WIDMANN. WIDMANN, vit'miln, Joseph Viktor (1842 — ). A Swiss author, born at Nennowitz, Mo- ravia, and educated at Heidelberg and Jena. He became director of a girls' boarding school at Bern in 1868, but left this work in 1880, when he was made literary editor of the Berlin Bund. His writings include narrative and lyrical Acrse as well as dramas and novels. Among them may be named Erasmus von Rotterdum (18G.5) ; Arnold von Brescia (1867); Buddha (1869); ^Ititziergiinge in den Alpen (1885) ; Jenseits von (iui und Biise (18!)3) ; Maikdferkomddie (1897) ; and Die Muse des Aretin (1902). WID'NES. A municipal borough in Lanca- shire, England, at the head of the Mersey estu- arv, 13 miles southeast of Liverpool (Map: England, D 3 ) . It is a great chemical manufac- turing centre and also has iron foundries and copper works. Population, in 1901, 28,.580. WIDNMANN, vid'n-miin, ]M.ximili.
von
(1812-95). A German sculptor, born in Eich- statt. After studying under Eberhard and Schwanthaler in Munich, he spent three years (1836-39) in Rome. In 1849 he was made pro- fessor in the Munich Academy, and executed several public monuments in that city. More successful, though perhaps less numerous than the formei-, were his busts and statuettes. His works include statues of Orlando di Lasso (1848), Schiller (1863), Goethe (1868), Castor and Pollux (1877), all in Munich, and others at Bamberg, Regensburg, Wiirzburg, and else- where. WIDOR, ve'dor', Charles Marie (1845—). A French organist and composer, born at Lj'ons. He studied at home under his father, and at Brussels under Lemmens on the organ and Fftis for composition, and in 1800 succeeded his father as organist at Saint Frangois. In 1869 he became organist at Saint Sulpice, Paris. He succeeded C^sar Franek as oigan professor in 1890, and Dubois in 1896 as professor of counter- point, fugue, and composition at the Paris Con- servatory. Under the pen name 'Aulfitfes' he was the musical critic of L'Estafelte. He was also director and conductor of the society "La Concordia.' He is an acknowledged virtuoso on the organ and a skillful iniproviser, and his compositions for the organ rank high. His com- positions and writings include the two-act ballad La Korriganc (1880); music to the play Conle d'Avril (1885); to Les Jacobites (188,5); the Ij'ric drama Maitre Ambros (1890) ; the panto- mime .7 ean»w d'.l re (1890). Other compositions include several operas not yet produced; masses, anthems, and other church music; La Nuil de M'alpurgis for chorus and orchestra (1880); two symphonies, and chorals, and considerable chamber music. His organ works include nine symphonies, and the celebrated Hymphonie go- lirine. He has also published many compositions for the violin, 'cello, piano, etc. WIDOW (in law). See Jus Relict.e; Mab- i!iAr:K; SrccESSloN; Dower. WIDOW, The. A comedy probably entirely by Midillcton, though ascribc<l to Fletcher and • lonson .IS well, written about 1610. and printed in 1052. WIDOW BEDOTT PAPEBS. A series of humorous sketches first published in Ncnl's Haturduy Oazettr and afterwards issued in book 500 WIECK. form (1855) bj: Frances Miriam Whitcher. Con- sult Hart. Female Prose Writers of America ( Xew York. 1855). WIDOW-BIKD. One of the group of weav- er-birds (subfamily Viduin*), dwelling in West- ern Africa, and remarkable for the ga}- plumage and long tails of the males, the females having a plain brown dress. The name was given orig- inally by the Portuguese settlers to a species (Chera procne) which. excepting a bulT and scar- let wing-bar, is wholly black, the color and long train suggesting the garb of a widow. One of the most remarkable species is illustrated herewith. Its body is not larger than that LONG-TAILED WIDOW-BIRD {ViiJua paradisea). of a small finch. The head, throat, back, and wings are greenish brown, the nape and under parts dark yellow, and the breast deep ,red. The long tail is most curious. The middle pair of feathers have the webs greatly wid- ened, and through the twist- ing of the shafts their in- ferior surfaces are vertically opposed; the next pair are produced to the length of about a foot, and droo|) in a graceful curve ; and each has attached to its base a long hair-like filament. This and some other species are often kept in Europe as cage birds for the sake of their song as well as their plumage. Erroneous spellings of this name are "whj'dah-bird" and "vida-bird." •WTiDOWS TEARS, The. A coarse but humorous comedy by Chapman (1612). Its source is Petronius's story of the Ephesian widow. WIECK, vek, Friedrich ( 1785-1873). A Ger- man musical instructor, born at Pretzsch, near Wittenberg. Having at first studied theology- at Wittenberg, he turned to music, established a piano factory and nmsie store at Leipzig, but soon devoted himself entirely to teaching the piano- forte according to a rational method of his own, which presently brought him considerable repu- tation and was successfully put to the test by the brilliant acliievcmcnts of his daughters Ki.ARA (wife of Robert Schumann) and SIarie ( 1832 — ) . In 1840 he removed to Dresden, where he also gave vocal instruction, ^(ost of his ex- tensive jiedagogicul experiences may be foiind in- ccuporated in the publication lliirirr und (Ifsang (3d ed., 1878). Consult the biographies by Meichsner (Leipzig, 1875) and Kohut (Dresden, 1888) ; also .Toss. Frirdrirh Wierlc und sein Ver- lUiltnis £U Robert Schumann (ib., 1900); id..
