The San Francisco call., 1904-07-14
GIVES PRAISE
TO "PARSIFAL"
Professor Albert A. Stanley
Says That the Opera Is
Not Work of Senility
OPPOSES THE CRITICS
Intimates That the Great
Composers Creation Has
Lost in the Reproduction
Berkeley Office San Francisco Call,
PAS Center Street. July 13.'


PAS Center Street, July 13.-
Professor Albert A. Stanley, profess
sor of music at the University of Mich
igan, does not agree with those critics
who say Richard Wagner's ''Parsifal"
is the least to be admired of all the
great composers works. 1t is not the
greatest Of his compositions, to be
sure, but it does not deserve the sings
and arrows hurled at it by the Critics
1t does not deserve to becalled "senile"
and IT really carries a great lesson to
humanity.
Professor Stanley's views were ex-
pressed in a lecture with "Parsifal'
for the subject before a gathering of
at the University of California. In the
beginning Professor Stanley devoted
some time to a review of the contro-
versy that ensued over the appearance
of the opera in New York, which. he
said. was necessary to a discussion of
the subject in a sane and impartial
manner. To Herr Conried, who first
presented the opera in this country, he
attributes honest motives, saying that
he knew there must be many who did
not question the advisability and eth
ical right of producing "Parsifal' in
America in the face of the opposition
of the Wagner heirs. Professor Stan
ley said:
Up to Christmas eve. 1903. "Parsifal' had
remained sacred to Bayreuths, but its produc-
tion in New York on that date has precip-
itated discussion that makes 1t necessary Tor
Us to consider the question opened by that
performance. One may acknowledge that
"Parsifar' is not Wagner's greatest work
without thereby implying or boldly stating
that it is senile 1t is possible for to
admit that "Parsifal." minus Bayreuth. is
not as effective as ''ParsifaI' plus Bayreuth.
One may grant that the audiences who have
listened to its performance in New York have
displayed neither irreverence nor lack Of ap-
preciation and may further acknowledge the
artistic strength of the performances.
II "ParsifaP' in its proper environment has
tnither for inspiration. not because it was a
fad" what great good has been accom-
plished by destroying the illusion. and the dis
regard Of the composers dying wish be looked
upon as an act of reverence toward the creator
o: the work? With many worthy operas still
unperformed or Carelessly given, might not
some OF this great effort have been diverted
from the production of the works of those
modern Writers writer wh9 NO. seem the 70 5G,,, sloTy IN tne
habilitation of neglected operas. instead Of
bringing work that was designed for a
must surely tend to accentuate its weak
nesses and destroy its effect?
'Parsifal' was intended for the peculiar en-
vironment of Bayreuth and no other. and
placing reliance upon that environment was
in consonance with one of the fundamental
concepts of Wagner theory. By environment
/ refer neither to the restaurants nor to the
often vulgar display made by the Wagner
family and satellites but the state OF mind
felt by one who considers all that Bayreuth
has stood for, who is influenced by the as
sociations of Wagner's grave and the resting
MA Of fF,n r1r11Ya rT1 r1n1 In
other words. Is old-fashioned enough to have
ideals and give himself over to them. II we
then get the real effect of ''Parsifal'' why
should rob the work of all these contribut-
ing causes and then eloquent because II
is no longer effective? Personally, considering
"Parsifal' purely as music. would not dream
for moment Of ranking it among his greatest
works. but IT is one of the most important
when heard under the right conditions. even II
in loving IT we are obliged to forgive much.
'ParsifaP' is full OF Wagner's most pro-
nounced mystical pseudo philosophical quasi
religious ideas, but where is there any setting
Of this motif that is not surcharged with these
elements, with greater or less weight laid upon
this or that aspect according to individual bias
Wagner was in many respects a nineteenth
century pagan and one has succeeded in sat
isfactorily demonstrating that through 'Parsi-
far he became Christian although the attempt
has been made; but, on the other hand, 1t is
equally impossible to feel that in his art he
was consciously immoral.
'Parsfal' is not great epic poem from
any point of view. The stress laid upon GER
tain details that repulsve to modern no
would be unwarranted were IL not for the fact
that they merely incidental to the great
lesson Of the poem. that the negative virtue
of the "guileless fool'' can never furnish an
antidote for sin and that only by resisting
temptation virtue become positive and
thereby conquer. Contrast this with the in
sistence Of Ibsen in many Of his plays who
dwells on morbid concepts of love- generally
unrelieved by the atoning virtue Of repentance
and made more repulsive by the acceptance
of suicide the recourse OF those who have
sinned In "ParsfaP' are fixed certain con-
cepts of the great lessons of repentance. self
control and purity. 1t rests with us to en-
phasize the points that helpful in our own
endeavor to attain the higher ideals of life
Such Ideals forbid our dwelling on ignoble epi-
sodes. excepting in their relation to the nobler
aspects of the life we seek to attain for in
the last analysis our ideals Of our own
making.
AS to Wagner's music it hardly deserves
the sweeping condemnation of those who de-
cry II absolutely; neither is II equal to his
most inspired scores Instead of being ''se-
nile" may 1t not be true that in attempting
to depict even medieval concept of religion
in which there is much that is extraneous he
was not so thoroughly at home as in other
subjects or may 1t not be another proof that
dramatic expression is not the fitting garb in
which to clothe religious ideas?