The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-13
RI DAYS MUSICAL WONDER.
ey,rDWioNER's NIBBELUNGEN
RTVG.
s,.,.. of the Great Opera Drama and
she''" - no Represented Mt Bayrcuih'
~ na,nrin. on the 18Th IAN. 18th
,stb OF August All In this Week.

,,bnin,v was given by the editions of
n,.,iiryaI German Nihelungenlleu p"plsh
~, ,i,,. second half vi the last century, FROM
a.. schlesels. especially from a. W. och'ese'S
,..,,,,e. I'm ISr came the more permanent 'nnu-
~bich led scholars and poets To thorough
,..o,,,,,,ion VI the sources OF the herman TAU
,1 r,,try Foremost in this, among
- others. were Won der Hagen INLAND
MAJ" and Simrock But when the latter was
'rtins ils5u the frat translation OF the older
.o,er Edda. wagner had already finished
~0,a,r,losy. The Nlbelungen Ring which, In
W., .,, printed for the satisfaction OF his
-. and given to the public in lst2 as les
,'..Idr,na for three days representation with
prologue.
In this dramatic poem Wagner varies widely
frou the medimval Nibelungen epos. drawing
rather from the original sources, from the irav
neut- uf the scandinavian German Edda' ana
forming from them n CLOSELY woven whole when
appeals powerfully to the intellect the soul ana
the Imagination. Few years have elapsed since
the publication Of the work. which still warts TOT
that fun effect which uuly scenic representation
ran give vet its influence Is c'erwhere petcep
title Poets like Geibel, lichheI' ana Jordan
,aiuters. sculptors, and other artists all are
learning to turn to the early times of Gerinanic
myth .log, for material whose susceptibility Of
pfe.ukc treatment Wagner first demonstrated.
The study NJ the old Iceandc and related
,onsuc. grows more general from year to year,
and rf.iniiscs to inspire that " the new German
dialects with an element ~ progress the more
vigorous. a. 1t has been later In Development
Though this remarkable triumph has been won
by Wagner. against an opposition which con-
tested every foot Of ground. aud even yet strug
rles ob-tinately against his thorough rccOgni-
ton. the composer. In his ripper age, holds fast
the grasp II the situation seized In his earlier
youth. and presses on to the lofty goal whittier
bis genius leads him. Let US glance mo ment
Of his career.
wAGNTRs ART LIFE.
Wagner In early youth was inclined to treat
poetic themes In mainly dramatic form, only
occasionally bringing in the mid Of music. where
the nature Of the situation seemed to demand
It But under the influence OF Beethoven, he
soon began to devote earnest attention to mu-
steal study. which resulted in his first efforts to
give utterance to his poetico-muslcal inspiration
~ the department OF opera. The principal
work Of this nrst period In wagner's creative
Industry which We may rate at, say, ten years
hurationis Henzl," work of colossal dimen-
uons, but modelled after the school Of Grand
Opera "a developed-especially In France-by
LILLY, Spartni, and their successors, down to
Halevy and Meyerbeer.
In the mean time. great change had taken
place IN Wagner. His soul thirsted for truth.
his intellect for many-sdcd expression. The mu-
steal forms hitherto dominant in opera seemed
30 him to hamper the poets flight and his
creative spirit longed for new methods. These
offered themselves to him In music as 1t came
from Beethoven hands. with all it's bodness of
Yolyphonic resource. all its richness OF develop
ment. capable OF eeyating seemingly Insight
II. -
symphonic orchestra. with this mighty resource,
recently developed by beethoven. he might
erect new dramatic edlnce. in which Word,
Music. and Pantomime should blend with equal
dignity, but with equal responsibility to the sue
cess of the whole Long the road to the at
tlnment Of this goal-at first but dimly deserted
BY Wagner himself-and one which needed giant
strides but he took them.
His first achievement in this new direction
vas Der Fliegende Huander" Flying Dutch
LAn followed by " Taunhauser" and "Lohen-
grin In this incursion into the region Of mu-
Vcal drama. Wagner had broken loose from
Historical material and taken for his guide the
Iegend For legend. Of whatever period or ma
zion. has the advantage that 1t seeks out the
purely human element Of that period or nation.
and renders 1t in peculiar, significant, and
therefore ineligible form. But the boldest
AFr'-'an and Isolde"
Her, for the first time the poetic idea becomes
ihe q dominant one; yet all parts Of the poem are
Developed with such steady regard to the elab-
Grafton Of the music, that II L. hard to conceive
Low, il 80 intimate blending Of poetry aud
Isle. either Of the arts can be deemed To have
b. honorable place. In order, however, to this
re'ult-the perfect union of all the arts in the
rema-it was necessary To and a new basis, aud
2ls Wagner effected by creating now musical
-ahg Ike. For IL Is a mistake TO maintain. as
4@ item been done, that really good music
equally Ineligible at all periods and epochs,
AID that there is once for all but one musical
language. We're this SO, how should We explain
he fierce opposition which has ussailed all the
EeAt pioneers Of musical art2 Look at the
rabas In London against Handel the resist
Ynce oGered by the Piccni faction in Paris to
ale reforms Of Gluck and the stupid and obstl-
Date detraction Of Beethoven In his own coun-
~ Why should not each Of these great mas
isrs have met immediate and equal recognition
n all hands then, since their fame to-day Il be-
spud dispute simply because each spoke
Pew language which the crowd must learn be-
lore II can understand.
III INFLURNcR or BACH AND BEETHOVEN UPON
MUSICAL ART.
IL was long before all elements ~ music were
Sidnd united in one great poser-John Sc
k&ztlan Bach He It was who created modern
rasc, swaying the realm u tones with an ce-
r.sLtal force SO powerful that In his compost
h4u- u seems ia II TO use Goethes noble eI-
p'ess!1n The eternal harmony OF tho spheres
Fefe holding converse with Itself.
'Bfpm the Immense material supplled-by Daoh
hcA later master chose what suited him and
created his own individual speech. Then came
Hee'hoyen and raised music TO tho conscious
oppression II the human spirit, so comforting
" D. CHEST dignity on his art, and placing dbso-
hHs e., Instrumental -music on "A plano with
tAe Older forms " artistic creation. Into the
biVad current OF this music of the intellect
wagner turned the continent stream Of dramatic
Riion, and the new language was created-a
Ens NJ, In which the mere Intellectual ele-
n. i-ychologically viewed, fuses In music,
30 ri-'9 thus lnterpenetrated with spirit
N'sh- 10. more penetrating tones than all the
H.'t TOT = .es and ldloms In the world together.
2 90 ite process absolute musical form, as
'''9 understood, often gets completely dis
h'r-'d, n Is not because its employment Is
Ai-'. r",ected Wagner has at his command
, So. Pref. Of the finest form, and uses them
49, .l.pat'ble with the ided OF his work. In
N- .f+ = lila c0mpu- itluns NAV be found