New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-10

81 bV Ashton
and Drama" Large svo. PIP TX. 40 I1oiuon
Kegan Paul, Trench. Trubner N co u"l"l'''"
1893
We have in this stout and stately volume "ne
second instalment Of the notable worh Whl'h
tho EDITOR # THE Meister" is doing for English
students Of Wagner. The first instainleht came
q year ago. and II IS the purpose Of Mr.. Ellis.
with the assistance Of the London Branch or the
Richard Wagner Society to publish one volume
annually until all Of the prose writings ~ the
noct-composer have been published in English
Like its predecessor. this second volume was -
sued serally last year TO subscribers. and six
norts 70 be issued this year will make up Volume
III. which can be had currently from the pub
fishers either on subscription. or gathered within
covers at the end OF the year 1894 II Is wei
that these facts be known. FOR tho enterprise ~
uniting the phlos phcal and aesthetical treaiises
Of Wagner into the hands Of English readers -
for several reasons extraordinary one. The
task which has now occupied the attention ~
Mr. Ellis for some years Che began IT, We believe
in 1890 might at It's inception have afrigh''d
the soul of he faithfulest Of Wagners disciples
We are much inclined - think that II Is more dif-
dculf 70 nut the prose writings II Wagner into
English than his dramas. The latter task. II is
true has seemed almost insuperable up 10 the
present time but for that circumstance eNplana-
tons are easily forthcoming The Intelligence
which has been employed thus far on the versions
published with the music has not been above the
level " that which from time immemorial has
done violence 70 sense taste AMI grammar VITA
the translation Of German French and Italian
operas The few efforts that have approached
meri, in point Of correctness. forcefulness ole
gance Of dicton have been purely literary OK
perimenis-that Is. the result has not been pract-
cali for rfo We IA
| standard translation Of the dramatic poems K
| must be made by who IS, In limited meas
| ure at least. both poet and musician and who.
| because he Is such. preserve IN the new YER
| sion something OF the harmony between words
and music which is the distinguishing character
| stic Of the dramas in their original form. There
Is sufficient affinity between the German and
| English languages II make such a result posi-
| bic. whereas all TRANSACTIONS into the Latin
tongues must % necessity fall short q the Ger
| man original In ruggedness. tcrseness and vig0r
| Of expression.
| To a knowledge Of German and Of music the
! translator Of WaEner's prose-wri,ings must add
an intimate acquaintance with the terms and
| turns OF German metaphysics and the ability
| and willingness 10 follow his author through
the inVOlutions and wOrd-plays in which he de-
| lights Mr.. Ellis's equipment is quite out Of the
! common. We inclined to think him more
firmly grounded In philosophy than in music
and little prone TO permitting the slngularities
| Of Wagner's style 10 affect his own. for which
| reason we have an unnecessary number IL UNI
| couth words and forms: but on the whole Il IS
| impossible 10 avoid a hearty expression Of adj
| miration for the manner in which he has
| complished n most trying and discouraging task
1t is easy enough to pick n quarrel here and
there with the manner IN which n passage has
been rendered 0auts frequently due to Mr.
| Elils's apparent conviction that every utterance
| Of Wagners has occult Significance in adj
| diton 70 that which appears the SURFACED; but
| for every obscurtty in the text which he has
created or left he has given us a dozen instances
| Of Qualification and calculation or what rnust
| appear to be such 10 the ordinary reader 10
| whom German Is not the vernacular. For the zeal
| which prompted him 10 undertake the task for
| the tirelcss devotion Of which every page OF the
| book bears evidence for the helps which ne has
| provided for the studous reader in his historical
| preface his foot-notes. his summary Of the au-
| thor's argument and the index, Mr. Ellis de-
serves the gratitude Of every Wagner lover
| whoever and wherever he may be Even the
| German reader, when he shall have placed this
| edition alongside HIS two editions Of Wagner's
collected writings. will wish that third German
edition might appear modelled on the English
version OF Mr. Ellis with Its guides and memory
helps
| or Wagner's aesthetical treatises that entitled
| Opera and Drama" is the most readable 1t
| has faults some Of which we are inclined to look
upon grievous. but It is marveousy sug-
| gestive. and the reader who is reasonably well
| grounded in the history Of music viii scarcely
be harmed by its occasional blunders. 1t Is n
polernic, and in his desire TO expose the sham 70
| which the world had become attached under the
name Of opera. Wagner was not always as con-
| sidefate Of the verities as he might and ought
to have been. We would not recommend Opera
and Drama" as a historical textbook With
| Wagner history and critical disqusition are al
ways made TO conform to theory and TO wait
upon it. lie is, moreover. typical Teuton in his
propensity for pouring out the by along with
the bath as the Germans themselves say There
subject in the world dearer to him than
himself. and every careful student Of his writings
must have observed his habit of changing his
| point OF view whenever II pleased him 10 do go
| and whenever by doing go he could add 70 the
| apparent significance and value Of his earlier
| achievements With every discussion OF the sub
| ject which engrosscd his life he added a new
| chapter 70 his autobiography, and sought to
make II appear that the principles which, a. his
| dramatic works prove. he arrived by "a natural
| process of development. had always been among
! his intellectual possessions and ideals He was
| profoundly convinced that he was n unique phe-
nomenon in the world OF art. and his unwilling
ness 10 believe that there was any avenue in his
! tory which led naturally and easily up 10 him
| and disclosed him as logical product Of evolu-
ton. is strikingly illustrated in the early pages
| Of this treatise in which he discusses the genesis
| OF the opera. With the fundamental proposition