. Richard Wagner : his life and works . ing a passionate ad-mirer of Wagners music,had done all in his powerto make it familiar to theFrench public; but his ef-forts were perforce limitedto symphonic he took the directionof the Theatre-Lyrique, inOctober, 1868, his first de-sire was to bring out oneor two of the masters operascomplete, in order to atone,as far as possible, for thefailure of Tannhauser. Tolead off with, he chose the opera of Rienzi, which, beingcast in the old familiar mould, seemed to him the mostappropriate for an entering wedge. Since Wagner wouldnot put himse
. Richard Wagner : his life and works . ing a passionate ad-mirer of Wagners music,had done all in his powerto make it familiar to theFrench public; but his ef-forts were perforce limitedto symphonic he took the directionof the Theatre-Lyrique, inOctober, 1868, his first de-sire was to bring out oneor two of the masters operascomplete, in order to atone,as far as possible, for thefailure of Tannhauser. Tolead off with, he chose the opera of Rienzi, which, beingcast in the old familiar mould, seemed to him the mostappropriate for an entering wedge. Since Wagner wouldnot put himself out for so slight a cause, M. Pasdeloupmade the journey from Paris to Zurich in order to conferwith him in regard to his wishes, plans, etc. But hefailed to take into account the ignorance and stubbornness ofthe French journalists and amateurs, who, without taking thetrouble to examine the style of the work, or inform them-selves of its date, attacked or defended Rienzi accordingas they had attacked or defended other works signed by. RICHARD WAGNER, BY GILL. {Eclipse, April 18, 1869.) 236 RICHARD WAGNER the same author; it was simply his name that they hissedor applauded so confidently. This performance, given onApril 6th, 1869, did not in the slightest degree modifypublic opinion towards Richard Wagner, and the honorableendeavor of M. Pasdeloup failed to produce an effect eithergood or bad, notwithstanding the success of certain purelymelodious portions, like the cavatina of Adriano, the prayerof Rienzi, and above all, the chorus of the messengers It was principally Wagners enemies who, affecting im-partiality, urged the director to give a more decisive operathan Rienzi—Lohengrin for example, in order to do fulljustice for once, to the claims of this so-called thirty or forty thousand people shall have beenscalped by this noisiness of the Red-Skin, wrote one furiousindividual, free criticism, whose sole motive is the splen-dor of genuine art, will
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