=Bellini=.—His younger contemporary, =Vincenzo Bellini= (1801-1835), on the contrary, displays no capacity for humor nor is he much better fitted to cope with the somber or the heroic. Essentially a lyrical temperament, neither broad nor deep but endowed with exquisite sensibility within certain limits, his sphere is the emotional, the tender and the elegiac. For this reason his charming opera, _La Sonnambula_ (The Somnambulist), on account of its idyllic subject, is a more representative work than _Norma_ or _I Puritani_ (The Puritans), though both enjoyed high popularity until within recent years. Much of Bellini’s vogue was due to the admirable singing of a number of Italian artists who were identified with his works—Pasta, Grisi, sopranos; Mario, tenor; Tamburini, baritone; Lablache, basso, not to forget Jenny Lind, who was at her best in his operas. With their passing and the establishment of the modern school of dramatic composition, in which the voice is only one of many factors instead of being the chief element of expression, they have gradually dropped from the repertory. =Verdi=.—A far more significant personality than either Donizetti or Bellini is =Giuseppe Verdi= (1813-1901). Not merely a melodist but a dramatist as well, his long life gave him the opportunity of profiting by the many influences which brought about the mighty musical development of the last hundred years. The fact that he did so without compromising his artistic or national individuality shows the inherent genius which gives to him the distinction of being the great Italian composer of the century. Strong and sturdy from the first, his early works, if somewhat coarse in fiber, seemed doubly powerful in contrast with those of his contemporaries, which were distinguished by sweetness and melody rather than by depth or vigor. From _Ernani_ to _Rigoletto_, from the much sung _Trovatore_ to _Don Carlos_, to mention only a few of his thirty operas, Verdi shows a steady growth in largeness of style and command of means which culminated in _Aïda_, written for the Khedive of Egypt to celebrate the opening of the Suez canal in 1871. [Illustration: GIUSEPPE VERDI.]