Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-14
moods and many subjects IN bis sx,raordl-
nary approximations.

To- bad been produced IN 1853. 10 vas BY
The King command hat 10 vas again
brought forward and also az his expense. Tor
it cost $4,000 1urins. He. in order TO appre-
siate it better. ordered hat he 'Rhein-
gold be performed for his benefit a few
days IN advance. Il will be seen that he
King vas il hearty sympathy with Wagner 5
idea Of having ne various parts Of this
great work performed in succession. This
rendering Of Die Walkure' Accomplished
one object which vas especially dear 20
Wagners heart. and that vas the placing
Of the orchestra n a sort u pit in front and
below the level Of The stage SO that neither
conductor nor musicians could be seen. The
orchestra numbered for this performance
10 players. Ever since 1867 Wagner had
cherished the idea OF a theater especially
adapted 20 The performance Of he rrilogv,
and his architect friend. G-ottfried Semper,
had drawn At that time. by he order of the
king, a plan which was displayed az the
Zurich exposition. II took 40 account Of
difficulties or expenses and the King was
frightened. Tt vas quite impossible for
him. either cut Of his private purse OF from
The public treasury. 70 think OF building such
an edihCe. even for so noble IN object as
the idealization Of German musical art. AS
II was. the people OF Munich we're bitter
against both Wagner and the King On 1c-
count Of their mutual friendship and on lc-
count Of Wagner's supposed influence over
the King. In 1870. when German pride and
self depreciation we're raised 70 the highest
poLat by The successful war against France.
Wagner felt that in the emperor, William
I. ne would be able to ind one who could
make his dream an actually. and he com
posed for the coronation a march which IS
known as the "Kaisernarsche AMI which
was performed for the first time at Berlin
April Il. 1871. Instead Of receiving any as
sistanCe toward building his rheater or to-
ward placing German musical art upon the
basis which he felt II deserved, Wagner re-
ceived 800 German thalers; 4 thaler is worth
Is cents. Wagner had been foolish enough
10 believe that the vast sums Of money re-
ceived from France as an indemnity might
be. 1t least in part. devoted TO the cause Of
music. but Emperor William knew nothing
about music AMI cared nothing about it.
KIM or 10 king, emperor or 40 emperor,
Wagner had made up his mind that the the
alter should be built, and without a dollar IN
sight set about finding a suitable place for
It's location. He was not favorahiy inclined
toward Munich. for its inhabitants had al
ways been Jealous of him and hostile 70 any
OF his ambitions. In the month Of April.
1871. he visited Bayreuth. a little city Of
"a, 900 inhabitants. N the northern part Of
Bavaria. away from all the r~'vaIries. poiiu-
cal. religious or other, and sheltered from
preIudiCes. traditions and customs by its
isolation. and on the 9th OF the following
November, after having taken council with
a number OF his friends, he decided that his
model theater should be erected in this tran
luil. 1ut-of-the-vay spot. In order 20 raise
the money necessary FOR its building 4 sub
s%criptton list vas opened. consisting Of LOCO
patronage shares. each Of 500 tlalers. While
the subscription vas going on. IN June, 1871,
4 system OF Wlgneriaa associations was
founded. which brought into being societies
all over Germany anu IN her colonies. and
also in St. Petersburg, New York. Amster-
lam. Brussels. Paris. Stockholm. Milan and
London. The members Of these societies,
united under the name Of 'Wagaerverein. %
organized Entertainments for the benefit Of
the undertaking. The cornerstone Of the
theater was laid by Wagner with great GER
emory May -. 1872. his 5gth birthday.
King ludwig sent him the following tele-
gram: On this day Of such great impor-
: lance to all Germany 1 send you. dear friend.
from The depth nj my heart ny warnest
and most sincere congratulations. Greet
ings and blessings 70 this grand enterprise
OF the coming year. Today, more than ever
I am with you IN spirit II was then sx-
pected that the theater would be completed
anu the TrtlOgy produced in the spring OF
1874. The laying Of the cornerstone was
an elaborate remon and nearly 1000 nu-
sicians and singers came from all parts OF
Europe % take 9aT- IN it. 4 concert was
u, given in the little old rheater Of the Mar,
-nv-au - ln--ay,vh and TTau,u. ,,,y,,ata5
: his "Kaisermarsche' and Beethoven.
Ninth symphony It will be remembereC
$ that Beethoven introduced a chorus IN III,
last movement Of this symphony and ont
1 of the lines they sing IS 'All men ara be.
f come brothers. Il seemed as if IN n,
: musical world this we're a sort Of prophec!
come true. Work was begun immediareI,
1 On the theater and by the zeal Of disciples
8 ana adhereuts a third Of the money requires
q vas soon raised; then the subscription sud
= denly dvindled TO almost nothing. Had i
Z not been for King Ludwig the work would
q have been stopped. but he advanced III
e 200. 900 thalers which were lacking on con
n dition that he should be repaid from IN
future sale Of shares. Wagner continue,
q his efforts for raising money, conducted per
tOrmances all over Europe ana labOred viii
e The zeal Of 4 fanatic ana an energy tina
Y WIS llutIaIEdDlt. IN MATCH. 1870. ne Ven
: 20 Berlin 10 5uperintend the first perform
q lnce IN that city Of Tristan ana Isolde.
= The emperor ana his court were presen
and the entire receipts we're genernusl
e given to forward the Bayreuth enterprise.
q AS early as 1872 The city OF Chicago la
offered Wagner 300. 900 to come there an
conduct a number Of his works. bur ne Ia
y declined The offer, pleading mat he buildin
-e Of he B]ayreuth -heater made so long
voyage impossible. but n 1878 he receive
an invitation from The Centennial expusi
don. 70 be held n Philadelphia, 10 writ
] grand festival march 70 be played at il
opening and he was offered he sum q
81, 900 for me work. The composer accepte
ard the march was written. The irst move
nent is built upon an American theme com
J. hlned With a song Of WagneT's own con
is cept!on. de calamity dedicated ir TO n
women : committee Of Philadelphia with a
lie epigraph borrowed from Goethe, He alun
n deserves freedom ana eElsrenCe who ia.l
ie couquers them Concerning this marc
81 Wagner afterwards made IN London The tu
lowing apology, Not being a learned M
We stefan. 1 have never been able 10 write
81 order. II a subject does not interest II
p aud eomDlaralv abgurh me am TnpanabI