The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-01-25
wv W. J. uE>DER SON.

THE annual performances or the
four dramas Of Wagners Der
Ring des Nibelungen" are about
to begin at the Metropolitan
Opera House. Walter Damrosch has
revived the old custom Of giving lee
lures. as they are called, about the
works. Librarians have Informed the
Suns chronicler Of musical incidents
that there is large and continuous
call for the scores Of the lyric dramas
and for books telling their stories. There
10 even some demand for books which
discuss the operas.
There is no scarcity of books on Wag-
ner and his works. but few people care
10 dig beneath the surface. and perhaps
Il Is not essential that they should
Philosophical contemplation of such
study makes one wonder whether hap
piness cannot be achieved without it,
Certainly it is not absolutely necessary
to the enjoyment Of great works of art
that one should be able to explain in
detail why he enjoys them.
The possession Of such knowledge is
valuable IL intensiies the enjoyment;
II deepens and broadens ones compre-
hension of the art work. but neverthe-
less it is not impossible To get on with
out IT, The vast ma jority If those who
70 to the annual performances of the
ring" dramas know the stories of the
operas and are acquainted with many
Of the principal musical themes and
they get an immense amount Of pleas
ure and even profit out of what they
hear But they might without great
effort get more.
II is "A fact that AN immeasurable ma
jority of the human race is intellectu-
ally indolent The lecturer lives on this
Incidence He digs up the information.
prepares ii for consumption and hands
n out ON a platter Of polished speech.
The audience sits with folded hands and
Is thankful for what it receives, It
may not carry all Of il away. but some
thing adheres to the memory and some
thing is procured without labor. This
n akin to the present scheme of
educating children without compel
ing them tn make mental efforts.
People who are not too lazy to read
an outline of the story Of an opera
ought to he willing To go "A short step
further and read the libretto. This is
the foundation of real enjoyment in the
opera house. Those who say that the
libretto makes no difference" because
they go just To hear the music, are of
course at liberty to take their pleasure
In that way, but they cannot be per-
mitted n voice in any discussion of the
entire subject. for the sufficient reason
that they do not know what an opera
liz.
Therefore. brethren, be We steadfast
II you really wish to get all the juice
out OF an opera, whether II be La
Boheme" or "Gotterdammerung," make
yourself so familiar with the text that
you are always acquainted with the sig
nificance Of the dialogue on the stage
II will not do you bit of good to sit
and listen to the melodies while Mime
prOpounds his three conundrums Ia
WOtnn in "Siegfried," Act |, and WOtan,
returning the compliment, floors the
wise smith by asking him who is going
to mend the broken Nothing. But If
you know what the two are saying the
whole scene will glow with musical
beauty and eloquence,
II will not profit YOU greatly to listen
to the exquisitely lovely music Of the
Rhine maidcns in the first scene of
"Das Rheingold" If YOU fail tn learn that
IN the course Of the dialogue one of
them lays down the proposition on
which the whole tetralogy rests, namely,
that he who fashions a ring from the
gold shall have power over the world
but only IL he renounces love ilberrh
carries of the gold because his brain
NILS with the vision of power, and
WOtdn. the hero of the tetralogy, tears
the gold and The ring from Alberich be-
cause ne is vanly seeking a way to
avoid paying the giants their promised
price, F'rcin. for building Walhalla. Loge
'empts him To- offer them the gold in
Aiead Of the goddess, Lo0e is the arch
'nemy of the gods and thus he plans
..sir destruction, W0iIH breaks the i'm
mntable moral law, which is above all
gods. and punishment is inevitable.
The creation # a race Of free heroes
the NolsungF who shall work out his
salvation. also fans, This plan was
foredoomed To failure and doubtless the
weary sd f'i it somewhere IN the
rcCesscs Of r,S soul but strove To crus ,
tho feeling 10 G,ath and battle h,indlN
wIn fate. Tee first scene Of too See
urG act Of -, Walkuere" brings th.
crilcal m,nenl when the futile plans
of the entangled god are shattered
against the viii Of Fricka. the voice Of
invioable law.
This is a scene to which the mere
surface listener pays slight attention,
Most hearers care nothing at all about
it. and to many 1t seems to mean that
Noinn is "A hcnpecked husband, a CON
Seption which is much heightened by
~ approved Bayrcuth manner of inter
rroiing the role Of the god Mr. braun
does this 10 perfection, and instead Of
showing us Nufdn "A tremendous ieure
Yielding with pathos and dignity to the
pressure cf the eternal law, he gives
ms peevish old man desperately out of
patience with scolding woman and