St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-07
THEY INSPIRE AND ELEVATE.
SPIRITUAL EMULATION ALWAYS
FOLLOWS THE HEARING OF
THEM.
LEARNED TALK ON THE suDJEc1
By the Reverend Gentleman, Who
Has Made q Careful Study
of Music.


"The Spiritual Motive of the Operas of
Richard Wagner" In introduction Mr.
Lord reviewed the two addresses of
yesterday morning and evening; the
first one on the relation of music to the
spiritual life, in which he tried to show
that music of the truest sort was a
chief means of spiritual elevation and
culture. But by music he meant what
corresponds to classical literature in
books-the expression of the great
and high-minded tone masters of the
world. The spiritual life may be re-
garded as the exercise of the soul in
the liberty of divine love, and also as
the self-conscious divinity of the soul !;
and again, the soul contemplating the
Ideals or life. In these respects music
is perhaps the most efficient means of
elevating the spiritual life
In the second address Mr.. Lord spoke
of the harmony between Richard Wag-
ners character and his work. He said
1t was common impression that it
would not do to look closely into the
lives OF great artists as well as into the
lives of great literary men. Even Gull
tivated and intelligent people hold this
theory. AS matter Of fact, no man
can be great artist and not be at the
same time essentially a good, even
sublime character. If this Is a moral
universe. genius must be instantly de-
ranged when moral purpose departs
From Sebastian Bach to Richard Wag-
ner, all the greatest musicians have
been essentially true men. The essen
tial Of true character in the artist and
the prophet is fidelity to his message
NO great artist or prophet has ever sold
his talent for price. In music witness
Beethoven. Schubert and Wagner as
in art Millet, as in literature Carlyle,
starving before they. would swerve one
hairs breadth the holy lines or notes
Wagner lived to be nearly an old man,
hungry and in exile, but refusing to ac-
commodate his genius to what he re-
garded as a false taste. These men
were, some Of theme guilty of great
sins, but they held true to their mis-
sion.
'By the way said Mr.. Lord, "the
impression that the ordinary perform
ing artist is worse than other men Is
also mistake. 9 If we remember two
things: First, what these men would
be If they were not artists; second, and
more important, that these men are not
permitted to perform good music, even
the larger part of the time, but must
use their talent for ministration to the
lower taste of men, we shall be able to
explain why these men have not the
high character which we might other
wise expect y..-rs.gr
In speaking upon the particular SUBJ
ject of the evening, Mr. Lord said
that Richard Wagner's works inspired
and elevated character IS. perhaps no
other musical compositions. This is
shown, first, by the effect of his music
even upon the novice. Scarcely any
one can go away from hearing one of
his operas for the first time without a
sense of spiritual exultation;j the cause
of which he may net be able to ex-
plain Then the medium through
which his musical ideas are expressed
in the myth is a spiritual help. The
myth contains a parable Of the true
spiritual ife;i and Wagner has used
the old Morse myths for this purpose
in a wonderful manner Third, the
spiritual motive that operates and di-
reefs all these operas is spiritual love.
There are three kinds of love: First,
love sensual, which is transitory as the
passion which describes it; second, love
conventional, which is spiritual love
dwarfed and held in bonds; and third.
spiritual love itself, which is identical
with spiritual freedom. The best il
lustration Of these three kinds of love
is found in the opera "Tannhauser.
Tannhauser, for a time, surrenders to
SCIioudi fONC, ISiQScS Tie lHNlSdllOH VI
conventional love, hating it's dwarfed
and artificial character; but finally is
delivered through the freedom of spir-
itual love. In all of his operas except
THE MeiSterSinger," which stands by
itself, this motive is at the base. In
the Flying Dutchman.'' Senta saves
this Wandering Jew of the sea by dy-
ing. In "Lohengrin," love is invited
from heaven, and only lost because it
iS doubted n fITriSton Isolde
myth which few poets have dared
to handle. being unable to interpret it
spiritually, Wagner finds an inter-
probation on the spiritual side. In the
great ''Niebelungen Trilogy," love
clears the way for better gods and men
through the sacrifice of Brunnhilde.
And in "Parsifal," the myth of the
Holy Grail is interpreted into the re-
demption Of humanity itself through
love.
Mr.. Lord said that in all wagner's
works, as opposed to this spiritual love,
appear the selfish and sensual; and in
the ''Trilogy,' greed, these working
ruin and destruction. Mr. Lord pointed
out how, in each, of these operas. the
particular musical motives could not
suggest anything, but the highest spfr-
itual feeling; even the love motives
are SO characterized. He said further
that those who accuse Wagner Of be-
ing a disciple ofFsehopenhauer in his
work must remember that Schopen-
hauer's philosophy is6a mere negative
of life. Die to be- rid Of life and suf-
fering. Wagner everywhere says, love
and die to relieve, elevate, finally to
purify all humanity, in order that this
world may become So beautiful place
that no one will want to find bet
ter.