I'm neither a Wagner scholar, nor a reporter, as would be quite clear
to any who knows me. This is therefore not a scholar's critique or a
reporter's account of what was said at last night's (12/9/99) presentation
of Washington's Wagner Society in Funger Hall of George Washington
University, but simply some impressions and understandings which I thought
might interest. When I don't have conflicting commitments, I like to
attend these presentations. They're always interesting and the price
is right. (Even non-members like me are admitted gratis.) Last night
I attended its last presentation of the century featuring an address by
Andrew Gray, a member of the society and a translator of Wagner's *Mein
Leben*.
Introduced by the chairman of the Society as one who views flattery as
a form of condescension, he immediately seized his audience's attention
by starting with the direct question, "Where is music? Between algebra
and gymnastics?", which had been raised by Wagner in conversations w/ his
wife. Actually, Wagner, refused to view music as something separate from
or "between" things. Music and language are closely related. Music's
momentum, direction and impetus are *towards* language; as music moves
away from sense, it approaches nonsense.
Gray hastened to assure us that by this Wagner did not mean that
all music had to be program music. Wagner characterized himself as a
*Wort-Tondichter* ("word-tone-poet"), the hyphen between "Wort" and "Ton"
being significant. He didn't set text to music but fused the two as no
one had done before or since. (I don't know whether I'd accept that
unquestioningly. Schubert's Lieder came to my mind immediately as another
instance of fusing of word and music, but Gray probably meant of words and
music by the same poet-composer.) In such fusion, the whole is greater than
the sum of its parts. As one example, Gray cited, the 4-minute "Forest
Murmurs" scene from *Siegfried*, where Fafnir, dying, realizes that he too
was subject to Albrecht's curse and accepts it repentantly. Then follow
some crucial stage direction which Gray claims are too often ignored.
Siegfried extracts the sword he has forged from Fafnir's heart (much as his
father had yanked the sword's ancestor out of the tree in Hunding's hut)
and the dragon's blood spills on his hand. It burns and he puts it to his
mouth causing him to taste and swallow the blood, and then the singing of
the Waldvogel (forest bird) transmutes itself from instrumental rendering
into an understandable voice, instructing Siegfried about the Ring, the
Tarnhelm, and eventually about Brunhilde. Gray calls it a shattering
transformation in music. As another example, he referred us to the
Gibichung scene in *Goetterdaemmerung* It's been a while since I've heard
it and I'm not sure I understand what he was referring to.
Unfortunately some of what followed was a bit deep for me (of which I'm
neither proud nor ashamed). There were references to unaccounted for
pervasive and deep discomfiture (by whom?). To transcendence. Ideas that
Wagner may have entertained but was abandoning towards the end of his life.
Music as a feminine principle, feeling, uncaring, while drama and language
are male. Music impregnated by drama. An incident when Wagner's son was
practicing on the piano and he guided his son to pick out a simple tune
with one finger. An intimation that he might write a symphony, in which he
wouldn't be pitting themes against each other but would present them in
sequence.
Gray continued that, over the last 150 years, much that has been said
about Wagner has been a substitute for thought [!]. Gray, who clearly
loves Wagner's music, possibly to the point of adoration, appeared to take
the view of *quod licet Iovi*, i.e., that genius has license denied to
lesser mortals. This is not necessarily my view, and in all fairness, I
may not be representing Gray's accurately, but that is how I understood
him. Knowing Wagner was a benefit, something sought out by people
interested at being near the "cutting edge" of music at the time. Of
course he accepted other people's money! But in his own way, he was giving
back more than he received. He was not dour or aloof but convivial, the
life of every party. A prominent Boston family that had visited him, who
had mistaken Wagner's urgings that they stay after they had remarked that
it was late and they should be leaving, as a convention dictated by
courtesy, were surprised when Wagner literally barred the door to them when
they sought to leave anyway. He was not a libertine. He was not one to
seek out the red light district when he visited a new town. Unlike many
other composers of the century, he never contracted venereal disease.
His affair with and later marriage to von Buelow's wife, Cosima, has been
distorted in retelling. He and the von Buelows had been invited to stay
w/ Ludwig of Bavaria. Wagner had sought a companion w/ whom to host the
affair who couldn't or wouldn't come. Ludwig couldn't come. Von Buelow
had another engagement. Cosima came alone. Her marriage was in shambles
anyway. The rest is history. [Unmentioned in the discussion was Wagner's
own prior marriage.]
Extreme statements of Wagner's should be considered in perspective. While
ruthless, Gray deems them excusable for someone as he. His statements
were not directed only at Jews [this was the first allusion to Wagner's
anti-Semitism in the presentation] but to everybody, as in his statement
that Paris should be burnt to the ground. Most of these remarks were to
the end of his life, when he was a sick man, w/ heart problems including
daily chest pains, and when he may not have been fully in command of
himself. Thus, Gray's explanation for Wagner's comment on learning that
400 people had been killed at a fire in a (the?) Vienna opera house during
a performance of *Tales of Hoffman*, that it "serves them right for going
to Offenbach".
Wagner's assessment of himself, w/ which Gray (and many others) agree, was
illustrated in a visit he and Cosima paid to Rome and the Sistine Chapel
in the Vatican, while they were viewing Michelangelo's ceiling. Wagner
remarked, "He isn't joking." Wagner viewed himself and Michelangelo as
equals.
This wound up Gray's presentation, after which there were some questions.
Wagner was totally indifferent to the formation of the new German Reich.
He had sought help from Bismarck but was turned down. Wagner's views are
apparently anticipated w/ greater clarity by Schopenhauer, whom I have to
admit I have not read. The anti-Semitism issue was raised again, w/ Gray
reluctant to attempt a refutation by citing the names of more than a few
of Wagner's Jewish friends and associates, realizing that "some of my best
friends are Jews" is not a convincing refutation of anti-Semitic prejudice.
It was noted that two of Wagner's pallbearers were Jewish. The best
explanation (which I assume Gray, like me, would realize is not an excuse)
for Wagner's expressions of anti-Semitism, however, that Gray could come
up with, was Wagner's exasperation w/ Meyerbeer who had a lock on opera
presentations in Germany and whom Wagner blamed for his inability to get
*Tannhaeuser* presented in Berlin. Another questioner (who I understand
was active in the Wagner Society of Dallas), apparently sought to reconcile
Gray's opposition to certain innovative stagings of Wagner w/ Wagner's own
admonition "Kinder, schafft immer etwas neues" (Children, always create
something new), to which Gray replied (I think w/ something of a twinkle
in his eye) that he approves of innovations, so long as they are correct
innovations. Wagner's stage directions should be followed. The "Magic
Fire Music" at the end of *Die Walkuere* should be staged as a ring of
fire and not a candle lit by a laser beam. Somebody put in a plug for the
Finnish National Opera's production of the *Ring*, which he had attended.
And the proceedings ended w/ someone reading a quote from Wagner that
Mozart's operas should be as Mozart had envisioned them and not dressed
up to be more recognizable to contemporary audiences. (What would he
have thought of Peter Sellars!!)
I should finally mention that, at the beginning of the evening, we were
told that the Washington Opera's next season will include *Parsifal*.
Darn! There's always at least one hook to get me to renew my subscription!
Walter Meyer
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