Henderson, W. J. (William James) 1855-1937 creator text utu 2017 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Modern Musical Drift" by W. J. Henderson is a critical examination of contemporary music, particularly focusing on operas, written in the early 20th century. The book delves into the works of notable composers, especially Richard Wagner, while discussing the evolution of musical practices and philosophies in the modern era. Henderson critiques the artistic integrity and depth of these musical compositions and how they reflect on society's relationship with art. The opening of the work sets the stage for a discussion on the eagerly awaited American debut of Wagner's opera "Parsifal" at the Metropolitan Opera House during Christmas time. The author paints a vivid picture of the fanfare surrounding the event, highlighting the extravagant spending and societal expectations associated with it. As the performances commence, Henderson offers his critical perspective, suggesting that "Parsifal" reflects a decline in Wagner's artistic prowess compared to his earlier masterpieces. He critiques the characters and themes presented in the opera, associating them with a lack of human drama and emotional resonance while juxtaposing them with the more engaging sentiments found in Wagner's prior works. The analysis raises questions about the relevance of such modern expressions of music in the light of genuine human experiences. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Parsifalia: A pure fool in the New World. Ethics and æsthetics. The national religious drama -- Der Ring des Nibelungen: A futile god and a potent devil. The woman and the serpent. Back-world's gods and over-woman -- Isolde's serving-woman -- Richard Strauss: The historical survey. The æsthetic view. What does it all mean? Strauss and the song writers -- Aux Italiens: Italian opera of to-day. The classic of the unprogressive -- The oratorio of to-day. Release date is 2017-03-25 Produced by Andrés V. Galia, Book digitized by Google and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Original publication data not identified Wagner, Richard, 1813-1883 Music -- History and criticism Strauss, Richard, 1864-1949 ML Original publication data not identified 04028495 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54426 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54426 UtSlPG 260607 20260610134244.0 54426