New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-28
THE RING OF THE NIBLUNG.'
COMPLETION OF wAGNER'S GREAT MUsI-
CAL DRAMA.
A REVIEW BY DIR. FRANZ HuFFFER.

work the Ring of the Nblung." The ditnculiy,
not to say hopelessness Of such task Is but too OBJ
vious TO myself. Music an art, the highest aims
and beauties Of which seem, by their very essence,
10 evadc definition by words; IL expresses the feel
ings of the human heart with intensity which can
never be reached by the delberateness oil
spoken language: how, then, are we to contain the
subtlest clicryesccnce Of inspired genius III the
clumsy ear,hcn vessel of ordinary critical prosof
But the obstacles met with in all exegetca attempts
with regard to the art Of sound doubled in the
present instance. In ordinary music we can, in de-
fault of rendering tho spirit, at least explain the
form. We can point out where the duct ends and
the aria becins we state that one piece Is writ
ten say in c, another in q minor. But wagner I'M
fortunately has abolished arias and duets together
with oil the contrivances OF absolute musicai
Journalism. His scores not broken mp INTO
separate pieces at all, barring the division into
acts and scenes such the mechanism OF tho stage
requires. Even the determination of Keys Il no' ~
ways an easy task in a composer who loves 10 SET
the ordinary rules of tonalty at naught IN so CARING
n manner rs Wagner has done. for instance IN tue
prelnde 10 "lristram and Iscult.' Wo certainly
find on the other hand in our composers music-drina
\ much closer connection between the two arts than
In tho ordinary opera where the lbretto. or little
hoax rs IL is ANONYMOUSLY called seems t. be
added merely as an accidental convenience for the
easier display of musical and especially vocal skill
Wagner's melody is organiCaly welded to the words
il is destined to interpret II grows forth from TIC
roetry as the blossom does from the branch, It's CON
su,nmate flower of inspiration. In this way the
words become the of. and at the same time the
clew to- the music. Any attempt at interpreting Inc
composers intentions must therefore always start
from the frrler basis of the poets EXPRESSION and
myself shall for the purpose of my musical analysis
have frequently to refer to the characters ana stua
tions of the drama. although l understand that
full account OF the story has already appeared III
these columns. But before coming to the drama OF
&he "Niblungenp itself ii will be necessary to say
fev words about the artistic principles and aspra-
tions of which il is the GROWING effort; ana
this ngain Will imply short account o.
The considerations which led Wagner to deviate
entirely from the modes Of expression used by other
composers and to become the creator OF what III
very different senses friends and enemies now agieo
IN calling the Music Of the Future. Wagncrs frs
important opera, Rionz" moves quite in the sphere
of the so-called "historc" school, school whloh
hut too frequently denies its higi-soundng nane BY
appeals to the spectacular propenaities OF the vulgar
IL is not my purpose here to judge In summary
manner the merits Of Meycrbcer, lal@vy, Aubcr
md other composers who acquired European rcl'u-
<ntioo nv works written for the Grand Opera Ill
Paris but the feet is true of all of Them that what
aver their individual merits and defects may be.
thev ia some degree conform TO the spirit OF coarse
effectiveness prc vailing at that institution. wagner
himself WAS IT first not unwilling TO sacrifice som.
of his higher aspirations at tho shrine OF the god
dcss Of success. He destined his "ltienz" for the
theater lust alluded to- and in 1889 went himself IT,
Paris to gain by personal lntercesson hearing for
his work This hope was, we may say fortunately
for tho interests of art, disappointed. Theatrical
managers looked with pardonablo suspicion on
young, unknown foreigner, unsupported by a Clique.
and without Journalistic or social interest
At snv kind. Wagner was brought TO the verge
of starvation he had to submit to all the horrors oil
musical drudgery to secure scanty maintenance
tor himself. his wife, and an enormous NewfouDd-
land dog with which, in his worst circumstances lie
,.fnsed 10 part His novelette,, 1.-THE End Of
Musician in Parisr contains good lnany antob-
ographical touches, describing with grim huinor
What might and, but for Wagners indoNitable
snerey and favorable turn OF the wheel OF Fortune
vould have been. / mention these circumstances
here because they bear on the Development of our
cvmpo.er's artistic nature and indirectly on the
drama under discussion in tins rcview. For here
again the reciprocity between an artists life and ali
.r,;ss work may be recognized in the most striking
manner Wagner's misery proved to be the cleansing
ers If his nature. from which he sailed forth to d
n,eessty OF enbodyng his grief in the creations OF
HI. nhantasy. 10 transfuse his misery with the Ugh
M ;deal symbolization. BY this longing for utter
.ncs Of his subjective feeling he was led from 'hc
,r,eb-troddcn paths Of common operate senti-
mentality to the higher spheres OF mythical
lore. the simple types Of which arc 30 elni-
ncntly adapted to embody that touch OF SUI
fcring nature which establishes at once the
finsbip of the whole world across the gap
~ countries. The first mythical hero thus imbued
nv Wagner with the new life of his own heart was
~The FIXING Dutchman," the weary wanderer OF the
er,an homeless and longing for home on the border
lsss waves whose doom expressed but TOO well the
misery Of the pOet-composers own sltnatioh' Hehcc
tle intensely personal conception which strikes us
MT on,v in "Tho Flying Dutchman." but in all the
rvtbical creations of Wagncrs muse from 60 Tam
hsu,ern TO "Tristram' and Siegiried," and which
brings their sufierings homo to us III manner all
xha more intense as on examining our feeling
-. find that they have been excited by mere dnt of
IMAGINATIVE power, uDaided but also uDincuinbered
NV references to the unwiedy facts of history or the
narrow troubles of our daily existence.
Perhaps the reader may think these remarks some
hat foreign 10 our immediate subject But he
cnybt 70 remember that the Ring of the NibluDg'
IA only the Ultimate outgrowh of an idea first real
lied in the comparatively juvenile work alluded TO,
the idea namely Of the superiority OF mythical over
historical types for the purposes of the drama in IFS
upion with the art Of music. This principle Wagner
has since developed into theory in his @sthetlca
writings but it was of importance to show that
originally theoretical considerations were entirely
GU. Of the question. Like true artist he was urged
by the impulse Of his nature TO give life TO his
thoughts in the symbolic types most congenal to
them. independently Of any aesthetic system which
he afterwld might found upon his own efforts or
upon those Of other composers.
Closely connected with this choice Of poeical sub
sect matter was the mode Of Wagners musical