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1. [Image] Martha
Maria Schwalb, too, had many an opportunity during the long summer, to show her housewife accomplishments. Nor was she unassisted by her humbler sister in these duties. The arrangements for entertaining ...Citation Citation
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- Martha
Maria Schwalb, too, had many an opportunity during the long summer, to show her housewife accomplishments. Nor was she unassisted by her humbler sister in these duties. The arrangements for entertaining the crowds that came were in the hands of the central committee. This committee assigned travellers to the different hotels and homes. Lodgings cost from $1.00 to $2.50 per day according to location. The meals cost as much more. Here let one (Mrs. Elizabeth Hayhurst of Portland) who witnessed the portrayal of this great play in 1922 tell us some of her observations and experiences. "We left Munich Saturday afternoon on one of the many special trains for Oberammergau which is about a two hour journey by fast train. We went through a picturesque country, whose fir-clad hills reminded us very strongly of Oregon, while the numerous blue lakes and chalet-like houses partook of the characteristics of Switzerland. Soon we were in sight of the lovely Bavarian Alps, and entering the valley of the Ammer, beheld Oberammergau - a small village nestled at the foot of Kofel, a high mountain peak with precipitous sides whose crest is surmounted with a cross. Upon our arrival, we were put in the care of a porter, who was dressed in the quaint garb of the Bavarian peasant - short leather breeches, embroidered velvet jacket, and a peaked leather hat adorned with a feather of a wild fowl. We followed him to the home of our host - Hans Mayr, who had the role of "Pilate" in the play. Frau Mayr greeted us cordially, as she domiciled forty of us Americans seemingly without any effort whatsoever, and made us feel quite like we were her personal guests instead of playing ones. A walk about the village later brought forth many "Ohs and Ahs". Most of the houses are painted a soft green, gray or white, and on the outside walls of many are painted religious scenes, and on one house there was a canopy of ivy growing about a painted shrine to the Virgin. Everywhere there were shrines and on the banks of the clean, clear Ammer river was a splendid monument of the Crucifixion. After our simple but wholesome evening meal, many of us purchased copies of the play, and knowing no German, which is the original text, I obtained an English version, to familiarize myself with the lines I had journeyed so far to see and hear interpreted. The characters are selected by a committee that is elected by the whole community, and the villagers wait with breathless anticipation the announcement of the bestowal of the assignment, as often a near-tragedy is witnessed when one is deemed too old to continue in a famous role. Anton Lang has been the Christus for three consecutive decades but he will not be able to continue in the role, as the crucifixion scene where he is suspended on the cross for twenty minutes is a great physical strain. Frau Lang has never witnessed the crucifixion scene as given by her husband. On the day of the performance, Anton Lang remains at the auditorium all day - simple food being brought to him during the noon intermission when he rests. By profession, he is a potter. He is profound student of the life of Christ, and has made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land in order to portray the role. The bestowal of the role of the Christus is considered the highest honor within the power of the community as there is the character requisite as well as the acting one. That interest in the Play is lifelong can best be revealed by the interest of Johann Zwinck who was first a boy in the play, twice enacted the part of the disciple, Joh, and for three decades interpreted the role of Judas - said to be among the greatest of the Judases and in 1922 was the venerable Simon of Bethany, as well as understudy to the Judas. It is told of him that while he wished nothing to happen to Guida Mayr - the Judans of 1922, but Oh! how much he should like to just once again play the part of Judas, and when he was told that it would be difficult for him to make himself heard with so many of his teeth gone, he replied, "well, if I were sure of the chance, I would try in some way to gather together enough money to buy teeth". George Lang, the director of the play, is a young man of about thirty years. He was wounded in the late war and one hand is atrophied. He is their teacher in the wood carving school. Wood carving is the principal industry of the village and to that fact may be ascribed the artistic success of the play. The Villagers day by day experience the joy of creating beautiful objects. The robes have all been designed and made in the village from wonderful materials gotten mostly from the Orient. No make-up whatsoever is used, not even a wig is worn, another secret of the lovely hair one sees there everywhere. No married woman is given a speaking role, but an exception was made to the understudy of the Virgin Mary of 1922, who was the Virgin Mary of 1910, but who in the meantime has been wooed, wed, and widowed. Nine hundred five people have a part in the production of the play; there are 124 speaking roles; 50 musicians in the orchestra and 45 singers in the well-trained chorus. Seven hundred persons from mere tots of four to men and women of venerable years appear in the mob scene; 75 men are needed to collect the tickets and serve as doorkeepers and ushers, and remember at the same time thousands are being entertained in the homes of the villagers, as the few small hotels cannot begin to provide for the large number who come from all parts of the world to see the Marvelous Play of all time. The prices were established early in the year of 1922, and although the value of the mark declined many times in value before the season had hardly begun, there was no deviation from the established price of either the seats or the accomodations. Thus it was that eleven of the villagers journeyed to American to try to retrieve some of the deficit. Each summer a religious play is given which enables the selecting committee to know who is best adapted to the various roles, and each family hopes it may be represented in the famous characters and shapes its daily life to that end. We were awakened early Sunday morning by such peaceful sounds as the crowing of the cocks, lowing of the calves, tinkling of the bells of the cows as they were being driven through the village streets to the pasture, and the pealing of the chimes from the village's one church. Upon arising, we were greeted with frosted roofs and fences, which was a most welcome sight, as it foretold a clear day. We breakfasted at six-thirty, after which we were given our tickets to the open-air auditorium, as experience has shown that it simplifies matters to retain the tickets as long as possible to avoid all the useless mislayings and losings. The seats are distributed according to the household, the better homes secure the better seats for their guests. Our hostess very thoughtfully suggested our securing robes and cushions, which were provided for a small fee and made our stay in the open-air auditorium much more comfortable. As we went to the Play through the village streets, it seemed as though the whole world had come to Oberammergau. There were monks and nuns of the various orders, Hindoos from India, Syrians from the Near East, a Japanese and Chinese from the Far East, and very, very black people from Africa. We were requested to be in our seats at 7:45, and there we were, 4200 sitting, hundreds standing and scores kneeling, when at precisely eight o'clock the Chorus dressed in rich colorful robes advanced from the colonnades on either side of the stage and sang the opening number which is a prayer of thanks for their deliverance from the awful scourge in ages past and an appeal from the blessing of the presence of the Saviour always. Then the prologist in full, rich voice gave the following beautiful greeting which sounds the keynote of the whole play. "Welcome, welcome, to all, whom here the tender love Of the Saviour unites, mourning, to follow Him On His journey of suffering To the last resting place. Who from far and from near, all here have come today They all feel themselves now joined in brotherly love As disciples of one Lord Who has suffered death for all. Who gave Himself for us, with compassion and love Even to bitter death. To Him let us lift up Our gaze and our hearts too, With love unfeigned and gratitude. Up to Him let us lift all our thoughts and our souls, Pray with us - yea - with us pray, as the hour comes, When the dept of our sacred vow We pray to the supreme GOD". There are twenty-four tableaux and the function of the tableaux is to connect the incidents of the old testament that relate to the incidents of the last seven days of Christ. The dialogue begins with Christ's entry into Jerusalem, and our very souls were quickened as we beheld the face of Him who has beem so familiar to us through the very best of painting and sculpture. As the sad story unfolded, there were lovely pictures of indelible impress left upon our minds. The bleating of the sheep as they were freed from the pens and the flying of the doves over the audience, all added to the realism of the Temple scene. Then the beauty and the humility of Mary Magdalene as she wiped the feet of the Christus with her lovely long hair; the pathos and the tenderness of the leave-taking of the Christus of His mother in Bethany, and the Last Supper which is an animated counterpart of the Da Vinci painting. The play has progressed until the betrayal of the Christus by Judas in the Garden of Gethsamane when the Noon intermission is announced which is the first intermission of the morning. We were all enthralled as we wended our way quietly to our various place of abode for luncheon, which in many instances, is served by those appearing in the performance. At 1:15 we were again in our seats in eager anticipation of the continuance of the wonderful story of the Ages, as the shortening of days of September made it necessary to resume the Play at 1:30 in order to finish before nightfall. The lines of the Play have Judas reveal where the Christus is spending the night rather than an actual betrayal, and when Judas realized all to late what his telling has brought to the Christus, he is so filled with compassion that he receives our pity instead of our scorn. Scene after scene is portrayed until we are confronted with the realistic "Way of the Cross", and the Chorus, now dressed in black, sing a dirge-like refrain all through the Crucifixion Scene, which was too real and too sad for most of us. As the body was removed from the cross we thought at once of another famous painting "Rubens' Descent From the Cross" and during the rites of the last unction, another work of art came to our mind, Michael Angelo's marble masterpiece "Pieta" as Mary, the Mother, folded in her arms the beautiful body of the Christus. The Christ appeared for a moment to Mary Magdalene after the resurrection, and in a final tableau, we had a glimpse of the Ascension. The last chorus was sung--a glad, halleluiah one-- and the somber robes of mourning have been replaced by the first, bright, colorful ones, and the final curtain is drawn about five-thirty upon the marvelous Passion Play. It has filled our very souls with reverence and a prayer that the Great Sacrifice of Reconcilliation upon Golgotha may contribute to a world peace and a better understanding among the nations and within the nations until the whole world is imbued with the same unity and co-operation that makes possible the perfect rendering of this marvellous Play by the villagers of Oberammergau.