The Topeka state journal., 1897-12-07
PEOPLE HATE WAGNER.
They Won't Go to Hear His
Compositions.
Prof. YOn Dahlen's Effort is
Not Rewarded
By an Audience of Large Proportions
-Wagnerian Music May be Grand
But the Human Racs in Gen
eraI Regards it as Stupid.

@Se@ @sC5 O. 10 ~ a. Ss0R@Aa
Does Topeka want Wagnerian grand
opera by local talent? Judging from
the size of the audience at the Grand
opera house last night Topeka does not.
When Prof. Waldemar Won Dahlen
first decided to give a Wagnerian con-
cert and third act of "Tannhauser" six
weeks ago, he did it with the intention
of stimulating the desire among the
music loving people of Topeka for the
compositions OF the famous German
composer. When Prof Won DahIen
looked through the peep hole in the big
curtain last night before it was rung
up on the first part of the evening pro-
gramme he discovered that the desire
was of such weak proportions that it
would not stand stimulation.
The big auditorium of the Grand
looked absolutely lonely with the little
group of people occupying seats to-
gether IN the central portion. In COM
parisOn with the admirers of music on
the first floor the chorus on the stage
looked immense. In the balcony the
first three rows were sparcely filed,
while in the gallery half dozen men
who had decided that 25 cents worth of
music was all they could stand in one
evening, sat on the wooden benches and
leaned over the iron rail. THAT was the
audience which greeted the Apollo club
in their first ambitious effort to give
1Opeka people something pfeIeNllOuS IN
the musical line.
Had each one of the members of the
club interested one person in attending
the entertainment, with possibly a few
exceptions the entire audience of last
night could be accounted for. In other
words, there was but little difference,
numerically, between the chorus on the
stage and the audience in the auditor
ium and balconies of the house. From
the fact that prices were very reason
able for the entertainment, there is
no other way to account for the small
attendance but to say that Grand opera
will not be accepted by Topeka at the
hands of local talent.
It was an ambitious move on the part
of Prof. Won Dahlen and the members
of the Apollo club to undertake to put
on the third act of ''Tannha user in
conjunction with a concert of Wagner
ian music, and they deserve praise for
their ambition. With Prof Won Dab
len, Mrs. G. W. Parkhurst, Miss Mabel
Huey and Mr.. w. w. Shaver in the
solo parts, and a well selected and we'll
drilled chorus, it was put on in a way
that accorded with the anticipatiOns of
those who saw it. Hardly, however.
would the rendition of the third act of
the opera have won new admirers to
| Wagner. for the composition is deep
and heavy, possibly too deep and heavy
for the present century, in the hands Of
any organization, and especially so, in
| the hands of amateur talent.
The first part of the programme, in
| cluding the Bridal Chorus, - from Lo-
hengrin, and Hail Bright Abode from
! ''Tannhauser," the Grand Love Duet
| by Mrs. Parkhurst and Prof. Won Dab
len, and cello solos by Mr.. Ralph Dun
bar, # St. Joseph, was enjoyable and
! the Il audience was generous in its
applal after each number. The cello
soils Of Il. =. Ralph Dunbar. "MOceaU de
| Concert" Peppers "GaVotte," and
! Schubert's ''Serenade'' and the Flower
! Song" as encOres. formed delightful
/ features of the concert.
n of ha
/ Apollo club may be said to have made
| a success of its first undertaking. From
/ any other standpoint the concert was a
/ failure.
The concert will be repeated at the
| Grand opera house tonight, and it is
/ possible that a larger audience will re-
| ward the efforts of the club.
| Those who participated in the chorus
! last night were the following: Mrs. c.
I J. Brown, Mrs. z. H. Anderson, Mrs
| J. w. Campbell, Mrs. G. w. Parkhurst,
! Mrs. NJ. d. Henderson, Mrs. J. w. Rob-
| inson, Mrs. A. W. Lacey, Mrs. ]. w.
! F. Hughes, Mrs. Geo. NJ. Eagle, Mrs.
! ChaS. Eagle, Mrs. E. G. Foster, Mrs. w.
/ F. Guthrie, Mrs. o. D. Hollis, Miss Ger
/ trude Tracy, Miss Jessie Upton, Miss
/ Laura Tillson, Miss Helen NJ. Moon,
/ Miss Edna ParkhuTst, Miss May Lange,
/ Miss Lulu Mckee, Miss Lucena B. Mat
1 toOn, Miss Mabel Huey, Miss Mae 2.
| Davis, Miss Daisy Starr, Miss Belle
Welch, Miss Josephine Sexton, David
J BOWle, w m. II. buSnr NJ L OOuSn6T-
! ty, NJ. D. Henderson, o. D. Hollis. VIM.
| w. Shaver, G.. w. Parkhurst, Ed N.
/ Strong. A. e. Sidwell F. L. Zinghein.
! NJ c. Holman, James Moore, John L.
/ May, Chas. L. Polk J. z. Paul ]. H.
Soleeki, J. S. SIe, Frank Weightman,
! J. K. Bair
The club was assisted by the following
| members of the ModOc club:
Major T. J. Anderson, F. c. Squires,
/ c. L. Wood, Joe Griley, L. M Wood,
! E. c. Lewis, u. b. McCurdy, E. H.
I Crow, J. G. Rodemeyer, A. F. Sher-
/ man. W. r. Carrie, G. L. Reeske, Her
man Judd, A. A. Rowley, F. A. NcGrif-
/ fin. G. E. Cassidy.
! The little girls, drilled by Mrs. E. B.
/ Meredith, who attended Venus as
| nymphs were the following: Eleanor
Thompson, May Talley, Bessie Cream
| er, Mary Sutherland, Grace Meredith,
! Mary Noeser, Mabel Wyatt, Bertha
/ Bowen. Kate Caferty, Charlotte But
terly, Esther Rauch, Pearl Pensyl, Fay
! Urmy.