Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-02-26

VIZ Dull
From the New York Times,
When many persons read last week that
the seventieth birthday of Ole Bull had
heen commemorated at Cambridge, Mass,
by a surprise party, they probably thought
he must he older because they had known
him so long by reputation. He began his
career very early; gained an eminent
name in youth, and made his first visit to
this country not far from forty years ago.
He has had very eventful life from boy
hood to old age. He belongs to the rO.
mantle school actually not less than musi-
cally Born at the Norwegian seaport of
Bergen, his father designed him for a
Lutheran clergyman; but, though chem
ist of considerable skill, he could not put
his boy into any retort from which ecclCs-
asticism in any form might be distilled.
him at the University of Christiania did
not wean him a whit from his passion.
lie neglected his reCitatiOns to play on
the violin, and to 90 wherever he could
hear an orchestra. He was regular at
tendant at concerts and theatres, and one
evening, when the leader of an orchestra
was suddenly taken i'll, he occupied his
place, and acquitted himself most credit
ably. This Clrcumstance-he was but Is
then-ended his connection with the col
lege, and the year following he went to
Cassel to study under the renowned SpOhr,
then chapel master OF the Duke OF Hesse-
Cassel. The composer failed to be as en-
thusiastic as the young fellow thought be
ought to be, and so the latter dashed off
in a huff to Gottlngen to undertake a
course Of law. This he found distasteiul,
as may be supposed, and his ardent i'm
pulses hurried HIM to Minden. There he
gave concert, and his performance on
the violin was warmly applauded. His
quick temper involved him in a quarrel
| with another young musician, leading to
IA duel, in which he mortally wounded his
adversary. He fled from Hanover to cs.
cape the law, and, after some months wan.
dering arrived in Paris, poor, triendess,
unknown. .hCgu l." wuS 50 iOrlom that,
wnen his misery was aggravated by the
theft OF the little he had EFT to keep body
and soul together, and by the loss of his
beloved violin, he caped into the Seine,
with the intent to end his sorrows. lie
was rescued, however, and his story get
ting into print, rich woman became in.
tGrested in hlm, through what she ConSid-
cred streng personal resemblance to her
lately lost son. She provided him with
means, and enabled him to give concert,
which was very successful. He made a
musical tour Of Europe, and at the end OF
seven years had acquired a fortune. His
- nf ltl-n Il
whom he resolved to excel, but whom he
could never really approach. At %, he
returned to Norway with Parislan wife,
and settled upon an estate he had bought
near Bergen. Five years later he came
over here; was enthusiastically welcomed,
and went back to Europe with untold dol
lars. For a good while, he roamed over
the Old World, gave concerts, made a
campaign in Algeria against the Kabyles,
built a theatre in his native town, and
tried to establish there national schools of
literature and art. But his ideas were too
liberal for Scandinavia; his sentiments
| offended the government; resulting in
many troubles, including lawsuits and the
dissipation Of most of his wealth His
wife died. and he again visited America,
founding in Pennsylvania colony called
Oisana which was soon disbanded. He
once more resumed his concerts, and at
the opening ofthe Academy of Music here
1851 tried to establish italian opera, and
failed, losing heavily. Then he recrossed
the ocean, made more money with his
violin, and after varied travels and ex-
periences, has settled down In a New
England town with Minnesota wife,
young enough tC be his grand. daughter.
No composition Of his is more romantic
than his career. He is not a great musi-
clan, perhaps, but he is very interesting
character, and more than half his success
is owing to his personal magnetism.