What of musical London during the twenty years preceding Garcia's retirement from the Academy? Let us recall some of the artists who were most prominently before the public, and the more important musical events which were taking place in the operatic field. The glance need only be a brief one, for with the last quarter of the nineteenth century we are among events which are within the ken of most people.

With 1875, the year after Sarasate's début, we find three events worthy of note. There took place the first performance in London of "Lohengrin," with Albani as Elsa, Cotogni as Telramund, and Nicolini in the title part. Then in the following September the Carl Rosa Opera Company appeared in the capital for the first time at the Princess's Theatre. Lastly, during the season there was heard at Drury Lane a young Polish singer, who met with emphatic success in baritone parts such as Don Giovanni, Nevers, Valentine, and Almaviva. He appeared then under the name of "De Reschi": eventually he was to return and take the town by storm as Jean de Rezké.

Two years later we hear of the début of Gerster, and of Gazarré, a Spanish tenor, who bridges over the interval between the retirement of Mario and the advent of his famous successor.

In this year, moreover, Richard Wagner came to England to take part in the series of Wagner Festival concerts, which had been arranged with a view to paying off the debt on the new theatre at Bayreuth.

1878, in which the deaths of Charles Mathews and Frederick Gye are chronicled, is important for the London production of Bizet's "Carmen" on June 22. Hermann Klein went to this première in the company of Garcia, and in his reminiscences has set down an interesting description of the evening. On the distributing of the parts for "Carmen," Campanini returned the rôle of Don José, stating that he could not undertake a part where he had no romance and no love duet except with the seconda donna. Shortly afterwards Del Puente, the baritone, declined the part of Escamillo, saying it must have been intended for one of the chorus; while Mdlle. Valleria suggested Michaela should also be given to one of the chorus. For some time things were at a standstill, till at length the principals were, by persuasions and threats, induced to attend a rehearsal, and all began to take a fancy to their rôles, and in due course the opera was announced.

The receipts for the first two or three nights were miserable, and Mapleson had to resort to the same sort of expedients as in "Faust" for securing an enthusiastic reception, knowing that after a few nights it would be sure to become a favourite.

"It was no easy matter for a performance at the opera to satisfy the maestro in these days," writes Hermann Klein; "the singing rarely pleased him in comparison with the part. Upon my reminding him that 'Carmen' had been nearly a failure at the Opéra Comique in Paris three years before—'I know,' he replied; 'and the poor composer died of a broken heart three months later. That is the way France generally treats rising talent, including her own. I place little value on the opinion of Paris about a new work.'

"Garcia was enthusiastic over the opera. The subject and treatment appealed to him to a singular degree, while the story he thought intensely dramatic, and was astonished and delighted at the Spanish colour in the music."

During the same year the Gatti brothers gave a series of Promenade Concerts at Covent Garden, with Sullivan conducting.

We may note here a piece of theatrical news. In December Ellen Terry first appeared at the Lyceum under Irving's management, taking the part of Ophelia in that memorable production of "Hamlet." 1879 sees the Italian Opera season given under Ernest Gye (whose father had died from the effects of a gun accident in the previous December), and the superb Jean Lassalle is added to the company. Concert-goers find an interesting fact in this year in the establishment of the famous Richter Concerts. These were the outcome of the Wagner Festival of two years before, and were announced for this preliminary season as a series of three "Orchestral Festival Concerts."