at Herr Sullivan's
opera of "Das Pinafore" was the most remarkable musical work extant,
but we believe the mistake will become apparent as Herr Wagner's
masterpiece grows in years.

We will not pretend to say that "Die Walkuere" will ever be whistled
about the streets, as the airs from "Das Pinafore" are whistled; the
fact is, that no rendition of "Die Walkuere" can be satisfactory without
the accompaniment of weird flashes of fire; and it is hardly to be
expected that our youth will carry packages of lycopodium, and boxes of
matches, around with them, for the sole purpose of giving the desired
effect to any snatches from Herr Wagner's work they may take the notion
to whistle. But in the sanctity of our homes, around our firesides, in
the front-parlor, where the melodeon or the newly hired piano has been
set up, it is there that Herr Wagner's name will be revered, and his
masterpiece repeated o'er and o'er. The libretto is not above
criticism; it strikes us that there is not enough of it. The
probability is that Herr Wagner ran out of libretto before he had got
through with his music, and therefore had to spread out comparatively
few words over a vast expanse of music. The result is that a great
part of the time the performers are on the stage is devoted to thought,
the orchestra doing a tremendous amount of fiddling, etc., while the
actors wander drearily around, with their arms folded across their
pulmonary departments, and their minds evidently absorbed in profound
cogitation.

As for the music, the only criticism we have to pass upon it is that it
changes its subject too often; in this particular it resembles the
dictionary,--in fact, we believe "Die Walkuere" can be termed the
Webster's Unabridged of musical language. Herr Wagner has his own way
of doing business. He goes at it on the principle of the twelfth man,
who holds out against the eleven other jurors, and finally brings them
around to his way of thinking.

For instance, in the midst of a pleasing strain in B natural, Herr
Wagner has a habit of suddenly bringing out a small reed-instrument
with a big voice (we do not know its name), piped in the key of F
sharp. This small reed-instrument will not let go; it holds on to that
F sharp like a mortgage. For a brief period the rest of the
instruments--fiddles, bassoons, viols, flutes, flageolets, cymbals,
drums, etc.--struggle along with an attempt to either drown the
intruder, or bring it around to t