It was hardly until the time of Peter the Great--that is to say, in the early part of the last century--that European music was introduced into Russia. "The czar appointed a certain number of young men, who were taught to play on trumpets, kettle-drums, hautboys and bassoons; and so that the public might be in a state to judge of their progress, he commanded that every day at noon they should perform, some of them in the belfry of the Admiralty, the others in the belfry of the fortress.... While he was at table _cornets à bouguin_ and _sackbuts_ (trombones) were played. The violins and bass-viols were reserved for court balls." But it was not until the reign of the czarina Anne that a troupe of Italian singers established themselves at St. Petersburg. The first opera played by them in this capital was entitled _Abiazare_: the score was by the Florentine maëstro Araya, chapel-master of the court. It was to the empress Elizabeth, "_née avec une âme sensible_," that the town of Moscow owed the building of its first theatre. The opera with which it was inaugurated was _La Clemenza di Tito_, a poem of Metastasio's, the music by Hasse, with a prologue of Araya's entitled _La Russia afflitta e riconsolata_. From this time on the musical part of Russia maintained uninterrupted relations with Italy. Araya's successors were Galuppi, Iraetta, Sarti, Cimarosa, Federico Ricci (author of _Crispino e la Comare_). We must add to the list Boieldieu, who in the first part of this century occupied the envied position of chapel-master to the czar. And now let us pass over the Pruth. It would be difficult in an article of a few lines to give an exact idea of the Turkish music, for in order to do this it is necessary to treat the question from an acoustic point of view.