Frederic Louis Ritter’s Lectures on the History of Music: 3rd

“Professor Frederick L. Ritter delivered the third of his course of lectures on the ‘History of Music,’ last evening, at Weber’s rooms, Fifth-avenue and West Sixteenth-street. His theme was ‘The Opera, from 1600 to the Death of Gluck in 1787.’” Provides a long summary of the lecture.

[Reprinted from the Weekly Review] “Mr. Ritter's Third Lecture. Mr. F. L. Ritter, in his third lecture (on the opera, from 1600 to the death of Gluck in 1787), traces the rise of Monods [?], properly so-called, from the acquirement of greater freedom among the various European nations, and an increasing need of the study of the secular sciences and arts. Touching on the mystery, or miracle plays, he spoke of the lite erary and scientific circles, among whom, principally in Italy, a desire arose for the revival of the Greek drama, with its music, of the wonderful effects of which so much had been written; and also of the efforts of many scientific Italians to discover and resuscitate the lost Greek musical poems. The attempts of Mei, Strosi, Galilei (father of the astronomer, and others), were described, not forgetting the scenas, etc., by Galilei, ‘which seem to have been the first eompositions for one voice, independent of counterpoint.’ The first, however, who wrote songs combined in a dramatic form was ‘Emilio del Cava liere.’ He set to muslc two pastorals, ‘Il Satiro’ and ‘La Disperazione 'di Fileno,’ by the renowned poetess, Laura Guidiccioni, and these were sung throughout. It seems, however, that Cavaliere's efforts were not entirely satisfactory. Peri was more successful. ‘He first made use of the stilo parlants; or recitative (before A. D. 1600), and every one among the modern Hellenes who heard his intermezzos, interspersed with choruses by the celebrated Madrigal composer, Luca Marenzio, believed that the musical forms which the old Greeks had used in their dreams were now recovered.’ Mr. Ritter then gave an interesting account of the dramas of Cavaliere and Peri, the kind of orchestra which they used, and a sketch of these composers' careers; ‘all the material for formation and construction of the opera was thus discovered, and in the course of time an art form emerged from these efforts, destined to play a conspicuous part, in the artistic and social life of whole nations.’ The newly discovered recitative style made a great sensation all over Italy, and was carried to fuller perfection by Monteverde (born 1568), whose works, Mr. Ritter assures us, ‘show a great progress beyond those of his predecessors. Everywhere I find a tendency to give to the words and characters of his poem the true expression, gained by an effective use of harmonic and rhythmicai means.’

The opera, further aided by costume and machinery, having become a favorite entertainment at the different Italian courts, many composers essayed their powers in this form, among them the celebrated Alessandro Scarlatti, ‘to whom belongs the merit of having founded the Neapolitan school of music, out of which came forth a large array of distinguished composers and singers, whose influence has been felt up to our own day, and who perfected the recitative.’ Mr. Ritter then describes the transportation of opera to various European courts, where Lambert, Tully [sic] and Rameau gained, in France, the greatest success by writing in the Italian style, during the latter part of the seventeenth century.

In alluding to the progress of the English musical drama, Mr. Ritter paid a tribute to the genius of Henry Purcell, and after describing the state of the London musical stage, gave an account of Handel's career as an operatic composer and manager. Of Handel's operas he said that, ‘with the exception of a few exquisite airs and choruses, they have sunk into oblivion; and in spite of the great musical beauties they contain, the rich source of pure enjoyment and instruction they present to the student, to revive them on the stage would prove a decided failure.’

The second part of this lecture presented a thorough review of the life and labors of the writer Gluck, and his reform of musical-dramatic art, with interesting accounts of his relations with his literary and noble contemporaries, and of the famous Gluck and Piccini feud. In a summary of what had been so far accomplished on the various operatic stages of Europe, Mr. Ritter said: ‘The opera, as the highest meaning and expression of the musical drama, is not the work of one nation. Italian art, as such, has only exclusive importance and signification for the Italian; French art for the Frenchman; German for the German; the quintessence of that great spirit which governs and inspires them all in their art productions, is the goal towards which the genius of mankind strives. Every one is called to bring a certain part of the universal work to its perfection. And then the appearance of the German element on the theatre of European culture was an event in the intellectual life of nations. Only then was it possi ble to lay a foundation for the future growth of music, considered as an art in our wide modern sense; yet, in a balmy climate, under the beautiful Italian sky, its first fruits ripened. But the Italian element was not intense and profound enough to give universality to musical art; the German element produced two apostles of mighty genius, Handel and Gluck, who were destined to proclaim the highest truths of music. As if providentially, London and Paris, the capitals of two great nations, and both foreign to these German masters, were selected as the battle fields where the egotistical art principle of one nation came into deadly conflict with the breadth and profundity of another.’ Mr. Ritter then explained the causes that have led to the supremacy of German art in our present state of musical culture.”