The Complete Opera Book Part 27

The music beautifully reflects the affectionate relations between _Pogner_ and _Eva_. When _Pogner_, his daughter seated beside him under the linden-tree, speaks of the morrow's festival and _Eva's_ part in it in awarding the prize to the master of her choice before the a.s.sembled burghers of Nuremburg, the stately =Nuremburg Motive= is ushered in.

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_Magdalena_ appears at the door and signals to _Eva_. The latter persuades her father that it is too cool to remain outdoors and, as they enter the house, _Eva_ learns from _Magdalena_ of _Walther's_ failure before the masters. Magdalena advises her to seek counsel with _Sachs_ after supper.

The Cobbler Motive shows us _Sachs_ and _David_ in the former's workshop. When the master has dismissed his 'prentice till morning, he yields to his poetic love of the balmy midsummer night and, laying down his work, leans over the half-door of his shop as if lost in reverie. The Cobbler Motive dies away to _pp_, and then there is wafted from over the orchestra like the sweet scent of the blooming elder the Spring Motive, while tender notes on the horn blossom beneath a nebulous veil of tremolo violins into memories of _Walther's_ song. Its measures run through _Sachs's_ head until, angered at the stupid conservatism of his a.s.sociates, he resumes his work to the brusque measures of the Cobbler's Motive. As his ill humour yields again to the beauties of the night, this motive yields once more to that of spring, which, with reminiscences of _Walther's_ first song before the masters, imbues this masterful monologue with poetic beauty of the highest order. The last words in praise of _Walther_ ("The bird who sang today," etc.) are sung to a broad and expressive melody.

_Eva_ now comes out into the street and, shyly approaching the shop, stands at the door unnoticed by _Sachs_ until she speaks to him. The theme which pervades this scene seems to breathe forth the very spirit of lovely maidenhood which springs from the union of romantic aspirations, feminine reserve, and rare physical graces. It is the =Eva Motive=, which, with the delicate touch of a master, Wagner so varies that it follows the many subtle dramatic suggestions of the scene. The Eva Motive, in its original form, is as follows:

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When at _Eva's_ first words _Sachs_ looks up, there is this elegant variation of the Eva Motive:

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Then the scene being now fully ushered in, we have the Eva Motive itself. _Eva_ leads the talk up to the morrow's festival, and when _Sachs_ mentions _Beckmesser_ as her chief wooer, roguishly hints, with evident reference to _Sachs_ himself, that she might prefer a hearty widower to a bachelor of such disagreeable characteristics as the marker. There are sufficient indications that the st.u.r.dy master is not indifferent to _Eva's_ charms, but, whole-souled, genuine friend that he is, his one idea is to further the love affair between his fair neighbour and _Walther_. The music of this pa.s.sage is very suggestive. The melodic leading of the upper voice in the accompaniment, when _Eva_ asks: "Could not a widower hope to win me?"

is identical with a variation of the Isolde Motive in "Tristan and Isolde," while the Eva Motive, shyly _pp_, seems to indicate the artfulness of _Eva's_ question. The reminiscence from "Tristan" can hardly be regarded as accidental, for _Sachs_ afterwards boasts that he does not care to share the fate of poor King Marke. _Eva_ now endeavours to glean particulars of _Walther's_ experience in the morning, and we have the Motive of Envy, the Knight Motive, and the Motive of Ridicule. _Eva_ does not appreciate the fine satire in _Sachs's_ severe strictures on _Walther's_ singing--he re-echoes not his own views, but those of the other masters, for whom, not for the knight, his strictures are really intended--and she leaves him in anger. This shows _Sachs_ which way the wind blows, and he forthwith resolves to do all in his power to bring _Eva's_ and _Walther's_ love affair to a successful conclusion. While _Eva_ is engaged with _Magdalena_, who has come out to call her, he busies himself in closing the upper half of his shop door so far that only a gleam of light is visible, he himself being completely hidden. _Eva_ learns from _Magdalena_ of _Beckmesser's_ intended serenade, and it is agreed that the maid shall personate _Eva_ at the window.

Steps are heard coming down the alley. _Eva_ recognizes _Walther_ and flies to his arms, _Magdalena_ discreetly hurrying into the house. The ensuing ardent scene between _Eva_ and _Walther_ brings familiar motives. The knight's excitement is comically broken in upon by the _Night Watchman's_ cow-horn, and, as _Eva_ lays her hand soothingly upon his arm and counsels that they retreat within the shadow of the linden-tree, there steals over the orchestra, like the fragrance of the summer night, a delicate variant of the Eva Motive--=The Summer Night Motive=.

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_Eva_ vanishes into the house to prepare to elope with _Walther_. The _Night Watchman_ now goes up the stage intoning a mediaeval chant.

Coming in the midst of the beautiful modern music of "The Mastersingers," its effect is most quaint.

As _Eva_ reappears and she and the knight are about to make their escape, _Sachs_, to prevent this precipitate and foolish step, throws open his shutters and allows his lamp to shed a streak of brilliant light across the street.

The lovers hesitate; and now _Beckmesser_ sneaks in after the _Night Watchman_ and, leaning against _Sachs's_ house, begins to tune his lute, the peculiar tw.a.n.g of which, contrasted with the rich orchestration, sounds irresistibly ridiculous.

Meanwhile, _Eva_ and _Walther_ have once more retreated into the shade of the linden-tree, and _Sachs_, who has placed his work bench in front of his door, begins hammering at the last and intones a song which is one of the rough diamonds of musical invention, for it is purposely brusque and rough, just such a song as a hearty, happy artisan might sing over his work. It is aptly introduced by the Cobbler Motive. _Beckmesser_, greatly disturbed lest his serenade be ruined, entreats _Sachs_ to cease singing. The latter agrees, but with the proviso that he shall "mark" each of _Beckmesser's_ mistakes with a hammer stroke. As if to bring out as sharply as possible the ridiculous character of the serenade, the orchestra breathes forth once more the summer night's music before _Beckmesser_ begins his song, and this is set to a parody of the Lyric Motive. Wagner, with keen satire, seems to want to show how a beautiful melody may become absurd through old-fogy methods. _Beckmesser_ has hardly begun before _Sachs's_ hammer comes down on the last with a resounding whack, which makes the town clerk fairly jump with anger. He resumes, but soon is rudely interrupted again by a blow of _Sachs's_ hammer. The whacks come faster and faster. _Beckmesser_, in order to make himself heard above them, sings louder and louder. Some of the neighbours are awakened by the noise and coming to their windows bid _Beckmesser_ hold his peace. _David_, stung by jealousy as he sees _Magdalena_ listening to the serenade, leaps from his room and falls upon the town clerk with a cudgel. The neighbours, male and female, run out into the street and a general _melee_ ensues, the masters, who hurry upon the scene, seeking to restore quiet, while the 'prentices vent their high spirits by doing all in their power to add to the hubbub. All is now noise and disorder, pandemonium seeming to have been let loose upon the dignified old town.

Musically this tumult finds expression in a fugue whose chief theme is the =Cudgel Motive=.

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From beneath the hubbub of voices--those of the 'prentices and journeymen, delighted to take part in the s.h.i.+ndy, of the women who are terrified at it, and of the masters who strive to stop it, is heard the theme of _Beckmesser's_ song, the real cause of the row. This is another of those many instances in which Wagner vividly expresses in his music the significance of what transpires on the stage.

_Sachs_ finally succeeds in shoving the 'prentices and journeymen out of the way. The street is cleared, but not before the cobbler-poet has pushed _Eva_, who was about to elope with _Walther_, into her father's arms and drawn _Walther_ after him into his shop.

The street is quiet. And now, the rumpus subsided and all concerned in it gone, the _Night Watchman_ appears, rubs his eyes and chants his mediaeval call. The street is flooded with moonlight. The _Watchman_ with his clumsy halberd lunges at his own shadow, then goes up the alley.

We have had hubbub, we have had humour, and now we have a musical ending elvish, roguish, and yet exquisite in sentiment. The effect is produced by the Cudgel Motive played with the utmost delicacy on the flute, while the theme of _Beckmesser's_ serenade merrily runs after itself on clarinet and ba.s.soon, and the muted violins softly breathe the Midsummer Festival Motive.

Act III. During this act the tender strain in _Sachs's_ st.u.r.dy character is brought out in bold relief. Hence the prelude develops what may be called three Sachs themes, two of them expressive of his twofold nature as poet and cobbler, the third standing for the love which his fellow-burghers bear him.

The prelude opens with the Wahn Motive or Motive of Poetic Illusion.

This reflects the deep thought and poetic aspirations of _Sachs_ the poet. It is followed by the theme of the beautiful chorus, sung later in the act, in praise of _Sachs_: "Awake! draws nigh the break of day." This theme, among the three heard in the prelude, points to _Sachs's_ popularity. The third consists of portions of the cobbler's song in the second act. This prelude has long been considered one of Wagner's masterpieces. The themes are treated with the utmost delicacy, so that we recognize through them both the tender, poetic side of _Sachs's_ nature and his good-humoured brusqueness. =The Motive of Poetic illusion= is deeply reflective, and it might be preferable to name it the Motive of Poetic Thought, were it not that it is better to preserve the significance of the term Wahn Motive, which there is ample reason to believe originated with Wagner himself. The prelude is, in fact, a subtle a.n.a.lysis of character expressed in music.

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How peaceful the scene on which the curtain rises. _Sachs_ is sitting in an armchair in his sunny workshop, reading in a large folio. The Illusion Motive has not yet died away in the prelude, so that it seems to reflect the thoughts awakened in _Sachs_ by what he is reading.

_David_, dressed for the festival, enters just as the prelude ends.

There is a scene full of charming _bonhomie_ between _Sachs_ and his 'prentice, which is followed, when the latter has withdrawn, by _Sachs's_ monologue: "Wahn! Wahn! Ueberall Wahn!" (Illusion, everywhere illusion.)

While the Illusion Motive seems to weave a poetic atmosphere about him, _Sachs_, buried in thought, rests his head upon his arm over the folio. The Illusion Motive is followed by the Spring Motive, which in turn yields to the Nuremburg Motive as _Sachs_ sings the praises of the stately old town. At his reference to the tumult of the night before there are in the score corresponding allusions to the music of that episode. "A glowworm could not find its mate," he sings, referring to _Walther_ and _Eva_. The Midsummer Festival, Lyric, and Nuremburg motives in union foreshadow the triumph of true art through love on Nuremburg soil, and thus bring the monologue to a stately conclusion.

_Walther_ now enters from the chamber, which opens upon a gallery, and, descending into the workshop, is heartily greeted by _Sachs_ with the Sachs Motive, which dominates the immediately ensuing scene. Very beautiful is the theme in which _Sachs_ protests against _Walther's_ derision of the masters; for they are, in spite of their many old-fogyish notions, the conservators of much that is true and beautiful in art.

_Walther_ tells _Sachs_ of a song which came to him in a dream during the night, and sings two stanzas of this "Prize Song," _Sachs_ making friendly critical comments as he writes down the words. The Nuremburg Motive in sonorous and festive instrumentation closes this melodious episode.

When _Sachs_ and _Walther_ have retired _Beckmesser_ is seen peeping into the shop. Observing that it is empty he enters hastily. He is ridiculously overdressed for the approaching festival, limps, and occasionally rubs his muscles as if he were still stiff and sore from his drubbing. By chance his glance falls on the ma.n.u.script of the "Prize Song" in _Sachs's_ handwriting on the table, when he breaks forth in wrathful exclamations, thinking now that he has in the popular master a rival for _Eva's_ hand. Hearing the chamber door opening he hastily grabs the ma.n.u.script and thrusts it into his pocket. _Sachs_ enters. Observing that the ma.n.u.script is no longer on the table, he realizes that _Beckmesser_ has stolen it, and conceives the idea of allowing him to keep it, knowing that the marker will fail most wretchedly in attempting to give musical expression to _Walther's_ inspiration.

The scene places _Sachs_ in a new light. A fascinating trait of his character is the dash of scapegrace with which it is seasoned. Hence, when he thinks of allowing _Beckmesser_ to use the poem the Sachs Motive takes on a somewhat facetious, roguish grace. There now ensues a charming dialogue between _Sachs_ and _Eva_, who enters when _Beckmesser_ has departed. This is accompanied by a transformation of the Eva Motive, which now reflects her shyness and hesitancy in taking _Sachs_ into her confidence.

With it is joined the Cobbler Motive when _Eva_ places her foot upon the stool while _Sachs_ tries on the shoes she is to wear at the festival. When, with a cry of joy, she recognizes her lover as he appears upon the gallery, and remains motionless, gazing upon him as if spellbound, the lovely Summer Night Motive enhances the beauty of the tableau. While _Sachs_ cobbles and chats away, pretending not to observe the lovers, the Motive of Maidenly Reserve pa.s.ses through many modulations until there is heard a phrase from "Tristan and Isolde"

(the Isolde Motive), an allusion which is explained below. The Lyric Motive introduces the third stanza of _Walther's_ "Prize Song," with which he now greets _Eva_, while she, overcome with joy at seeing her lover, sinks upon _Sachs's_ breast. The Illusion Motive rhapsodizes the praises of the generous cobbler-poet, who seeks relief from his emotions in bantering remarks, until _Eva_ glorifies him in a n.o.ble burst of love and grat.i.tude in a melody derived from the Isolde Motive.

It is after this that _Sachs_, alluding to his own love of _Eva_, exclaims that he will have none of King Marke's triste experience; and the use of the King Marke Motive at this point shows that the previous echoes of the Isolde Motive were premeditated rather than accidental.

_Magdalena_ and _David_ now enter, and _Sachs_ gives to _Walther's_ "Prize Song" its musical baptism, utilizing chiefly the first and second lines of the chorale which opens the first act. _David_ then kneels down and, according to the custom of the day, receives from _Sachs_ a box on the ear in token that he is advanced from 'prentice to journeyman. Then follows the beautiful quintet, in which the "Prize Song," as a thematic germ, puts forth its loveliest blossoms. This is but one of many instances in which Wagner proved that when the dramatic situation called for it he could conceive and develop a melody of most exquisite fibre.

After the quintet the orchestra resumes the Nuremburg Motive and all depart for the festival. The stage is now shut off by a curtain behind which the scene is changed from _Sachs's_ workshop to the meadow on the banks of the Pegnitz, near Nuremburg. After a tumultuous orchestral interlude, which portrays by means of motives already familiar, with the addition of the fanfare of the town musicians, the noise and bustle incidental to preparations for a great festival, the curtain rises upon a lively scene. Boats decked out in flags and bunting and full of festively clad members of the various guilds and their wives and children are constantly arriving. To the right is a platform decorated with the flags of the guilds which have already gathered. People are making merry under tents and awnings where refreshments are served. The 'prentices are having a jolly time of it heralding and marshalling the guilds who disperse and mingle with the merrymakers after the standard bearers have planted their banners near the platform.

Soon after the curtain rises the cobblers arrive, and as they march down the meadow, conducted by the 'prentices, they sing in honour of St. Crispin, their patron saint, a chorus, based on the Cobbler Motive, to which a melody in popular style is added. The town watchmen, with trumpets and drums, the town pipers, lute makers, etc., and then the journeymen, with comical sounding toy instruments, march past, and are succeeded by the tailors, who sing a humorous chorus, telling how Nuremburg was saved from its ancient enemies by a tailor, who sewed a goatskin around him and pranced around on the town walls, to the terror of the hostile army, which took him for the devil. The bleating of a goat is capitally imitated in this chorus.

With the last chord of the tailors' chorus the bakers strike up their song and are greeted in turn by cobblers and tailors with their respective refrains. A boatful of young peasant girls in gay costumes now arrives, and the 'prentices make a rush for the bank. A charming dance in waltz time is struck up. The 'prentices with the girls dance down toward the journeymen, but as soon as these try to get hold of the girls, the 'prentices veer off with them in another direction.

This veering should be timed to fall at the beginning of those periods of the dance to which Wagner has given, instead of eight measures, seven and nine, in order by this irregularity to emphasize the ruse of the 'prentices.

The dance is interrupted by the arrival of the masters, the 'prentices falling in to receive, the others making room for the procession. The _Mastersingers_ advance to the stately strains of the Mastersinger Motive, which, when _Kothner_ appears bearing their standard with the figure of King David playing on his harp, goes over into the st.u.r.dy measures of the Mastersingers' March. _Sachs_ rises and advances. At sight of him the populace intone the n.o.blest of all choruses: "Awake!

draws nigh the break of day," the words of which are a poem by the real Hans Sachs.

At its conclusion the populace break into shouts in praise of _Sachs_, who modestly yet most feelingly gives them thanks. When _Beckmesser_ is led to the little mound of turf upon which the singer is obliged to stand, we have the humorous variation of the Mastersinger Motive from the Prelude. _Beckmesser's_ attempt to sing _Walther's_ poem ends, as _Sachs_ had antic.i.p.ated, in utter failure. The town clerk's effort is received with jeers. Before he rushes away, infuriated but utterly discomfited, he proclaims that _Sachs_ is the author of the song they have derided. The cobbler-poet declares to the people that it is not by him; that it is a beautiful poem if sung to the proper melody and that he will show them the author of the poem, who will in song disclose its beauties. He then introduces _Walther_. The knight easily succeeds in winning over people and masters, who repeat the closing melody of his "Prize Song" in token of their joyous appreciation of his new and wondrous art. _Pogner_ advances to decorate _Walther_ with the insignia of the Mastersingers' Guild.

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In more ways than one the "Prize Song" is a mainstay of "Die Meistersinger." It has been heard in the previous scene of the third act, not only when _Walther_ rehea.r.s.es it for _Sachs_, but also in the quintet. Moreover, versions of it occur in the overture and indeed, throughout the work, adding greatly to the romantic sentiment of the score. For "Die Meistersinger" is a comedy of romance.

In measures easily recognized from the Prelude, to which the Nuremburg Motive is added, _Sachs_ now praises the masters and explains their n.o.ble purpose as conservators of art. _Eva_ takes the wreath with which _Walther_ has been crowned, and with it crowns _Sachs_, who has meanwhile decorated the knight with the insignia. _Pogner_ kneels, as if in homage, before _Sachs_, the masters point to the cobbler as to their chief, and _Walther_ and _Eva_ remain on either side of him, leaning gratefully upon his shoulders. The chorus repeats _Sachs's_ final admonition to the closing measures of the Prelude.

PARSIFAL

Stage Dedication Festival Play (Buhnenweihfestspiel) in three acts, words and music by Richard Wagner. Produced Bayreuth, July 26, 1882. Save in concert form, the work was not given elsewhere until December 24, 1903, when it was produced at the Metropolitan Opera House at that time under the direction of Heinrich Conried.

At the Bayreuth performances there were alternating casts.

Winckelmann was the _Parsifal_ of the _premiere_, Gudehus of the second performance, Jager of the third. The alternating _Kundrys_ were Materna, Marianne Brandt, and Malten; _Gurnemanz_ Scaria and Siehr; _Amfortas_ Reichmann; _Klingsor_, Hill and Fuchs. Hermann Levi conducted.

In the New York cast Ternina was _Kundry_, Burgstaller _Parsifal_, Van Rooy _Amfortas_, Bla.s.s _Gurnemanz_, Goritz _Klingsor_, Journet _t.i.turel_, Miss Moran and Miss Braendle the first and second, Harden and Bayer the third and fourth _Esquires_, Bayer and Muhlmann two _Knights_ of the Grail, Homer a _Voice_.