Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-07-26
WAGNER ZEAL NOT WANING
MUSIC DRAMAS OF RAYREUTH
COMPOSER STILL POPULAR.
Critic Joins Issue With Reginald de
Koven, Who Sees Wagne-
rian Decline.

Lawrence Gilman in North American Review
The process of consigning the works
of Richard Wagner to the capacious
dustbin where lie the discarded products
of the worlds art goes theoretically
forward An English critic of authority.
Mr.. E. A. Baughn, has lately been CIV
ing voice-in what he calls. with a
touch Of pathos, "the apostasy of q
Wagnerian"-to doubts concerning the
artistic impeccability of the tyrant Of
Bayreuth: not long ago Mr.. Philip Hale
celebrated publicly the recrudescence
of Italian opera and the inferential
eclipse Of the music drama according to
Wagner; and now comes Mr.. Reginald
de Koven with tfdings and prophecies
of somber import. In the April issue of
this Review he sought to show, in a
spirit obviously free from carping and
prejudice, that the decline and fall of
the author Of Tristan und Isolde" was
an event which had begun to cast it's
dire shadows into the present; he dared,
in short, to announce the def1nitive
bursting of what vivaciouS persons have
called the Wagner bubble" though he
did not disdain to permit certain rev.
ence to temper the harshness of his
declaration.
Let US consider Mr.. de Koven's allie
SdtlOHS anu HIS IedSOIS lOT Tic bciicl
that is in him, since he is by far the
most confident witness of Wagner's
downfall who has thus far put himself
upon record.
Mr. de Koven believes that he is justi-
fed in accepting New York as a reason
able criterion of operate taste for he
regards it as, today. the principal
operate center of the world Proceed
ing then to a consideration of the past
season of opera at the Metropolitan
Ia ofF hot Vnrlr
has never known a season when fewer
of Wagners works have been performed.
1t is unfortunate that Mr.. de Koven
should have elected to found any part of
his argument upon this assertion; for it
is not true that New York has never
known a season when fewer of Wagner's
works have been performed than were
performed during the past season. In
any such contention as Mr.. de koven's
it may be conceded that the truth of
the matter rests, in a considerable degree,
upon the mere statistics of performances.
Statistics of Opera.
Now. these statistics show that there
have been, since the end Of the German
regime at the Metropolitan in 1891, many
seasons during which Wagner was less
frequently heard than during the season
Of 1907-OS. According to the records, New
York heard during the past season thirty
performances Of works of Wagner, and
these performances were apportioned
among nine operas and music dramas:
die Meistersnger." Der Fliegende Hol-
lander "Lohengrn," Tristan ind
Isolde 'Tannhauser." Die Walkure."
"Siegfred." "Rheingold' and Die Got
now hold the stage except "Rienzi'' and
''ParsifaL" AS against this record, we
may set that of the season of 1892,
when there were only eight performances
Fliengende Hollander." 'Lohengrin. "Die
Meistersinger'); the season Of 1sa3-94.
when three operas by Wagner c"Tann-
hauser." 'IIohengrin," Die Meistersing
er') were heard. in all, ten times; the
season of 1S9495 when there were only
seven performances of two works by
Wagner (''Lohengrin'' and die Mester-
singer'); the season of 1885, when the
Wagner record was twenty-one perform
ances of five works; the season of 1896
81, with precisely similar record; the
season of 1DO1-O2. when eight of Wagner's
works yielded sixteen performances; and
the season of 1902-U3. when the same
number of works had twentysjx per-
formances. We need not carry the COM
parison further to show the degree to
which Mr. de koven has been betrayed
by too hasty or too casual assumption.
The stubborn and inconvenient fact re-
mains that Wagner was not less. but
more. frequently performed in New York
other seasons of the past. Ana these ad-
ditional facts emerge: OF the fifteen
composers represented at the Metropoli-
tan during the season of 1997-OS.
Wagner. in respect of numerical prepon-
derance heads the list. his nearest rivals
being Verdi and Puccini. each of whom
totaled twenty-three performances of
four operas. These facts are. 1T is true.
deceptive as indexes of popularity, for the
attractive or unattractive manner in
which an opera is cast u.s. obviously,
factor which has to be very gravely reck-
oned with; they are recited here only be-
cause Mr.. de Koven invites their exhibit
ton
Let us pass, then, to the succeeding
portion of his testimony. Not only. says
Mr. de Koven. has New York never
known a season when fewer of Wagner's
works have been performed" ian asser
ton which we have seen to be in singI-
lar conflict with the facts), but there has
never been a season when performances
of these works have aroused SO little pop
ular interest or enlisted SO scant meas
ure of popular support" Here Mr.. de
Koven is upon securer ground 1t is UNI
deniable that the Wagner performances