New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-04-27
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
SINGING AT THE WAGNER CONCERT.

lander" Die Mclstersnger" and DE co fcriT nIne-
rung." From the FIRST work the music given tho
overture, the chorus with which SeDtas maiden divert
themselves while spinning aud the clad Of THE flying
Dutchman' Miss Juch sang this lat er number With
br sht voice. c0mmcu1able style and INTELLIGENCE Miss
WnaDt give tho few detached phrases belonging 20
iHB The wOmen'- chorus refined iu quality aud
celent IN performance. but, Is too obvious for dis
cu-siOn the fia lncut OF slight significance In
scheme Of concerts designed 70 give an exposition 20 that
which Is characteristic In VAN rs The conribn-
lions from Die Meter.ngcr" the prelude and tho
much-sung address P0gper from the frat act which
Interpreted for the fourth time within week ny
Herr sclria. The GOttcrdammemng fragment CON
sisted Of the greater part Of the third act IN which the
Nibclung tragedy Is eTtomzed and brought 10 an rnd
IN this Nine. Matema and Herr Winkcmann bore me
brnt OF the vocal burden the only other singers being
Miss Juch Mrs HaItdegcn and Miss Win1nt. ~ repre-
scntatives OF the Miucdpughiors MI RemmefH ana
Mr. Toedt were expected to carry the parts Of mage" ana
GunHe, respectively in the scene IN which S'eD1'HS
death IS conpas-ed they did not appear and tho
audience was treated sort Of telephone dialogue
Seaied asking questions and receiving no anawer' ana
answering questions which were not asked Inc eHec1
was disturbing OF course and the incident served I'd e
phasize what must always be great drawbacA TO every
effort to convey appreciation OF NagneEs dramau'
works by means Of concert performances OF his Music
In the evening MI Thomas and his Wagnenah i'r'f'
were ernploved AT the last concert of the Brooklyn Phl-
harmonic Society in the Academy OF Music. across mo
river II was concert Of the Socieys season ah
was sgnalized by brave effort not only 10 MAKE " '
end would the work Of the year. Dnt a'o "
coprt IS into 1t the brilliant moments Of the con-
cer at the Metropolitan Orera in this city Both
aims were ahundantly realized and there was no emu o
enthusiasm all through the performance.
backward glance at the week OF Wagnerian music
lust ended many cheering things 10 the adh't"h9
OF the musical dIamasts cause Few persons VIII o' ouu
foolhardy enough to deny the extraordinary eNce'n'o
OF the artistic apparatus employed in the enterprise tho
seriousness Of it, aims, and the magnitude OF inc mas
IRE Of success attained That has been uultW ID 'o-
iccts for criticism, f. however, ~ little open 70 question:
The scope of the undertaking quite rs extensive II We
include the three concerts to be given In May a. 'ho
great London Festival which wagner comtenancei ny
his presence, has brought it pass that the searc Tor
practicable members and scenes from the poetnn'c'n'
operas and musical dramas has had % he carried some
what beyond those portions which are rccom'h1i ny
their independent and measurahly 'ef-suhicent' y"o
beauty The result OF this has been 70 cause disturbance
i'm many cases to the wames admirers OF Wagnero Wt'
disturbance moreover that has been intensified Dy mo
very excellence OF the performances. The aDsoN'le
necessity co-operaonO OF all the factors IN ina
never before been apparent as IL has been mao" ny
tie in usion element into the music which has been
| wanting till now in our concert-room performances
and which we feel TO De essential in The highest de-
cree This element is the yiile dramatic force given the
vocal part, by the decl1matOr style OF Nine Maleiht
! and HeIreu Scaria and Wnbemann. Their manner Of
singing is with great prOprcty considered ne" vocal
art one that differs in marked degree rom tc sl5 -
which prevails the ordinary opera hoa>e- OF Germany
rs well a. Italy. This fact most promptly RECOGNIZED
m the best Of our local singers who not long either
III noting pecuarities. The style has Its best eN-
cmpar in tie singing of Herr scaria VINO. moreover
combines with it better vocaiMtion than his COM
patriots, Thi, fact is of considerable significance with
respect to Wagner's estimate Of the qualifications ot M
| singing actors Is Will appear.
Briefly defined the vocal style Of Wagner, of which
these three singers among the best eNonent' j. that
in which for the sake Ot dramatic truth defamation i
brought to the element first and most essen
tal The meos in the Wagneran drama has TO a great
extent been eegated orchestra, where is woven
into great symphonic fabric IN which, no less than on
the stage the progress OF the drama is worked out Ia
the vocal part aim to achieve through music an
increased expressivenes for the poetry and therefore
becomes kind Of intensified speech. which retiiuS AL
the dlstnctnc>, of ordinary dialogue with It, emotional
capacity raised To h gher power 1t Will readily be- seeu
that II this ideal is To be realized different method must
Doe followed than that which has prevailed IN Operauo
singing wherein the ,ensuous beauty Of the music was
always to dominate the poetry. In the first place
Difference would have To be paid TO the genius OF the
language il which tie drama written; also to tho
character Of voices peculiar the people for whom the
drama was written. This was Wasners starting point.
His aim was be a National dramatst German opera
has little nothing to do With Italian; the latter grew
ont of an effort restore the antique tragedy con-
intoned like a Church Itany. It became monotonous'
and pieces were introduced purely for relief and vocal
dpay lust as the dancers permitted to vary the
,tih antique movements with pirouettes AMI entire
chats. The vocal adOnments were favored by the III
herent sofness and beauty the Italian tongue, and
gradually usurped the first place, while dramatic motive
| poetry and all else dropped out OF sight
For such an art there is no sympathy in the German
no natural aptitude The language not soft md
flexible like tue Italian and German threats do not
take kindly the exercises which seem natural enough
I'm Italy. Herr Wagner always professed contempt 0r
some of the features in musical learning Had lie wished
he might quoted from Johannes Daconus the bios
rs,pher Of Pope Gregory the Great to show that the
things he points out were always peculiar to the Ger
mans. Complaining of the difficulty experienced IN
teaching the Gregoran chants to the Gauls and
Ncmauut the Old author 'naiNcly observed that thol
rough voices roaring like thunder, are not capable OF
soft modulatOns; Tor their throlt> hardened 10y drlnh
cannot execute with HoXlbhlty what tender heloul re-
0uires Indeed their voices give out tones similar 10 '
rllmblng OF bagguge-Magon rolling down from tl'
heights There are people W no are ulhllu enough u
think the Characterization still has truth IN II. . .
Natural inaputudc well as artistic dlNnclnatlon
therefore. ought to turn the German away rom ,n
Italian style VocaliZation. 10 hOrd tunes Ger
ioS a its merit as speech the music
its charm Believing this, and having already strven Il
restore nauralness of preston IN the spoken drama
Herr Wagner wrote the vocal parts OF his m,lSlca
dramas bring ont first the force OF the poetry
such. lie urged his singers to leave on the anecte
paihOs which they assumed 80 soon as they adopted VA
song voice. and to cnnnciate, bre.t and phrase,
naturally they would do II they were speaking th
dialogue.
| This Is the essence of Waancr's vocal style IN nut
she'll and this Is wuat have heard at the concerts II
the Metropolitan Opera House, various degrees OF per
a lection Herr Scaria already suggested being th
finest exponent OF the style, Mime. Maerna win unique
= | p0wcrs following him closely and Herr Wnhelmann
frequently disappointing. still reaching hlgh degree
excellence in some of the In which the dramatic
impulse powerful enough 10 ROUSE im ont Of his ten
n dpncy To phlegmatic. II readily be gtaute
that with plain purpose in view, and handling \oci
material not altogether mclHUOus, these artists oc
ca,0naly gave something Of shock to ears accustom
in singing 10 Italian measures nut no one e9' rs'
uumindul OF the dramatic tIuthtuDesS ana potency q
r Herr scara'3 singing OF FoJna'S address, Marie
, woudrolsy pathetic upbrtidng OF tristan, aud h0tH'
u farewell To BrdnHhide to Nine Matcrna's tumultuou
. outpouIing OF passion IN the love duo rom lIlsn IA