The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-20
MAY FESTIVAL TONIGHT
OPENING CONCERT OF THE GREAT
INDIANA MUSICAL EVENT.
Nine. De Vere-Sapio, Miss Russell,
Mr.. Williams and Others of the
Soloists in the City.

reached. There will be an .intermisson of
fifteen minutes between the two parts, it's
termination being indicated by trumpet
CALL In coming to Tomlinson Hall car
riages will approach from the west, and on
leaving it from the east. The programme
of to-night's concert will be as follows:
1. Prelude. chorale and fugue. ........ Bach
Orchestra.
2. Aria, 20 Ruddier than the Cherry
........................... ItanQel
Mr.. David Ffrangcon-Dayies.
Mr. Oliver Willard Pierce. chorus and or
cheStra.
a. Aria, The Magic Flute" 49,. Mozart
dine. Clementine De Vere-sapio;
,. Overture, 'Euryanthe" ............ w eber
IntermisSion.
G. Cantata, THE Swan and the Sky
Nine De We're -Sapio, Miss Sara Layton
Walker. Mr.. Evan Williams, Mr..
F'frangcon- Davies, chorus
and orchestra.
No more attractive programme than that
of tonight will be given at the festival.
The great festival chorus will sing two
notable works, Beethoven's Choral Fan
tasia.' with Mr. oliver Willard Pierce as
the pianist and Goring- Thomas's beautiful
cantata THE Swan and the Skylark." The
latter is the principal choral work of the
festival. and it alone should attract large
audience for it is a most stirring and
dramatic composition which the chorus has
had in constant rehearsal for nearly five
months. 1t was recently presented in Chi
cago, and the papers there were most
enthusiastic about it. The Chronicle said:
THE music of The Swan and the Sky
lark is wonderfully pretty. The two
motives of gladness and life and grief and
death, respectively, afford the happiest con-
trasts and the wealth of melody the piece
contains is really marvellous. 1t is a well
come addition to the very limited repertoire
of oratOrio societies like the Apollo.
The Inter Ocean critic said: = The Swan
and the Skylark is little gem OF eX-
quisitely pure sentiment expressed in music
that flows like a lmpid stream.
THE SOLOISTS.
The two principal soloists for tonight are
among the greatest singers engaged in
festival work. Probably no other singer in
America has been more talked about dur
ing the past few months than Clementine
De Vere-Sapio. She has long been recog-
nized as an accomplished vocalist, but the
great opportunity which she long had
sought came only a few weeks ago. One
of the big nights of the Metropolitan
opera season in New York Nine. Melba,
who was to sing Juliet in Romeo and
Juliet" became suddenly i'll. Without ade-
quate rehearsals Nine. De Vere-Sapio was
that she was Immediately engaged for the
remainder of the opera company season
in this country. A few nights later she was
put on to sing in Calves place, the latter
being slightly indsposed, and she du-
plicated her previous success.
The Chicago Herald gives the following
account of this singer Melba may be the
most popular artist among them, but GER
tainly Mime Clementine De We're is the
hair, of brilliant Titan red is a poets
dream. 1t is so abundant and heavy and
it escapes in such bewitching little curls
about her eyes and ears and frames her
perfect face in its rose and lily tints so
like nimbus that for a moment you for
get you are talking to a woman who
ing upon some wonderful Beatrice just
stepped from some massive frame.
Nine. De We're and her Italian husband
Sapiio are gypsies-not in reality but in
tendency. They seem to have lived every
where, from Australia to Paris, the Mecca
of all artistic Europeans. They live there
sometimes and sometimes in Italy, or per-
haps in London they may spend summer.
But there is one thing about Nine. De
We're that ought to win her many friends
among Americans. She loves America.
And she loves it well enough to have pur-
chased a summer house at Chatham, on the
coast of Massachusetts, and where she pre-
fers above all seacoasts in the world to
play the mermaid and inhale the salt
breezes.
before the footlights is the poetic and
idealistic Ophelia, you would be surprised
to see Ophelia the next morning spinning
down Michigan boulevard on a bicycle.
No not in boomers but a fetching tailored
costume, with short skirt, a Norfolk
jacket and a jaunty cap. Ophelia after 8
D. m. is interesting, but athletic Nine. De
We're at a. m. is still more so. But
madame's athletic tendencies do not stop
there She is an enthusiastic equestrienne,
and she has spent many hours dashing
down the boulevards of Paris on her ia
vorite horse.
Nine. De We're is the daughter of a Bel
oria No
mother was Isabel Hood, an English
woman of great culture and beauty. Glenn
the very early age of sixteen, appearing
at the Pagliano Theater Florence, where
she scored sensation in THE Huguenots."
Recently during the New York season
Nine. De We're replaced at a few hours
notice Nine. Calve in "Ophelia" and Nine.
Melba in ''Traviata," achieving in both a
marked success. AT the close of the pres
ent season she will go to Covent Garden,
London.
David Ffrangcon-Davie another of to-
nights soloists, was born in north Wales,
was educated for the church, elected
classical exhibitioner of his college at OK
ford. was stroke oar in his college boat
boat race and finally graduated as NJ. A
of Oxford University. He inhaled music
hood being carefully. trained in the old
masters by his father. who was a good
amateur: When fate led him to reside in
London he was rapidly drawn into the vor-
tex of professional life at the advice of
men like Randegger, Shakespeare, Hill and
others. His career started in 1890 Since
then he has sung in opera at Drury Lane
and Covent Garden, London. and has sung
in oratorid and 'Lieder'' recitals all over
England and America. In. this country he
has sung under the baton of Seidl, Dam
rosch Theodore Thomas and Van der
Stucken, appearing for the New York
oratorio, symphony and philharmonic So
cieties and at the last Cincinnati festival
and this year has been identified with ali
the leading musical organizations and
nrc fOfai in lie
Much interest attaches to the appearance
of Miss Sara Layton Walker the young
Indianapolis contralto, who will also sing
in the choral work tonight tomorrow
night and again at the Saturday matinee
Mr.. Evan Williams, the Sweet-Voiced
tenor will also be one of the soloists to-
night He is regarded as the best tenor
now singing in festival and oratorio work
--%