In his mature works, 'Der Ring,' 'Tristan,' 'Die Meistersinger> and 'Parsifal,' traditional forms, the aria, the set chorus, etc., are entirely renounced, and the growth and form of the music are derived from the spirit of the text. Richly accompanied recitative makes up the body of the work. The melody is composed poetically and, to use Wagner's term, is "end less," running sometimes through a whole act without a' break. The expansion of the de scriptive powers of the orchestra reached a climax in Wagner. His power as a musical scene-painter is incontestible. Building on the work of von Weber, Berlioz, Meyerbeer and Liszt, he evolved an entirely new orchestra boundless in wealth of tone-color and in power of emotional appeal. In fact, the chief beauty is often in the instrumental part and the vocal melody is at times rather crudely plastered upon this. As a discoverer of new harmonic effects and as a contrapuntist, Wagner ranks with Bach and Beethoven.
One of Wagner's organic changes was the use of Motives.* These are not mere musical labels with fantastic names,— this con ception is due to the misguided Wagner com mentators,— but musical epitomes of the chief characters and the important objects in the drama, e.g., 'Wotan,' the 'Sword,' 'Fire,' etc. By their use the music though plastic becomes highly organic. Wagner himself says it is•the thematic development of Beethoven expanded and used for dramatic purposes.
Not the least feature .in Wagner's operas are the scenic effects. He revolutionized the art of stage mounting. Such scenes as the Grail Castle in 'Parsifal> and the final scene of 'Die Walkiir& have never been surpassed_ Wagner's pen as a literary man was ever busy. His writings are collected in 10 large volumes. The essays 'On the Art of Conducting' and on the symphonies of Beethoven are noteworthy.
The position of Brahms (q.v.) (1833-97) in modern music is remarkable in that by tem perament standing apart from two of the main tendencies of the times, the operatic and the programistic, he made free use of the polyphony of Bach and the classic forms of Beethoven to voice his own individual message. A man of singularly deep and simple human f eeling,— what strikes us most in his music is its emo tional wholesomeness. Never morbid, hysteri cal or theatric, Brahms' compositions in their broad impersonality make the impression of a work of nature. With the exceptions just noted, Brahms has worked in every field of modern art. His pianoforte music, with its complexity of rhythm and its subtle harmonic tissue, is distinctive and novel. His songs in their consummate blending of poetic sentiment and musical expression are the most perfect since Schumann. The chamber-works for
strings alone or for various combinations of instruments contain some of the noblest thoughts ever uttered in that form. Brahms' four symphonies are comparable with those of Beethoven in their variety and latent strength_ Each has its own peculiar atmosphere; Brahms has not written one symphony in four parts_ His 'German Requiem' is one of the grandest compositions of modern times.
Debate is still going on as to the final posi tion of Brahms. To some he seems austere, lacking in emotional warmth; to others he represents all that is truest in music. He is certainly one of the few since Beethoven to sound the note of sublimity. His music is Miltonic in its dignity and repose. Such quali ties may well be considered lasting in music.
Since Wagner and Brahms the German school has been most prolific but there are only a few men in modern German music who count at all. Most important is Richard Strauss (q.v.) (1864), who has carried the program method to undreamed-of lengths. In technical resource Strauss is undoubtedly the greatest master of the orchestra who has yet appeared. In his great symphonic poems
Juan,'