New-York tribune., 1922-05-28
Wagner as Champion
OF the Italian Bel CantO
A Hitherto Unpublished Essay by the Poet-Com.
poser: Natural Italian Advantages To Be
Overcome by German Study

deafness, and II Is doubtful that he
was at the performance in question
Her supremacy in the role was
achieved after Beethovcn's death,
which took place in 1927, But this Is
immater!al in connection with Wec-
ner's essay. She was the greatest Of
all Fidelios when Wagner wrote of
the benefits which she had acquired
from studying singing under thu in
spiration of Pasta and Malibran in
Paris.
Wagner's observations on the benefit
derived by Nine. Schroeder Devrlent
from thorough technical training, with
particular reference to her increased
capacity for enduring the strain of In
tense dramatic expression, recalls an
anecdote about Nine. Lehman, which
may q 8 we'll as not be repeated, as 1t
appears in our "Chapters of Opera:
When the final dress rehearsal of
Gotterdammerung' was reached eve are
talking about the first production Of
that drama ct the Metropolitan Opera
House on January 25. 1889 a number
Of the principal singers were still un-
certain of their music. Miss Lehman
was letter. perfect, as usual, but with
out demur repeated the ensembles
over and over again. singing always,
as was her wont, with full voice and
intense dramatic expression. This had
been going on literally for hours when
the end of the second act was reached.
When she came into the audience room
for the intcrmission | ventured to ex-
postulate with her:
My dear Miss Lehman, pray have
a care. You are not effecting your
debut in New York, nor is this a pub
lie performance. Think of tomorrow
You will weary your voice. Why do
you work so? Markiren Sic doch ."
'Markiren thu ich ne." {Markiren,
it may be explained. is the technical
term for singing in half voice, or just
enough to mark the cues.) AS for the
rest, rehearsals are necessary, if not
others, Don't be alarmed about my
voice. 1t is easier to sing all three
Brjinnhildes than one Norma. You are
so carried away by the dramatic emo
ton, the action and the scene that you
do rot have to think Of how to sing
the words. That comes OF itself. But
in Bellini you must have a care for
beauty Of tone and correct emission.
But | love Norma and Mozart's 'Ent-
fuhrung.'"
We can add now that as she said
the last words she drew herself up and
added "and show me the one who can
equal my Norma or Constanze!"
Here Is the essay:
CONCERNING DRAMATIC SINGING
BY RICHARD WAGNER
We Germans talk so much unmean-
Ing and mawkish drivel about singing
as plainly to prove by the very fact
how little we have, in general, been
endowed with that divine gift. We
talk most about that concerning which
we know the least, and instead of
recognizing what we lack and seeking
to acquire it we try by much making
of nonsensical words to make up for
1t and in our ignorance or self-decep-
tion come to look upon our utterances
as the truth. That, however, is for US
a misfortune. Why is it that we Ger
mans stubbornly refuse to believe that
we do not possess everything? Why
do we not frankly and openly declare
that the Italians have an advantage
over US in singing. the French in
livelier and better treatment of
cperatic music? May we not set off
against these things the Germans pro-
founder science, his more thorough
training and. above all, his happy
faculty Of easily assimilating the ad-
vantages Of the French and Italians
while they can never acquire ours!
A lucky natural capacity makes the |
Italians born singers, not only in re-
spect of beautiful voices, for in this |
the Germans are also gifted, but in
a natural fexibility and capacity for
toNa, modulation, which are foreign to
us. These are the superior merits |
which we must first acquire and which
we can acquire, as so many examples
prove. This calls for study, and, in
view Of our peculiar virtue of industry
and patience, 1t IS surprising. as we'll
as irritating, to hear it said that such |
study is unnecessary, that we can do
all that Is essential by means of ex-
preston (Afekt). 1t is foolish to pro-
test that beautiful voice and feeling
arc not essential to good singing; but |
1t would be still more foolish not to
We willing to note that many gifted |
persons have gone to destruction who |
thought these major gifts sufficient
Without the necessary thorough |
study and training elf-reliance is not !
attainabie. Do you think that Mozart's |
genius would alone have suficed to
make him the artistic phenomenon !
which be was? It was Mozart's great |
good fortune that ne was able while !
still child 10 master the science of
music, SO that when his creative imaci- /
nation was awakened counter-point and
all the other essentials had already be-
came a second nature to him, and he
could solve, probably without thinking.
the most difficult technical problems
With an ease that makes them seem to
rs merely play Of his fancy On the
other hand, we note that g perhaps
equally gifted man, Weber, never at
aimed the repose and self-reliance OF
Mozart We see him even al the sum
=