which can
calmly contemplate a ballet of witches, or listen unmoved to Lady
Macbeth trolling a drinking-song, it has had its day of success.
'Macbeth' is interesting to students of Verdi's development as the first
work in which he shows signs of emerging from his _Sturm und Drang_
period. There is some admirable declamatory music in it, which seems to
foreshadow the style of 'Rigoletto,' and the sleep-walking scene, though
old-fashioned in structure, is really impressive. After 'Macbeth' came
another series of works which are now forgotten. Among them was 'I
Masnadieri,' which was written for Her Majesty's Theatre in 1847.
Although the principal part was sung by Jenny Lind, the work was a
complete failure, and was pronounced by the critic Chorley to be the
worst opera ever produced in England. Passing quickly by 'Il Corsaro'
(1848), 'La Battaglia di Legnano' (1849), 'Luisa Miller' (1849) and
'Stiffelio' (1850), all of which have dropped completely out of the
current repertory, we come to the brilliant period in which Verdi
produced in succession three works which, through all changes of
taste and fashion, have manfully held their place in popular
favour--'Rigoletto,' 'Il Trovatore,' and 'La Traviata.' 'Rigoletto'
(1851) is founded upon Victor Hugo's drama, 'Le Roi s'amuse.' The
_locale_ of the story is changed, and the King of France becomes a Duke
of Mantua, but otherwise the original scheme of the work remains
unaltered. Rigoletto, the Duke's jester, has an only daughter, Gilda,
whom he keeps closely immured in an out-of-the-way part of the city, to
preserve her from the vicious influence of the court. The amorous Duke,
however, has discovered her retreat, and won her heart in the disguise
of a student. The courtiers, too, have found out that Rigoletto is in
the habit of visiting a lady, and jumping to the conclusion that she is
his mistress, determine to carry her off by night in order to pay the
jester out for the bitter insults which he loves to heap upon them.
Their plan succeeds, and Gilda is conveyed to the Palace. There she is
found by her father, and to his horror she confesses that she loves the
Duke. He determines to punish his daughter's seducer, and hires a bravo
named Sparafucile to put him out of the way. This worthy beguiles the
Duke, by means of the charms of his sister Maddalena, to a lonely inn on
the banks of the river, promising to hand over his body to Rigoletto at
midnight. Maddalena pleads tearf