The leading motive method is invaluable moreover not merely in the more obvious way, as a means of providing the kind of music most in keeping with the ever-varying requirements of the dramatic situation, but also as a means of providing the best kind of material for the construction of the entire musical fabric. In the case of Wagner's later works the instrumental portion of the score consists more of ten than not of nothing but one con tinuous network of interwoven motives, thereby affording in place of the mere "accompaniment" of the older composers a feast of never-ending interest and delight to the ear—and this, be it noted, whatever may be the character of the vocal part at any given moment.
Invaluable indeed are the uses of the leading motive principle in this respect inasmuch as it permits of the voice parts being kept quite restrained and unemotional in character when the dramatic situation requires this without any diminution of the musical interest, which is maintained by the instrumental founda tion in a manner which would otherwise be almost impossible. Take as illustration the scene from the first act of Die Meister singer in which Pogner is unfolding to the assembled master singers his scheme for the singing contest. His remarks being purely expository and quite unemotional in character naturally call for vocal expression to correspond and so it is in quite level and conversational tones, as it were, that Pogner expounds his plan. But this entails no sacrifice whatever of the musical interest
since this is maintained at the highest level by the uninterrupted flow of lovely motives—the "St. John's Day" motive, the "Guild" motive, the "Art Union" motive, and so on—of which the instru mental accompaniment is made up.
Since Wagner showed the way nearly all subsequent operatic composers have followed his example and adopted the same pro cedure, although there have been some notable exceptions. Puccini, for instance, adopted the leading motive principle only to the most limited extent and Debussy, in his only opera, Pelleas et Melisande, did not employ it at all. Richard Strauss on the other hand has pushed it to its extremest limits, displaying therein, alike in his symphonic poems and in his operas, an amount of ingenuity which is sometimes more apparent than the inspiration. And this is of course the danger of the leading motive system, especially when it is carried out by inferior practitioners, namely the risk of its becoming a purely mechanical exercise in theme juggling. But even in this event the result is likely to be at least more interesting than when the older method is employed.
(H. A. Sc.)