These, the most popular of which are _The Marriage of Figaro_ and _Don Juan_, are written, for the most part, in the then prevalent Italian style. German opera, as a distinct national product, was not yet born, and although Mozart’s _Magic Flute_ was a step in this direction, it is his Italian works that raise his name to so high a pinnacle in the temple of operatic fame. The bright and sparkling _Figaro_ is to be heard in every country and in many languages, while its more sombre companion, _Don Juan_, with its highly dramatic and noble music, is even more widely performed. [Sidenote: =Beethoven, 1770-1827=] Beethoven, with his solitary opera, _Fidelio_, produced in Vienna, 1805, is a landmark. Although Italian in form to a great extent, this work shows tendencies towards that school of romantic thought which was so soon to become the characteristic feature of the best period of German opera; the music, carefully wrought and intrinsically beautiful, makes large appeal to the emotions; although in reality only a “Singspiel,” there being spoken dialogue, it is generally classed with grand opera, its music being so noble and dignified. An example of the greater modernity of Beethoven’s style may be seen in the subjoined passage. Adagio opening of Beethoven’s “Leonora,” Overture No. 3, introducing the theme of Florestan’s Air in Act III. [Music] [Sidenote: =Weber, 1786-1826=] Romantic opera (_i.e._, opera in which the influence of the romance school of literature, as opposed to the classic, is felt) owes its prominence in the first place to Carl Maria von Weber. The music of such operas differs from that of the more classical models in its greater richness of harmony, its more remote and poignant use of discords, its sudden and unexpected turns of modulation, and its more picturesque orchestration. Although there are many suggestions of romantic opera before his day, it is to Weber that the credit of the foundation of this school of composition is, as a rule, usually ascribed. With his wonderfully beautiful work, _Der Freischütz_, he led the way into a vast, and as yet comparatively unexplored field; other composers were ready enough to follow him, but his leadership is unquestionable. [Sidenote: “=Der Freischütz=”] The opera _Der Freischütz_ lent itself particularly to the new mode of treatment: its story deals with the weird and the supernatural, and thus seems to demand a form of treatment distinct and different from that accorded to the calm and stately libretti of the older schools of opera. In his setting of this story, Weber made slight use of the conventional Italian methods; it is a German opera, pure and simple, with constant reference to the Volkslieder, and a noticeable absence of the stereotyped conventionalities of Aria and Ensemble. Here is a short illustration from the famous “Incantation Scene”:— Fragment from the Incantation Scene of “Der Freischütz.” [Music]