finely wrought, and it is impossible
not to feel that if Bruneau's sheer power of invention were commensurate
with his earnestness and dramatic feeling he would rank very high among
contemporary composers. In 'L'Enfant Roi' (1905), a 'comedie lyrique'
dealing with _bourgeois_ life in modern Paris, which plainly owed a good
deal to Charpentier's 'Louise,' the composer essayed a lighter style
with no very conspicuous success, but his latest work,'Nais Micoulin'
(1907), a Provencal tale of passion, revenge and devotion seems to
contain more of the elements of lasting success.

Bruneau's later works can hardly be said to have fulfilled the promise
of 'Le Reve,' but they unquestionably show a fuller command of the
resources of his art. He is a singular and striking figure in the world
of modern music, and it is impossible to believe that he has spoken his
last word as yet. His career will be watched with interest by all who
are interested in the development of opera.

Of the younger men the most prominent are Vincent d'Indy, Gustave
Charpentier, and Claude Debussy. Vincent d'Indy's 'Fervaal' was produced
at Brussels in 1897 and was given in Paris shortly afterwards. It is a
story of the Cevennes in heroic times, somewhat in the Wagnerian manner,
and the music is defiantly Wagnerian from first to last Clever as
'Fervaal' unquestionably is, it is valuable less as a work of art than
as an indication of the real bent of the composer's talent. The dramatic
parts of the opera suggest nothing but a brilliant exercise in the
Wagnerian style, but in the lyrica scenes, such as the last act in its
entirety, there are evidences of an individuality of conspicuous power
and originality. 'L'Etranger' (1903) hardly bore out the promise of
'Fervaal,' in spite of much clever musicianship. The plot is an
adaptation of the legend of the Flying Dutchman, and the unmitigated
gloom of the work prevented it from winning the degree of favour to
which its many merits entitled it. Gustave Charpentier's 'Louise,'
produced in 1900, hit the taste of the Parisian public immediately and
decisively. It tells the story of the loves of Louise, a Montmartre
work-girl, and Julien, a poet of Bohemian tendencies. Louise's parents
refuse their consent to the marriage, whereupon Louise quits her home
and her work and follows Julien. Together they plunge into the whirl of
Parisian life. Louise's mother appears, and persuades her daughter to
come home and nurse her