The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-05-10
MAY MUSIC FESTIVAL
PROSPECTS FOR ITS SUCCESS VERY
FLATTERING JUST NOW.
Part-Sa1e OF Season Tickets
Begins Next Friday.

| Two weeks from tomorrow night the May
| festival will begin, and in consequence these
are busy times for the gentlemen OF the as
ISOLATION who are making arrangements for
| IT. Few people who have not had the ex-
perience have an adequate idea OF the
amount OF work it takes to get festival
| ready for the grand opening Il Is carefully
laid out early in the season. apportioned
| among committees. each OF which is held re-
| sponsibie for fits particular undertaking, and
| they report progress at the weekly meet
| ings. The advertising committee just now
| is particularly busy. and the members OF 1t
| have not time even to go out riding on oi-
| cycles. They are putting bills. Autographs
| and festival books In fifty or more cities
| and towns in different parts OF the State,
besides seeing to 1t that the people Of In
| dianapolis know that there is going to be
| a festival. The festival book. by the way,
| which made It's first appearance two days
| ago, Is a much better ana more complete
| work than the association has ever before
| got out. Besides the announcements, names
of guarantors and chorus singers, the COM
| plete programmes and the sketches Of artists
| and works it contains the words in full OF
all the chorus works, libretto in fact.
which will be appreciated by those who at
| tend the concerts.
This week will practically demonstrate
whether or not the festival will be a finan-
cial success. for the advance sale OF season
| tickets will begin next Friday morning-an
| unllcky day. some might think, but the
| festival directors are not particularly SUI
| perstitious. The season ticket sale is most
| important thing, for 1t is almost a sure indi-
| cation OF what the entire attendance will be.
| To use a common expression. the May Fes-
| tival Association OF Cincinnati this year is
| already ION Easy street." It has an ad-
| vance sale Of $4,000, and its total expenses
will only be 5000 in excess of this amount,
| SO that its financial success is already as
sured.
A FAVORABLE COMPARISON.
But the festival IN Cincinnati is a we'll
established institution, just as 1t is getting
to be in Indianapolis, and while the ever
present necessity OF cutting your coat ac-
cording to your cloth is kept in view by the
local directors, their experience has caused
them to believe that not many years from
now the Indianapolis festival will be among
| the very great ones of the country.
1t is true that it will compare very favor
| ably with the Cincinnati festival this year.
The principal singers are the same, Nordica,
! Klafsky, Breme and Blauvelt, while the 9th.
ers engaged for Indianapolis are fully the
equal in artistic ability and reputation to
those the Queen City will have. Cincinnati
has larger but not better chorus and
gives more concerts and heavier choral
works.
President Taylor, OF the Indianapolis as
ISOLATION, said yesterday: I'VE are conf
dent that this years festival will be the
greatest and best this association has ever
given, and we have reason to believe that
Half-fare rates on all the railroads will GER
tainly bring many people from out Of town,
and there are indications of greater interest
among city people than ever before. 1t has
been demonstrated time and again that In
dianapolis will give liberal patronage to
any first-class entertainment, even at high
prices. During the past winter the people
have paid So seat to hear Irving and Bern
hardt, 81 a seat for the Damrosch Opera
Company, and are now expected to pay So
a seat for the coming performance of The
Rivals The festival association, which will
present several great artists every night, a
fine orchestra and the best chorus in the
West, only asks from 81 to 81 a seat, Just
enough to pay the expenses, and will give a
greater entertainment than any OF those men,
toned Besides, it is a public enterprise, In
which everybody should be interested, for It
| zone
wonders for local musical culture"
THE CHORAL WORKS.
The great festival chorus, which this year
has $50 trained voices, has mad weekly re-
hearsals since early last December, and
from now until the festival begins they will
be even more frequent Mr. Arens. the
musical director, says that the chorus is
doing better work this year than ever be-
fore, and believes that there is no better
organized body OF singers in the country.
This year the chorus will present a number
OF works, all short and widely varied In
character.
AT the opening concert, Monday evening.
the 18th inst. there will be three choral
works presented. The first Of these IS
Daybreak," the poetic fancy OF Longfel-
lows, which was so much liked at the fes-
tival last year that it was decided to place
it ON the programme again this season
Another is 'Miriam's Song Of Triumph
(SchuberD, which is one of the most pow
erful and artistic works to be given at the
festival Miriam, whose part is intrusted
to Miss Gertrude May Stein, with answering
choruses from the people, gives thanks to
God over the safe escape OF the Hebrews
out Of Egypt and across the Red sea- The
climax comes when the storm which over
| ldheS the pursuing Egyptians as they at
tempt to cross the sea is described. This
passage is exceedingly fine, both in the cho-
rus and orchestra. and the dead march
which follows
''Egypt's King! AS lead sinks he down be-
meath
The mighty food
suggests an abyss Of gloom and despair
A duet in canon style, the lower voice re-
peating note for note what the higher one
sings, follows the march. The composition
! closes with repetition OF the beautiful
solo and chorus which began it, Strike
Your Timbrels. Hebrew Maidens," and thus
a satisfying unity is impaired to the whole
"Barbarie Frietchie'' which will also be
presented the first night. is a decided nov
city, and has proved exceedingly popular
wherever 1t has been sung Winters
poem, which forms its text. is familiar to
every one. The music is by Jules Jordan,
an American composer. who has become Ia
vorably known. The orchestral effects are
secured by simple means, and generally
through force OF contrast rather than elab-
crate denominations. In the score the
themes OF several OF our national airs, in
Guiding THE Star Spangled Banner" have
, | been introduced. so that "a music los