The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-12-29
German Composers Work
 Makes Hit In New York
TENDER STORY TOLD IN SONG
Miss Geraldine Farrar and Madame Louise Homer Take Principal Parts For Women In the
 Premiere Presentation

New York, December 2s.-Another of
 the worlds great opera writers, this time
 German, Prof Engelbert Humperdinck,
 following the westward trail of the Ital-
 ian composer, Giacomo Puccini, has come
 with his latest creation in operatic art,
 ''Koenigsklnder," or the "Children of
 Kings" seeking American approval.
 Humperdinck's three-act opera, taken
 from a German folk tale, was given It's
 premiers tonight at the Metropolitan
 Opera house and a brilliant audience ap-
 plauded composer and artists, who were
 called before the curtain time and time again.
 Emperor William wanted "Koenlgskin- der'' for Berlin, but New York had spok- en first and as Tumperdinck remarked
 You were the first to ask for the 'Chil- dren of Kings, and that is all there Is to it."
 The tender story of the "Koengskin- der" with its shades of happiness and pathos, found a strong repose in the musi- cal creativeness of Humperdinck who, throughout the opera, has laid a strong groundwork of convincing harmonies that follow in their pulsations every sentiment of the story. Critics wondered that the potent music had not been applied to some love drama.
 The American singer, Miss Geraldine
 Farrar soprano, and Mime. Louise Ho- mer, the contralto, shared the honors with Herman Jadlowker, the Russian ten or, and Otto Moritz, the baritone, in the four leading roles of the opera which was conducted by Alfred Hertz. The fairy fiction which Humperdinck delightfully."- told in opera, once played | on the German and American stage In a play, "The Kings Children" tells of the Kings son, sung by Jadeovker. wno l was stolen away from his fathers court and comes upon the goose girl, in- terpreted by Miss Farrar. held by magic spell at the witch's cottage. A delega-
 ton of citizens of Demi Hallabrumn,
 tired of ruling themselves. who are told by the witch that on the morrow the first person who shall pass the city gate at the stroke of 12 shall be their
 ruler The delegation departs, all but the fiddler, who, catching sight of the goose girl, demands that the witch bring out her golden bird"
 The fiddler learns of the goose girls noble parentage and frees the girl from the witch's charms.
 The second act shows the city's com mon and the citizenry waiting for ,.le coming of noon. The Kings son sug- gests that the King will come in simple guise. The suggestion causes tumult which is at its height when the clock strikes 12. The gates are opened and the innocent goose girl, with her flock of geese, walks in, followed by the fid- dler. The crowd IS furious and rushes upon the goose girl and the King 8 son, thrusting them violently out of the gates.
 A deep note of tragedy is struck in the third act. The Kings son and the goose girl have lost their way in the forest, the prince failing to find his way back to his father Kingdom. The goose girl Is wasted by fever. The
 prince appeals for food from the wood cutter and broommaker, who tempor- arily occupy --.e witch's cottage, but Is turned away.
 The goose girl, to calm the princess despair, denies that she Is i'll and
 dances barefoot in the snow, where she faints. The prince finds his crown and bargains 1t for bread, which had been poisoned. The deadly properties begin to take effect and the goose girl im- agines the falling snowflakes are lin- den blossoms, while the prince thinks he has found his way to his fathers
 Kingdom. Thus they die together.