The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-10-23

These sound are repeated every
time Siegfried comes in. And there Is
a single such definite combination OF
the sounds In a leit-motiv for each per.
SON.. So that this leit-motiv is repeat.
ed every time the person IL represents
enters, and even when any one is men
toned, the motive IL heard which cor
responds to hat person. This is not
all; every object has it's own leit-motiv
or accord. There is the motiv of the
ring. the apple. fire. the lance. the
sword, water and SO forth. and when
ever any n mentions the ring. the
helmet, or the apple, there comes the
motiv or accord of the ring. the he'll
met or the apple.
There is a lO-page conversation be-
tween the dwarf and Siegfried. which
lasts for half an hour. with the same
strange mouth-openings and sing
song Then the god Wotan. the pill
grim. appears.
Also in a wig. also in tights. this
god Wotan. standing in a silly attitude
with a pike, for some reason recounts
everything that Mime must already
know. but which must be told to the
spectators. And all this he recounts.
not simply. hut i'm the form of riddles,
which he orders himself to solve. for
some reason or other stalking his head
that he will guess them"
At the close of this act Tolstoi had
drawn his conclusions about Wagner.
From an author who can invent such
false scenes. which cut through all
esthetic feeling al with a knife. there
Is nothing more to expect; one may
boldly decide that everything that such
an author writes will be bad. because
evidently such AN author does not know
what a true artistic production is."
OF the second act, Tolstoi says In
part:
"A scene which is to he exceedingly
poetical begins. Siegfried lies down i'm
the tights I'm what Is mean to be a
beautiful attitude. and now remains ST.
lent, now talks to himself. He medi-
tates. listens To the singing of the birds.
and tries To initiate them. For this he
cuts a reed with his sword and makes
a reed pipe. The dawn grows brighter
and brighter, the birds sing. Siegfried
tries to initiate the birds. In the or
chestra Is heard an imitation of birds,
mingled with the sounds which cor
respond to the words he speaks. But
Siegfried does not succeed in playing
his reed pipe, so he plays his horn in
stead. This scene is intolerable. OF
music-that Is. OF art. serving as a
means to convey the feelings expert
enced by the author. there is not a
trace. There is something which i'm a
musical sense n constantly feels a
hope. which Is Immediately disappoint-
ed. as IL a musical thought begins and
then Immediately breaks OF again.
IF there is something resembling in
cipient music. then these beginnings are
so brief. so loaded with complications
OF harmony. orchestration. effects Of
contrasts. so indistinct. so unfinished.
n at the same time something 50
abominably false is going on on the
stage. that IL Is difficult TO notice them.
to say nothing OF being affected BY
them. And. most Of all. the authors
calculation Is so evidently heard and
seen from the beginning TO the end
that you near n see, not Siegfried
and the birds. but only the limited
self-confdent, bad tone and taste of a
German who has the falsest possible
idea OF poetry. and who wishes to con-
vey TO me his false representations OF