An incongruous art form--Originated in Italy with San Filippo Neri--Scenery, action and even ballet in the early oratorio--The influence of German composers--Bach's "Passion" music--Dramatic expression in Händel--Rockstro's characterisation of--First performance of "The Messiah"--Haydn's "Creation" and "Seasons"--Mendelssohn's "Elijah" next to "The Messiah" in popularity--Dramatic episodes in the work--Gounod, Elgar and others 248
Origin of opera--Peri and the Florentines--Monteverde--Cavalli introduces vocal melody to relieve the monotony of recitative--Aria developed by Alessandro Scarlatti--Characteristics of Italian opera from Scarlatti to Verdi--Gluck's reforms--German and French opera--"Les Huguenots," "Faust," and "Carmen"--Comparative popularity of certain operas here--Far-reaching effects of Wagner's theories--Their influence on the later Verdi and contemporary Italian composers--Wagner's music-dramas--A music-drama not an opera--Form wholly original with Wagner--Gave impetus to folk-lore movement--Krehbiel's "Studies in the Wagnerian Drama"--Wagner and anti-Wagner--Finck's "Wagner and His Works"--Wagner a melodist--Examples--Unity a distinguishing trait of the music-drama--Wagner's method illustrated by musical examples--The Curse Motive--The Siegfried, Nibelung, and Tarnhelm motives--Leading motives not mere labels--Their plasticity musically illustrated--The Siegfried horn call developed into the motive of Siegfried, the hero, and into the climax of the "Götterdämmerung" Funeral March--An illustration from "Tristan"--Wagner as a composer of absolute music--His scores the greatest achievement musical history, up to the present time, has to show 260
PAGES Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" 52, 53 "Two-Part Invention," by Bach 54 Love Motive from "Die Walküre" 181 Opening of the "Lohengrin" Prelude 183 Walhalla Motive 192 Curse Motive 269 Siegfried Motive 270 Nibelung Smithy Motive 270 Tarnhelm Motive 271 Siegfried Horn Call 272 Develops into Motive of Siegfried, the Hero 272 And into Climax of the "Götterdämmerung" Funeral March 272 Examples from "Tristan und Isolde" 273, 274
Your answer shows a complete misunderstanding of the case. Because you neither play nor sing, it by no means follows that you are unmusical. If you love music and appreciate it, you may be more musical than many pianists or singers; and certainly you may become so.