Mountain Home maverick. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1906-1911, 1907-03-07
MUSICAL NOTES 5
Items OF Interest to Musicians Generally and Mem
bers OF the Mountain Home Band Particularly. Z

imposing reception on the public I,
square, where the various official /
dignataries and representatives of /
all the towns commercial and social /
organizations paid us homage. Fol-
10 wing the reception came splcn-
did banquet at the Grand cafe, |
where we listened to a number OF |
eloquent speeches and heard one of
Norway's most famous comedians J
sing his most popular song. We
gave our concert here in the oldest
theatre in the country, and were
greatly honored by having in the
audience Edward Grieg, Norway's
greatest, and one of the worlds
most famous musicians. Early the
morning following we were given a
special train and taken to Fjosang-
er, the enhancing country place of
Premier Nicholson. This gentle
man, though Norway's strongest
personality and one of Europe's most
skillful diplomats and most talked-of
men, is thoroughly democratic in
his intercourse with his fellowmen.
To us he appeared like success
full American doctor or lawyer,
mingling with his guests and
evincing lively and genuine inter-
est in their affairs. His wife and
daughter were also present and won
the love and respect of all by their
gentleness of manner and the mag
nificence of their preparations for
our entertainment. This home, or
rather palace, is laid out on plan
of magnificence that would make
Rockefeller turn green with envy.
Vast grounds, conseryatorics con-
tanning nearly all known tropical
plants, architecture of imposing
design, paintings of world wide
repute, and over all hospitality so
expansive and sincere that the YER
lest stranger is made to feel perfect
ly at ease. 1t was with real regret
that we left this attractive spot.
On the 18th, in driving rain,
we entered the harbor of Stavanger,
Norway's third largest city, and the
busiest. Notwithstanding the in
clemency of the weather, two
steamers loaded with citizens COM
mittees, singing societies and a
brass band met us several miles out
and escorted us to the wharves,
which were black with people for
blocks. The rain seemed to have
no depressing effect on the enthus-
iasm of the Norwegians. If GER
tain program had been arranged,
that program was carried out under
circumstances that in this country
would have caused indefinite post
ponement. We were here again re-
minded that nearly every town, no
boosted "Grand" or a ''Victo-
ria' hotel, the latter always be-
ing the more imposing. In this
city is loacted the famous Gamer
les which furnish the Catholic
countries of Europe with their nee
essary fish food, and the rest of the
world with those delicacies, the
preparation of which has here been
reduced to tine art. At the invi-
tation of Bjelland Bros, the largest
of the many firms of this nature,
we spent nearly whole day in
specting their vast plant. Thous-
ands of employees, mostly good look
ing girls whose most noticeable
feature was scrupulous cleanliness,
were preparing the raw product of
the deep for human consumption.
After the inspection we assembled
in large stock room which had
been transformed into a banquet
hall where everything put up in the
establishment was temptingly ar
rayed for our delectation. At each
plate was souvenirs in the form of
cook books and printed matter de-
scriptive of the fish industry. Ber-
ries, birds, meats of various kinds,
and in fact general canning bust
ness is here carried on, and this
firm has agencies in all the large
cities of this country and it is now
possible for the Scandinavian cpl
cure to satisfy his craving for the
delicacies of the fatherland at a
reasonable cost.
We gave two we'll attended con-
certs at this place, one in the
theatre and one in the city park in
the rain. The writer here met a
brother musician from Minneapolis,