New-York tribune., 1909-11-07


went for tho Fundamental incidents. not
principles. OF Ills "Parsifsl." Wolfram von
Fschenhach tells tho story OF one of tie
Grail Kings sons whom Ne calls isoheran-
grin This son was a lad when Parzivai
fthus Wolfram spells the name) became
Kinc 81 the holy Grail and fhe knights
who were I'm its service. When he had
grown 20 manhood thcre lived in RrabsRt
8 oueen who N'ss equally gifted IN beauty.
wealth and gentleness. Many princes
sought her hand in marriage. but she re-
fused them all snd waited faT the coinns
81 one whom God had disclosed 20 her In
o vision. one dsy knight of great beauty
sud nohiey ss Sir Thomas Mallory would
hsv. SAID, came 60 Antwerp in a boat
drawn by a swan. To him the queen Al
onco gave sree'ing as lord 30 her domin-
sous: M. IN the pneSenoe of ihs assembled
fols Ne ssis 20 her; "Tt I I'm 80 become
ruler % this land. know ths, n viii he -
great sacrifice 20 rn.relf. Should sou ner-
ertheiess wish mr. 20 TeTusin with lou. you
rrust never ssk who I am, othsr-iss
ulust leave you forelSr- The queen made
solemn rrotests'ien that sh- Tould never
Do aughf srsinst lis will Then her inaT-
-fsgs With the stranger knight vas csle-
srstsd, sn1 they abode 'ogeiher long IN
hsr~sness ana honor. But a. she last th-
queen was led 70 pUi tho fatal question.
Then the sven appeared with the hos' IN
which fhe knight HAD cerns, and lshersn-
grin. Tor n was he, was drawn bark 70
Montsslvat. whence ne hss corn- But 30
sho.e whom he left behina ne gaze his
s--ord. horn ana ring
There are other medieval poems which
Deal With IN. story ef Johensfin, more. in
deed. than can need be discussed here
Safle however. deserve Consideration be
cause they supply elements which wagner
die not find IA WolfrsTn's poenn. Wagner
vent. very nhturslly. 20 poem Of the
thirteenth oentury. entitled ''Lohensrin.
Cor most ~ the incidents n the drama.
Thence he may have drawn the motive for
the curiosity of Elsa touching The person
slitv of her husband. OF course. it lies in
human nsture. SIS stories which are hun
oreas n not thoussnds ~ years older a.
seri: but J am trying. I have been IN
rrscsdinr chapters m this series. 90 account
for the presence ~ certain important ele-
rneuts in Wacner's opera, snd - This poem
must also he considered. In n LohengIin
rescuss Elsa. the Duchess of Brahsn', from
she falsH accusations of Telrsmund. the
Knight having been summoned from Mon
salvn, cor ''Monssivasch.' TO he sccurate)
iss the ringing of 2 bell which Elsa had
taken from q falcons leg. and rnarries her.
After the happy domestic Ife az the pair
has been described. IL is told how he over
fhrew the Duke Of Cleves ~ . tournament
in Cologne and broke his arm. The Duch-
oss o. 6-leves felt Inundated al the over
throw Of her husband by knight Of whom
nothing vas known ana Nickedly insinu-
sted that Il was pity TINT 50 puissant
icuster should not he Of noble birth. there-
auf q ha sNif,
% the lady Of Brabant. which led 10 in
uuiries which Lohengrin answered before
rhe enperor's court and then disappeared
,roin view. From Der jI1gere Titurel,"
another rnediseNal poem, came The sug-
Iestion that The mysterious knights
rroNess was due 10 sorcelv ana
Nigh. be gst ~ naught if his bodily integ-
rity were destroyed even in the slightest
degree In tho French tale Of 'I.e Che
Nslier su Cygne." as told IN the ''chsnsons
de ges,s." you may read IN. story ~ Hel-
VAS. who was one of scven children of king
orisnt and Queen Bostrix. who were born
With silver chains around their necks. and
who. when sbe chains were removed. turned
into swans and few away-sll hut one.
IIelyss. Who was absent a. the time. But
IIelyas got possession % ell the chains but
one, which had been wrought into cup.
and one day when he heard she sound ~
wings. and six swans ie, themselves down
into the water ne threw the chains around
1heir necks. and they al once assumed the
forms 20 his brothers. Also hos. ono day.
l5slyas from the window Of his palace saw
o swan drawing a boat, and how he donned
his arnor. took a golden horn and was
drawn away 90 Ninlweeen. where Emperor
Otto was holding court There no found
shst the Count of BlsnkenbOurg had az
cused hts sis;er-in-lsw, the Duchess of
Pouillon. or having poisoned her husband
snd had laid claim 10 the duchy- There
was 20 y. = trial by ordeal II hattie, ans
While the duchess waited for the coming 81
a CHAMPION To- there the sound % a
horn snd Hsiyss came down the river in a
boat drawn hv a swan, undertook tho cause
30 the innocent lady. slew her accuscr and
married her dsushter. who bore him child
who became the mother Of Godfrey de
Boufiion Baldwin 10 Sehourg and Eus'ace
do soulosne But when tho Nifo or iiei. as,
sster bong silence. asked of her lord his
name ana race, nc hsde her repair fo Niin-
weeer. end fhen commencing her ana her
daughter 20 the care of the emperor, he de-
nsr,,d thence m . swsn-drann boat and
Vas never seen more.
Here ws have N outline the story which
.v.pper --rousla into his opera 'Lohen-
spsrod the task Of REPEATING al of iis
details which are not GALES for IN = dis
russion ~ certain questions which must
sriss IN every inquisi'i,e mind concerning
n II h the story of an adventure of q
knight ~ the holy Grail; also a story
tnVoi4fne ihe old principle Of tsbu; sna
one Of many stories of the transformation
% hurnsn beng into a swan. OF swan
into a human being This swan myth is
on. OF the mos, widely spread oi all
transformation tales: ID may even be FOUND
IN Tho folk tales - the American Indians.
In NaSuer's opera the hsroire - falsely
sc~ixed Of having murdered her brother.
Wllan IohsngTin D. about 10 return 20
Nonssivst IN fhe swan boat Vhich mad
brought him TO Brshan'. ne takes the
chain from the meek - TIE swan, which al
once assumes fhs form % Elsss brother.
sho hso been turned into a swan by the
sorcery OF Ortruo
The two Figaro operas. the discussion ~
which tins series - articles we're com
posed ~ di~ereuf men. and genera
fion q sinc separated their PRODUCTION
The opera which deals With tho second
chapter ~ she adventures % seyiile's facto-
s,Irn ~,ss comPcse.l fifs'. snd T. ths greater
- she ra. Nrp have sA@r fey