Audubon County Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Audubon Co., Iowa) 1885-1894, 1886-09-02
A SWISS CELEBRATION.
Interesting and Beautiful Perform
Qnce.


ance.
A correspondent Of The London
Times gives an interesting description
of one part of the recent Sempach cele-
bration:
For the performance Of the great ma
tional drama the slope Of hill few
hundred yards from the battle chapel
had been chosen. On this were ar
ranged, tier above tier, apparently end
less rows of temporary seats, with a
place of honor in the center for the
authorities of the land. In front of
the spectators rose the stage, built of
earthwork and boarded over, and with
steps rising up to where, as if in the
air, is the gigantic white genius of the
free confederation, the work of the
sculptor Sales Amlehn of Sursee. The
background of the stage is formed by
d dark pine wood, and beyond the
jagged crest of Pilatus. Between us
and the stage, in skillfully arranged
depression, was arrayed an orchestra
of five hundred ladies and gentlemen,
all giving their services gratuitously.
The former belonged to the Caecilien
verein of Lucerne, the latter of various
maennerchore, and several distin-
guished solo singers, whose voices
rang out clear and sharp in the pure
air, also gave their services. 1t is but
Justice in this connection to mention the
names of Messrs. Hinderman, Burg
meier and Director Moos.
Between us and the orchestra was a
road, along which the knights in armor
rode and the confederates marched in
their quaint and ancient costumes of
many colors, armed with strange
weapons, mostly drawn from the mt
seums and arsenals of their respective
cantons. There was room also for
baggage-wagons, drawn by oxen, laden
with the spoils of the fight. to pass be-
fore the spectators. About five hum
dred actors took part in the perform
ance, mostly peasant men. women, and
children from the neighborhood. with
soldiers from Lucerne and from the
forest cantons. The costumes were
simple, appropriate, and very effective,
and were all arranged by Herr Vein
gartner, while great credit is due to
Herr Muheim for the skill with which
the groups were arranged.
There were in all seven groups. and
when l name them the imagination of
your readers will picture the scenes
much better than can describe them:
1. Harvest celebration.
2. Entrance Of the armed confederates.
3. The warriors take farewell of their
families.
4. Decision and report of the battle.
5. Return of the victors and Thanksgiving
prayer.
8. Mourning for the fallen CWinkelricd).
Z. Closing picture-propheti vision.
The piece performed is taken from
the cantata "Siegesfeler der Freiheit"
celebration of the Victory of Free
dom, W the words by Heinrich Weber,
the music by Gustav Arnold, who also
conducted the great orchestra.
The performance of the scene in con-
nection with the fourth group is rem
dered very effectively by number of
grooms gallopng off in wild fight upon
their masters horses from the field of
battle along the road in front of the
stage. These are quickly followed by
knights armed cap-a-p:e, also in head
long fight. That many of the grooms
Internationally lost their steel caps,
which ratified on the ground behind
them, only enhanced the scene.
1t was a wonderful and impressive
sight, and when the national hymn
"Rufst du. mein Vaterland'' Oost
thou call, 0, my fatherland)-to the IA
miliar tune of God Save the Queen"
had been sung at the close, the whole
vast auden gave utterance to we'll
deserved applause.
Then along the road, shaded with
fruit-trees, trotted knights in steel and
marched sturdily men-at-arms in medi-
aval garments, while by their side
plodded the thousands of sigis-seers.
Some of us left the road AID struck
across the meadows, from which the
hay had just been carried. From the
distance nothing could be more pctnc-
esque than the gayly-co',r. lproce' on
winding along the ROAD to tno old ivy
covered gateway at Sempach and the