New-York tribune., 1922-12-24
Nv H. E. Krehbiel

mar Royal Cortiss0s'
~ vritinr q letter 70 you and
80, 4 IN The Tribune instead of
@ = through the mails. by pur-
49, I.lpe this Is to ask your sym
- -, 81 possibly that also Of a good
>. ,suons who have read what yeu
Ws,,,a IN The Tribune, and pos
az ~ 80, 80. :, ny lusubrati0ns also. I
n'y =. ~. .onfort Of sympathy. and feel
s ...r r,, Il because Of old com
s..,,,.slp, ...I and DO not ask that you
.n ...esru yOrrssK with my troubles
,Aah sV. ...A,r, sssus them. You have
t''Vao m,,s ot other hsh TO fry that
''S 49, ~ ,r.,uns 70 usk you to hold up
=, ~ s.~ils.rsd head OF give 'Orely be- be-
=! ~ "a ps dsubi Dseded instruction
il.s 20. =. .,..si, srts, Of which you are a
..,..sur = ~ sns ! an ignOramus.
~, rnsnbsr, old friend. that In
80, sro, whsn some ideals In the
80. sr,ms we're hrst revealing them
80, A. the Metropolitan Opera
u..,, and I was already occupying
-s.,r DIS IN the orchestra (Which
-oulS long ago have been worn out If
A, supsrs Of the theater were not fas-
uSlous sDout its sppearanee), you were
sIlInr year soul with those ideals from
,,s, nearer heaven than ! shall per-
han, ever reach. Also, that at that
rns you we're deep in the study Of
s,skl.se.p-. snd sculpture and paint
l,r Al that time We put up with no
,sd ol seepie ineongruities and crudi-
IA lsttlpS FRgner'H words and music
urn ou- mRginations, SO that our
annatIe illusions were not at all dis
.rfbed NJ the fact that We knew the
daughters Of the Rhine were rolling
bout at shs top Of poles on go-earts in
N prologue and walking about behind
auss screens In "G6tterdammerung."
nose we're comparatively primeval
iiys IN mechanical stAgecraft, but per-
aps you will agree with me that the
a.ionS Of the nymphs (in "Das Rhein-
uld' specially were more in accord
mo- With the dramAtist's purposes
hen than they were afterward, when
he ingenuity Of stage meehanicians
brusEht Il about that the mRidens
ssld be hung on wires and swung
sbsui IN space without the eneum-
bnnss Of the long skirts In which they
M . be shrouded TO conceal the ma
Ahs1 At any rate. let me tell you
ASi al Of the swimming tricks which
fAm sssn at the Metropolitan Opera
HssS since have had next to nothing
70 DO with the action or the music Of
ihs drama.
Bat perhaps Il is Idle TO talk about
Hat now since "Das Rheingold" is no
n the current repertoire, and when 4
snes back some stage manager ma!
axe Il into his head 70 read the drami
afd try to make the action suit tn
Vord, the word the Aeti~o. True, W
AVE @Die walkdre," and with II W
ave returned 70 one foolish devic
Rom which one artistic administrator
] do not recall whose) had rescued ui
lssge managers, / believe, as a elias
,slieve what Berlioz said in his scor
y "Romeo and Juliet that the publ
las no imagination and that therefor
scenes or music designed to appeal Il
he Imagination have no public; where
fore he advised the elimination Of ont
q the scenes Of bis dramatic sym
vhony." At any rate, II was not enough
hat Wagner prescribed that the dooi
u Hundlng's hut should blow open, ad
nlHlng moonlight and a glimpse o.
sul-ci-doors. to inspire Siegmund will
he song Of the union Of Love and
ssnnE our nrst stage manager had
curtain in the rear wall Of the hut
vkisA vas shaken for q few moments
al " the wind, and then fell very
mechanically from It's fastenings. Fol
Q paes, a. have intimRted. some
'tage Manager blessings on his head
II be Be yet alivel) returned TO Wag'
nsrt simple device; but now the verna
zephyr blows the entire side out Of
ne hut as effectively as would load
Of dynamite. And Siegmund and Sieg-
linss undiSturbedly 20 on singing. Not
shJ that, but the roof Of the hut Is
- sadly out Of repair that the FIRE on
ne hearth must have been put there
iof heating rather than culinary pur-
possL The electrician no longer makes
he hilt Of tho sword in the tree in
'antsSesnt, as he did in an earlier (not
he ssrlieBt) period. but the device OF
sTinE the sword hilt reflect n mo
'sntary fiekc dnE Of fame when the
'absr srumble seems beyond the abi-
y Of the Mstropolitan's light-msn.
What has all this to do with you
asi your department in The Tribune
ssshing. sm writing only 70 gain
eis consolation which comes TO q man
ssring his sorrows into the ear OF
~ whom he loves, though he knows
Tat his friend is powerleSs TO help
Alt ! haven't reached the grAvamen
= ~ complaint yet. ! am case-hard-
NED IN the matter Of the stage up
h'l1tsry Of wAgneY's dramas. / could
~ understand Why Mr.. Urban had
.ant 90 much Of King Marks castle
60 the stage a. TO compel Sir Tris-
nan and Dame Yseult 10 make love on