Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-13

~
THURSDAY, SEPTEMRE
varia died. and my compassionate guardian
angel succeeded unexpectedly to the throne.
Four weeks later lbs first care was to send
for me: and at that very moment when
was drinking the bitter cup of mortifica-
ton to the dress.
Ludwig's Fantastic Ideas.
Like many men who have inherited the
germs of insanity, Ludwig II had very
strong imagination. He was extremely SEN
timentai and possessed Of fantastic IDEAS
He not only recognized the genius OF Wag-
ner. but found in his music and In the IL
brettos of his operas a. fascination and a
| field for his fancy beyond any previous OPP
portunfties that had been offered him: and
the opera of "Lohengrin'' entirely possessed
his soul. Lohengrin was Bavarian. the
son. of Parsiyal. and he lived in the noun
| tains where stands the fantastic castle
which Ludwig built Therefore 1t was easy
for the scatter Drained king to identity him
spent great deal OF time and money i'm
personating this character. He used to
dress himself in the costume OF Lohengrin
and wander about the forests that sur
had suit of silver armor: he had q skin
drawn by swans that moved by clockwork.
and would glide over Lake StarnDurg. car
rying shield and wearing helmet Wniie
an orchestra concealed in the bushes on the
shore played the score of 'Lohengrin. He
used to bring companies of artists and or
chestras to his castle to perform Lohen-
grin" and other operas for his sole enter
tainment and would not only pay them
their price, but loaded them with jewels
and other presents in return for the pleas
ure they gave him. The opera house at
Munich is next door to the palace. with
private passage between the two buildings
On many occasions. sometimes as often as
once a week, his majesty would have ''Lo-
hengrin" "Parsivar'. or some other opera
presented complete and with the greatest
splendor. with only one spectator In the
house-himself. He was so absorbed with
Wagner that all the decorations in his ia
nous castle, Neuschwanstein, perhaps the
most splendid building in Europe, were
from scenes from Wagner's operas.
This CASTLE" says one of the highest
architectural authorities. far surpasses any
building of modern times and Is the Wal
| halla of artistic minds" Room after room
| Is full of reproductions by the best artists
of the heroes and heroines of the Niebe-
| lungen- Ring-Brunhilde, Siegfried. Tam
| hauser. Parsival. Lohengrin. the Flying
Dutchman and the sorrowful story Of iris
| tam and Isolde.
Wagner Brought to Munich.
Ludwig was scarcely seated on the
| throne before he brought Wagner to Mu-'
| mich. and the musician, who until that
moment had been, STEPPED in misery. do
| nestle complications. money difficulties,
disappointed hopes, defeated ambitions
and every possible embarrassment that
could make him wretched. now became
the most influential man at the Bavarian
court. The king gave him a beautiful.
house near the palace. which now has
| marble tablet upon the outside walls to-
remind people Of that fact. He bestowed
| all the orders of the kingdom upon him.
with generous pension. and arranged
| for the presentation of his operas with a
detail and at expense that Wagner
had never hoped for. It Is charged that
from the novelty. of the situation Wag-
ne- INDUCED his taste for luxury too far,
and he justified himself.
Il am differently organized from 9th.
ers." he said to some friends one day. Il
have excttable nerves. must have about
me light and luxury and beauty What l
crave is mine by right The world owes
1t to me. 1 cannot live upon the miserable
pay of an organist, as Bach did. Is 1t I'M
reasonable that I, who have provided so
much enjoyment for millions of people.
should have the small luxurfes that
necd?"
And he made the most of them. Mean
time. the young king was perfectly happy.
HIS great man" was no disappointment.
The reality came up to the dream, and the
poor musician rode through the streets of
Munich in the royal carriage by the side
of the king and had the highest place at
the palace table. mo one could do moro
honor than did the king to the musician
said writer of that day. IF it had been
useful he would have opened his royal
veins: as it was, he opened his purse"
BY command of the king Wagner sum-
moned to Munich large number OF his
friends and disciples. including Hans Won
Buelow and List, and they were en-
powered to organize a school of music
Sin the highest musical sense" 1t was to
be the finest Institution In Europe. and
the king paid the bill Architects We're
brought in to erect the buildings and the
plans and preparations, absorbed the at
tention of the king completely that he
could not turn his mind to official bust
ness.
Hostility to Wagner.
In the meantime envy. jealousy and
spite were busy forming a campaign of
bitter hostility against Wagner and his
associates They were accused of many
scandalous acts and of an attempt to ex-
ert a pernicious influence upon the mind
Of the young king They were accused Of
political intrigues, of conspiracies to rob
the treasury and divert the public reve-
nues from the necessities of the nation to
their own purposes The failure of q
royal marriage which had been negotf-
ated by his majesty's ministers and was
ted to their influence. Almost the entire
population became possessed of the no
ton that Richard Wagner had become
the evil genius of their king and that
music was simply pretext for securing
control Of the kings mind and hands and
purse.
Public Indignation broke out In violence
in October 1885. while the annual fair was
being held in Munich. and the military had
to be called out to auell a mob which de-
manded the Punishment Of the kings mu-
stefan. One of the newspapers of that day
declared that 1.-The friendship of the king
for the musician can no longer be consid-
cred as youthful homage to genius. The
composer. has acquired such an influence
that he can obtain from the king all he
wants. be it money power The popu-
lace regard these irregularities with anx-
essary to send away two or three persons
who are exercising an unfortunate influ-
ence upon the king.
To separate himself from the friend of his
SOUL to Danish the light Of his life. the
creator of his happiness as he called Wag-
ner, was the greatest. grief of the kings
short life but he was compelled to do 1t or
resign his crown. In a pitiful. affectionate
letter he asked Wagner. In return for his
affection to give him proof OF his friend
shin nv leaving Munich for a time. Wagner