New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-16

If the evidence of the original playful
is to be believed the first genii were boys
or men. on il we read
First Herr Gieseke
SeGond Gent Herr Herr Erase Erase
And then in brackets. as indicating alter
mates. Helmb0ck. Strassier and rritten-
vein. In a foot note otto jain. who
prints the rlaybill IN Lis Life OF Mo-
cart" says: The three Genii were played
by Nanette Schikaneder. afterward Nine.
Eikof: Matth TuscLer and HandlSru-
Der. but Frz. Maurer appeared Instead
OF the second. the same who sang
Sarastro four year afterwards. The ramos
in brackets rest on a communication FROM
Treitschke: apparently these parts we're
sometimes changed" From this we SEQ
that the second soprano four years later
was developed into Il basso profundo-a
pretty plain indication that he and his
companions were boys or youths whe1
they first sang in the opera. Tho men
tion of Nanette schikaneder gives color
TO the conjecture that a mature female
voice was sometimes also employed
Here A thought obtrud,s itself which IS
opposite. though it has nothing to DO
with Die ZauberfiGto": \ o.r. in WaS-
ner's "Siegfried'' is The forest bird which
becomes the heros oracle after he has
tasted Of the blood of the dragon. How
10 bring the magic change In SieSired 5
comprehension home 10 the consciousness
OF the public was a problem extremely
difficult OF solution. The device 10 which
he resorted is foolish TO Il degree: SieS-
fried tastes the blood. but the magical
change takes place not in him but in the
bird. which suddenly acquires human
voice II is necessary to give very free
fight TO the imagination 10 accept this
even in a fairy play. but here. as in the
scene in which We are supposed TO near
one thing when the dwarf thinks he Is
saying another. We allow generous license
to the dramatist because OF the difficulty
Of his task and our own lack of creative
fancy. which will not permit us to wait
until the next drama 10 learn whence
Siegfried got his guidance. In recounting
his adventures 20 Gunther's hunting party
he tells us plainly enough. but tells Us
only what We already know. All this is a
d
ever. which is 10 suggest that some time
the experiment be made of giving tho bird
music 60 boy 10 sing. 1t is cruelty dIi-
flcult because Of its range and tessitura,
and the struggles which even the best OF
our light sopranos have with II make the
creation Of the desired illusion all the
more difficult Wagner conceived the
part for boys voice. as his score shows
Nevertheless il was sung at the first Bay
reuth festival by Lilli Lehman. II IS
probable that the change was prompted
by d desire TO have the words dramat-
cally uttered and distinctly heard, but
the former requirement is not insistent
and We fancy that the imagination would
be quickened by the sound of a sexless
and passionless voice more than IL could
possibly be by a voice which kept the
thought Of woman before the listener.
BOYS voices are almost unlimited in their
upward compass. and IL would be an
aesthetic delight at least to hear the bird
music poured out in a MARBLE rather than
between laborious gasps.
4 mistaken desire to give dignity TO
Die Zauber10te' which 1t was never in
tended that il should have has led 10 much
meddling with all Of it's constituent ele-
! ments. Reverence for its music has pro-
tected that element in a great measure,
but directors and stage managers have
worked their pleasure with the mise en-
scene We have beautiful pictures at the