New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-28
A GREAT EXPERIMENT IN ART.

DR.. Franz Hucller, who contributes to our
columns to-day a complete and interesting
ANALYSIS of WagneI's great musical drama, the
concluding part of which has just issued from
the press, needs no introduction to American
readers. His recent volume on "1hc Music of
"the Future" and his occasional contributions
to English periodicals, have given him an ex-
tensive reputation as one of the abest writers in
our language OH the progressive side OF the great
art controversy; and nowhere perhaps have the
principles which he defends met with rcadcr
acceptance than in the United States. New
ideas in art take root readily in a virgin soil
like ours, where there is 10 great prejudice
for the older forms OF music, because there
has been neither popular knowledge OF such
matters nor a vigorous musical literature.
Within few years, however, the conditions
of music in America have greatly changed.
simultaneously with the progress of the new
school the fondness of our people for this
branch of art has been very rapidly devel-
Oped, and as we have CHANGED to get our
taste formusic generally and our familiarity with
Magnetism in particular largely from the same
s0urce-the Thomas Orchestra-thc popularity
which compositions just beginning to be ap-
prcciated by older communities have obtained
among us is not surprising.
Wagner would doubtless regard it as strong
proof Of the correctness of his theories that
his works are more quickly understood in the
new world than in the old The opera in its
ordinary form is monstroIis agglomeratiOn of
convcntiOnalsms to which nothing but custom
can reconcile Us, while the aria has become in
too many instances mere exhibition Of skill
in which the singer is allowed to commit the
greatest ahsurdities for the sake of vocal
display. Wagner tries to bring the musical
drama back to nature and common sense.
The object of the music is to express
feeling; to strengthen the effect of
the words and action. With him il
grows naturally out of the language of the
text and the situations of the drama, and the
three unite as equal parts of one beautiful
poem. Hence Wagner's music is neither
"abstr,Ise," nor intellectual" nor "scien-
"tiiic,r as ill-infOrmed critics sometimes call
it; on the contrary, it is more purely emo
tional than any other music ever written for
the stage it spcaks-Or is supposed to speak
at once to the popular heart, and it needs no
learning for its comprehension. Hence, too,
wherever it has been fairly heard it has cap
tivated the people long before il has conquered
the critics. Ii did SO here, and it has done so
in London this season III a most remarkable
manner.
To-day there is no question of art so gener
ally discussed in the chief centers of culture
as the theories of Richard Wagner. The eyes
of the whole civilized world arc fixed upon
the little town in Bavaria where he is now
rchcarsing his great work, and preparing for
the important experiment of 1876. "The
Ring of the Nibung" is not intended for
an ordinary opera-house. 1t is a mammoth
work requiring four nights for its representa-
ton. and designed only for festival occasions
at intervals of year or two. If it should
succeed therefore, we need not look for IN
immediate engagement of Wotan and Brynhiid
Al, he NcwYork Academy of Music. It's sue
o.. iaiiure, however, will have an enormous
'@" in nrt. and be felt in almost every