The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-25

! animals sacred in these precincts. Par
S5fal enters and boasts uf his skill az hay-
} ing killed the Liri on th- wing. but old
I tiuTaCmlnZ rrUTuaru's him ami 10 h--
/ comes CuutTits.
| When asked who he is and whence hs
/ comes. n" tells the knight that he Is UH-
I able To answer. but kuuiFy. who has
been listening announces that he Is the
son 81 GamuTyt. WHH EaN" birth 20 him
/ after t.r death uf his father. who irll
iu battle To save her son from the ven
/ EeaUC~ Uf 'u,Ti-S she had taken him
I into the c~ep< Df 90" forest and reared
/ him in ignorance 20 his par'utlse and
Then Parsifal recalls how when he was
a child he saw pageant Of knights IN
giittering armOr with Gayly COlorcd pen
mons. He had followed them. and be-
coming lost. had never seen his mother
or his home since that time. kuudry tells
I rim that his mother .s dead. that his loss
7 had killed her.
Then a sudden trembling ovrrcOmes the
I woman. and the magic motive % Killing
SOr In the orchestra tells that the magi-
I elan Is summouinE her 10 her work But
I she thinks that she II going into the
/ forest 10 sleep. and 50 saying. departs.
Guru~mHnz. thinking that Parsifal may
| b. the guileleSs tDul for whom all are
I waiting. questions him. and then walks
with him toward th' Gr1ilShurg-
This Is one OF the most enhancing ef-
fe,tS OF scenery that Wagner ever at
tempted. The tWo men seem 10 b. walk
ing along wonderfully grand and bcauti-
ful forest scene. Iiually leaving the forest
path and entering door amid wild rocks.
I Their they stand iu huge vaultvI hall
and as they halt the knights ~ the Grail
enter through another door and take their
places Al two Ions tables.
BORNE: IN on LITTER.
Then Amfortas Is borne IN on his litter.
From the dome Of the hall comes a chorus
Of boys voices. intoning a hymn. This
pure chorus is uuaccnmpanird 10y the or
cheStra. save for a Po>tIudium like a
faint echo OF heavenly tones. When this
is sung as il Is al Bayreuth. e ~ the
most exquisite musical effect in the whole
opera. Il IS a perfect example % rrli-
giouS music. Il j. beautiful melody
without the slightsst worldly tint II
could never be listened 10 IN other than
q devotional spirit. FOR it, first notes ere
ate such a sentiment
The voice Of Titure. now demands that
Amiprtas uncover the Holy Grail, that the
knights may be SauCtihed and strength
en-d by it, sight At first. Anifortss re-
fuses because Cf his sins and because the
sight Of Il gives him renewed vitality. and
with his terrible wound he longs Tor death
to relieve him of his SuffrrinES.
Al last TituTIl prevails and in the dark
en-d hall Amfortas raises the Grail and
swings II from side TO side Then the ves-
SCI Is seen To glow with a purple lustrr.
The whole act T. accompanied by music Of
celestial character
supper. but. lost in meditation. Parsifal
fails TO reply. and Gurnemauz disappoint-
81. shakes him and bids him depart, tell
ing him In harsh words:
Leave thou our swans. In future. alone.
And seek thys-lf. raud-r. goose.
So closes the first act.
At the time that "ParSifaI' was COM
posed II Was imperative TO have a ballet
somewhere along the second act. 50 that
the young nobility would be attracted by
the romping. skipping. attitudinizins Of
Wagner had cried out against this as a
hsrharism- No ballet should ever hurt
the continuity and purpose OF his operas.
SOLUTION OF BALLET IDEA.
And so the second act Of "PsrsifaT'
must be considered. not as a compromise
with the ballet idea. but as his solution
for IL. For. while il IL not in form CT
music the style uf the ballet. its appeal
20 the sense i FAR more direct. and its use
VI the attractive charms uf women 10 give
a stimulation to the scene H. Cse OF the
most powerful that has ever been put
upon the stage.
The scene l. the garden 4 the magic
palace OF kliugSuT- The wizard has sam.
mOned Kuudry. the beautiful. EXQUISITE
queen Of his bryy OF damse.s. and com
hdndS her TO cause the downfall % PdrSl-
tHl- who i already seen apprns, ming IN
the distance Then he calls his knights -
defend themselves. but ParSifLl soon IUts
them 10 flight The tow,r whsTsc III saa-
giciau has issue.l his order now sinks from
sight and in its place arise magic
Hover garden. where every cOlo- and cv-
cry sight j. calculated 10 s0Othe .Ns senses
and steel them
Parsifal leaps from wall into the o. il~t
Of this. and as he does so a number Of
beautiful dam~els in the lightest attire
rush Oh the stage and bewaiI the loss OF
their playmatsS. the aforesaid knights.
Then they behold Parsifai and determine
10 try their Establishments on him. They
nirt with him. they disappear in the al
Dor and return attiItd IN flOwsrs and sSse.N
10 tempt him. PaTsifal is ut first childish
~ delighted.
But ParSIfaI remains unvi.IdinE and J.
about 10 depart about his business when
the voice OF kundry is heard calling.
"Parsifal. remain" The girls depart with
backward fling al the guilcless fool ana
leave MN al kuudrNS meIC\-
kundry is an artist She begins by
seeking TO secure PdrSifaiS Couuucace
She tells him OF his mother. Of his child
hood. and at last. when she man sinks
AT her foot in grief. she bends over him
and the first kiss Of love. This kiss
makes PaTsifal ClaiTvoyaut.
UNDERSTANDS TEMPTATION.
He understands the temptation to which
Amfortas fell; he becomes by pity en-
liEhtened." He pushes Kundry angrily
away. Her cries bring ElinEsor on the
scene and from the castle wall he hurls
the sacred spear at Parsifll.
The weapon flies. but remains suspended
above the knights head. Parsifai graspS
IT, makes the sign Of the cross. and Kun
dry. flower girls. KlinEsor and castle dis
appear before the holy sign. In their
places appear blooming. health giving and
pure flowers The victory over paganism
Is complete the magic power OF darkness
has been quelled. Parsifal's work Is half
done and the curtain falls on the second
act.
When the curtain rises on the third act
II is again a scene in front OF the Grails-
burg. Parslfal approaches. clad in fun ar
NOR. and GurnemanZ. now an old man.
approaches him for bearing arms on Good
Friday. kundry, too, reappears. not az the
enchantress, but as the faithful servant
OF the Knights OF the Grail who has been
rescued from magic power.
When Parsifal disarms Gurnemanz rec
ognizes him. a. well as the holy spear.
knows that the time Tor the release OF
Amfortas from his sin AID wound ap-
proaches kundry washes ParSifai's feet
as Mary OF MaEdaia Cid those OF Christ
and dries them IN the same manner with
her hair. Then GurnemanZ pours the holy
oil upon Parsifars head and anoints him
King and Psrsifal fGlflis his fl-st duty
as head of the kniChts Of the Grail hy
baptiZinE Kundry. He nov desires 10 be-
led to Amfortas and G'srneuauL tells him
that fha Grail T. 10 BE- unveiled once more