peaking in the idiom of
art.

Of the composers who modelled their style upon Verdi's earlier manner,
the most important were Petrella (1813-1877); Apolloni (1822-1889), the
composer of 'L'Ebreo,' a melodrama of a rough and ready description,
which was produced in 1855 and went the round of all the theatres of
Italy; and Carlos Gomez (1839-1896), a Brazilian composer, whose opera,
'Il Guarany,' was performed in London in 1872. In him Verdi's vigour
often degenerated into mere brutality, but his work is by no means
without power, though he has little claim to distinction of style. Of
the many operas written by Marchetti (1835-1902) only one, 'Ruy Blas,'
founded upon Victor Hugo's play, achieved anything like permanent
success. In form and general outline it owes much to Verdi's influence,
but the vein of tender melody which runs through it strikes a note of
individual inspiration. It was performed in London in 1877.

Arrigo Boito, to whom the University of Cambridge accorded the honour of
an honorary degree in 1893, has written but one opera, 'Mefistofele,'
but his influence upon modern Italian music must be measured in inverse
ratio to his productive power. When 'Mefistofele' was originally
produced in 1868, Verdi's genius was still in the chrysalis stage, and
the novelty and force of Boito's music made 'Mefistofele,' even in its
fall--for the first performance was a complete failure--a rallying point
for the Italian disciples of truth and sincerity in music. In 1875 it
was performed in a revised and abbreviated form, and since then has
taken its place among the masterpieces of modern Italy. Boito's libretto
reproduces the atmosphere of Goethe's drama far more successfully than
any other of the many attempts to fit 'Faust' to the operatic stage. It
is a noble poem, but from the merely scenic point of view it has many
weaknesses. Its principal failing is the lack of one continuous thread
of interest. The opera is merely a succession of episodes, each nicely
calculated to throw fresh light upon the character of Faust, but by no
means mutually connected. The prologue opens in Heaven, where the
compact is made regarding the soul of Faust. The next scene shows the
Kermesse, changing to Faust's study, where Mephistopheles appears and
the contract is signed which binds him to Faust's service. We then pass
to the garden scene, in which Faust is shown as Margaret's lover. Then
come the Witches' Sabbath on the summit of the Brock