New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-03-24

4
drama, wherein poetry. music. and action united 80
wonderfully TO make the most profound and exalted
intentions Of humanity perfectly inteigIble to tina
| people" The arts which we're then joined in equal
partnership had since been separate and each had
! pursued an independent Of development .
| Poetry gradually tended towards moro and mora
emotional forms Of expression. discarding abstract
ideas. and endeayorng To act directly upon the feol
ngs by presenting pictures of life and human reia
! tions in almost musical forms Of verse lnstrn.
mental music. taken up by the German composers al
the point where Italian opera manufacturers found
| t--and left it-grew, and expanded, until The
| popular song and dance melody blossomod under
Beethoven into the grandcst forms of the symphony
revelation in which the instruments speak a Ian.
| guage of which one bad hitherto any conception,
captivating tho listeners attention and moving h.
feelings hy incredibly various nuancos OF musical
| expression. Follow the emotional tendencies Of
poetry TO their legitimate result and they bring you
! to music the most emotional and expressive Of all
| the arts Continue tho development Of musical
expression in the direction taken b. Beethoven and
| in like manner you are led irresistby to poetry.
as Beethoven was in the Ninth symphony. tho ulti-
mate development of all instrumental music. With
the aid of eminent art crics-LeSsing, for instance
| in his researches the limits OF painting and
poetryI arrived" says Wagner. at the result that
each separate branch Of art develops itself to tho
full extent of its capabilities, and that. arrived At
these limits ii cannot Oyerstep them without incur
ring the risk of becoming incomprehcnsibs
| aud fantastical nay, even absurd. At this
point it seemed clear to me that each art
arrived at its limits demands TO join itself to sis
ter ant" Here then was the solution of the problem
here the task for 1.-THE composer Of tho future
to reunite the separated arts-to satisfy the ten
dency of music toward q clearer emotional express
| sion, of poetry toward more direct and powerful
| influence upon the feelings, of both combined
toward that instant and universal intellgibility
through the instead of the intellect, which IL
only attanable by means Of the acted drama. In
word, it became WagneTs object to lead the whole
rich stream into which German music had swollen
under Beethoven into tho channel Of tho musical
drama"
The fundamental principles of wagners reform
are therefore these that true music and poetry
both essentially emotional and ought to speak d.
rectly to the feelings without the Intervention Of
reasoning or reflection that for their full express
sion they need to be fused in a close union, each
yielding some of its individual pretensions for tbs
sake of the general effect that the poetry IN this
combination should take the form of the acted
drama and the music should be of that highest and
most expressive kind which Beethoven has de-
veloped in the symphony. Theoretically. it seems
to us that there is dsputng these positions. How
far it is possible to realize tho lofty ideal in prac-
tce and how far WagnePs technical methods arc
best adapted to the purpose, are questions not 50
easily dismissed. 1t is apparent that the Art.
Work of the Future" will require the most intimate
sympathy between the poet and the composer, and
not twice perhaps in "a century shall find man
who combines both forms of genius wonderfully
AZ Wagner himself The texts of his works arc true
poems whose pathos is directly felt by u
moderately attentive listener. He borrows his sub
iect always from popular myth, because that ID tho
primitive poem of the people, IN which convention
aties and historical limitations entirely disappear
and the inner sentiment OF the story appeals at one,
to the sensibilites Emancipating himself from tho
restrictions of the traditional Italian school. he /,
not compelled TO twist his phrases into measured
stanzas; he is free to choose that form OF Vens
which will present most wildly the expression he
wishes to convey. And this verse Is not ngld
framework upon which musical covering has to Do
fitted by stretching and clipping and patching.
Verse and music born together In the same mind.
One flows naturally and freely out of the other. Ono
gives emphasis and illustration to the other. Ihs
musical phrase is never constructed with an eyeO
prettiness or grace. It is never a mere ornament.
1t is an essential part of tho poem. serving equally
with the words which il accompanies and lnterpene-
trates and tho action which 1T reeniorces ID
present the subject matter to the senses. Tbs
composer takes unrestricted freedom in the do
velopment of emotional phrases as they are inspired
by tho dramatic situation. The typical musical
forms of the Opera-arias, duets. ensembles-are
boldly disregarded. We find no strict rhythmical
melodies-or what may CALL in popular parance.
"tunes'-except where the dramatic situation de-
mands them; e. O.. in the contest of the singers IN
"Tannhauscrp and the Nuptial COrtege in "Lohen-
grim In place of those rudmentary forms Of mu-
sic we have succession of wonderfully rich and va
ried melodious phrases extending over tho whole
work, and never interrupted by tho dry and I'M
meaning recitatives which make the burden aud
WEAKNESS of the Italian school, Each distinct phase
of emotion has its distinct musical expression pre-
served all through the drama, but diversified with the
most gorgeous harmonic combinations and the most
inexhaustible fertility of variation. Concident with
the development of the story, there Is perpetual
intermingng and elaboration OF the different
themes: Just as in the symphonies of Beethoven. we
find the original dancemelody resolved into us
component parts, which continually unite, form
ing new combinations, now flowing streamlikc in
regular sequence, dividing as in a whirl--
always fascinating! by so plastic movement that
the listener cannot for moment escape its impress
son but feels convinced by the intense interest 10
awakens that each harmonic note, nay, eacn
hythmic pause, has a melodic Significance Thus
tho entirely novel result Of this proceeding
consists in the extension Of the melody
by the rich development of all its COM
ponent motives into Q largo. long-sustained
piece of music, which is nothing but . single
strictly coherent melody"
This is nearly perfect description OF tho
manner in which Wagner treats melody in his
operas Far from despisng melody he asserts
that music cannot exist without it, and he extends
4 a.. Itolaa