CONTENTS

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  PARSIFALIA 1
I. A Pure Fool in the New World 1
II. Ethics and Æsthetics 13
III. The National Religious Drama 27
  DER RING DES NIBELUNGEN 39
I. A Futile God and a Potent Devil 39
II. The Woman and the Serpent 55
III. Back-worlds Gods and Over-Woman 69
  ISOLDE'S SERVING-WOMAN 85
  RICHARD STRAUSS 98
I. The Historical Survey 98
II. The Æsthetic View 121
III. What does It All Mean? 139
IV. Strauss and the Song Writers 156
  AUX ITALIENS 168
I. Italian Opera of To-day 168
II. The Classic of the Unprogressive 185
  THE ORATORIO OF TO-DAY 195
  NOTE 211