The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-05-13
MUSIC FESTIVAL
 OPENS TONIGHT lnnes' Band Will Be Central
 Attraction LOCAL SINGERS TAKE PART Music Will Be Popular, But of Decided Artistic VaIue-The Festival Con- tinues For Three Days.
 Tonlsht's Bill.
LOCAL SINGERS TAKE PART

The music festival which will be givel at the Jefferson theatre opens tonight. It will be under the direction of F. N. Innes, and Mir. Innes' splendid orchestral band will be the central attraction. Bnt in addition to the orchestral numbers there are to be solos by distinguished vocal artists and short chorus numbers by local singers. The music rendered will be popular but of artistic value The programmes are exceptionally brilliant sented for the initial concert is fair specimen. It Is as follows:
 Les Preludes-Symphonic Poem, Qszt)
 Unfold Ye Portals-From the Redemp- tion (GounoD. Festival chorus, Philip Memoli, director
 "The Merry Widow" (a musical joke), Qnnes). (a) As written by Lehar; (b) Papa Hayden might have left it to us in this form; Co Mozart might have writ ten it this way; (O If Mendelssohn had written it; (e) This is how Verdi might have written 1t; CD As some of the so- called rag time" writers would have throttled it. (g) With apologies to the immortal Richard Wagner (Brand new; it's first performance. The transcription is by George Kalbtz).
 Pagliacci, prologue, Oeoncavallo); zara-
 The Irish Rhapsody, No. 1, Op. 7S. Stamford.
 Una Voce Poso Fla, (RossinD-Miss Vir- ginia Listemann.
 
 From Tannhauser (Wagner), Bachanale and festival march, Hall Bright Abode. Festival chorus.
 Reserved seats are on sale at the Jeff ferson box office. the highest price charg- ed being $1. Very good seats can be had for 75 cents and admission to the gallery is only 25 cents.
 The festival continues three nights There will be matinees Thursday and Friday. The net proceeds of the festival will be applied to the Confederate Vet eran reunion fund. Capt. Frank r. OBrien is managing the entertainment and has been quite busy for several days past looking after details
 l. H. Tracy, official decorator for the reunion, is decorating the stage and boxes for the festival.
 lnneS ana ms aTLlSlS-lucie thic Vof Aii cluding five vocal stars-will arrive thls afternoon at o'clock.
 The famous director gave brilliant concert in Peoria, H.. Monday night, and another brilliant performance at Owensboro Ky, last night special to The Age-Herald from the latter city is as follows:
 "Owensboro's second annual May fes- tival opened auspiciously today, the leading features being Innes' orches- tral band, Miss Virginia Listemann, Signors Zara, Pezetti and other solo, ists. At the night performance, in ad- dition to the foregoing, the Owens boro May festival oh orus of 200 voices. augmented by school children's chorus of $50, took part in the military spectacle "Americana." This work, which had been greatly exploited in advance took up the entire night pro gramme and proved to be wonder fully effective piece. It describes the history of the states, and after series of most beautiful musical pictures. showing the pursuits, industries and amusements of the nation at peace. displays most thrilling representation of the firing on Fort Sumter and the rising of the north and south for the tremendous struggle which followed.
 
 guard with their bands and field mu- sic, took an active part by forming a grand military pageant descriptive of the mastering of the troops and their departure for the field of war The piece shows the two armies encamped in hearing distance of one another singing camp fire songs. Bandmaster Innes the composer of the work has skillfully interwoven some of the more beautiful of the well known songs of the period
 Men cheered while women wept as the tableau showed the return of the soldiers from the war. The marching column was composed of the Confeder- ate veterans, many of whom had come in from surrounding towns. As the old soldiers filed in the big auditorium with missing limbs and shot-riddled flags the vast audience rose as one man and oh eered steadily for 12 min utes. Never was such a scene of en- thusiasm seen in this section
 "The festival brought several thou sand visitors into the city. all the hotels being packed and sleeping &C., at premium. The 1nnes organization left immediately after the night concert for Birmingham where 1t participates in a festival commencing Wednesday, May 13."
 The spectacular musical work de- scribed above will be the attraction in