The basis of the drama is derived from the cycle of the Holy Grail myths, made familiar by the stories of King Arthur and his knights, which have come down to us in manifold guises. These Grail romances were written at the time of the earlier crusades, when the supposed discovery of the sacred cup and spear still was fresh in the minds of the Christians. In Tennyson's " Idyls of the King," the chalice is carried to Great Britain by Joseph of Arimathea, to whom, when cast into prison after pre paring the body of Christ for burial, Christ appeared, bringing the sacrament in it.
Wagner has bestowed his own individuality upon the legend and he has changed the name of the hero to indicate this hero's character. In the Arabian, " fal " signi fies foolish and " parsi " pure one. " Parsifal," freely trans lated, means " blameless fool." Amfortas, in all the legends, is the visible symbol of suffering whose healing depends upon the asking of a question. Gurnemanz is always present in the original Parsifal legends. Klingsor also appears though never so malignant as here, but Kundry, with her many-sided soul, is the creation of Wagner and his greatest contribution to the myth.
Musically, " Parsifal " contains the fullest and most complete exposition of all Wagner's theories concerning the music drama and its construction. While the most zealous admirers of the work declare it the Bayreuth master's greatest achievement, more careful students find it not the equal of " The Mastersingers," " Tristan and Isolde " or certain portions of " The Ring of the Nibelungs " so far as vitality, power and originality of the thematic material is concerned. It is a master work but not the
highest reach of Wagner.
Portions of the score which are familiar through more or less frequent performance in concert, are the prelude built up upon three motives from the work itself ; the " Good Friday Spell," which is heard in the scene of Parsifal's return and the preparation for his progress to the temple to assume the kingship of the Grail ; the so-called " Transformation," which is the music played by the orchestra during the march of Gurnemanz and Parsifal to the temple, the scenery moving slowly from side to side and changing the setting gradually from the woodland and fields to rocky recesses and finally to the interior of the temple itself ; and the finale of the music-drama, the tonal illustration of Parsifal's unveiling of the chalice and its glowing from delicate pink to blood-red as the dove descends and hovers above him. The " Flower Girl " music is of exceptional grace and beauty. The " Lament " of Amfortas and the scene of Kundry's attempted ensnarement of Parsifal have also been heard in concert performance. They, together with the foregoing, constitute the " big " moments in the truly remarkable score.