Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-07-07
NOR|BUND WAGNER|SN
The Influence of the Great
German Composer on Opera.
WITH ITS VOCAL ZIGZAGS
The Wagnerian System Has Tor
tured the Human Voice.
REGENERATOR OF MODERNOPERA
Wagner Has Bcen So Called by His
More Ardent Admircrs-The
"Dayrcuth Mornss."
WITH ITS VOCAL ZIGZAGS
REGENERATION OF MODERNOPERA

contend that in art, as In nature
and religion, there is always an abso-
Lutte truth. multIform, perhaps, and
multifarious, yet one In its essence
and principle and far above ne passing
vagarles of taste and fashion. And
this would be generally admitted II
artistic truth were az easily demon
strated as arlthmetlcal accuracy or
pugilistic superiority. Meantime, 1t Ia
the true artists especial function TO
find and proclaim the absolutely true.
Ruskin says the greatest thing one
can do is to see something and to tell
what you saw in n plain way" In
music one cannot refuse to see, nor for
bear to proclaim, that the highest and
purest of all arts owes her world-old
supremacy-her uninterrupted reign
over national and individual feeling
to that pure strain of touching, noble
melody which is to the musical en-
semble what the head and face are to
the sculptured efligy of n hero, the lie
and meaning of the whole. Even In
sacred music, where the harmonieS OF
choir and organ play so prominent
part, we find great melodic ideas ike
Elm Feste Burg" Mozarts and Schu-
themselves like monuments above all
the harmonic beauties of their work,
while great national melodies appeal to
the whole heart Of mankind and STAND
firm throughout the centuries, ike
oaks not to be wind shaken'-stately
ivy-crowned towers, defying the hand
of time; and even the greatest harmonic
beauties are purest and highest when,
like Chopin's, they are full of hidden
melodies. Schools and writer's that
cling to these intrinsic truths must out
last those who seek for nutoriety by
Offering heterodite novelty. even though
vigorous. logged, perverse assertiVe-
ness may force its way awhile to the
front Tell lie often and loudly
enough and 1t will be believed" is the
quack doctors gospel true in art as
In scandal-true before Mahometanism
arose-true after Magnetism shall have
disappeared. That may happen before
long, for this NOISY music of the
future, which, somehow, Is not equal
to the needs of the present, lacks the
Vitalizing principle of melody and pre-
sents the perniclous anomaly of instru-
mental music, written for the voice,
but only fit to injure 1t. We have a
right to take a man at his own word
wagner came forward as a 'regener-
ator of modern operas" A true one
was needed. He found II gaudily
dressed here, ballet-dressed there. Did
1t mend matters to trick II out with
Bayreuth bric-a-brac till poor opera
cannot move without deafening clat-
ter? A born, bred, brilliant symphon-
list, an original harmonist, without
eight bars of truly vocal symphony in
his whole constitution, how was Wag-
ner to write real Opera" much more
degenerate" 1t? Oh, he cut that
Gordian knot by announcing that all
vocal melody is 'sensuous," by con-
q N Inc 10 oh Loo all
terpleces, from Handel to Meyerbeer,
verdi and Rossini; improvislng on their
attempts by torturing that exquisite
instrument, the human voice, with
vocal zigzags, in which the singer is as
much at ease as the tabled giant Mi
cr0Inesas was when he stretched him
ser Tor snooge across the Jagged
peaks of the Alps. Music and the beau
tltul are as inseparable as truth and
loVei public taste ever improves, and
VIII increasingly weary OF uncouth
musical freaks
such are Llszt's "Mephlsto waltzer";
rides to hell like RAN s "I.enore." songs
about rats and fieas, as in Berlios' a
fearful and wonderful "Damnation de
fnust, or the rafting of dead mems
bones, as In Mr.. Saint Saens' chastity
iudlcrous Danse Macabre." And, as to
tristan" "Parsifal" and all
the baggage from blatant Ravreuth
why, this is Brummagem Berliozl5
growled Sir Sterndale Bennett, when
tirst his tympanum was rasped with
| the Wagnerian File of the Futurei We
respond readily to the appeals made
by hght, gay minstrels of the Often
| h-Planquette-Su Sullivan school They
are but the jongleurs, the giullari
or our age, and aspire no higher than
10 amuse dun hour or two. But see /
| the conquering hero comesl Lol the
ipruly Tannhauser strides forth upon
the stage, and waving aside with scorn-
| full hands and scowllng aspect st,cb
heathen rabble as Rossinl, Verdi. New
erbeer, tulle quante, cries Excel
| slor! and summons us to the cloud
capped heights of lofty inspiration.
with enthusiasm. Into the cold, dark
waters of stormy discord, whereon.
| tossed to and fro. like Wagner's Fly
ing Dutehman, we seek evermore and
In vain for that bright CLEAN of melody
| which never illumlnes the angrY
waters, and we groan, "Nacht muss IS
SEN wann Wagncr's Sterne leuchtet -
and would fain hear colored "end
man" sing "Suwanee River" and helm
us to postpone Wagnerian waillngs TO
the other side OF the sweet by-and-by,
| The lofty genius of the really great
| German masters showed them how
truly valuable were the lessons of the
Italian school, Whence came the SUI
| perior breadth and freedom of Handers
style but from the the fact that, unlike
his brother-giant, Bach. he paid two
| long visits to Italy. composing operas.
cantatas and oratorlos there, winning
| all hearts, and ltalianizlng his genius
| so deeply that he became their caro-
SEASONED" and then, and not TIL then,
was the dear Saxon" ripe for the pro.
duction of masterpieces like "Rinaldo."
etc, that are cited as the glories of
purely German artl
Hasse, Gluck, and many another
German, French and English COMPOSER
followed Handlers example And was
not Porpora great Haydn's master and
| Sammartinl the preceptor OF Gluck ?
Palestrina, Durante, pergblesi and
their great and modest Italian brethren
In art were men less expers In climbing
the maypole of notoriety than in ma
tlently building up the edlfice Of art,
Does any reader ask for more evi-
dence? l reply, in the words inscribed
on the walls OF London's ancient cathe.
dral. in honor of Its architect, Isl mon.
umentum queries, circumspicew
Yes. to fnd monumental records ri
the past achievements OF italian, art
"look around" over the whole field OF
opera, symphony and oratorlo. and
point, II you can, to one bright con.
spicuous flower that never owed any
OF its brllliancy md perfume to the
sun OF italian art. Why, to this day
the wise Conservatoire de Paris awards
as the browning honor to the success.
full musical student lie Prix de Rome. :
sum 70 enable him to go to Rome fol
the completion OF his education.