Los Angeles herald., 1908-11-15
COMPOSER TALKS OF
FAMOUS DRAMATIST
BY ARCHIE BELL

]
musical selections to accompany ths
dramatic action of Ibsen's Peer Gynt,"
in which Louis James viii appear at
the Mason opera house, lived quietly
at his birthplace in Bergen. Norway.
In the spring of 1906 he accepted the
invitation of musical societies to con-
duct three performances of his own
works in London, Paris and Amster-
dam. He considered this journey his
last pilgrimage into the world.
1 met him at Copenhagen as he was
homeward bound He was going over
land because, as he declared: THE
sea voyage would kill me. That is the
only reason have never been to Amer
/ lea. At one time saw newspaper
article to the effect that some chap or
other had conceived a scheme for con-
structing a tunnel across Behring
straits. 1 sat up and took notice.
was interested in that scheme because
one of my dreams since boyhood had
been to visit the great United States.
But, alas the tunnel has not been built.
am so old and feeble now that 1
shall not venture away from home
again-tunnel or no tunnel. The Fates
have been kind to me in some ways,
but they denied to me the physical
/ DONGIS 10 COIlDdl lLlC SfAA CAAVSAc Va
NAL de mer. Norway is the land Of
seamen, the very home of sea rovers,
/ but this son of Norway could never
venture on water without suffering the
! tortures of HE'LL A few hours voyage
completely unnerves me; a week Of it
would kill me-"
Of Slight Physique
As he chatted the diminutive COM
poser sat at the table of a street cafe
/ in the Radhueplaz. He was folded
tightly in "a heavy homespun shawl,
although the rays Of the warm sum-
mer sun were beating full upon him.
He was thin and bloodless. Threat
ened with an early death when youth
by the complete exhaustion of one of
his lungs, he gradually has sunk be-
meath the burden of constant Illness.
and now is awaiting the final sum-
mons. Z
He was eating raw red herring. and
between bites, with a constant draw
ing of the shawl tighter about him, he
| chatted in answer to my questions.
"I never shall compose any more mu-
sic, and oh, I had so much more work
to DO! Opera? Who can say that I
might not have composed an opera II
| I had been as strong as other human
beings seem to be? My first preten-
| tious effort at composition was to have
been an opera Bjornson wrote the
libretto and the work progressed nicely.
I believe that portions of this work
are sung in America in concert form.
Then 1 met the great composer Gade.
| 1t was here in Copenhagen. took
| to him my early work, and after he had
/ looked 1t over he said: Young man,
go home and write symphony Then
| one day Henrik Ibsen wrote and asked
me to write the incidental music for
4 of az
Christiania. executed this commits
sion, which was a labor of love. It
met with instant favor, and the world
/ knows the rest.
Complies Folk Songs
/ sI have been devoting my life to a
tone transcription of the scenes of
Norway and an elaboration of her folk
songs. Your own composer, Edward
/ Mcdowell, has been doing the same
work with the folk songs of the Amer
lean Indians. Great composer was
| MacDowelll / wonder - the American
people will never awaken to a full re-
4 alization and appreciation of his work.
They have not yet done so. / live far
away, but l keep in touch with all
such things. 1t pains me deeply to
think that MacDowell will = no more
work. He was so young when he laid
aside his pen!
THE sad news OF MacDoWells con-
dition and the death of Ibsen has
reached me since / left home. Both
cause we great pain. OF the former,
think what he might have accomplished
had health been spared; although
| Ibsen lived to accomplish practically
all that even the intellectu7' giant that
he was could hope to do in a lifetime,
his death leaves a void in the world.
One of the really great men of all time
has laid down his pen.
Do Not Know Real ibsen
''In a measure you Americans may
feel that you appreciate what Ibsen
meant to his country, but you merely
! catch his reflected greatness. believe
that Europe is far ahead Of America in
realizing Ibsen's influence for good. ]
believe that he still is misunderstood
outside of Norway and northern
! Europe.
THE way to approach Ibsen is by
taking Ibsen himself. In his own coun-
try, and in the countries that have
come under his influence, the power OF
! Ibsen was first discovered by witness
! ing the Ibsen dramas He requires nc
! intermediary, no gradual development
4 His message is plain to children. I'm
: til America realizes this you will never
know the real Ibsen."