Tell {323} submits. Fervently praying to God and
embracing his fearless son, he shoots with steady hand, hitting the
apple right in the centre. But Gessler has seen a second arrow, which
Tell has hidden in his breast, and he asks its purpose. Tell freely
confesses, that he would have shot the tyrant, had he missed his aim.
Tell is fettered, Mathilda vainly appealing for mercy. But Gessler's
time has come. The Swiss begin to revolt. Mathilda herself begs to be
admitted into their alliance of free citizens and offers her hand to
Arnold. The fortresses of the oppressors fall, Tell enters free and
victorious, having himself killed Gessler, and in a chorus at once
majestic and grand the Swiss celebrate the day of their liberation.

THE TEMPLAR AND THE JEWESS.

Opera in three acts by HENRY MARSCHNER.

Text by W. A. WOHLBRUeCK.

The subject of this opera is the well-known romance of Ivanhoe by Sir
Walter Scott. The poet understood pretty well how to make an effective
picture with his somewhat too extensive and imposing material.

Its chief defect lies in the conclusion, which is lacking in poetic
justice and cannot be considered satisfactory, for the heroine Rebecca
who loves her knightly succourer Ivanhoe, is only pitied by him, and so
the difficulty of the situation is not solved to our liking. Apart
from this defect, the opera {324} is most interesting and we are won by
its beautiful music, which may be called essentially chivalrous and
therefore particularly adapted to the romantic text.

In the opening scene we are introduced to the Knight-Templar, Brian de
Bois Guilbert, who has fallen in love with the beautiful Jewess
Rebecca, and has succeeded in capturing and detaining her in his
castle. At the same time Sir Cedric of Rotherwood, a Saxon knight,
(father of Ivanhoe, whom he has disinherited), has been taken captive
with his ward, the Lady Rowena, by their enemies, the Normans.--Rebecca
refuses to hear the Templar's protestations of love, and threatens to
precipitate herself from the parapet, if he dares to touch her. Her
wild energy conquers; and when he leaves her, Ivanhoe, the wounded
knight to whom Rebecca is assigned as nurse, tells her that friends
have come to deliver them all.

The outlaws, commanded by Richard Coeur de Lion, under the guise of the
Black Knight, assault the castle, burn it and deliver the captives.
Poor Rebecca alone falls into the hands of the Templar, w