The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-02
THE MAY FESTIVAL SALE
SEASON TICKETS NAY BE HAD NEXT
THURSDAY MORNING.
Many Inquiries from Out-of-Town
PeOpIe-FestivaI Book Now in
Hands of Printers.

~
Whether or not the coming May music
festival will be a financial success will
largely depend upon the developments Of
this week. for the sale of season tickets
will begin next Thursday morning, the 9Th
inst, and continue for six days. From a
purely artistic point Of view there is no
doubt of the success of the annual series
of musical Entertainments The chorus this
year is larger, better drilled and stronger
than ever before, the Cincinnati orchestra,
which is to play, is the best organization
that has ever appeared at an Indianapolis
festival, the soloists are the most famous
singers whose services are available for
festival work, and the programmes to be
presented are most diversified and interest
ing, especially the choral works, which are
almost all novelties. With these conditions
the managers of the enterprise have reason
to expect that the patronage of the festival
will be commensurate with its merits. There
are other indications of this. Many more
inquiries than ever before have been re-
ceived from out-of-town people who expect
to attend the festival, and the local interest
has been largely augmented by the en-
gagement of a new orchestra, Nine. Calve
and the other noted singers.
The arrangements for the sale of season
tickets is in accordance with the subscrip-
ton plan adopted this year for the first
time here. Circular letters have been sent
to more than 1900 people asking them to
subscribe for tickets, accompanied by the
statement that in the order in which these
subscriptions are received corresponding
numbers will be sent to the subscribers
emitting them to choice in the order of the
numbers in the selection of seats. 1t is not
intended by any means that the subscrip-
lions shall be limited to those only who
lave received these circulars, but all others
Who desire season tickets and have prece-
aence can secure them in the same way.
This plan has been utilized in other cities
and worked well.
The enormous expense incident to the en-
gagement of Nine. Calve, who receives the
highest price for her services ever paid q
singer in this country, has made it neces-
sary for the directors to increase the prices
Of seats 81 each to all parts of the house
on the night she sings. They have not.
however, increased the prices for season
tickets, which will be the same as they
have been for several years. As there is
every reason to believe that every seat IN
the hall will be sold for the night Calye
sings long in advance, ii will be 10 the ad-
vantage of those who want TO be assured
of seats for the concert to buy season
tickets. In point of attractiveneSS there Is
very little difference between the various
concerts, and to musical people the first
and second nights entertainments offer
greater inducement than that at which the
famous French prima donna appears.
THE VARIOUS CONCERTS.
The festival dates are Thursday, Friday
and Saturday, May 20, q and Y. three
night and two afternoon concerts. The spe-
cial attractions at the opening concert will
be the cahtata, THE swan and the Sky
lark (Goring-Thomas), in which the solo
parts will be sung by Nine. CIementine De
We're Sapio, Mr.. F%rangcon Davies, Mr..
Evan Williams and Miss Sara Layton
Walker. There will be a warm welcome for
Mime. De We're Sapio. for when but a young
girl she sang at the first Indianapolis May
music festival. Since then she has developed
into a great singer, and apparently now is
at the zenith of her powers. During the
last season she has been SINGING leading
roles with the Grau Grand Opera Company,
~Eking the places of Melba and Calve in
several works. Mr.. Davies is a Welsh sing
er who, since he came to this country,
three years ago, has been the leading bari
tone at numerous festivals and o~ratorio
performances in the East. When 1t came
TO selecting artists for the coming festival
Mr. Van der Stucken insisted that Mr..
Davies be engaged, as the best in his line.
Mr.. Evan Williams, the tenor of the first
nights concert, sang at the festival last
year under very disadVantageous circum-
stances. He had been i'll for some weeks
and was in very bad voice, but when it
was insisted that he fulfil his contract he
did the best he could. This year, according
10 all accounts, he is in superb voice. Miss
Sara Layton Walker, who is also to sing
in one of the works at the opening con-
cert, is the weIl-known young Indianapolis
~contraIto, in whose recent successes in the
East her friends here take much pride.
The Wagner concert this year will be
given the second night of the festival, when
Miss Ella Russell. No new" singer, So
called. of recent years has created such a
sensation in New York and Boston as Miss
Russell, VINO recently appeared with the
Damrosch Company in those cities. Miss
Russell is an American, a native of Cleve-
land, o., who received her musical educa-
ton abroad, and has been there since until
this year. She has sung in grand opera
in London, Paris, Berlin and st. Peters
burg, and is now under engagement for the
London season at Covent Grden. Competent
critics say that she is the greatest dramatic
soprano since Mateona was at the height
OF her powers. Mr.. Frangcon Davies will
also sing at the Wagner concert.
Barron Berthald, the Sweet-Voiced tenor
who established himself in the good graces
OF indianapolis audiences last year, will be
the special attraction at the first afternoon
concert, the programme, aside from his Sc
%lecttons, being widely diversified. At the
Saturday afternoon concert there will be a
number of special attractions. Two local IA
yorites, Miss Walker and Mr.. Oliver Will
lard Pierce, wh0 has taken high rank as
a pianist, viii appear in solo numbers
Benoit's beautiful cantata, Into Life" will
be given by the eXcellently trained chill
dren's chorus of LOCO voices, and there is
perhaps more interest already shown in this
than in any other feature Of the festival.
The concluding concert will be on Satur-
day night. "CalVe night" when the great
est living actress and singer combined will
be the chief attraction. She is to give the
mad scene from Hamlet" in its entirety
and the aria Pearl Of Brazil" Calve is the
highest-priced artistic now before the public,
and for her single appearance in Indianap-
oils she is 10 receive $4,000. just twice as
much as has ever before been paid q singer
here. That there will be an enormous de-
mand for seats the night she sings is al
ready evident, for scores of inquiries have
already been received. Her services are in
greater demand for festivals and concerts
this spring than those of any other artistic
who has appeared in this country of recent
years.
II FESTIVAL BOOK.
The festival book is now in the hands of
the printers and will be ready for sale in
g few days. 1t contains portraits and
sketches Of the singers, the official pro-
grammes and complete accounts of all the
works to be presented, both orchestral and
vocal, with the words in full of the latter.
The book is to be in a most attractive form.
printed on the best paper. with a beauti-
fully Illuminated cover, the design for
OF this city, a young lady whose artistic
abilities are well recognized. In previous
years an inferior book has been printed and
distributed gratuitously for advertising pur-
poses. This year its place has been taken
by the prospectus. 5000 of which have been
distributed, and copies Of the book will he