Consider the quote: "the composer [has not] made the least concession to passing fashion or to the even more imperious demands of singers and their vanity. he was as proudly himself, as true, as original, as hostile to formula, as resolute in integrity, as incapable of compromise for the sake of applause, as great. . the poetic invention . . is full of energy, passion and contrast; the supernatural element in it gives rise to strange and startling effects. melody, harmony and rhythm alike are tremendously vivid and powerful; everything combines to arouse the listener. in addition, the characters, being drawn from life, are more obviously appealing; the representation of their feelings and the world they live in has naturally prompted a less rarified, more accessible style; yet it is treated with such exquisite skill that the most austere spirit cannot resist its charm, while for this same quality the mass of the people deem it the very perfection of art and a miracle of invention." this writer was especially critical of: