New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-08-19
MUSICAL COMMENT.
GERMAN AND ENGLISH VIEWS ON BAY
REUTH.
HOW GERMAN SINGERS SING 49, PROGRAMME
OF THE WAGNER FESTIVAL AT

OF THE WAGNER FESTIVAL AT
BRIGHTON BEACH.
| The tone OF Bayreuth criticism Is becoming such
| as to throw doubt upon its value. Whe'm zap
pert for many years actively concerned In the fes-
tivals and aggressive champion OF the master
| has been writing what Mr.. F.oersheir, OF the
Musical Courier cas- disgusting articles. We
| have not seen them but Mr. Floersheim Is ia
yorably Impressed by this years representations, 1t
IL fair TO assume that Herr Tappert has joined the
Old Guard OF Wagnerites. who lost Interest IN the
| festivals when 4, became evident that the widows
| fo.y and vanity were robbng them Of their artistic
| Significance OF course there are plenty OF the
| faithful left and in some quarters Frau Cosima is
| acclaimed almost as enthusiastically as ever Wag-
| ner himself was. But even the faithful 90 queer
! things when thew come 10 parcularize Take QUO
| IIessmann. Editor Of the "Algemcine Mush-Iei-
tung' OF Berlin. for instance He is very farf:om
being OF the opinion expressed in this place last
Sunday week that Bayreuth had outlived its USE
| fulness On the contrary, he says: 80 long as
3ayreuth is able to exert so educational an niu-
ence'' (as did in producing "Iohengrin' 1T DEM
onsrates the necessity OF the continued existence or
the festival plays" "Iohengrin' In the opinion
Of Herr T.essmann, artistic achievement
of the hghes, class practically rcvitalization OF
| the opera. He would have us believe that wagner
notions concerning 1t have been realized ior the
first time This sounds perilously like the ordinary
| Bayreith puffery for 1t means that Wagner him-
self never heard "I.ohengrin' performed properly
that privilege being vouchsafed only to those who
| attended the representations at Bayrcuth last
month. II means also that the composer ih'u-
ence and possibly knowledge, was never as potent
as Frau Cosmas. under whose artistic direction
the miracle of n perfect "Lohengrin has at last
| baon brought 10 pass There be many good Wag-
| ner,tes I'm the word who will shrug their shoulders
| n little at such conceits. Some OF them remember
| how wofl.iy "Tannhauser' was ma,treated wneh
Il was recreated In the spirit of Wager In 1891 ana
they wifi scarcely understand that there Is any
| thing in "Iohengrin' which has eluded the WIS
dom OF the worlds directors and conductors TIL
now, IN order 10 be disclosed by the genius OF
| the poet-composers widow. Frau Cosima might
| with some proprety set up claim 10 pecuNar'y
| intimate knowledge Of Tristan and Isolde ana
| 'Parslfai" but "T.Ohengrin" was IAN accomplished
.oc, one before she stepped the shoes Of Frau
| Nina and she IS not likely to know more ABOUT
| !, than ordinary mortals. AS for the reformation
| OF the mise en- SCENE, that Simply return
| 10 first principles. which. had II feemed important
| 10 Wagner he would have insisted upon long ago
| doubtless II Is true that he complained OF 'he
conventional treatment which 'T.ohengrin' received
| bu, this he did about every one OF his WORKS es-
pec,ai;y "Tannhauser." which. We are tempted 10
! s1v was never represented with greater regard
for thoatrica, conventIorality than 1t was at Bay
| ro,,h When "Iohengrln' given at Bologna
| with remarkable success In 1871 wagner wrot" n
! letter 70 IAN Italian Friend" and promptly mace
! place for IL In his collected writings me stereo-
typed complaint is found there. too. but It goes
agnns, the acting and singing. not against the
setting 4 fine effect undoubtedly was Obtained
| IN tho excited behavior OF the chorus on the ar
| rival Of the Knight Of the Grail in Act ], but now
| Inconsistent Frau Wagner was In her enforcement
OF the dramatic principle represented IN trat scene
| may be seen in Herr I.eesmanns conformation OF
tho scere in Act II. IN which the herald announces
| The arpoinimcnt Of feohengrn protector OF
| ur,b,r," and calls uron the knights TO hold them
| seves IN readiness 70 join the kings forces under
| him on the morrow. Herr Wagner plainly wished
Tho chorus 10 show signs OF joyous excitement but
| Frau WAGNER arranged procession several times
| around the stage. headed by the herald The lacy
| dparlv loves procession. those who have seen
| ",rn nnhHuscr' at Bayreuth know; and as for the
conventional attitudes and movements against
which Wagner necessarily Numbered they have not
been hanished even from the psntomm'c scene IN
the gro,to Of Venus though Wagner devoted pages
OF n pamphlet that very subject.
| For tho berlin champion Of Bayreuth the whole
Significance OF the festival this year was summed
nm In ~ oheng-in" Nine Nordica is his ideal Elsa,
! IN all things incompatible. Those who are familiar
| with the singing practised or the German
stage Will not be surprised to learn that IL Is Me'
NorlIcn's vocal art that provided the text TOT 'he
| bulk OF Herr Lessmanns sermon directed against
the notion tina, ability TO sing matter Of In
| a
| no savs. artistic training in every direction
,s an absolute necessity OF every Wagner singer
| whether the matter at Issue be acting or SING
| ing or artistic treatment OF the language uoou
vocal schooling II is true. will by no means make
good Wagner singer but let no one humor himself
| with the notion OF becoming good wagner singer
| without thorough vocal training
, mos, uncompromising voice has been raised In
|
| festivals II IL that OF Mr. G.. Bernard Shaw. the
regular music critic Of Mr. Yatess journal ihose
| who read the English periodicals VIII mol /heeu "
! be told that Mr. shaw IL not always 20 DC TAKEN
| seriously His conception OF the MISSION vi Il
critic is that he ought to tell as srikingy as may
| ., o,d - noss,be with much hunor Just what
| odd ,oncoits enter into his mind while listening TO
| a performance or thinking about 1t atterwaro
| Take ont the personal equation from one OF 'i'.
| shaw's entertaining articles ana nothing "ou'd
| =. lsft-not even n record Of the performance BUT
| ur shaw * not conventional and his system Is
| .,o,o,, ono since IL makes adherence TO any
thing like principle scientific moral or aesthetic
| vholIv unnecessary In place OF principle we
| have the diverting antics OF the critical ego
Nevertheless Mr. Shaw frequently says good things
| and when he does II is with the same incisiVe-
ness OF effect that he employs In telling his readers
| that he sat on the stairs at concert or was
| rsarv much bored by somebody's performance OF
| something Like all Engshmen Mr.. shaw has
good opinion OF the musical performances given
| In London notwithstanding that he Is always as
| .over,t,ng that they make him tired; and In this
he is right OF London does hear good
music and lots OF 1t. At the outset, therefore, ne
| confeases that he might have made better use OF
! the money which he spent going 10 bayTeu'h
When | ran across TO Bayreuth the other day
! vas fully aware that the cost OF my TRIP wouin
have been better spent In bringing German c,i.ic
| 70 England And I greatly regret that thls article
| Ia M, written In German. and for German paper,
sInns I, "a now evident that as far as any musical
s,n.s wing and impulse can from one country
en another IL must come for the present from Ens-
land TO Bayreuth. and not from basreu'" " r'"s
| land . ,,..
Thereupon he proceeds to belabor the bayreu'h
| orchestra as not hrst-rate orchestra Jndseu u!
| London standards 'but a very carefully worked-up
! -, ratio one He finds that German musicians
| Germany tthe LONDON Hlusichiiis arc "''' " -