RICffARE WAGXER. 



145 



wig II. of Bavaria, summoned him to Munich 

 where the new operas of "Tristan" in 18G5, and 

 "Meistersinger " in 1868, "Das Rheingold " in 

 1869, and "Die Walkiire" in 1870, were succes- 

 sively given with ever-increasing appreciation and 

 applause. 



The " Meistersinger," through which there 

 runs a strongly comic vein, deals with the con- 

 trast between the old stiff forms of minstrelsy by- 

 rule and the spontaneous revolt of a free, musical, 

 and poetical genius, and the work forms a hu- 

 morous and almost Shakespearean pendant to the 

 great and solemn minstrelsy which fills the centre 

 of Tannhiiuser. In Wagner's opinion it is the 

 opera most likely to find favor with an English 

 audience, a point which we hope an English au- 

 dience may soon determine for itself. 



" Tristan and Iseult," in which the drama 

 and analysis of passion — love and death — is 

 wrought up to its highest pitch, was thrown off 

 between the first two and last two great sections 

 of the Tetralogie ; and the Tetralogie, itself 

 planned twenty years ago, and produced at Bai- 

 reuth in 1876, stands at present as the last most 

 daring and complete manifestation of Wagner's 

 dramatic, poetic, and musical genius. 



The purpose and power of that great cycle of 

 Scandinavian and German myths, unrolled in the 

 four colossal dramas of " Rheingold," " Wal- 

 kiire," " Siegfried," and " Gotterdammerung," 

 would carry me far beyond the limits of this ar- 

 ticle. Fragments only of the music can be pre- 

 sented in the concert-room, and these, bereft of 

 the sister arts, must necessarily lose much of their 

 effect. But after studying well the written 

 drama, we may close our eyes and allow some of 

 the Baireuth scenes to flash once more before 

 the mind's eye. 



The elemental prelude of the " Rheingold," 

 full of deep and slumberous sounds, wafts us away 

 from all account of time and space. The dim 

 gray-green depths of the Rhine alone become 

 visible. We are aware of the deep moving of 

 the Rhine-water, and the three Undines are seen 

 like faint shadows, swimming and singing, guar- 

 dians of the Rheingold. The dark King of the 

 Undergrounds comes climbing after them among 

 the rocks, but he is scarcely visible in the gloom. 

 Presently the Rheingold begins to brighten. A 

 shaft of radiance strikes through the water — the 

 Undines scream with joy; then through the 

 whole depths of the Rhine streams an electric 

 light, shining upon a distant rock, dimmed to 

 softest yellow only by the water, and the famous 

 " Rheingold ! Rheingold ! " wild cry of the Rhine- 

 10 



I daughters breaks forth with the golden illumina- 

 tion of the Rhine-depths. 



Or let the curtain rise on the last farewell 

 duet between Briinnhild and the god Wotan. 

 To long-drawn-out enchanting melody Briinn- 

 hild's head sinks on her father's breast — she can 

 but sob that she has loved him dutifully, and im- 

 plore him if she is to become a mortal's bride to 

 surround her rock with fire, and bar her from all 

 but the bravest. It is now almost dark, a faint- 

 red light lingers on the supple yet lordly form of 

 Briinnhild. A strange languor comes over her — 

 the god lays her gently on the rock — and waves 

 her into her long sleep. Then he calls for the 

 fire-god — and as he lifts his spear a burst of fire 

 breaks out and runs round the stage — in another 

 moment the whole background is an immense 

 wall of rose-colored flame. To the most enchant- 

 ing and dreamlike music of silver bells, harps, 

 and flutes, the sleep of the Walkiire begins — the 

 god scales the rocks, stands for a moment in the 

 midst of the fire, then passes through it out of 

 sight as the curtain falls. 



But, indeed, it is hard to select. The exqui- 

 site scene where Siegfried listens to the birds in 

 the golden summer woods, and understands their 

 language ; the wild mountain-rocks, and the war- 

 maidens rushing through the clouds, alighting 

 and shouting to each other from peak to peak ; 

 or the passage of the gods over the rainbow- 

 bridge into the halls of Walhalla ; or, lastly, the 

 death of Siegfried and the dusk of the gods — the 

 Albert Hall festival will revive gleams of all these. 



Long will that prodigious last scene of the 

 " Gotterdammerung " linger in the memory of 

 those who saw it at Baireuth. Briinnhild draws 

 the gold ring of the Rheingold — the cause of such 

 grief and manifold pain — from her finger, and 

 flings it back into the Rhine whence it was 

 stolen. Her black Walkiire horse has been 

 brought to her ; she waves high a flaming torch, 

 and casts it upon the bier of Siegfried. The 

 flames rise in vast fiery columns. At that mo- 

 ment, in the lurid glow of the flaming pyre, the 

 water, still flashing with moonlight behind, be- 

 gins to surge up and advance upon the shore ; 

 and the Rhine-daughters, singing the wildest 

 Rhine-music, are seen floating to and fro. Be- 

 yond, a ruddy light broadens until the distant 

 sky discloses the courts of the Walhalla in 

 flames. With a crash like thunder, in the fore- 

 ground the house of Hagen falls, and, while the 

 mighty conflagration flares up in the distance, 

 the Rhine overflows to rushing music and sub- 

 merges the whole stage. With this scene of un- 



