New-York tribune., 1868-05-07
THE BOSTON MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
From Our Special cOrrsspoDaeut


BosroS. May S, 1865
The great festival about which all New England,
for months past, has been agog, has opened under
the most promising auspices, and IL the rest Of the
week prove as brilliant to-day, the celebra-
tion will be magnificent success. These mon
ster feasts of song not such rarites in Boston
az they arc with us. The example of Leeds, Bir-
mingham, Hereford. and London, was caught up
here among the children of the Puritan psalm-sing
ers long before we tried 10 copy It, and while New
York has had only one small festival Boston is al
ready holding its third great one. and bestowing
upon il amount of care, intelligence, enthusiasm
and money in which we are far far behind In mus-
cal appreciation w-England is unquestonably
superior TO all other parts OF America. All
which are welldred, industrious, full of the spirit
of art. and imposing III their numbers. Hence, when
great occasion like tins Is presented, there IS no
difficulty in bringing together seven or eight hund
red singers who understand their work and
will not shrink from the fatigue of hard drilling
We have our singing societies IN New-York
to be sure. They are as large, perhaps as
any in Boston. They contain good material
Some of them have all the needed enthusiasm
But they are not welltrained they want better
ductors and il Is mOurnful fact that good choral
singing in New-York is almost unknown. The taste
for oratOrio however, is growing with us rapidly
Mr.. Harrison with the aid of PaTepa Rosa has given
it wonderful impulse and hope that as the de-
mand for better work becomes more emphatic we
shall not be long IN trying to satisfy it.
The first two festivals in Boston, like the first OF
the great Crystal Palace festivals in London, were
isolated celebrations gwen either by way OF expert
ment, or to commemorate some great event in musi-
cal history But to-day the Handel and Haydn
Society inaugurates n series of triennial gath
eTings which, as time goes on. aud eul-
ture becomes more and more extended,
will probably steadily increase in excellence and i'm
poranoe At present it is of course the leading
sation of New-Eng gland. The railways are running
special trains ut all sorts OF uncomfortable hours,
and the streets lively with eccentric looking per
sons from all the remote counties AS the hour Tor
the performance approaches you may see every hotel
send forth stream Of these strangers. AS rule
observe that the father of the family always comes
bringing q small carpet bag, large nsic-book and
generally pretty young daughter. They have hard
work 10 find their way about these people, and they
are not dressed in the latest fashion, but they know
the music WELL though they have queer ways of lis
tening. There a gentleman OF bucolic aspect
behind me this morning, who got 80 excited when
lean both his arms my shoulders, and stare at
her, open-mouthed, over my head.
The performances take place in the Music Hall,
which is the best place Boston Afford and better
than anything in New-York except Niblo's or the
Academy. 1t holds, believe, about 1900 people,
perhaps more, and is marvel of discomfort and
ugliness. Hard to find hard TO get into when you
have found It, very hard TO stay n and harder to get
out of again, it nevertheless contains the great or
gan and therefore try TO forget that IL is dismal
and dingy, and that the seats instruments of
torture and TO speak Of it with becoming respect.
The organ forms majestic background to the stage.
In front Of IL is the orchestra sixty players belong
ing TO Boston, and forty borrowed from the Philhar-
mOnc Society of New-YOrk. On either side rise the
banks of singers up almost to the very roof flowing
over the first gallery and even into the second. BY
this capital arrangement the organ and chorus to-
gether form deep amphitheater, and the orchestra
occupy the basin Of it. The singers number we are
told, 747.
The lady singers have fondness for striking coors
and wear gowns of the most emphatic shades of red
blue green, and brown. Massed together on their
rising benches, they give one the impression of gay
patchwork bed-qmlt
The organ is under the management of Mr.. b. j.
Lang.
Precisely at II o'clock this morning the per-
formers filed into their places, Madame Rosa Miss
Adelaide Phillips Mr.. Simpson, and Mr.. ZerTahn,
receiving pleasant recognition, and then DIR. j. b.
Upham President of the Handel and Haydn So
oiety stepped 10 the front of the stand and made
short speech He alluded to the history Of the fest
VAL and spoke Of what the Society hoped TO do here
after and announced that the present occasion had
been chosen for unvaling the busts of Palestrina,
Beethoven and Mozart, the work Of the Danish
sculptor, Matthew, which had been presented
70 the Hall by Miss Charlotte Cushman.
Thereupon, two curtains high up on the wall were
pulled away and the casts of Palestrna and Mozart
were displayed. up over the second gallery where
few can see them. The bust of Beethoven is ont in
ayanlt, lobby, where the young ladies of Boston
stroll during the intermissons and talk metaphysics
These sculptures were fully described recently IN
The AHanho Monthly. IL Is not tho original works
that were set up to-day but plaster casts of them.
There was but moments delay after the speech
was over Mr. ZerTahn took his place ut the con-
ductoTs stand. The host of sngers rose To their
work there was rustic of silk and 1uttering OF
leaves and with an almost unparalleled oXactnesS Of