Stories From Wagner - Introduction

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Episode Transcript

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Introduction to Stories from Wagner. Thisis a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings
are in the public domain. Formore information or to volunteer, please visit
LibriVox dot org. Recording by DavidWales. Stories from Wagner by J.
Walker mac spadden introduction. It wouldbe a longer story than all the stories

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from Wagner put together to tell wherethese tales began and how they grew.
Centuries before they were set to musicin the soul of Richard Wagner, some
of them had been chanted around rudecamp fires by savage looking men clad in
the skins of animals. They wererepeated by word of mouth, long before
even the rudest art of writing waslearned, and in various lands they were

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known, though the stories often differed, for in those days, men believed
in spirits good and bad, andin giants, dwarfs, gods, and
goddesses. Told these stories to theirchildren, just as real history is taught
today and later. The legends weretreasured not only for their deep interest,
but also because they showed how peoplelived and thought long ago, while the

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world was in the making. WhenWagner, the great music dramatist of Germany
was writing his wonderful operas. Hefound much of this rich material lying ready
at his hand. Other parts headapted to suit his needs. And it
is the form in which he usedthe tales that has been followed in the

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simple retelling in the present volume.Hence the justice of the title Stories from
Wagner. Let us pause a momentto see who this author was and how
he came to collect his themes.Ricard Wagner's career extended over the better part
of the last century. He wasborn in Leipzig May twenty second, eighteen

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thirteen. He died at Venice Februarythirteenth, eighteen eighty three. His whole
life was a struggle, for hismusical ideas were unlike any that had gone
before. But he lived to witnessa splendid triumph, and today his operas
are produced more often than those ofany other composer. The following is the

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order in which the operas were firstgiven. Rienzi eighteen forty two, The
Flying Dutchman eighteen forty three, Conheusereighteen forty five, Loengren eighteen fifty,
Tristan and Isolde eighteen sixty five,The Master Singers eighteen sixty eight, The
Ring of the Nibelung eighteen seventy eight, Parsifal eighteen eighty two. When Bogner

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was just beginning his career, hewas in great doubt as to the choice
of subjects for his operas. Hisfirst famous work, Rienzi, was based
upon Italian history. The English novelistBulwer Lytton has written a noted novel using
the same title and groundwork. Thelegend of the Flying Dutchman, which Wagner

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next chose, is one of thebest known sea myths in existence in every
country. Sailors tell of a mysteriousship that is seen in times of danger
or distress. The captain of thisvessel bears many names, but it is
believed that the burying tales are onlyversions of one original legend. The German

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poet Heine wrote one version, andfrom this Wagner obtained the first idea for
his opera. With Tonhouser, Wagnerentered upon the purely German themes, which
he was thenceforth to find so richa mind. This story, like many
others, was extremely old, yetit had been treated only rarely ludivictique had

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written some verses upon it, andfrom these Wagner got his idea. Ohen
Meredith, the English poet, hasalso given us a charming version entitled The
Battle of the Bards. While tonhoeUser himself has been seldom written about,
Walter van der Voguvaida, the minisinger and friend of Tonheuser in the opera,

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is the subject of many poems,one of the last being by Longfellow.
Sir Walter is set down in Germanhistory as an actual person, and
many things are told about his marvelousgift of song. Wolfram von Eschenbach,
another historic character found in the operas, once wrote a famous old poem entitled

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Barzabov. Here Wagner discovered the germof his beautiful story of Lohengren, following
the lines of an old and wellnigh forgotten legend. The Opera of Parsival,
though not completed till more than thirtyyears later, was also conceived at
this time and remained a cherished project. Legends of the Holy Grail with which

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it deals are familiar in every Christiancountry. There is much in the characters
of both Parsival and Lohengren to remindof Tennys and Sir Galahad in Idols of
the King, which treats of theHoly Grail in Tristan and these old we
have another legend which was well knownduring the Middle Ages. It was known

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in Wales, Ireland, Brittany inGermany, where it was a frequent theme
with many singers or wandering minstrels likeWalter van der Vogelwide. One of the
earliest German authors to write down aversion of it was a certain Godfried of
Strassburg, and Wagner had at hiscommand this and numerous other versions. English

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poets also have been greatly attracted bythe tale. Sir Walter Scott in Thomas
the Rhymer told the simplest version.Matthew Arnold Tennyson and Swinburne have given notable
poems of some length on the subject. During the Middle Ages, and particularly
in the thirteenth century, the cityof Nuremberg was the seat of a famous

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musical guild or training school for poetsand singers. In his Master Singers,
Wagner has followed history for his scenecharacters and traditions, though he has made
droll use of them. The MasterSingers have left substantial proof that they really
lived. There are poems still inexistence, signed by Sixtus Beckmesser, Vite,

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Wagner and others. While Hans Sockshas left whole volumes behind, and
his memory is so revered that hehas looked upon almost as the patron saint
of his city, Longfellow says inhis poem on Nuremberg. Here Hans Socks,
the cobbler poet, laureate of thegentle craft, wisest of the twelve

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wise masters in huge folios, sangand laughed. Wagner also obtained his idea
for the contest of song from oneof Hoffmann's novels, entitled Senger Kleigue.
He made use of the same ideaand ton Houser. Although the Ring of
the Nibelung, Bogner's grand life workwas not presented until eighteen seventy six,

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he had been at work upon itsfour parts for more than twenty five years.
Previously, he had published the firsttwo parts without their musical score,
in eighteen fifty three. The otheroperas which appeared in the meanwhile were but
breathing spaces, so to speak.In the greater labor he had set himself
to perform Wagner was especially fortunate inhis choice of subject. The Nibelungen myth

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was a great national epic, oneof the oldest of the Teutonic race,
dating back to the prehistoric era,when the Votan Frica, Freya, thor
Loki and the other gods and goddesseswere worshiped in the German forests. In
the course of centuries, several versionsof the legend appeared, some being found
even in Iceland under the name ofEddas. In Germany, a long epic

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poem came to be written by someunknown hand. It was called the Nibelungen
Lead, and it is the mostfamous of all early German poems. Of
course, Wagner had access to allthis material, but he made so many
changes from it in writing his ownpoem as to create a new story,
one which, independent of the wonderfulmusic which he wrote to accompany it,

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gives him place among the foremost writersof his nation. Volumes have been written
pointing out the differences between his kneeballoon in story and the earlier legends.
But the purpose of this little bookis not to criticize, dissect or compare.
After giving these few needful names,and dates. We wish merely to

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follow the splendid fancy of this singerof songs and teller of tales, wherever
in the realm of story land itmay chance to lead us. One further
word, however, of frank admission. While the spirit of the original is
adhered to, and very often theexact words are quoted, it has not
been deemed bad to follow the argumenttoo closely. Instead, simplicity and directness

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have been considered preferable to the involvedplots and symbolical actions of the operas.
The book is directed primarily to theneeds of young people, and is sent
out to them in the hope thatsometime they may hear the dull booming of
the rhine about the gold, themagic fire as it sweeps to encircle the
sleeping maiden, the forest voices whichgreet the young and fearless hero, the

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chorus of the pilgrims, and thesong which won the bride for a prize.
All these and many other good thingsare held in store by the future.
Meanwhile, the story is the thing, and we who will never grow
too old to believe in giants,dragons and dwarfs, and the brave heroes
who ride over the world doing heroicdeeds can still be thankful that Wagner lived

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and dreamed his dreams of the past. J W. M end of introduction