The sun., 1903-12-13


suspended over the young mans head.
Pdrsifdl graspsit. saying:
| With this good symbol ward on thy magic
| As the wound II shall. close,
| That with 1t once thou clavcst
| In wreck and In ruin
Perish this treachcrous pride
| He swings the spear about, making the
| sign OF the cross, whereupon the castle
| falls in ruin The flower girls "wither.'
J as Wagner puts 1t, and kundry sinks to the
earth. Standing on the ruined wall, Pd'm-
| fal turns and addresses kundry:
"Knowcst well
| oKundry. where thou canst ind me again
He disappears and the act ends.
The third act shows us the edge OF
| forest on spring morning hut, the
| habitation of the now aged Gurnemdns,
stands at one side. The old knight Is drawn
out by the sound of moaning and going TO a
| thicket discovers kundrv lying there clad
| in the garb of penitent, but cold and stin.
| He revives her and she at once sets about
| doing such work as she can find, mutterng:
Service, servce" She is no longer wild,
but seems wholly changed. Presently
| Parsitai, clad in black armor and with the
| visor of his helmet closed arrives upon the
scene. At first he will not speak and
| Gurnemdns is vexed, but in a moment the
young man plants the sacred spear which
| he is carrying in the earth, removes his
! helmet and knees before the lance in
| prayer.
Gurnemanz is deeply moved when he sees
who it is, and his heart is touched with
new hope for AmJortds. Parsifol narrates
,dy falli how ba has
dered far and wide and fought in many
battles, but has never welded the sacred
spear. Now he believes that he has been
sent to restore Amtortds. .Gurnemdns tells
! him how the King has refused more to
unveil the Grail. yet hopes for death as his
release. Parsifai is filled with anguish
and nearly faints.
He is led to the spring near by and Kun
/ drylaves his feet. Gurnemdnz, at Pdvs'fdfs
request, baptizes him. kundry produces
VIAL from which she anoints PdrsifaEs
feet, and again at his request Gurnemdnz
from the, same vial anoints his head
Gurnemanz tells .parsifdi. that he is the
pure fool destined to redeem the King. and
Parsital, scooping some water from tho
spring sprinkles Kundry's head, saying;
MY first high function thus be done,
Be thou baptized
and trust In the Redeemcr."
And then this laughter-cursed woman
weeps bitterly. Pcrsifdl asks Gurnemdns
what day it is, and learns that it is Good
Friday. It is at this point that the Good
Friday music. 80 familiar in concert rooms.
reaches it's climax. Porsifal kisses kundry
on the brow and tells her that her tears
are blessed. Parsifal is then arrayed in
a mantle of a Knight OF the Grail and the
three start for Monsalvat. Again there
! is a gradual change Of scene, and the great
hall OF the Grail is once more revealed
A body of knights bring in the body OF
| Titurel in a coffin. Amfortds is borne
forward in his litter and the Grail in its
shrine The knights proclaim that Thuret
has gone to his rest, and that Amfortds
will this day perform his Office as Grail
Warder for the last time.
| Amfortas prays before the coffin Of his
father. He bewails his sin and begs TitureI
to intercede for him with Christ. The
knights press round him and cry "Unveil
the Grail" Amfortos, like Tristan in the
| last act Of Tristan und Isolde becomes
| frenzied, and shows the open wound. He
begs the knights to plunge their swords
! into 1t and set him free in death. All shrink
! back from him, while PorsifdI, accompanied
by Gurnemanz and kundry, comes quietly
forward. pdrsi'al stretches out the spear
and touches the wound, saying;
| one weapon only serves;
The wound shall close
! To the spear that brought MS woes.
Amior,as seems to fll with rapture and
totters, while Gurnemdns supports him.
Parsiiai cor hues
Be whoE forgiven and absolved
! BY me thy once now be wrought
o blessing on thy sorrows.
| That mercys maryclcd power
And wisdom's purcst dover
| The .lmld fool have brought
The sacred spear
here 20 you restore.
! All gaze upon the spear with rapture.
| Parsijdt continues in ecstasy
! oh mighty marvols highest store.
That I Thy gricvous wound could close.
| From which the sacred blood outaows.
| and ycarning seeks the fountain glowing,
There In the Grail for ever ever howing'
| No longer hid the wondrous sign =.
| I'nvei the Grall Open the shrine
The shrine is opened and Pdrsifdi takes
from it the Grail. before which he sinks in
PRAYER. Kundry sinks expiring, while from
the dome are heard voices, barely audible,
chanting
20 heavenly mercy's marvel redemption TO tho
| Redecmcr."
This is the story of Richard Wagner s
4Parsifal,- of which something shall be
said in future comments IN this place.
At present the only purpose is TO put before
the reader a s,iccinct outline of the strange
drama which is about to be enacted and
sung for the first time outside of Beyreuth.
No reader who desires to listen intell-
gently TO the coming performances should
content himself with this outline. He
should possess himself of the text of Wag-
ner and read it carefully and often.
1t is an absolute requirement Of intclG-
gent attendance at the performance of
any Wagner drama that the auditor should
know precisely what is being said and
done ON the stage. Wagner's music is no
mystery, nor is it any miracle. 1t is made
on sane principles and is perfectly
comprehensive to any person who reads
it in the light of the text. About the music
something will be said here next week.
Subsequently the literary sources Of the
drama will be considered, and after that
it NAV seem advisable to discuss critically
this last work of master mind.
w. j. HENDERSON
I1TH ARMY CORPS BANQUET.