New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-08-13

operas. Nevertheless, we have Kelser's
"Der Blutige und Sterbende Jesus"
performed at Hamburg, and Metasta-
sio's LA Passione di Gesu Christi"
composed first by Caldara, which prob
ably was an oratorio.
Earlier than these was Theile's "Die
Geburt Christi" performed in Ham
burg in 1851. The birth of Christ and
his childhood There was an operate
representation of his presentation in
the Temple) were subjects which ap-
pealed more to the writers of the rude
plays which catered to the popular love
for dramatic mummery than did His
crucifxion. / am speaking now more
specifically of lyric dramas, but it is
worthy of note that in the Coventry
mysteries, as Hone points out in the
preface to his book, Ancient Mysteries
Described" there are eight plays, or
pageants, which deal with the Nativity
as related in the canon and the pseudo
gospels. In them much stress was laid
upon the suspicious of the Virgin
Mothers chastity, for here was mate
rial that was good for rude diversion
as we'll as instruction in righteousness.
That Rubinstein dared to compose a
Christ drama must be looked upon rs
proof of the profound sincerity of his
belief in the art-form which he fondly
hoped he had created; also, perhaps, as
evidence of his artistic righteousness.
Only brave or naive mind could have
calmly contemplated labor from which
great dramatists, men as great as Heb
bel, shrank back in alarm. After the
completion of "Lohengrin" Wagner APP
piled himself to the creation of trag-
edy which he called Jesus of NaZar-
eth" We know his plan in detail, but
he abandoned it after he had offered
his sketches to French poet as the
basis of a lyric drama which he hoped
to write for Paris. He confesses that
he was curious to know what the
Frenchman would do with a work the
stage production of which would "pro-
woke a thousand rights" He himself
was unwilling to stir up such a tenn
pest in Germany; instead, he put his
sketches aside and used some of their
material in his "Parsifal."
Wagner ignored the religious, or, let
US say, the ecclesiastical, point of view
entirely in "Jesus of Nazareth" His
hero was to have been, as l have de-
scribed him elsewhere, "a human
philosopher who preached the saving
grace of Love and sought TO redeem
his time and people from the domino
ton of conventional law-the offspring
of selfshness. His philosophy was So
cialism imbued by Love" (See "A Book
of Operas" page 1881 Rubenstein
proceeded along the lines of history, or
orthodox belief, as unreservedly in his
"Christus" as he had done in his
"Moses." The work may be said to
have brought his creative activities to
close, although two compositions "a
set of six pianoforte pieces and an or
chestral suite) appear in his list of
numbered works after the sacred opera.
He died on November 20, 1894, without
having seen a stage representation Of
it. Nor did he live to see public the
atrical performance of his Moses"
though he was privileged to witness
private performance arranged at the
German National Theatre in Prague so
that he might form an opinion of its
effectiveness. The public has never
been permitted to learn anything about
the impression which the work made.
On Nay 25, 1895. series of repre-
sensations of "Christus" was begun in
Bremen, largely through the instru-
mentality Of Professor Bulthaupt, a
potent and pervasive parsonage in the
old Hanseatic town. He was not only
a poet and the author of the book of
this opera and of some of Bruch's
works, but also painter, and his
mural decorations N the Bremen
Chamber of Commerce are proudly dis
played by the citizens of the town. II
was under the supervision of the paint
er-poet that the Bremen representa-
tons were given and, unless | am mis-
taken, he painted the scenery or much
OF it. One Of the provisions of the per-
formances was that applause was pro.
character of the scenes. which were as
frankly set forth as at oberammergau.
The contents of the tragedy, briefly
outlined. are these: There are seven