The Washington times., 1903-02-01
..siSlssEi i,ss=p4.
FURRY Of excitement. which did

A not res. . .a,s.'s on s a,.. en-.
sion for musical art in New
York followed the recent an
nouucement by Maurice Grau that lie
could not continue his dictatorship of
the Metropolitan Grand Opera House
It was reported in several Manhattan
Tapers that individual stockholders n
the opera house-perhaps he who paid
SS0O00 for q box belonged to the party
expressed great fear lest their HOLDINGS
deteriorate in value This was, of
course. the natural thing. This is the
day Of cOmmercialism, and commercial
ism. like rank-weed and the thistle,
thrives everywhere and crops out in
every soil. But the sequence was most
unnatural These gentlemen had bare
u uttered their fears when half q dozen
stoCkholding associates volunteered 10
buy all their shares on the assumption
that New York could not lose the privi-
Iege of hearing Wagnerian opera ade-
quateIy performed
The significance of this episode is, of
course, that the operas Of Richard Wag-
ner have become a necessity in the
foremost of American cities. Ten years
ago such an idea would have been scout
ed Today it has the Endorsement of
commerciaIism- The change is absolute
and It merits the thought Of every Amer
lean who IS interested IN the progress
of art.
II y7sr- Eo rgs7= T,5rh ez-ee-, for Wac
neT is not based on any appreciation Of
his work. It is, indeed, highly prob
able it rests on the social distinction
with which the Metropolitan Grand
Opera House has been invested, and the
participation in WagneTian perform
ances Of the most fashionable singers.
Every critic can cite half a dozen eX-
ampIes OF soloists who have been SINH
larry favored without any other claim
on fame-there are a few Of this grade
now prominent in the American theateT,
But the fact remains. The opera OF
Wagner is now necessity in New York
The likelihood is, after all allowances
are made the student will conclude that
such social favor cannot be continuously
extended to unworthy objects. In the
end every form of society's enthusiasm
is an expression Of popular sensibility.
of a general intuition toward the ar
tistic thing.
Thus, if his sculptures could be pur-
chased. it would no doubt be fashion
able 10 decorate modern homes with
statuettes by AiichaelangeIO or paint
ings by VeIasquez. Notwithstanding that
hardly one possessor in ten, or one Wis
flor in fifty. could discern Wherein lay
the special art value of those produc-
tions. The papers have been filled Of
late with purchases by American men Of
wealth Of great paintings by great art
lists Il happens that most Of these
purchasers know and appreciate the
value of their acquisitions. But society
does not. and yet applauds the puTchas-
ing with ferVOr-
It is the unconscious trend Of many
minds toward whatever is sound and
good. If this we're not so. how could
anyone explain the transient vOgues Of
men like Congreve. Van Dyke and
Afyerbeer, or the steady current Of sup
port extended men like Shakespeare,
MiIIais and Beethoven? Society surely
has its purposes. and not the least Of
them is this support Of true art. even
when il is only half understood.
Yet the true greatness OF Wagner is
not beyond general understanding. MI
sic IS not such an enigma, the musical
drama of which he is the author is not
so becIouded. that his name need fright
en- average theatergoers. New Yorkers
have made this discovery at last and
now 40 one need despair
a great French critic. who long op-
posed Wagner's influence, finally passed
judgment on him much TO this effect.
Wagner is undoubtedly the greatest
musician. according to the standards
which we Of today can appreciate. who
has ever lived He has reached the
summit of musical greatness. He is the
full development Of every musical ideal
which past and present musical tenden-
cies have evolved. Whatever comes after
in, music must be something different.
There can be no exceeding this man g
accomplishments
The ideals which past and present
musical tendencies have evolved" are
nearly all due to the musicians OF the
past three centuries Beginning with
Bach and REINFORCED in turn by Haydn.
GIuck. Mozart. Beethoven. the musicians
OF q single age established these Princi-
pies: that within the hard limitations
Of formal music there lie many music
beauties worthy the attention Of every
person capable OF understanding them;
that these forms Of music-such as chs
fugue-were at best only exercises for
musical mechanics; that music IS sus-
ceptibIe Of reinforcing and illuminatin1
q text; that songs need not. therefore
be mere repetitions OF a musical phrase
which correspond in sound to walIDage.
figures; that. on the contrary, they
change and vary as the text TO which
they are suited changes and varies; that
the best music is free" music. music
which observes established forms onlv
10 keep within the limitations OF actual
performance, and avoid monotony OF dis
cord and is otherwise entirely free.
Perhaps, set down in words. this does
not seem much Of an advance in music.
But no one who has ever heard in turn
Bach fugue, an aria from an opera by