Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-16
MRS. BULL TO BE THERE.
Interesting Musical Event for the Scandi
navian People.

MINNEAPOLIS, July 13.-This week the
Scandinavian sangerfest is to be held here.
Everyone knows what that means. 1t
means some good music and crowds of hale
Mortimer from all over the country.
They take to music as naturally as duck
takes to water. 1t is born in them. Ole
Bull, Jennie Lind, Christine Nilsson, Ed
ward Grieg. Nils Gade and others of equal
merit, though not so well known in this
country, are examples of Sc ndinavian
musical ability.
Scandinavian music has peculiar char
acteristics But little of it is trashy and a
great deal of it is taken directly from
nature. There is an old Morse legend of
a violinist who sold his soul to the evil one
for the sake Of being able to initiate on
his violin the song OF the elf who made
/ he music of the watefall. Grieg even
goes so far as to describe the sunrise in
music, and he succeeds. The Sunrise
in his peer Gynt Suite" might be called
graphic as well as artistic. Claud
Madden plays piece describing summer
evening IN the mountains with the lowing
of cattle, miikmaid' S song and village
dance. He learned it from Lars Fykerhud,
the old Hardanger violinist, and it is a
wild, though not altogether displeasing
composition.
But it is long way back to the sanger
fest. In the first place it is national
affair. Singing societies from New
York, San Francisco and inter
mediate points will be here.
There will be many good singers
among them. One society, the Swedish
GIee club of New York, has been organic
ed Is years. One hundred singers from
New York, Brooklyn and Philadelphia
will arrive in Minneapolis today. A
delegation, consisting of a double quar-
tet, is also expected from San Francisco
on the same day. Altogether there will
be 1900 visiting singers, Sc societies be-
ing represented.
To outsiders tie most interesting of the
FIVE days fest will be the three concerts
given Friday and Saturday evenings and
Sunday afternoon.
The chorus will be large, we'll drilled
one, and the soloists the finest that could
be procured. Mrs. Kathinka Paulsen
White, soprano, was born in Christiana,
Norway, and received her musical educa-
ton in that country. Since coming to
America year age she has created a
furore In Boston, and has been from the
first in great demand.
Miss Aagot Lunde, of Boston, the con-
tralto soloist. is also a native of Christi
ana, and has the distinction of having
been compIimented by List, the great
composer, before whom she sang.
John r. Ortengren, basso, director Of
the Glee club, is pupil of Fritz Arlberg,
and before comirg to this country sang In
the Royal theatre, Stockholm. He is di-
rector in chief of the United scandinavian
singers of America.
The violinist, A. c. Yittrup, of Chicago
is a graduate of the Royal Danish conser-
vatory of music at Copenhagen, and
August HylIested, whose excellence is GER
tilted to by Franz List, is also to be here.
Mrs. Sara Bull, widow CT the distin-
guished Ole Bull, will be in attendance
All Of these artists will appear at each
concert. An interesting feature Of the
sangerfest will be the competitive singing
for the Lindblom banner, which will be
presented to the winning society.