BAYREUTH MUSICAL FESTIVAL. The Festival Theatre of Bayreuth has been described as the musical shrine of Richard \Vaguer. The city itself is the capital of the district of Up per Franconia, Bavaria, and is situated on the Red Main. The building of the Festival Theatre had been the dream of Wagner's. life, and eventu ally he was fortunate enough to secure the inter est of the unhappy King Louis 11., of Bavaria. from whom and through whom Ile secured much financial assistance, which, with the subscrip tions reeeived from lovers of his music, enabled him to carry out his long-cherished scheme. The idea was first conceived in 1858, and the Te tralogy of the Nibelangen written, composed. and reserved until there should have been mate rialized the conditions and environments which its creator deemed neeessary for its proper pre sentation. The situation of the theatre has been admirably chosen, with the town of Bayreuth in the foreground. and the hills of Franconia for a background. Performances begin at 4 P.M. except when the Rheingold is given, when the hour is altered to 5 P.M. The artists, who invariably give their services, carry out as far as possible Wagner's directions and ideas.. They never rec ognize the plaudits of the audience, and as far as possible discourage ebullitions of feeling on the part of their auditors. Originally, the audi ence remained silent throughout every perform ance; but this rule is now seldom obeyed except in the solitary instance of I'ursifel. In order to
secure every possible artistic reinforcement, the singer is sometimes reduced to become almost the mere agent of the literary expression; the orchestra is hidden away out of sight under the stage; and the auditorium itself is plunged into darkness before and during each act. On May 22.1872, the foundation-stone was laid, the event being marked by the performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with an orchestra of 500 in struments, comprising many of the greatest in strumentalists of the day, among whom were Wilhelmj (q.v.), playing a first-violin part, and Hans Richter, with the tympani. The theatre was opened in 1876 with the Nibelung, the festival continuing from August 13th to August 17th. The next festival occurred in 1882, when Parsifal had its first presentation; since which event per fo•mances have been given almost every year. The festival of 1897 was especially remarkable as being the first time Live complete works were given, the Tetralogy and Persiful. To Frau AN viler and Siegfried Wagner, wife and son of the master, is mainly clue the credit of main taining intact, as far as possible, the traditions of the Bayreuth Festival. See 31USIC FESTIVAL.