The Oregon daily journal., June 24, 1906, SECTION THREE, Image 36

. THE OREGOir-SUKDA;6UimQWRTLAim SUNDAY i MORNlNGb JUNE 24, , iSO
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IN f r a n Cisco's:
dauntless sptnt,
wh ich refuses to
be:crushed.Dj its
.dread variation
earthquake and ; '
ir, has Animated n.
the authorities of il
'the University of
caiiffyyfrat:
Berkeley, a n .d
they ; rtf already ;.;."
planning, for, the "
HecondjeaT6iriif, ' .
outdoor sym-
: k ' ' ' ' ";!'': phony concerts, ', : ''
, ; ' . '. : . which tvilf begiH
In the fall upon a grander scale than before.
Directed by Dr. J. : Fred IVolle, who)
made world-famous the 'Bach ' festivals' at I
JBethlehem; Pajhe concerts of the first sea-. ,
son proved an inspiring success. All the con-
certs planned were" given, except the last, ,
which, scheduled, for April 26, was made im-
possible by the great calamity. An improvised ,
concert, however, was given in May before
the ashes of San Francisco were cool.
"' In the splendid Greek Theatre -an am
phi theatre planned upon heroic lines by No?
lurefive magnificent' concerts were -given.'
' t The first was attended by more than 000 en
thusiastic music lovers ; over 10,000 heard
- the Parsifal Prelude that opened the fifth.
' Such was the ; encouragement given that 1
with the series in the fall a new musical epoch. '.
will dawn upon fhe Pacific Coast. It is be-
lieved that in time 'music-lovers-will journey
;jf California for these open-air symphonies as
they go now to Bcyrcuth for "Parsifal.'
' T TVOIDABLE postponement of the sixth
I I concert of the spring series caused general
regret, for it was to have heen a monster
7 """ production of "The Messiah," with a cho-r
. roa of 300 trained university atudents. "
Not only bad Dr. Wolle planned lo make it an
occasion akin to the celebrated Bach festivals at
Bethlehem, but had greatly augmented the orchestra.
Theories, too, had marked Dr. Wolle's debut as an "
orchestra leader, for he has all along considered,
that his talent lay in the line of choral direction.
When the torn stunning effects of the disaster
had passed away, not only the university' author!-
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.- TV I - . . H ,' 1 ,!'!,, '.1.M.M.H'." iM."!IU'a A..': I'm I i " I
Greek Theatre ia a revelation. There is no place in
the world where the scene can be duplicated. !
"There is but one Greek theatre of the mag-"
nificent proportions of that in Berkeley, and, be
sides, it would be difficult to find another place
where concerts: could begitenlout-of-doora if rom
February until the last of April. . . ; 1
."Although California had ita full complement.
".. of rain this winter, the concert days were fair, and
, only upon one occasion were furs necessary. ' There
were cloudy days, but they were balmy.
k,. v ..o.i 1- .u x . . - z J:, - j r" v.
- ""- ."' V1 " c.OB8i. xo "Ideal is the approaclUtotiie great outdoor
inquire into the possibUmes for the future. r , s theatre. Ample accommodations bring the thou
". ortunstely, the unrivaled Greek Theatre was , Bands of persons comfortably from San Franoisoo,
uninjured. Im.medmtely from all parts of the coast Oakland." San Rafael'and San Mateo. Within 100
" 1 1 nP - "u concet, yards 'of the station the -university 'campus is lo
Oould tAe place.'
Full of encouragement, too.' had been thr,
periment of the spring. , For the first time, in the
history of the-country, it was asserted, receipts
from the initial eoneect of a symphony series had
cated. Across that the, thousands stream. on tooths 1"'
hills, where the concerts are. given an a natural, urn
phitheatre. .i i u- . ,.'-,; j . o .- ,'.,
f'Pilgrims to this shrine. of musio do not all.,
have to go by-the same roatLrFathwaya of easy .
been sufficient to -pjj ttw expenses rof 4he entire grade lead through the wpods to the several -en
ceason
When. Director Wolle rajsed his hand for the
beginning ,of (he fifth concert between 8500 and
10,000 persons were in the great open theatre, and
fully 1000 more were grouped on the surrounding
hills. ' r; - - .., ..,.:: ,.-,'... : .: :
"The day, April 12, was a glorious one," writes
a spectator, "and the picture of this vast assent
Mage in the trappings of spring was something
rer to bo forgotten. ' The thousands of bri?ht-
l;ued parasols raised for protection from the-sun, . There is but little trouble on this score.'for :
Uie tiers of sjats, which spread out like a huge fan, , is'willing to miss a note of the programme. V
I 'm n'lun m wro wuiiirru gvwua niaus lue WnOlO
'aspiring scene resemble a huge hillside of peonies.
,"A symphony is always inspiring," continues
'v writer, "but to hear one in the university's
. - - - -. -. -. ...... j. , . . f- t . :
trances '.af the theatre. As the concert hours 'are s
i plannediUon afRW-eSy'asonhection , with" boat and ' ' '
train. there is ifo need for haste in making the'pio- :'
turesque trip to; the foothills; so.) with, enjoyable
leisure, the thousands walk in the dappled shade. It T
would seem quite fitting if the. 'Parsifal' trumpeters'. . .. ;
call waa heard through the woods marking the.hour, ;
f i "Bules are strictly enforced about the seating
of late comers, who are roped off near the entrances -
until they can be admitted without disturbance. :
no one,
, . . . J
Who that has heard them will ever foraret the ,
birds, who attend' the symphony concerts? Their t...
trilling, roulades and calls give a rare charm to" the """V
outdoor symphonies. U '
''-t ; .a v ;-:.; -..,''. ..
C,' . ; ..-"When lie symphony concerts were proposed,
. - Dr.-Wolle, who did not regard himself aa an orchee-
; ' tral but rather a choral leader, was urged to accept"
- r--' the responsibilities of direction. His 'success in the
' " role won him high; praiee. y-- t. "' :
-LThua,:in a notable way. Dr. Wolle has marked
the beginning of his work as occupant of the newlyj
'careetedi chair, of, laawev. of CaJi-
fornia a work which, he undertook laat fall at the:.
personal solicitation of PreaidenfLWheeler. - .
. . y His decision to do this waa influenced, prob-
'' ably, by the belief that, there was afforded an ex
cellent" opportunity for an awakening in the Bach.
' , ' cult, ,to -which he had devoted his best labor ofl
' recent years. '. "''.'. y
Known. throughout th9worldJojJts.wonderfuLL I
V -Bach festivals is Bethlehem, Fa. Dr. Wolle had had
a chorus in Bethlehem -for fifteen years singing
.. Bach music, but the famous Bach choir waa noil
organized until 1898, and the first festival was giren
in i900.;--::Trr- y . J-i,": "
," . Three years later the chorus had. grown te US
. '" voices, in addition to a boys' choir of fifty roioes.
The orchestra included sixty pieces. Ten thousand
y persona, attended the concerts that year, and the
fame of the festivala waa firmly, established.
J r In rBethlehem forty-three yeara aga Dr. .Wolle
' '- was born. When, in 1869,' an organ was plaoed in
- the chapel of the Moravian Seminary for Young,
' - Ladies, of which institution his father was princi-
pI, tne DOy was nov long m unuiug ma way w u
T - instrument. '; v' ', . . -. . ' , ' ' '
Ilis life'a passion was music. ', Tears later he
.studied in Munich under :Bheinberger, who first
"openedto hhn the great treasures of Bach, whose
ardent devotee he haj ainoe been. ; ',;
. , When the chair, of musio was created at the
University of California, authorities of the institu
- tion selected the famous chair,leader of Bethlehemy
. to formulate and plan the course and develop the
'r department, in its entirety, y ' . i.
He lectures upon the history of. music and the
theory of composition. In addition to having
large chorus to direct in training and actual pro ::
ductions 8Q0 students composing the body bjl
which "The Messiah" waa to have been given ie
'.'iaiTalso aiumed direction of .the orchestra, whicbl
has nowbeen "augmented to 104 pieces. " '
;, .' ; . Xne birds are neVer out of tune. 'They cannot
resist the warblings of the elaborate old Motart -
. melodies; Schubert is ecstasy to them., Their inter
lades and interpolations were never more beautiful
than during the Good Friday music of the Tarsif aL'
Homes of these birds are the; trees all about,
Conce (9 are Educational j.
Dr. Wotle makes his - copeerts educational, '
usually developing a plan of ; historical Teminii r
cenoe. .When the Bach ooricertBtat Bethlehem W
gan attracting general attention, some noted critics
journeyed thither to '"analyze the underlying motif
; the amphitheatre, but, for the concerts they assemble io the 'scheme from the standpoint ' of musical
, 1 1 I. ,1 c . 1 1 r 4 -1
education.
-, J'
particularly in the pines, eucalypti, firs and oaks
that droop over the topnrost tiers of the great sweep Que of 'these,1 attending 5 the' concert v
of seatsXThey seem always to be singingj'; ;; C.y ' . write, his impressions as foUowsf
AlVa rtg-ht vwith, tn ,worKlt ,
' "God'a In his heaven , t:s- .
- Pz- i77rr&dt' WoZZe, WJ20
r:
. ;. The programmes, of the, season were well, ar-' .
ranged, ' taking into consideration . the constantly. 1
' " improving ensemble work "of the orchestra ; at the '
first were given the Bach second Brandenburg Con
certo, Beethoven's First Symphony ,electionsfrom
'Der Meistersinger von Nuernberg.' . -- . " .
x- . "At the. second, which was a Mozart-Festival, , ;
the G Minor' Symphony of Mozart, the minuetto '.
1 from the Jupiter Symphony, the minuetto from the
' E Flat Symphony and the overture to 'Magic Flute,
besides two Wagner numbers, were heard.; Schu-y
bert's Symphony in O. was heard at the third con- ,;
' cert; Haydn's Military, Symphony, and the Sym-',
phonic Pathetiaue of Tsohaikowsky at, the fourth, ,
and, finally, the notable Wagner programme at the
' fifth. '.' yr.Vv. ..
' "The orchestra was .increased from fifty-six-
, instrumenta at the first concert to 104 at the fifth.
This wss needed for the Selections giveii, but it was -
' made possible through the fuuUicial success of the ..
yanture; . ; V'":..-.-:':
g - - -
" tAnalvals of th proammmes shows that they have
' hon delnil to set forth tlie life -of Jsu In III rx
''llaloMB slanincanoa from th Protetant point of view.
Th flint threo wMlons dealt with th Bavloufa
' birth, although In no Tlgldly prsdee wy.' Mondar
evenlns's aesion each concert of the featlvo aerlaa
v In called a 'elon waa-a prelude to. the reriee con-
', sldered as a whole. - ' - ' - . .
i-' AenocfBteit with. them was, the second Branden- ,
;.i)ur concerts, the only purely lntmmentl feature
of-the festival. Theea compoeltlona led to the great-'
'rt of oratorloa, the "St. Matthew Paaaipn,' which ...
occupied tha two aewdona of Tburadajr. . ' "
. Durtne the next two day we had to dO'Wlth tha
; ascension and th proclamation of fnlth. the result, t .
' so f;r as1 this life Is concerned, of Christ's nriselon.
"The works chosen for this phase of the subject
. were an Easter cantata, Th Heavens Lauarh, an
-ascension cantata. "Qod Ooeth Up With Bhoutlna
followed on the cloalna day by the B-mlnor Maas."
i- ' This statement gives an idea of the educarl
tional value placed upon niiusi by Dr.' Wolle. .
. Doubtless under his direction the great openi
air symphonies beneath California's blue dome,
with flowers blooming about . and birds warbling
their melodies in the overhanging trees, will become
one of the -most' famous - features of the world el
musk.' ' ; . .'--',:,4 , 1. -".
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