The New York herald., 1872-12-15
The Saengerkrieg; or, the Battle Of the
Singers and Musicians.
Is Richard Wagner Insane !---Dr. Pusch-
mann's Book on Wagner---The Wagner
BuIow Scandal Again---An Inter
view with Richard Wagner.
Wagner at Mannheim-The Progress Of the
Bayreuth Festal Nibelungen Theatrs-The
Opera in Germany-Liszt and Wagner

A
musical and literary circles, for and against
Richard Wagner, his musical dramas and his plan
for the erection of the Nibeungen Festal Theatre
at Bayreuth, and occupies the attention Of the pub
lie to degree that excludes almost every other
subject connected with music and the drama
from general discussion. The press teens
with pamphlets OF the two opposing
parties, the wagnerians and the anti-Wag-
nerlans, containing charges and countercharges;
and to increase the confusion and antagontsm, the
composer himself once more buckles on his armor,
and in a bulky brochure, "On Actors and Singers"
gives battle to the dramatic and operatic world OF
Germany, and Of course increases the number OF
his enemies, which is already legion. On the one
side, have several works written in favor of the
composer and his music; on the other, half dozen
pamphlets, which, while carrying sting with
them, are not OF fatal influence. As long as the
warfare Is confined to musical parties no great
harm will be done; but now the anti Wagnerians
have won the physician of an insane asylum in
Munich, certain DR.. Puschmann, who attempts,
under the cover of his science, to brand
WAGNER AS MORALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY INSANE
This warfare In the department Of music RACES
as hoty as that between the Old Catholics and the
Ultramontanes, and the battle cries OF 'Hie Wag-
nerl" and "Hie, AnttWagnerl" sufnce to call
around the respective standard-bearers as eager
champions as ever followed the banners of the
ancient Guelphs and Ghibellines. But it is
unfortunate that these battles of the
musicians cannot be carried on In the same
chvalrc spirit that characterized the ancient
tests Of the Minesingers Of the Middle Ages, when
the rival singers were called before the musical
tribunal to uphold their cause with their song.
But the days OF Wolfram Won Eschenbach and
Tannhauser are gone; the once brilliant halls of
the wartburg no longer resound to triumphal
o,d q n ,r;tn nf fha old cir 10 mt
found in their modern SUCCESSORS. have before
me three four pamphlets on Wagner, all OF
which are bitterly antagonistic to the composer.
His earlier notorious work, Judaism in
Music" in which he castigates musicians
OF Hebrew extraction and theatrical man.
ayers OF tendencies hostile to him and German
productions as a GLASS; calls forth from certain
DR.. Mohr pamphlet entitled 'Joint Stocksm in
Musc,' in which the composer is charged with de-
grading his musical plans to level with ordinary
operations on 'Change. A second pamphlet, en-
titled ''Richard Wagner and Jacques Onenbach, y is
by an anonymous writer, who tries to kill both
these musical birds with one stone, and OF course,
fails; third pamphlet, entitled Orchard Wagner:
Word in Explanation Of his Nbelungen Trilogy,n
has for its author a certain Gustav Duo, who
charges the composer with sins against morality
and the finer feelings OF his audiences and displays
an unusual amount Of ignorance In the understand
ing OF the German NEUROLOGICAL sources upon
which Wagner has founded his great nibelungen
trilOgy. But OF all the recent publications that
have been issued from the anti Wagneran camp,
that bearing the title Of 'Richard Wagner: A Psy-
schIatric Study" bears the palm for it's audacity
Its author is, as he says in the book, practical
physician and psychiatrist in Munich, who under
the screen Of his science ~ attempts to asperse
before the eyes of the world the mental and moral
character OF the immortal composer OF "Rienzi,-
the "Flying Dutchman,n .sTannhausern and
'Lohengrn.n
THE ALLEGED INSANITY OF WAGNER
The book by Puschmann has create vast excite
ment In musical circles. The author asserts that
only very narrow partition parates genius
from insanity. and that in Wagner's case the par
ttion wall was broken many years ago, and that
the composer now suffers from almost constant
alteration Of the mind. In attempting to prove
Wagners intellectual fall from his earlier eeva-
tion to his present alleged abnormal state the
author takes Wagner's operas, and fances that the
'Meistersinger," Tristan and Isolde" and the "Ring
OF the Nibelungen" do not attain by far the inner
nobility found in "TannhauSern ana "Lohengrin, .,
and that the former prove wagner to be no longer
In his normal intellectual health. II, however, the
author finds in this deduction his evidence for his
assertion that Wagner's brain power Is deterior-
ated, intellectually and morally, he entirely over
looks the fact that some OF the greatest musical
authorities Of Germany declare the opera OF 'srris-
tan and Isolde" to be, muscally, the grandest and
highest work created by the Melster, and certainly
DIR. Puschmann cannot be permitted, in the
an unfinished and unperformed work But,
not satisfied with declaring Wagner to be suffer-
ing from constant mental alteration he
says further that the composer is also morally in
Is exhibited in perversty Of incnatlons, d desires
and wishes and in the entire lack OF moral and
social feeling" He rehashes the old scandal about
the composer and Frau Won BulOw, and then at
tempts to show that the 'm0ral insanity OF the |
man Wagner has been transferred to the operas oil
Isolde" and ssWaikuere" in both OF which, as we
know, Wagner follows the antique sources-the
other in the Lay of the Nibelungs." / have seen
both and did not find In them immortality sufi- |
70 oo go s q 5 s
ing as may be found in any OF the Orenbachades.
THE wAGSER-BULow SCANDAL
does appear at first glance to be blot on the fame
OF the great composer. In after years we may ex
pect second Mrs. Beecher Stowe to arise in Ger
alter the world has long forgotten It, and publish
1t as warning to mankind. But Wagner's fame
than has Lord Byron's by Mrs Beecher Stowe, nor
Goethe's by the many aspersions that have
been bee cast upon his moral fame BY critics. Among
the correspondence ana other material collected
by jain for a biography OF the composer Ree-
thoven. and which, believe, is now in the hands
records Of scandal sufficient to satisfy the most
prurient mind Happily the events referred to are
no longer IN the memory Of the public, and only
the grand form OF the musician Beethoven stiil
lives, too high now for the attacks OF enemies to
Of time and space to defend wagner or to Gecry
Puschmann. The rec0llectons that your cor
respondent has OF Wagner and his lady belong
to the pleasantest OF his interviews with
leading spirits OF Germany had during the past
Summer. Richard Wagner gives you the idea OF a
most sensible, earnest man, and his la1y-who has
inherited much OF her appearance and character.
stics from her father Lszt-of highly intellectual
and worthy woman, proud to be called the wife OF
man who can appreciate her talents and her
social necessities better than did Won Bul0w, who,
In his intense love OF music, forgot that lie had u
A CONVERSATION WITH Mr.. AND MRS. WAGNER.
cannot better answer the absurd charges con-
taned In DR.. Puschmann's book than by tram
scrlblng my notes OF my interview with wagner, at
his residence at the .Fantasie," near Bayreuth,
had as long ago as June last. The "Fantasieu is
the name OF beautiful castle owned by the Prince
OF Wurtemberg, and close beside 1t In tue park
grounds, stands hotel bearing the same name.
me surrounding scenery is charming. The hotel
Is Kent by a Munich