WAGNER'S SECRET BOOK.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1153, 14 June 1911, Page 8

WAGNER'S SECRET BOOK.

STORY OF A DRUM BEAT,

Literary and artistic circles (says an English exchange) are looking forward with the keenest interest, to tho publication this month of the secret autobiography of AYagucr —a wcrk which lias been in existence for forty years, but which has been carefully kept from tho general ■ public hitherto. Of peculiar interest is the great musician's own account of his debut as a composer. This took place at Leipzig: "It was the Christmas of the fateful year 1830; as usual, there would be no perforiuance at the theatro on Christmas Eve, biit instead a concert for the poor had been organised, which received but scant support.. The first item 011 the programme was called, by. tho cxciting tTde 'New Overture'—nothing more! I had surreptitiously listened to the rehearsal with some misgiving. I was very much impressed by the coolncss with which Horn fenced with the apparent confusion which the members of the orchestra showed with regard to this mysterious composition. The principal tlieme of the Allegro was contained in four bars; after every fourth bar, however, a fifth bar had been inserted, which had nothing to do with the melody, and which was announced bv a loud bang 011 the kettledrum on the second beat. As this drumbeat stood out alone, the drummer, who continually thought he was making a mistake, got confused and did not give the right sharpness to tho accent as prescribed by the score.

Listening from my hidden corner, and frightened at my original intention, this accidentally different rendering did not displease me. To my genuine annoyance, however, Dom called the drummer to tho front and insisted on his playing the accents with tho prescribed sharpness " hen, after tho rehearsal, I told the musical director of my misgivings about tills important fact he stuck to it that the thing would sound very well as it was. In spite of this assurance mv restlessness grew, and I had not the courage t'o introduco myself to mv friends in advanco as the author of tho 'New Overture. I had forgotten to buy a ticket and was refused admission bv the man at the door. Suddenly the tuning up of the orchestra grew louder and louder, and I thought I should have to miss the bpginning of my work. In my anxiety 1 revealed myself to the man at the dcor as the composer of the 'New Overture,' and in this way succeeded in passing without' a ticket.

"Tho Overture began: after the theme of the 'black' brass instruments had made itself heard with great emphasis, the'red' Allegro theme started, in which, as I have already mentioned, every fifth bar was . interrupted by the drum-beat from (he 'black' world. Tho fatal drum-heat, brutally hammered out, entirely deprived me of my senses. I heard my neighhours calculating tho return of this effect; knowing the absolute correctne-s of their calculation, I suffered ten thousand torments and became almost unconscious. At last 1 awoke from my nightmare when the Overture, to which I had disdained to give what I considered a trite ending, came to a standstill most unexpectedly.

"No phantoms like those in Hoffmann's 'Talcs' could have succceded in producing the extraordinary state in which I came to my senses 011 noticing tho astonishment of tho audience at the end of the performance. I heard 110 exclamations of disapproval, no hissing, 110 remarks, not even laughter; all I saw was intense-as-tonishment at such, a strango_ occurrence, which impressed them, as it did me, like a horrible nightmare. Nothing, however, equalled the pain ot' coming face lo face with the man at the door; the strange look lie gave mo haunted me ever afterward' and for a considerable time I avoided the pit of tho Leipzig Theatre."