Arizona republican., 1905-12-06
THE LADY OF SHAL0TT
 CANTATA OF BENDfLL
Rendered by the Music Departm ent
 of the Woman's Club.

It is seldom that a Phoenix audience is favored with so choice an entertain ment as the rendition of "The Lady of Shalott," by the music department of the Woman's club Tuesday afternoon.
 The membership of this department embraces the best local talent.
 Under the capable leadership of Mrs. J. Elliot Walker they presented Will fred Bendalls cantata of Tennysons beautiful and pathetic poem. A brief sketch of Bendall's work, written by Mrs. s. F. Cravens, was read by the president, Miss Elizabeth Kendrick. The poem itself was charmingly and sympathetically read by Mrs. Dwight B. Heard.
 Mrs. J. H. McClintock gave a care full and discriminating interpretation of the poem, and an analysis of the authors mental processes in its coni- position, as compared with his later work. The poem appear in Tenny- sons first volume. published in 1883, when he was twenty-four years old. It was the first of his poems, founded on the Arthurian legends. Years later the same fanciful story was modified and developed into a more realistic form as "Elaine, the Lily Maid of Astolot."
 
 cred a period of about rifty-th years.
 In "The Lady of Shalott," the doom of the lady is shown as the effect ot a mystic curse; in Elaine, as the natural pining to death of a girl who cherishe3 an unrequited love. The curse con- strains "Tho Lady of Shalott" to live | just outside the confines of actual life if she would avoid the doom, looking upon life as a spectacle, reflected in her mirror, and having no part in 1t | except to reproduce 1t in her fancy her weaving-and muse over it. If she ever fails to content herself with this | if she ever yields to the temptation to go forth and take her part in actual things, she meets her fate. The first picture shows her safe and secure in a beautiful seclusion from real life and
 real events; the second picture shows
 how the world passes through her
 mind as a pageant, scarcely more real
 than a moving picture. But the first revolt comes with the appearance of
 two young lovers lately we'd The | words, T am half sick of shadows, " mark the rising of the temptation tu defy the curse. TennysOn's son says
 the words quoted are the key to the lpoem.
 The third picture brings Sir Launce
 lot into the mirror-the external temp
 tation-meeting and inviting her in-
 ward revolt already vaguely melted The words paint marvellously hand
 some man-and the last stanza give
 the instant and instinctive answer tC
 the challenge of life.
 The fourth picture is the fulfilment
 of the curse-the death from unre Iquited love. The scene is changed
 from the bright, beautiful weather iI
 the foregoing part, to dreary, melan-
 choly conditions, symboliZing tht
 change from the peaceful, if monoton-
 ous life just outside the emotion oi love. and the sadness of death through lit
 In producing the cantata, the three solos were exquisitely rendered by Mrs. P. A. Tharaldson, Mrs. R. M. Ia fel and Mrs. l.. H. Richards The chorus was composed of the fol lowing:
 First soprano-Mrs. Tafel, Mrs Richards, Mrs. Goebel, Mrs. Tharald son, Mrs. Pinney Miss Phelps. MI Second soprano-Mrs. Heard MT, Martin. Mrs. Shaw. Mrs. Kibbey. Mrs Young, Mrs. McClintock. 3I Alto-Mrs. Talbot. Mrs. Gage, Mrs Jessop, Mrs. Ward, Mrs. Reed. Accompanyist-Mrs A. G. Hulett. The musical part of the program wa' beyond praise, and it is source O regret that the genefal public could no have shared the pleasure Of the occa 4 sion.