The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-08-05
THE MUSIC OF WAGNER.

The curtain had gone down on the
first act of strenuous opera by Wag-
ner, and the man in the isle seat look
ed around to see what sort of neigh
Dor he had. Tt was man, and a sad
eyed one, with indications of the rural
rooster in his plans and specifications.
He was disposed to talk, too, and with
an Introductory cough or two he be-
gan.
Wagner" be said, pronouncing it
the way it looks in print, and speaking
in the key of clark from the Tombs, +"
"skinder makes me feel like sheddin
tears. Tain a sniffiy style of music
neither" he added.
"Not exactly, ventured the man
on the aisle. Probably it is because
you are of an emotional temperament, !"
he ventured still further, and rashly.
:" Mebbe that 8 got something to do
with it, admitted the sad one; but
guess it g more from reeollections. -
Madame de Stael once said that
music reviyes the recollections it
would appease, ventured the man
again.
"Kind of ease of the hair of the
dog bein good for the bite?'' respond
ed the sad one, not quite certain. But
that ain 7 it. know what does it. =
tAh2' in distinct tone of invita-
ioE to go on with the story.
eyes. You see, it was this way:
When was d young man ! was leader
of a brass band in an Indiana town,
an there was an opposition band in
the town across the river. Well, nat
urally it was up to us to blow it of,
so to speak, in band contest, an
after good deal of seesawin' an
sparrin for points, we challenged the
other band to blowout, as you might
say. They took us up, of course, an
for three months we practieed so hard
that the White Caps threatened us; but
we armed ourselves, an kept on
BLOWN to beat the band, as you might
say, every night in the week N town,
an went out in the country on Sun
dav Then the match came off, an it
was the biggest time in music circles
You ever see. The opposition had
been putin in as much hard labor as
we had, an it was battle of giants,
so to speak. We was nip an tuck
right through the program, an the
last piece was to decide which was a
win That piece was one of Wagner s
best, an I give my boys notice to
blow for all they was worth, if it took
lung. You It do justice to Wag-
ner with the soft pedal on, an he calls
for something besides bammy breezes
through a horn. The other side play
ed first, an then our turn come. We
started right in on the jump, like a
Kansas cyclone broke loose, an showed
the wind in till it bulged the horns,
but it didn't do no good" And the
former leader sighed like a hoarse note
from an oboe.
"What was the matter?" asked the
man on the aisle Had your OPP,
ponents bought up the judges2''
fsNo, no; that WASH t it. - And the
| leader sighed again. % You see, my
| musicians was tryin to do full justice
| to Wagner while they was knockin
| the waddin' out of the opposition, an ,
| dern my gizzaFdl if they didn t blow
their horns so full of pieces of lung
that the wind couldn It git through
| them at all, an we lost out right on
the last turn. We busted our bass
| drum. besides. Six of the boys died OF
/ tuberculosis of the remains before the
year was out, an l give up the band
an left the state. [ just couldn I
| stand it. Now, when I hear Wag. y
But the curtain went up, and the
| ex-leader was too much of a musician
TO eontinue the conversation
WILLIAM j. HAMPTON.