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Kahlenberg, with the extensive vineyards along their base, belong to the church, I got the "economic interpretation" of the church's influence--just the same kind of influence any other rich body owning the means of subsistence possesses.------Tuesday we go to hear Rhinegold. I got tickets for the whole Nibelungen Ring. Herr Schonbauer tried to find an English translation of the series for me but could not. They have the works in German, but I shall not have time to read them thoroughly. Parsifal took me a week.----Two weeks from today I expect to reach Munich. I hope they will let me work overtime as they have here. ----Having original citations down beforehand is a great help. I know whether or not I am getting the right thing. In some cases 5 or 6 sheets will bear the name in Hackel's hand. Without the citation I would not know which was the type. If there is a discrepancy, as sometimes happens (Hackel seems not to have verified his numbers), I can note it. It takes time looking up the name in thelist every time,but it is worth the time.------Tuesday night, returned from Rhinegold. --It is wonderful how one man could have been so wonderful a musician and an artist and dramatist, too. The stagecraft is like magic. This opera opens with the Rhinetochter (mermaids) swimming and wiggling their tailslike fishes in the aquarium. The viewpoint is the same as in theaquarium, one is looking [[underline]] into [[/underline]] a cross sectionof the river, apparently. In the dim bluish light the impression of water is striking, especially with the way the mermaids rise and sink and wave their tails. Fortsetzung felgt, the Walkure is Thursday night. The four operas make a continued story. They begin the opera here according to the amount of time it take to give it. Parsifal began at 6:30 and lasted till about 11. People carry their invariable rye bread and sausage and eat between the acts. Rhinegold was only about 3 hours long. It is all one
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