The occasional use
of some characteristic musical phrase to illustrate the recurrence of a
special personality or phase of thought has given way to a deliberate
system in which not only each of the characters in the drama, but also
their thoughts, feelings, and aspirations are represented by a distinct
musical equivalent. These guiding themes are by no means the mere labels
that hostile critics of Wagner would have us believe. They are subject,
as much as the characters and sentiments which they represent, to
organic change and development. By this means every incident in the
progress of the drama, the growth of each sentiment or passion, the play
of thought and feeling, all find a close equivalent in the texture of
the music, and the connection between music and drama is advanced to an
intimacy which certainly could not be realised by any other means.
The difference in style between 'Lohengrin' and 'Das Rheingold' is so
very marked that it is only natural to look for some explanation of the
sudden change other than the natural development of the composer's
genius. Wagner's social position at this point in his career may have
reacted to a certain extent upon his music. An exile from his country,
his works tabooed in every theatre, he might well be pardoned if he felt
that all chance of a career as a popular composer was over for him, and
decided for the future to write for himself alone.
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