New-York tribune., 1886-01-05
MUSIC-THE DRAMA.
wAGNERs "MEIsTERsINGER.n

stranger but rather like an old 1renu WHO hdu n""0
many brief calls before but was now come to pay long
deferred visit The stage pictures the action anu 'no
broad stretches OF dramatic music which separate the
lyrical in the opera were new IL is true Du'
the reflex Hight thrown on them by the music wcn io"s
ago domciled itself in concert lists made them see
more or less familiar The Instrumental
monumental proof OF WagnePs polyphonic ssiil ana
profound learnlng-tne romance ana trial anu prs
songs OF Wather, Sachss monologue {" VAIN. Wahn'
Uberall Wahn y and cobbling song Pogie'S address
promising the hand Of his daughter to the victor IN inc
contest Of minstrelsy, the quintet, the spirited anu
characteristic guild choruses the dance of the appeh
tees and the magnificent chOrale which greets SdcS on
his entrance in the third act in fact all the numbers OF
the score to which the Of criticism friendly
and inimcal has conceded value music pure ana
simple have heard and over again anu no rea
music lover city would dare to plead ignorance Oh
them The fact mas n double DearihS III
review of last nights representations
1T explains part the promptness OF the appreciation
and tie heartiBess the favor extended to Wasners
extraordinary work and smplles the task OF analyst
and criticism The opera having been given In German.
by artists. in the presence OF an assemodge o
people to the majority OF whom, without DOUBT 'he
language and las 1t safe to assume since
Herr Scidl was the conducor in conformity with tho
composers intentions far the Interpretation OF the
musc il concerned we are spared OF the inquiries
which would have arisen had the work been done III
English, French or Italian, by artists VITA no sylnp'-
to,ic noledge "a Of the German social life and German
character Nevertheless fancy that the point OF view
from which in the long the opera will be judged In
this country ia that which is created by the application
of American synpathes and American tendencies Oh
Thought TO work OF art based phase of social ana
artistic activity for which there is no parallel In the
history of the country, aud which has, therefore, only
historical interest
There are two ways OF looking Die MeistersDser":
# can be weighted with symbolical character. as the
AVafruA rvvni la "a In
taken as example Of pure comedy with no greater
sieucance than that which lies the surface OF It's
lines and its action II the former course be
pursued many stumbling blocks will be met The
theory is that the purpose OF the opera
Is 10 celebrate the triumph Of the natural poetic I'M
mise stimulated by communion with nature over pedan-
Tic formulas and this Interpretation WdHher ron
Sol.ing becomes a prototype OF Wagner himself Beck
ucsscr of Wagners opponents. and Hans Sachs OF en-
nghtcned public opinion which neither deSplses rules
nor is ridden by them But when this theory Is ad-
yanced critics will ask in the future as they have asked
in the past how this be accepted as the artistic mo-
tive of the opera when the hero who trumphs over the
snpposcd evil principle OF the play does so not TO ad
vance the virtue that stands In opposition TO the evil
but simply to win a bride Wdiher nowhere
dscioses himself the champion OF free
expression OF spontaneous, vital art. but only as
"A Young knight who hrts with young
woman during divine service in church. falls in love
only by becoming "A mastcrsinger and defeating all
comers In poetic contest tho morrow. lie does his
best Under the circumstance, and aided by SGchS ana
the circumstance that his rival BecmtssCr defeats him
self In his anxiety TO win the prize by foul means lac
succeeds To give color OF reason to tho dramatic
scheme which the radicals In the OPERA BeckesSer
should not have bundering idiot and foolish
knaye that Wagner made him. but at the worst short
ted, w-minded. and perhaps. silly pedant AS
he In book he is an natured buioou. car
feature OF the grossest kind. and no corrective idea lies
I'm the fact that manly young knight who loves
a pretty II somewhat forward young woman should
have saved her from falling into such rivals hands by
marrying her him self. lie would have had the sympa
thies OF the public In such contest he had
sung ike a crow and BcekB,eSser like Apacreon.
For the sake OF opera II preferable TO look upon
It ~ a comedy with none other than the general pur-
pOses hghcass dramas OF this character This view
will avoid the contradictions which the other GENES In
conflict with leave 10 their fun vgOr the many dramatic
beauties OF the work. aud Disclose the correctness Of
waguers deslgnation OF 1t as comic opera IL is one
OF tie brightest and noblest OF Wagners achievements Is
| in the II. Ia OF opera writing that In his great
works hs restored tho ancient boundary
| between comedy and tragedy. His purposes
as well as his methods are olassc-they root In the
Greek drama Taunhausor,' Tristan and Isolde. the
Nlbung tetraogy. Parsfa." and in less degree Lo
| hengrn" arc line examples Of the old tragedy type
/ they deal with grand passions and their heroes are
either gods gOdke men VINO are shattered against
mplacable fate His only serlons essay in the field Of
comedy was made In Die Meisterslngcr." AMI this Is
| as faithful to tho old conception OF comedy his
mscdanas to the classic ideal OF tragedy. II deals
with tho and foies and vices OF the masses
IL aims primarily TO amuse aud only ultimately chas-
| tlse Both ends most admirably accomplished In
this play though the special meaning DO denied It,
| As "A picture OF tho social life OF quaint
| German city three centuries ago its vivid
! nd
IA worthy stand beside the masterpieces OF the world,
and has equal in operate literature The food FOR its
satire too most admirably chosen for no feature Of
the life OF that period and place is more aniab!y
absurd the eerts OF the handicrasmen and trades
people with their prosac surroundings To keep alive by
dint OF pedantic formulaes the spirit Of minstrolsy
which had natural stimulus In the cnivalrc life Of the
roubadours and minneSingors In his delineation OF
the pompous dongs OF the master singers Wasners true
10 the letter He has vtazed the dry record To be found
IN ola wagonsers b,ok Sn Nuremberg, and intensified
the vivid description OF mastersugers meeting which
those curious the subject read In August Hagcns
novel "Norca." His study has been marvel.Ously
act even the melodies which Wagensel prints
as examples OF the favored "Wrisen" modes of the
masterslngers. have Ooen pa ced under contribution
The first phrase OF melody which accompanies
every entry OF the mnstersn and plays import
ant part IN the prelude Is literal quotation from ono
these. which, I'VE cite from memory Tor Wagsnscs
book Is not AT halt ana Is seldom seem was sung 90 "a
poem" beginning III this fantastic fashion: lin the
| Twenty seventh OI 6encsls IL u reported now ESdu
cheated his brother Jacob" which safely
be accepted by the reader specimen OF the poelic
frenzy which used TO ind expression In the old Church
Of ST Catherine, In Nuremberg, on such an annual
| cns.on rs WagneTs nrsl act present. IL The
plot OF Wagners drama Is simple Ia the cxtrem ;
but every OF ' incidents Is photograph Of bIt OF
old Nura mberg fok-li!e. Veil POgReT. "a rich silver
smith, desiring to honor the craft OF the maslersingers
to whose guild hr belongs offers his daughter Fra IN
marriage to the successful cOmpsiitor NJ tho annual
meeting OF the maStersingerS the Feast IT. John
Erd In love (she declares II IN the mpetnous
peculiar to Wagueis herOus) with WGih StoisHg
! young FraucOnan knight. and the knight with her
! After pautOmme IN church during the inerlddes OF
chOrae he meets her before se leaves the building
and learns that the maiden H. indeed bel rothed but
the known victor OF tho morrow. Wdihcr resolves
try enter the guild to be qualified Tor the compe
| titiou.
The trial OF candidates takes place In the church in the
afternoon, and Wdfhrr knowing nothing the rules OF
the mastersngers fails Though the cobher poet RanS