New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-05-21
MUSICAL MATTERS.

IIsr VERSE WITHOUT CREDIT
NOTES OF AMERICAN CON-
PosERs - PROGRAMMES
AND ANNOUNCE
MENTs.
When Walter Damrosch carried his operate cam
raisn into the South three or four years ago he
acquired a great deal more experience tnan "ea'n
but he came home with many anecdotes cohcei"
,,y the popular attitude toward Wagner and MS
works south of Mason and Dixon's line lie aso
brought with him extremely interesting NJ
erary relic in the shape of a poem entitled ann
bauser: or. the Battle OF the Bards, printed IN
Mobile In 1863 a period which one would think
scarcefy conducive TO such enterprises. The book
came into Mr. Damroschs hands In Memphis
where its owner, who wanted 10 attend the OPERA
carried It TO Mr. Damrosch and offered II Tor SAFE
Mr. Damrosch took the book in exchange TOT TWO
seats at the opera and sent the man away happy
Having read the poem and found that the authors
had drawn the entire argument for their poem from
Wagner's opera. without hint OF credit Mr.. Dam
rosch turned the book over 10 the present writer
who discovered in II a work about which many IN
teresting associations are clustered the authors
names are given on the ttle-page as Neville Temple
and Edward Trevor but PREDATORY note by the
publisher states that the names only assumed.
the authors In reality being zone son OF Buiwer,
Secretary TO the English Embassy at Vienna, ana
the other Julian Fame the son OF LORD Westmore-
in the history of English literature. Neville Tenn
rle" was the pen-name OF Julian Henry Charles
Fame, dplomatst and poet, fifth son OF the eeV-
enth Earl OF Westmoreland who began the study
of German poetry while attache at Vienna from
1851 10 1853 wrote an essay on Hene ana pup
dshed volume Of transations OF that poet Ed
ward Trevor" early pen-name OF Edward
Robert Bulwer Lytton. who as "Owen Meredith.
wrote that boarding school classic Lucille and
died In Paris in 1891. Though Fanes name is given
precedence over Lyttons on the tte-page. the
poem was included in the complete poems Of owen
Meredith published in Boston in 1866, with brief
note saying that portion of it had been written
by another hand" The poem appeared in Eng
land In 1851. and the predatory note already al
luded 20 informs us. copy came into possession or
the American publishers through the hands OF
walker Fearn. Here is another interesting per-
sonality, citizen Of the South who passed out
of the public eye only few weeks ago. j. Walker
Fearn died at Hot Springs Va. the sth of last
month. In 1898 he in charge of the Foreign
Bureau of the Department Of Promotion and Pub
ilicity Of the Worlds Fair at Chicago. and his
not unlike that of the two poets whom he
helped TO introduce the American people In
1854 he was secretary to the American Legation In
Brussels. and from 1856 to 1858 Secretary of Lega-
zion In Mexico. When he found the 'Tannhauser"
poem of his feow-dplomatists he was Confed-
crate Commissioner to the European Powers I'm
der President Cleveland's first Administration he
was Minister to Greece. Rumania and Servia
nnder his second. Judge of the International Court
at Cairo He a lawyer, but his tastes were
literary and for a period he was professor Of
French. Spanish and Italian in the University Of
Louisiana.
And now we have material enough 10 Justify
q little speculation 10 how "Tannhauser" came
10 be written Fame seems have been fond Of Ger
man life and art, and was musical besides He not
only translated some of Hene's lyrics. but also
set some of them TO music. and fond of sing
ing the settings Of others. He played the either.
In Paris In 1856 he made the acquaintance of Ed
ward Lytton, and the two formed lasting
and affectionate friendship He was secretary of
fhe Legation at St. Petersburg for some time prior
no 1885, and from April of that year TO 1866 at
Vienna. In the Austrian capital the young friends
were again united. They were both in Vienna when
Wagners opera effected its entrance at the Court
Theatre. in 1859. Fifteen years had elapsed since
the opera had first the light of the stage lamps
An Dresden-so powerful was the opposition TO the
composer. who had been driven into exile because
of his connection with the political revolution In
Saxony. He was still at Zurich when he received
the first mark OF kindness shown him by the
Austrian capital 1t in the form Of a con-
rentional gratuty of ducat, sent by the Vienna
Mannergesangverein. which March 15 1857 sang
the Pilgrims Chorus from oTannhAuser" at a con-
cert. The opera Itself was given in Vienna before
the end of that year. but the Imperial Court Opera
did not open its doors TO it till 1859. We imagine
now poetry and music seized hold of the fancy
Fame. how he dinned them into the ears Of his
friend until their combined enthusiasm found vent
in the poem which told Wagner's story in Tenny-
sonian blank verse. interspersed with lyrics which
would like to be Tennysonian If they could II
would be idle to criticise or analyze the poem at
this late day. The curious can find It in owen
Meredths works. 1t seems TO have been greatly
praised as we'll greatly criticised when 1t ap-
peared. but none Of the English reviewers seem to
have known the source of its argument. 1.-The
Times" in an extremely laudatory and extended
notice remarked that II founded on a German
tradition. and represents the temptation of
young knight lured from a pure attachment to the
worship of the goddess Venus. The notice con-
rinues whether this be merely an allegory and
that Tannhauser during his absence from the
Court Of the IAndgrave of Wartburg was asso-
ciated with pretty heart-brsakers' or whether he
did ao)ure true religion for the NEUROLOGICAL god
'dess. is left in obscurity. The old Thuringian leg
end was. of course. fair game for any poet and
the young Enghshmen might have taken It for
their uses had they so wished. without asking
leave Of Wagner; but their conduct in borrowing
Wagner's form Of the story without the slightest
acknowledgment smacks bit OF moral obllquity.
The parallel is too obvious to be denied. and only
the fact that 'Tannhauser was unknown in Lon
don in 1861 dhe opera heard there TIL 1876
yseventeen years after Carl Bergman had brought
1t forward at the 6tadt- theater in this city, and
Hhat the poem forgotten can explain that
the young poets lift" has escaped comment till
now IT might fairly be described as a poetical
argument of Wagner's play. Let us adduce a few
proofs for the contention
The poem begins with a description Of Venus and
her homo in the Horselberg. her history from the
days
When men their own infrmties adored,
Deeming divine who in themselves summ'd up
The full-blown passions OF humanity,
and therefore called her goddess and worshpped
her. down to the time when Christianity came and
she
fleeing from her Cyprian isle,
Swept TO the northwards many league. and
lodged
AT length Horsel, into whose dark womb
She crept COMPOUNDED
Next the poets tell of her orgies and their effect