The age-herald., 1901-10-27

1 sion of Elsas mind, she questions her
 husband with growing vehemence, un-
 mindful of his warnings that her doubts
 must end their happiness, for, if she in-
 sists, to her he must reveal his secret 1 When their altercation is at it's height
 murderous attempt is made on Lohen- | grins life by Telramund and four of his
 followers. Elsa, quick to perceive their
 intent, hands Lohengrin his sword, who
 strikes Teramund dead with a single
 blow. He then places Elsa in the care
 or her Ladies, charging them to lead her
 into the presence of the King. Before
 the King he meets her once more and
 reveals himself to be the son of Percival,
 and Knight of the Holy Grail; being
 known. he is now bound to return to its
 mysterious guardianship. As he speaks,
 the swan drawing the skiff, appears
 again on the river, and to Elsa's unspeak- | able grief, he bids her an eternal fare | well. Before he steps into the skin he
 disenchants the swan, who is no other | than Gottfried, transformed by Ortrud's | sorcery, and who now takes rightful pos l session of his Dukedom.
 Henderson's Discussion of Lohengrin.
 w. J. Henderson the we'll known critic
 and author of popular books on music, | has this to say about Lohengrin
 1 When Richard Wagner was collecting l the materials out of which he built the | wonderfully tragic and powerful Tam l hauser," he naturally read the famous | olu medieval poem Der Wartburgkrieg. | This poem, narrating the story of nota- | ble contest of song at the Wartburg cas- l tie, dealt with Wolfram von Eschenbach | as if he were a legendary parsonage. | Wagner, knowing that he was a reality. | procured his great epic "Parzival." and | reading it with enthusiasm, drew from | 1t much of the material used in the con- | struction of his music-drama "Parsifal | n1n T,Oh ar | was while passing the summer of 1S45 l at Marienbad that Wagner laid out the
 plan of the most popular lyric opera of our time. He wrote the book in the course
 of the following winter, and the music | the next year.
 It must not be supposed that he accept
 ed the insufficient outline of the story as | found In Wolframs poem. Wagner's
 method of literary composition was to | gather all the versions of a national
 mythological legend. and select the in l cidents and characters which fitted into
 his plan. which was always determined
 by dramatic propriety and ethical pur- | pose. Franz Muncker, in his excellent l and compact sketch of Wagner's life and works, tells us that in Paris the poet | composer had become acquainted with l the medieval poem of a BaVarian author | recounting the history of Lohengrin, son | of Parsifal. Keeper of the Holy Grail, l and of his journey to Elsa of Brabant. | He also read the legend in its old popular | form as related in the "Deutsche Sagen' | Of the Grimm Brothers, and he made use | of parts of Conrad von Wurzburgs | "Schwanritter," of the Younger Titu- | rel" and of the old Teutonic belief that | through magic human beings can be | transformed into swans.
 In the winter of 1S45 the master ar- | ranged the situations and invented the | principal themes of his work He began l the composition of the music with the 1 narrative of Lohengrin In the last scene 1 of the third act. because, like Sentas l ballad in "The Flying Dutchman," that 1 passage contained the musical germs of | the whole work. The third act, then,
 was composed between September g. 1S46, | and March 5 1S47, while he was at Cross l graufen, near Pillnitz. The first act was l composed between May 12 and June 8, 1 1S47. The second act was written between l June IS and August 2, 1847, and the pre- l Jude was composed op August 2S of the l same year. The Instrumentation occupied 1 the composer during the following winter and spring. The score of the opera re-
 mained unpublished for some years be- 1 cause Meser, who had brought out Wag- | ners previous works, had lost much
 money by them, and declined to touch l 'Lohengrin." The rights of publication | where subsequently, acquired at a small price by Breitkopf & Hartel.
 | Managers were equally unwilling to | FISK lne fortunes or a puDllc pfOuucuOn | of new work by a much-criticized and l generally misunderstood master. Wag- 1 ner tells us how he took out the score | one day, and gazing at it, was filled with | sorrow that the notes might never sound | from off the death-pale paper" In de- | spair he wrote to Liszt, his good friend and the musical god of Weimar, begging him to perform the work, and back came the answer that 1t was already in prepar- ation. Wagner himself did not hear Lo- hengrin' till 1S59 but it was produced at Weimar, Liszt conducting, on August 2S, 1850.
 The action of "Lohengrin" takes place in the tenth century. At the rise of the curtain King Henry is seen seated on his throne in a meadow. He has come to urge the nobles of Brabant to defense against Hungarian invasion, and also to investigate domestic troubles. Count Telramund accuses Elsa, daughter of the late Duke of Brabant, and Telramund's ward, of murdering her brother. He de- mands that he, as next heir to the Duke. be made ruler of Brabant and that Elsa be punished. Elsa is summoned and in- stead of defending herself, tells of her vision of knight who is to be her de- fender and her lord The dispute be- tween her and Telramund Is, according to the custom, submitted to the ordeal of combat. Elsa declares that the knight of her vision will be her champion. After
  the river in boat drawn by a swan. He asks Elsa to be his wife, but exacts from her a promise never to ask who he is or whence he came. She promises. The combat follows Lohengrin triumps, but spares Telramund's life.
 The second act reveals Telramund and his wife Ortrud sitting in disgrace and sorrow on the steps of the palace at Ant werp. A scene of bitter recrimination be- | tween them, fully explained by It's text, | follows. Ortrud, however, tells Telramund that she will instil doubt into Elsa's mind | and lead her to ask Lohengrin the fatal question, when he will at once leave her and return to his home. Elsa appears | on her balcony and Ortrud appeals to her. The maiden descends and Ortrud at | once begins her evil labor. The two go | into the palace together. Morning dawns, | and the Herald of the king proclaims | Telramund an outlaw and Lohengrin l ruler of Brabant. The bridal procession | appears and is about to enter church | when Ortrud interposes, claims preced- | ence over Elsa, and declares that Lohen- grin is a sorcerer The King and Lohen- grin appear and end this scene. The | procession again advances, to be inter rupted again, this time by Telramund, | who repeats his wife's accusations. After further attempt by Telramund to shake the fam of Elsa, the procession enters | the cathedral
 The third act begins with the arrival of the bridal couple in their apartments, accompanied by the King and the nobles. The lovers left alone and now ElSa's |