New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-26

y-Thanksgivng.
I'm Hall S Wo p m concert OF
Hall so 2so ongcss symp Ha
mann M Carnegie Hail. S:i5 p m FIRST Of Richard
saaAelds popular concerts; West End Syna a.
SJudas Macca6eus' will be sung.
Wagner is exciting almost much attention In
England Just he did in Germany TWO
decades and more ago In fact II may ne salo
that the Wagnerian agitation has been transferred
from Germany to England and France In the
noe,-composers own country practically all the
questions provoked by his art works are settled
All the dramas worth performing save 'Parsirai
are IN the regular reperOries Of every opera mousse
worthy OF the name. and every year the music
schools turn out scores of singers ready so far as
knowledge OF the music goes at least. TO effect
their professional debuts az Brunnhilde or lsolde
Such controversy remains is directed 10 mat
ters Of Interpretation "inscenierung -tnat 49,
the mounting of the plays. In France the Chau-
vnism which was still potent enough TO threaten
rIotous demonstrations against "1ohengrn' only
q few years ago has broken down. apparently for
ever. and Paris ia full Of enthusiasm over Lamou-
reuxs representation OF Tristan und Isolde, IN
which Mines. Litvinne and Brema take part.
So great is the enthusiasm land SO lacking in dis
elimination we tempted TO add that the critics
and musicians are speaking OF the performances
as the most perfect which the work has ever re-
ceived Even Colonne followed from Berlin by
the echoes OF his statement that LII Lehman
was the greatest opera singer alive, was so far
carried off his feet by the general sentiment that
he said in Paris that Nine Litvinne's impersona-
ton Of Isolde was greater than Nine. Lehmann's
The people OF New-York. who have heard both
artists and one Of them many times in the role
and who are also familiar with Nine. Brema's
Brangane will be Inclined to accept the French
conductors opinion with pound or two OF salt
1t is not a little amusing 10 observe that the
astonishing literary activity prevailing Is directed
almost exclusively to a discussion OF Wagner as a
writer Of prose essays the philosophy or society.
Mr. Bernard Shaw develops a Socialistc argument
out of 1.-THE Nibelung's Ring and pursues It.
despite that It compels him TO reconstruct
the chronology of the poem in such way as &c
give the lie 10 Wagner's own words ana printed
records Mr. Newman devotes the major part OF a
bulky book showing that Wagner, whom ne con-
sders the greatest dramatic musician the world
has seen or ever will see. poor poet and O
worse philosopher And now comes David Irvine
full Of the proud consciousness that he alone Is
entitled 10 hold a brief for Wagner In England
tears Mr. Newman's metaphysics to tatters ano
flaws the Philistnism OF Joseph Bennett ana q
country curate who does not like the morals OF
"Die Wakdre" and Tristan und Isolde" Mean
while William Ashton ELS. who has completed the
work OF putting all OF Wagners prose writings
into English (of sorD, has turned his attention 70
the vagrant letters Of Der Meister," as he would
fain have him called, and. having with gracious
ness worthy OF American admiral secured the
wholly unnecessary and irrelevant permission Of
Nine. Wagner, has published In the same kind OF
English the letters 10 Wesendonck and Emil
Heckel. II is only of late that Mr. Ellis has even
intimated that he considered himself entitled 10 say
even a word on the subject of Wagners music. He
has not touched the text of the dramas as
yet, though he has written much on the philosophy
which Wagner expounded in them But Newman
and Irvine writer's music and cannot
help wondering why. in their efforts to enlighten
the public on the Wagnerian question az there is
yet question:. they do not devote moro attention
TO the purely artistic side OF the dramas. Newman
does something. but the rampageous Irvine in his
book entitled "A Wagnerian's Midsummer Mad
ness" almost forgets 70 remind us that Wagner
ever composed any music. He is than
Houston Stewart Chamberlain. in whose opulent
record OF wahnfriedian oracularism there are at
least a few pages devoted TO Wagners music old
and
IL would be a curiously interesting inquiry II one
should undertake 20 discover how little knowledge
OF Wagner's philosophy one might have and still
appreciate Tristan und Isolde and THE Nib
euns's Ring" OF course, humanity is weighted
with wickedness and afflicted with Ills. We can
not see that II ever will be otherwise