The vocal elements—soloists and chorus—are treated chiefly as mere parts of the tonal ensemble. They are prominent only so far as dramatic exigencies require, especially where fact or thought is emphasized, or where the traits and passions of the individual personage are in the foreground. The traditional division of acts into scenes is almost wholly discarded. Neither recitatives nor arias in set form are found, though the technical methods of both are freely used. The favorite solo style is a sort of arioso, in which the dramatic and the lyric are blended—a type of melody lyrically far richer than the recitative and dramatically more flexible and revelatory than the aria proper.
The Wagnerian melody was so novel as to challenge general criticism. Technically, it differed widely from classical melody—in 'form' or layout, in its framework of chords and modulations, in its extreme flexibility, in its wealth of pictorial or passional suggestion. Its basis was not the naïve and symmetrical folk-song, but the ecstatic or epic declamation. His operas were at first said to be unmelodic because of their lack of 'tunes,' but they were really packed with melody of the most varied and vivid import. The projection of this is mostly orchestral and polyphonic, but in the ensemble the soloist singer is often highly conspicuous.
In consequence of his theory of absolutely ductile melody, Wagner was an apparent innovator in harmonic procedure, in counterpoint, in 'form,' and in vocalization, as well as in instrumentation. He was seemingly impatient with all the old rules, formulæ and traditions. His demands upon singers were thought by some to be preposterous. Yet, when closely analyzed, his innovations in harmonic and contrapuntal procedure and in the art of vocal delivery appear to be more or less plain extensions of antecedent practice—a sort of liberation for dramatic effect of implicit and latent energies. Hence under his influence, as it became better understood, began a reconstruction of artistic methods that is one of the salient features of all recent composition, instrumentation and vocalization.
208. Influence of his Views.—Compared with other composers, Wagner was unique in the amount and substance of his literary production. His mind was studious and reflective, acute in analysis, and prone to express itself in words. Circumstances forced him to philosophize, and copious writing was a relief for his pent-up energy. The body of his writings is altogether too large to be summarized here, except to note that they belong to several distinct classes, including much that is strictly philosophical in aim and method, much of a critico-historical character, much upon the art of conducting and of large musical exposition in general, besides abundant autobiographical material and the librettos of his eleven operas from Rienzi to Parsifal. The most of these writings date from the Zurich period, so that in date
