The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-11
ROSSLWl.

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Rossini has died, full of years and honors.
He had lived out his artistic life, or at any
rate his period of productivity, long since.
Many stories are current as to his reasons for
virtually ceasing to labor for the worlds en-
tertainment and his own glory before he had
reached the age of forty, but none worth much
attention. The comparative failure of his
nOblest effort, or at any rate the mere "Succes
d'eStime' which it won at the outset, may pos
sibly have exercised some influence on his
unexpected resolation. Guiltaume Tell cost
him six months of earnest and unremitting
application, longer period than he had often
devoted to half dozen operas, more or less.
But it should be remembered that with Gull
iaume Tell he completed the contract which
bound him to the Theatre de pOp6ra in Paris,
it being the last of three grand works which
as " Premier CompoS,teur dU ROi' (Charles
X), he had pledged himself to write for that
establishment. His rearrangements of Mao
nietto ,SeCondo and Nose in Egito for the same
theatre must have given him no small trouble,
taking into consideration the proportions they
assumed, as lie siege de COrinthe and Noise,
immediate precursors of GuiiLaume Tell. And
judged from the simple point of view of art,
these are certainly the achievements which
place him nearest to the musicians for all
time. As mere creation of genius the Bar
biere di SiUigtiG may be named even with the
last and best of the three, while thera ara
hnales and concerted pieces scattered through
the many operas which he composed for the
Italian theatres that clearly show how much
larger were his constructive powers, and how
much more thorough command he possessed
over the technical department of his art, than
severe judges felt inclined to admit; but his
French performances fairly challenge criticism.
In truth, Rossini never endeavored actually to
do his utmost until he commenced writing for
the great lyric theatre of Paris; and it may
be readily imagined that one accustomed to
earn laurels so easily, one whose genius had
enabled him to produce masterpieces
almost without knowing or caring how,
who, the darling of his own coun-
try, and a recognized couqueror in the
domain of opera from Lisbon to Moscow" to
say nothing of England, had, after a somewhat
prolonged struggle, against the cunning in
trigues of such men % Paer, ETC., succeeded
in winning also the allegiance OF Frauce-the
most difficult, because in musical matters the
most arrogant and conceited of nations
would experience a certain degree OF NORTH
cation from the fact that in France he had set
himself for the first time quite seriously to
work and yet failed to obtain the recognition
which was his due. No one knew SO we'll as
Rossini that in LIE Siege de COrinthe and Noise
he had surpassed his previous efforts, aud
that in GWLiaume Tell he had gone still fur
ther. This too he had done in submission to
French way of looking at such things, de-
claiming after the French fashion, becoming
dramatic from the French special point of
view, supplying the French with their indis-
pensable ballet, and composing for them dance
music such as had never been composed
before and has never been composed since,
Auber and Meyerbeer not forgotten
new shape to dramatic music and
stamping it indelibly with the imprint of his
own individuality. After being initiated into
tn tF11ench mode of dealing with this particu-
lar kind of lyric composition, he taught the
French in turn, showing them what true
! genius could accomplish under any condi-
tions. To lie siege de COrinthe, and still more
| to Noise, We owe Auber's Muette de Fort,ct
and GuStoce IIf; aud, in measure, too, the
Robert and HuguenotS of Meyerbeer-to say
nothing OF La Juice and other works of Ha-
levy; but Gmlaume Tell was an entirely new
creation to initiate which successfully would
have demanded an invention no less fertile
than that OF the author of GuiLLdume Tell
| himself. Among the causes, therefore, which
have been suggested for Rossini's abandoning
the pen nearly forty years ago, the most fea-
sible seems 20 be the scant appreciation
accorded to that great work which had cost
him SO much thought to plan, SO
much labor to complete, aud
upon which he had lavished all the wealth
of his extraordinary resources. 1t is difficult
to believe that his invention was exhausted at
this period, or that he had written himself
out. His Stabat Mater, indeed, the most i'm
portant pieces in which were composed three
years later than Guilaume Tell, his SOir6e'
MuSicales, his religious choruses, "La Fol,
L'Esp6rance ct La Charit6," his "Iantun
ergo," emphatically declare the contrary. Or
the other hand, the scandal that so long OBJ
tanned credence about Rossini's jealousy o
Meyerbeer and HaleVy and the avowed deter
minatiOn not to resume his pen till "leS Juif
auraient fni lfW Sabat" is beneath oonsIdera
tion. From their first acquaintance in Italy
to the end, Rossini and Meyerbeer lived OF
terms of friendly intimacy. No one spok
, with more enthusiasm of Rossini than Meyer
beer, and NO one said SO little in disparage
ment Of Meyerbeer as Rossini.
II not the most learned of Italian composers
or the one who did most with the gifts h'
owed to nature, Rossini was certainly the mos
prolific. Compared with Cherubini as
scholar he could not fairly be, any more thar
as an inventor Cherubini could be compared