New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-05-19
RICHARD WAGNER.
,,,c .pr.JIrE AND THEORIES.

ppoM THE COMPOSERS wRlTiNGs-PhiNCirLIo
OF THE GREAT MUSICAL REFORM.
The translation from the miscellaneous writihgs
-, p;.hard Wagner. upon which Mr. Edward L.. Bur
S.,,a,ro has been for some time engaged, will Inc
vublished in few days by Henry Holt q Co, max
ing handsome volume of about 800 rages. Mr.
Burlingame has performed n most useful task with
sreat tact and taste. The difficulty OF rendering
Wagner into Ineligible English is almost insuper-
able but he has overcome it, and has given us
book which will not only be interesting to
Ill lovers of music, but entertaining at least
On some of its chapters 10 the general reader ne
nine ssout octave volumes which comprise the ter
man edition of Wagners collected works. offered an
embarrassing variety of material for the choice OF
The translator Mr. Burlingame seems 10 nave maze
mis- selections with good Judgment, throwing out the
polemical essays and the more extended theoretcai
treatises and giving us several snort papers vi a
sutobiographical character two explanatory essays
m the composers theory of the musical drama,
description of the Bayreuth theater, and Wagners
synopsis of the Nibelungen legend. The chapter OF
autobiography which leads the collection ends alb
Tuptly at the year 1912:
Nv name Is Wilhelm Richard Wagner, and ! was born
Leipzig the 22d day OF May 1Sl3 NY Iatner h
was police actuary died six months after my ph'n
NV stcpfather, Ludwig Geyer, was an actor ana a
painter and written several comedies OF which
GThe Slaughter Of the Innocens, had consdeiaDe sue
cess The family went to live with him in Dresden He
wished TO make painter of me- but had decidedly no
\ was only seven years old A little while before bis
death had learned to play on the piano UeD inner
quite novelty and the day before he died he had me
play them both over to him in an adjoining room heard
HIM in faint voice tony mother, nat he sho"iu
have talent for muster
Alta my private tutor who taught me to construee
poIes Neos had TO give nanS nscr S When
began secretly 10 study the overture to the frescnuH
ut first without notes My teacher once oNefneatn me
doing this and pronounced that would come 10 nSthns
He was right; have my life learned To play inc
piano STILL played then for myself aloncnothng bqt
impossible for me to play passage ceaIl! anu Iu
this way came 10 have great horror OF an runs III
Mozart's music only liked the overture TO the Magic
Flute Juan" disliked because il had the Italian
under il this seemed 10 me supremacy RIDICULOUS
Next he determined to be poet. He studied In
glsh for little while in order that he might read
Shakespeare. He spent two years in the compost
ton of a stupendous tragedy killing forty-two OF
The characters in the of the piece and rednc-
ing the personnel so seriously that some of the dead
had 10 come back as ghosts in order to finish the
drama He heard BeethOvens music TO "Egmont,
and was SO deeply excited that he determined that
his tragedy should not proceed step further with
out being provided with just such an Accompaniment.
lie borrowed treatise on thoroughbass for week
and began 10 write the music himself. lie was then
In his 10th year. and infected with the widest mys-
ticsm by reading Hoffman.
During the day. while half doing. ] nau VISIONS III
which fundamentals thirds. and hfths appeared to me
tncarnaie, and revealed 10 their wonderful meaning
what wrote Of them was the puest nonsense Az ast
was put the teaching OF capable nusic-maser
The poor had sad trouble with me- he had To ex
and powers we're really intervals chords. What could
Disappointing for my family than to tnd that
proved myself careless and unsystematic in this study
also My teacher shook his head and 1t certainly looked
though in this too, should come To nothing sensible
NV zeal study gradually died away, and preferred
write Oyertures for full orchestra one OF when was
produced in the Leipzig theater These overures
he mi
60 aid the clearer comprehension of any one who should
the stringcd instruments red. the instruments
green, and the brass Instruments black Beethovcns
ninth symphony was 10 be mere Pleycs sonata beside
this wonderfully composed overture When 1t came 10
~ performed was especially injured by the regular rep
rtition every four bars throughout the piece OF recu
ring forssim0 pound upon the drum the audience soon
passed from Their Original wonder at me 3osi! t ~,
lcvty that wounded deeply: This first performance
of piece Of my composition left deep impression upon
Fortunately, he found friend and teacher in
Theodor Wenlig of Leipzig. who corrected his aber-
rations and induced him to acquire thorough
knowledge of counterpoint. He learned TO know
and love Mozart he published a simple and
modest sonata; he wrote overture after the
manner of Beethoven and symphony both
which were played with applause at the Gewand-
bans concerts: and he composed his first opera,
"Dje Fen" 1.-The Fairies, which was never per
formed His second Dds Liebesrerb0t' {" The
:,
Measure" was little more fortunate, for ii was
represented once and announced for performance a
second time but there a violent quarrel among
the actors and the company broke up in confusion.
"Rienzi" was begun in 1898 and the next year
Wagner went TO Paris, conceiving on the long and
stormy voyage the idea of his Flying Dutchman."
His residence in France was bitter struggle with
poverty and disappointment.
Inever thought Of possible production of my Ri mi
10 wait at least years before such plan would
be practicable even under the most favorable ctcun,
stances besides which, the translation OF the brCtO Oh
the already hafhnished opera would have put lnsur-
Thus entered upon the Summer OF 40 entirely with
any prospects for the immediate future MY acqunt
snce with Habeneck Hal6yy, Berlioz, and others.
fanly led to no particular approach any artist has
leisure Ia Paris 10 make friends with another; each IN
. rush and hurry on his account. Haltvy, like all
Partisan composers adays only burning with en-
thusasm for his art long as II was necessary TO win
great this was attained and he had
entered the h-t privileged lions among composers. he
Thought of nothing further but TO make operas and get
money for them Celebrity IL everything IN Pans; AT
the good fortune and the ruin OF the artist Beroz
he is separated by the whole breadth of the heavens from
his Partisan colleagues for he does not make ms music
whole sense Of beauty escapes him He stands in his
peculiar line in entirely isolated position ON his side
OGRE and DIV without tie slightest Judgment welcome in him
the creator Of brandne musical system ana cntley
turn his head;-and all others avoid him as madmai
During this time was commissioned by Schlesnge: TO
write for his Gocete Musicale contributed several alti-
cies Of considerable length German music etc. III
fc sketch called Pilgrimage 10 Beethoven" was cspe-
ciay praised. These performances were OF not little
help TO in making myself known and esteemed III
Paris In November Of this year entirely completed the
score OF my enzi" and sent il without delay to Ores
den. This period was the eliminating point OF my want
and IL then that wrote for the Gazette usi-
<a, NV little story DIs eade eines deutschen MusEers
o., Paris" in which made the unhappy hero die with
this creed upOn his lips: believe in God Mozart, and
Beethoven good thing for Inc that my opera
finished for found myself compelled for long time
after tins abandon attempt at true artistic WORK
had 10 set myself TO making Tor Scnesinger ihstfu-
those for the coTnetd pison-the only by which
could better my situation spent the "iner OF is4o