Other living composers of German opera are Max Schillings; Weingartner, the great orchestral conductor; Siegfried Wagner, son of the great master; Nessler, composer of _The Trumpeter of Sákkingen_ (a wonderfully popular work, which, however, is not of the first rank), and many others whose fame may or may not be enduring. Modern German opera since Wagner has hardly, with the exception of _Hansel and Gretel_, the distinction, power, and originality which we find in the followers of the young Italian school. [Sidenote: =The French School=] More famous are the men of the French school, the natural followers of Gounod, Ambroise Thomas, and their fellows. Progress is noticeable from the type of music which prevails in _Faust_ in the works of such composers as Saint-Saëns, Massenet, and Bruneau, and the influence of Wagner is quite apparent. But in French opera the traditions which belonged to the “Académie” of old, and which have descended to the more modern “Grand Opera,” combine with a certain Gallic grace and charm to preserve individuality to this school. [Sidenote: =Saint-Saëns 1835=] Foremost among French composers in every branch of the art is that versatile and gifted man, who has just missed becoming a genius, Camille Saint-Saëns. Like Boito, he possesses an interesting personality, prominent amongst his characteristics being a habit he has of suddenly disappearing for months together from the eyes of a world of which he has grown temporarily weary. He will then come back from some half civilized or totally barbarous district of Africa or elsewhere, bearing with him piles of manuscript, which soon finds a ready publisher. The music so composed often bears some impress of the surroundings amidst which it has been penned, which adds in no small degree to its acceptance by the public. Saint-Saëns has written many operas both for the Grand and the Comique stage without any very marked success: the work best known in England is _Samson and Delilah_, a dramatized version of the Bible story. As such, by the censorship of stage plays that exists in England, this was not allowed to be performed in its original condition until the year 1909; but it then became as popular as it is on the Continent, where its beautiful and impassioned music finds many admirers. Saint-Saëns’ _Henry VIII._ is, of his other works, the best known. The list also includes _Proserpine_, _Ascanio_, _Phryne_, and _Les Barbares_. His last work is _L’Ancètre_, produced at Monte Carlo in 1906. [Sidenote: =Massenet, 1842=] [Illustration]