w \r 1^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) m?^ <^^ v.. ^ 1.0 ■^ liii 12.2 I.I us u IL25 niu IS 1 2.3 1.6 V5 /2 7 ^V> :> '^^V ^v** V Photographic Sciences Corporation •'^ i\ \0 V 23 -MEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580 (716) S73-4503 4^ 'A^. \ CIHIVE/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian In'jtitute for Historical Microreproductions / Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques ^'-ffiWW^-' Technical and Bibliographic Notas/Notes techniques et bibliographi^iues The institute ban attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Feati.'res of this copy which may be bibliographlcally uiilque, which may alter any of tne imagss in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. . Coloured covers/ ^1 Couviirture de couleur I I Covers damaged/ n n D D □ D Couverture endommagie Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur6e et/ou peiiiculAe I I Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque I I Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur Coloured inl( (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Encre de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noire) Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur Bound with other material/ ReliA avec d'autres documents Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion ilonc interior margin/ La re liure serr6e peut causer de i'ombre ou de la distortion ie long de !a marge inttrieure Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II so peut que certaines pages blanches ajouttes iors d'une restauration apparaissent dans ie texte, mais, iorsque ceia 6tait possible, ces pages n'ont pas 6t6 filmies. AJdItionai comments:/ Commentaires suppldmentaires: L'Institut a microfilm^ ie meilleur exemplaire qu'ii lui a 4tA possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-Atre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dans la methods normale de fifmage sont indiquAs ci-dessous. □ Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur D D D D Pages damaged/ Pages endommagies Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages restaur6es et/ou peliicuiios Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ Pages d^coiordes, tachet^es ou piqudes Pages detached/ Pages ddtac^tdes r^ Showthrough/ Transparence Quality of prir Quality inigale do I'impression Includes supplementary materit Comprend du materiel suppi^riientaire I I Quality of print varies/ I I Includes supplementary material/ I I Only edition available/ ^eule 6dition disponibie Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc., have been ref limed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totaiement ou partieilement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata, une pelure, etc., ont dt6 film6es A nouveau de fapon d obtenir la meilleure image possible. d e b rl ri n This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est filmd au taux de reduction indiquA ci-dessous. 10X 14X iSX 22X 26X 30X V 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here ha* been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Bibllothdque natlonale du Quebec L'exemplaire film* fut reprodult grAce A ia gtnArositA de: Sibilo*hdque nationale du Quebec The images appearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in iceeping with the filming contract specifications. Original copies in prilnted paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the back cover when appropriate. All other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or liiustratBd impression. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol —^ (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol V (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Les images suivantes ont tt6 reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condition at de la nettetA de l'exemplaire film6. et en conformity avec les corditions du contrat d« filmago Les exemplaires originaux dont la couvertrjre en papier est imprimte sont fiimAs en commen^ant par le premier plat et en terminant soit par la dernlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration, soit par le second plat, salon le cas. Tous les autres exemplaires originaux sont fiimAs en commen^ant par la premlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'impression ou d'illustration et en terminant par la derniAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la derniire image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symbols — ► signifie "A SU9VRE", le symbols V signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, cherts, etc., may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included in one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottcm, as many frames as required. The following diagrams illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre filmAs A des taux de rAduction diffArents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atre reprodult en un seut clichA, il est f ilmA A partir de I'angle supArieur gauche, de gauche A droita. et de haut en bee, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 :>::%:v:f4l r«.*i2 -A5^ •■■■— ■'■■■'■'■■ ::r:_.-:t{i!yi:; 1^: ! <* ■• ^■ii'ij ^. ' »; » V r^(# ^: ;n^,Wi ..yBa,,^,,,,^^,,^^ .i^S' 4'"-r>'»\'.A J- y>^j,^ ??5-V % i >i «/.^ ■- ^ ^^^f^ '.7 - il»1 /, J' L#«A, , r-^'^^. A . -4l''^ ?:f> l¥*l t^^ *> * )J '■^* -ri'< i.^ i->%>? J, 'f* llfm (<," >4 r ^ *■- if * ^f ' f , 4 A*. is* \ fc. V s ^ 3» r> » i Eia ' i i^fl^"/' '-'"•t.*' t^n, \ «* t -•., .' I* ^^i;> :; ^< -ai .'i^'^'^'t /.^-*"J) a-iV i '■15«, ■mV j,>r »«»- W W 'I «4-« >^««s-p fe: 1 V/AGNER: I HIS MUSICAL THEORIES. "-:^.-p:..: BY REID TAYLOR, B.C.L. '^\ " ADVOCATE, < )* ! « * f J J 1 1 . » , ? J ^ o - » & i ' • ••'••«• ft* *• »•„ » » « a r ••■».• •, • If 1- J -, ,,,»»!.••• " • < 7 « • • • ' , » HERALD STEAM PRESS, 155 k 157 ST, JAMES STREET. 1873. ■ii:,^Mrx-:ij^ - ■^a;vv »«tin«^n9w>*«vw .-.' •• ♦••-•- • ••• • • « • * • • % ■ t » r" ■■ -WA^Gl^ ER. The great ignorance displayed by musicians in this country, of the principles, tendencies and theories of Richard Wagner, have induced me to publish this pamphlet, which gives a short exposition of his ideas, supported by quotations from his writings. Men talk of him, and deliberately give their opinion, generally condemnatory, upon his works, without understanding the first principles of the problems in musical aesthetics propounded by him. I have endeavoured, in these few lines, to give a general explanation of his theories, drawn from his own writings, from careful study of his music, and from frequent attendance at performances of it ; and hope that it may not prove altogether uninteresting. The basis of VVagner's so-called " Music of the Future," is this : the union in their most perfect state of development of Music, Poetry and Mimetics, — each supporting and enhancing the expressive power of the other, without one obtaining undue prominence at the expense of the others, so that high poetical art shall not be reduced to a chaotic mass of incoherent words, by contrapunctal, or other musical conventionalities, that ijoble and sublime harmonies shall not be rendered ridiculous by verbal trivialities, and, lastly, that the judicious combination of the two arts shall be presented by actors duly qualified, and possessing the innate fire necessary to give them the proper dramatic effect. We see, then, that the musical drama is formed by the union of three elements, — Poetry, Music and Mimetics. These we will treat of separately in their order. Verse.— First of all, the subject matter, or Poetry, must be taken into consideration. By the present system, the custom is that the composer selects the skeleton of a story for his theme, upon which shadowy foundation he composes his work. After its completion, a so-called librettist is employed to write verse to suit the music. No man of high talents would descend to such a task voluntarily; and supposing that necessitous circumstances should compel him to undertake it, is it possible for him to convey inspira- tion when restricted to a stereotyped form ? Inspiration cannot be applied at any moment, as steam is to an engine ; 61833 it is not always ready to be brought into play. The poet, the musician, the painter, have each his moods when the spirit of creative impulse seizes upon him ; it is then, when carried away by enthusiasm and love of his art, that he pours forth his burning thoughts to the world. At no time will genius be trammelled, or directed into any definite path ; hence the inferior character of our libretti, and of the words of most of our songs. Can we, therefore, wonder that the libretti at present in vogue are such liteiary rubbish ; that the maudlin character of the words should, in some of the finest parts of an opera, tinge the sublimity of the music with ridicule, by drawing the attention of the spectator from the glorious beauty of the harmony, to the grotesque deformity of its companion. The majority of listeners bestow their attention exclusively upon the sounds, totally regardless of the poetic thought of which the music should be the exponent. By a strange perversity, the Opera, in England, is ren- dered in the Italian language, which is, to nine-tenths of the audience, incomprehensible, and custom and prejudice have, as yet, prevented the suc- cessful introduction of English Opera. It cannot be denied that the Italian tongue is more suitable to be set to music, owing to its cuphoniousness ; but this recognizes the supremacy of sound at the expense of the poetic subject matter, which is in opposition to one of Wagner's first principles. Surely it must be admitted that this state of things is defective. If words are of no mportance, why have them } If they are, let them be the high inspirations of a true poet; let them originate with him, and be the expression in language of his own thoughts, created spontaneously, and not served up for any special object or occasion. Let the highest emotion \;hich poetry is capable of calling forth be brought into action. And now as to what themes will form the best basis for the musical drama. It is the opinion of Wagner, that " mythos " (that is to say, ancient myths handed down by tradition from the most remote periods, and familiar as household words) is the only one suitable. " This," he says, " and this alone, can possess a purely human interest, and be free from the fetters of all historic conventionality, appealing to the /ee/ings of men, instead of to their abstract understanding," and, he continues, " from numerous experiments, it results as an inevitable conclusion that, with such an end in view, historical and political matter, because it cannot bear the necessary condensation with- out becoming vague and losing its character, is unmalleable, and because it cannot be produced without raising national or political prejudices, it cannot . ■ V^ . ^L / Jl ' Jii.- ^.ti an, the ;s upon that he nius be laracter lerefore, h ; that ■ts of an ittention rotesque ipon the c should i, is ren- ludience, 1 the suc- le Italian ness ; but ,c subject Surely it are of no spirations ession in ed up for poetry is le m usical ,y, ancient id familiar " and this ; fetters of I of to their jriments, it r, historical ation with- because it IS, it cannot appeal to the feelings alone ; therefore the proper material for the construc- tion-of a musical drama is mythos, and mythos alone." Mr. Edward Dannreuther, Conductor of the Wagner Society of London, in his treatise on Wagner, says: — "T\ j facts are certain as regards the different means by which poets have tried to enhance the power of every-day language, so as to render it capable of .exercising a direct influence on our feelings — Rhythm and Rhyme — *>., regularity and melody. 'J'hese facts are, firstly, that the poets of the middle ages, to attain regularity of rhythm, con- structed their verses according to some fixed melody or other ; and, secondly, that the condition from which the astonishing, and, to us, incomprehensible variety of Greek metres arose, was the inseparable and ever-present combined action of mimetics, or rather of the movements of an ideal dance, with the poetical language as it was sung or chanted." After a discussion upon the different styles and metres of versification, he continues : — " Seeing Ihat modern versification offers such small attrac- tion, Wagner was led to ask himself, what sort of rhythmical speech it might be that was most intimately connected with musical diction, and the answer was not far to seek. Just as we have seen, the poetical material condensed by dramatists for their purposes, so the expression of our daily speech will have to be condensed. When we speak under the presence of some strong emotion, we involuntarily drop conventional phraseology ; we oontract our accents and enforce them with a raised voice ; our words become rhythmical ; our expressions terse and to the point. In the early days of all the Teutonic languages, such a manner of speech had been used for artistic purposes ; it is the alliterative verse of the Edda of Beowulf, &c. The condensed form and close relative position of the accented vowels in alliterative verse give to it an emotional intensity, which renders it peculiarly musical. When a poet conceives this sort of verse — and, indeed, [the fact holds good in a lesser degree with all sorts of verse — he is never [without some sense of harmony in connection with the melody of his words. [And at this point, the musician, whose art enables him to give precise :xpression to the vaguely conceived harmonies of the poet, steps in, and, »n the basis of this harmony, he proceeds to fix the exact melody pertaining [o the verse, and thus finally to complete the desire for perfect poetical ixpression. The following extract is taken from a letter of Wagner's {Brief an einem ''ranzosischen Freund) : — " Referring to the hopes and wishes so frequently sxpressed by the great poets of attaining in the Opera an ideal genre^ I came 6 to believe that the poet's co-operation, so decisive in itself, would be perfectly spontaneous on his part and desired by him. 1 endeavoured to ( obtain a key to this aspiration, and thought to have found it in the desire so t^ natural to a poet, and which, in him, directs both conception and form, to i^j employ the instrument of abstract ideas— language — in a manner which ju, would take affect on the feelings. As this tendency is already predominant iu^j in the invention of poetical subject matter, and as only that picture of human life may be called poetical, in which all motives comprenhensible to abstract reason, only disappear so as to present themselves rather as motives of purely human feeling ; in like manner this tendency is obviously the only one to determine the form and expression of poetical execution. In his language, the poet tries to substitute the orignal sensuous signification of words for ^j| their abstract and coventional meaning, and by rhythmical arrangement and j|l ^^ the almost musical ornament of rhyme in the verse, to assure an effect to his A,j^ phrases which will charm and captivate our feelings. This tendency, j^^ essential to the poet, conducts him finally to the limits of his art, where itj|gj, comes into immediate contact with music ; and the most complete poetic work would, therefore, be that which in its ultimate perfection would resolved itself into music." Music. — There is a wide distinction between the school of the old masters, tied and bound by complicated rules of counterpoint, canon and fugue, prohibited intervals, hidden consecutives, &c., and the modern, which '^ considers music as appealing to the emotions and representative of the feelings of daily life. f The former is an abstract science ; an art created and elaborated by the contrapuntists of the seventeenth and eighteenth century, and totally incom'*^*^ prehensible to the uninitiated, and unappreciable by the ear, ignorant of the^ ' many laws which regulate the progression and elaboration of its melodic^ themes. A composition of this description resembles a mathematical problem, following regular, fixed rules ; the laboured production of profound study and long application. To understand and properly to enjoy this musid a thorough musical education is requisite. The latter is free from all positive artificial laws ; it is the channel through which the composer conveys his thoughts, and lays before the worli] his secret emotions. No definite rules restrict the range of his imagination! Whatever is not discordant (I use the word in its simpler sense as meanina disagreeable to the ear) is allowed. No positive, definite musical form ii u u . .^Li;.Wi-^di.HJ4Ltt:-LA:.'.i; ture of human )le to abstract lives of purely e only one to his language, 1 of words for f, would be leavoured to the desire so Imperative ; so that the hearers can enter into the spirit of the composer and and form, to ieize upon his thoughts, thereby sharing his emotions, without any prepara- lanner which lory education, except what nature has given to most men — that delicious, predominant Aidescribable sensation produced by the concord of sweet sounds. The rmer is for the enjoyment of the few ] the latter of the many. To those wh^ understand them, nothing is more delightful than to follow e mighty genius of a Bach in his glorious compositions, those splendid tri- phs of musical art, and to be lost in amazement at the tremendous abilities ich produced them. To one educated in the severe school, and conversant th these and similar great productions, other mui:ic seems tame, and a taste rangement and j^ acquired which unfits, to a great extent, for the enjoyment of any other an effect to his gjiirle. Being an ardent admirer of the so-called classical school, the reader This tendency, jjjjust ^qj imagine that I wish to speak against music of this character. It is s art, where Ujgt^fjy of the highest sort, and capable of affording great enjoyment, but ;omplete poetic j^ appeals, in a great measure, to the abstract understanding, and conse- n would resolve j^ntly, is, and must ever be, the luxury of the few, and therefore cannot )«iefit the great mass of mankind. Thus we have divided music into two lool of the oldMJrts, one written according to fixed rules, the other recognizing as para- oint canon andaOunt the dramatic principle. In many of the instrumental works of the great masters, this principle is gnized. Even the great Bach, known to most people only as a writer ugues, gives us examples of this kind. In one composition he represents uth leaving home for the war, — the lamentations of his friends, — the h of troops, — his triumphant return ; and what beautiful specimens of style are to be found in his celebrated '* Passion Music." The impassioned sonntas of Beethoven breathe the spirit of poetry all igh them ; and is not the dramatic significance of his symphonies ount. he instrumental works of modern composers, such as Schumann, , Berlioz, are still more clearly based upon the dramatic principle, ssing, in most cases, no definite musical form, but consisting of a ssion of emotional phrases, of a character corresponding to the idea yed by the title of the composition. t this point, a few historical notes may prove interesting. Among the t Greeks, music seems to have had a paramount influence, and to have intimately interwoven with their daily existence. Some authors hold n ; modern, which entative of the aborated by the id totally incom gnorant of the' of its melodic mathematical tion of profoun enjoy this music t is the channel before the worl f his imagination sense as meanin musical form ii Ill 8 M ii' that the addresses of their public men were declaimed or chanted, so that the laws of Solon may have been expounded by the great legislator, lyre in hand. But the art must nave been in a very primitive condition, as we have no evidence that they possessed the knowledge of harmony, but merely made use of melodies in unisca. Coming down to the middle ages, we find music cultivated in its higher forms in the churches only, and it is in the ritualistic melodies of that time, that we trace the first symptoms of the formation of independent parts working simultaneously, that is counterpoint. Counterpoint is supposed to have originated in the Netherlands. In the polyphonous church music ot that countr)' its developement took plact., and we subsequently find it in Italy, culminating in the compositions of Palestrina; &c. Its first use, then, was for the embellishment of the monotonous ritualistic melodies, the original melody being called the plain song, or canto fertnOy to distinguish it from the counterpoint founded upc a it. From this arose the musical artifices of double counterpoint, canon, fugue. &c., being the offspring of active minds, rebelling against the indolence of monastic life, the product of the speculations of men, turned by forced seclusion and separation froni active life and passing events, into the channel of abstract thought. The Oper? is said to have had its origin in the attempted revival of Greek plays aiid music, and was first produced at Florence towards the end of the sixteenth century. Some time after, it was introduced into France by Jean Baptiste Lulli, under the auspices of Cardinal Mazarin. There it was gradu- ally elaborated into the present grand Opera, with, its innumerable adjuncts. Compositions were written for the purpose of displaying the vocal con- tortions of a singer, who would often dictate to the comppser what pleased his fancy or what did not, while the lihreitist became a mere tool in the hands of the latter. The music was not set to the words, but the words to the music ; hence the inconsistencies and absurditie.'^ in the relations of music and words in some Operas. As it wa^ found imppssible to maintain the dramatic interest by a succession of airs, recourse was had to the recitative. It had been long in use in the churches, serving for the rendering of Scrip- ture texts, &c., and it now serves in the Opera as a connecting link between the different airs. It consists of a musically recited dialogue, and by it the dramatic interest is maintained in explanatory portions, not susceptible of being set to regular musical forms. There is little variety in recitative, con- sequently its general uniformity has rendered it rather monotonous, and its forms stereotyped. 9 so that , lyre in we have ;ly made Ls higher hat time, nt parts )posed to music ot find it in use, then, >dies, the inguish it il artifices of active ict of the rom active revival of the end of Lce by Jean was gradu- e adjuncts, vocal con- hat pleased a the hands ords to the IS of music laintain the le recitative, ng of Scrip- ink between id by it the isceptible of :itatiye, con- lous, and its l^atneau was the first French composer who set his face against the arrogance of performers, and endeavoured to confine them to their proper position as interpreters of the ideas of the composer. After him, Gluck contendeu lor the due position of the drama in its relationship to music. Gluck, in his dedication to "Alceste," says : — " When I undertook to set this poem, it was my design to divest t^^e music entirely of all those abuses with which the vanity of singers, or the too great complacency of com- posers, has so long disfigured the Italian Opera, and rendered the most beautiful and magnificent of all public exhibitions the most tiresome and ridiculous. It was my intention to confine music to its true dra.natic province of assisting poetical expression, and of augmenting the interest of the fable, without interrupting the action or chilling it with useless and superfluous ornaments ; for the office of music when joined to poetry, seemed to me to resemble that of cole -ing in a correct and well-disposed design, where the lights and shades ouiy seem to animate the figure without altering the outline. I determined, thert.ore, not to stop an action in the heat of a spirited dialogue for a tedious ritoruei, nor to impede the progress of passion by lengthening a single syllable of a favorite word merely to display agility of throat, and I was equally inflexible in my resolution not to employ the [orchestra to so poor a purpose as that of giving time for the recovery of Lbreath sufficient for a long and unmeaning cadence. I never thought it [necessary to burr) through ♦^he second part of a song, though the most |impassioned and important, in order to repeat the words of the first part kegu^ariy four times, merely to finish the air when the sense is unfinished, ind to give an opportunity to the singer of showing that he has the imperti- lent power of varying p.issages and disguising them till they shall be no )nger known to the composer himself. In short, I tried to banish all those [ices of the musical drama against which good sense and reason have in vain long exclaimed. I imagined that the ovciture ought to prepare the idience for the action of the piece, and serve as a kind of argument to it ; lat the inscrumental accompaniments should be regulated by the interest of |e drama, and not leave a void in the dialogue between the air and the :itative ; that they should neither break into the sense and connection of a jriod, nor wantonly interrupt the energy or heat of the action ; and, lastly, [was my opinion that my first and chief care, as a dramatic composer, was |aim at a noble simplicity, and I have accordingly shunned all parade of natural difficulty in favor of clearness ; nor have I sought or studied Jvelty if it did not arise naturally from the situation of tie character and f-^J-S/fe. . 10 poetical expression ; and there is no rule of composition which I have not thought it my duty to sacrifice, in order to favor passion and produce effects." Mozart shows, in his works, his tacit recognition of the necessity of the harmonious union of the spirit of the music, with that of the poetry, for in his dramatic compositions, their character corresponds with that of the drama upon which they are based, rising in dignity commensurately to the spirit of the particular scene. Mr. D, says, *♦ Mozart, the supreme musician, produces his best music there, where the poet has given him a worthy chance, and has risen a little above the oxAimxy libretto groove. Mozart possessed, more than any other musician, the subtlest and deepest instinctive knowledge of his art. He knew for certain that it was an art of expression only, of the sublime.st and most perfect expression, still of expression, and nothing beyond. To his honor, be it said, it was impossible for him to make poetical music, if the poetical groundwork was null. He could not write music to " Titus " equal to " £>on Giovanni,'* — to " Cosi Fan tutte " equal to " Figaro.'' Good music he always wrote, but beautiful music only when he was inspired. His inspi- ration certainly came from within, but it never shone so bright as when it was lighted from without. Wagner expresses his conviction, more than once, that Mozart would, with his supreme instinct, have solved the problem of a real musical drama, but as it was, he could only give the truest ?nd most intense expression to the airs, duets and ensemble pieces, which his fabricators of libretti handed to him. He has attested the inexhaustible puissance of music as a means of expression, better than Gluck and any of his successors ; but in the main, he also leaves the traditional operatic forms as he found them." Of Rossini, he says : — " With Rossini, and, in an increased ratio, with his successors, the history of the Opera is simply that of operatic melody ; naked, absolute, ear-tickling melody, which one sings and whistles without knowing wherefore; which one exchanges to-day for that of yesterday, and forgets again to-morrow for no reason whatsoever ; which sounds melancholy when we are amused, and joyous when we are disgusted ; and which we hear apropos of any and everything. Take Rossini's works all in all, and you | have numberless operatic melodies of here and there, an immensly effective sore, but comp ratively little beyond. His object has evidently been to pour forth multitudes of pleasing tunes, such as are fit to be whistled and sung by I all the world. If he occasionally gives a powerful dramatic effect, one hails it as something unexpected ; for, as a rule, an Opera of his is like a string of 1 u beads, each bead be.ng a glittering and intoxicating tune. Dramatic and poetic truth, and all that makes a s':agc performance interesting is sacrificed to tunes. The task of th composer of Italian Opera, after Rossini, came to be littl . beyond that of manufacturing variations oii one fixed type of aria, for this or that particular singer. And, together with the advent of Rossini, the operatic public in general, that most equivocal of all public^ (' Combien ae sots faut il pour f aire tin public^) became the sole arbiter of artistic reputation, the ultimate Court of Appeal in questions of artistic excellence ; its taste, the sole guide for artistic production, and its favorite purveyor of tunes, the autocrat of the whole operatic entertainment." Meyerbeer's Operas are rather to be seen than heard. His voluminous compositions, abounding with proofs of his marvellous knowledge of orchestration, with instrumental effects and combinations unknown perhaps, to any other composer, if we except Berlioz, the author of the celebrated work so well-known to students of instrumentation, show that the amazing fertility of his genius was applied to musical eccentricities and orchestral effects, rather than to the legitimate musical drama appealing to the hearts of the hearers, instead of stunning them with tremendous noises, and dazzling their eyes with gorgeous scenery and costumes. When the poet has exhausted the powers of his art, then the musician comes in, and intensifies its emotional effect by a corresponding combination of sounds. The composer should create sounds that will produce an efliect upon the sensuous perception, similar to that which the words to which he sets his music produce. Now, if these sounds alone will cause the same emotions as the poem alone, will they not, when combined, produce a doubly powerful effect ? The duty of the musician, then, is to grasp the thought of the poet, and to add to it a corresponding musical thought. It is in order that this may be more fully accomplished, that Wagner suggests tnyihos as the subject matter, and is disposed to reject historical drama, in order that purely emotional, or rather sentimental matter, may be obtained free from political or national prejudices. As in the drama, different phases of emotion ar'se in the course of its i development, and become interwoven with one another, arousing conflic^^ing [feelings and bringing into play the various passions, so, according to Wag- ler, musical themes should arise, be developed and interwoven with one mother in a manner analogous. •' Each of the phases of emotion just spoken of, has for its outcome 12 some clearly marked and decided musical expression, some characteristic musical theme ; and just as there is an intimate connection between the 'phases of emotion, so an intimate interlacing of the musical themes takes place, which interlacing spreads itself, not only ever an entire scene, but over the whole extent of the drama. It is never made use of for the display of any purely musical combination per se, but it is always in the closest relationship, and most complete union with the poet's dramatic intentions. Thus that wonderful power, by which a great musician can make his phrase undergo metamorphosis after metamorphosis, without losing its character as the expression of some distinct emotion, is here developed to a hitherto unknown extent ; and the means of dramatic expression are in consequence infinitely widened and enlarged " He discards the arbitrary forms of recitative aria, &c His great prin- ciple is that just given in his own words. The intimate connection between the musical and dramatic phases of emotion in their sequence, development and combination, so that the whole shall form a complete organism, one and indivisible. All that is nov«r required, is to confide the musical drama to actors capable of properly interpreting it. Singers should be merely spokesmen of the dramatic and musical ntentions of the composer, and not arrogate to themselves the supremacy, they, in many cases, now hold. They must be subordinate to the composey, or how can they interpret the ideas produced from his brain. A composer is, unfortunately, absolutely dependent upon this medium of communication between himself and the world, and it is in the highest degree unjust, that the singer should be permitted to interpret his ideas in any way other than he directs. The Opera at present is really enjoyed by very few. Many people go, because it is fashionable ; they keep their carriage and their box at the Opera, while those less favored by fortune follow the fashion in the upper boxes or amphitheatre, where they ape those below in their principal occupation — the diligent use of the lorgnette. The wealthy loll in their stalls, and intersperse the perusal of the boxes, with yawns : they may be interested by a new prima donna if she is pretty, and gives them some good vocal fireworks. Will any one deny that this state of things, is wofuUy defective ? Wagner says that, by the judicious combination of poetry, music and mimetics, we can call forth the most intense emotions of the mind. Is there not then much room for improvement t " The entire work, then, intended by Wagner is musical in spirit, and 13 n pie go, at the upper incipal their may be le good wofully poetry, of the irit, and could have been conceived by none but a man of universal artistic instincts, who is, at the same time, a great modern musician. Its mythical subject matter, chosen because of its essentially emotional nature ; its division into scenes and the sequence of these ; the use of alliterative verse and its melodious declamation ; the use of the orchestra, preparing, supporting, com- menting, enforcing, recalling ; all its factors are imbued with the spirit of music. Their task is not accomplished if any one side of the subject remains to be supplied by some process of abstract reasoning on the hearer's part. They are to appeal exclusively to our feelings. The sole test of what sort of thing is to be said lies in the expressive power of music. Being emotional throughout, the musical drama stands higher as a form of art than the spoken play. In it, the profound pathos of dramatic speech is not left to the discrimination of the individual actor. The musician's sure technique positively fixes every accent and every inflection, and a composer in the act of conducting such a drama is so completely in unison with the singers and players, that one may talk without hyperbole of an actual metempsychosis, his very soul speaks from out oi the performers." Music, in the present age, has not the rank to which it is entitled. It is considered as a mere pastime ; something to be taken up merely to wile away a weary hour. Musicians do not hold the rank in society which is their due. The highest capacity, coupled with long and severe study, are tnecessary to make a good composer. I do not here refer to those who produce sounds by means of the fatal facilities of the organ or piano, which they transfer to paper, and depend upon correctness of the harmony merely by the sound produced on the instrument. A true composer requires nothing but pen, ink and paper. No recourse to any instrument is necessary . In his mind he hears the effects which his combinations produce. He perceives them as clearly as if the orchestra was before him. The musical notes are the symbols of his thoughts, as words are of those of the poet. He sees their effect as clearly as the author does, of the words which he writes. It is not more necessary for him to hear them upon an instrument than for the author to hear his writings read aloud in order to feel the force of Ithem. It was by this knowledge, that Beethoven, when perfectly deaf, pro- ; duced such beautiful works. Is it not true, that music possesses, in a more perfect degree than the iister arts, an mcorporeal b^fituahiy, aa rthereal natuie ? Great as are the • » I k t , 14 imaginative powers of painting and sculpture, they are necessarily associated with substance, as they are the representation of objects in nature. The sculptor chisels the stubborn marble, with the human form as an original, — the painter copies the gorgeous hues of the setting sun, while the musician can learn nothing to advance his art from the sweetest notes of the nightingale. Music is ethereal, a mysterious spell, a subtle influence, an invisible power which enthrals, we know not why. Now we are sunk in a delicious languor, a lake of sound bathes us in its sweet waters; now the tears drop from our eyelids, but they are tears of joy ; our whole frame is permeated with the exquisite influence. What sti'dy can be more elevating, more refin- ing, if undertaken in the true spirit of art } V i . •♦•'••..., , •♦...•,• ' • • « I • ••• • .tV ' ••• :..: *..:••. • -> vmuMmK^mm^-''^ ^w-ni^'tf^ :iP