, 1877-06-24

the orchcstra, a,,d l,clng Wholly wrapped mp ii
tho music, / couldn't breathe from, The moment
II began TIL u ended. teli you such m;iaie Y
s;t s1 :t on AZ oh oar} .m x. reca,
the enthusiasm nj these concerts, md the large
number OF the immense audience who remained
10 the close, ho will see that great triumph
was seessa r. tpte Of t' harHpnie far cut IN
the traditional Verdi anil Dont1cttt hpcras, con-
elder how much drcaEtncss in chorus and reeitn.
tive VIC endure rhecrfully for observation 81 tug
the chief performers. But here WIS tho attcn-
t!on OF @ tN pcUple concentrated for thrcc hours
upon music nlonc The qucstIur as t" tho elect
Il at tnc st otks * s Hr s sn e1eron as
his operas--ts unnecessarily complicated BY an
ilca whicl, seems TO bs very Keuera's that y,
ausk. tat II e1 tsfs arc Is to ny sSoersess st Ill e H.
crs; TINT II his music is to ltyo
nna grow in fasor, It y to bc mt part 0! the
nne!c q the future. but the whole o. y. !
Shakespeare, sllal VIC dispense wftl Goldsmith
Because iu eome moods Tho phIlosonhfc subtle
tIcs Of 1Iamlet layc exalted VI Ahal we be for
naSe' to 'saT 9nr tirs y o1eT ,es
kint Let us t,nye nectar anl ambrosla, by a|l
means, but let there bc nu taw against cnkcs
anil alc.. The world would be much more nIs.
ali times mud In all conditions 10 what in our
very best moods anil hours NC arr willing
70 acknowledge rs tho verv best. II ttS music
Of the future Is t3 e., te HnJtn,.ng lke she
will be, as It has bcen In TIC past, not Of one
mlsfc 40 delightful that 1t will kln1lo tho blood
OF youth and charm II from the coarscr intoxi
eatlon Of vine; Fragments Of nleloiy inpr!ssoned
In songs, as Of old; grand anthems in which
people shall tcel million Of hearts beating as
oue; bal1ads which would bring laughter to tho
ness Of melancholy from an oserstratne,l brain.
And, no doubt, ne shall hnyc htnonE the rest a
grcnt lyric drama, tu tncltl,!e, certainly, tho
strange, peculiar, but lofty aud powerful epic Of
music as mucl, the sa,no will! WordswortA's Ii,
"Luty," 'Pc.er bell, y a,,l the otierroems wlls
were tho carly result Of Won}sw"rthe poetic
against pctiantict conventional dIct'on in favor
| Of simplicity and genuine feeling. We DO not
care much for those poems nov, but they snnrk
stsp ~ s p1 af sa ~ s g %arncr a
Ilas been fighting farther bnck than most ot us
caD remember tho battle Of musical expression.
Therc cut, be no d,ltbt as to tho correctness OF
his thcory that all music must havo poetic
anil not mere ,nlcltHlsou. tlnklc signlfying
nothing. Like all great rsformeta. le , has
elcarcd The wire Of LIS genius thsougl, much
awakcne,l, like his irst overture, "!rreprgssiblo
ncrrtrpent." But tho result of Ills work Is that
he has ennublcd and reformed thu opcrh to such
m extent that he may almost be said 10 lsaro
created tho ideal LYRIC DRAMA, 70 different Is It
from tho old absurslttes which went by tho
! nama Of opera For in estimating WnEncr's
work aEd its effects, one must not compare
but tie old absurdltes under the name ii opera
-where thu lfrst tenor anl the prlnla donna
p'atnly regarded the whole plot. prclilnlnaries,
and accessories Of tho drama as merely a'rord.
out mclody y" md where tho most exciting
bccnc wus delayed md human passion was hell
in check while the chief characters displayed
the beauty of their yoiees-sthese uld strings Of
lc.e, and ouly the charm Of the finest
but these old absurlttes must 10 compared
With tho works produced BY WHSner's i1eas and
lei, )" "Romeo anl Juliet, aro plainly produced
by his theory; only, "a tho composers OF those
opcras were not pOets "a we'll IS Eltislrlans they
took their Plot and ll1retto tro,n M The gtsa;est
tho inspiration nf uocthc aud Shakespeare to
guide and kln.lle their own. And those operaa
ar9 ail q 1ats stseqncnIt; f. tl's sssat!Sn of
man," and "i.ucmgrIn." Compare EsisaJtih.
An,lnas, susanllns, and Mnsan!elIos-to uay
nothing Of uan Jitans-who prccc!!rd them, mud
| Into wl!nt different world uoes Wagner segil,
.iurs uot In sioznri's Don UiovaunI y iccl tic
plot and text on impcrtlnencc, .wllotly out Of
keeping With tho glorious t1tnstf
Iii his last an1 greatest work, there Ia much
to critfcise. In retaining tho outlines Ut tho
old Icciantllc mythology, he Ina preserved fca.
t.tr"s which arc painful to modern modes Of
| thought and states Of feeling; there may bo IN
these features so,nodecp symbolic slgnltIeance,-
~ IN the marriage Of tflc RtNl-lcaccnled !sitf-
n.und To Ills sistcr SifqlfHde, and lie may have
remembered iloGncr's Juno, sistcr and wifo to
warmth aa.i color faf different from tic ' re. 6.
and thc dark trcaciery BY which Irimh0ls md
Si1triai arc altkc betrayed, seem 70 me blots
e1hibitMa distinct and j. beautiiut n,nrai. @ T.
Nevertheless, tho drama ls a grand one, mud
cannot hclt' having broadening aud cevattna
imtcctl. no osc could b" prescut Mt sllrh u fca-
ttyal as the Cue Just cIuscd without feeling iis
lore, understanding, NH! capacity ier music IN
Guitely elevated an.l cnlafge,l. rlmt whole
Ut q stran on tho mimi. there Ii no doubt. ~
IN Macbeth. That tho htuJurity Of ordinary con,
certruoers would rutE,er licur :" tom Q gen.Il ii
and "Comiug Through tho Rye" tteru IL 1T
prefer '.Our. Boys" 10 liking Lear." Num-
tho less Ia Wagntr's music a great revelation
unl boon to tho lovrr of tho great aud stlI
liz elrects. uue Of tic greatest Of tllrse will,
think, hu that upon tho stagy itself, nln nlusl
mistaken II tl.cso highly poetic anl dramatic
lbrcttos OF l!a do nut exert nts exalttug and
nubling influence 0M tie production mud repre
scntatlon oi pure drama. Whether VIC slali ~,
utW agu Ut drama, and 0ns riyAltng tllp Eliza.
bethau, is matter of sprculatiun; tut eGrtainl,
oil over the wurt tllcrs IL Just now revival Vi
, lutere4t, effort, md sympathy III all ulatter
prrtaang to tho stage. And such wnrk a.
Wasncr's may wull, as wrote three years nyt
| In TME TNluGNH III tho presentation 0t "Lo
hengrn "in Chlcago, Gc tho first rtppcs Of |
high tlac. CHARLES lAApon.
AT HOME.
THE sUNMElI-nARDgN CONCERTS,
, There are dOo, ,Uoo people, mora or less, !n thl
/ city. Uf tl!s number, perhaps 5000 pro1!u huv