New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-30

was Tristan und Isolde or Zine Capitulation =
which Mr. Finck describes as one OF tho .tu,;d
est libretti ever concocted" This procos, =.
reasoning is also applied in the cas-, of the doue.t,.
nfelicities which Wagner provided for his arss
wife and for DIR. Won Buelow Tie former could
not get along with him because size could nor an.
prcciate such monster of a genus To such
a monster all things should be permitted. ia
himself said so in the franlSrst explanation eya,
made OF the cause Of his marital mseres: Sbe
did not feel that | am man who cannot live
with wings tied down. What did she know oi
tine divine right Of passion which announce in
the iame-death OF the Vakyric who has fallen
from the grace Of the gods?" The same sor, 81
reasoning enables Mr. Finck to purge the Tristan,
tragedy OF its supposed immortality, thou,h thu
Kernel OF the legend is sacrificed bv
the drastic remedy. But here, as in the case Of
the attacks on the critics. tho ;udic;ou.
lover OF Wagners works will be forced 10 as, his
what good" and to deplore the return IN tbs
fantastic notion, which it was supposed had been
livcd down, that appreciation, understanding and
hdmiratlon OF what genius has created must be
cohdl'iohed on Wholesale approval Of the personal
cohduct OF that genius. Such a proposition opens
100 wide controversy and opens il unnecessarily
The whole force OF Wagner's theories and achieve.
mcnts as rcfOrmer lay in the fact that besin.
ming with The Flying Dutchman,, he became
and more in advance of his time II cverv
conservative influence is 10 b. condemned because
ii directs itself against that which is new and
radical then will novelty and radcasm he lifted
into virtues per Sc and chaos will soon be como
again not only in the realm OF art, but also in
the domains Of science, morals and politics II
is only from tile conflict between conservatism
and radicalism that sound. sane and profitable
progress can spring. The rule which ought to
be applied to-day in the estimate of the man who
shall undertake to reduce Wagner's music to ar
chaism is the same that ought to have been ap.
piled TO Wagners critics thirty years ago. Crit.
csm cannot hurt true beauty, but Ignorant
affectation can. It is better to know and love
Wagners dramas, approaching the fact that they
may be faulty, than 70 remain in ignorance OF
their nature. structure and real relationship to
their predecessors and affect TO believe them indie.
foctible. IL will help to know Wagners dramas
10 read what the critics have sail about them.
No point that was we'll taken thirty years ago
has been robbed Of its virtue by the statements
of comparative box-officc receipts at the Metro
politan Opera House.
let us. for the sake of the argument, look
carefully at one of Mr.. FIncks indictments against
the miscreant critics. Soon after Wagner pro-
certain changes in his score. In the opera, as
originally written and performed. neither Venus
nor EIizabeth was bodily visible on the stage
in the last act The proximity Of the siren
was suggested by a rosy light, 2 reflex of that
of the groto in the first act, which suffused tho
stage in the virnity Of the Ioerselberg the death
Of the saint suggested by the tong Of
hell in the castle The scene, il will be re-.
is in the valley below the Wartburg.
/ he present transformation is the result Of the
first revision, and it has, for the sake merely
Of theatrical effect. made such "A tumble of time,
place and probability as 10 deserve the criticisms
which were written AMI spoken even by Wagner
ties at the Bayreuth festival OF 1911. When the
revised version was brought forward it appears
from Mr. Finck one Of the critics declared that
the new ending was quite as bad as the first
and that was the keynote of almost all the "
criticisms" Seven years after the first perform
ance Wagner most characferisically Protested that
the change in the final scene had been contem-
Plated from the first, and was absolutely Is
scntial 10 realization Of the ethical idea UNDER
lying the tragedy Now had Mr. Firck wished
10 fall afoul Of the Dresden critics with reason no
should have upbraidcd them tor not saying that
the second ending was worse than the iirst.
No writer has denounced mere theatrical elect
he made this change he simply vulearizHi
, clarnnclv poctcal and lovely conception for the
sake Of .pcctacuar effect which outrages the
most liberal construction of la''"r-day dramatl"
nni.ics The original contrast of rosy glow and
telling bell must have been much more powerful
,tin,Ilant to the Imagination and emotions than
thc LATER Transformation scene which brings the
-rotto of Venus several miles from Its real site
and down into the valley of the Wartburg. ana
nnavoidably invites speculation as e. how Eliza
nth could climb the mountain 10 the Wartonrg,
lie ba laid ont for burial and he brought down
70 the valley again while Wolfram was 'insing
his romance to the evening star. and the re.urned
rannhaeu>er telling tie story OF his trultleSS
pilcrmcCc II WILL of course. b' saii that TINS Is
pDrtic license. and that the Imagination must sup
Div the unnoticed fight of hours; hut snch
mental operation is urecluded by the manner in
which WAGNER has connected all the incidents OF
rho act II i early evening when Elizabeth after
,.r nr,vnr starts for tie castle Wolfram offers
his escort. which is declined. Darkness falls as
The maiden ascends IN. hill, tho evening star
,ppcars and Wolfram salut"I ii ana sends mrs
ago by il II the hroNcn-l"artcd Waid'n. Ills
,stiudc on re harp is interrupted ny Tannhaeu or,
& lose first words again sAut out The liea OF III
ntcrmission: "Ich hocrte lIarfonschlag" Iann-
lacuscr tells ms tair d' on''' W. '' -"
fusion morning breaks and the funeral tram OF
Elizabeth appears The ease j. OF nth" moment
III, il will serve a. an instance IN which INC
rights of criticism have rot been impaired ~
the subsequent success Of the opera ana as an
illustration of a fault 10 which IN" drama'E'
yas prone through his love for pagoantry.
Mr. Finck has inscribed his work to Mr.. An
on Seidl in the following words:
"To Anton >cid of whom Wagner wrote
n his last letter. 'S,idl delights mo greatly.
md who first made Americans acquainted with
no greatest of Wacnors mrsin-dramas Tristan
md IsolIc,' Die Meistersin9cr and rho Nibelung
c,ralocy-this book is dedicated by the author
* a slight return for the pleasure 50 often re-
ciyed from his poetic and inspired interpre-
atoms