New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-02
MlISIC AND THE DRAMA.
THE FESTIVAL MUSIC.

1ssshovep,s music and has two num-
hers the minor Symphony am
che High Mass in major Both are
monumental works in the general history OF nu'o
and of the highest Importance IN the deve,opiuo's
of the individual genius OF the greatest muslcia "a
The nineteenth century. Hardly mnsica so"sV'
masses here without at least one performance u Wv
symphony. and twice within the past SIX OF eis"S
weeks Mr.. Thomas has given 1t III lhe -
the New-York and Philharmonic oocle'ieS WIZ"
an enlarged orchestra and in peerless ma,'ne''
Tbs Mass has freouentlv been attempted. but, as
bola h,s nerhaps received a worthy performance
,lr tyvice in this country. Both performances
.oot nIace two yearsrgo in Cincinnati the orlghi
nlan Of the Festival being modified so as 10 permit
.renetltion of this marvellous creation Al tne wv
concerts of the Ne w-York Chorus Society 'nlS Sc"
60 o,d az one IF the concerts OF the
Rrooklvn Philharmonic Society, PORTIONS u
az Mas were performed. but on neitner
occasion was there large an array "a 49, IN
nloved "a there Will be tomorrow nlgn" ~ 10 SUI
nauslv diaicnlt vet it is confidently expected
that its performance viii be the GROWING acheVe-
,nont of the Festival There Is certainly no other
-or,,osition in the generous list, not even
+bs Israel in Egypt" which is so impressive and
,vo-insniriuc AS this Mass Inmany things 1t marks
vide deviation from the conventional style OF
.ornosing for the Church. but In all Of them 1t
shows striving to give the nssal prayers
deeper broader and more individual feeling
than was POSSIBLE under the rule OF custom
and ecclesiastical limitation In it Beethoven aimed
AT direct and eloquent expression OF the ideas senu-
rents and feelings contained in the text of the Mass
II NAV be noted as a singular fact which nearly all
the commentators Oh Beethoven have overlooked,
that the device which he resorted to IN the Agnus
Del where he emphasizes the prayer for peace
. n
martial sounds in the orchestral had been
employed by Haydn many years before Beethoven
thought of tho Mass Ii was in Mass " Pro tenn
pore belH written while the French army was IN
the Steyermark, that Haydn accompanied the
"Agnus Del" with trumpets and drums, " as though
the enemy was heard coming in the distance"
The programme of the second afternoon Is COM
nosed of a number of fragments from each Of the
four music-dramas of Wagner's Ring OF the
Nibalungr 1t introduces the hcrric singers among
the solo performers and affords magnificent oppor-
tnitv for the great orchestra. The shorter seiec-
tons such as SiegmunGs Love Song. " The Klde OF
the Walkyries. aud Siegfrled's Death MUSIC nave
been heard frequently in concert rooms here; the
rest have also been heard but not often enough 10
have become familiar. While the fragments Will
lose portion of their dramatic effectiveness by the
dissertation from scenery and action. there is no
doubt that the splendid performance which they
will receive viii quicken the imagination
of tho hearers and reveal to them power not
perceived IN the less effective performances. AS for
the objection which is 50 frequently urged against
the production Of Wagners dramatic music IN con-
cert it is easily met in this instance By the fact
that every one of the selections in the Festival
programme was given at the Wagner Festival IN
London and then had his sanction and aid. Only
few of the pieces stand direct dramatic relation
ship with each other. but they all among the
most beautiful and characteristic movements in the
trlogy The list includes the opening and closing
scenes Of the terrific tragedy, and gives gimpses Of
the workings of the plot from the beginning, with
the theft of the magical gold from the Rhine mixes
to the fatal elimination In the immOlation Of the
heroine and the destruction of the power
of the gods. From The Rhinegold "
shall have the Introduction and be-
tween the RhinedaEghters and Alberich, Wo-
fans gorgeous apostrophe to Walhalla, LOges
recital Of his discoveries while searching for tTeGs
ransom and the closing scene beginning with the
creation of the rainbow bridge and ending with me
entrance of the gods into their castle from Inc
Wakyrie" the storm pre- nde, Siegmunds love song.
The Ride of the y alkyrIes. and the hnaie III
which Uotan deprives the disObedient BruRn-
Kids Of her godhood and puts her TO sleep
inside her protecting barrier of fire; from
'siegfried the finale Of the first act, in which the
fearless hero constructs the magic sword anew and
from % he Dusk of the q IDS the music accom-
panyiDg he death OF SeQried and the last scene Of
all -,
The feature of the last concert on Saturday night
will be the first performance outside OF Paris OF an
act from BerlioZs Fall of Troy The opera has
the nature of prologue TO d" Les Troyens Car
thagep the two together forming what BernOZ called
"TIe Trojans a LYRIC POEM; but while the
second opera was performed of times al the
Theatre Lyrique during the lifetime Of Its com
poser the first had 10 wait until 1878 for even
concert performance OF fragment Of II, and until
the winter Of 1879 for a performance of all Its
music, but only from q concert stage. For dra-
matte representation II Is still waiting Yet
IL has been SAID that IN this music lie
some of the freshest and most brilliant
inspirations Of the great tTenchman and some OF
bus successful stTvings after that passionate
expression which he held 10 be the ann OF music.
The incidents of the of which the music will be
sung at the Festival are those connected
with the Introduction of the wooden horse
Into Troy as related by 4Eneas To Dido
In the second book Of YirgiPs poem.
Berioz wrote the book vel the music of this
opera. and II s worthy of note that he approached
she great Latin classic in a much more reverent
spirit than he did either GOethe's Faust" or
EhakeSpeare's Romeo and Juliet" The of
this opera Is yet IN manuscript, and Mr. Thomas
owns tie exclusive right Of performance for two
years ii Ia, United States.