TILE GERMANS AND 'WAGNER.
Mozart's early death left Germany without any great opera composers until Ludwig van Bee thoven ( 1770-1827) wrote Fidelio. Beethoven was about the last man who might he expected to attack the task of opera-writing—all his works had been in the line of absolute music; but finally lie selected a surprisingly had libretto and went to work. Pidclio is one of the most curious compositions in the entire literature of opera ; it is so full of contradictions. From pas sages that are nothing short of superb and won derful it ranges to episodes when the listener feels that the composer is decidedly out of sym pathy with his subject and the art form. As a whole—despite the overwhelming `Abscheulicher' air and the superb duo in the second act—it is disappointing and even admitting all great ness possible it is at best scarcely an opera. The next important figure is Louis Spohr (1784-1859), whose operas marked the begin ning of German Romanticism. followed closely by Weber (1786-1826), whose works show this movement in full bloom. His principal opera. Der Freisehiitz, is still in the repertoire and apt to remain so for a long time to come. since the music displays a buoyancy and richness of sentiment that are remarkable. Ile is by far the most German of all opera composers—Wag ner not expected—and seems to have embodied in his music ninny of the national characteristics. In the wake of Weber came a string of opera composers who have been designated depreciat ingly as the writers of `kapellincister' music. The list is too long and unimportant to repeat: but there were a few others who rose distinctly above this level and really produced some good work. First among these is Ileinrich Marschuer (1795-1861). some of whose operas are still pro duced to-day in Germany; the same is the ease with Albert Lortzing (1803-51). Peter Cornelius (1824-74) left at least—thanks to the kindness of Liszt—one opera. the Barbie,. ron Bagdad, which has survived its critics. Incidental mention may be made of musical works with spoken dialogue Sinyxpiele they were called—among which Otto .NicolaPs (1810-49) Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor is a charming example. But the operatic list might be prolonged indefinitely, it includes the names of Schubert, \1endelssohn, Liszt, and Schumann, and at the end it would be found that none of them affected the history of opera to be sufficiently worthy of mention. Besides, interest of this period centres in the greatest figure of the whole history of opera, Richard Wagner (1813-83).
Wagner's musical development is one of the most remarkable on record. Passing over two youthful works—Die Peen and Das Liebesrerbot—which are of historical interest only, his career as opera composer began with Rienzi, a work designed for the Paris Grand Opera. and one which oat-Meyer beers Meyerbeer. Successful as this was, Wagner must have realized that the old form was a bar to any progress. and lie turned his hack on it for all times. With his next opera. The Flying Dutchman, he works along the lines laid down by Weber: but his own individuality was so marked that the result is not at all Weberish. After this lie takes a tremendous leap forward and lands with Tannhiiuser, again a tentative move; then with another effort he achieves Go hengrin. No other ease in music history conies
to mind where three moves cover so great an advancement as those from Rienzi to LOIICH grin. Nov followed the period of his political exile, which gave him liberal opportunities to ponder the problem of music-drama. During these broodings he saw that opera was going the wrong way. The set forms of aria, recitative. of chorus, and orchestral accompaniments and interludes, must he abolished. Ile thought and wrote out the problem, arriving at the idea that the one pos sible salvation of this art form lay in abandon ing all the excrescences of the later Italian, the Neapolitan school, and going back to the original principles of the Florentine Cameratn. Upon these he experimented until lie had formulated his basis for a musie-drama with its logical development of the leitmotiv (q.v.)—or leading motive—and its welding into a great synthesis, song, action, and orehestra. Not only did lie the orize. hut lie composed his tetralogy, Der Ring des Nibelungen, of which Das Itheingold was the first part. One vital point must he made here: that in every case NVagner was his own libret tist. This u-as the first active rebellion against the puerile stuff furnished by poets for musical setting. Rheingold was followed by the second part, Die Walkiire, and that by Siegfried. Pov erty and troubles of exile compelled an inter ruption, during which time Tristan ?Ind facade and Die .1Ieistersinger ron. Yiirnherg were com posed in hopes of having them produced—a thing which did not seem at all likely to happen to the Ring. Eventually he secured the patronage of King Louis II. of Bavaria and finished Siegfried, together with the final part, Gotterdiimmerung. Then followed the planning and contriving to have an opera house built in which he could produce this great tetralogy, and after a lung fight Bayreuth was selected and the theatre con structed. He closed his life's work by writing Pursifal, soon after the first performance of which he died. No other• composer ever schemed such sweeping reforms; none other ever held oat so obstinately for dramatic Verity. He came nearer than any one in merging the word and its meaning into the sound musical. and his technical plastery allowed him to do just that which he started out to do; though in the last analysis Wagner the musician triumphs over the theorist Wagner. It is perhaps not just to speak of Wagner's work as all operatic reform: lie did more than this, since he demolished opera as he found it—a mere string of idle tunes strong on silly words—and constructed it anew, with a few shadowy precedents to guide him. His versatility is shown by the range of poetic subjects he handled—each one with an enviable amount of sincerity; his Ring more nearly approaches the magnitude of the Greek drama than anything in modern times. And in Tristan he has on the simplest action achieved a musical drama that stands as a granitic block. This influence was and is tremendous: probably no composer of opera since has been able to escape it: either he has imitated or lie has rejected Wagner—in both cases the influence is traceable.