Familiarity with music and its effects—An experience of the author's—Prelude to Verdi's last act—Expressiveness of some melodies—Verdi, the dramatist—Von Bülow and Mascagni—How "Traviata" came to be written—Piave, the librettist—Composed simultaneously with "Il Trovatore,"—Failure of "La Traviata," —The causes—The style of the music—Dr. Basevi's view—Changes in costuming—The opera succeeds—First performance in New York, —A criticism by W. H. Fry—Story of the opera—Dumas's story and harles Dickens—Controversy as a help to popular success.
Chapter X "Aïda"
Popular misconceptions concerning the origin of Verdi's opera—The Suez Canal and Cairo Opera-house—A pageant opera—Local color— The entombment scene—The commission for the opera—The plot and its author, Mariette Bey—His archaeological discoveries at Memphis —Camille du Locle and Antonio Ghislanzoni—First performance of the opera—Unpleasant experiences in Paris—The plot—Ancient Memphis—Oriental melodies and local color—An exotic scale—The antique trumpets and their march.
Chapter XI "Der Freischütz"
The overture—The plot—A Leitmotif before Wagner—Berlioz and Agathe's air—The song of the Bridesmaids—Wagner and his dying stepfather—The Teutonism of the opera—Facts from a court record —Folklore of the subject—Holda, Wotan, and the Wild Hint—How magical bullets may be obtained—Wagner's description of the Wolf's Glen—Romanticism and classicism—Weber and Theodor Körner—German opera at Dresden—Composition of "Der Freischütz"—First performances in New York, (footnote).
Chapter XII "Tannhäuser"
Wagner and Greek ideals—Methods of Wagnerian study—The story of the opera—Poetical and musical contents of the overture—The bacchanale—The Tannhäuser legend—The historical Tannhäuser—The contest of minstrels in the Wartburg—Mediaeval ballads—Heroes and their charmers—Classical and other parallels—Caves of Venus— The Hörselberg in Thuringia—Dame Holda—The tale of Sir Adelbert.
Chapter XIII "Tristan und Isolde"
The old legend of Tristram and Iseult—Its literary history—Ancient elements—Wagner's ethical changes—How the drama came to be written —Frau Wesendonck—Wagner and Dom Pedro of Brazil—First performances in Munich and New York—The prelude—Wagner's poetical exposition— The song of the Sailor—A symbol of suffering—The Death Phrase—The Shepherd's mournful melody—His merry tune—Tristan's death.