=Lohengrin=.—This almost general dissatisfaction, however, led to no concessions by the composer in his next opera, _Lohengrin_, which marked a further advance in the unpopular direction taken by its predecessors, but it interfered with its performance. Though he was conductor of the Opéra at Dresden, he could not secure permission to produce it. Baffled and discouraged in his artistic schemes, a radical in politics, he joined the insurrectionists during the revolution of 1849. The failure of the rebellion necessitated a hasty flight from Germany. He took refuge in Switzerland and remained in exile until a proclamation of amnesty in 1861 allowed him to return. In the meantime he had sent the score of _Lohengrin_ to Liszt, then conductor of the opera at Weimar, and there it was brought out in 1850. _Lohengrin_ proved the turning-point in his fortunes. The romance of the subject, its dramatic treatment and undeniable beauty gradually reconciled the public to the novelty of its style. Before Wagner was relieved from his sentence of banishment it had become one of the most popular operas in Germany—he once ruefully remarked that he would soon be the only German who had not heard it. QUESTIONS. Who led in the changes in Italian Opera after Rossini? Give an account of Donizetti and his work. Give an account of Bellini and his work. Give an account of Verdi and his earlier works. What is the significance of Aïda in the history of Opera? Tell about the changes that Wagner was to make. Give an account of his early operas. Why did he go to Paris? Describe Rienzi, The Flying Dutchman, Tannhäuser, Lohengrin. LESSON XL. RICHARD WAGNER’S MUSIC DRAMAS. OTHER SCHOOLS.