The Complete Opera Book Part 23

_Brunnhilde_ mounts her Valkyr charger, Grane, who oft bore her through the clouds, while lightning flashed and thunder reverberated.

With one leap the steed bears her into the blazing pyre.

The Rhine overflows. Borne on the flood, the _Rhinedaughters_ swim to the pyre and draw, from _Brunnhilde's_ finger, the ring. _Hagen_, seeing the object of all his plotting in their possession, plunges after them. Two of them encircle him with their arms and draw him down with them into the flood. The third holds up the ring in triumph.

In the heavens is perceived a deep glow. It is Gotterdammerung--the dusk of the G.o.ds. An epoch has come to a close. Walhalla is in flames.

Once more its stately motive resounds, only to crumble, like a ruin, before the onsweeping power of the motive of expiation. The Siegfried Motive with a crash in the orchestra; once more then the Motive of Expiation. The sordid empire of the G.o.ds has pa.s.sed away. A new era, that of human love, has dawned through the expiation of _Brunnhilde_.

As in "The Flying Dutchman" and "Tannhauser," it is through woman that comes redemption.

TRISTAN UND ISOLDE

TRISTAN AND ISOLDE

Music-drama in three acts, words and music by Richard Wagner, who calls the work, "eine Handlung" (an action).

Produced, under the direction of Hans von Bulow, Munich, June 10, 1865. First London production, June 20, 1882.

Produced, December 1, 1886, with Anton Seidl as conductor, at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, with Niemann (_Tristan_), Fischer (_King Marke_), Lehmann (_Isolde_), Robinson (_Kurwenal_), von Milde (_Melot_), Brandt (_Brangane_), Kemlitz (a _Shepherd_), Alvary (a _Sailor_), Sanger (a _Helmsman_). Jean de Reszke is accounted the greatest _Tristan_ heard at the Metropolitan. Nordica, Ternina, Fremstad, and Gadski are other _Isoldes_, who have been heard at that house. edouard de Reszke sang _King Marke_, and Bispham _Kurwenal_.

CHARACTERS

TRISTAN, a Cornish knight, nephew to KING MARKE _Tenor_ KING MARKE, of Cornwall _Ba.s.s_ ISOLDE, an Irish princess _Soprano_ KURWENAL, one of TRISTAN'S retainers _Baritone_ MELOT, a courtier _Baritone_ BRANGaNE, ISOLDE'S attendant _Mezzo-Soprano_ A SHEPHERD _Tenor_ A SAILOR _Tenor_ A HELMSMAN _Baritone_

Sailors, Knights, Esquires, and Men-at-Arms.

_Time_--Legendary.

_Place_--A ship at sea; outside _King Marke's_ palace, Cornwall; the platform at Kareol, _Tristan's_ castle.

Wagner was obliged to remodel the "Tristan" legend thoroughly before it became available for a modern drama. He has shorn it of all unnecessary incidents and worked over the main episodes into a concise, vigorous, swiftly moving drama, admirably adapted for the stage. He shows keen dramatic insight in the manner in which he adapts the love-potion of the legends to his purpose. In the legends the love of Tristan and Isolde is merely "chemical"--entirely the result of the love-philtre. Wagner, however, presents them from the outset as enamoured of one another, so that the potion simply quickens a pa.s.sion already active.

To the courtesy of G. Schirmer, Inc., publishers of my _Wagner's Music-Dramas a.n.a.lysed_, I am indebted, as I have already stated elsewhere, for permission to use material from that book. I have there placed a brief summary of the story of "Tristan and Isolde" before the descriptive account of the "book" and music, and, accordingly do so here.

In the Wagnerian version the plot is briefly as follows: _Tristan_, having lost his parents in infancy, has been reared at the court of his uncle, _Marke_, King of Cornwall. He has slain in combat Morold, an Irish knight, who had come to Cornwall, to collect the tribute that country had been paying to Ireland. Morold was affianced to his cousin _Isolde_, daughter of the Irish king. _Tristan_, having been dangerously wounded in the combat, places himself, without disclosing his ident.i.ty, under the care of Morold's affianced, _Isolde_, who comes of a race skilled in magic arts. She discerns who he is; but, although she is aware that she is harbouring the slayer of her affianced, she spares him and carefully tends him, for she has conceived a deep pa.s.sion for him. _Tristan_ also becomes enamoured of her, but both deem their love unrequited. Soon after _Tristan's_ return to Cornwall, he is dispatched to Ireland by _Marke_, that he may win _Isolde_ as Queen for the Cornish king.

The music-drama opens on board the vessel in which _Tristan_ bears _Isolde_ to Cornwall. Deeming her love for _Tristan_ unrequited she determines to end her sorrow by quaffing a death-potion; and _Tristan_, feeling that the woman he loves is about to be wedded to another, readily consents to share it with her. But _Brangane_, _Isolde's_ companion, subst.i.tutes a love-potion for the death-draught.

This rouses their love to resistless pa.s.sion. Not long after they reach Cornwall, they are surprised in the castle garden by the King and his suite, and _Tristan_ is severely wounded by _Melot_, one of _Marke's_ knights. _Kurwenal_, _Tristan's_ faithful retainer, bears him to his native place, Kareol. Hither _Isolde_ follows him, arriving in time to fold him in her arms as he expires. She breathes her last over his corpse.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Copyright photo by Dupont

Nordica as Isolde]

THE VORSPIEL

All who have made a study of opera, and do not regard it merely as a form of amus.e.m.e.nt, are agreed that the score of "Tristan and Isolde"

is the greatest setting of a love story for the lyric stage. In fact to call it a love story seems a slight. It is a tale of tragic pa.s.sion, culminating in death, unfolded in the surge and palpitation of immortal music.

This pa.s.sion smouldered in the heart of the man and woman of this epic of love. It could not burst into clear flame because over it lay the pall of duty--a knight's to his king, a wife's to her husband. They elected to die; drank, as they thought, a death potion. Instead it was a magic love-philtre, craftily subst.i.tuted by the woman's confidante.

Then love, no longer vague and hesitating, but roused by sorcerous means to the highest rapture, found expression in the complete abandonment of the lovers to their ecstasy--and their fate.

What precedes the draught of the potion in the drama, is narrative, explanatory and prefatorial. Once _Tristan_ and _Isolde_ have shared the goblet, pa.s.sion is unleashed. The goal is death.

The magic love-philtre is the excitant in this story of rapture and gloom. The _Vorspiel_ therefore opens most fittingly with a motive which expresses the incipient effect of the potion upon _Tristan_ and _Isolde_. It clearly can be divided into two parts, one descending, the other ascending chromatically. The potion overcomes the restraining influence of duty in two beings and leaves them at the mercy of their pa.s.sions. The first part, with its descending chromatics, is pervaded by a certain trist mood, as if _Tristan_ were still vaguely forewarned by his conscience of the impending tragedy.

The second soars ecstatically upward. It is the woman yielding unquestioningly to the rapture of requited love. Therefore, while the phrase may be called the Motive of the Love-Potion, or, as Wolzogen calls it, of Yearning, it seems best to divide it into the =Tristan and Isolde Motives= (A and B).

[Music]

The two motives having been twice repeated, there is a fermate. Then the Isolde Motive alone is heard, so that the attention of the hearer is fixed upon it. For in this tragedy, as in that of Eden, it is the woman who takes the first decisive step. After another fermate, the last two notes of the Isolde Motive are twice repeated, dying away to _pp_. Then a variation of the Isolde Motive

[Music]

leads with an impa.s.sioned upward sweep into another version, full of sensuous yearning, and distinct enough to form a new Motive, the =Motive of the Love Glance=.

[Music]

This occurs again and again in the course of the _Vorspiel_. Though readily recognized, it is sufficiently varied with each repet.i.tion never to allow the emotional excitement to subside. In fact, the _Vorspiel_ gathers impetus as it proceeds, until, with an inversion of the Love Glance Motive, borne to a higher and higher level of exaltation by upward rushing runs, it reaches its climax in a paroxysm of love, to die away with repet.i.tions of the Tristan, the Isolde, and the Love Glance motives.

[Music]

In the themes it employs this prelude tells, in music, the story of the love of _Tristan_ and _Isolde_. We have the motives of the hero and heroine of the drama, and the Motive of the Love Glance. When as is the case in concerts, the finale of the work, "Isolde's Love-Death," is linked to the _Vorspiel_, we are entrusted with the beginning and the end of the music-drama, forming an eloquent epitome of the tragic story.

Act I. Wagner wisely refrains from actually placing before us on the stage, the events that transpired in Ireland before _Tristan_ was despatched thither to bring _Isolde_ as a bride to _King Marke_. The events, which led to the two meetings between _Tristan_ and _Isolde_, are told in _Isolde's_ narrative, which forms an important part of the first act. This act opens aboard the vessel in which _Tristan_ is conveying _Isolde_ to Cornwall.

The opening scene shows _Isolde_ reclining on a couch, her face hid in soft pillows, in a tent-like apartment on the forward deck of a vessel. It is hung with rich tapestries, which hide the rest of the ship from view. _Brangane_ has partially drawn aside one of the hangings and is gazing out upon the sea. From above, as though from the rigging, is heard the voice of a young _Sailor_ singing a farewell song to his "Irish maid." It has a wild charm and is a capital example of Wagner's skill in giving local colouring to his music. The words, "Frisch weht der Wind der Heimath zu" (The wind blows freshly toward our home) are sung to a phrase which occurs frequently in the course of this scene. It represents most graphically the heaving of the sea and may be appropriately termed the Ocean Motive. It undulates gracefully through _Brangane's_ reply to _Isolde's_ question as to the vessel's course, surges wildly around _Isolde's_ outburst of impotent anger when she learns that Cornwall's sh.o.r.e is not far distant, and breaks itself in savage fury against her despairing wrath as she invokes the elements to destroy the ship and all upon it. =Ocean Motive.=

[Music]

It is her hopeless pa.s.sion for _Tristan_ which has prostrated _Isolde_, for the Motive of the Love Glance accompanies her first exclamation as she starts up excitedly.

_Isolde_ calls upon _Brangane_ to throw aside the hangings, that she may have air. _Brangane_ obeys. The deck of the ship, and, beyond it, the ocean, are disclosed. Around the mainmast sailors are busy splicing ropes. Beyond them, on the after deck, are knights and esquires. A little aside from them stands _Tristan_, gazing out upon the sea. At his feet reclines _Kurwenal_, his esquire. The young sailor's voice is again heard.

_Isolde_ beholds _Tristan_. Her wrath at the thought that he whom she loves is bearing her as bride to another vents itself in a vengeful phrase. She invokes death upon him. This phrase is the =Motive of Death=.

[Music]

The Motive of the Love Glance is heard--and gives away _Isolde's_ secret--as she asks _Brangane_ in what estimation she holds _Tristan_.

It develops into a triumphant strain as _Brangane_ sings his praises.

_Isolde_ then bids her command _Tristan_ to come into her presence.

This command is given with the Motive of Death, for it is their mutual death _Isolde_ wishes to compa.s.s. As _Brangane_ goes to do her mistress's bidding, a graceful variation of the Ocean Motive is heard, the ba.s.s marking the rhythmic motions of the sailors at the ropes.

_Tristan_ refuses to leave the helm and when _Brangane_ repeats _Isolde's_ command, _Kurwenal_ answers in deft measures in praise of _Tristan_. Knights, esquires, and sailors repeat the refrain. The boisterous measures--"Hail to our brave Tristan!"--form the =Tristan Call=.

[Music: Heil unser Held Tristan,]

_Isolde's_ wrath at _Kurwenal's_ taunts find vent in a narrative in which she tells _Brangane_ that once a wounded knight calling himself Tantris landed on Ireland's sh.o.r.e to seek her healing art. Into a niche in his sword she fitted a sword splinter she had found imbedded in the head of Morold, which had been sent to her in mockery after he had been slain in a combat with the Cornish foe. She brandished the sword over the knight, whom thus by his weapon she knew to be _Tristan_, her betrothed's slayer. But _Tristan's_ glance fell upon her. Under its spell she was powerless. She nursed him back to health, and he vowed eternal grat.i.tude as he left her. The chief theme of this narrative is derived from the Tristan Motive.

[Music]

What of the boat, so bare, so frail, That drifted to our sh.o.r.e?

What of the sorely stricken man feebly extended there?

Isolde's art he humbly sought; With balsam, herbs, and healing salves, From wounds that laid him low, She nursed him back to strength.