The Irish standard., 1914-07-11


the "First Night" of Parsifal? or,
how has that town interpreted the
meaning of the event taking place
within it's borders? These and such
questions, when honestly answered.
help to- reveal the state of the liter
airy. musical, imaginative and religi-
GUS life of man and of a nation.
Perhaps no test so sure and so wide
spread has been given to the world
for generations as this present ques-
ton: "How have they received Par
sifal'"?
Thomas Carlyle said: "The most
significant feature In the history of
an epoch is the manner it has of well
coming great man." and this is
true, too, of the manner we have of
receiving a great event. When even
a few leading newspapers have failed
to realize that the elaboration of
"Parsifal" has truly been a great
event and when men of supposed
musical culture have failed to sympa-
thize with Wagner sublime concep-
ton of "Parsifal" it is not difficult
to understand the thought, quoted
above, which occurred to the British
critic. From the great master him
self, Cosima Wagner had learned
how high were his ideals for it's per-
feet production, and this it was,
which enabled her so unflinchingly
to refuse to- grant permission for
single performance of "Parsifal"
outside it's original home at Bay
renth.
This wonderful old lady has seen
her husbands Swan song go forth,
its letters loosed but not by her
hands; it is liberated by the inter-
national law of copyright.
Doubtless she watches, as many
more are watching, whether the
world. during the past thirty years,
has grown more able and more wor-
thy to produce and to appreciate the
work which on her husbands death
was criticised by many but rever-
enced by the few. Today it has been
said in striking sentence that: HE
who criticises 'Parsifal,' criticises
himself
1t was only after long and deep
study of the vast legendary lore sur
rounding the Holy Grail, that Wag-
ner wrote his poem which few years
later formed the Thereto of COM
plete score of "Parsifal."
Had Wagner written nothing else
but this Thereto, it would have won
for him an immortal fame; but in
wedding it to music which through
out every line may be said to breathe
forth the living spirit of the words.
he has left behind him one of the
most marvellous works which artistic
genius has ever created.
The first performance of "Parsi-
fal" took place in the Festspiclhaus
at Beyrenth, in the presence of it's
author; it was glorious consumma-
ton to the strenuous stormy struggle
which characterized the career of
Wagner, who has lately been called
1.-THE Shakespeare of Music"
In less than year Cosima Wag-
ner was widow, her husband pass
ing away at Venice in the early
spring of 1883 and the little town in
Bavaria which since has been her
constant home, has been the Mecca
of musical pilgrims from every cor
ner of the world.
This great lyric drama has evoked
controversy which has every prospect
of dying hard" Some new theory
of the meaning underlying the phil
osophy of the story must be forth
coming before all men will accept it;
but let the mystical philosophy mean
what it will. it can be no abtruse
tale, which, as it unfolds. invaribly
plays fast and loose with the emo
lions of an audience in 1914.
"Parsifal" to whoever will take it
so. is great and impressive lesson
in the ennobling influence of human
pity and of it's kinship to Divine love.
Selected.