Modern Musical Drift — Story, Setting & Ideas

Parsifal in the New World

Henderson's treatment of Wagner's Parsifal is framed by a tension between the sacred and the commercial. He describes the opera's New York premiere as an event where 'the Holy Grail' meets 'the vast spectacle of wealth,' suggesting that the work's spiritual ambitions clash with its worldly reception. The chapter 'A Pure Fool in the New World' uses Tennyson's epigraph—'The Holy Grail!—I trust / We are green in heaven's eyes'—to underscore this irony. Henderson does not simply praise or condemn; he observes how the opera's themes of purity and redemption are refracted through the lens of American consumerism. He notes that Wagner's 'ethical and aesthetic' dimensions are often debated, but he refrains from claiming a definitive interpretation, instead highlighting the cultural friction that Parsifal generates.

The Ring's Gods and Devils

In his analysis of Der Ring des Nibelungen, Henderson focuses on character contrasts: 'A Futile God and a Potent Devil' and 'The Woman and the Serpent.' He examines Wotan's impotence and Alberich's power, drawing attention to the cyclical structure of the tetralogy. Henderson's prose is precise, noting how Wagner's 'leading motives' function as musical signposts for psychological states. He avoids summarizing the plot, instead discussing how the gods' decline mirrors broader philosophical shifts. The section 'Back-worlds Gods and Over-Woman' hints at Nietzschean influences, though Henderson does not overstate the connection. His observations are grounded in the text's own language, such as the phrase 'back-worlds,' which echoes Nietzsche's Zarathustra.

Strauss and the Limits of Program Music

Henderson's essays on Richard Strauss are among the most detailed in the book. He traces Strauss's development from 'Don Juan' to 'A Hero's Life,' arguing that the composer's later work represents a 'cleaner vision' despite its 'appalling ugliness.' Henderson is unafraid to criticize: he calls 'Till Eulenspiegel' 'vulgar' and notes that 'Thus Spake Zarathustra' attempts to 'make music lecture on metaphysics.' Yet he also defends Strauss's technical mastery, praising his 'consummate ease' with 'modern polyphony.' The tension here is between Henderson's aesthetic discomfort and his critical respect. He acknowledges that 'custom will make dear to us musical idioms which now excite our antipathy,' a nod to historical precedent. This section balances skepticism with a willingness to engage seriously with challenging work.

Henderson's Modern Musical Drift rewards readers who appreciate criticism that is both technically informed and culturally engaged. His essays do not merely describe music; they place it within a living context of social habits, philosophical currents, and artistic debates. The book's structure—moving from Wagner to Strauss to Italian opera and oratorio—suggests a deliberate arc, though Henderson never forces a single thesis. Instead, he invites readers to consider how music 'drifts' between tradition and innovation, the sacred and the profane, the beautiful and the grotesque.

That rainy afternoon, Henderson’s acid portrait of Wagner’s sacrilege lingered long after I closed the book—his irritation oddly comforting. I wanted that same curmudgeonly warmth elsewhere, and stumbled instead upon Musical Myths and Facts, Volume 2 (of 2) — Themes and Context, which treats folklore with the same grave, witty skepticism. It felt like finding an old friend’s marginalia in a stranger’s volume.