The age-herald., 1899-05-14
A MOST ROMANTIC STORY
Charmingly Told in Melody-Interesting Incidents in Life of the Composer American Girls Success Abroad.
 Personal Notes and Gossip.
BY ANNIE KENDRIoK WALKER.

"Terra Sortis or The Land of Fate," a romantic opera in two acts, with music and book by Daisy Woodruff Rowley, the charming young composer, will be for the first time presented the last week in May by a cast which will include the best known amateurs In Birmingham. MT. Jus tin Thatcher, of Chicago, and Mr. Clarke, of New York, are coming down, however, for the leading roles. The libretto and cast of characters are given for the first time to the public this morning, and will be read with great interest, for all Birmingham is talking of the forthcoming production and the composer
 The story of the opera of course cannot convey the charm with which it will be told any more than one could describe subtle harmony to some one who had never heard it. It is romantic story set to the sweetest of melodies, that one could hear dozens of times and still be eager to hear them again. From the composers point of view, the story has been framed to suit the melody, and the hero of the opera, with love and music singing together in his heart, make those who have heard frag- ments of the opera comprehend something of the inspiration of the composer which prompted her to write the romantic words. The time is the present, and the opera opens at Warnemunde, Germany, little seacoast town on the eastern shore. The opening scene will show a picturesque row of houses the foremost one being the resi- dence of Herr Burgermester Won Steiner, the mayor of the village. On the steps Of his house sits Leander, his son, in a very dejected attitude. In the rear is the inn, and beyond lies the broad open sea. group of peasants are laughing and point ing to Leander, who sits so dejeeted upon the steps, tormented by an ever-recurrlng melody. The peasants will wear pie turesque costume. The girls will be in gay-colored short skirts with white bod ices They will wear small shawl draped about the shoulders. and at the waist a broad girdle. On their heads will be the naring cap and they will carry upon their backs baskets of hay, and each has large wooden rake, reproducing in detail peas ant of Germany girl. The men will wear short trousers, white shirts, ,girdles and hats with a feather at the side, and will carry small scythes. The story is as follows:
 A party of Americans, including Silas Wright, his wife and child, and Leander, who is also a child at the time, and his parents. leave America for years travel in Europe The steamer, when near Ham, burg encounters a storm. Herr and Frau Bergermeister peseue Leaifder and his mother. The-1atter soon after dies ard 1eaves~f1eander to the care of Frau Ser sermeister who rears him in ignorance ot his true parentage. He is haunted by fragment of a lullaby and a vision of beautiful girl. Finally the good Frau con- fesses that she has deceived him and pro- duces letters of identification, which fn- form Leander that his parents were from Birmingham, Ala, U. s. A., and that he has an enormous fortune in the mines. The friends of his parents. Silas Wright, wife and little girl the letters state, are also from Birmingham. Frau Berger meister tells Leander that the lullaby he attempts to recall was sung by his moth-