The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-09-28
MANY AMERICANS WERE AT THE FEs
(By ROBERT D. GALLOWAY

comedy. and allows especially lavish
mounting. The first scene is the interior
Of a church, a portion Of which, on week
days. is used as a singing hall. Every
detail of old Nuremburg ecclesiastical ar
chitecture is observed. It is a real and
beautiful church into which the specta-
tor sees. The second act is laid In one
Of the quaint old streets of Nuremberg,
showing three-storied houses even to the
smallest gables, and a very deep vista
of the street itself. It is 60 feet to the
back Of the stage 1t will be remembered
In the third act a meadow outside of
Nuremburg is shown, with the city moat
and walls, and one who has been to
Nuremburg. which. to this day. is the
most fascinating city in the world, can
recognize every tower and gable in the
scenery.
Tho opera overflows with melody and
lusty choruses, and it has been gloriously
sung this year. In the orchestra there
arc $50 musicians; and in the chorus liz
voices; and in the last scene the chorus
is augmented by nearly $50 additional
voices. The stage vibrates with color
as well as with harmony during the daz-
cling dances and the splendid scenes
which eliminates when Walther wins the
Prizc In the singing contest. This opera
describes the contest between formal and
romantic singing. The nations Of the old
1nastersingers would tolerate no singing
which was not done by rule: so many
NerGes. such meter and such rythym; and
when fresh-hearted Wslther came on the
scene to compete in q singing contest for
the hand Of Eva Pogner, he was laugh
ed out Of court by his formless melodies
But old Hans Sachs the most lovable of
All Wagner's creations, thought that rules
made to crush Spontaneity and freshness
We're unjust, realizing at the same time
that there must be some law and order
in music. So he took Walther in hand
and taught him to observe the most i'm
portant Of the rules SO that when he
oamc to sing in the final contest he was
able to please the masters and yet retain
ed the captivating spirit which had char
acterized his first singing. In the Prize
Lied, one of the most beautiful lyrics
ever written, Wagner has taught the
great truth that the highest art is the
perfect combination of both form and
spirit
SPLENDID CHORUSES.
The Melstersinger is as full of SPLEEN
Gid choruses and NOV cement as really hu-
inorus as many comic operas and vet
It IS moro enjoyable because the music ;s
reilly great-the kind of music which
does not become worn out, like the weak
article now put in the American "musi-
Cal OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES" but which becomes
iiioi V "V'ittl Luz diiu more ENJOYABLE the
better one knows (which is true Of all
good things.
Irlstran and Isolde is much harder
During the entire progress of the opera
there Is hardly a chorus, and much of
the ume there are only two people on
the stage The action is all in the music.
and the music is the greatest Wagner
ever wrote From the time when the
passionate, palpitating rush of melodies
begins to surge up from the orchestra
during the overture. until the curtain
tails on the last act, there is not mo-
ment when there is not something Won
derful to hear. The story of the two
lovers is one which goes with Paola and
Francesca, Cupid and Psyche, and the
rest of the worlds great love stories, and
Wagner has made his music express the
emotion which, in drama, great actors
would express.
The human voice" said Madame Nor
dica, in speaking of opera, lis capable
of expressing every emotion which the
human he art can feel,'1 and in This
tran and Isolde we have not only a beau
tiful soprano voice and beautiful tenor
but we have that most wonderful of all
voices. the Wagnerian orchestra In Its
tumutuous accompaniment to this opera
it seems as if one could hear the very
surging Of the blood in the lovers veins
the very beating OF their hearts.
GREAT SINGERS.
N3lka TeIninaS who is probably the
greatest living W1agneSian singer, he's
been taking the role of Isolde, and the
exquisite MUSIC which Wagner has writ
ten for the part is even more beautiful
when sung by Ternina; and she is also
a great tragic actress One of the most
interesting visits which the writer has
lo1 with nv of CT wy
he has talked with this season. was with
Fraulein Ternina. She is a woman who
thinks deeply on life's deepest problems
and the whole force of her intelligence
as well as of her genius, goes into her
interpretation of these great characters.
She believes that Tristran and Isolde
is the greatest opera ever written, plac-
ing Gt high above PARTIAL. IF one
third of the great music which is in
Tristran.' she said, had been put into
Wagners last opera, it had been far
still have had enough left to make it
the greatest
In addition to Isolde. Ternina has also
been singing Elizabeth in Tannhauser
She considers Tannhauser to be one of
the greatest operas, and her remarks of
that have been especially interpretative
of the woman herseif-the woman the
world does not know. 1T is the story
She said, mot only of Tannhauser and
Elizabeth, but of mankind. We have two
iives-the good and the evil, and it is
easier to be the evil than the good But
when we are good-that is character, and
the whole opera teaches this great
truth"
What is not possible of operate and
dramatic art when woman of so broad
and deep an intelligence takes the part
of great characters and interprets them
for the world?
Isolde has also been sung here by our
own Lillian Nordica whose voice is
sweeter than Terminals. especially in the
high notes: but her acting is not SO
great STILL because her singing is so
really great. she has made a splendid
triumph here. Germans are as a rule,
not kindly disposed toward foreign sing
ers but the critics here have called
Nordica 1.-The Mistress OF Song" declar-
ing that at last Isolde has been sung as
Wagner intended.
You have no idea" Madame Nordica
said to me. what courage it takes to
sing German in Germany. In New York.
where no one cares for your accent, it
IS another matter. I am the first Ameri-