er an exquisite ballet, Delila presents a golden
cup to the blind hero, and insults and jeers at him for having been
fool enough to believe in her love for him, the enemy of her country.
Samson maintains silence, but when they order him to sacrifice {423} at
Dagon's shrine, he whispers to the child, who is guiding him, to lead
him to the pillars of the temple.

This being done he loudly invokes the God of Israel, and seizing the
pillars tears them down with mighty crash, burying the Philistines
under the ruins of the temple.

NAUSIKAA.

Second Part of the Tetralogy: The Odyssey.

Musical Tragedy in three acts and a Prologue by AUGUST BUNGERT.

The first representation of Nausikaa took place in Dresden on March
20th 1901.--The reception was much warmer than that given to Kirke.
Naturally the charming episode of the Phaeakean Princess is far better
adapted to the composer's lyric genuis.

Though the whole music is polyphoneous the easy flow of its melodies is
hardly ever interrupted except in the highly dramatic moments.

There are real pearls of lyric melody in this tragedy, which, totally
different from Kirke's selfish passion glorifies Nausikaa's pure love
for Odysseus, her death of sacrifice and the hero's resignation;--it
might be called a hymn of renunciation.

The sirens' songs in the Prologue are most enticing, the choruses of
Nausikaa's companions treading their dances are lovely; also Odysseus'
"home motive" which expresses his longing for {424} hearth and home, is
very expressive, but Nausikaa's "love motives" surpass all the other
parts in sweetness.

The contents of the libretto are as follows:

Prologue.

Across the calm blue sea in the distance a ship passes. In it can be
seen the figures of Odysseus and his companions. They can be heard
lamenting their long absence from home and praying the gods to send
them favourable winds and a speedy return to their native land.

In the foreground is the rocky coast of an island. Partly hidden by
the high cliffs, sirens may presently be seen looking out for their
prey. Brilliant, many coloured lights cast a lurid glare over their
hideous den that is full of dead men's bones, out of which roses,
poppies and other flowers have sprung into bloom. The sirens try to
attract Odysseus and his companions by singing sweetly, and playing
enticing music on weird instruments made out of the bones of their
victims.

Odysseus, however, is on his guard