ips.

In 'Otello' Verdi advanced to undreamed-of heights of freedom and
beauty. 'Aida' was a mighty step towards the light, but with 'Otello' he
finally shook off the trammels of convention. His inexhaustible stream
of melody remained as pure and full as ever, while the more declamatory
parts of the opera, down to the slightest piece of recitative, are
informed by a richness of suggestion, and an unerring instinct for
truth, such as it would be vain to seek in his earlier work. Rich and
picturesque as much of the orchestral writing is, the voice remains, as
in his earlier works, the key-stone of the whole structure, and though
motives are occasionally repeated with exquisite effect--as in the case
of the 'Kiss' theme from the duet in the first act, which is heard again
in Othello's death scene--Verdi makes no pretence at imitating Wagner's
elaborate use of guiding themes. There is an artistic reason for this,
apart from the radical difference between the German and Italian views
of opera. In 'Otello' the action is rapid for the most part, and in many
scenes the music only aims at furnishing a suitable accompaniment to the
dialogue. A symphonic treatment of the orchestra, in such scenes as that
between Iago and Othello in the second act, would tend to obscure the
importance of the dialogue upon the stage, every word of which for the
proper comprehension of the drama, must be forcibly impressed upon the
listener's attention. In such a scene as the handkerchief trio, in which
the situation remains practically the same for some time, a symphonic
treatment of the orchestra is thoroughly in place, and here Verdi
displays extraordinary skill in working out his theme, though even here
his method has very little resemblance to that of Wagner.

Six years after 'Otello' came 'Falstaff,' produced in 1893, when Verdi
was in his eightieth year. Boito's libretto is a cleverly abbreviated
version of Shakespeare's 'Merry Wives of Windsor,' with the addition of
two or three passages from 'Henry IV.' There are three acts, each of
which is divided into two scenes. The first scene takes place in the
Garter Inn at Windsor. Falstaff and his trusty followers, Bardolph and
Pistol, discomfit Dr. Caius, who comes to complain of having been
robbed. Falstaff then unfolds his scheme for replenishing his coffers
through the aid of Mrs. Ford and Mrs. Page, and bids his faithful
esquires carry the famous duplicate letters to the comely dames. Honour,