The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-12-08
THE MEaDELssoHN QUlNTETTR CON


Msndelssohn Concert They all assembled
at the depot at the time the train was an
nounced TO come to take them over, to wit,
o'clock and IS minutes, and being there
they waited till almost eight o'clock before
the train arrived. Then "all aboard" and
every impatient concert goer could like the
"Wedding Guest" detained by the "Ancient
Mariner" hear in the breeze that aoated
over the river the sound Of ''the loud BIAS.
SOON" But like the "'weddnR gues" atore
said, they were held against their will for
another tedious quarter Of an hour by
departing freight train. At last they started |
and we're soon at Fifth and Perry street,
Davenport, with the illuminated Opera
House before them. They entered in body |
Just as Miss Jenny Busk had concluded the |
singing of "the Nightingale a Russian air
by Alienof, whose peculiar Sclavonic airs
we have sometimes heard, but nevet "the
Nightingale azores aid, which we missed
by the delay. This was followed by Hendls
fute solo 1.-THE Wind" by Briccialdi. Mr..
Hendl has the reputation Of being one OF
the best if not the very best futists in the
| United States. When last here he made q
fine Impression on the audience by the exc
cution ola difficult fantasia. This piece
tried his powers more than did the other, for
it contained the more iusurmountabe attri'
butte Of feeling as we'll az requiring absolute
| control of his instrument in execution. 1t
opened with slow movement suggestive OF
the whispering south wind creeping over the
twilight landscape, freighted with the pre-
fumes of q summer evening gradually in
creasing in intensity in the more rapid vsria
tions of the theme till the entranced listener
could hear the strident storm guss whistling
through the rigging of SINE lonely night
encirced ship scudding before the tempest.
The accompaniment in such exquisite per-
fectiou Of time and taste, with al occasional
obigato on the clsrionetse made the effect
more powerful.
This was followed by an addgio in the
Quartette in C op 20 by Beethoven, arranged
as string quintette. In this piece the
Mendessobn Quintette club exhibited thei'
peculiar excellencies, perfection rather than
power. Beethoven's Quntet,es, though they
are all possessed Of r. majesty inherited IRON
r the com poser are vet lacking i'll the element
!. of grandeur Of which his symphonies ar
: so replete. They are fine harmonles falling
upon the heart like April showers upon the
d opening buds. requiring more taste anc
7 exactness of time than powerful instrumen
tation
. This was followed by grand duo for VIC
= Inns by Kalliwoda, an Hungarian composer
II and musical rirtu0so Of some note, played
bv Messrs Shuttle and Meisel AL that cat
be said Of it ia that its execution was per
o feet, absolutely.
b, Then Miss Jennie Busk appeared, an'
y sang q rdcd!ina from RossinrS Semlramis
We had heard 80 much about this youuI
= lady that really we had placed our expects
tons at q high point, and were correspond
-. ingly disappointed by her failure 10 reac
A. them. She is most finished singer; l
poiut of fact, she ia walking edition
"Bassini's Cultivation Of the Voice.. 81
lie, ia all "school" with no substratum OF orr
1ck ina voice to work upon or develop. The
so is not the ghost Of the ideal voice ther
log Nothing flute like, nothing mellow, no per
go trating resonance merely singing which
!. minds one Of aageolet play
by great artist: beautiful executi
in but insignificant tones. She ID also unt
new tunate in lacking personal attractions,
to fact which probably prevented her being
the opera. Another flaw the carping COZ
and discover was the dowdiness and bad taste
rect which she was dressed. She. showed
immodest area Of scrsggy shoulders, t
except to student Of anatomy, coach
her. UP" on the ebony structure" was positiv
ned distssteful Her tarletan dress was
curt askew and her mouth "large of its size, VIII
w was ANYTHING but the classic "cupd's bc
IL when At rest, was continually distendec
her, mechanical smic. All these we ella
with though secondary matters in criticlsng
"a ~. artistic performance, are leg'nmateiy
we'll ticeabIe III concert SINGER VINO sho''l
little offend good taste in her personal
pesrsnce as in her singing. mucl less W
II old abe does not atone for it by exhibition
lie of vocal genius.
noon Next, the Fantasia, for clarone
The "Reverie Caprice composed and played
3ods. Thomas Ryan Mr.. Ryan did not hav'
II the pleasing piece to perform as when
e re- Memberships were last here, but he
owed himself abundant justice as the rep'
lends best clsrionettist in the country. This
'ct TO followed by the Andante and Csnzont
wing. from the Quartette in Z fat, BY Meme
sohu. This is one of Memberships pr
ones Title things. 1t contains the sweetn
man chasteness, and purity, which he dedlc
ID by in hs songs to his sister Fanny. 1t be
learn as do nearly all OF MendeIssohn's tn
aimed compositions in tender, pathetic Ell
q as like the elegy Of Robin Redbreast on
ellto death OF the volets, and concludes VII
sons. playful little ronao, such rythm ss the
from ads might dance to in the long green a
time of the messy groves. The stringed in
few of ments a,;une perfectly, and there is no
This taton, no hitch, every note played
d the mathematical precision This was folI'
veto b, solo for v;olincelIo, by Wulf +
of EN-. FL ltdsid Nilitdire, bv Seryais. Mr.,