Miller's Singspiele were
vaudevilles of a simple and humorous description interspersed with
music, occasionally concerted numbers of a very simple description, but
more often songs derived directly from the traditions of the German
Lied. These operettas were very popular, as the frequent editions of
them which were called for, prove. Yet, in spite of their success, it
was felt by many of the composers who imitated him that the combination
of dialogue and music was inartistic, and Johann Friedrich Reichardt
(1752-1814) attempted to solve the difficulty by relegating the music to
a merely incidental position and conducting all the action of the piece
by means of the dialogue. Nevertheless the older form of the Singspiel
retained its popularity, and, although founded upon incorrect aesthetic
principles--for no art, however ingenious, can fuse the convention of
speech and the convention of song into an harmonious whole--was the
means in later times of giving to the world, in 'Die Zauberfloete' and
'Fidelio,' nobler music than had yet been consecrated to the service of
the stage.
CHAPTER IV
MOZART
Although Mozart's (1756-1791) earliest years were passed at Salzburg,
the musical influences which surrounded his cradle were mainly Italian.
Salzburg imitated Vienna, and Vienna, in spite of Gluck, was still
Italian in its sympathies, so far at any rate as opera seria was
concerned.
Pages:
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76