The Portland daily press., 1898-02-03
PARsiFAL.
Rev. Mr. Perkins at Rossini Hall Yes'ei
day Afternoon.

Rev. Mr.. Perkins at Rossini Hall Yester-
day Afternoon.
At Rossini hall yesterday afternoon
Rev. j. Carroll Perkins delivered very
brilliant lecture on "ParsifaP' to al
audience Of cultivated ladies ana genus
men. Mr.. Perkins said:
Wagners Parsifal is an expression o.
religious art as set forth by music, poetry
and dramatic action. Wagner never
wrote operas in the sense that we SPEAK
of the operas OF Mozart, Verdi and the
rest. He wrote music dramas. "Per1ece
art says Wagner, 'the art ttat woula
three forms of expression, drama1ic
action, music, poetry" 1t was Wagner =
dream to allow no one Of these phases OF
human expression to dominate over the
others. Each should contribute equally TO
the great whole Parsifal then is not a
religious drama, nor a religious poem'
nor a religious opera. 1t is religious arr,
poetry nor In dramatic action alone, Dun
In the perfect unity Of them all.
The libretto is an adaptation OF one OF
the legends of the Holy Grail. The name
Grail Is probably from Gradalis and that
corruption of the medieval Latin
cratellH, the diminutive of crater, bowl.
In the old legend this cup or chalice, the
Holy Grail, supposed to be OF emerald,
was the one used by Christ at the last
supper; and by Joseph of Aramathea to
catch the last drops Of Christ's blood as
he was taken from tn cross. One legend
is that this Joseph brought it to Britain,
to Glastonbury Another Is that 1t was
preserved upon sacred mountain, having
been brought to one Titurel by angels
from heaven, when the Mohammedans
besieged jerusalem. Wagner follows unih
salvat in Spain. Here are preserved the
Holy Grail and the sacred spear On the
northern slope of this mountain lives
Titurel and his son Amfortas and his
faithful knight Gurnemanz. On the
southern slope of the same mountain lives
KliDgsor, a sorcerer and spirit OF evil.
He has there magic garden Of tempta.
is identified with Herodias and Mary
Magdalen and many another, serves the
purposes of Klingsor to lead the knights
into temptation.
When Titurel becomes an old man. he
gives to his son Amfortas the Office OF
king. Amfortas determines to go down
to Klingsor and destroy him and free the
before the power of Kundry, Klingsor
wrests his spear from him and wounds
him deeply in the side Gurnemanz
rallies the knights and they make their
way with the wounded leader back to
their castle. But the wound does not
heal. Ainfortas has a vision that when
one shall come, 'by pity enlightened.
he shall find healing That one is Parsl-
fall. But he too, must learn how to pity.
He is at first an Innocent youth brought
up by Herzeledie his mother far from all
the world. One day he sees body of
shining knights and follows them. In
his wandering he comes to the castle OF
the Holy Grail. He goesSto the castle and
witnesses the celebration Of the Mass by
Amfortas. Pity for the suffering king
comes into his heart, but not until he has
gone down into the garden Of scrcery and
felt the same temptation himself, is pity
fully born in his soul. He resists all
allurements and starts forth to find and
save Amfortas. Kundry curses his way to
one of everlasting wandering. After
many years he finally finds the castle,
Klingsor and his domain having been de-
stroyed by Parsifal when he resisted his
sorcery and won again the sacred spear.
Amfortas Is healed and Parsifal becomes
the leader of the order of knights.
This music drama of Parsifal was never
given to the public except at Bayrueth.
1t is in three acts with two tableaux in
each act. The score was finished and per-
FORMED 1Or Cn0 ArhI bllu0 III SlShec0u
eighty-two. Bayreuth lisa small Bavarian
town far from any large oity. 1t is
pictureequely situated ard is approached
usually from Nuremberg. The perform
anoe begins at four O'Clock in the after
noon and lasts until ten. with the inter
missions of about an hour In length. The
opera house Is rather differ MT from any
other in that the stage is proportionately
larger; there are no aisles; there are side
do for oach three Y0vya of seats Th0
orchestra is hidden in deep pit between
the spectators and the stage, and the
musicians are never seen, but their won
derful music fills the opera with kind
of magic effect.
There is a strange serousSsss about the
whole performance. 1t is what Wagner
himself called it "Consecrated festival
stage play One is not at the opera or
theatre as he has been trained to know
them. Hare is rather the representation
of the powers of evil and good in the strife
which we know as religious warfare or
human salvation. 1t is a spectacle OF re-
ligious power, whose impression once felt
can naver he effaced