of
which it is difficult to judge offhand. He has wilfully abjured melody
of any accepted kind and harmony conforming to any established
tradition. His music moves in a world of its own, a dream-world of
neutral tints, shadowy figures, and spectral passions. The dreamy
unreality of the tale is mirrored in the vague floating discords of the
music, and whatever the critics may say the effect is singularly
striking and persuasive. At present there are no rumours of a successor
to 'Pelleas et Melisande,' but whatever the future of Debussy may be, he
at any rate deserves the credit of striking a note entirely new to the
history of music.

There are many other living French composers who, if not destined to
revolutionise the world of opera, have already done admirable work, and
may yet win a more than local reputation. Charles Marie Widor has
recently in 'Les Pecheurs de Saint Jean' (1905) given a worthy success
to his twenty-year-old 'Maitre Ambros.' Navier Leroux, a pupil of
Massenet, has carried on his master's traditions, somewhat Wagnerised
and generally speaking brought up to date, in 'Astarte' (1900), 'La
Reine Fiammette' (1903), 'William Ratcliff' (1906), and 'Theodora'
(1907). Remarkable promise has been shown by Paul Dukas in 'Ariane et
Barbe-Bleue' (1907); by Camille d'Erlanger in 'Le Fils de l'Etoile'
(1904) and 'Aphrodite' (1906); by Georges Marty in 'Daria' (1905); by
Georges Huee in 'Titania' (1903), and by Gabriel Dupont in 'La Cabrera
(1905), while a characteristic note of tender sentiment was struck by
Reynaldo Hahn in 'La Carmelite' (1902).

Andre Messager's name is chiefly associated in England with work of a
lighter character, but it must not be forgotten that he is the composer
of two of the most charming operas comiques of modern times, 'La
Basoche' (1890) and 'Madame Chrysantheme' (1893).

This is perhaps the most convenient place to refer to the remarkable
success recently achieved by the Flemish composer Jan Blockx, whose
'Herbergprinses,' originally produced at Antwerp in 1896, has been given
in French as 'Princesse d'Auberge' in Brussels and many French towns.
The heroine is a kind of Flemish Carmen, a wicked siren named Rita, who
seduces the poet Merlyn from his bride, and after dragging him to the
depths of infamy and despair, dies in the end by his hand. The music,
though not without a touch of coarseness, overflows with life and
energy, and one scene in particular, that of a Flemish Kermess