New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-13
THE KNIGHT OF THE SWAN.
4IOUEYGRINs IN PARIS-EARLY FORMS VI
TIE LEGEND.

Paris September l..
Tho rchearsaIs OF LOhenprin" go steadily on
and IL is expected that the opera VIII cer'@'"s
ho nroduccd on Friday. September T. Measures
have been taken TO prevent the League OF r"'i'o'o
from disturbing the performance. and it Is ho'
likely that any serious demonstration Will ocS"''
II is fifteen years since the first proposal 70
mount Lohengrino at the Opera The ides was
,ben greeted with such storm Of disapproV'i
that IL was very hastily abandoned. Six years
Io+er NJ Carvalho announced his intention OF
producing it at the Opera COmilue' but again
onposition was too strong, and "Lohengrin was
once more shelved. In 1887 NJ LamoureuX leaSeo
the Eden Theatre, and began active preparations
for a series of representations OF the opera
Madame Fides Devrics and NJ. Van DyeK' wno
had already sung in two of his concerts the hisV
act OF Tristan ana Yseult,' were engaged, WIN
other singers Of note. The most elaborate cos
tnmps and scenery were ordered. For six months
the carefulest preparations were MADE ana AZ
the end Of that time one performance was given
Tie riotine in the street and at the doors OF
the theatre was so bad that the authorizes,
panc-stricl,en, ordered the opera wlthdraWh'
Later Messs Rhitt aud Gailhard, directors OF the
Opera House, determined on another atteuipt W
produce Lohengrin," but their contract eA-
pressly forbade them producing any foreign opera
without permission from the government rer-
mission in this instance impossible as a
matter Of course.
The idea next took possession of provincial
mauaqers The theatre at Toulouse went so far
os 70 purcbase of NJ LnmOureuX much OF ms
old scenery and costumes Fearing TO be as
tanced by provincals Mcssrs Rhtt and Gallhard
had the courage to give at benefit performance
at the Opera House one act of "LoheDgrin' III
was SO well received that they were emboidened
again TO petition the Government to allow the
entire opera to be heard. Permission was granted
conditional on the success OF the attempt III
Rouen Toulouse and Lyons in the meantime
applications for the dictatorship of the Opera
House were being made, MesSrS Rhtt ana Gau-
hard's contract having expired NJ. Bertrand re-
ceived the appointment ana Lohepgrlh was
the first opera lie announced. Messrs. Rhitt ana
Gailhard. however, protested that it was their
right TO produce it first and the Government APP
proved their claim
That was three months ago: and no time has
been wasted. NJ LamoureuX, who knows every
line of the opera by heart is directing the arrange
ment5 Not only his old stage settings, cos
| tunes ETC. are to be used. but many have been
obtained from the provincial theatres VI. Gail
hard has a unique method of establishing the
proper stage directions His scores are all made
7
leaf the business" is noted, down to the very
smallest detail. Every passage has thus its
directions on the opposite page. The position of
each character, of the chorus and supernumenrles,
the stage effects, the arrangement Of the scenery
and lights are all plainly marked, In little
squares OF different colos.
The "Iohcngrin' score was sent to Madame
Cosima Wagner, who added a multitude OF Ill
rpctiuns. in her small German handwriting
She has an excellent command of French ana her
notes were very clear. very brief and pointed
The score. with her comments and directions, forms
an extremely interesting and valuable document
NJ. Gailhard also came unexpectedly into pos
session of certain letters of Wagner concerning
the Interpretation Of Iohengrin. lie was partlc-
ularly ANXIOUS, it appears, that the opera should
not be sung slowly. Often in the recitativos the
| more uuimportant words omitted altogether
as if the composer wished to remind the singer
that il was necessary here to guard against any
tendency TO slacken the movement The duo
between Ostrud and Frederick, for example, ought
10 be rendered quickly and Ia manner oest 10
convey the idea of hurried, painting CONVERSE
tion. These important letters by the way, nave
been promised for publication in the near future
The same scrupHlous care has been EXPENDED Oh
every detail of the performance. The costdming
] IL
mept bids fair 10 Justify the celebrated statement
of Wagner: that "I4ohengrn' would never be
perfectly given until it was produced at the Paris
Opera House.
Is IT, generally known that "Lohengrin" is al
most fifty years old The original Ms, once
the propcrty of List to whom the work was ded-
cated but now in Madame Wagners possession,
hears the following dates: Third act begun at
Dresden September ., $40 finished March .,
1917. First act. begun May H. S47, finished
June s. ls47. Second act, begun Jdne Is, lS47
and finished August 2. The celebrated preluue
in which the angel descends from Heaven bearing
the Holy Grail. then mounts again into the
ether was written in a single day, August 20,
1917 The entire opera was begun and finished
in less than a year. Wagner's method of com
position was peculiar. The libretto of an opera
was completed before note OF music was written
However it is only natural to suppose that while
each song was in process OF construction the ac
companying music was gradually forming In his
mind Thus when the poet had finished his work
the composer was in possession of many pages
oil music Wagners grasp of the entirety
of things was phenomenal. There are no littl'
scraps of uniformed melodies, Sketches ont
might saw of larger works. His least mOrceaul
were written with their harmony complete, definite
perfect; even the different Instruments In thu
orchestral accompaniment were designated by mi
tias every line bore its proper musical signs, etc
, 1t was only necessary to arrange these morceaul
to form the complete score.
> "Lohengrin" was first given on the 28th o
August, $780, at Weimar, at the Grand Duca
Theatre of which Franz List was director.
was received with the greatest enthusiasm an'
soon was put on at all the larger theatres IL
Germany. II was heard in Sj3 at Weisbaden; Il
1858 at Munich and at Vienna; in 1859 at Berlin
, 1t did not reach st. Petersburg until 1868, no
Brussels until 1870 One curious detail is tina
, Wagner himself never heard il sung until 1861
q when he appeared unexpectedly in the Oper
q House at Vienna just as the curtain was goiu
down on the first act lie was quickly rec0s
nized, and the entire house rose to its feet WIT