Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-20

Has just Written Song to Words
Dealing with u Morse Subject.

From the New York Herald
OF royal musicians there has never boon
plethora For all that, many a crowned
head has sought relief from all cares Of
state by counting the muse, and list Of
contemporary princes who have manifested
a certain amount of ability as composers
would cut quite a respectable figure. while
blue-blooded instrumentalists are by no
means scarce-even the Prince of Wales Is
accused OF having a fondness for pick
ing the banjo. while his brother. Duke
Alfred of Saxe-Coburg- Gotha. is renowned
for his modest skill upon the violin.
Particularly among the members of the
Hohenzollern family has this talent mani
Tested itself. l suppose 1t mas been trans
mitted from the great Frederick, whose
compositions, found several years ago In a
long disused room of the Potsdam palace
and recently published by a German firm,
with remarks by Philip Spitta. give ire
futable evidence that their royal writer
possessed not only decided creative musi-
cal faculties, but also that ne must have at
tanned to more than ordinary proficiency
upon 1.-The melancholy flute" seeing tina:
his works for that instrument were written
for his own performance Of which, Vol
taire assures us. he had by no means
small opinion.
1t was not. however generally known
that the present Emperor Of Germany had
Inherited any Of this creative genius.
liousH IL mas lOHS Dcen Known tnat MS
fondness for music amounted to a veritable
passion, and that ne took an active interest
In operate matters, exhibiting q critical
discernment of high order and q cath
olicity of taste that makes him find equal
pleasure in the works Of Handel and Wag-
ner, and to command an opera from Leon
cavallO for the Berlin Theater Royal, where
at his request. Sullivan's "Ivanhoe" will be
played during the coming season.
An English tourist recently sent song
written by the young kaiser to one Of the
London papers. Truth to tell. this Sang
am Aesir" does not display a vast amount
Of decided originality. But 1t made such
an impression upon the tourist In question
that after a couple of hearings he was able
''in the evening to pick out the melody on
the pianoforte'' in his hotel. The pick Is
delicious. 1t makes YOU see at once the
stolid Britisher sorting out with rever-
entail awe-and one finger-the tune writ
ten by his sovereigns grandson.
The kaiser's fondness for mythology, and
more particularly Morse mythology is very
marked. 1t is not many months ago since
he Ekened himself to Heimdalr the Gabriel
OF the Scandinavian theocracy, who will
give the signal with his magic horn upon
the last day to summon the gods to war
with the descendants Of Muspell Nat
urally, therefore. the melody in him wells
forth In this connection, and when, like the
immortal Wegg, he drops into music. II Ia
to poem dealing with Aegir, a sort of
Morse Neptune who can with his
Flaming eye
Control the angry storm
And, In view of the marked preference ex-
hibited by the kaiser for the music
dramas of Wagner, he may be tempted by
the success Of his first work to carry on the
work Of the Bayreuth master and the ira
ditions Of the Hoher zollerns.