On this Christmas Day the children made closer acquaintance with their new treasures, and I, during the time, went over some new music. Gade's ' Spring Fantasia,' a very thoughtful and pleasing work. Schumann's 'Paradise and the Peri' truly surprised and entranced me ; of all his works not one has so deeply interested me ; it has great poetic charm ; melody and harmony are new and very fine. It is a pity that the poem is somewhat monotonous, and must probably diminish, the effect of the music, because it requires too many slow tempi. Began Marschner's 'Vampire.'