than　this　splendid　journey　of　a　barbaric　prince　toward　his　chosen　victim。
  No　stage　picture　could　be　more　dazzling　than　the　one　brought　before　the
  mind's　eye　in　the　majestic；　munificent　measures　that　herald　the　pageant：
  ARIA
  〃And　true　to　his　message　the　lover　did　come
  With　cymbals　and　horns　and　a　big　Indian　drum！
  The　measures　that　follow　these　describe　the　tiger　swinging　on　behind　the
  triumphal　cab。　This　is　a　delicious　whimsicality；　and　the　music　is　as　gay
  and　sportive　as　anything　in　〃Die　Meistersinger。〃
  ARIA
  〃And　an　elephant；　huge；　to　his　cab。。。　was　confined。〃。。。。
  How　the　character　of　Bluebeard　stands　out　in　these　passagesBluebeard；
  morbid；　erotic；　megalophonous　megalomaniac；　with　his　grandiose　air　and
  outlandish　accoutrements！
  It　seems　odd　that　rumors　of　his　matrimonial　past　had　not　reached　Fatima；
  for　the　libretto　tells　us　（authorized　opera…house　edition；　not　the　one　sold
  on　the　sidewalk）　that　his　castle　was　only　an　hour's　ride　distant。　In　any
  event；　one　would　think　the　sight　of　the　lover's　approach；　with　lions　and
  elephants　in　attendance　and　a　tiger　hanging　on　behind　the　chariot；　might
  have　shown　Fatima　that；　although　Bluebeard　might　be　admirable　as　an　advance
  agent　for　a　menagerie；　he　would　hardly　be　a　pleasant　fireside　companion。
  However；　it　was　the　old　story！　Moved　by　love；　ambition；　poverty；　ennui；　or
  what　not；　Fatima　lost　her　head；　as　all　Bluebeard's　previous　wives　had　done；
  both　before　and　after　marriage；　and　left　the　humble　home　of　her　childhood
  for　the　unknown　castle。　Simple　chords　give　us　this　information　thus：
  （Semplice；　piano　for　the　Humble　Home；　Agitato；　fortissimo　for　the　Unknown
  Castle。）
  Then　comes　the　〃_Liebesgruss_Motiv_〃　（Love's　Greeting　Motive）。　No　single
  instrument　can　give　this　exquisite　theme。　The　whole　symphony　of　human
  nature　seems　to　rise　and　spread　its　wings　in　a　glorious　harmony　of　pairs
  and　twos　of　a　kind　melting　in　passionate　octaves　and　triplets。　　　The
  groping；　ardent；　distracted；　thwarted；　but　ever　protesting　bass；　set
  against　a　coquettish；　evasive；　yet　timidly　yielding　treble；　the　occasional
  introduction　of　a　mysterious　minor　in　the　midst　of　a　well…authenticated
  major；　gives　us　an　intimation　that　wooing　is　not　an　exact　science。
  Next　come　the　〃_Hochzeitsreise_und_Flitter_Wochen_Motive_〃　（The　Bridal　Tour
  and　Honeymoon　motives）。　Here　are　harp　_glissandos_；　here　are　voices
  soaring；　voices　roaring；　voices　darting；　voices　floating；　weaving　an
  audible　embroidery　of　sound。　They　make　up　the　most　exquisitely　tender　scene
  of　the　opera；　and　arc　especially　interesting　to　us　in　America；　since　they
  are　built　upon　one　of　our　national　songs。　This　can　only　be　regarded　as　a
  flattering　recognition　of　our　support　of　German　opera　in　this　country。
  ARIA
  〃Midst　the　treasures　of　his　palaces；　dee…lighted　to　roam；
  〃Sister　Anne　with　fair　Fatima　explored　their　new　home！
  〃Home！　Home！　Sweet；　sweet　Home！
  〃There's　no　place　like　home　when　a　maid's　too　poor　to　roam！〃
  It　is　later　on　in　this　act　that　we　have　the　celebrated　〃Hope　Motive；〃　a
  marvelous　series　of　tone…pictures　so　novel　and　sensational　that　many　box…
  holders　are　expected　to　drop　in　at　ten…thirty　for　the　excitement　of　this
  one　brief　scene。　The　motive　wanders　from　key　to　key；　hoping　that　in　the　end
  it　will　hit　off　the　right　one。　Fatima　is　hoping　to　find　her　ideal　in
  Bluebeard。　Sister　Anne　is　hoping　to　get　a　handsomer　husband　than　Fatima's；
  Blue…beard　is　hoping　that　Sister　Anne　will　be　his　eighth　spouse；　and　hoping
  that　there　will　be　room　to　hang　her　in　the　hidden　chamber；　in　which　his
  deceased　wives　are　already　pressed　for　room。　All　this　is　reflected　in　the
  voices　of　the　singers；　together　with　many　other　emotions。　They　hope　that
  they　will　be　able　to　come　in　just　enough　after　or　enough　before；　the　usual
  time　of　entrance；　to　rivet　the　conductor's　attention；　that　they　will　be
  preserved　from　falling　into　one　another's　parts；　that　they　will　not　be
  drowned　by　the　orchestra；　that　they　will　be　able　to　mount　the　dizzying
  heights　of　a　precipitous　chromatic　scale　and　manage　an　unrehearsed　descent
  in　fifths　on　the　half…notessomething　that　always　causes　intense　joy　in　an
  uneducated　audience；　especially　when　it　is　unsuccessful。
  This　scene　runs　the　gamut　of　human　emotion。　The　universe　is　mirrored　in　it。
  First；　one　of　the　themes　which　we　have　noted；　and　then　another；　is　sounded；
  bringing　to　the　bearer's　mind　all　the　crucial　moments　of　Bluebeard's
  strange；　perverted；　wife…pursuing　life；　as　well　as　all　the　aspirations　and
  disappointments　of　Fatima's　ambitious　but　checkered　career。　All　the　while
  that　this　complicated　web　of　motives　is　being　woven　out　of　unresolved
  dissonances；　the　thirty　first　violins　keep　on　playing　the　same　three　notes
  in　ever…precipitated　rhythms。　This　is　radical；　audacious；　and　effective。
  The　notes　are　G　flat；　A　sharp；　and　B　natural；　and　the　world　reels　as　we
  hear　them。　Everything　is　ours　in　this　sceneorchestration；　vocalization；
  dramatization；　characterization；　gesticulation；　auditory　inflammation；
  cacophonation；　demoralization；　adumbration。
  There　is　an　abrupt　change　of　key　after　the　〃Honeymoon　Motive〃　from　sweetest
  major　to　a　piercing　minor。　This　is　exquisitely　sincere　and　symbolic；　though
  it　is　a　point　too　delicate　to　be　perceived　save　by　musicians　who　have
  married　but　have　not　been　able　to　hang　up　their　wives。　The　libretto　goes　on
  to　say：
  〃The　honeymoon　passed　when　a　letter　one　day
  〃Upon　urgent　affairs　called　Lord　Bluebeard　away
  〃To　inspection；　sweet　love；　all　my　castle　I　leave；
  〃But　remember　with　this　key　be　on　the　_qui_vive_！
  〃It　is　not　a　natural　keythink　of　that！
  〃My　sword's　in　the　key　of　one　sharp；　and　that's　flat！
  〃（Then　he　half　drew　his　blade；　and　it　was　sharp　and　flat。）〃
  From　this　point　the　music…drama　hastens　tragically　to　a　close。　We　have
  Bluebeard's　sudden　（and　feigned）　journey；　introduced　by　a　pompous　march　of
  great　originality：
  MARCH　（Pomposo。　Decrescendo。。。。。sempre　p　pp　ppp）
  Then　we　have　the　fatal　curiosity　of　Fatima　and　her　sister　Anne。　We　must
  extenuate　here；　nor　aught　set　down　in　malice；　remembering　that　Wagner　knew
  only　the　women　of　his　own　day；　before　the　sex　was　uplifted　and　purified　by
  the　vote；　and　he　naturally　depicted　them　with　the　man…engendered　vices　that
  were　then　a　part　of　their　unhappy　heritage。　This　〃_Neugierde_Motiv_〃
  （Curiosity　Motive）　is　made　up　of　agitated；　sharply　accentuated　sixteenth
  notes　played　with　incredible　vivacity　and　culminating　in　a　terrifying
  orchestral　crash　where　entrance　is　made　into　the　hidden　chamber；　with　its
  famous　tableau　so　eloquent　of　the　polygamous　instinct　of　man；　an　instinct
  only　kept　in　subjection　by　the　most　stringent　laws　and　the　most　militant
  domestic　discipline。
  ANTI…FEMINIST　ARIA
  〃But　Fatima　said；　'To　the　keyhole　let's　creep；
  〃There　can　be　no　harm　just　in　one　little　peep！
  〃We　are　womenbesides；　there　are　none　to　behold　us！
  〃If　he　wished　us　to　leave　it；　he　shouldn't　have　told　us！'〃
  It　is　these　inexcusable　lines　which　have　caused　the　Feminist　party　to
  boycott　（and　perhaps　rightly）　any　opera…house　in　which　this　drama　is　given；
  urging　that　they　contain　an　insult　which　can　be　wiped　out　only　with　blood
  or　ballots。　I　sympathize　with　this　feeling；　yet；　as　I　said　before；　there
  are　extenuating　circumstances。　Wagner　was　born　a　hundred　years　ago。　In　his
  time　the　hand　of　woman；　though　white；　was　flabby　and　inert　from　years　of
  darning；　patching；　stirring　the　pot；　buttoning　and　unbuttoning；　feeding　and
  spanking　man's　perennial　progeny。　He　had　no　conception　how　that　frail　hand
  would　be　steadied　and　strengthened　by　dropping　the　ballot　into　the　box；　how
  curiosity；　vanity；　parasitic　coquetry；　lack　of　logic；　overweening　interest
  in　millinery　and　inability　to　balance　a　check…bookhow　these　weaknesses
  would　vanish　under　the　inspiring　influences　of　municipal　politics；
  therefore　I　feel　disposed　to　forgive　him；　and　to　attribute　to　him；　not
  absolute　and　deliberate　insult；　so　much　as　a　kind　of　patronizing
  persiflage。　In　this　case；　however；　feminists　will　say　that　the　great　Wagner
  undoubtedly　and　regrettably　overreached　himself。
  Here　is　just　a　hint　of　the　theme；　a　paltry；　parasitic；　mid…Victorian
  motive。
  CURIOSITY　ARIA
  Curiosity　conquer'd；　the　Key　was　applied；
  And　with　　thunder　most　awful　the　door　opened　wide。
  Now　comes　the　much　discussed　〃Chorus　of　Headless　Wives；〃　which　is　a
  distinct　prophecy　of　Debussy。　You　have　noted　in　late　musical　criticisms
  allusions　to　the　〃ghosts　of　themes〃　used　in　〃Pelleas　and　Melisande；〃
  〃Sound…wraiths　wandering　in　air。〃　Here　we　have　the　same　thing　and　employed
  with　exquisite　appropriateness。　The　ladies　hanging　in　the　secret　chamber
  are　mere　bodies；　their　heads　being　decidedly　off　stage。　When　the　door　is
  opened　the　wives　begin　to　sing　_a_la'_　Debussy；　the　ghostly　effect　being
  secured　by　the　fact　that　it　is　not；　of　course；　the　_present_bodies_；　but
  the　_absent_heads_　that　are　supposed　to　be　singing。　The　melodic　wraiths
  float　from　the　key　of　G　flatI　use　〃key〃　in　the　old…fashioned　sense；　for
  the　word；　like　the　thing　itself；　is　fast　disappearingthrough　one　and　four
  sharps　back　to　two　and　three　flats；　employing　all　signatures　but　that　of　C
  major。　Six　sets　of　severed　vocal　organs　meandering　in　space　would　hardly
  use　the　natural