New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-02

tions for his concert, l drove out alone
with Cosima on the promenade. as before,
POPULARITY died away into silence. we
gazed speeches. into each other eyes
an intense longing for an avowal OF the
truth mastered us and led TO a CONCESSION l
which needed no words-of the ponndless
unhappiness which oppressed US: Inc eA-
perience brought relief TO us both, ana Ihe
profound tranquility which ensued enaoied
us 10 attend the concert in cheerful
unembarraSsed mood
Poor Minna. Raptures like these were
not for her. All she could do was to fly
into a temper when Wagner adjured her
not to be forever upsetting the mind OF
your husband. who does not belong 10
you alone. but to his art. TO the world
and posterity"-to say nothing OF
Mathilde Wesendonck and Cosima Won
Bulow. The tragedy Of the situation Is
undeniable, and one can feel for Wag-
ner as we'll as for his wife. But 1t is
robbed of the last shreds Of dignity by
the composers SNUG egotism and the
meanness with which he, as well as his
obsequious apologists, have followed her
into her grave.
There is one point in this autobiog-
raphy which would alone stamp Wag-
ner's treatment of his wife as despicable,
and the more despicable even after her
death than before it. Every reader of
his history is familiar with the unhappy
Natalie, who figured in his household
in slsterly guise, but was really Minnas
daughter, born before the composer met
his wife. That the truth should nave
become known to Cosima in due course
seems natural enough, but that 1t should
be circumstantially set forth in the auto
biography, which was dictated to her,
somehow sticks in the readers crop.
Ninna, exasperating though she may
have been. had suffered with him most
Of his everyday hardships," and espe-
cialiv in those early days when he had
most needed the solace Of loving heart
her truly comforting assurance and
firmness of bearing was a tower or
strength TO me and the one thing | had
left TO fall back upon" When the time
came for Cosima to raise him TO such
ecstacy that he was ready to carry her
/. in a wheelbarrow to her hotel he was on
the eve of his golden period with King
Ludwig. and was never again to feel
the weight of the everyday hardships OF
existence under the protection OF my
exalted friend" 1t seems a great pity
that he could not spare from his auto
biography the last little lump OF mud
that he had with which to defile Minna's
tomb. Richard Wagner on his first wife
may be a heaven sent genius, but it
could not occur to any one 10 take him
for a gentleman.
We observe with indifference, then. II
not with disgust his wailings and writh-
hand. we go out TO him unreservedly
when we contemplate his troubles as an
artist. In that amazing. half-unnatural
monde in which he lived there was
scarcely,a single condition favorable TO
the happy fruition of his gigantic pow
ers He pursued his work in the petty
turmoil of theatres. opera houses and
concert halls. dominated again and again
by officials who. when they were not
malicious, We're mediocre. We make no
pretence Of summarizing the tangled
story of his dealings with managers.
singers publishers, and so on. 1t is alto
gether too tangled. and miles too long.
for us 10 do more than pause briefly
upon its general significance. Wagner
had 10 work like horse to gain some-
,,ft no
when the most heroic efforts could carry
his works 10 anything like satisfactory
performance. At one time, to be sure.
his difficulties are 10 he accounted for
by his political activities, but quite apart
from the disadvantages under which he
labored after his i'll omened association
with Bakunin in the Dresden rising, he
had 10 reckon everywhere in the musical
world with a sentiment and a material
insecurity almost incomprehensible to-
day. Take. for example. his trip To Lon
don i'm 1855. TO give eight concerts for
the Philharmonic Society For that I'M
dertaking. calculated To occupy him for
some four months. he was tn receive I'm
all Sl,0H and when he got back to
Zurich he found that his net profits were
exactly 500 II is amusing To reflect
upon the difference between this and the
turnover Of the Prima Donna con-
ductor who nowadays leaves Germany
Ia fill "A few Continental engagements or
10 visit the United States
Wagner is, to be sure, fun Of divert
ing comment on the musical life OF his