The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-24
A GREAT MUSIC SEASON
1T WILL BE ON IN INDIANAPOLIS
DURING NEXT WEEK.
Two Great Artists whom Neither
Cincinnati Nor Louisville Will
Have at Their Festivals.

The fashionable and nusical event Of the
Indianapolis season, the May festival will
be next week and the preparations for it
are so well advanced that little remains to
be done except the final rehearsals and the
concerts themselves. OF the three big festi-
walls to be given in the West that of Indian
apolis comes first, Louisville next and Gin
cinnati two weeks later. A comparison of
the works and artists shows that the In
dianapolis festival is clearly in the lead. 1t
will not give as many and as heavy choral
works as Cincinnati, but those that are an
nounced are of a more popular nature. and
the array Of famous artists is certainly bet
ter. Mr. Bispham and Mr.. Hamlin will sing
at all three of the festivals and Nine. Ja-
CODY here and at Cincinnati. Indianapolis
will present two great artists, Ysaye and
Nine Gadski, which neither Of the others
will have, and people who are unsteady
we'll informed will admit that the equal of
either Of these will not appear in the other
cities.
The great musical event OF the year in
this country, however, will be the produc-
ton of ''Lucifer' for the first time in Amer
lea at the Indianapolis festival, and the
presentation will be on a most elaborate
and pretentious scale. The big festival
chorus of 400 voices has been rehearsing this
work steadily for six months. In addition
to this one hundred of the children's chorus
will take part in "Lucifer," and the solo
choir composed of twenty Of the best sing
ers selected from the various musical So
cieties of the city. The soloists will be five
Of the festival stars, Nine. Emma Juch,
David Bspham, Nine. Josephine >. Jacoby
Mr.. George Hamlin and Mr.. Carl y. Outfit
The presentation OF 'Lucifer.' here IS re-
garded as such an important event in a
musical way that a number OF critics or the
Eastern cities will be here to see it.
cts the directors expect good demand for
seats for single concerts when the sale be-
gins at the Big -Four ticket once at
o'clock tomorrow morning.
THE VARIOUS CONCERTS.
The various concerts to be given at the
festival all present such interesting aid va
red programmes that there is comparative
~ little choice between them. For the open
ing concert Wednesday evening, May a.
will be devoted to "Lucifer," which will be
given in three parts, with two intermissions
of fifteen minutes each. This will introduce
four of the principal soloists. The sopranos
will be Nine. Emma Juch, who is we'll
known to indianapolis people, for she has
sung here at several festivals. After her
from the stage for some time but has again
made her temperance, and, according to
New York recently, is singing better than
ever. She will also sing in olaf Trygyas-
son." as well as an aria at the Friday even
ing concert of the festival
Nine. Josephine Jacoby is a. new singer
to local people, but in the last two years
she has come to be recognized as the great
est contralto in the country. She is a most
beautiful woman, only twenty-five years
old, an American. unsteady educated in
this country, and her engagements during
the past year have embraced all the leading
musical events in the East particularly the
Metropolitan Opera House concerts in New
York and the performances or the Crea-
ton and the Messiah in that city and
Brooklyn. Her singing may be expected to
cause d sensation at the Indianapolis festi-
val.
David Bispham, who is also new here,
has been engaged for the principal baritone
Damrosch Opera Company. He is a native
of Philadelphia, and this is his second sea-
son in opera, his first having been in Lon
don, for which city he is again engaged
this summer.
George Hamlin is conceded by the critics
to be the best of the young tenors. He came
into public notice as a church choir singer
n Chicago. but for the last three years he
has been singing in concerts and oratorios
with the leading musical organizations of
the country. He is also engaged for the
Cincinnati and Louisville festivals.
Dr. Carl f. Duff is one of the best known
bassos in America, a pre-eminence he has
enjoyed for many years. His special is
oratorio and festival work, and his engage
mentS in this line are very numerous. He
has never sung in Indianapolis.
GADSKI A GREAT STAR.
The second concert, on Thursday evening,
will introduce as soloists Nine Johanna
Gadsli, who divides with Nine. Nordica
the prima-donna honors Of the Damrosch
Opera Company. GadsM was comparatively
unknown three years ago. when Damrosch
brought her to this country to sing in his
German opera company. Her progress has
been so great that she is now regarded as
the greatest of Wagnerian singers and has
had all the leading Wagnerian roles in the
Damrosch season this year. At the close of
this season she is to go to London to sing
in the grand opera and then to the prin-
cipal German cities. Gadsh has appeared
in indianapolis but once, and then only for
one evening She is the greatest card avail
able for the spring season of music, and
all the big festivals have engaged her serv-
ices.
Another artist for this concert will be
Paul Haase, baritone. who was brought
to be vocal instructor in the Cincinnati Col
lege of Music. His experience in oratorio
and opera has been very great, and he has
repertoire of 103 works, in ninety-seven
of which he has sung in public, several of
them at the Bayreuth festivals.
The great attraction of the festival, who
day night. is ysaye, the world-famous Bel
gian violnist, whose playing has created
such sensation in this country as we'll as
in Europe. The festival directors received
many requests that the services of Ysaye
be obtained, as otherwise local musical
people would not have an opportunity of
hearing him. His engagements throughout
the country are only in the largest cities,
and he receives the highest price ever paid
violinist in America. He is the Pader-
ewski of the violin. and his playing shows
that magnetism which has made the great
pianist popular idol Ysaye is the most
in demand of any artist. either vocal or in
Strumental, in the country, and the festival
directors had a great deal of trouble in Sc
curing him for the festival.