, 1869-09-26
FAMOUS EUROPEANS,
Richard WARners

Richard EnEuers
An immense amount OF nonsense hAa teen wrlt- |
Ten AID said By both ff1eCds and enemies ei thIs |
|retent0us creator Of the Emusic OF The future |
sitting all exaggerated stories, practical people
uo1ne 10 the cpnt1uson thai a. bor and student |
he Was lazy and no special credit 10 his Alma
Mater. A Saxon BY birth, be wandered from Letp- |
sic to Dresden and back again, ssud5tng 81 j |
tcholar at ihe Nichnias School oflthe former place.
rrotetfedly preparing himself Tor eptfance at the
university az student Of philosophy. lie painted
a little, scr1bblel bad rhy11es good deal, anl
sook 10 muatc in chaotic fashion. In TACT, hts Ad-
fpirs refer, a. instance OF early genius dis
played, to the composition ct tragedy with sort
Of musical accompaniment, The latter composed
without biz ever having bad tho slightest thco-
retlcai knowledge Of the principles OF harmony.
E1ased with this success, he determined, Ia his
eighteenth 3ear having just entered the university,
10 Obtain some ey6tcmat3c basis Tor future musical
composition, aud began to study with the noted
Cantor OF TIC Thomhs School, ueTr WetnItg. Ills
patiehre gave out soon: he lacked the industry
necessary to acquire ewear1soe tcchnicalttiet and,
with ut assumption Of the immortal power Of
eenius untauRhs, he discharged the ast0rished
musician with the assertion that he was consinee,l
Of hl4 own ability to do bJ Instinct what Mozart,
l'teth.ssn npi Weber FAD only succesded In niseF
years Of d.liRtut Btudy.
con ro*ed At this time. a. well Az a rynrhony
which had the honor OF being performed ut the
f-r1faMdhntl. Uf coufsc an overture to Faust, the
sttenf Of every embryo musician, dates ltuE1
this period, and three happily forgnstcn operas.
"The Wedding" 1.-THE Palr,cs," anu "The Law
1t Love" The text Of each Of these was written
by hin r,Is fer he has always hnl even greater
powers.
When but 81 he ''ccarnc opcraslc conductor Of
the thchtrr Of NngdeburE, having al last Abau-
Joncd philosopher! .lahhnR AMI taken to music
Us profession. For acscr1l Jcsrs he remained
here, md In the aaule position tn konlRshurR AMI
1tga. While In Isga tie be-an his "Ncnz!," A.
terxnrds completed In Paris, whittier he wandered
IN 1882, mad where he had a hard struggle to cara
hts dst!s hEenh. Mtyert,ecr found HIN there. md,
ns was his custom In nl similar casea. helped hin
by throwing employment ln his wny. Tnar Fss
a 'IsllnruishtnR trait Of the composer Of the
~l1nTuenotK." TowRrl MI musicians, from a1 ALI
ter down 10 the hunh!css player IN a couutrJ CT
chekisn, he was d friend IN need. lltaStcnder.
t1cartct.ncss was rot often so rewarded as IN
the case 0, Wagner. who in ufter ycAra attacked
him NJ the "tnost miserable of muslc-makers"
in fhc midst OF bis priEauons4 Wagner co:npoaed
his frying Dutchnnu-'' It WIS Mcyerbeer who
encceee,l IN introducing tho opera to the word At
l.erhu: Ac5erheer, who coaxe'i tho Foyal Intend
art Of SAxuuy TO allow " Nenzi II to bo performed
on the uteadtn ataZe- The latter Was 10 mach OF
succcks that It's authos becsnc the assistant con-
ductor, the principal one being Reisalgcr: tho po
s!tion was an honor, for that Was the Eplden age
Of histt.onc at In Dresden. During these few Jcars
In Saxony Wagner composed his "Tannhauser
apa skesched the rlan for his Lohenxsin+" In one
particular he has displayed exquisite taste--n
generally choosing As the story for h1s l!btettl
rome purely national legend OF some poetic period
OF pafional history. When the May Revelation
Of 1sl3 began IN Dresden, Wagner fought behind
the tas1icxdcs ike q man. Not the least o! lis
la,c offences Is hts repeatedly expressed contempt
lor republican form Of government. aud his
ardent defence Of nbsolutts:n. Tue old radical and
liberal parties have been much ciuhitsetrd Thereby
In their utter detestation Of him as man anu
musician. In tact ~ gtnetsl proposition, WAg-
bef may be eet down AZ fhe most remarkable IN.
stance Of a man so destitute Of tact aud modesty
is to do upon every occasion rs prudent gentle
mnp Ne yer would. Its friend Bul0F Is, or WAS,
almost the only one tor whom be appears to have
had ony consideration. Ills chief nent ID that he
Is no rrtpecter Of persops, and treass Kings ana
cats = 18th equally short courtesy. For instance,
when spending summer upon the Rhine, not 1aF
from tie paacc OF the l,nEe 0! Nassau, the lattcF
sent him Que day an Invitation 10 dine, adding With
extraordinary stress that he wished much to see
him. Wagner, who was ut WORK on hs - Tristan
and Isolde" sent The kerTaut buck with tho c{1sty
reply that he :" Dill not carr It he did,
After his night from Dresden he remained for some
rear. IN Za.lcn, working very harn, not only upon
ar1oloRJ OF otoperas-thc 70 called "Sibeung RIM,
es,ltd respectively The Walk5rc," The Young
! s:eat.1ed," and "Sieefrteds Dcssh," alt. TO he
| preceded. By \ prologue OPEN, "a Rhetnsotd"
| he at this time a1eo wrote out the programme OF
[ his "M1sic Of the Future" In three most extra
o.ltnaris misty pamphlets, he laid down the Law
fer the generations to come. The names Indicate
tneiI charnc.sr: "Art aud the 1teyolution;"" The
Artistic Wo,k Of the Future" and "The Opera
| and the Drama"
Ten yesr. wcse passed. In Switzerland; ITALY
vas v!s.,ed and again. IN 1862 he turned Ills steps
toward rasts, determined to bring hls "Taun-
hauE.r'' there upon the stage.
THAT the failure Of the opera upon presentation
rHs largely due to tntrtgues behind the scenes, It
- bu. 1a:r to acknowledge, out until Vet! lately
rarts hss rerslated Ia scotlog At his us!c though
\ Pascelonp neyer gives q coneert without the IN.
PRODUCTION OF extracts from his operas
Bat In u NaEnerh day Of tecoupense had
come. and Vienna, Dresden. Munich and Berlin
began TO d[aturn calm Classical students Of music
hy the frequent enthusiastic performance of tae
works ct the crratic composer. The 5ounS Ring
Of Davn11a Invited him to hts court IN lsei. since
Il tch f1nae the dARpsted inhabitants Of Nunch
bare hated hin more Than ever.
There Is no denying that Wagner has marked IN
epoch IN musical composition; accosalnR to hi
1heort the dramatic poetic portion o! The oPeEa
urss be CT as gscas Importance III the musical Ae'
conpantraeut--nelthes to ae complete without the
ether. Consequently, for thoughtful person hts
postie rs aIc the most o!1lcalt 70 enjoy. def
| apspnc 10 heat "TnnhauseE" or "Lohengrin '
with sst,sfacttop. nn1ess he has nrtt prepared ha
sell ty careful study Of the tnsthotogcal story
Then he Eay eeRia TO appreciate the poetic spirit oi
the truttc for n1,houea thts exsrasaRant Intention
Of expressing ty musical sound every lightning
Lke y,.3 ug thought Of each tndisiua1 character IL
.he trana ryctuces Al almost iucztzteahlt chaos
O. sound fttil the coD7oser has but few equsls 10
tic production Of numerous charming attas, eud
occasional aitttnA Of most perfect me1odJ.
But he Il guilty Of most Absurd rTetenslon whet
elal,rIng TO he the ae1ctnatpf Of the Idea Mozart
1;eeito.er. Glnck, aud Weber had proelsmeta
long .ears beiore, this perfect connection be:~eet
thought md fs musical fcnd,tton-the dsamati,
representation and musical delueatioa OF charac
let. 1t Is only the InnstcA exaGRernton into whct
The 1lra hA4 led him that Il or1aiual-a re1crnef
~ he t,t1es hin self, be has not get pruted to be
The most succetsful instance Of this e1ptesaty
; union OF mnsic and text - giseu ID the All
"tnnott an. faaeFt an, rs<f DIR Irnz IN 'ffn Hat
kurE ~ Nattherin tho "MatfcrrlnRer= Of Suren1
tsrx," The tuoet untmAe,natlss hearer cannot fsl
10 hear ID INSTRUMENTATION. melody and preced
Tux chorus, the perfect he,a, 0! runniest spring
, rser1 t..ft1 Of the German WOOD eeet1s 10 CON
:. with II Qpstinx through The Air auf juoaans Wit
/ I tHe. No wonder that Mulch audiences spranR
In the widest ertnusiasn nf delight after the lss
u.c+ haA ,i.e xxAJ upon The nrst n!aht et ~ re,
/ fotmapco Even The tmretturtaele composer II
faxed ht4 tteni'y "a far - to how frrm the hlnR
| tex in return tot tho unusual homage
, TN the s,ih Of, August wagnefs new "fera
. !. ,thritrntA :" WA annuancrt I, feAAI tot p+1
fnrtnanc, Tte sin3, ~ III The case Of the HMhste
etnrFrf bsd tnshe literal Appropriation f9f IN
/ | 4rrfr .1settxttrns, sha the fnaAsrAF WOtl1 ~
. | lar tttttt r*rr tew fFrkk OF The rutnfn1sf IL
kteali II tiecetalss rAntM = krnli'0* hrml
wnstf .ft,s. trtfrsrtt the Ntlhe. an. r"tsr 1t1eh
II. t'ts,ttrln Matlsiikrf was nttftfHl " lehrn
swll lht - enc trahlttx tIrt IN sttthf sfs''i ~
t,atk init, tkIr *ttrf Rslt tutuh& Tbs r1Hs IN "
. hrf epta ftrstdff sa)s ihn mtisrAl t'sft ~ "
Uw,t il Than III n" ~
Il; ,uyt. ta u.trh difficult than that N :, s.h'
hs,,,, t'nn"t AhpfiEfsiL Tbe't*Fniatlpna ai aesu
rlf,. IL xrr, hoxttrt. ef tan !tInas FAkt tH ~
!, prirr, thr arls t~Ina lAsrr*@ fFanesHfrM y, =
.isu,Gs III iha ithitr. hh thr t.shneAn !SFss etA
:. | Nc tutHrtfAtsrAh trsi1na Gf Wh1sn.
AtG tbatAn,t,NR al sh~ nlttanleha 2 lnns'Mn 81
unttif,,sl5 Nf rutnHplun, III observes ths he*t
iLnuts u al trtt lii Ut fs31htal rt1lthfe int y
utter ii, tpslAi II! Mt Tho rrrnch asash' Nh'e" 81
Itt,,ah1 t.fth such hantisnx Al III .'nfnltern, ~
.t,,,uth ttp staY ~ rf rxtslr Mann an AMrn1N ~
u lie viii ntt htr,sr Tor wagner snd let u ~
t lrtleH ia tta3 ri ID empty tFncho<, tho frtdTM
r lIUu 10 popular inAte Will have beEans ~ ~