The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-22
SCRAP BOOK FOR TO-DAY

Wilhelm Richard Wagner the i'm mortal operattc composer and reform
 CT of the musical drama. was born in
 Lelps1c one hundred years ago today, ana the centenary will be observed tnrol1ghout Europe and America. wag- ner festlvals, conmenorating the gen. 1us of the musical world. have been held, or will take place within the next few days, in many of the cities on this side of the Atlantic as well as in Germany and England. The man who was forced to fight long and vaEanfly for his revolutionary operat- 1c' principles, and who was often re- v1Ied and denounced by critics and public will today be hailed Nas the greatest composer of his tirne-per- haps of all time
 Le1psic, where he was born; Dres- den, where he won his first operatic success, and from which city he later fled, an exile, because of his partici- patton in the political agitations of 1849; Konisborg, where he was for a. time conductor, and where he mar rted FTauIe4n Wi1heImfna Planer, an actress: Riga, where he ahso was en- gagged as a, conducBor; Zuricex, where he spent his exile, and produced most of his literary works, as we'll as out ring des Nib1ungen,'' z ond other operas: London, where he conducted concerts with great success in 1855; Venice, where he completed Tristan und Isolde"; Paris, where he went in 1859 and negotiated the production of ssTannhauser'' at the Grand Opera-a miserable failure, due to, a clique that determined to suppress both the piece and it's composer; Vienna, where Wag- ner heard his .tLohengrin for the inst time; Munich, where he lived for a time after 1862, when he received a pardon for his political offenses, and was permitted to return to Germany; Baireuth, where he completed Der Ring and where he died thirty years ago-+au of these cities and others connected with the life of, the great l musical genius will hold impressive 1 centenary Celebrations today
 Perhaps the most noteworthy of the l day's observances will be at Baireuth, l long Mecca for Wagner lovers, and 1 the scene of the memorable produc- tions of "Parsifal." From 1868 to his | death in 1883 Wagner resided perma- ed W.ahnfried in the garden of which l he himself built the tomb in which | his remains now rest. The copyright | on ParsifaP. will expire at the end of this year, 8 petition asking for it's | extension having been refused by the Imperial Parliament. Under the copy right the heirs of Wagner have con- | tinued the production of tsParsifaI' to | Baireuth-a monopoly immensely prof itab1e both to the heirs and to the people Of the little city.
 Frau Cosin1a Wagner, widow Of the has led in the movement to confine 'tParsifaI'' to Baireuth, and de- clares that in so doing she is carrying put the wishes of her husband, who expressed a desire that the opera should never be produced outside his own theatre. Tn America 'sParsifaI'' has already been produced many times, and productions are now being arranged for in several European cit les.
 Wagner was man of many love affairs His first marriage, entered upon at the age of twenty-three with P1aner, was a failure. Tosina, his last wife, wflo is still liv- Ing and who receives a royalty of s25, ,Ooo a. year from her husbands works, was the wife of Hans yon Bue- ow, the pianist, when she first met -ha composer. It was a case of love It first sight, and Von BeuIow accom- secured divorce that they night wed '@The good Hans as he s called by Wagnerians, in praise for lis sacrifice was not so pliant as le seemed, and privately entertained a lerce antmosity toward the genius who had stolen his wife. eff he were lot a, genius, and only some one could kill, Wagner would have been fa lead before this," Won Beulow once re- marked to a friend h
 L. T