nt 'Opern-Handbuch' of Dr Riemann, which gives the names and
dates of production of every opera of any note; but the German scientist
does not always condescend to the detailed narration of the stories,
though he gives the sources from which they may have been derived. Mr
Streatfeild has hit upon the happy idea of combining the mere
story-telling part of his task with a survey of the history of opera
from its beginning early in the seventeenth century to the present day.
In the course of this historical narrative, the plots of all operas that
made a great mark in the past, or that have any chance of being revived
in the present, are related clearly and succinctly, and with a rare and
delightful absence of prejudice. The author finds much to praise in
every school; he is neither impatient of old opera nor intolerant of
new developments which have yet to prove their value; and he makes us
feel that he is not only an enthusiastic lover of opera as a whole, but
a cultivated musician. The historical plan adopted, in contradistinction
to the arrangement by which the operas are grouped under their titles in
alphabetical order, involves perhaps a little extra trouble to the
casual reader; but by the aid of the index, any opera concerning which
the casual reader desires to be informed can be found in its proper
place, and the chief facts regarding its origin and production are given
there as well as the story of its action.

J.A. FULLER-MAITLAND

_June 1907_

THE OPERA

CHAPTER I

THE BEGINNINGS OF OPERA

PERI--MONTEVERDE--CAVALLI--CESTI--CAMBERT--LULLI--PURCELL--
KEISER--SCARLATTI--HANDEL

The early history of many forms of art is wrapped in obscurity. Even in
music, the youngest of the arts, the precise origin of many modern
developments is largely a matter of conjecture. The history of opera,
fortunately for the historian, is an exception to the rule. All the
circumstances which combine to produce the idea of opera are known to
us, and every detail of its genesis is established beyond the
possibility of doubt.

The invention of opera partook largely of the nature of an accident.
Late in the sixteenth century a few Florentine amateurs, fired with the
enthusiasm for Greek art which was at that time the ruling passion of
every cultivated spirit in Italy, set themselves the task of
reconstructing the conditions of the Athenian drama. The result of their
labours, regarded as an attempted revival of the