a reflector of the changing
moods and passions of the play, and thus the value of the aria,
whether considered as a solo, or in its composite form as duet, trio,
quartet, or _ensemble_, was lessened. The growth of the accompanied
recitative naturally brought with it emancipation from the tyranny of
the classical aria. Wagner's reform had nothing to do with that
emancipation, which had been accomplished before him, but went, as we
shall see presently, to a liberation of the composers from all the
formal dams which had clogged the united flow of action and music. We
should, however, even while admiring the achievements of modern
composers in blending these elements (and I know of no more striking
illustration than the scene of the fat knight's discomfiture in
_Ford's_ house in Verdi's "Falstaff") bear in mind that while we may
dream of perfect union between words and music, it is not always
possible that action and music shall go hand in hand. Let me repeat
what once I wrote in a review of Cornelius's opera, "Der Barbier von
Bagdad:"[F]

[Sidenote: _How music can replace incident._]

"After all, of the constituents of an opera, action, at
least that form of it usually called incident, is most
easily spared. Progress in feeling, development of the
emotional element, is indeed essential to variety of musical
utterance, but nevertheless all great operas have
demonstrated that music is more potent and eloquent when
proclaiming an emotional state than while seeking to depict
progress toward such a state. Even in the dramas of Wagner
the culminating musical moments are predominantly lyrical,
as witness the love-duet in 'Tristan,' the close of 'Das
Rheingold,' _Siegmund's_ song, the love-duet, and _Wotan's_
farewell in 'Die Walkuere,' the forest scene and final duet
in 'Siegfried,' and the death of _Siegfried_ in 'Die
Goetterdaemmerung.' It is in the nature of music that this
should be so. For the drama which plays on the stage of the
heart, music is a more truthful language than speech; but it
can stimulate movement and prepare the mind for an incident
better than it can accompany movement and incident. Yet
music that has a high degree of emotional expressiveness, by
diverting attention from externals to the play of passion
within the breasts of the persons can sometimes make us
forget the paucity of incident in a p