New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-24

oital Of which falls 20 sopranos and tenor soh
and q chorus Of women-the minstrel maids The
tale scarcely sustihes Carlyle's estimate OF olai
as "a high true and great human soul" Inc
King offers himself IN marriage 70 sigrid, the
Queen OF Svitaiod. She consents 10 become aus
Il he viii swear his love on ring which O4aI hao
taken from LADIES' temple. for thus odin once
suore his love. He refuses. and sigTid proclaims
her belief IN the existence OF the "Norland gods
and her contempt for 1.-The slaves who own the
Southland god" Olaf forgets his chivalry;
yq sy. my body . end soul S.. t9 9sI Dame,
Thou hast not beauty. thou has; not youths
Shall I buy thy land a. the cost Of TRUTH
Rudely spoken. this. but II It were not In
suIting enough he strikes the Queen across the
cheek with his gauntlet then flies, warned OF
danger By the Queens maideHs. Sigrtd vows 10
be avenged upon him The fifteenth OF Longfei-
lows tales makes up the next scene, which Is
again treated as a choral ballad It is the pretty
story Of Thyr1 the sister OF the Danish King
svend who fed from King Burislaf OF Wendland,
to whom she had been betrothed for eight days and
came to King OlaFs court Olaf became enanoureo
Of her beauty and married her. though 1t meant
war with King svend the Dane and King Burislaf
the Nend."
A little bird n the cir
Is s.ns, s5st, o. dhs sT,5 me ~. Dsn.,
And The song OF the GaTrnlOc' 6LTa
And repeated again and sgsin-
ana ,i dee 81 away way from from each otA.r)
secures a promise from Olaf that he viii wrest
her Domains from King Burislaf. The words are
by Mr.. Ackworth but Longfelow is drawn on
again for choral recitative. which tells how
Queen Sigrid becomes the bride OF King Svend, and
ca3oles him into a warlike enterprise against Olaf
that she may have her revenge;
And to avenge his Bride
Soothing her wounded pride.
over the waters wide
King Olaf sought he
There is q sea battle described BY the chorus.
and Olaf IS slain The twenty-second Of Lonz-
fellows tales The Nun OF Nidaros," supplies the
epilogue Astrfd. Olars mother. kneeling at prayer
in the convent OF Drontheir hears the voice IN
the darkness without which tells that Olafs mis-
sion is 70 be achieved. not in this old manner, but
IN love:
Cross AGAINST coTselst-
Love against hatred,
P Py TOT %sT-Gfs'
Hath power Der the nations.
There is so much Warne-ian suggestion IN the
people OF these stories and their doings that the
use OF wagne-'s system OF composition IN their
setting viii seem wholly natural In fact # would
be difficult 70 think OF music dealing with Odin.
Thor and the heroes OF Northern myth and 70
nance without typical phrases Dr. Elgar IS
modern Of the moderls. and in HIS later oratortos
has carried the system OF leading motives to Its
widest horizon. The manner is much simpler in
King Olaf" but it is there and is applied with
splendid and vigor. The themes are not so
numerous as II Tho Dream OF GercntUs" and
The Apostles" there is less occultisn IN their in
troductoa and much less completely in their treat
ment, and for these reasons the work VIII probably
find reader appreciation than its SUCCESSORS. In
stead OF such esote-ic thenatic symbols
Prophecy" 'Christ's Mission" The Spirit OF
the Lord" "Anguished Prayer" and on
find chiefly themes associated with the characters
and the principal spiritual agencies OF the tales
Thus there are symbols for Odn. Thor. Olaf, Iron
beard. SigrId. Astrfd, Thyri. and 50 forth Most
OF them are genuinely characteristic and illus
trapYe Contrasted with them the symbols OF
the new religion, which speak OF gentleness and
peace. There are also themes associated with out
ward things. descriptive themes. for It can easily
be guessed that modern composer would not let
the many opportunities which the book offers for
delineative music pass unemployed Thus. much
use is made OF a sailing mo-if" which belongs TO
the outfit OF attributes belonging to q Viking King
who afterward became missionary: