Year: 1875

" "Rhinegold,' with the piano; the second week to
the "Waktre,' the third to "Siegfried,' and the
last week TO the Gotterdimmerung" From the 1st
to the 18th Of August the four parts are to be re-
hearsed in close succession with the cooperation OF
the orchestra, for the mutual benefit OF both
orchestra and singers The third week in August
will be devoted to practice in the most difficult
scenic evolutons, in which singers. orchestra, and
machinists will all work together. The beginning
of the rehearsal has been delayed somewhat longer
than expected, hut it is now IN progress
The months Of June and July of 1876 are TO be de-
voted to complete rehearsals OF the whole work
The plan for the performance in 1875 is as follows:
The theater opens to the public the first Sunday
in August at o'clock in the evening, when
"Rhiregold" viii be given. Monday at o'clock,
first act of the "Walkiro;' y at O'clock the third
act. Tuesday, Segfred" viii be given IN the same
manner and on Wednesday, the "G5tterdiim-
merung" To secure his singers and players at the
very moderate compensation which the funds allow
Wagner depends a good deal upon the vacation
which most Of them enjoy in the Summer months
To each one of the orchestra he promises the sum OF
GO thalers for each of the three months which the
rehearsal and performance next year will cover tree
board and lodging and secOnd-cass railroad ticket
to and from Bayrcuth.


In the course of his remarks Wagner referred 10
the American Centennial celebration, and said that
some of his American patrons had expressed desire
that the representation at Rayreuth might be post
poned till the latter part OF August as IL would then
be less likely Interfere with the Philadelphia txh
biton. He was sorry he could not do this, but his
singers had been engaged for this time, and he had to
take them when they were free from other engage
ments The opera is to be repeated the second week
in August, and if he can keep his artists together he
rem
tition in the last week of August. Refer
ring to the performance of part of the "Wakure"
in Vienna, Berlin, and Lcpslc, with piano accom-
panilnent, remarked that it seemed utterly Mt
variance with his theories, and asked if the perform


ance had received his sanction. Here Wagner grew
indignant not at me, but ut the men who had played
this trick upon him; for it Is nothing more nor Less
than trick. Wagner's copyright forbids this
work being performed by any orchestra, but it does
not in the letter prohibit public piano performance
and Wagner found that he was legally powerless to
prevent this scandaous infringement of his rights
Neither he nor his enterprise has received cent OF


money from the proceeds Of these concerts, which IN
direct opposition TO the spirit of his own undertake
ing have been given purely for money making pur-
poses.


Ihad hoped to have a h"le talk with Wagner
about subjects connected with his theory of music



a visit to the new theater before taking the train
As was bout to leave his three children came into


the parlor to accompany their father to dinner The
little hoy has been baptized into Nbelungen honors
Siecfripd s his name. He is a manly little fellow
and looks as il he might some day become n hero
Are they all musicians - asked as / bade them
good by. go, no." said he with great postiycness
as though he had lit,le hopes hat they ever would
be- Alas. for his little ones' He can leave them his
house and lands, his bank account, noble example
of industry and patience high ideal and persist
ent determination, and the monuments of his life
work-a noble legacy indeed for any offspring but
his genius that is something he cannot bestow in a
eodicil not even if he set Il 70 music.


Armed with an introduction to the arohitoci-in-
chief hastened t0 the new thclter building which
is now the object of much interest. II IS situated
in tho outskirts Of the town. about ten minutes
walk from the railroad drpot, on high swell of
ground which commands pleasant view of Bay
rcuth and it's suburbs. When decent road is com
peted from the railroad station, the situation VIII
all that can he desired. All the external part of
the building is now completed, and the so or 80
workmen busly engaged in fitting mp the inte-
rior. If the visitor did not know the character II
the building he was approaching, he might be
puzzled TO tell what il was It's architecture does not





vcntoaal models Its external architectural struc-
ture though on the whole light and pleasing and not
devoid of taste has been subordinate to tine internal
aim ami purpose for which it erected. With
only hundred thousand tialers at cors;nand, Wag-
ner could not make this building artisticay per-
feet But he has succeeded in doing al he expected.
With few minor alterations here and there in the
way of improvements his plan has been carried ont
as proposed in the ninth volume Of his works. The
building il seen to least advantage from side view,
the stage part of the structure rising high above
the auditorium to cast the latter, which Is the
most pleasing part of the whole, into the shade
Seen from front the effect is much better and
the anomaly of the side view, by whch the theatar
appears not as one building but two and half
buildings stuck together, is altogether gone.


Going inside, the visitor is again struck with the
apparent sulaneSs of the auditorium compared with
tle stage, especially the absence of side galleries
and boxes Ii is evident TOO, that no money king
theaseT soud Dc well sonstPnstsd this principle,
because none of them could ignore the profits which
come from the three or four tiers Of galleries.
Usually theaters are built for the sake of the ticket
Office. Wagner has beer happy in being able to
dispense with this altogether, and 50 has built one
which answers perfectly to the requirements of his
theory of the opera Since the plan of the building
adhered to has been previously described in THE
TRIBUNE, need not go into particulars. The great
aim mas been to give great hight breadth and depth
10 the stage and 10 conceal every portion of the
machinery from the spectator. Nothing can be
more dstracting or ridiculous 20 the behOlder in
\ proscenium box or side gallery seat than 10 see
the workmen manipulating the scenes during the
performance of a romantic opera. 10 knocks the
chronology of piece into cooked hat and turns
the would-be romance into the most mechanical
prose. Ia WasDer's theater this cannot occur, be-
cause the whole auditorium except the royal gallery,
which is in the back part of the house, is nothing


nnrnnet mud fhc snecfatnr NM flce the stage.