?r CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY GIFT OF Pres. J. C. Schunnan MUSIC MT 95.M5 O 2 rn i909' VerS " y Ubrary 3 1924 022 486 033 The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924022486033 THE OPERA GOERS' COMPLETE GUIDE THE OPERA GOERff^^ COMPLETE GUIDE COMPRISING TWO HUNDRED AND NINE OPERA PLOTS WITH MUSICAL NUMBERS AND CASTS BY LEO MELITZ Director of the Stadt Theatre at Basel TRANSLATED BY RICHARD SALINGER NEW YORK DODD, MEAD & COMPANY 1909 Copyright, 1908 By DODD, MEAD & COMPANY Published, December, 1908 PUBLISHER'S NOTE This translation of Leo Melitz's well-known work attempts to give to the opera-going public in a short and convenient form the plots of the more important operas, with their casts and principal musical numbers. It is not intended as a serious literary production, but furnishes in the fewest possible words a comprehension of the opera texts for quick reference. The work has been adapted for use in America by the elimination of a few operas seldom per- formed here, and the addition of a number of modern operas in which the American public have perhaps a greater con- temporary interest. CONTENTS Note. — In this work the operas are arranged alphabetically, according to titles ; foreign titles preceded by an article appear under the initial of the article : e.g., Der Freischittz, under D, La Gioconda, under L. Adam PAGE The Nuremberg Doll 272 The Postilion of Longjumeau 305 Aubeb. The Bronze Horse 40 The Crown Diamonds 59 The Devil's Portion (Carlo Broschi) 84 Era Diavolo 130 Gustav, or the Masked Ball 138 La Muette de Portici (Masaniello) 188 Le Domino Noir 203 Mason and Locksmith 257 Balfe The Bohemian Girl 38 Bellini La Sonnambula 191 Montecchi e Capuletti (Romeo and Juliet) 268 Norma 271 Beethoven Fidelio 119 Berlioz Benvenuto Cellini 37 The Damnation of Faust 65 Les Troyens (The Trojans) 216 Bizet Carmen 43 Djamileh 92 Les Pecheurs des Perles (The Pearl Fishers) 211 viii CONTENTS Beech PAGE* That Was I! 352 BoiELDEETT John of Paris 166 La Dame Blanche (The White Lady) 176 Boito Mefistofele 260 Beeton La Dolores 179 Beull The Golden Cross 133 Gringoire 135 BtTNGEET Circe 49 Odysseus' Return 275 Chabeiee Gwendoline 138 Chaepentiee Louise 228 Cheeubini The Water-Carrier (Les Deux Journees) ^ ClLEA Adrienne Lecouvreur 4 CONVEESE The Pipe of Desire 299 COENELITTS The Barber of Bagdad 28 Le Cid 197 ClJETI