Now let us turn to operatic matters in that far-off season of 1848.
Mr Delafield had undertaken to finance the Covent Garden venture, for which a bevy of great names had been secured. As in the preceding season Garcia's pupil, Jenny Lind, had been the principal star at Her Majesty's, so in this year another pupil, his sister, Pauline Viardot, was the star at the rival establishment. In addition to her there were Alboni, Persiani, Grisi, Mario, Ronconi, Marini, and Castellani. Unhappily, things did not run as smoothly as might have been wished: Michael Costa and Delafield were at loggerheads, and in July, soon after Garcia arrived from Paris, a financial crisis occurred which was only averted by the assistance of Gye.
On the 20th of the month the first important operatic event took place of the many which the maestro was to witness here during the last fifty-eight years of his life. As the "Huguenots" had been produced twelve years before in the original French version during his stay in Paris, so now, with his advent to London, Meyerbeer's masterpiece was given for the first time at Covent Garden in its Italian version, under the title "Gli Ugonotti," with the part of Urbain transposed for Alboni, and an additional cavatina written specially for her. The cast on this occasion was as follows:—
| Valentine | Mme. Viardot-Garcia. |
| Marguerite | Mme. Castellani. |
| Urbain | Mdlle. Alboni. |
| Raoul | Signor Mario. |
| Marcel | Signor Marini. |
| Nevers | Signor Tagliafico. |
| Saint Bris | Signor Tamburini. |
As to the rival operatic season at Her Majesty's Theatre, it will be sufficient if we quote a rather typical critique of one of the representations:—
"'Poor Don Pasquale,' Donizetti's prettiest musical comedy (!), 'produced to fill an off-night,' was an exclamation there was no escaping from on Tuesday evening. Why was it produced at all? To us the performance was an execution in the Tyburn acceptation of the word.
"But a murder far more heinous has been committed at Her Majesty's this week. Poor M. Meyerbeer, how must his ears have tingled when his 'Roberto' was given with one principal character—involving two entire acts, the two principal soprano songs of the opera, and its only grand finale—coolly swept away! By past musical performances we were apprised that neither Mr Lumley nor Mr Balfe recognises the difference between one of the flimsy Italian operas and those thoughtful works in which sequence, contrast, and stage effect have all been regarded by the composer.... If no prima donna equal to 'En vain j'espère' and 'Robert' be in the theatre, wherefore give the work at all, unless 'the Swedish lady' is in extremis for a new attraction? Why not withdraw as superfluous all solos in Mdlle. Lind's operas save Mdlle. Lind's own? Why not mount 'Don Juan' without Donna Anna's arias? Rapacious as these propositions sound, they are as defensible as the liberties taken with Meyerbeer."
We find the first mention of Señor Garcia's arrival made in the 'Musical World' of July 1, in these words:—
"Manuel Garcia, the celebrated professor of singing in the Conservatoire of Paris, has arrived in London. He is brother to Malibran and Pauline Garcia, and was teacher of Jenny Lind."
On July 15 the 'Athenæum' gives further details: "We are informed that Monsieur Garcia meditates settling here as professor of singing."