The San Francisco call., 1908-07-20
Vacation Days Bring Rests in Music and lime
to Write About Wagner
By Walter Anthony

age and discussed Wagner and has De
Koven beat. / think. In the vacation
season we need Wagner beyond douO~
During all other times the people 40
C;fIman's statistics about Wagnerian
presentations in New York are worth
copying. He's there and puts his hs-
ures in the North American Review as
follows:
1T is not true" says Gilman, that
New York has never known seaSo.n seS...
when fewer performances OF NaSnS. SI.ta.
works have been performed thdh "0I
performed during the last season. ~ ~
any such contention as De kONeh ~
may be conceded that the truth OF @ @tne
matter rests, in considerable uesIce'
upon the mere statistics or perIoL,n
anceS Now these statistics snow lndt
there have been, since the enc OF IiS
German regime at the Metr0pOiiI9dxHI a. -
1891, many seasons during Which Wds
ner was less frequently heard thdh
during the season or lSOf-S. ACcOl1s
ing to the records. New YORK HedLu
during the last season 80 performances
of works by Wagner, and these per-
formances were appOruoned ah3ns .,s
nine operas and music dramas Dso
Meistersinger: Der tIlegende noe, Gsnids'
''Tannhauser.' Die Walkure. 'SlegIrled.,
'Rheingold and Die Gotterdamne5 uns tl.
all of his works that now hI hoi1 las
stage except sRienzi' and 'ParsiraL As
against this record we may set Ihdt
of the season Of 1S01-2, Wheh tueLo
were only eight performances OF ~. Se '5s
of Wagner's works CDer .T!I = SSTais.
Hollander' LOhengrin' and DIE Mels-
tersingerO: the season OF 1883, .i Wnsni
three operas by Wagner ram ID. - I-',I ..sS.sI
'LOhen grin and Die Me1SterSlhSoI
were heard in all 10 times; the season
of 1S94-5. when there We're ohly sSver- 49,,
performances of two works oy WdsI,SS.
(Lohengrin and Die Melst tsTsln tEe Tvass.
ner record was 21 performances Oh nv
works; the season of 1867, with
precisely similar record. the sedSoH ',l1, y.
19OI-2 when eight OF wagner WO WOLHS
Welded Is performances, and the season
of 1923. when the same nlIhDeI o.
works had 26 performances Inc SCGo i,o-
horn and fnconvenient fact remains
that Wagner was not less, but more
frequently performed in New YORK dur-
ing the recent season than IN many
other seasons of the past And thess
composers represented at the MeIrO-
politan during the season or 1SO.-e'
Wagner, in respect OF nelnetIc5at SiI %earest
rivals being Verdi and Puccinl-
And SO the quarrel goes on. Many
wears ago il was against the rules OF
the fashionable clubs 70 discuss Wag-
ner. Too much heat was engendered IN
the ouarrels and somebody was always
killing him: but he will remain for
hundred years. and really without the
assistance of writers. the poet OF tone,
the subject of controversy. the sweet
aid of those who have columns of copy
about music to turn in-the composer
whose music is 80 per cent inspiration.
N ]. la Vigne plans a concert tour
of the state at the conclusion OF his
engagement at the Princess theater
where he is singing in The Song
Birds La Vigne is a nephew of the
celebrated Pol Plancon. the great
French barytone. and is himself a sing
er gifted with a splendid natural voice
and great temperament. His singing
of the Pagliacci prologue at the Prin-
cess on the occasion OF the former
presentation of The Song Birds was
one of the big musical features OF the
production.