There was also a concert of voices which did not come off quite so well, in my opinion, as other parts of the music." [Footnote 18: "Histoire de l'Opera en Europe avant Lully et Scarlatti," par Romain Rolland.

Paris, 1895.] Upon this passage Rolland makes the following comment: "This is the type of piece performed in Italy up to Vecchi, as the 'Orfeo' of Poliziano (1475), The Conversion of Saint Paul (Rome, 1484-92, music by Beverini), Cephale et Aurore (music by Nicolo de Coreggio) 1487, Ferrara, etc." This confusion of Poliziano's "Orfeo" with spoken drama interspersed with intermezzi is unfortunate.

There were no intermezzi at the representation of this lyric drama.

It was in itself an entire novelty and nothing was done to distract the attention of the audience from its poetic and musical beauties.

We can hardly believe that there was any close consideration of the fact that the work was an adaptation of the apparatus of the sacra rappresentazione to the secular play.