Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-07
HEAD VERSUS HEART.
How Wagner Came to Write His
Peculiar Style of Opera.
A GREAT MAESTRO'S VENGEANCE.
An Immortal Man Born in Pittsburg When
it Was Smoky.
SOME GOOD THINGS FOR THE LADIES

WRITTEN FOR THE DIsPATcH.1
There is musical war in the country. Be-
fore the ranks reach your territory you
would better know what it is all about.
Do you know the difference between
friendship and love, gray color and red,
straight lines and curves, arithmetic and
novel, geology and music, beer and wine,
church and the theater, schoolroom and
picnic, walking through shady lanes at twi-
light with lover and talking science with
professor in library at MONDAY? Well,
there you have the difference between the
two fashions in music of to-day over which
the ear artists and their disciples are wag-
ing such fierce uncivil war. The Wag-
merriam German head school and the italian
or heart school are the factions of the great
rayed against each other.
The stalwart, intellectual, scientific,
grammatical, unlovely, unloyeable, but adj
mirable, Wagnerian music is, in a sense,
a reaction from the heart-stirring, heart
soothing, heart-feeding, heart-rending,
sweet, singing succession of melodies of
italian lovelore. Back taste will 60 sure
as dress waves ebb and flow, but for the
present people do not seem to understand
one with two sides, that their fight is very
much like the one between the two boys as
to the color of Holsters.
One thing certain, the Wagnerian is at
present the best represented, the newest, the
strongest-three elements of success not to
be sneered at by an enemy. Just what
would be the result of the appearance of an
italian maestro who could put the eolors of
his school properly before humanity al
ways more emotional than intellectual,
there can be no doubt whatever, at least in
my mind, which is an ardent lover of the
novel, the theater, curved lines, red lights,
the picnic and-the twilight walk.
HOW WAGNER FIXED THEM.
Do you know, by the way, how Wagner
came to write that peculiar style of opera?
never did till Harrison Millard told me.
Have you ever noticed how easily singer
can gain control of the attention of an audi
ence? And has it ever occurred to you how
little he or she deserved itcompared with an
instrumental composer? When you think of
it the work is altogether reproductive, like
the copying of picture; is of comparatively
easy acquisition and dependent altogether
upon the one little vein of voice, for which
the owner is no way responsible. Com
pared with composer who, beside being a
creator must be an artist, tremendous
student and a musician of experience, you
see the intrinsic merit of the vocalist is
almost nothing.
Well, the injustice of this struck deep into
the soul of the good Wagner, who was moth
ing if not instrumental, and an intense
jealousy against all vocalists sprang up
within him. "Kreutz-donner-wetterl will
fix themp' he shouted, jumping into his
great ink tub, iounsing up and down in his
wrath, and splashing great ink notes upon
his paper with which to kill them. So he
bent all his envenomed musical strength
upon the humiliation of the singer, placing
the whole burden of vocalism upon his loved
orchestra, and constituting his ella rionet his
chief prima donna. Then stepping the at
tention still further in magnificent scenic
distraction, and making weird historical
stories and mythical fables take the place of
lovemaking, he seized phlegmatic and
thick-throated Teutons by the neck, and
hurling them upon the stage, cried: snow,
do your best, we shall see what will become
of you!' And we see.
NEW AND FASHIONABLE.
gEConsequently I we have Wagnerian orches-
tration of unspeakable grandeur to anyone
who will listen to it, but an opera of insult
ferable dullness to any one dependent upon
stage vocalism for his operatic happiness.
This is why Patti could not be induced
under any consideration to sing in Wag-
merriam opera. This is what the teacher
meant who enjoined his reluctant pupil to
go nine times to hear "Tannhauser" before
daring to express an opinion upon it. This
is why Robert G. Ingersol1 can go into
raptures over Wagner and can discourse by
the hour upon "the wind, "the wave"
"the forest Storm" the "heart-throb" of the
orchestra, as you might expect to hear a
confirmed musical scholar talk.
The fashion has "taken" because it is
new, because it is strong, because, although
unloveable, it is majestically admirable,
and because it opened up an avenue to con-
troversy. Eight over my work and my
work is success!' cries the maker of things,
and he is right.
We had a first-class opportunity of hear
ing the two schools contrasted recently in
Harrison MilIard's interesting lecture upon
Fashions in Music" during which he gave
examples of each style to illustrate his re-
marks. The chopped up, surprising, dis
sonant, homely, but coming-out-alI-right
Teutonic ballads produced an altogether diff
ferent effect from the elastic, smoothly
fluent roulades, turns and grace notes of the
for the time, at least, that the best of earth's
riches was
The sunny side of sunny wall,
With sunny prospect full in view,
And the ripeSt of mellow peaches divided
Between two.