The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-08-28
THE PASSION PLAY.


older date than what current tradition
3 allows for it. 1t is not probable tina
simple villagers would make vow t,
a perform play totally unknown to them
|, and even in its rudest form, demanding
!, such capacity and preparatory study. Ii
q 1888 the natives of Ober-Ammergau as
T sembled and made a solemn vow tha
u they would perform the Passion Play
n every ten years as a thanksgiving, if the
J, Lord would take away the fearful pesti
v lence which had just been introduced
! into their village by a laborer who came
: from an adjoining town to visit his wife.
! From that time on, although a number
! of persons were suffering, not one more
, died of the plague. The vow speaks of
7 the Passion Tragedy as something well
known; only the period of producing
the play every ten years was a novelty.
: Numerous representations of the history
of the sufferings of Christ took place in
Germany, France and England as early as
the fourteenth century, and they under
went numerous changes. Even now per-
fOrmances of this kind are given in some
parts of Italy and at Nice, France, every
year, during Holy Week, but they are not
to be compared to the wonderful Ober-
Ammergau production. The decadal
period was chosen for 1880, and the
Passion Play has been enacted in this
little Bavarian village every tenth year,
with various Interruptions, since that
! time.
Cne hundred years later the parish
succeeded in obtaining from the Elector,
Charles Theodore, a special privilege for
their "Expiatory Sacrifice on GolOtha."
At the beginning of this century, how
ever, there prevailed in the mountainous
districts of Bavaria liberal, free-think-
ing spirit that was hostile to such ex-
pressions of the popular belief, and the
Inhabitants of Ober-AmmeTgua were not
allowed to continue their representation
until the year 1911. Up to 1890 the play
was performed in the village churchyard,
but since then a special theatre has been
built for it, which seats over four thou
sand people. Improvements in the play
were made by the beloved Father Dains-
berger, who became priest of the village
lin 1915, and under his judiciOus manage
ment the performance of 1850 proved it
self to be an era i'll the history of the
play. Its present reputation is indeed
largely attributable to his efforts. The
performance of 1870 was suddenly inter-
rupted by the breaking out of the
Franco German war, and several of the
performers were called into the ranks of
the Bavarian army. King Ludwig ii,
had ever manifested deep interest in
the Passion Play, and he interfered in
favor of Joseph Maier, the delineator of
the person of Christ. and permitted him
to do service in the Munich garrison in
stead of in the field, and allowed him to
let his hair and beard grow, that they
might be in good condition for the next
performance. In 1871 the play was es-
pecially given as means of thanking
God for the blessings of victory and
peace.
Foreigners often wonder how it is that
a company of peasant players can pro-
duce a great drama in such an artistic
manner; but many influences have been
at work to produce the marvellous peas
ant actors of Ober-Ammergau. In the
first place nearly all the principal actors
are wood carvers by profession, and con-
sequently their artistic instincts have
been more highly cultivated than are
those of ordinary peasants. The sub
jects which they execute by preference
are of the religious kind, madonnas,
crucifixes and church ornamentss and
the influence exercised by wood carving
upon the villagers is seen in the improve
ment of taste and in the preparation of
the people for the parts they enact on
the stage. Many of the wood carvers de-
serve the name of artists, and what they
cut out in wood they represent on the
stage. Then the great training school
for the play has all along been the vii
lage church, with its purely Catholic
ceremonies, its PROFESSIONS, its music
and song. The principal festivals, such
as the Resurrection and the Ascension,
are dramatically represented in the Am
mergau church, and at other times the
natives perform other dramatic subjects,
partly secular, partly religious. These
minor plays are acted by the Ammer-
gauers with great force, and excite the
Admiration of the whole neighborhood,
visitors coming from some Of the more
distant towns. They never tire of giving
Dainsbergers masterpiece. '"rhe Found
ing of the Monastery of Ettal." OF the
other original dramatic compositions of
this author which have been brought
out on the Ober-Ammergau rehearsal
stage we may mention his ''St. Gen
evieve," 'St. Agatha" and lotto Won
Wittelsbach." He also adapted num-
Der of secular plays for the village
boards, among which civilian Tel"
''The Last Witch" "Karfunkel'' and
''Burgher and Junker'' have been per-
formed, as well as "Christmas Play"
Music and song have prominent place
in all these plays, and in winter there is
generally performance every week. So
the Passion Play is not the only drama
that the Ammergauers produce, but dur
ing the ten years interval their histri-
onic powers are developed and kept in
training by the production of other plays
both religious and secular.
The great professions and the har-
monious working together of masses OF
people on the Ammergau stage have ex-
cited the admiration even of skilled
damatists. The opening scene of the
play representing Christs triumphal en-
try into Jerusalem, when nearly five
hundred persons-men, women and chill
Idren-join in the pageant, strikes the
spectator with amazement. Such har-
mony and order could not have been pro-
duced by mere theatrical drilling. The
only explanation of it is that all the in
habitants, including the children, have
had the opportunity of doing the same
thing many times during the year. Such
professions take place an Palm Sunday,
Corpus Christi and other days, and in
fact many other scenes from the Pas
sion Play are constantly being enacted in
the village church.
The people of fOber-Ammergau are not
remarkable either for extraordinary
genius or for eminent sanctity, as is
commonly supposed; hut they consider
the play in the light of a precious heir
loom and its performance as labor of
love. They enact similar plays for their
own amusement and instruction during
the long winter months, so when they
come to perform the Passion Play each
ten years they are not entirely ignorant
of stage business and they know how to
group themselves in an artistic manner.
The selection of the actors for the
various roles is a task of great impor-
tance and devolves upon a committee of
forty-five househOlders, together with
the parish priest. During the last week
in December Of the year previous to the
play the election takes place, the men,
bers first having attended divine service.
1t is generally found that the principal
parts are easily disposed of and require
little discussion. But the minor char
acters land there are hundreds Of them)
give rise to much discussion. There is
much material to choose from, but it Is
sometimes difficult to come to adecision.
From a majority of voices of the COM
mittee there is no appeal but It rarely
happens that an unfit person is chosen.
OF course the greatest distinction is to
act the part of Christ This year there
were four candidates for that important
, part, all of whom have great natural
gifts: Josef Maier, who had enacted the
part in 1870 1871 and 1880, Thomas
Rendi, the ''Pilate' of the last perform
ance, Sebastian Deschler and Johann
, Diemer. It was unanimously decided
that Josef Maier should act the part
again, Rendi was assigned his former