The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-09-10

had boon completed. IL an excellent piece 70
popular concerts. nc which Il is always warml
applauded. On listening DO waRner's late
music dramas. people often marvel where h
got the reputation OF being such noisy com
poser. But, when they hear "Rienzi" with IL
loud orchestra. enforced by military band OF
tho stage. its drums and alarm bells It
trumpet calls and loud vocal parts. they won
der no longer. He got that reputation wher
"Rienzi" was first produced. and it has cluns
to him ever since
Tho Flying Dutchman" wasa failure. Thi,
was partly owing to the public disappo intmen
in not finding 1t written la "Rienzi." but thu ere
| were other reasons for the miscarriage. The
opera had boon somewhat carelessly prepared
and the cast was not of the best. while it's new
| vocal style presented to the singers Difficult
ties OF an unwonted kind. and called for his
trionic qualities which they did not possess.
After the fourth performance the work was
| Withdrawn from the stage. and was not heard
| again In Dresden for twenty years. It was
brought out at Cassel FIVE months after the
| Dresden fasco. and at Berlin In 1874: then
for exactly ten years, no opera house at all
produced 1t. 1t was not heard In Vienna till
1850. nor In Hamburg till 1870. 80 slowly at
first did Wagners operas travel But times
have changed. In 1888 both Dresden and
Berlin gave their hundredth performance OF
Tho Flying Dutchman." and during the
operate year 1S90-01 it was presented
100 times In the cities OF Germany.
Wagner. who was himself the severest
critic OF his own productions. has pointed
out that In the poem OF The Flying
Dutchman" there is much that is indefinite:
that dovetailing Of the situations lie i'm per-
feet ann the poetic language and verso often
devoid Of individual traits. List. on the other
hand. thought that the arrang an emit and con.
ception OF the text book revealed genuine
artist. a poet by tho grace OF God. a hand
whose every stroke rose far above the opera
texts previously known. At the same time
List declared that the short songs and ballads
rank with the best Of their kind ever created.
Some Of these lyric features are SO beautiful as
to prove that IL Wagner had continued to
write music OF that kind he would have been
second to none. 1t is. however. in considering
the dramatic side OF ct The Flying Dutchman"
that ono can best appreciate the remark made
by Wagner: 80 far rs my knowledge extends,
I can discover in the life Of no other artist so
striking change in 30 short time as took
place in me between the composition OF Ri
enzi' and The Flying Dutchman.' Rienzi"
is simply an opera of the old type. in which the
plot and the verses exist chiefly for tho
purpose Of enabling the composer and the
singer. tho scene painters and stage man
ayers. to dazzle the public with a mo-
sn nr glitter Fl ss 81 ad e.. 1hs
ing Dutchman." on the other hand is music
drama; that is a piece in which the plot and
musician merely colors tho situation. as a
painter does his sketch In the od-iashioned
merely vague. sort OF general corr r,
whereas T. The Flying Datchman wagner
Nad h.
action. and facial expression that are to &C.
mony with the orchestral part pS Mr. I Finek
suggests that those admirers Of Wagner who |
EN- ployed. even in this early work. should read |
the The guide to the psritormanee Of The Flying
s II pa6 81 in the
er is not expected to follow slayishly ali the
directions: they are rather intended as hints |
was something new in operate practice.
ons ecpss Of ynSs Dateh
nan !" was due not so much to the popular
peston to Wagner had Begun With wnRSs
although 10 that case it was less violent. Yet.
.y Yen Of HEM" a Berlin authority had said;
While another called it an opera without
1annis AnGher BsTlnsr wrote rst
musical people rS Of tksipse summed up the per
oFIm 1 81 Inc ftyine Dutchman" at Cas-
,een given at CasseI. Two imposing ships.
which sailed across the stage with marvellous
md the mstc not wnrd ws :aG re Wbanth
'verture was first performed in Milan a local
.aper, called 1t IAN internal racket" and
made seasick by it. A complaint Mt which
very one to-day will smile was made by the
Of German musical journal:
hear everywhere ompaints about the lack
I agreeable melodies that can be retained in
he mpmnrYb The Iaalinp critic Of |
'rote as late as 1850 regarding THE Flying
buchanan" Wherever in this opera the de-
criptive element does not prevail. where it
lagner's weakness stands fully revealed |
is poverty Of invention and his amatsurish
lethod."