childhood. He began to play the piano at the age of three,
and at seven he knew twenty-four of Bach's fugues by heart.

His fame began to be spoken of during his tours in Spain and all over
America, where he appeared not only as virtuoso on the piano and on the
violin, but also as director in difficult orchestral pieces.--When he
was thirteen he devoted himself entirely to the violin and to
composition, both of which studies occupied his early years completely.

Acte was produced at Barcelona in 1903, and its first performance out
of Spain took place in Dresden on January 24th 1908.

It was received with general approval, due, it must be confessed, not
so much to its dramatic effect as to its gorgeous and artistic staging.
Though the opera shows great talent, fine orchestration, a distinct
sense of local colour and some beautiful melodies, it lacks depth and
dramatic power.--

It is more like one of those old stage operas of Verdi and Bellini,
though it does not imitate them and contains, Wagner like, a number of
leading motives. The same want is also to be found in the libretto,
which fails to show us Nero, the many-sided; depicting him almost
exclusively as a lover.--But considering the composer's youth, (he was
just nineteen, when he wrote Acte), it promises much and is well worth
hearing--and seeing.

The scene is laid in Rome during the reign of Nero.

{520}

The first Act takes place in the Palatine, where Agrippina, Nero's
mother, is haunted by evil forebodings, suggested by the story of
Clytemnestra's fate, sung by a chorus of her attendants.

Nero appears, and seeing his mother restless and uneasy, tries to
soothe her with assurances of his filial devotion. Agrippina reminds
him of all she has done for him, and how she has committed crimes to
pave his way to the throne.--To reassure her, he begs her to ask any
favour she desires. On this she demands his separation from the Greek
slave Acte, whom he has freed, and whom he loves to distraction, Acte
being in fact the only woman he ever loved.

Nero of course indignantly refuses to make this sacrifice.--Agrippina
persists in her demands and carried away by her violent temper and her
contempt for her false and treacherous son she commands him, either to
give up Acte, or to give back the imperial power to his mother, as she
alone made him, what he is.--Nero enraged shows himself as the ruler
and the despot and so terrifies her, that she tries to retrac