[42] The operas given during Palmo's first season were Bellini's _I Puritani_, _Beatrice di Tenda_, and _La Sonnambula_; Donizetti's _Belisario_ and _L'Elisir d'Amore_; and Rossini's _Il Barbiere di Siviglia_ and _L'Italiana in Algieri_. During the second season were given Donizetti's _Lucia di Lammermoor_, _Lucrezia Borgia_, and _Belisario_; Rossini's _Sémiramide_ and _La Cenerentola_; Bellini's _Il Pirata_; and Luigi Ricci's _Chiara de Rosenberg_. [43] The novelties were Strakosch's _Giovanna di Napoli_ and Donizetti's _Parisina_ and _Maria di Rohan_, while there was an oasis in the desert in the shape of _Freischütz_. When his lease at the Astor Place house expired Maretzek continued his operatic career in a more or less irregular way at Castle Garden and Niblo's. He produced Verdi's _Luisa Miller_ for the first time in America at the former place and at the latter he introduced Meyerbeer's _Prophète_. [44] Bergmann became conductor of the Arion in 1859. The society was formed in 1854 by seceding members from the Deutscher Liederkranz. [45] Campanini, in the opinion of Philip Hale, was a greater tenor than either de Reszke, de Lucia, or Tamagno. He was a brother of Cleofonte Campanini, recently musical director of the Chicago Opera Company. Nilsson came here in 1870, after having made a big reputation in Europe. A winsome personality and a voice of sweet quality, great compass, and even register, but of moderate power, were her chief assets. 'Elsa,' 'Margaret,' 'Mignon,' and 'Donna Elvira' were her most successful rôles. [46] Offenbach has described his American experiences in his _Notes d'un musicien en voyage_, 1877. [47] There is, of course, no intention of belittling the splendid operatic achievements which followed the action of these gentlemen in founding the Metropolitan company. But we have serious grounds for questioning the ultimate value of an artistic enterprise undertaken by a group of financiers as a sort of luxurious toy. [48] Nicolini was Patti's husband and she refused to sing when he was not also engaged. There is a story that she had two prices: one for herself alone and another about 25 per cent. less for herself and Nicolini. [49] Niemann sang Siegmund at the first Bayreuth festival. [50] Francesco Tamagno was to a large extent a one-part tenor. He created the title rôle in _Otello_, and in that rôle he has never been surpassed. [51] We have the authority of Mr. H. E. Krehbiel, who is our guide for much of this chapter. CHAPTER VII OPERA IN THE UNITED STATES. PART II San Francisco's operatic experiences--New Orleans and its opera house--Philadelphia; influence of New Orleans, New York, etc.; The Academy of Music--Chicago's early operatic history; the Chicago-Philadelphia company; Boston--Comic opera in New York and elsewhere. I