The Italian school—Opera buffa—The Neapolitan school—Piccini—A notable contest—Cimarosa—Rossini: his _Barber of Seville_—Recitative and its significance—_William Tell_—Bellini and Donizetti—Verdi: his early and later operas 63 CHAPTER VIII. SOME LESSER STARS IN THE OPERATIC FIRMAMENT. (_b_) THE GERMAN SCHOOL (KEISER TO NICOLAI). Keiser and his successors—Hiller—Real German opera—Spohr—Marschner—Operatic interest not centred in Germany at this time 76 CHAPTER IX. SOME LESSER STARS IN THE OPERATIC FIRMAMENT. (_c_) THE FRENCH SCHOOL (RAMEAU TO AMBROISE THOMAS). Rameau—Divergence of methods—The successors of Gluck and Piccinni—Méhul—Cherubini and Spontini—Meyerbeer—Auber—Gounod—Bizet—Reasons for the popularity of _Faust_ and _Carmen_—Offenbach—Délibes and Lalo—Thomas 81 CHAPTER X. ENGLISH OPERA OF THE EIGHTEENTH AND PART OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. _The Beggar’s Opera_—Arne—Bishop—Balfe—Wallace—Goring Thomas—Sullivan—Living writers 91 CHAPTER XI. WAGNER AND HIS OPERAS. Wagner’s early days—At Würzburg—At Königsberg—At Riga—At Paris—_Rienzi_—Dresden—Zurich—Munich—Triebschen —Bayreuth—Death—Wagner’s methods—_The Flying Dutchman_ —_Tannhäuser_—_Lohengrin_—_Tristan and Isolde_—_Die Meistersinger_—_The Ring_—_Parsifal_—Wagner’s continued development 98 CHAPTER XII. MODERN OPERA SINCE WAGNER’S REFORMS. Wagner’s influence—No mere copying—Modern “Melos”—Use of the orchestra—His harmony—Men of a younger generation—The Slavs 116 CHAPTER XIII. SLAVONIC OPERA. Early Russian composers—Glinka—Dargomijsky—Borodin—César Cui—Tchaïkovsky—Polish opera—Bohemian opera—Dvôrák —Other European countries 122 CHAPTER XIV. OPERA TO-DAY IN ITALY, GERMANY, FRANCE, AND ENGLAND. Boito—His interesting personality—Puccini—Mascagni— Leoncavallo—Cilea—German composers—Goldmark and Humperdinck—The French school—Saint-Saëns—Massenet —Bruneau—English composers—Stanford—Mackenzie— Cowen—Corder—Bunning, etc. 130 CHAPTER XV. OPERATIC ENTERPRISE IN ENGLAND.