The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-22

was utterly out of the question should he
retain the senseless. insane and utterly I'M
dramatic nonsense of the Italian OPERA
solo, duo. trio. sextet and ensemble.
With his new methods, he achieved such
success that, as Saint Saens so acutely re-
marks, he practically accomplished
miracle in the first act of the ''Dutchman,"
viz, that the stormy sea is heard in the
orchestra throughout the whole act as
basic undertone, yet without disturbing in
the slightest degree the dramatic action.
THE FLYING DUTCHMAN."
How the very first notes of the overture
fascinate the listener. Utter silence reigned
in the brilliant auditorium as the orchestra
at the appointed time began the overture
The performance was most excellent and
full of dramatic intensity. The second
number from the Flying Dutchman" was
the introduction to the second act and the
delicious spinning chorus. The chorus Tin
this instance the ladies' chorus) evidently
was resolved to cover itself with glory and
it succeeded So dainty, light and virginia.
did the song sound that the guests or our
city must surely have enVled US such
singers.
THE RHEINGOLD MUSIC.
The orchestra was again wonderful in its
performances, namely, the Entrance of
the Gods into Walhalla" and the overtures
to "Meistersinger" and "Tannhauser." We
have here a collection of must
clans who completely fill every
condition desired by Wagner with
reference to the ensemble. In his
essay on directing, for instance he says
that good players or even virtuosi-orches-
ira prima donnas, he calls them-by no
means always insure a good orchestra
Artistic greatness is only achieved when
the various players work together unseltSh-
ly for q perfect ensemble.
The entrance of the gods into Walhalla"
%
which appear from time to time IN Wag-
ners work and fairly lift us off dur feet.
The psychological fundament is both mag
nificent and tragic. The gods have bar
tered with the giants (the motive of COM
pact resounds fearfully in the trombones),
the glorious Walhalla is finished and looms
najestcally through the rainbow mists
which encircle it. In this glorious castle
the gods are to intrench themselves, and,
having reinforced their powers by the BRAY
est warriors of earth led thither by the
Walkueren from mortal battlehelds, offer
successful resistance to whatever hostile
forces may assail their dynasty. The ter
rible price they are to pay has as yet not
been realized by them. They apprehend
only the momentary pacification OF the
unpleasantness. Thor ascends the rocks
and swings his hammer; at his call
glorious rainbow bridges the chasm be-
tween the gods and their abodes, and over
this rainbow. bridge the gods triumphant
pass to the accompaniment of the solemn
and glorious music of the above mentioned
The hope and belief of Wagner, that of
all his works the Meisters1nger would
appeal most powerfully to non-German
audiences has in the fullness of time been
completely justified. The performances in
England, Italy, Belgium and America offer
eloquent proof of this fact The eXplana-
ton lies in this: Wagner offers US in this
work a social picture of the middle ages
which not even Hans Sachs's writings of
his own time could have surpassed. Ac-
cordingly, the master by no means hesi-
tates to at times stoop to the rather rough
jokes and vulgar Jests CHARACTERISTIC OF the
middle ages and their SOCIAL development
His wit is German Wagnerian, puns,
quibs, sparkling humor, and yet with it
all depth of feeling and at the bottom
many-sidedness of humor Wagner resem-
bles Shakespeare. And yet there are people
1.-The Mestersinger." OF course. The
French can see nothing in Shakespeare.
What does Jean Paul say? When book
and Il human head knock together and
hollow sound results the book is not al
ways to blame But l have seen in Lon
don Brussels Dusseldorf Munich, yes, in
Indianapolis, 1 have seen the irresistible
music of The Meistersinger" cause tears
of laughter to follow each other down the
over year ago, THE Meistersinger" made
entry into indianapolis and
now that we last evening heard once more
the glorious overture l cannot refrain from
quoting a few timely examples of Beck
mesSerian utteranceS on the part of Wag-
ner's contemporaries. Previously, however,
l.
of this Beckmesser spirit in a letter to a
singer who had written him for hints con-
corning the portraiture of this role Wag-
ner wrote: Just take any prominent critic
as an example as you have 1t, provided you
are dead in earnest about it. That Wag-
ner's pungent sarcasm was justified is evil
denced by the unanimity with which the
critics of the time furnished material for
future amusement of enlightened readers
to Ferdinand Hitler the riot scene in The
Meistersinger' is the craziest assault ever
made on art, taste, music and poetry.
Europa, a prominent periodical, informed
it's readers that the same opera was a
dramatic musical humbug, and the great
est of all German critics. DR.. Hanslick, of
Beckmesser as follows: 1.-The introduc-
ton is a. musical product of painful arti-
The dialogue between Sachs and Eva is
monotonOus and ponderouS.
Sachs's joke (hammering on the soles) is
insipid. The riot. Scene becomes
a truly brutal shouting and noise. Sachss
monologue would expose us to the danger
of going asleep The most serious defect
There is probably nothing in the whole
reach of Wagnerian music that has helped
to make him more popular with the masses
march from '"Tannhauser, and still he
himself justly holds that the chief differ
previous operas-his own included-is the
utter absence of concessions to the gall
lery." OF the overture, he made this inter
place, and not the theater, where it is a
mere prelude to the opera. There it should
to give only the first tempo of the
overture. The rest, in the fortunate event
of it's being understood, is too much in
front of the drama; in the opposite event,
too little"
He made this remark in consequence of a
series of concerts in Zurich. OF the pro-
duction of the overture he writes:
The performance of the Tannhauser'
overture has now taken place; it surpassed
all my expectations. for it really went adj
mirably You can judge of this by its
effect, which was terrific. do not speak
of the burst of applause which immedi-
ately followed it, but to the symptoms Of
that effect The women, in particular,
were turned inside out, the impression
made on them was so strong that they had
own work made most powerful impress
drastic operation"
Long ago the "Tannhauser' won the
hearts of the public. 1t may afford us
some pleasure to see what our friends, the
say about this opera. One of the more
prominent critics called the overture
''quite atrocous, incredibly awkward in
long and tedious. Fetis, the
French critic, wrote: 1T begins with
poor choral, badly harmonized.' His coun-
trymen stamped new expression: "Je me
Tannhauser'' q am bored). Others found
''IittIe melody" helpless meditation"
Instrumentation singularly unpleasant
Here is a small collection: Wagner is no
artist, either in taste or creativeness. Time
will Judge" MoritZ Humplmann: Il do
not believe that of Wagners works sim
gle one will survive him" The Signale
I'VE are happily done with this nonsense
even in Germany; and what does Schu-
mann say: The music is weak, often sim
1tesg,r 40,