After an expressive orchestral introduction the cantata opens with a chorus of the serfs (tenors and basses) ("Ere the Wine-cup is dry"), followed by a very romantic chorus of sea-maidens, the two at times interwoven and responsive,--the one describing Lord Dunkerron's nightly vigils on the seashore, and the other the melody of the maidens which tempts him. A charming orchestral intermezzo, full of the feeling of the sea, ensues, and is followed by recitative and aria ("The full Moon is beaming") for Dunkerron, which is very simple in style but effective as a song, even apart from its setting. It leads up to another chorus of the sea-maidens ("Let us sing, the moonlit Shores along") and a long love dialogue between Dunkerron and the Maiden. The next number is a very spirited and picturesque chorus ("Down through the Deep") describing the passage of the lovers to the Maiden's home, which is followed by a sturdy, sonorous recitative and aria for bass voice ("Oh, the Earth is fair in Plain and Glade") sung by the Sea-King. Two very attractive choruses follow, the first ("O Storm King, hear us") with a solo for the Sea-King, and the second ("Hail to thee, Child of the Earth") by the sea-maidens. Another graceful melody, "Our Home shall be on this bright Isle," is assigned to the Maiden, leading to a duet with Dunkerron, in which she announces her departure to obtain the Sea-King's consent to their union. A chorus of the storm-spirits ("Roar, Wind of the Tempest, roar") indicates her doom and leads up to the finale. A powerful trio for the Maiden, Dunkerron, and Sea-King, followed by the angry commands of the latter ("Hurl him back!"), tells of the death of the lovers, and the work closes as it opened, with the intermingled choruses of serfs and sea-maidens, this time, however, full of lamentation over the sad tragedy. King René's Daughter. "King René's Daughter," a cantata for female voices only, the poem by Frederick Enoch, was written in 1871. The story is freely adapted from Henrik Hertz's lyric drama. Iolanthe, the daughter of King René, Count of Provence, was betrothed in her infancy to the son of the Count of Vaudemont. When but a year old she was stricken with blindness. She has been reared in ignorance of her affliction by a strict concealment from her of all knowledge of the blessings of sight. A wandering magician agrees to cure her by the use of an amulet, provided she is first informed of the existence of the missing sense; but her father refuses permission. Her betrothed has never seen her, but wandering one day through the valley of Vaucluse, singing his troubadour lays, he beholds her, and is captivated by her beauty. His song reveals to her the faculty of which she has been kept in ignorance, and the magician, his condition thus having been fulfilled, restores her to sight.