New-York tribune., 1886-08-12
A MUSICAL PILGRIMAGE.
AIRLINE JOURNEY AND "PARS1FAL." ;"

| q garment. More than a knowledge OF the typlcal
phrases which are the bricks with which Wagner
built his great artstructures he will have occasion
to exercise these social vrtues for the representa-
tons last but few hours, but in order to attend
them one must endure Bayreuth for DAYS
| can fancy conditions under which the visit would
| become an unqualified pleasure, and of these
| fOndness for dense gartherlngs In grmy and
dapidated drinking rooms and capacity for
Bavarian beer like the stomach Of OtheO's revenge
| would not be the least; but one cannot expect
universal dispensation in this regard, and happy
disposition and serious interest art will 60 very far
| indeed toward keeping away the gloom with which
the anti-Wagner critics filled the Bayreuth picture
| in 1875 Suppose one is obliged to wait three
quarters of an hour to have his boots blacked after
the lout who carried them away has said "di-
rectly, sir" or It's equivalent in broad, thick and
unctuous Barisch." and suppose one finds that
there arc many unlnvited occupants of his bed who
make no impression on the pillow but most incon-
trovertble impressions on ones self, and suppose
one does arise from the table with an unSatisfcd
vearnng for the flesh pots of Demonico's. what
are these trlhes compared to the artistic revela-
tions vouchsafed at the classic theatre the hill
side or even to the communion of bright minds at
Angermann's2 Nothing Gird yourself with the
resolve to permit nothing extTaneous 70 mar your
enjoyment, and come to Bayreuth.
you have some sentiment left in youI nature
you can drink in the Wagner inspiration long be-
fore you reach the town which now seems only to
exist because Of Wagner Come by way
of the Rhine. Sail UP the river by day
light and let the paddlewheels Of the
steamboat keep time with "reminiscences of
Segfrieds Rhine journey when he sailed out IN
quest of adventures new and made his luckless
meeting with tho Giblchunngs. Stop at Konigs-
Nyinter cliub thn Drlchenfpis and try In find the
particular cavern which the Adobe of the
dragon that the redoubtable young hero slew.
As you swing grandly around the Lurey rock.
(by which time yOu VIII find that
the swelling, buoyant Rhine motive has become in
separately associated with the mighty river that is
your highway let the memory of Heines beautiful
poem, with Silchers loving music, run out into the
touching plants Of the mixes deporng the loss of
the Rhine treasure. which ono old poet tells
us lies safely buried beneath that mighty blum.
Your fancy will find no difficulty IN popuiating any
of the castled crags aud nesting villages with
such men as those among whom hiegfied met his
fate, and after the evening glow at Nainz winds
up your rcycrles like another G0tteTda nmer
ung yOu can start afresh next day with ma
terial from other dramas. few hours
from Manz lies Nuremberg. where Sachs sang
and cobbed. and us you wait for Che first train to
Bayreuth you go 10 look at the veritable spot
where BeckmessoIs shoulders felt DacQs cudgel, |
or seek the church wherein the mastcrslngeIs held
their singing school. This will b. most meet and
proper occupation next year when those who be- |
lcve that the Bayreuth festivals will continue 10
he and flourish tell us that "Dic Meistcrsngcr"
will be consoried with " Parsfal"-a union. BY the
way. which will seem more fitting than Parsifal"
and Tristan to such are given to ethical IN |
quirIes. THIS year, mayhap. the musical tonrls, |
will think il more interesting to goin search of
portion of the apparatus Of "Parslfal.' For three |
hundIeAand scyenty-two years Nuremberg possessed |
what the dcvout believed to be the lance of Long
nus with which the side of the Christ opened |
and which play so important and picturesque |
part in "Parsfa.' he relic. it Is trne. |
had rival which after inspiring |
victory in tho siege of Antiochia found |
its way, with the other sacred relics for which the
plous Louis IX bmlt lovely SAINT Cbapelle. to
Paris: now it is in the bisilica of tho Vatican at
Rome The Nuremberg relic. however. enjoyed the
advantage Of priority in history. Besides. it is
donblv interesting IN this sentimental pilgrimage
from the fact that one Of Wagners char
acters, earlier in the list OF creations.
though later In chronology. than IdisVaL
added it to the Imperial treasury of Germany. Inns
was Henry. the Fowler. the distinguished king,
righteous IN Judgment and tuneful IN yolce. n the
onnro 81 Iohcngrin" He wlcstcd the sacred
lance away from the Burgundian King. Rudolph
III. tlncaDoui \. II. W. AIt'I uldlb NdDu-
erngs the relic was gwen for Sa'ckeepng to the lu-
pcral City Of Nuremberg IN Ii2i by the
E%sFoF :aS S"mrq@ 4Ss i s,,eT was ws. Ha'"1 fastened
with heavy chains 10 the masonry OF the >pltal- !
kirchc. where 1t remained until 1896 The DIS |
ruption of the Holy konan Empire caused a scat |
terIug of the jewels and sacred relics IN the I'M
p,ra treasury and the Whereabouts of the sacred |
lance is now unknown; but ths casket aud CLAIMS
are preserved in the Gernanic Museum at Nuren- |
berg ~ well as drawing of the spear head.
However. "ParsfaI" has been performed, |
nna dhs vHSsae must few hSS5 days %as' %cre ne
and we might have run down to Genoa aud per |
suadcd the maglstracy of the city and the clergy
of the Church OF ST. Lorenzo, who are It's jout |
keepers. TO grant us glimpse AT the ak -c0rucred
green vessel which the faithful IN Italy cherish aS
tho Sanio Caiino, the ycrltable dish used by the |
Saviour al the Holy Eucharist N when. at the |
crucihxion Joseph of Arimathea caught the sacred |
blood. Once this vessel was believed TO be an |,
emerald but now, alas! ii IL proven to be only |
green glass. and all the world except the GruO,se |
have lost interest IN II. Ihc Holy Grail at the |
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. giows ruby-rcd and Is the OBJ |
ject of "A more iervcnt adora,l ION than The dish |
which the GcnocSe brought back when the, re-
turned from the Crusades 200 years ago. There |
tore let reiic- hunting end IN Nuremberg.
SO tar as the attendance ut the first performance |
aud the prospects OF the representations neXt week
are Indications they were false prophets who pre-
diced falling OF IN interest IN the BaYrcutn |
festivals anu their speedy end. Many of who |
came from distance came with strong convlc-
ton that were 10 he witnesses of the dissolution
of the marvellous undertaking. 1t IL too
early now 10 say whether or not the
lorebodmgs will be fulfilled. but the inner circle of
Wagner representatives refuse TO entertain the |
idea. They insist stoutly that henceforth the ies-
tivai Will take place annually and that each
year " ParsIfal' Will he gwen with one ether of
Magners creations. For next year as | have al
ready indicated, the choice is Die MelsteISlngcr.'
sun have heard whisperings TO the
effect that the embargo on "Parsifal" may bc |
lifted within the coming year. and If. this is done
it scarcely reasonable 10 becve thai the ByIcuth
representations viii conIiI ue much longer. 10 "A
great extent they will haye lost their reason tor
being. The work which called them into ex stcncc,
the Niblung tetraiDgy, has been Incorporated |
into the rcpertory OF many theatre, and the per-
formances o 1t are 80 admirable at Dresden. Ma
Mich and Vienna That no one seems To have contcm-
plated its revival here. Tristan nnd Isolde !
which ~ the novelty OF the present festival new
nIllV N a I'M.