The traditions of
the latter were successfully carried on by Storace, a naturalised
Italian, Dibdin, Shield, Hook, and many others, many of whose songs are
still popular, though the works of which they once formed part have
long been forgotten. The ballad operas of these composers were of
unimaginable _naivete_ and depended entirely upon their simple
tunefulness for such favour as they won. Sir Henry Bishop (1786-1855)
raised the artistic standard of this form of art considerably. There is
real musical interest in some of his concerted pieces, and many of his
choruses, which are familiar to us under the incorrect name of glees,
are capitally written. Had Bishop possessed the necessary energy and
enterprise, he might have founded a school of English opera which would
have compared favourably even with its continental contemporaries.
To John Barnett (1802-1890) belongs the credit of writing the first
English opera, strictly so called, since Arne's 'Artaxerxes.' 'The
Mountain Sylph,' which was produced in 1834, fulfils all the
requirements of the operatic form. It is besides a work of genuine charm
and power, and retained its popularity for many years.
It is unfortunate for the memory of Balfe (1808-1870) that the one opera
by which he is now remembered, the perennial 'Bohemian Girl,' should be
perhaps the least meritorious of his many works. It lives solely by
reason of the insipid tunefulness of one or two airs, regardless of the
fact that the plot is transcendentally foolish, and that the words are a
shining example of the immortal balderdash of the poet Bunn.
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