The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-05-15
written by Harry L. Freeman, 1.-THE Colored
.Wagner.O

CLEVELAND, O., May 13.I was
born in Cleveland, O., Oct. 8, 1863. and
ann now In my 2Sth year. While attend
ing the public and high schools 1 en-
deavored to pursue my studies in fund
amental pianoforte playing with vary
ing instructors. This trend continued
until 1 had attained the age of seven
teen, when L accepted a position as
clerk on Cleveland newspaper, which
place l filled for a year and a half. In
the meantime 1 had been appointed
organist to Mt. Zion Congregational
church, where 1 remained until the fall
Of 1889, having acted in the latter
capacity for six years, when 1 went to
Denver, Colorado, to join my parents,
who had moved there two years before.
During 1890 and 1891 I followed vari-
GUS occupations, devoting very little
time to music of any kind. One night
in May a friend with whom 1 was living
came hurrying into the house with an
invitation to hear Emma Juch in
Wagner's "Tannhauser' | was very
reluctant to go with him, never having
attended an opera, and having been
reared with the idea that they were
everything that was low and degrading.
l soon discovered my error. L had never
heard such music before, and so great
was the impression it made upon me
that 1 could not sleep after retiring, but
arose at o'clock the next morning and
wrote the music to my first song, sub
seQuently called "The Creole's En-
chantment."
''Abba Father
red solo, abba Father" Then came
the difficult task of finding suitable
words for the music I had written. L
searched for two months, but could
find nothing suitable in meter and
spirit. was about to give up in despair
when one night while strolling along
humm!ng the first few bars of 1.-THE
Enchantment" I attached the following
words to the first two phrases almost
unconsciously:
"Cheerfully and gaily
Dancing with the sprites
Floating midst the azure
Of which the poet writes"
1 repeatedly sung the lines, until, at
last, becoming alive to the fact that
they were perfectly fitted to the music.
both in rhythm and color. 1 stopped un-
der an electric light and wrote, as L
sang, the words to the entire piece,
six verses in all. The words to abba
Father" l wrote the same night. The
next day I composed a ballad, 'Lorene,"
and the same night, my first poem,
1.-The Mariners Daughter thirty
verses. About hundred ballads fol-
lowed during the rest of that year.
l began my first opera, "Epthelia"
romantic work in three acts, Dec.
10, 1892 completed the pencil sketch
Jan. 9, 1893, and produced it from the
same on Feb. 9 of the same year, with
a cast Of sixty people. 1t was very
well received. "Platonus," sacred
opera in one act. followed, being com
pleted Aug. 2, 1898, and produced Aug.
is, 1893.
I then left for Chicago, the exposition
then being in progress. Arriving there
the latter part of September, / pro-
duced "Platonus" at Bethel church,
Oct. II, the press and artists present
speaking very highly of the work. I.
remained in Chicago until Dec. II as
organist Of the above named church
during that time, when 1 returned to
Cleveland. l then commenced two
grand operas, 1.-The Moors" and king
Theodore of Ethiopia" stopping in the
meantime to again produce "Platonus,"
Oct. g. 1894. l then began Destiny"
at which l am still working.
"vaIdo"
Destiny" is a work comprising four
music dramas, Waldo" "Dulcinea,"
'Xerifa" and "Florina." The book to
the first of the cycle, Waldo" was
written In the autumn Of 1896, the first
sketch of the music being completed in
the fall Of the same year AS waldo"
is the work 1 intend to produce this
year, I shall confine myself chiefly to
If The argument is as follows.
Waldo, Moorish king, having search
ed the various countries of the globe
in quest Of his only sister, who had
been stolen from her home in infancy.
an act of revenge committed by a dis
carded lover of her mother at last
finds himself at beautiful Mexican
villa, where he is graciously welcomed