, 1876-10-01

to understand the complexty Of detail by which
the successful presentation Of perfect scene
is here effected Extending twenty-five tcet
under the stage Is \ similar home OF cordage,
the $500 gus jets which have been brought into
use for tie lighting OF the stage. exclusive
Of more than 200 more which, between the
acts, light up the auditorium. Under the stage
are also visible the pipes OF the steam apparatus
which performs the functions Of ''cloud-conl-
peller.'' A special engine, in shed some fifty
feet from the theatre, makes all the steam,
which Is conducted under the stage, and In the
event Of fire being represented is allowed to es~
cape and to fill the stage with clouds which, II
not black, quite realistic enough to serve for
smoke, especially when bright reflection Is
fame But must proceed With the account OF
the second drama
~.
s'Dic Walkure " is separated by an interval Of
many years from the events OF Rheingold." :"
When the gods passed to the castle built for
them by the giants, Votan called it Walhalla,
and said that his future action should make the
meaning OF the word apparent. He feared the
power Of the ring which the giant Fafuir now
held, and the prophecy by Erda of the down.
fall Of tue gods alarmed him. So he determined
to provide force OF defenders. Overcoming
Erda, he begot BY her nine daughters, who are
called =" Walkuren y or Valkyres, because their
duty was to select (tasret.) the dead (1VaO. They
watched over fields OF battle, and, choosing
worthy heroes who were slain, carried them on
their horses through the air to Walhalla, which
!fotan had rightly named, since it was thus to
be the hall Of the slain heroes. But what had
become Of the ringl The giant FafHir had
used the power OF the cap with becoming
stupidity to turn himself into dragon; and ii
this form he lay in cave in the woods and
watched over his treasure. There was nothlng
for the gods to fear from him; but there was
danger lest Alberieh should again get the ring,
of heroes would be puwcrless to avert the de-
struction threatened by the dwarf, Wotdn's
care thus BECAME to put the ring out o.
Anrich's reach. He couldn't himself take it
from FaJuir, for he had given it to him in pay
Hent for contract, and, as the defender Of the
sarredness of compacts among gods and men,
lsotan nlusI be the last one to violate them.
His only hope, therefore, lies in some hero, who,
unurged by him, indeed without the lghtest
hint OF IF0tdn's desire in the matter, shall yet
perform just what 1votan would lke to bid him
DO. The hero, Of his own free will, must kill
Fla ;uir, and restore tic ring to the Rhine
daughters. With view to bringing about
this turn OF affairs, Uotaa begot through
i mortal mother the twins tofgnan7ed and Sie9-
t,ule. He relied upon the former as the hero for
manned on earth, and, in company with Sie7.
xaund, wandered about performing deeds ot
prowess. But, on returning once to their
home, they found it burned to the ground,
the mother killed, the daughter carried away.
For while Siegn1und aud lis father wandered
wildly in the forests, clothed in VOLTS skins,
until at last the SOD lost sight OF 'faase, and
never met him again.
Y.
"Die Walkure" opens at the house Of
Ha4nding, the man who had carried of Seig-
nsund's sister Sieglaade, and forced her to marry
him against her will, though Of this fate OF his
sister Si<ynund knew nothing. From the
centre OF the room an enormous ash-tree rises,
around the stem Of which the roof finds sup
port. On one side is the hearth; on the other,
steps mounting to door that leads into an
other chamber; and at the back two large doors
form the entrance from without. The room is
empty. 4 Astorm-magnincent1y expressed By
the introduction Of the orchestra-is raging;
and, seeking for shelter from it, Siegmand,
who had attempted 10 rescue maiden from
those who wished to force her to marry a man
she did not love, and who, after killing several
opponents, had lost his arms, and bad been forced
to flee, pushed open the door and fell exhausted
On the hearth. Sieglisde, coming in, gives him
a drinking-horn to refresh himself. But the
brother aud sister, long separated, do not
recognize one another; get the strange light OF
Their eyes, which they had seen flash only from
their father Isaelse, binds them In mutual
sympathy. Hunding returns home and bids the
stranger welcome. They sit down to supper
together and Siegmnnd rccounts the story Of
his previous life, as already given. But he
does not tell his fathers name or his own.
When he recounts his last adventure Of the
maidcn's rescue, Hunding leaps up in anger.
The men killed were bis own kinsmen: For
the night Siegns.nd shall have the roofs shelter,
but on the morrow he must fight. With that
Hundoqg sends Sieylinde to prepare his bed, and
points to the as:.tree, and from its trunk,
rejecting the glimmer OF the fire on the hearth.
tSieqnau,id sees a swor1l-hilt projecting. He
recollects the promise Of his father that he
should find sword in the hour of need. At
the moment through the darkness be sees
drink and put him into heavy slumbcr.
She tells him how, at her wedding
feast, an old man had come into the room and
had thrust the sword into the tree up to the
1lilt, saying it should belong to him who could
draw it forth, Many had tried, but without
success; and SO she knew that it was meant for
her dcliverance, and that the old man was
her father. She kneels beside Skgmund. The
outer doors swing open. The moonlight Of q
beautiful spring night, lighting up the wood
lands, 14ll upon LucIQ Ao&EyN4N7ta sIllES u I'LL
tcr's conquest by the spring led on BY love.
'sYou are the spring for whom1 longed in frosty
winters time,'' answers Sifytinde and, after a
long love-scene Of the most intense passion,
.Sia7n7und tells his name; S;eglulde1 astonished,
saws she, too, is the child Of Woelse. Wrcnching
the sword from the tree, Siegusund embraces
her as " bride aud sister"; and thecurtain falls.
Such is the scene, repulsiye to all associations,
which Herr Wagner has seen 6t to introduce
upon the stage Nothing in the subsequent
course OF the dramas requires any such relation
ship between Siegnsund and Sieginde IS that OF
brother and sister; and, to meo who regard the
covenants upon which social order rests, it might
have seemed sufficient enormity to present on the
stage such wanton disregard OF marital
rights, without aggraVating 1t By the addition
OF this tie of kindred. The act that follows
only insists on defending what has gone before.
Wotau calls his farorite Valkyrie Brua.hildd,
and, telling her of the impending fight between
I{,t,,diuo and Sieqn,und, orders iet to give the
victory 10 the latter. At this moment Frieka
approaches, and, enraged at the conduct OF the
brother and sister, she demands, as the god
dess who defends the sacrcdness OF marriage,
that Siegn.ut.d shall crafty her vengeance and
be killed by Hunding. Nolan refuses; he can
see no harm in what has been done Such an
opinion, says Frieka, was only to be expected
from man Of his own habits; but she will
nevertheless be avenged, and demands that
IPotan shall order Bruu,udilda to interpose her
spear and withdraw from the sword "Nothung''
the power Wotan had given it. He explains
the great purpose, the salvation Of the gods,
which .Siegmund is to accomplish. But she will