E-text prepared by David Newman, V. L. Simpson, Chuck Greif, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (https://www.pgdp.net/c/) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 20264-h.htm or 20264-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/0/2/6/20264/20264-h/20264-h.htm) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/0/2/6/20264/20264-h.zip) PARSIFAL Story and Analysis of Wagner's Great Opera by H. R. HAWEIS Author of "My Musical Memories," "Music and Morals," etc. [Illustration: RICHARD WAGNER] [Illustration: Funk and Wagnalls Symbol] Funk & Wagnalls Company New York and London 1905 NOTE-- This story and analysis of Parsifal was first published as a part of Mr. Haweis' well-known work, "My Musical Memories." The interest it has excited seems to justify its republication at this time in a separate volume. F. & W. Co. Published, February, 1904 CONTENTS PAGE WAHNFRIED 5 PARSIFAL 10 ACT I 18 ACT II 41 ACT III 55 WHEN THE CURTAIN FELL 67 ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE Portrait of Richard Wagner _Frontispiece_ Parsifal and Gurnemanz Passing Through the Ravine (Act I) 30 The Great Hall of the Holy Grail (Act I) 36 Parsifal Entering the Grail Castle in Triumph (Act III) 62 WAHNFRIED I visited Bayreuth on the 24th of July, 1883, and attended two crowded performances of Wagner's last work, _Parsifal_. In the morning I went into the beautiful gardens of the Neue Schloss. On either side of a lake, upon which float a couple of swans and innumerable water-lilies, the long parklike avenue of trees are vocal with wild doves, and the robin is heard in the adjoining thickets. At my approach the sweet song ceases abruptly, and the startled bird flies out, scattering the pale petals of the wild roses upon my path. I follow a stream of people on foot, as they move down the left-hand avenue in the garden of the Neue Schloss, which adjoins Wagner's own grounds. Some are going--some are coming. Presently I see an opening in the bushes on my left; the path leads me to a clump of evergreens. I follow it, and come suddenly on the great composer's grave. All about the green square mound the trees are thick--laurel, fir, and yew. The shades fall funereally across the immense gray granite slab; but over the dark foliage the sky is bright blue, and straight in front of me, above the low bushes, I can see the bow-windows of the dead master's study--where I spent with him one delightful evening in 1876.