Franz Mesmer summers he lived on a splendid estate and became a patron of the arts. In 1768, when court intrigue prevented the performance of "La finta semplice" (K. 51), for which the twelve-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had composed 500 pages of music, Mesmer is said to have arranged a performance in his garden of Mozart's "Bastien und Bastienne" (K. 50), a one-act opera, though Mozart's biographer Nissen found no proof that this performance actually took place. Mozart later immortalized his former patron by including a comedic reference to Mesmer in his opera "Così fan tutte". In 1774, Mesmer produced an "artificial
Robin Hood (comic opera) Robin Hood (comic opera) Robin Hood is a comic opera by Reginald De Koven (music), Harry B. Smith (lyrics) and Clement Scott (lyrics of "Oh Promise Me"). The story is based on the Robin Hood legend, during the reign of King Richard I (1189-1199 AD). The opera was composed in Chicago, Illinois during the winter of 1888-1889. The opera was first performed at the Chicago Opera House on 9 June 1890. It was produced by the Boston Ideal Opera Company, also known as the Bostonians. The opera opened in New York at the Standard Theatre on September 22, 1891 and