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80 National Music of the World. |
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naturally grotesque plays of Carlo Gozzi, which for so long a period kept so strong a hold on the playgoers of Venice; and to which may be ascribed those extravaganzas, the popularity of which has not yet altogether died out in the minor theatres of Vienna, and to cater for which Shikaneder the buffoon tempted Mozart to write his ' Zauberflote.' For in them will be found that power over the marvellous which becomes strange when united with command over the deepest, most serious passions which thrill the heart and frame of humanity. But neither ' 11 Corvo,' the scene of which is the imaginary city of Frattombrosa; nor ' L'Amore delle Tre Melarancie'; nor ' Turandot,' a Chinese legend, for which, on its being arranged for the German stage by Schiller, Weber wrote his characteristic overture; nor 'II Re Cervo,' the king of Serendib : nor 'La Donna Serpente,' the scene of whose gambols was Tiflis; nor ' Zobeide,' a story of the city of Samandal; nor 'II Mostro Turchino,' another Chinese fable; nor 'I Pitocchi Fortunati,' a tale of Samarcand; nor 'L'Augellino Belverde,' belonging to the unknown capital of Monterotondo; nor ' Zeim/ the ruler of the spirits whose home was Balsora—represent native forms, usages and beliefs, more than do the |
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