The sun., 1915-10-03

interest In the drama. This fathe,
j wagner never knew. for he died whel
e his famous son was only six month";
e old. one Of the older Wagner.
: friends. Ludwig Geyer, married tn,
widow and devoted the remainder o
his life to caring for the seven chill
dren. who had been left PRACTICAL,
: destitute. Geyer obtained n remun.
, erative and respectable position as q
, character actor at the Court Theatre /,
, Dresden. and eked out a living fo
tne large FAMILY by painting portraits
indeed. by hard work he prematurely
exhausted his strength and died. He
TOOK deep interest in the education
OF the little Richard. and when the
boy went to his first school II was
under his stepfather's name; only
after his stepfathers death did Rich.
ard resume his own fathers name
The very earliest recollections OF war.
ner were connected with his stepfathel
Geyer and with the theatre. The
child was not Cnly n spectator from
.ne stage box. with It's easy access to
, tne stage, but he used to visit the
wardrobe with It's fantastic costumes
wigs and disguises. and on occasions
TOOK part himself in the performances.
re Inquired as an angel, sewed up in
tights with wings fastened to his back
IN a musical play written by Won
Weber to welcome the King of Sax
ony back from captivity. And as a
Tiny child he had speaking part in
q kotzebue comedy. All this early
experience laid the foundation OF
Richard Wagner's knowledge OF the
atrical technique.
Like most geniuses. Wagner never
did very much at school or distin-
guished himself in the least in the
acquiring or carrying out Of other
peoples ideas. His stepfather thought
that at one time he showed talent for
painting. but as soon as he began
to go through the drudgery Of learn
| ing TO draw he gave up the attempt
because he was bored. He failed Mt
terly to accomplish even what the or
binary pupil does in mathematics and
ne interested himself in languages
only so far as they furnished him
with myths or legends or dramas that
appealed to his imagination. His old.
est brother. Albert. who wanted to
study medicine, was obliged to ADOPT
theatrical career In order 10 helm
the family. The oldest sister. Rosalie.
had an excellent engagement al the
! Court Theatre. Dresden. Louisa. the
| next sister, followed the same pro-
| fession in Breslau. and finally Clara
the sister next To Richard. also went
on tne stage. The mother managed
py letting some of her rooms and by
great practical domestic efficiency to
Keep her home and care for the
younger children She was not only
en,cient, but combined with her prac-
teal domesticity keen intellectual ap-
precautions and ambitions. These CEN
tired largely On Richard. MANY wears
after her death her son wrote: What
struck me particularly about her was
the strange enthusiasm and almost
pathetic manner with which she AL
ways spoke OF the great or the beau-
tiful in art
Ihe dual impulses of Wagner's na-
lure began to show themselves I'm
quite early life. He tells how he
eazeu with agonized sympathy on
the altar piece in kreuzkrche and
yearned with ecstatic fervor t. hang
upon the cross in the place OF his
saviour when he was n child of II or
iZ' yet when. at the age Of Ia. he
came to be confirmed he went through
the ceremony with considerable doub,
ana FOUND his reverence for religions
ceremony had waned. He even made
nun or the pastor who prepared him
Tor confirmation and Joined his COM
rades in Withholding part of the GUS
tomary class fees.
There iS nnfhipp IL, ,lo,o
derous volumes To point to a renewal
OF the mystic ecstasy which Wagner
describes in his childhood, and vet
farsiial is direct proof that in his
strangely complex nature there must
nave run hidden but very real vein
or mystic religion. once he sketched
Out an idea for an opera To be entitled
jesus of Nazareth" Nothing came
OF this sketch and it was on Good
Friday in 1851. while rcreadng VOL
Trans "barsifal.' that again the uobl,. ,
possibilities Uf suCh a theme presented
themselves and lac conceived quite
suddenly the entire drama and made |
n rough sketch Of it. 1t Is most diff
cuIt in the absence of dates in this
work to find out anything about the |
times ana places VIII n and where |
great works We're c, noeivod and exc
cnted. II was quite usual apparently |
Tor wagner To work on several , peras |
OF totally different tendency "A, the |
same time. Thus it is surprising To |
read that few days after draftinp |
ParsifaT' lie was working on the |
composition of the "Nibelungen." and |
that he discarded II for Tristan"
which was in process of composition |
simultaneously, Also it was Will, |
writing the second act of "Siegfried"
that Tristan" dawncd more and more
clearly upon his mind.
1t is only by most careful delving
that one comes on even such casual
mention of writing. reading and musi-
cal composition. For strange as il
may seem, what Wagner thought fiji
To impart To posterity of his life and
work was the continuous unbroken
struggle { r daily bread: the Incrcas-
ing search for patrons or any one who
would be enough interC sted in him IN
lend nm money, or a house or nav
Tor MS debts or represent his claims
10 those in authority. Largely the
people VINO lent him money were
women. and his methods of enliStinp
sympathy seem at times rather ,ues-
However. with a great work
to do and unswcrving faith i'm his
power to do 1t. with NJ morey or way
OF subsistins in leisure while he car