New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-25
WaGNERS GREAT TRAGEDY.
THE LAST OF MIR. KREHBIEL'S LECTURES
IN BROOKLYN.

ne Lyric Dramas on last Saturday afternoon, when
with the help of MIR seid, he gave an exposition OF
The Ring of the Nibelung' The audience that hearu
,,e lecture completely filed the hall, and extra chairs
bsd 10 be brought into requston. At the close at
,.ost score OF members of the Sedl Society under
hose auspices the lectures given, requested Mrs
laura C Holloway, the president, TO arrange for an
other series.
Mr. Krehbiel stated his purpose at the beginning Oh
his lecture be to suggest method for listening -
the tetralogy,J disclaming all purpose 20 attenp'
complete exposition OF its contents in single lectuo
As tending to fix the point Of view nom "n''a -
ought TO be studied he argued that beng uuo
tragedy IL exemplifed musical passions anu ,
struggle between the human and ul'1no -
been PLAYING on the stage OF the human "'"' 80
The world began. Like every truly oeSuuiu' 1uu
nc legend It's story was bit of universal PrVpor''
ns $50 80. ~ arother phases of it were TO be
800 IN the folklore or myhooges OF all cI'Ih%eo
.onl.s The naralles between these usgiosi iseenus
and mythc histories EXTENDED NOV ou.' " -
mental principles but even 10 l'S 'A'0
atus ii. NJ Kr.hh,e, "tn
INC 49, vor s,e.ps himself with sensuality, IS
Ni'A - ,ransation Of that Garden of Delight IN
pu, A., heroes of classic antiquity met their far
-,s,ers II IS that Avalon In which hlng Arthur
~ healed Of his wounds by his fairy sister Morgan
II is Ogygia the Delightful Island, where ulysses met
CoIvnso The staff which bursts into green In the
- ~ pone Urban in token Of Tannhaeusers for
veness has its prototypes in the lances which when
nsnted IN the ground by Charemagnes warriors were
transformed night into leafy forest III 'he
stan which put on leaves in the hands OF Joseph
whereior the Virgin Mary gave him her hand In mar
race in the rod of Aaron, which, when laid up
amongst Others in the Tabernacle. brought forth
buds and bloomed blossoms. and yielded Almonds
The Tarnhem, or Cap of Darkness which the cunning
Mime fashions at the command OF Aioerlch "hat elso
IS It than the Mask Of Arthur which had the power
Of rendering its wearer invisible. and the helmet Ol
Pluto worn by In his battle with the Medusa
The Holy Grail. which Wagner has surrounded with
such refulgent musical halo is not alone sSmpol
OF Chrst's suffering and death.
It's power of sustaining life or supply
ing food identifies with an article IN the
NEUROLOGICAL apparatus OF many peoples In
British legend it is the horn Of Bran which pro
duced whatever liquor was called for 1t is the COB
let given by oberon to Huon of Bordeaux which, in
the hands Of a good man. became filed with wine
1t is the horn of Amalthea which provided food FOR
the capacious mouth Of Hercules. Earlier STILL ana
more mysticaly, goblet was the symbol OF natures
creative power. The transition from horn TO gobet
cup and dish will give not moments pain 10 those
who recall that horns were the drinking Vesses Oh
primitive man. As Achilles dipped into styX ana
rendered invunerable so Jason was smeaFed win
Medea's ointment and Siegfried became covered with
a horny armor when he bahed in the dragons blood ;
and the magic wash was kept from AchLHess heA
by Thetis's hand. so the falling OF leaf nom
linden tree on back of Siegfried caused the one
unprotected spot through which weapon might reach
his life. The sword of wOtan. thrust into the tree
On firmly that none but hero worthy WELD 1t and
insnred by the desperation Of supremest need might
draw Il from its mighty sheath. is but variant OF
the bow of Ulysses which the suitors for Penelope
vainly sought 10 bend.
Horus Apollo, Badur in Egypt, Greece and me
sayace Northand have represented the union OF
and millions
m. Northern myth-maker exercising his imagination
under the influence of that need and longing ana nope
on which Plato based his argument III iaVor ol inc
immortality of the SOUL drew his picture OF Rasnaroh
the Twilight Of the Gods. the end of the Old regime
If brute force and the of Baldur and the be-
ginning of reign of peace Senteness and loveneSs
he felt the selsame emotions with which the Christian
world of to-day looks forward to the second comma
Of Christ eos 50 ses Of Ss class % to Which story Of
sieged belongs that has been cam formula &C
unsu 20 Which the Aryan races have constructed
tbe most admired of their tales. investigation up
covered 10 nun he .S ,eras Of every Aryan
race Hellenic mythology having produced ho 'S' 'n"
seven Cdntnnnc Mr. Krehbie showed that memories OF
rrvennhilde's sleep and awakening hau Doon r.
ba,d in Anclo-SaxOn fairy tales, ana argueu IdC
re-, fact together with others which he ceu wa
he nature of evidence that there wai peoI@s
Tt''3yh en discussed the ethical scheme IN "asnoi
tragedy emphasizing The point t9s{ fn0nsv 10 save
c1nfV.r ficia
,msef against the consequences OF wronguuE Nv f
could not be expiaed. IL sin groW 9ut 90 The
dy and the banoul symbol Of that PG%er o co If
,n9sd IT'S work of destruction unl Bruehi t og ali
nioni,,ide Of her love assumed the fauiIs O an
and and expafcd them by sacrificing herself WIN WIN 'S of
burning Of wahalla. the OH regime ne VI b az A.
ororramme OF the concluding scene Of the TRAGEDY M
kreb6iei read the Chorus Mystcus from Ooe'noS
.Eaust":
"hu things transoy
But as symbols are sent;
Earth's nsunicency
Here grows 70 event;
The Indescrbable
Here IL is done
The womansou leadeth us
Upward and on :"
To the musical part OF his exposition Mr.. selui
furnished Illustrations, commanding the astohlshmenG
of the musicians present by the pcdu ECr
tbs scores and espec ally by the variety OF Iohal
effects initiative Of orchestral instruments, winch he
got out of the pianoforte.