disaster, but
many of the members became prominent in musical matters in various
cities, and in this way the Germania orchestra had a beneficial and
lasting effect upon music in this country.

In the forties began the stream of violin and piano virtuosi which has
continued in ever-increasing volume to the present day. Ole Bull,
violinist, in 1843, Vieuxtemps and Artot, violinists, and Leopold von
Meyer, pianist, in 1844, were the first.

Perhaps the development of opera may be considered of greater interest
than other musical items. In 1825 Manuel Garcia arrived in New York, and
gave the first performances of Italian opera. In his company were his
daughter Maria, who married one Malibran and remained in New York for
about two years. At the end of this time she left her husband and
returned to Europe, where she had a short but very brilliant career.
Young Garcia, the son, who also sang, afterwards became one of the
greatest singing teachers in Europe, and invented the laryngoscope.
Pauline, who became Madame Viardot, and lived to a great age, was too
young to participate in Garcia's performances in New York. For many
years she was one of the great singing teachers in Paris.

Garcia did not stay very long in New York, but he began the efforts to
present Italian opera, which were continued by many others from time to
time, usually with disaster. Nevertheless, the history of the period
from 1825 to 1850 is full of first performances of Italian opera. In
1848 the Havana Company visited the United States, and was considered
the finest company that had been heard until that time.

In the same year Max Maretzek appeared in New York and at once entered
the operatic field, with which he was prominently occupied during the
next period.

Before finishing the review of this period we must not forget the
production William Henry Fry's opera, "Leonora." This was the first
grand opera written and produced by an American. It had several
representations, but does not seem to have lived long. The same,
however, may be said of many of the Italian operas which were presented
during this and later periods. A careful perusal of the list will show
the names of operas long since defunct, so far as the American public is
concerned. Yet there are many, which were first presented to the
American public in this period, and which are as popular today as
ever,--in fact no good opera company can afford to be without them.
Opera was well started