The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1876-09-10

",'otted I" it by 40 great "a maeter uf q,
chfstral resources as Wagner, effects ,
""'h mover ara fssrinatirg kind are Cor
n tam To be produced. On the other hand
l II tie revolutionary c0mpoper's creation
cannot DO farIy given elsewhere withou
7 similar band, they NUT lie in the colo
shan" OF nnpopuiariy for ever, uniess il
, Ihe inProhahle event of civilization tak ir
1u'h an elevated tara IA that music shall
o'come TIE serious business of mankind
An 0ntllne of tho plot of the tour nights
opera, wonld take mp several OF our col
umhs; but wa may find room for some ex-
PLANTATION of the general title, "The Ring
"t the Nihelnng" The NibcluDgen are a
laee OF eci'e metailnrgists VIII" haunt the
| bowels OF the earth and burrow in clefts of
rock ana Ike places underground. One of
| tncse, learning of the peculiar properties
OF q piece of Rhine. gold, robs il, and for
ges IL into ring which leaves Aladdin,s
quite ~ the shade. From Wotan chief of
sno goos' oownwards, there is general
coVetng OF this ring of the Nlbelupp. and
IN constqueuce it passes from hand tn hand
many times But there ia n curse attached
!" i.' possesslon as well as great superpat-
u'ai po"ers; and in consequence this ring
Is enabled 10 play Il chief part through the
"nole elongated dramatic poem
IL must be said that as "A piece cf dram,
atic construction this singular emaDatiop
oi efIaiIc genus Is far and away above
i,os1 dramas written for the opriatic stage
lhouGh overlooking with incidents of the
most most surprising kind, and pursuing tor
'uio"s way through mysteries, passions,
crimes ana motives without number II
never loses logical cuhercnce cIearness ,r
interest. Built upon an old myth, it's dram !
aus pe'Soh4 are odIuus gods and pod,iesA.s
Siants, water bymphs, gnomes, and 50 on
ahu sprlnkliDg of human bsrbariaus uf
ooth sexes, with dragons, bears, snakes,
ana 80 forth, thrown III. The dietie. and
iAnA a II |
cohcelVed. We are not lay ing any special
charSe on Herr Wagner's head H., tonk
'neh ihucn as no found them in Scandna-
Vlan and Teutonic tradition, and used them
" " Without trying to elevate them in any way
But, in fact, there is more of real n0biIitv
about some of his human Characters. saw
ages OF an early age though they are repre.
sehteu TO be. Only among a dren6fnllv
gross and brutaliz.d race even of h.athens
'ouid snch conceptions of "supcrior'' be-
Ings nave been generated. With diviui-
VI. lie1 40 oi th!s type comlnaing in the action
'i wagner 8 overgrOwn drama, it is natu
raj that lts events shonId hinge on all man
nor OF hioeous crimes. Incest, murder.
.ooo'iJ, IciChcr1, and almost every con. |
'oi'"ni" form o! lniqnity and brutality cast
hto tue shade the scauty heroic elements
'i""Sht mo play. II, therefore, we ad-
M l'Iit I"lr NaSucr has s'lOwu verv de-
lucd ao'Ilty IN tho treatment ot a most
, l,"'"'eIy suhJect, wey Yet cannot but derlore +
nab tho Dent OF his genius did NOT Lead y
nm TO seek less repuis!ve theme How
Eef' when Wo read that at the threshold 4:
manhood he conceived the idea of a
raGeny IN the earlier acts of which no less
nan forty two people were slain, and that
o had to fall back on the ghosts of some
thcm 10 brlng the play to an end we :,
re- not surprised to find that his huge -
te, work displays 50 much of a morbid w
,nIency. ~
we nave said that wagner aims at an r,
peratlc revolution. Like most profes- -,
ng revoiutioulsts he has d theory to which
would have everything else give wa,. ~
nee opera first came into existence there :,
ave never been wanting numbers to point G.,
IL lts inherent absurdity. Viewed from ~
20 e''icC common sense point of view
thing could we'll seem more ridculons
an that people should warble while in a I
ate OF high wrought passion. Wagner u
ay nave neted this; but, instead of abol -
ilng opera altogether, he seeks to estsb
II middle course. The singers shall no
DSeI nave set solos, duets, tTios, aMd 40
In ms musical drama the orc.estra
all take chief charge of the music md 7
. performers "n til" stage insiead of siv
edhI"S the lGeaa or ScntlmcatS nut iutn the
'lr months, shall simply intone them in i+r' lar
;"rd with the baud: From the moment the
ter oeS'hs To play Til t:.e end of an ac' q
'Ie IL no cessation. Continuity ia mann. iAr'
with Their lntoncd WORDS inst whcr,. or n
lhFy stage players would speak them
inc ihhiIlar Vocat tOlmS are rigidIy
hc"tu and the representatives of the tn
W"ttS persona are compelled To con-
;t themselves precisely as actors in the tt
Ken drama would. This method GER piyi
My does away with the minor absurdi deal
Of opera, bnt it leaves untouched the
ssest one of all and if the latter must of t
nd, why should such pains be- taken To man
rid OF the former, more especially at SCH
sacrifice of much of the pleasure en-. su
aoie by unsophisticated hearersR Wap- in al
understands thoroughly that if he takes Al
~ the musical interest from the STAGE at D,
must find substitute for it elseWhere. =
therefore in the orchestra strain inter ~
's with strain; one begins before an
er ends; sometimes two or more are w.
rWOven together; there is perpetual -
cement and change going on, both in
musical subjects and in the distrib button
ing the various Instruments; and the =
llt OF kaleidoscopic richness and variety, q
the strain on the attention of a hearer d