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the dresses and decorations are fine; the
machinery ingenious; and the dancing
excellent: but, alas! these are all ob-
jects for the eye, and an opera elsewhere
is intended to flatter the ear. A mu-
sical drama, which has nothing interest-
ing in the words, and of which the com-
position is bad, and the singing worse,
must surely fall short of every idea that
has been formed in other countries of
such a species of exhibition.
Three out of five of the principal
singers in Zaide, I had heard at the Con-
cert Spirituel. Messieurs Gelin and Le
Gros, and Mademoiselle du Bois; the
other two were M. and Mad. L'ArrivŽe;
in their manner of singing much like
the rest. One thing I find here, which
makes me grieve at the abuse of nature's
bounty, the voices are in themselves
really good and well toned; and this is
easily to be discovered, in despight of
false direction and a vitiated expression.
But of this enough has already been said:
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