The San Francisco call., 1897-02-11
ALFRED BRUNEAU, Who Has Conaborated With Zola IN the
Latest Development of Lyric Drama.

without it ?" Perfectly" said :Bruneau; 'T
shall be more untrammeled with libretto in
prose-" So that question being resolved there
remained the choice of subject. One day Zola
said to Bruneau: 81 have an idea; it may not
be musical, but it is great and can be de-
veloped in thrilling manner. Ny subject is
TOLL" "I see very fertile subjectiin that"
said Bruneau. Everything depends on the
development"
When Zola first sat down to pen the libretto
of the new opera, ''Messidor," he took sheet
of paper and noted on 1t what he considered
the absolute essentials of success. He wrote,
1.-THE plot must lend itself to picturesque stag
ing and fine scenery. The drama must end
t0ell, unlike the ordinary operas, which gen.
orally terminate with the death of the hero,
this shall end in the triumph of life. There
must be choruses, or rather crotDds, alive,
agitated crowds, in which each individual
plays part and participates in the general
action. The drama must be modern, but it
must contain also a legendary side, where
naivete and faith must be shown" And then
Zola unused: "Who shall be the characters of
this drama Z? No banaI Prince, no faded
Queen, no bourgeois-they are SO unpictur-
esque. Who then? Workmen," and thus the
horny-handed sons OF toll are the heroes of
the newest lyric drama.
The plot of ''Messidor' is som mething as fol-
lows: There is a village whose inhabitants
have always lived by collecting gold washed
down by the happy waves of the river Ariege.
One day illager, more enterprising and In
telligent than the others, constructs mill on
the river bank, and turning the water from its
course robs his fenow-townsmen of ali the
gold. At one blow the village is ruined and
its inhabitants reduced to want. But
from the neighboring city comes a native of
the village who has learned many things in
his travels. He tells his friends that they have
q right to revolt against the man who has cor
nered all their gold; that it is their duty to do
so. The villagers, however, end by realizing
that true riches do not lie where they always
imagined them to be-in the sterile gold-that
it is the Land which gives them the means to
live, and they become convinced that their
crime is in having neglected the Land so long
for this horrible gold, which is always escap-
ing them. The mill disappears and the
peasants return to the Land with a triumphal
cry of deliverance, the immense hosanna of
the harvests OF the earth.
The "Marseillaise" has already celebrated
its centenary, although its periods of service
as the French national hymn have never been
very long, for Napoleon l, the restoration and
the second empire all in turn shelved 1t. On
the 2Sth of last month Austria celebrated the
centenary of its national hymn, for it was on
creed that the hymn written by Joseph
Haydn to words by the Jesuit father, Laurent
Leopold Haschka, should hepeeforth be sung
as the national hymn OF the Austrians. Two
weeks after, February II, on the Emperor's
birthday, this hymn, which begins "God pre-
serve the Emperor Francis was sung pub
licly in all the theaters in Vienna, and Joseph
Haydn was presented with a fine portrait OF
the Emperor and good round sum of money.
The autograph copy of his composition is still
preserved in the Imperial Library at Vienna
Haydn's composition has never ceased to be
the Austrian national hymn, though when the
Emperor Ferdinand came 10 the throne on
account of the name being two syllables
longer than Francis (Franz), 'Our Emperor
was substituted, and fitted the music exactly.
The European papers are going into raptures
over the singing of Miss Fanny Nicholson mile.
Francisca) of this City, who is appearing at
Monte Carlo with q grand opera company
which includes Adelina Patti among its mem
bers. LIE Figaro of Paris says: "At the last
classical concert at Monte Carlo there was re-
vealed young cantatrice OF marvellous voice,
Mile. Francisco, who sang with infinite art
and very profound feeling an aria from
Hamlet which brought her q colossal success.
1t will be but short time before this young
artistic is counted among our leading canta-
trees" Miss Nicholson Is fulfilling her first
professional engagement at Monte Carlo She
took her nom de theatre from her native CITY.
new musical and dramatic departure has
been inaugurated in Paris in the opening of
little theater known as "Les Treteaux de la
Basoche," which is an exact reprod uction of
medieval theaters and where plays and music
of the middle ages are given. AS its name,
lies Tretearx' (trestles), implies, the stage is
made of boards laid on trestles, and what
scenery and properties there consist of
exact reproductions of those which. according
to the documents of the times, were used by
medieval players. The representations have
begun with two semimystic works, "The Wed
ding of st. Francis" and "The Other Soul"
Both are accompanied by chorus which
sings ancient music
The Grand Theater at Gand recently gave
the first performance of new opera by two
Belgian writers, 1.-THE Bride OF Abydos'' which
was enthusiastically received by the public
The libretto was arranged by Belgian pro-
fessor, NJ. Peters, and the music was written
by young composer named Lebrun, who
some years ago won the prix de Rome.
new departure in concert work has been
inaugurated by Greek singer named Aramis
who is creating furor in England. He sings
the popular melodies of the Orient, some of
which are of great antiquity. They have been
harmonized for modern accompaniments by