[79] After receiving, the first year she sang in London, two thousand guineas, (five hundred more than was paid to Banti,) she declared that her price was ridiculously low, and that to retain her "ci voglioni molte mila lira sterline." She demanded and obtained five thousand.
[80] There is a scientific German mind and a romantic German mind, and I perhaps need scarcely say, that Weber's music appears to me thoroughly German, in the sense in which the legends and ballads of Germany belong thoroughly to that country.
[81] As for instance where Semiramide is described as an opera written in the German style!
[82] It would be absurd to say that if Rossini had set the Marriage of Figaro to music, he would have produced a finer work than Mozart's masterpiece on the same subject; but Rossini's genius, by its comic side, is far more akin to that of Beaumarchais, than is Mozart's. Mozart has given a tender poetic character to many portions of his Marriage of Figaro, which the original comedy does not possess at all. In particular, he has so elevated the part of "Cherubino" by pure and beautiful melodies, as to have completely transformed it. It is surely no disparagement to Mozart, to say, that he took a higher view of life than Beaumarchais was capable of?
I may add, that, in comparing Rossini with Beaumarchais, it must always be remembered that the former possesses the highest dramatic talent of a serious, passionate kind—witness Otello and William Tell; whereas Beaumarchais's serious dramatic works, such as La Mère Coupable, Les Deux Amis, and Eugénie (the best of the three), are very inferior productions.
[83] The serious opera consisted of the following persons: the primo uomo (soprano), prima donna, and tenor; the secondo uomo (soprano), seconda donna and ultima parte, (bass). The company for the comic opera consisted of the primo buffo (tenor), prima buffa, buffo caricato (bass), seconda buffa and ultima parte (bass). There were also the uomo serio and donna seria, generally the second man and woman of the serious opera.
[84] The San Carlo, Benedetti Theatre, &c., are named after the parishes in which they are built.
[85] Particularly celebrated for her performance of the brilliant part of the heroine in La Cenerentola, which, however, was not written for her.
[86] When Madame Pasta sang at concerts, after her retirement from the stage, her favourite air was still Tancredi's Di tanti palpiti.
[87] Mémorial de Sainte Hélène.