The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-25
The STORY OF PARSIFAL
wAGNER's OPERA THAT Is SOON TO
BE PRODUCED IN NEW YORK.
Never Before Brought Out i'm This
Country. and Not All Music Lovers
Are Familiar with IL.

| Cosima Wagner believed that 1t was money
in her pocket to keep exclusively in the pos
session of the Wagner family this last, and,
| perhaps, greatest composition of her hus-
bands.
| Then, to the surprise of everybody, Frau
Cosima into the bargain, it was announced
by Heinrich Copried that he would produce
the great opera in New York. America,
having been among the first to recognize
the genius of the great modern composer,
it was fitting that this country should have
the first presentation of his last work.
Conried had secured a copy of the score
1t was not difficult to secure artists who
had taken part in productions of the opera
| at Bayreuth, painters vino had prepared
| the scenery for the Wagner theater, and
| stage managers and directors who had as
| sisted in such productions.
| Those VINO remember their 'Lohengrin
| will recall that just as the silver king is
| about to depart in his swan boat. he tells
| poor Elsa, who was after all very human
in her curiosity, that:
| My father Parsifal as King is crowned
| His knight am land Lohengrin my name
Parsifal was the father of Lohengrin
and as his character appears many times
| in literature he is not Unfamiliar to the
| students of ancient Gallo manuscripts.
| Chretiens de Troyes tells of him in Per
cival lie Galois or Contes de Grail and
| story in "Parsifal." The character again
appears in the Mabingoian manuscript In
each Of these the knight is made to appear
| as the personificaton of Christian virtues
| battling against paganlsm.
LEGEND OF THE GRAIL
| According to the Wagner version of the
| story, which is modification of all of
| these, the Holy Grail was the vessel in
which Christ poured the wine and blessed
| 1T at the last supper when He instituted
the holy sacrament. This vessel. with the
| very spear that Longinus had used to pierce
| the side OF the Savior. when He was on the
| cross, were given to Titurel after the death
| or Christ, and this knight and his associ-
| ates were made the protectors and guard
| lans OF them. They had magic powers and
| the king of the knights of the Grail was
| always 70 use the spear TO guard the holy
| vessel.
Everything went we'll until Amfortas be-
| came king. Then under his jurisdiction a
knight named Klingsor appeared before him
and asked to be permitted to join the
| order. But Klngsor's life had been an evil
one and for his personal impurity he was
cast our OF the Grailsburg. AS he had mutt
| lated himself so as to be free from worldly
desires his rage at being repulsed knew no
| bounds. He swore TO be reyenged on the
knighthood. He erected magic palace on
the southern slope of the mountain. In his
| garden he placed beautiful women to tempt
| the Knights of the Grail as they passed
| by. The most beautiful of these was Kun
| dry, a sort Of female Ahasuerus, wander
| Ing Jewess. Wagner makes her the woman
who laughed in the face of Christ while
traditions declare that she is no other
| than Herodias, who nimby danced off the
head of John the Baptist
kundry ensnares Amfortas with her
| charms and while he is in the embrace of
the beautiful enchantress I<lingsor snatches
the spear and wounds the King of Grails-
burg. 1t is grievous wound, for 1t can
| never be cured until it is touched by the
spear itself, and this can only be recovered
| by der refine Thor" or ''the guileless fool"
who, in the Wagner opera, is Parsifal him
! self.
| All of this occurs before the curtain rises,
and Is necessary TO understand the meaning
OF CIT the este, story that follows The opening
| knight of the Grail. attended by two es-
| Quires. Trumpets sound and Gurnemanz
tells his companions to prepare the bath
| for the king Amfortas. Just as they go off
| there is wild clangor in the orchestra,
| and horse bearing a wild human rider,
| In snake-girdled garment, dashes on the
| scene.
! 1t is Kundry, who in the times when she
is off duty at Klngor's magic garden is
| permitted TO serve the Knights of the Grail
| from a wild trip to Arabia and brings with
her an herb which she says will cure the
king; But Amfortas, borne down by the
| weight of his sin and the pain of his wound,
| tells her that voice from the Grail has
| told him that he must wait as his savior:
| by pity enlightened, guileless fool; wait
| for him, my chosen tool"
WHERE THE SWAN COMES IN
| The procession moves on TO the lake. and
| the whizz of an arrow is heard A wounded
| swan fiutters across the lake and falls dy-
ing. The Parisfal motive announces the ap-
pearance of the culprit who has ruthlessly
killed one of these animals sacred in these
precincts. Parisfal enters and boasts of his
| skill at having killed the bird on the wing
but old Gurnemanz reproaches him and he
becomes contrite.
| When asked who he is and whence he
comes. he tells the knight that he is unable
| TO answer, but kundry, who has been listen
ing, announces that he is the son of Gamu-
ret, who gave birth to him after the death
| of his father. who fell in battle. To save
| her son from the vengeance of enemies. she
| had taken him into the depths of the forest
and reared him in ignorance of his parent
| age and of the world.
! Then Parsifal recalls how when he was
child he saw pageant of knights in gilt
| tering armor with gayly coiored pennons.
| He had followed them, and becoming lost,
had never seen his mother or his home
| since that time. Kundry tells him that his
mother is dead. that his loss had killed her
| Then a sudden trembling overcomes the
woman, and the magic motive of Klingsor
| in the orchestra tells that the ma gican is
summoning her to her work. But she thinks
that she is going into the forest to sleep,
| and so saying, departs.
Gurnemanz. thinking that Parsifal may be
! the guieless fool for whim all are waiting
1
| ward the Grailsburg.
This is one Of the most enhancing effects
| of scenery that Wagner ever attempted. The
| two men seem to be walking along a won
| derfully grand and beautiful forest scene
finally leaving the forest path and entering
| a door amid wild rocks There they stand
/ in a huge vaulted hall and as they halt the
| Knights of the Grail enter through another
door and take their places at two long
! tables.
Then Amfortas is borne In on his litter
| From the dome of the hall comes a chorus
1 OF boys voices, intoning hymn. This pure
| chorus is accompanied by the orchestra
save for postudium like faint echo of
heavenly tones When this is sung as il is
| at Bayreuth. IL Is the most exquisite must
| cal effect in the whole opera Ii is perfect
example of religious music. 1t is a beau
| tiful melody without the slightest worldly
| tint. 1t could never be listened TO i'm other
! than devotional spirit, for it's first notes
| create such sentiment.
The voice OF Titurel now demands that
Amfortas uncover the Holy Grail. that the
knights may be sanctified and strengthened
/ by its sight. At first. Amfortas refuses be-
| cause of his sins and because the sight of
! 1t gives him renewed vitality and with his
terrible wound he longs for death to relieve
| him OF his suffering.
At last Titurel prevails and in the dark
4 ened hall Amfortas raises the Grail and
! swings Ii from side to side. Then the veg
| sci is seen TO glow with a purple luster
/ The whole act is accompanied by music of
/ celestial character.
supper. but lost I'm meditation Parsifal fails
| to reply and GuernemanZ. disappointed
| shakes him and bids him depart telling
him in harsh words:
Leave thou swans. in future. alone,
And seek myself. gander, a goose.