MU SIC Fo lio Siz e FOR VO ICE

’ K n r K u n dr ’ s Er zdlzlu n s a rra ti e . A ct u d y N v ( y g ) II .

’ Pars if a l s T r i mph Den b ezl’g en Spear zc/z br zng 1 1 m ’ u euclz zur zlck A ct II en or ) . . T FOR PIANO SOLO Prelude A r r a n g ed by Otto S i n ger Pa rsif a l a n h e l o er Ma i en s A c t II d t F w d . A r r a n g ed by Otto S i n g er

oo a S el l A c t III . . r r a n e o i n er G d Frid y p . A g d by Ott S g ’ m f m en t II r r a n e . or a s La . A c I C F. A t t A g d by M . T i los i n Sce A c t III ra nsform a on a nd C n e. t , g A r r an g ed by Otto S i n g er

Ea s T i i on r r an e F. Be er O 6 ra n scr . y pt A g d by y , p 3

T ra n scri tion r r an e L . G ob b a erts O . 1 p A g d by , p 49 r r a n e en r i r Potpourri . A g d by H C a m er FOR PIANO FOU R HAN DS

' P rel ude Vor spzel) A r r a n g ed by En g elb ert Hu m p er di n c k c t Th e Sac red Rel i cs ( Da s Ha ll/ mm ) . A I A r r a n g ed by En g elb ert Hu m p er di n c k r lzw n Th e Swa n ( De Sc a ) . A c t I A r r a n g ed by En g elb er t Hu m p er di n c k i a l a h e l e a i en s D ze Blu m en m a dclzen Pa rs f nd t F ow r M d ( ) . A c t II A r r a n g ed by En g e lb er t Hu m p er di n c k r zt z u r A Good Fr ida y Sp ell ( Cb a fi e ags a be ) . ct III A r r a n g ed by En g elb ert Hu m p er di n c k Closi n g Scene ( Die Er lésu ng ) . A c t III A r r a n g ed by En gelb er t Hum p er di n c k

IN BO O K FO R M

Sel ect ions f or P i a no Sol o r r a n e o i n er In a er A— g d by Ott S g . p p Select i on s f or Pi a n o Fou r Ha n d s

. r r n e n l er m er i k n a . a n c I er A g d by E g e b t Hu p d . p p

LlBRETTO . i h En l i s a n d er m a n ex ex l ana or ( W t g h G t t , p t y i n r o c i on a n d th e l ea i n m otiv es in m s i c a l n o t du t , d g u

R h A GUIDE TO PA R S IFA L By R IC HA D A L DR I C H . ( T e or i i n s of th e r a m a i ts s or a n d a n a n a l s i s of th e g d , y , t . y m u si c W ith th e l ea di n g m oti v es i n n ota ti on . W ith ei ght i llu s tr a ti on s of s c en es f r om th e d r a m a ) In c l o i l to 1 00 th , g t p $ .

' P u b ltJb ed by

A Gu ide t o Pa r s if a l

T HE MU SIC D RAMA O F RICHARD W AGN ER

I STOR Y flN D M USIC I TS OR IG N , ,

H L H RI C ARD LA D RI C

BO ST O N

O LIVER DIT SO N CO MPAN Y

N EW Y O R K CHICA GO P HI L A DEL PHI A

H LY N HE . E. D N CO C . H D N CO . O . AS . ITSO ALY J ITSO

CO P Y R I HT M MIV BY O L IVER DIT O N CO MP A N Y G , C , S [ A GU IDE T O P A R srr A L J PR EFA C E

little book can make small claim to origi S m for i nalit . I y It an attempt to asse ble, the nter “ of est and guidance listeners to Parsifal , some of f the most important acts about the sources , the origin , the characters and the poetical and musical structure of that work . The author acknowledges ’ a special indebtedness to Maurice Kufferath s “ ” ’ Wolzo en s book on Parsifal , to Hans von g ” Guide through the Music of Parsifal ; in less ’ “ Kr h iel measure to H . E . e b s Studies in the Wag ’

i . ner an Drama , and to W Henderson s biog h rap y of the master . For permission to use por tions of his articles published in The N ew York Times n , he desires also to express his tha ks to the f publisher o that journal .

C O N T EN T S

PA GE I NTRODUCTORY

R PA T I .

T HE O RIGINS O F PARSIFAL T h e First P erform an c e T he Sources of the Drama

R PA T I I .

T HE STORY O F W AGN ER ’ S PARSIFAL T he Characters of the Dram a

R T PA I I I .

T HE MU SIC O F P ARSIFAL T h e P relude A ct I

Ii ct II .

Act I I I . . BIBLIOGRAPHY

ILLUSTRATIONS

SCEN ES FROM PARSI FAL A S GI V EN AT T HE METROP OL

O E E N EW K ITAN P RA HOUS , YOR .

‘ r P /zozo r a /zs b P a ck Br os o Me or in a l dr awin s a F om g p y . f ig g m de éy

’ H Bun k/zer o? ° o z m z 69 V e a . . C . ,

P A GE

F T HE I n T HE O G . S e e 2 HALL RAIL Act . , c ; Act I I I . ,

' ’ Sc ene I Fr on tzsfizece

W D BY T HE K E A I en HE . c t S e I T . OO LA , c

T HE W A Y T HE E E r an sf orma on P an O N TO T MPL . (T ti o

r am a) A ct I

’ E A n 1 ct . S e e KLINGSOR S CASTL . I I , c ’ B G DE . S en e 2 KLINGSOR S MAGIC AR N IN LOOM Act II c , 4 2

’ D R r an sf rm a on KLINGSOR S MAGIC GAR EN IN UINS . (T o ti

S en e 2 S ene . c ) Act I I , c

’ D HE E . S ene 1 0 GU R N EMAN z s HU T BY T . M A OW Act I I I , c , 5

T HE E E Tran sf rm a n P an O N T HE WAY TO T MPL . ( o tio o

rama) A ct I I I .

[xi]

INTRO DU CTO RY

' R S last roduct PA IFAL , the p of Richard Wag ’ f ner s long creative activity , is di ferentiated in many ways from any of his previous works , and from any other lyric drama . In subject and in f style , and in its general e fect upon the stage , it stands by itself . It is a religious drama ; Wag ’ “ ner s designation of it as ein Buhnenweihfest S ” “ piel , may be translated as a sacred stage fes ” tival play . Its subject and the treatment of it are mystical : there are many religious elements in it ; the philosophical tendencies of its outlook upon life are more deliberate and more obvious than those of its predecessors . There are ethical bases upon which many of its fundamental ideas and incidents rest . There are deep and complex sym holisms conveyed through the characters and their interplay in the action of the drama . Its music ff ‘ shows di erences in style and manner, as well as in the general quality of its inspiration , from that ’ — of any of Wagner s previous music dramas in which it but repeats the history of its predecessors ; for one of the facts that most astounds the student of his works is the progressive change that marks them from “ Rienzi to “ Parsifal They are all ’ unmistakably Wagner s ; yet each one is a differ ent expression of the same musical spirit , and the series shows a steady advance in the power, [xi i] Introducto ry

b i of complexity , su tlety , and orignality the purely musical part . While the earlier works of Wagner have won at last a general acceptance from the public and ac quiescence from even the earlier inimical criti “ ” cism , debate has persisted over Parsifal , and its in dividual characteristics have arrayed against it a determined hostility . This is based , not on a general opposition to the principles of Wagner ’ s art r and his methods as a ly ical dramatist, for the “ ” Wagner question is no longer a living issue , “ ” but upon the nature of Parsifal itself ; upon the religious and philosophical ideas it embodies ; upon the moral grounds it sets forth ; upon the character of its personages and the ideals that animate them ; and upon the alleged failure of the inspiration of of the music , the weakening and dwindling the ’ fire of Wagner s genius assumed to be displayed “ ” in it . On the other hand , Parsifal is hailed as a supreme embodiment of the highest task a lyrical dramatist can set himself ; as a profound and up lifting presentation of the subtlest and deepest spiritual truths ; as a sublimated essence of the composer ’ s musical expression raised to its highest in power of exalted potency , and couched the most highly developed and perfectly finished musical language that Wagner ever commanded . The music of “ Parsifal ” is indeed different f rom the music of the earlier dramas , because it must be , because it had something essentially dif ferent to express and to interpret . And because it “ ” is not the music of Tristan , with its strains of passion and sensuous longing and ecstatic ardor ; [xiV] Introductory

” of S or Das Rheingold , with its imple, trans parent picturing oi elemental beings of the upper ” S and the nether world ; or of Siegfried , howing forth the imperious buoyancy of the hero un touched by fear and the fresh and joyous outdoor

nature in which he lives because it is not these , “ ” it does not follow that the music of Parsifal is

limp , weak , or failing in inspiration . It is other than these because it is itself ; a complete and faithful embodiment of the dramatic and philo Sophic premises and proceedings by which it is °

conditioned and to which it is indissolubly welded . “ ” A golden stream of tone it is , as one of its most “ vehement opponents has styled it ; an almost ” miraculous musicianship has produced it ; the latest blossoming of a great master ’ s technical

powers .

’ WAGN ER S MU SI CAL STYLE Those who study and listen to Parsifal ” will ’ find it absolutely true to the type of Wagner s latest development of musical style as applied to

the lyric drama . In all the reams of essays that he wrote to define and to explain his system , a few facts stand forth conspicuously as the founda

tion of that system . His attempt was , first , to reverse the relation in which music stood to the dramatic element of the conventional opera , and

to make the drama the chief thing , music one of a number of subsidiary elements employed to ex press it ; music is only one of the means of expres

sion , not the principal end the others being i i i s i art poetic dict on , act on and declamat on , cen c [XV] Introductory and all the other accessories that go to make up

the stage picture . These are fused together in a for complete organic union , working harmoniously ’ the embodiment of the poet s thought . As a nec essary postulate , the libretto or text must become in itself a consistent and reasonable drama rather unintel than the amorphous , often foolish and ligible thing that it is in the conventional , pre

Wagnerian opera . As a consequence of his View of the function of m a usic in the lyric drama , it comes to take on different form from that which was settled by the

almost uniform practice of his forerunners . They

had developed melodic patterns , regular in form , involving a certain balance and recurrence of phrase the characteristics known to everybody

as those of a complete tune or air . Successions of for for these tunes , single voices or voices in com binations of two or more , or in chorus , became the f of chie substance operatic music , separated by of n l passages fra kly unmelodious character, cal ed m recitative . Wagner found the highest e bodi ment of his musical ideal for the lyric drama l f through a who ly di ferent method . Short melo dic phr ases or themes that were associated with specific meanings and charged with a certain emo tional color he made the foundation of his musical n structure . They were repeated . ecessarily , as the set patterns or tunes of the earlier operatic writers were repeated ; only , now , the repetitions and the n order of their recurre ce , were made to follow the significance of the text and the course of the action and he to depend upon them , rather than upon t [xvi]

Introdu cto ry an intimate knowledge of the special significance of the themes and melodic material out of which the music is constructed . The motives must , and it is the chief source of the power of Wagner ’ s s m of e mu ic dra as that they do , create themselv s the proper emotional state in the mind of the i bearer . a rec None the less , it is certain that pp ation and intimate understanding of the music , of a in and thus the unfolding of the dr ma , are creased by a kn owledge and recognition of the motives . Hence a large portion of this book is devoted to an enumeration of them and a discus sion of their use .

[xvii ] A GUIDE TO PARSIFAL

PA R T L

THE OR IGIN S O F PAR SIFAL

WE have Spoken of the religious character of ” f Parsifal . Its basis is ound in the series of m edimval legends relating to the Holy Grail , the of quest of the Grail , the knights and defenders the Grail. Early in his career as a dramatic com poser , Wagner came to the definite conclusion a conclusion that had with him the weight of an artistic principle that the proper subjects for treatment in the lyric drama were to be found in the great mass of popular legends the myth fi ology of the Teutons . His rst important opera ,

- Rienzi , was an opera in the old fashioned sense, ’ e s and like most others of its kind , like Meyerb er , on whose model it was avowedly based , it was the um elaboration of a historical subject . Before he “ ” dertook a his next , Der Fliegende Holl nder, Wagner had convinced himself of the futility of for such historical subjects dramatic treatment , especially the treatment to which his gradually formulating views as to dramatic truth and the true function of dramatic music were leading him . A Guid e to Parsifal

He was beginning to recognize that in the highest form of musical drama the emotions of the scene must be the predominating force upon which music must be centred . But in the historical drama the details of movement and all the acces sories are a hindrance to the broad and free play

of these emotions , and hence to the unhindered development of the musical element . The em ployment of mythological subjects enables the S dramatist to implify the story , to broaden its an s lines , to make it expression of elemental trait s of humanity , to make its characters typical figure : of human emotions , passions , and aspirations em bodiments of racial or national ideals . In his “ essay A Communication to My Friends , Wag ner expresses his idea briefly thus :

T he e e ate er a e or at it ma be a ed l g nd , in wh v g n ion y pl c , has the advantage that it comprehends only the purely u a rt t s a e or at and rese ts t s or h m n po ion of hi g n ion , p n hi p t a r e u ar to it t r u e trate and ion in fo m p c li , ho o ghly conc n d therefore easily intelligible This legendary chara cter gives a great advantage to the poetic arrangement of the su e t for the reas a rea e t e t at e th b c on m n on , , e j l dy— i d h Whil simple process of the a ction easily com—prehen sible as far as its outward relation s are concerned renders um necessary any painstaking for the purpo se of explanation the urse the st r the reatest ss e rt of co of o y , g po ibl po ion of the poem can be dev—oted to the portrayal of the inner mo tives of the action those inmost motives of the soul hi ee the a t ts out to us as e essar w ch , ind d , c ion poin n c y, through the fa ct that we ourselves feel in our hearts a sympathy with them . In his search for legendary and mythological l z subjects , the subjects that were uti i ed in [2 ] The Origi ns of P arsifal

” - Tannhauser and Lohengrin , Wagner came upon the great treasury of Grail stories that were r all spread th ough the earliest literatures of Europe . He was deeply occupied with these legends in the “ ” forties , as is shown by Lohengrin , which is based upon a portion of them , and also by his “ ” e Wibelun en 1 8 8 prose ssay , Die g , published in 4 , in which he drew a comparison between the Grail legends and those relating to the Nibelung ’ s hoard , between several elements of the two myths which he regarded as parallel , and the moral and ethical Significance of them . But nothing more ” came of it at the time . The Nibelung dramas , “ “ ” Tristan and Die Meistersinger , absorbed his attention in the years immediately following . It is ffi not di cult to trace from his own writings , his letters and the voluminous reminiscences of his ’ friends , the progress of Wagner s ideas through the greater part of his career, and the evolution

by which his music dramas . gradually took on “ ” form and substance . The Nibelung Trilogy ” was the product of such an evolution ; Parsifal reached completion in its present form after a in much longer period of incubation . The first ception of the drama may be traced back to 1 85 5 ; it was not finished till 1 88 2 .

Schemes for dramas of ethical content , treating of purely religious subjects , presented themselves 1 8 to Wagner early in his career . In 49 he was thinking of one that should have for its central

figure Jesus of Nazareth . He even conceived the idea that such an opera would do for the Grand é Op ra in Paris, for which Liszt was urging him to [3] A Guid e to P arsifal

try something . Of course this came to nothing ; but Wagner went on with his sketch of his New Testament drama and gave it shape the shape it now possesses in print in the posthumous frag “ ” ment , jesus of Nazareth . There are motives “ ” in its action still traceable in Parsifal . There i ’ was to be the wash ng of the Saviour s feet , the anointing of His head . Wagner even expressed the intention of representing Jesus as loved by

Mary Magdalen and as resisting her . While he was working out his first conception “ in 1 8 6 of Tristan und Isolde 5 , he formed the “ V1c idea of another purely ethical drama , The

. In t tors It was to be Buddhistic its subjec , and was to embody the Schopenhauerian philosophy , the desire for the surrender of life and for ann ihi “ ”

15 f In . lation , that set orth Tristan There are traces of the Parsifal idea here , too . The hero , chaste ascetic Ananda , was to be a , , loved by Prak n love riti who , after experienci g the torments of without hope , renounces desire and is led to re demption in the community of Buddha . The sug gestion was afterwards worked out in a different way in the figures of Parsifal and Kundry . It is a curious fact that Wagner was again led back to Parsifal and the Grail legends through

Tristan und Isolde , which belongs to the same cycle of mediaeval and earlier than mediaeval “ ” stories . In his first sketch for Tristan , which ‘ 1 8 W he made in 5 5 , agner intended to follow one of the ramifications of the legend connecting the characters of Tristan and Parsifal . He thought of a opposing to Trist n , the hero of passion , Par [4] T he Origins of P arsifal

sifal , the hero of renunciation . In the third act, after Tristan and Isolde had been reunited in the Kareol castle at , he intended to make Parsifal appear in the guise of a pilgrim to offer consola tion to the anguish of the two lovers . He had even got so far as to assign to him a musical theme representative of his faith , and contrasting with the passionate plaints of Tristan . The diffi culty of the treatment caused him to give up the fin idea , and to carry through the al scene as we now have it ; but the facts are significant of the deep penetration into his mind of the Parsifal idea , even at this period of his life . “ ” The first step toward Parsifal , as it was des S tined finally to hape itself, was taken by Wagner 1 8 in the spring of 5 7 , when he was enjoying the l tranquillity that had so se dom come to him , on the little property on the Lake of Geneva , near Ziirich , put at his disposition by the generosity of his friends the Wesendoncks. On Good Friday of that year , in an hour of poetic reverie , the epi sode recounted by Chrétien de Troyes and Wolf ’ ram von Eschenbach , of Parsifal s meeting with m the pilgri s on that holy day , came to him , as he himself recounts . He wrote then the lines in which Gurnem an z describes so beautifully to Par sifal , in the third act of the music drama , the spell of Good Friday , the day of universal penitence and universal pardon :

Des Su ers R euethranen s es nd ind , ’ ’ die heut mit heil gem Thau ’ betraufet Flur un d Au ; d r e liess Sie so gedeihen . [5] A Guide to Parsifal

N un freut sich alle Kreatur Auf des ErlOsers holder Spur l ihr e t ihm wi l G be weihen .

It was the germ of the drama . A few days later Wagner sketched its outlines around the of f of of figure Parsi al , the hero renunciation and h l compassion . T is sketch contained not on y of portant scenes the drama , but musical motives for as well , as has often been pointed out , the relations between his musical and his poetic and ’ dramatic materials were so close in Wagner s min d that the one seldom came to him without

the other . They were indissolubly connected i w th each other , conditioned upon each other , and in this fact is to be found one of the chief secrets ’ of Wagner s power as a creator of the lyric drama . ” “ But Siegfried and Tristan were then em

grossing his time and attention . He was in the midst of his long and laborious work on the “ N i b ” l ll elung Tri ogy , sti seeking and not yet finding the conclusive form in which those dramas were

destined to evolve themselves in his min d . And “ before he had achieved his end he had left his

young Siegfried under a linden tree , as he wrote L to iszt , and had betaken himself to the compo sition of his great love drama , in which , as we have of f just seen , the figure Parsi al was to make a

1 T he sad re en an ears of s nners , p t t t i Have here with holy rain Bespri nk led field and plain m w w And m ade th e glo ith beauty. All earthly creatu res in delight ’ At th e R edeem er s trace so bright U plift thei r prayers of duty. [6]

A Guid e to Parsifal

” lung dramas , and there was much to be done to complete them . There was preparation for the “ ” unfor production of Tristan and Isolde , and , tunatel y, there were malice and intrigue against and him to be met , the change of many plans , l finally his retirement , sti l under the protection and in the favor of the king from the Bavarian T riebschen n capital to on Lake Geneva , and fi ally to the little hill town of Bayreuth . Then came the — long and much troubled proceedin gs for the erec n tion there of the Festival Theatre , and the fi al consummation of one of Wagner ’ s most deeply cherished ideals in the performance of his works as he had conceived them and wished them to be performed .

But in the meantime the royal patron had , of “ ’ n course , been informed of the i choate Parsifal ’ that was lying dormant in Wagner s mind . One of his most ardent wishes was to see the comple ’ tion of this drama ; and at King Ludwig s urgent 1 86 solicitation , Wagner , by the end of 4 , very soon m after his sum ons to Munich , and in the midst of the arduous labors into which he plunged there, took up again the unfin ished sketch of the drama and definitely completed its plan . It was so far developed that he could read it to private gather

1 86 . ings of his friends in 5 It underwent changes , however . before it assumed its final shape . There were years of exhausting activity and — anxiety ahead the years of the completion of the Bayreuth Festival Theatre and the fin ancial uncertainties as to its outcome . They were tr i umphantly overcome in the successful opening of [8] T he Origi ns of Parsifal

the house in 1 8 76 ; and immediately thereafter Wagner betook himself to the completion of Par ”

. 1 8 sifal The poem he finished early in 7 7 , and

at the end of that year published it . Although the chief musical motives presented themselves to

him as he proceeded with the work , the finishing

of the musical fabric was a matter of five . _ years In d Its substance was established a detaile sketch ,

1 8 . finished in April , 79 He had already com leted a p and orchestr ted the prelude , and had it Wahnfried performed at his Bayreuth home , , on 1 8 8 Christmas Day , 7 , by the Meiningen Court

Orchestra , which the Duke of Meiningen had placed at his disposition to allow him to give his

wife , Frau Cosima Wagner , a surprise upon the s anniver ary of her birth , which falls upon that

day . The second act occupied Wagner till the autumn of the next year ; by the following sprin g the third

act was finished all was , however, only in the

form of a detailed Sketch . The task of the in strumentation still remained to be done ; it was an n exhausti g task , which occupied him for nearly 1 8 8 three years , from the winter of 7 to the begin

ning of 1 88 2 . It was much interrupted by fail In g health , and the visits to Italy by which he

sought to restore it . His friends have put on record the extraordinary fastidiousness with which

he performed this part of the labor . The assign ment of a theme or a figure to such and such an

instrument , was the subject of long meditation on

his part . Everything must have a definite object , a particular significance . How deliberately he [9] A Guid e to Parsifal

worked is seen by the long intervals that separ

ated the completion of the several acts . Much of

the work was done during the visits to Italy . Progress on it was also interrupted by the writ ing of numerous essays and treatises on various msthetic musical , and philosophical matters with

which he was concerned , swelling the already great mass of literary works that had come from his i “ pen . The fin shing touches were put upon Par sifal in for Already , however, preparations the first per

formance had been going forward . In Italy Wag oukowsk ner had met the Russian painter, Paul J y, with whom he had worked out the details of the

stage settings , the architectural style of the Castle l li ’ of the Grai , and K ngsor s magic stronghold , the ff landscape e ects , the Oriental splendor of the

magic garden , the costumes and accessories of all f sorts . Then ollowed the preliminary rehearsals S with the ingers , active formulation of plans with a m chinists and experts in stage management , all

the work of preparation in detail , even before the

score was finished . In six months the work was ready for its production .

R RF THE FI ST PE OR MAN CE .

f 26 The first per ormance took place on July , 1 88 2 , in the Festival Theatre at Bayreuth , which was then reopened to the public for the first time “ Since the memorable production of Der Ring ”

1 8 6 . f des Nibelungen , in 7 This per ormance , and 2 8 the one next following it on July , were reserved [1 0]

T he Origin s of Parsifal

fOr the members of the Wagner Societies ; the third and the thirteen succeeding performances there were sixteen in all were open to the pub

lic . The occasion was of an importance to the musical world comparable to that of the first “ ” Nibelung performances ; and , like those , the first representations of Parsifal were thr onged all with musicians , critics and amateurs from over

the world . After the manner of Bayreuth , sev eral of the personages in the cast was represented by two or three diff erent artists in rotation . The casts at the first performances were as follows :

R eichmann AMFORTAS Fuchs TITUR EL Kindermann Scaria GU R N EMAN Z Siehr

Gudehus PAR SIFAL Winkehn ann Jaeger KLIN GSOR Hill Materna KUNDRY Malten Mari anne B randt HE u t rs ERM N N EVI F N Z FI C . Cond c o , H A L , RA S R

The first performance of Parsifal outside of Bayr euth disregarding various representations that were given in Mimich in the strictest privacy — Y before King Ludwig II . was in New ork at 2 the Metropolitan Opera House , on December 4 ,

1 90 3 . A long controversy had preceded the pro duction , after the manager , Heinrich Conried , had announced his plans in regard to it . There was an attempt to stop it by legal means , on the part [ I I ] A Guid e to P arsifal

of the Wagner heirs , which failed in the courts . There was discussion of the propriety of produc ing the work in New Y ork on the ground of sac rilege in the stage representation of a character so nearly resembling Christ as Parsifal ; of certain

incidents taken from the life of Christ , as the ’ bathing and anointing of Parsifal s feet by the re entant p Kundry, his baptizing of her , his anoint Gurnemanz ing by , and of the Eucharistic feast in the castle of the Grail . There was question of the aesthetic propriety of taking the work away from the special surroundings of Bayreuth for which Wagner had intended it ; and of the ethical propriety of appropriating it , even with the per mission oi the courts and of the copyright law . was The interest in the production , however , very great . Twelve performances were given in this 2 1 0 season , the last being on April 3 , 9 4 ; all were attended by enormous audiences . The cast was as follows : AMFORTAS TITUREL M GU R N E AN Z . PARSIFAL KLIN GSOR KUN DRY u t r ALF ED R HE Tz. Cond c o , R In three performances Miss Marion Weed took T n the part of Kundry in place of Mme . er ina .

F DR THE SOUR CES O THE AMA . Wagner and Tennyson alone in modern times have found in the legends of the Holy Grail ma [ 1 2]

A Guide to P arsifal

from the bewildering complexities of the Grail

legends and the stories of Arthur, he drew the ” material of Parsifal . In both cases he not only wrought a closely knit and logical dramatic struc hi i ture , in w ch he delineated the work ngs of ele f mental orces in human nature , but made them the vehicle of a philosophy of life and of a pro ” found ethical teaching . In Parsifal he has united and condensed some of the most signifi f of l cant eatures the Grai stories , not hesitating

to change , to select and eliminate , to rearrange and to Shift the perspective and relative Significance of n various personages , events and underlyi g ideas ; to add and to develop according to his own dra

matic needs , yet preserving the general form and

spirit , and breathing into it all the new and higher N significance that he wished to express . b Scholars have found that in its original form

the Grail was a pagan talisman , and that it was

transformed into a Christian symbol , with a vast I of number of other deas , after the conversion

Europe to Christianity . They find in the ultimate form of the Grail legends an amalgamation of two

different sets of stories . There were the Arthu

rian stories , British , Celtic in origin,and developed in a large body of literature in England in the i twelfth century , in which the Gra l did not at first

appear . The most important of these deals with Peredur , whose adventures were in many ways identical with those of Perceval in the French

stories . In France was developed the idea of the in f Grail , at first a vessel which was o fered a I n of draught wisdom or of youth , and the , later, a [ 1 4] T he Origins of Parsifal

Christian symbol . Of this there were two con ceptions ; one that it was a stone struck by the Archangel Michael from the crown of Lucifer which fell to earth . In the later versions it is the r sacred vessel used by Ch ist at the Last Supper, in which Joseph of Arimathaea caught the blood f S rom the ide of the wounded Saviour on the cross , and which thereby became a talisman of won drous power . The part it plays in the stories is various ; but through them all its quest was one of the chief duties and highest ambitions of chivalry . According to one of the legends it was brought to Great Britain by Joseph of Arimathaea and de posited at Glastonbury . This one Tennyson fol lowed in The Idylls of the King ; and thus he speaks of the Grail and its lot :

T he cu the cu tse r i our r p , p i lf, f om wh ch Lo d ra at the ast sad su er t his D nk l pp wi h own , This from the blessed land of Aromat After the day of darkness when the dead e t a er r a the sa t W n w nd ing on Mo i h good in , Ar at aea se ur e r u t im h n Jo ph , jo n ying , b o gh ast ur ere the w ter t r To Gl onb y , wh in ho n

ss s at hr st as u our r . Blo om C i m , mindf l of Lo d

According to another legend , the one which

Wagner adopted , it was given , with the sacred S pear, by angels into the keeping of Titurel , son of the King of Cappadocia . He built a sanctuary Montsalvat for it on in Galicia , Spain , where it was guarded by a body of knights , pure in word . and deed , whose lives were devoted to its service . Among its talismanic properties is thep gwe—r of feeding and as it IIid [ I s] A Guid e to Parsifal

of a for f Joseph Arimath ea , lying in prison orty two years ; and as it did the Knights of the Grail .

"’ ' Another is that of prophecy ; another that 6f ch60s ing its defenders ; it foretells the coming of the knightly rescuer , and appointed him to the task . The sacred spear that is closely connected with i l it , is the spear w th which the Roman so dier Lon ginus pierced the side of Christ as He hung upon

' the cross . It is an object of equal adoration with the Grail and also a talisman of supernatural power . With the Grail , it came into the keeping

Titurel . Perceval or Parzival is the evolution of a figure that goes back to the misty antiquity of the race . He is the Great Fool ” of a series of British and Teutonic folk tales a lad of noble lineage “ sent by his widowed mother to save him from his w wicked uncle , to be brought up , unkno n , by a own kitchen wench in a forest , in ignorance of his nl ff name , u earned in the a airs of life . In the ChristianizatIOn of this legend the qualities of this ‘ Great Fool are given a spiritual significance ; he is guileless , pure , as well as simple , a fool ; and hence he is chosen for the doing of divine deeds ; his enlightenment comes through pity . In the earliest form of the legend he is not connected o with the Grail at all , but was brought int relation with it in later transformations and consolidations of the two stories . There are two principal literary versions of the story of the hero of the Grail that have come ” down to us : one the Conte del Graal of Chre tien de Troyes , a French poet of the twelfth cen [ 1 6] T he Origins of P arsifal

tury , relating the adventures of Perceval ; the other “ ” the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach , who came a little later in the twelfth century, the ’ German minnesinger . Chrétien s romance was left unfinished ; as to the indebtedness to him of

Wolfram there has been great dispute . Wolfram S speaks lightingly of his predecessor , whose ver sion of the legend he declares to be distorted , and asserts that his own version is founded on that of Kiot oh a Provencal poet named , who in turn tained it from Arabic sources . In certain parts the two differ greatly in detail ; but they are in formed with the same spirit of knightly chivalry . ’ Wolfram s , the completest and most beautiful ver of sion of the legend , is the immediate source ’ Wagner s drama , though he has also taken cer ’ tain elements from the other . Wolfram s poem is about equally divided between the adventures of the Parzival and of Gawain ; and some of latter , though not connected with the Grail at all , have been incorporated by Wagner into his work . Wolfram also describes the Grail as the jewel of ’ Lucifer s crown ; and the representation of it as l the sacred vessel fi led with the blood of Christ ,

Wagner has taken from Chrétien . ’ In Wolfram s poem , Parzival is the son of Her zeleide , a widow , who brings him up in ignorance of everything relating to chivalry , that he may be

Gamuret. spared the fate of his father , the knight

But one day he sees three knights riding by , and — follows them , in his simple minded ignorance , ’ dressed as he is in fool s clothing . He reaches ’ King Arthur s court ; wins a suit of armor by killing [ 1 7] A Guide to Parsifal a knight who insults him ; sets out again and Gurnemans comes to the castle of an old knight , ’ de Graharz (the prototype of Wagner s Gurne

him i . n manz) , who instructs in many th ngs Agai he goes forth and wanders from castle to castle ; he aids the people of a beleaguered city , and mar r Kundwir amur ries thei queen , , by whom he has “ twin sons one of them being Lohengrin Lo herangrin in the orthography of Wolfram . He sets out again to seek his mother , of whose death him he is ignorant . His adventures now take to a great castle , peopled with knights , where the i m i uff master, K ng A fortas , recl nes s ering upon a couch . A noble damsel brings in an object of l l wondrous bri liancy , the Grai , which provides a feast for the company ; a squire bears a bleeding lance and Amfortas presents Parzival with a mag

- nificent sword . The Simple minded youth is lost in wonder at these marvels ; but remembering the i of Gurn emans teach ngs , not to speak too much in nor to ask too many questions , he makes no

. U hi quiry as to their meaning pon t s question , Anfortas in it seems , depends the recovery of , now definitely postponed by Parzival ’ s failure to pro pound it . In the morning he departs , but as he his goes , a squire abuses him for stupidity in not askin g the question as to the nature and function of the Grail . He returns to the court of Arthur and is admitted to the Order of the Round Table . Kondrie There , the sorceress , in her turn over whelm s him with reproaches for his stupid neg lect in questioning . Again he goes forth in de i h spa r , having renounced the Round Table t rough [1 8] T he Origi ns of P arsifal

the conviction of his own unworthiness . He ex eriences a p various dventures , among them the

meeting with the pilgrims , who remind him of the 1 8 day of Good Friday , the episode which in 5 7

made so deep an impression on Wagner . He ar

rives , finally , at the cell of a hermit who instructs him in the story of the Grail and the bleeding n f r . A o tas ff spear , he is told , is su ering the pun ishm ent of lust , having received a wound from a poisoned Spear which cannot be cured until a kn ight shall arrive and of his own initiative ask ’ about the king s sufferings ; and in the meantime the sight of the Grail prolongs his agony by keep ing him alive . Parzival hears his condemnation

S . thus again , but bears his humiliation in ilence fi Then he departs , and nally reaches once more the Grail castle . Asking this time the fateful m question , he releases A fortas from his misery , W receives the crown , is joined by his ife and his twin sons , and rules gloriously . An episode of the story as told by Wolfram that has supplied Wagner with one of the characters occu of his drama must be mentioned , though it ’ pies no place in the story of Parzival s adventures .

It relates to Gawan , another of the knights of the

Round Table , who has also gone in quest of the Grail , and who , in his life of errantry , reaches Klinschor the Castle of Perdition , of which , the magician , is lord . There he has imprisoned many

Christian knights and dames , whom Gawan frees by undergoing numerous terrifying trials . In a very different Shape Wagner has utilized part of “ the idea in Parsifal . II 9] A Guid e to Parsifal

The narratives of Chrétien and Wolfram are i . S long , discursive and complex Only the most g ’ nifican t features of the latter s have been men tion ed here , those bearing most directly upon Wag ’ ner s drama . How he possessed himself of the most pregnant , the ones most fitted to form the corn erstones of his dramatic structure ; how he exalted and tran sfigured the story and made it the vehicle of profound and beautiful symbolism these things are among the marvellous achieve ments of his genius . From the multitudinous de tails of these mediaeval stories Wagner has disch few f tangled a few characters , a incidents , rom which to construct his music drama . He has fol lowed the mediaeval conception of the nature and f unction of the Grail , of the sacred spear with which Longinus pierced the side of the dying

Saviour . But there have been infinite changes , accen suppressions , simplifications , broadenings ,

tuation s of one and another trait . Most of all there has been a great transformation in the spirit

and significance of it . The romantic mediaeval narrative has been turned into a drama of deep

hi . et cal import , representing a philosophy The

characters embody types of humanity , and their actions are eloquent of deeper things than those that go on in the narratives of the medimval story

tellers , beautiful as these are .

A Guid e to P arsifal

! Pto the allurements of a maid of fearful beauty in in that garden ; and as he lay her arms , he was r l be eft of the sacred lance by K ingsor , who with

it inflicted upon him a wound that never heals .

This maid is none other than Kundry , a strange

being leading a twofold life , sometimes in the ’ m thrall of Klingsor s agic , of dazzling beauty , then serving as his instrument of evil ; at other times She is of wild and savage mien , repentantly min isterin g to the Grail knights , though they fear her

like her . The first act Shows us a glade in a shadowy

forest surrounding the Grail Castle . Day is dawn in Gurn em an z g, and the hale old knight arouses

the esquires who are sleeping under the trees .

They hear the solemn call to prayer from afar ,

n . ff e and all k eel and pray Amfortas , the su ring

king , is about to be carried to his bath in the lake at hard by , and approaches , reclining on a litter,

T . ended by knights and esquires Then comes , n too , Kundry , a terrible figure upon a madly flyi g h of orse , to bring an Arabian balsam in the hope

g iving Amfortas relief . The king is borne in on

his way to the bath , bewailing his unceasing agony , “ and longing for the guileless fool , through pity ” i enlightened , who is , accord ng to the prophecy l uff of the Grai , to give him surcease of s ering . ’ e S [ Hpasses on , after acknowledging Kundry ser “ wild vice , who lies motionless on her face , like a ” beast In a conversation with the young es m uires f Gurn emanz of q which ollows , informs them es the significance of what they have seen , and tablishes the posture of circumstances upon which [2 2] ’ T he S to ry of W ag n er s Parsifal

’ the drama is based . He tells of the Grail and of the sacred spear delivered into Titurel ’ s charge ’ by angels ; of Klingsor s vain attempt to gain ad mission to the chosen band of pure Grail Warders ; of his baleful machinations to corrupt the kn ights i in his magic garden ; of Amfortas and his Sn . ’ Gurnem an z s discourse is interrupted by cries of horror from the knights and esquires . A wild swan has been wounded with an arrow . The ’ Gurnem anz s re culprit is brought in , listens to roaches p , then breaks his bow and throws it away “ in an access of remorse and pity . I knew not ’ ” twas wrong, says he . It is Parsifal . Asked by Gurnem anz who is his father , who is his mother , he knows not . AS to his own name he knows only that once he had many , but can remember none now . Something he must know , as Gurne ’ manz tells him ; it proves to be his mother s name Herzeleide , which he pronounces , only to learn from h Kundry that S e is dead in his absence . He is n violently overcome by the tidi gs , and springs urn m nz upon her in a rage . G e a restrains him ; he grows faint , is revived by water which Kundry runs to fetch from a neighboring spring . Kun dry feels herself overcome with ominous weariness n w gripped by terror , k o ing that her time has come to serve the wicked Klingsor , she staggers into a thicket and Sinks down unconscious .

To refresh the youth , and with an inkling that he may be the guileless fool long expected , Gur n eman z leads Parsifal to the castle to partake of the sacred nourishment furnished by the Grail to S all who are pure . That he has the hadow of a [2 3] A Guide to Parsifal hope that the deliverer may be at hand is indi cated by his words to Parsifal :

Let me to the Feast t e u t t ee holy h n cond c h , ’ For an thou rt ure , p , Sure the ra will ee and re r t ly G il f d f esh hee. i ? ” hi Parsifal asks , What is the Gra l to w ch Gurnemanz replies : I m ay n ot say; But to ser e it t u art e if v ho bidd n , e e it wil n ot be i Knowl dg of l h dden . An d 10 !

et s I n t ee M hink k ow h now indeed .

They set out for the Grail Castle . Their prog ress is a strange one ; they only appear to walk, and the scenery slowly moves past them . AS ParSifaI say5 : I scarcely move ’ Y t see t at far I v e h e gone.

’ Gurn em anz s explanation is a metaphysical

: riddle ’ son t u see st My , ho r a and ar on He e Sp ce Time e e.

h l un They pass t rough strange rocky gal eries , f der cli fs , along mysterious darkling passages . n They arrive fi ally at a mighty hall , lighted from the dome high above . Chimes are heard . It is the time for the solemn unveiling and adoration of the Grail . There are two long tables spread n with cups . The knights enter in a solem pro

i . Am cession , each tak ng his place at the board fortas is brought in on his litter and helped up to

a . a raised couch in the middle , behind an ltar

- Boys precede him , bearing the purple draped [24] ’ T he S tory of W agn er s P arsifal

l Shrine of the Holy Grai , which is placed upon the altar before him . The voice of the aged Tit d urel is heard , calling upon his son to do his uty and uncover the sacred vessel . Amfortas breaks an out into passionate lamentation , bewailing the guish caused him by the ceremonial , and beseech ing the divine pity . The Grail is uncovered , and the hall is Shrouded in a mysterious gloom . Then of a sudden a blinding ray of light shoots down upon it , and it glows with an intense crimson

All . lustre . kneel The words of the communion service are intoned , and Amfortas , with bright ened mien , raises the Grail , waves it gently to and fro , while all cast their gaze reverently upon it .

Then the gloom of the hall is lightened , the glow l of the Grai wanes , and the esquires distribute the bread and wine with which the power of the holy i r vessel has provided them . All St down to the e Gurnem anz past , including , who beckons to Par

S . ifal to come and partake of it All this time , S however , he has stood as one dumbfounded , ilent and motionless , nor does he change his mien as

Amfortas is borne out again upon the litter , and urnem anz the knights slowly file after him . G turns to him roughly :

Why standest thou here ? ’ Wist thou what thou saw st ?

Parsifal shakes his head , still speechless . Then ” thou art nothing but a fool , cries the old man in : bitter disappointment , and bids him begone

Leave all our swan s for the future alone And see t se a er a se ! k hy lf , g nd , goo [2 sl A Guid e to P arsifal

Gurn emanz f As turns away , a clear voice rom above is heard repeating the prophecy of the Grad By pity enlightened T h u F e G ileless ool .

In the second act we see, first , the magic labor ’ ator of y Klingsor s castle , a place of fantastic out

i . l nes illumined with a dim , unholy light The wizard is laying his spell upon the unwilling Kun dry , summoning her to the task of seducing Par

sifal , who is approaching the castle and whom he i sees in his mag c mirror , laying about him as he C omes , disabling the castle guards and mounting

the garden wall . Change of scene : The whole castle sinks ; and there rises in its place the magic garden full of tropical vegetation and a luxurious of wealth of flowers , a place allurement , glowing with light and color . At the back , a wall , upon

which stands Parsifal , gazing in astonishment at

the scene before him . A throng of beautiful dam

sels appear in haste , as if suddenly disturbed from

sleep . They bewail the loss of their lovers , the

castle guards , whom Parsifal has so quickly dis oi posed , and call upon the rosy youth to come

and play with them . Parsifal descends among them and listens to their chatter and their en

dearments. One after another they slip away and

return in the guise of living flowers . Pressing

around Parsifal , they ply him with their blandish

ments . At first amused , then half angry at their i nsistence , he turns to make his escape , when he ’ hears his name called by Kundry s voice : Parsifal tarry ! ” [2 6]

A Guide to P arsifal

throws himself upon his knees , calls upon the ’ Saviour , the Lord . From Kundry s kiss he has received enlightenment ; he understands all now ’ re the cause of the king s downfall , the baleful

sults wrought by his Sin . He spurns the eu him chantress from , bidding her begone . Kun i him dry , bew ldered and beseeching, asks

So hath then my ki ss With world - wide Vi sion endowed thee ? If my full love should embra ce thee ’ ure to ea t u ra s S ly godh d wo ld i e thee. Parsifal offers her love and redemption if she will but Show him the way to Amfortas the

pure love that leads to redemption . In rage Kun dry declares that he shall never fin d the way ; and that the curse of Christ that once punished her for laughter , gives her might once again she pleads for a single hour in his embrace , then the path “ ! ” way he shall find B egone , unhappy woman ’ is Parsifal s only reply . Kundry in a wild frenzy calls out for all the pathways to be barred ; cries

to Klingsor for help , curses all the roads that Par : sifal may travel , and bans his search for Amfortas

For fledst thou from hence and foun dest All the a s the r w y of wo ld , ’ T he on e that thou seek st ’ That pathway ne er shalt thou fin d Here I curse them to thee: a er a er ! W nd , w nd u I trust Tho whom , Thee will I give as his guide !

With these words She delivers him over to the n t ender mercies of Klingsor . Kli gsor appears [2 8] ’ T he S tory of W ag ner s P arsifal

upon the castle wall with the sacred lance of which he robbed Amfortas . He hurls it at the youth ; but the holy weapon stops , poised har m lessly above his head . Parsifal grasps it , makes S the ign of the cross with it , and Klingsor and all his works disappear, the castle crashing to ruins , the garden withering to a desert , the damsels lying as shrivelled flowers upon the ground . Parsifal mounts the garden wall again and disappears , turning to the prostrate Kundry with the words :

Thou knowest h ere we a eet a a W only Sh ll m g in . With the parting of the curtain upon the third ’ act , we are again in the Grail s domain , amid a

flowery meadow in springtime . It is Good Fri

. Y . Gurneman z day ears have passed , now very ’ — old , emerges from a hermit s hut . He sees Kun w dry rigid , almost lifeless , in a thicket ; drags her out , restores her to consciousness and strength .

She is again the penitent Grail servant , pale , sad , with flowing black hair and a rough brown robe . With the one word “ service service ! ” she sets

- about her self appointed tasks . Now emerges f rom the neighboring wood a stranger knight , clad in black armor , his helmet closed , his spear low R . e ered , advancing slowly with bowed head ’ s ondin Gurnem anz s p g not at all to greeting , he lays down his arms and Silently prays before them . Gurn em anz recognizes him as the fool whom once he dismissed in anger from the Castle of the Grail ; he recognizes the spear ; he presages the coming — — of the long hoped for deliverer . Parsifal rises [2 9] A Guid e to P arsifal f Gurn emanz rom his prayer , greets with gratitude

to heaven that he has found him again . He tells of him of his many experiences , his ardent desire

to find again the Grail and the suffering king . Long has he wandered through error and suffer in g, and now a new hope comes to him that he has reached his goal or is it a new deception ?

All . is changed , he thinks , in those domains His way lies toward him whose sore lament he once him listened to , an awestruck fool ; for whose healing he deems himself ordained ; but always — has the wished for path been denied him . He

has wandered blindly , driven ever onward by ’ r Kundry s curse th ough countless distresses , bat

tles and conflicts , and away from the true road ,

though well he knew it , his main care being to keep inviolate and undefiled the sacred lance that has come into his keeping for that which gleams and glows before him is none other than the Grail ’ s

holy spear . Gurnemanz bursts out into an ejaculation of wonder and thanksgiving ; then he narrates how Amfortas has refused to perform his office of Grail x Warder and e hibit the sacred vessel to the knights,

hoping thereby to end his agony with his life . The “ m s holy meal is denied them , and com on viand i must content them The r strength has wasted ,

and no longer is the spiritless , headless band sum l m oned . iture to holy warfare T , deprived of the ’ Gurnemanz Grail s sustaining power , is dead ; for his himself has hidden in the wood , waiting

time to come . i Hearing these th ngs , Parsifal bursts out into ’ T he Sto ry of W agner s P arsifal passionate self - reproach as being himself the cause S unconscious of all this woe , and is like to ink into fl ’ 116 5 5 Gurn em anz s , but for support and the water I that Kundry brings to sprinkle his face . Shall he ? be guided straight to Amfortas asks Parsifal . ’ Y es Gurnemanz s , is reply ; for that day they are summoned to the castle for the obsequies of Titu rel ; and once more then the Grail will be uncov ered — Amfortas will again fulfil his long neg lected office to sanctify his sovereign father and rn nz to expiate his own Sin . Gu em a leads Parsi re fal to the edge of a spring , and , with Kundry , moves his armor ; and after KW Sbathed t hisj ee , dips water in the hollow of his hand and spgpkles the kni h In the '

‘ meantime Kun ry draws a golden flask of oint ’ ment from her bosom , anoints Parsifal s feet and wipes them with her the

flask and anoints his head , proclaiming him king . Parsifal fulfills his first duty by baptizing Kundry and bidding her believe on the Redeemer . Her curse is broken , and she weeps bitterly . ra Turning around , Parsifal gazes with gentle p ture on the woods and fields remarking upon their

. 5 beauty It is Good Friday spell , answers Gur nem anz; the tears of repentant Sinners sprinkle them with holy moisture and bless them . Gurn em anz then craves leave to lead Parsifal to the Grail Castle , after dressing him in the mantle of the Grail knights . The three set out “ ” together . Again space is changed to time , and they are translated through the intervening dis tance with scarce a movement . They come to the [3 1 ] A Guide to Parsifal

of f i great hall the castle as be ore , amid the peal ng of the bells ; see the knights enter , bearing Titu ’ rel Scorpse upon a bier ; see Amfortas brought in

upon a litter . There are this time no tables set

for the holy meal . Again Amfortas is called upon

to uncover the Grail , but he refuses , and tearing

open his wound , summons them to plunge their

ff . swords into it , deep , to the hilt , to end his su ering Thereupon advances Parsifal with the out stretched spear touching Amfortas ’ s side with the point and saying :

O ne weapon only serves : T he one that struck an tau h C s nch t y wounded Side. f i Am ortas , healed , is irradiated w th holy rap f ture . Parsi al announces his kingship , as the one f oretold by the oracle , the Guileless Fool enlight

ened by pity . He stretches forth the spear , the

point glowing with rosy light . He uncovers the l Grail and holds it aloft ; it , too , is i lumined by

the crimson radiance as before . A flood of light f / is poured rom above , and a white dove flutters

f . down , poising itsel above his head Kundry , n gazi g at him , sinks lifeless to the ground . In soft voices all proclaim :

Wondrous work of mercy : to th R d r R edemption e e eeme .

THE CHARA CTER S OF THE DR AMA

h The character of Parsifal ' iS depicted in broad — ’ v ’ and unmistakable lines ifi Wagn er s drama ; but there are innumerable subtle touches by which its [3 2] ’ T he S to ry of W agner s P arsif al

. details are accentuated Of knightly birth , he has been brought up in a way effectively to keep savoir aire him from the knowledge the f , the

V . S point of iew of his class He is a impleton , n truly, in his profou d ignorance of all the world a holds . He is uncouth . unt ught in the ways of h e . men , and so presents himself at t outset He

is ignorant of the law , as of all else , and hence in of S ; a creature of undisciplined impulse . He ’ shares not at all in Gurn emanz s horror at the “ killing of animals : For sure he killed the swan whatever goes flying he hits ; and there speaks

- the young wood rovin g barbarian . He is igno rant even of the difference between good and evil till Kundry tells him that the giants and caitiffs , / Gurnem anz who attacked him were evil , and that ’ his mother was good . Kundry S sneering and ’ abrupt revelation to him of his mother s death. rouses in him first an unthinking fury against the

bearer of the ill tidings as the cause of them . His mental processes are as those of a child . But he

! responds at once to the first appeal to pity . Gur ’ nemanz s demonstration of the heinousness of his sin in killing a harmless wild swan causes in him u a complete rev lsion of feeling, as he breaks his bow and casts it away . Thus appears at the very outset the first indication of the cardinal trait of ’ his character . His mother s death comes to him as the first experience of the sad reality of sorrow . On hearing Amfortas ’ s cry of agony before the

Grail , Parsifal clutches violently at his heart ; but this new experience of pity , unnoted by Gurne ’ S manz , has left him peechless ; he has no words to [33] A Guid e to P arsifal

voice his new sensation to the knight who sees

only what is on the surface , and indignantly spurns

him in his disappointment . His emotions when beset by the flower maidens are those only of amusement and of annoyance at their importuni ’ ties . He does not understand them . Kundry s first utterance of his name revives the recollec

tion of how his mother called him , the remem

brance of the one love , the one tenderness he has known ; and at the same time his remorse is kin dl ed at his forgetfulness and senseless folly .

Through that tenderness and that remorse , Kun

dry works to awaken him to pity, and seeks to

lead him on thereby to passionate love . The mingling of carnal temptation with the purity of fil e ial love is distasteful , and has been much riti cised , but it is a bold conception and masterfully

carried out . The awakened pity brings results ’ n different from Kundry s a ticipation . It brings of full enlightenment , the complete development what has been germinating in his soul under our n eyes . It brings k owledge of good and evil , and of the inevitable consequences of the sin to which A Kundry invites him . S he struggles with the S storm of inful emotions that rages within him , all Sin of is revealed to him at once the Amfortas ,

the cause of his agony, the personal responsibility

of the sinner , the guise in which temptation came . “ He sees the sacred cup , and he feels the thrill of ’ ” redemption s rapture . All he thinks of is to rescue and to save . At last the guileless fool has r come into birth ight of his soul , fullness of knowl

of . edge , pity, of renunciation His adventures [34]

A Guide to P arsifal

she is filled with a longing to meet again a com passionate being who Shall release her from her

torment by the power of redeeming love . But her sin always rises up to thwart her ; for through ’ She of it is subject to the thrall Klingsor s magic , and when this is upon her She is the unwilling ih l strument ; il ‘ for the seduction of men unw ling ?

. hi S oi - he ature s carna et s n , i te r_ - y when t ide a in she and s gks th ou h , m is of insensate lust fi e r g est e ai be - m a r n e ns g - I . fi A QQ l . her éiY I Struggle against this magic thral

as she will , she must always yield , when the time

comes for her to yield . The tragedy of her ex istence is solved by the strength and the all - em

bracing compassion of Parsifal . In her different

! guises she presents a strangely diverse figure . In the first act She is a wild creature with eyes now fieril blazing y, now fixed and dull , roughly clad , r ude and abrupt in speech , yet devoted to the gservice of the Grail and its king . She strugglesm i f earful agony and with blood - curdling shrieks to resist Klingsor as he conjures her for his evil pur of poses , taunts him fiercely as he boasts the cause of his power over her ; but all her struggles She are vain . When reappears in the guise of the T emptress in the magic garden , it is with all the '

Conviction , all the equipment of the accomplished

wanton . At first she reckons only upon a kind of shy embarrassment on the part of the in nocent fir youth . But when her kiss kindles in him the e

of sensual desire , it also reveals to him the mean ’ !Tng and the consequences of it . To Kundry s Lastonishm ent he repulses her ; her feelings change [3 6] ’ T he S tory of W agn er s P arsifal to yearning and admiration for him ; She bethinks She herself of her own need for pity , desires him for herself and her own salvation , and puts her

entreaties to him on that ground . She pleads for only one hour In his embraces so She Shall gain h redemption and deliverance from her curse . SD ’ 5 is now herself, not Klingsor tool , and is putting] forth her temptations on her own behoof . BELL

Parsifal knows that that way damnation lies . help her he is also sent ; but he knows that help cannot come from the source that is the cause of her condemnation :

T he new life that Shall thee deliver ’ Think n ot thy sorrow s fount m ay yield Salvation can thy heart_know never at fou t to l a U ntil th n thee s se led . In the third act Kundry takes on still another S character ; that of the grave , ilent penitent , yearn f ing , with su fering imprinted on her face , for the

opportunity to serve , speaking only the one word “ ” a service , and going tranquilly bout the duties

of a servant . Gurn emanz finds her mien strangely

altered , and rejoices that he has rescued her for salvation from the sleep of death in which he

. for“ found her it , and final scene of the dram a 18 but the comp] Wo the rk __begun by Parsifal through his re

. She IS ba ti to her wiles Tearless , till he p and thereby breaks the curse that has so long

rt - held her in its ban , and then is fulfilled the e7 demption that was begun upon her In the magi c

garden . A Guid e to Parsifal

GUrneInanZ S of _ hares some the lovableness that Wagner put into that other old man of his

. of creation , Hans Sachs He has a touch humor, through his garrulousness , his rugged strength , his vigorous uprightness . There are kindliness , sympathy , beneath his rough exterior . He is not

i - S presc ent nor far eeing , nor can his mind take IS devious paths , but he all devotion to the Grail and to Amfortas . His humor twinkles through his rough summons to the sleeping watchers at the very beginning of the drama :

He - ar ers t a ! y, —ho , wood w d w in Sleep w arders I call ye! e a e at east t the rni ! Com , w k l wi h mo ng When he is questioning Parsifal in vain to find : out who he is , he ends with the dry sarcasm

Declare then what thou knowest : O f something must thou have kn owledge !

And when after the disclosure of all the Grail for mysteries , the youth has nothing to say him self, not even a question to ask , the old man in his disappointment pushes him rudely from the castle with his rough jest

ea e all our s a s for the utur e alone L v w n f , An d see t se a er a se ! k hy lf, g nd , goo

While he is all horror for the wickedness that has been the undoing of Amfortas , he has a good word for Kundry , whom the young esquires fear and distrust . She has nothing in common with Gurn em anz them , says ; but when they need help in tirne of danger she breathes zeal through their [38] ’ T he Sto ry of W agner s Parsifal

She ranks ; and if is under a curse , it may be that she is living there to atone for Sins unforgiven in her former existence by serving the knights through her good actions . He does not suspect her con ’ nection with Amfortas s fall , for he even asks her She where was with her help , when that disaster befell . In the last act his age and sorrow have brought greater gentleness and a chastened spirit . His attitude toward Parsifal is then of devout ex ectanc p y, and even his chiding of the helmeted ’ knight for intruding , armed , into the Grail s do main is of the mildest . Through that act he thankfully takes the part of the chosen agent to consecrate the Deliverer and to lead him to the ailing king whom he is to supersede . ” Sympathy for iAm IfaS) does not Spring from ’ the listener s heart . His suffering makes him an egotist , and he is engrossed with it and with the longing for deliverance so long delayed . Wagner makes him speak with an eloquence of lamenta tion that has few parallels in music ; and while the music is moving , profoundly expressive of his cor roding anguish , he comes __before us as scarcely more than the representative of the effect of Sin ’ S upon man , the articulate utterance of humanity rue and yearning for relief, a picture of his kind , seared and weakened witli the consequences of AS sin . for his place in the community of the : Grail knights , Wagner himself has written

T he significance of the king of this knightly company “ ” we s u t the r a ea the r as o gh in o igin l m ning of wo d King , the head of the community who was chosen for the guard ing of the Grail ; he was to be di stinguished from the other [39] A Guid e to Parsifal knights in nothing except the mystic importance of the high u t attr ute to him a e as e as his in com f nc ion ib d lon , w ll long r en u f r p eh ded s f e ing .

l in SOI g j, the malignant agency that has brought woe into the domain of the Grail , only briefly appears in the course of the drama itself ; but the effects of his baleful power persist and are felt from the beginning till they are annihilated by the coming of Parsifal at the very end . He is that pagan with whom paganism encroaches upon the Grail ’ s domain his abode is ‘ ‘ rankest pagan ” urn em anz G . land , as tells the young esquires Revenge and cupidity are his controlling motives ; h magic , working t rough the basest means of lust

. i and unholy desires , his method His mach na tions are directed toward the capture of the Grail a for himself , through the destruction of its gu rdi ans , and toward vengeance for his rejection from n the band of the Grail K ights , to membership in

. i which he aspired His malignant , mock ng na ture is revealed in his speeches to Kundry at his evocation of her as he taunts her with the wrong she has wrought Amfortas and with his own power over her , and as he rages at her own taunting question as to his chastity . He sees the oncoming Of the stripling Parsifal with glee , welcoming him to his destruction , and he watches the disaster to own k his nights , his castle guardians , with cynical i iff nd erence , caring for nothing , not even the de struction of his chosen vassals , except the achieve ment of his own selfish ends . But his power van ishes as a noxious mist before the rays of the sun , as Parsifal turns upon him with the rescued spear . R T III PA .

THE M USI C

’ IN none of Wagner s music dramas has he car ried out his musical system with greater skill or “ ” certainty of touch than in Parsifal . In none has he exhibited a higher mastery in the fashion in g of the musical texture from leading motives , in the suggestiveness and logical completeness with which he has done it , or in the sonority, richness and mellowness of the orchestral garb with which he has clothed the score . In thematic invention the “ Ring ” dramas and Die Meister ” Singer may surpass it ; in spontaneity it stands ” below Tristan ; but the poetical beauty and ” subtlety of the Parsifal music , the expressive all power with which it interprets the characters , f emotions , su ferings , aspirations , that are em in bodied the drama , are surpassed in none other ’ of Wagner s works . In none of them is the key to the understanding of all to be sought so con n ll ti ua y in the music . AS Mr . Newman has pointed out , this wonderful series of tone pictures has a veracity to which no other musician could ever have attained ; his unri v alled power of con ceiving life and character in terms of music is S triumphantly hown in such figures as Parsifal ,

Kundry and Amfortas . It is the purpose of the present chapter to point out the leading motives by the use of which he has achieved these results . [4 1 ] A Guide to Parsifal

I . THE PR ELU DE

The Prelude is , as it were , an initiation into the sacred mysteries of which the drama is the eluci h dation . It at once takes us into the c aracteris tic mood and atmosphere of the play the mood

of solemnity and reverential awe . It has been “ ” compared to the Prelude of Lohengrin ; the of poetic subjects the two have much in common , of but there is nothing the passionate eloquence , “ ” the dramatic intensity , of the Lohengrin pre “ ”

. ff lude in that of Parsifal The di erence , it has

been observed , resides in the more epic treatment that fills the prelude to “ Parsifal ” with a con tem lative p calm , as well as in the more solemn

subject of the drama . Wagner has explained the fundamental ideas of this prelude in a brief analytical note that he prepared for a private performance of it before

. 1 880 . King Ludwig II , at Munich , in It is as 1 follows : ” Love Faith Hope ? ” First theme: Love.

a e e ta e t e our T k y my body, k my blood , in ok n of ” at a t his ers a - love! (R epe ed in f in w p by ngel voices. ) “ ” a e e o ta e e r me ! T k y my blood , my b dy k , in m mo y of hi r (Again repeated in W spe s. )

t : Fa t Second heme i h .

t r u a t Fr Promise of redemption h o gh f i h . i mly and t a t e f st ut a t e ares se e e e su er . o ly f i h d cl i lf, x l d , willing v n in f ing To the promise renewed Faith answers from the dimmest

1 ’ R c ard Wa n er s Prose Work s ran s a ed b W am s on i h g , t l t y illi A ht 88 l V . . . l s vo . El i , III , p 3 [4 2]

T he Music

he ts as the s the s - te e r igh , on pinion of now whi dov , hove ing ar s usur re an d re the earts m en downw d , ping mo mo h of , i the r the e ature t the fill ng wo ld , whol of n wi h mightiest ’ r e t e a u a a to ea e s au t as a fo c , h n gl ncing p g in h v n v l if p But e re r out the awe as . pe ed onc mo , f om of solitude t r s rt the cr t : the a the h ob fo h y of loving pi y gony , holy eat O et the e eat t r es t a the sw of liv , divin d h h o of Golgo h ; a es the fl s rt and s the body p l , blood ow fo h glow now in a e w t the ea e ess e all ch lic i h h v nly glow of bl ing , Sh dding on and a u s es the ra e ra s that lives l ng i h g c of n om won by Love. For ear u rue for Sin at eart ust ua him who , f f l h m q il e re the e s the ra for A rtas u b fo godlik vi ion of G il , mfo , Sinf l ee er the al we are a e rea : l re e t k p of h idom , m d dy wil d mp ion heal the gnawing torments of his soul ? O nce more we hear the promi se and we hope!

The prelude opens with the motive of The Last Su er pp , intoned in unison by the violins and wood wind without accompaniment :

T HE E I. LAST SUPP R

The solemnity of this motive at once seizes upon the mind of the listener and grips it tight . It is f used requently in the drama , symbolizing the

association of the Grail Knights , the holy , pur poses for which it exists . Besides its simplicity

as an unaccompanied melody, may be noted its

syncopated character , and its undetermined to n alit y, containing in two contiguous measures the

D natural foreign to the key (A flat) , in which it

. appears , followed in the next measure by the D flat It is to be observed that two fragments of this [43] A Guid e to Parsifal

f theme are requently employed by themselves , the first being used as a voicing of the Saviour ’ s cry of : anguish , thus

THE SAVIOUR ’ S C RY O F ANGUIS H

f The second , the clause immediately ollowing it , is the representative of the sacred spear , and as

IV. such is given below , as Theme Soft arpeggios in the violins follow the first enunciation of this theme ; then the theme is re eated p , to their accompaniment , in the higher octave . It comes again in minor and a minor f third higher . More so t arpeggios ; the second The Grail: theme then enters , the theme of (page S 1 4 , ystem 4) E II. TH GRAIL

only three measures long , but rising in a soar ing uplift of the harmony to a forte , played upon trombones and trumpets . This , like the preced ing , is frequently repeated to characterize the wor ship of the Grail , which is one of the corner stones of the drama . There is hardly a scene in

1 T h e re eren ces are to th e s m fied ed ions of the P ano Score f i pli it i , R n mi T he on e b K ar Klin dworth the o er b c ard Klei ch el. y l , th y i h pagin ation of these is th e sam e up to p age 2 0 6; sep arate indica tions are given after that poin t . [44]

A Guid e to P arsifal

i In w th reference to the Spear , here and later the

. 6 th I st of work (Page , 5 system , and page

IV. T HE SP EAR

ACT I . With a final repetition of the Last Supper theme ascending in fragments in softest pianissimo the Prelude ends on the dominant seventh chord of

A- flat , and the curtain is immediately parted upon the first scene of the drama . We hear the Last Supper theme blown in the distance as a reveille r by wind inst uments on the stage . After Gurne ’ manz s half - humorous rousing of the sleeping es n quires , the brass i struments , also distant upon i the stage, intone the Gra l theme , then the Faith a theme , as solemn call to prayer, at which all ] — knee and bow in worship . A sort of march like theme is used to indicate the Order of the Grail f of clearly derived directly rom the theme Faith , and little more than a rhythmic transformation of it . It first appears when Gurnem anz tells the

. 1 0 esquires it is time to expect the king (Page , system C HORUS O F' T HE GRAlL KNIG HTS T he M usic

When Gurnem anz sees the litter of the king approaching on the way to the bath , the motive ’ of Amfortas s suffering is ann ounced in the or ’ chestra , picturing Amfortas s woe a theme of v n hea i ess , deriving much of its significance from its augl ented interval and irregularl 5 co ated m n accom iini e t. 1 0 I st p (Page ,

F ' FFE V. AM ORTAS S SU RING

As Gurn em anz sadly acknowledges the present hopelessness of relieving the king , we hear the the 1 2 tones of Motto of Promise (page , system that later comes in more complete form as the : prophecy is disclosed , as follows

F E VI. MOTTO O PROMIS

Wa it for hi m

’ T hen comes the rush of Kundry s mad ap proach , for which the orchestra presents two themes . First , before her appearance , the Riding 1 Motive (page 3 , system that is later used in f very di ferent connections , in the manner of description as , for instance , when Parsifal tells his roaming through the forest ; or when Kund [4 7] Guid e to P arsifal

KUN DRY ’ S RI DING MOTIV E

condemns him to endless wanderings ; or when on his he scr t o eW return de ibes h s anderings . It may , however , for convenience be called from the cir cum stan ces of its first appearance by the nam e f just a fixed to it . t Then , as she emerges , comes a motive tha is used throughout the drama in connection with l an d certain phases of her character , her wi dness

VIII D . KUN RY

ungoverned impetuosity ; it contains the implica hr tion of her curse , driving her t ough the world

without rest , and of her demoniac laughter these may be heard in the fufiously descendin g

chromatic passages of minor thirds and semitones , hr through t ee octaves , as it is employed here , [48] T he M usi c though afterwards it is often used in a briefer

. 1 compass (Page 4 , system As Kundry hands the vial to Amfortas there is heard a motive in descending diatonic thirds signifying Kundry ’ s service as a helpful messenger of the Grail , and She reappearing in the third act , where penitently comes forth again for service . It may be called ’ i : 1 the motive of Kundry s serv ce (page 5 , system

D ’ IX. KUN RY S S ERVIC E

As a pendant and a contrast to the distressful theme of Amfortas ’ s suffering comes now the motive that accompanies his contemplation of the morning glory of the forest ; it may be called the : 1 motive of the Glory of the Dawn (page 7 , sys tem T HE F X . GLORY O T HE DAWN A Guide to Parsifal

It Is employed with exquisite skill In the beauti ful passage that follows , in connection with the motive of sufferin g and with fragments of the ’ Faith theme , the motto of Promise and Kundry s in i be themes , elaborat ng the succeeding scene

Gurnemanz . tween Amfortas , and Kundry (Pages 1 7 The curious may find here some of ’ f Wagner s e fective contrapuntal subtleties , as for instance where Amfortas ’ s theme and that of the

Glory of the Dawn are combined in double canon . 2 1 (Page 3 , system , and again , page 34 , system Gurnemanz Amfortas passes on , and , left alone with the esquires and Kundry , gives the long ex planation of what has gone before , setting forth the dramatic situation . In this narrative the style is remarkably varied , and those whose ears

“ are attuned to the art with which Wagner has treated it , will miss the tedium that many have found in it . All the motives hitherto mentioned

‘ va appear in it as a whole and as fragments , in rious guises and various harmonic transforma tions . A study of the text with the music will l Sti estiveness reveal the wonderfu subtlety, gg and plasticity with which Wagner has interpreted and

m . _expounded the scene in his usic i As Amfortas proceeds , the esquires beg n their suspicious and hostile remarks about Kundry . “ ” Are not the very beasts here holy ? She asks in answer to their teasing , and we hear the Grail ’ 2 Gurn em anz s motive (page 3 , system In de fence oi her may be noted the recurrence of the theme of the Last Supper as he speaks of her effort 2 to be shriven of her sins (page 7 , system the [so]

A Guide to Parsifal

6 page 3 , system Still another modification i appears on page 3 7 , system 3 , intertw ned with suggestions of the Grail Theme . In the mean time there have been several recurrences of the of Theme the Last Supper (page 35 , system 4) and of the Grail Theme . Now comes the Klingsor motive as Gurnemanz describes the magician ’ s vain attempts to gain ’ in 8 membership the knights company (page 3 , system 2 XII . KLINGSOR

p ’ When Gurnemanz tells of Klingsor s magic gar 0 f den (page 4 , system there are ragmentary of hints , no more the delicious melody sung in the second act by the flower maidens , and there to be described and quoted . AS he finishes his recital he quotes the Grail ’ s prophecy of the com f ing deliverer (page 44 , system and the our “ esquires repeat it after him Through pity en lightened the Guileless Fool (page 44 , system but they do not finish it Wait for him , my ” chosen tool ; they are Interrupted by the violent incursion of Parsifal held a prisoner by indignant knights who have caught him red handed . With his first words is heard the motive that is devoted r f to him th oughout ; brilliant , militant , ull of youth 8 fr ful exuberance (page 4 , system A few ag ments of it have been heard in the agitated music [5 2] The M usic

that precedes , together with a hint of the Swan ’ harmonies . This is Parsifal s theme :

XIII . PARSI FA L

’ Gurnemanz s reproaches are couched in musi cal terms of great tenderness and beauty . In them we hear the curiously characteristic har “ ” 1 monies of the swan as they occur in Lohengrin , here enwrapped in the arpeggios of harps and violins but plainly discernible as based on the fol 0 6 1 lowing forms (page 5 , system , and page 5 , systems 1 and SWAN HARMONI ES

Gurnem anz As questions him as to his name . there is the first suggestion of the motive of Her

1 Self quot ation of this sort with a deliberate pu rpose is not un ’ kn own to studen ts of Wagn er s work s ; they will fin d Ha ns Sachs “ ” quoting from T ristan un d I solde in the thi rd act of Die M eis “ tersinger ju st as they will fin d M ozart quoting from Le N ozze “ ” di aro in the as act of Don G ov ann . Fig , l t i i [53] A Guid e to P arsifal zeleide i , h s mother , who called him many names n l that he ca not now reca l (page 5 4 , system

XIV. HERZ ELEIDE

Its tender strains accompany the first entrance ’ of compassion into this ignorant wight s heart , as ’ later they accompany Kundry s well calculated assault upon his feelings in the second act . Gurn emanz escorts the young man to the Grail f Temple , and as they proceed , the scene shi ts , gradually moving past as “ time is changed to ” space . This transformation is accompanied by an indescribably rich and varied orchestral pas on sage , based chiefly the Bell Theme the notes tolled by the bells of the Grail Castle heard first f f rom afar , then louder and louder, as ollows 6 (page 3 , system

BE HEME XV. LL T

This is elaborated in the accompanying figure thus :

[54] T he M usic

Many of the other themes are woven into this tonal fabric , especially the Grail Theme . A new and important theme enters before the great hall of an is reached , a theme that presages the scene guish about to be witnessed there . It is entitled , in the thematic analyses that have the authority ’ of Wagner behind them , the theme of the Saviour s

L . ament It is used , however , largely to depict f the anguish of Amfortas and his su ferings , mental Sin and physical , resulting from his and the hurt of soul and body that came to him therefrom . It is a theme of poignant , searching quality , with n drastic dissonances and sy copations , the very embodiment in music of the suffering it repre

. 66 sents Here it is (page , system

V THE ’ E X I. SAVIOUR S LAM NT

It forms the climax of the orchestral interlude accompanying the scenic transformation . The l Be l Theme constitutes still , however, the chief substance of this music ; and to its march - like rhythm the knights enter and take their places at the tables . The Grail Theme and the Faith [5 5] A Guide to Parsifal

Theme are also heard . The following scene is of unexampled dramatic power and musical eff ect iven ess , a wonderful and deeply impressive stage f picture . The choral e fects are treated with the subtlest mastery , the climax being reached in the chorus of boys ’ voices floating from the topmost reaches of the vast dome as in celestial harmony . The voicing of Amfortas ’ s woe reaches the high ’ est pitch of Wagner s musical eloquence ; the un covering of the Grail and the representation of its sacred function are passages that encroach upon the limits of dramatic impressiveness , suf fused as they are in an atmosphere of mystic re

ligious exaltation .

ACT II . The emotional and ethical note is completely

changed in the second act . The introduction Shows us the malignant workings of Klingsor ’ s evil mind ; and then we are taken into the midst of a garden of musical delights such as Wagner l never surpassed for bri liancy , glow, insinuating

rhythm , and iridescent harmonization of enticing

melodies . Again the note changes , and we are n shown a scene of passion , the stre uous clash of ’ two souls . The prelude represents Klingsor s de moniacal malignity as he plies his arts of wizardry

in his castle , observing the approach of Parsifal through his magic glass and evoking the presence

of Kundry . It is based on the Klingsor Theme, ’ the motive of Sorcery , Kundry s Theme , with a ’ suggestion of the theme of the Saviour s Lament . [5 6] T he M usic

In the dialogue which ensues , still more of the p receding motives are incorporated . Thus , as Klingsor speaks of the Fool ’ s approach to his magic tower , the Motto of Promise is momenta rily heard , and again in various rhythmic modi ’ fication s ; the motive of Amfortas s suffering (page 1 1 1 1 5 , system the Parsifal theme (page 9 , sys ’ descri tem Kundry s Riding Motive , here p tive of Parsifal ’ s impetuous onslaught upon the 1 2 0 Castle Guards (page , system The mo Herzeleide 1 2 tive of is hinted at (page 4 , system as Klin gsor refers to the methods that Kundry

is about to employ upon the stripling . After the disappearance of the magic tower and W ’ the disclosure of the izard s fairy garden , the ian o Parsifal theme is heard , p , as the hero him

self gazes down upon it from the wall , and a vari ant of the riding motive shows the confusion of the Flower Maidens at the sudden apparition of

the victorious youth . In various forms there is

heard the Lament of the Flower Maidens , above which the voices mingle in a chorus of complex partwriting. It is the first of a number of themes relating to them and their charms and trials : of

E O F T HE F E DE XVII . LAM NT LOW R MAI NS

which the basis is a short chromatic succession , topped by ornamental triplet figures in a variety [5 7] A Guide to P arsifal of f of orms , all the most entrancing , melodic

brilliant ' shif in t . All beauty, and , gharmony is gay, f jocose, ull of animation . The excitement of the maidens and the agitation of the music gradually of quiet down , as we are led to the central point the scene , the concerted attack of the maidens ’ upon Parsifal s unthinking innocence , as they him S of circle about inging their theme Caressing . in 1 I st This appears several sections (page 4 7 , system) : HE E XVIIa . T M O F CARESSING

of of The last section their song is a tantalizing , in teasing expression , partly enticement , partly in f derision of the young man who ears women .

XVIIb .

It is interesting to note Wagner ’ s own comment n of upon this scene ; he desired , he said , the ote [58]

T he M usic

of e caress , childish naivet , and not at all the ex citing element of sensual allurement in it . When Kundry appears and calls him by his name , Parsifal , then hearing it for the first time i n the course of the drama , is reminded of his

XVIIc .

mother and we hear the Herzeleide motive (page

1 6 . re 7 , last system) The Motto of Promise is peated. The most important feature of the scene that follows is Kundry ’ s long narration to Parsi fal of his own childhood with his mother and her of grief at his departure . It is urel lyric , one the few extended passagm fifirfi he d ama a - ” of m delicious f , a pass ge tenderness and

. 1 beauty (Page 75 , system Its beginning is thus :

D ' XVIII . KUN RY S NARRATIV E

[59] A Guide to Parsifal

The Herzeleide motive appears in it with a slight change of rhythmic characteristic (page system 3) and the kinship of the two melodies will at once strike the listener . ’ A second section expresses Herzeleide s grief at ’

. 1 8 her son s disappearance (Page 7 , system

XIX HERZ ELEIDE' S EF . GRI

This theme accompanies Parsifal ’ s outburst of 1 8 0 remorse at his blind forgetfulness (page , sys f 1 8 2 tem ollowed by the Spear motive (page , system and the Kundry motive is suggested

(system 2 and the following) . As she urges him i to love , the motive of Sorcery is heard , and th s , ’ Herzeleide s ac preceded by the motive of grief, companies the long kiss she presses upon his lips . u He starts p in terror , and as he feels the wound in of Amfortas his heart , we hear the Spear mo ’ 1 8 of tive (page 4 , system and that Amfortas s f 1 8 Su fering (page 5 , system There is a well marked division of the scene at this point . Now begin the resistance that Par sifal makes to the Temptress and the delirious passion of her beseeching . The Grail motive 1 8 L (page 7 , system and the motive of the ast ’ Supper (system 4) are heard , as Parsifal s gaze is

fixed upon the Holy Cup , and the motive of the ’

1 88 2 . Saviour s Lament (page , system ) follows [60 ] T he M usic

Parsifal speaks of his deeds of childish folly 1 8 i (page 9, system and the Riding mot ve emerges . Then a new motive is presented ; a passionate theme In ascending chromatics denotes ’ 1 0 Kundry s amorous supplication (page 9 , sys tem D ' XX . KUN RY S SUPPLICATION

K ’ As undry s arts are proved vain , she attempts another form of entreaty ; urging her love upon

Parsifal in a manner plaintive and resigned , to 1 1 1 this theme . (Page 93 , system ; page 99 , sys tem

Y ’ XXI. KUN DR S RESIGNATION

1 It appears first on page 99 , system 3 . In the course of the rapid dialogue that follows we hear 20 2 the theme of Faith (page , system A remi ’ niscence of the Flower Maiden s siren song comes as Kundry in wild ecstasy recalls her kiss that “ ” 20 gave him his world wide knowledge (page 3 , system As Parsifal rejects her specious ar um ents g , his own motive is for an instant sug

20 I . i gested (page 5 , system ) The Ridingmot ve [6 1 ] A Guid e to P arsifal recurs as Kundry summons the aid of the Spear Klin d. 2 0 n against him ( , page 7 , system 3 ; Klei , 2 0 page 7 , system and again as she curses all Klin d. 2 1 0 1 n his paths ( , page , system ; Klei , page 20 li f 9 , system As K ngsor appears rom the

Castle to hurl the Spear at the victorious youth , f ragments of the spear motive are heard , and the spear hurtles from his hand to a long upward glissando upon the harp . A solemn proclama l K ind . 2 1 2 tion of the Grail Theme ( , page , systems 1 and 2 n 2 1 1 2 1 2 ; Klei , page , system 4 ; , system I ) is made as Parsifal makes the Victorious Sign of the cross . For the last time a faint echo of the ’

we Klind. 2 1 flo r maidens song is heard ( , page 3 , 2 n 2 1 2 1 system ; Klei , page 3 , system 4 ; 4 , system f and Parsi al disappears .

HI ACT . The prelude to the third act announces that we are again brought to the contemplation of solemn hi of . t ngs , sorrow and gloom The music opens

E F D XXII . THEM O ESOLATION T he M usic

with a new theme , the Theme of Desolation , de picting the woe that has come upon the Grail l n Knights , through the unwi li gness of their chief to perform his duty . This theme is followed by ’ n a version of Kundry s Ridi g Motive , now com letel S n p y transformed in pirit , sy copated and ’ broken in form , suggesting Parsifal s weary wan derings : P F ' DE XXIII . ARSI AL S WAN RINGS

The Grail motive appears , in strange , distorted Klin d . 2 1 harmonies , also syncopated ( , page 4 , last Kl n 2 1 system ; ei , page 5 , last system) , and as it ’ reaches a climax , Kundry s motive is precipitated

. Klin d. 2 1 in a rapid downward rush ( , page 5 ,

2 . 2 1 6 2 . system , Klein , page , system The Spear i mot ve is suggested immediately thereafter , and en the Motto of Promise appears in an insistent , etic er . l K ind. g rhythm , as of a battle cry ( , page 2 1 i 2 1 6 5 , system 3 ; Kle n . , page , system The Klingsor motive conies in as an accompanying

figure . The motive of the Flower Maidens is

Klind. heard very subdued and measured ( , page 2 1 6 1 2 1 , system ; Klein . , 7 , system and the mo

tive of Sorcery follows . The whole prelude may “ ’ be taken as suggesting ParSifal S Wandering

through the world , endeavoring to bring the ful ’ fillm ent of the oracle s prediction as to his coming , [63] A Guide to Parsifal

’ thwarted by Kundry s curse , and with the briefest references to the circumstances under which it was uttered . As Gurnem anz drags Kundry out from the thicket and summons her to awake with of the spring , there are hints one of the motives of Klin d . 2 1 6 2 1 Expiation ( , page , system 4 ; Klein . , 7 ,

. b system to be heard later (see No xxvi , ) , and a new motive of joyful character breaks for the fir st time into the somber tone picture , expressive f o . Klind . 2 1 8 1 Spring ( , pages , system ; Klein . , 2 1 page 9, system

X XIV . S PRING MOTIV E

When Kundry is revived , she utters the single word service the only word that passes her lips in the entire act and there sounds in the orches tra the descending series of thirds that speak of her service , implicating also her repentance .

Klind. 2 2 1 1 . 2 2 2 ( , page , system ; Klein , page , sys tem As Kundry goes about her self - appointed tasks s n we hear premonitions , in a broken and y co pated form , of a motive soon to come in radiant beauty (the motive representing Good Friday) . Kl ind. 2 2 2 2 . 2 2 ( , page , system ; Klein , 3 , system Parsifal approaches and his motive is so] emnly be intoned in gloomy minor harmonies ,

. l i K ind . 2 2 2 fitt ng his somber spirit ( , page , last

m K in . 2 2 syste ; le , page 4 , first system . ) Gurne [64]

A Guid e to P arsifal

XXV . MOTTO O F BEN EDICTIO N

This recurs as Kundry bathes his feet , as Gur nem anz blesses him with water from the spring , n as Kundry anoints his feet with oi tment , and as

Parsifal baptizes Kundry . Then come the Mo tives of n Kli . . d 2 Expiation ( , page 39, system 3 ;

E F E XXVI . MOTIV S O XPIATION

i 2 Gurn emanz an Kle n . , page 4 , system nounces to Parsifal that the castle waits upon and them to attend the funeral of Titurel , we hear march - like funeral music that later accom [66] T he M usic

. Klin anies d. p the three in their progress thither ( ,

2 0 2 . 2 1 page 4 , system ; Klein , page 4 , system

FU N ER XXVII . AL C HORUS

After his baptism of Kundry —followed by the Faith motive in tender accents Parsifal turns to gaze on the radiant fields bathed in the morning light of Springtime ; and Gurnem anz explains to him the wonder of the blooming flowers by tell ing him what day it is ; what he sees is the spell of

Good Friday . The scene is the occasion for an accom extended tonal poem in the orchestra ,

D F D PE XXVIII . GOO RI AY S LL

Doloiss m o ed eap msawo

i . pany ng the dialogue , of magical lyric beauty It introduces still another theme , that of the Good

. Klind. 2 . Friday Spell ( , page 4 5 , system 4 ; Klein , 2 6 4 , system In this tonal picture are blended [67] A Guid e to P arsifal

the Expiation motives , and others that have been l made more fami iar by frequent repetition . They are treated with the most exquisite delicacy and tenderness ; and the long passage is one of the most perfectly beautiful and expressive in the f whole work, as it is one of the most amous and one of those most often played as a concert ex

cer t. p Only in its place upon the stage , however ,

can it ever have its complete effect .

The three then set out for the Castle . The Bell Klin d. 2 motive booms in the distance ( , page 5 3 ,

2 l n . 2 system ; K ei , 5 4 , system The bass figure of the chorus is combined with it , rolling on with its insistent rhythm and recurring intervals in cessantly repeated . The theme of Parsifal is pro claimed majestically and the motive of Herze ’ leide s Grief is again and again repeated above it .

Klin 2 2 . 2 d. ( , page 5 4 , system ; Klein , page 5 5 , sys tem The Motive of Desolation reappears , and the whole orchestral force is engaged upon this gloomy and strikingly imposing movement that accompanies the scenic transformation , sim ilar to that of the first act , but here carried out as an even more grandiose and impressive musical commentary . of Transported to the Castle the Grail , we hear the knights singing again as they enter , but this of time music of a more somber cast , as the body ’ Titurel is brought in upon the bier . Amfortas s long and poignantly impassioned lament is a ’ superb example of Wagner s eloquence in musical m declamation . It is accompanied by the es well

Klind. known . A new motive is brought in ( , page [68]

A Guide to P arsifal

of Last Supper Theme . To the voices the knights are joined those of the boys in the extreme regions of the dome — again as if in celestial harmonies from ethereal spheres . BIBLIO GRAPHY

CE FFER TH: T he Pars a R ard a n er MAURI KU A if l of ich W g . H r the Fre u se . enerm ann Translated f om nch by Lo i M .

N ew r 1 0 e r t 81 . Yo k , 9 4 , H n y Hol Co HENR Y EDWAR D KREHBIEL : Studies in the Wagnerian N w r 1 8 1 ar er and r t r ra a . e e s. D m Yo k , 9 , H p B o h nd Hs r FIN CK : a er a i s. N w r EN R Y . e H T W gn Wo k Yo k, ’ 1 0 1 ar es Sr er s S s. 9 , Ch l c ibn on EN DE N : R ar a r Hi L an ILLI M . e s e d W A J H RSO ich d W gn , if P Pu ’ N w r 1 0 1 . . tn a s s His ra as. e S . D m Yo k , 9 , G m on E T h e e s the a er r E IE . N : e a a JSS L W STO L g nd of W gn D m . ’

N ew r 1 0 ar es Sr er s S s. Yo k , 9 3 , Ch l c ibn on TT : tu es the e e the Gra DAVID NU S di on L g nd of Holy il . 8 1 88 . London , KE N ew r 1 0 ar ME N E : O ert es. es JA S HU R v on Yo k , 9 4 , Ch l ’ r r Sc ibne s Sons. ERN E EWM N : A tu a r N ew r 1 8 S e . ST N A dy of W gn Yo k , 99, P P ’ ut a . . s S s G . n m on W D FF ELD : P h i F I ars a t e u e ess . N ew HO AR DU if l , G l l ool

r 1 0 ea 81 . Yo k , 9 4, Dodd , M d Co O LIVE CKEL : Pars a a st a ra a Ri ar R HU if l , My ic l D m by ch d a er ret the s r t the a reut I ter reta W gn , old in pi i of B y h n p

t N ew r 1 0 as . r e . ion . Yo k , 9 3 , Thom Y C ow ll Co

N VON WOLZO GEN . . r e tra s at r e at HA S (JH Co n ll , n l o ) , Th m ic h P r w r 1 1 u e t r u t e us a s a . N e 8 G id h o gh M ic of if l Yo k , 9 , S r r G . chi me . ALBE T EIN TZ sta e a e tra s at r Pars a R H (Con nc B ch , n l o ) , if l by

R ar a er : t t - se e u a ich d W gn wi h Six y v n m sic l examples.

11 d . e . London , . , Nov llo Co