Today in History
October 22
1883: The Metropolitan Opera House (Met) in New York City, then located on Broadway at 39th Street in New York City, opened with a performance of Charles Gounod's Faust, the tale of a German sorcerer who sold his soul to the devil in exchange for knowledge, power, youth, and love. The opera, although composed in French and based on Goethe's German poem, was sung on this occasion in Italian, the favored language of the Met's early management. (Source: Library of Congress)
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