The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-09-18
BAIrnoHE. Nd, July 16. 1869

BaLTMoKE, Md, July 16. 1860.
Your correspondent did not attend the musical
iubilee, known as y 80 Peace jubilee, that was
held in Boston last month. lie reserved his
holiday for OCCASION that, If not Sensational
was more truly musical the biennial celebra-
ton Of the Northeastern German Sangerbund.
This great organization includes the German
musical societies of large portion Of the United
States, the others being included in similar Or
gstniztton for the West and South. IL holds its
meetings every second year in either New York,
Philadelphia, or Baltimore; and delegations
from all the Eastern States present during
the week that is allotted to the festivities. The
present il the eleventh Sangerfest that has been
he'll by the society. Let me give some account
of the way in which il has been celebrated.
The arger part OF the societies arrived in Bal
timore saturday afternoon, July 10th, and
marched in procession, with banners and music,
% the principal hotels OF the city, where arrange
ments had been made to entertain them in hand
some style. The streets ornamented with
arches Of flowers and evergreens, and flags, sup
Piled for the occasion by n New Yorker whose
business il is to rent banners, were exhibited in
the windows of the public buildings and of the
hoteIs, and Baltimore booked indeed n If q
Ceclare that the city was never before 40 festive
n On Sunday grand procession was formed, in
eIudng all the available troops, a. well as the
city officials, n number of distinguished visitors
N TO the city, and the whole force of the singing
societies. The procession occupied an hour and
n n half in passing over its length, and was one OF
the finest that Baltimore has ever seen. In the
f evening there wac n grand sacred concert, in
which the orutorio OF the ~ Messiah ~ was the
\ principal feature. The ehoruses we're grandly
given,--cven better than have heard them rem
4 deIed at the famous Crystal Palace concerts in
\ London. The Germans appreciate Handel quite
n as fully, and with more discrimination than the
English though they did not stand up, Eng
NJ lsh audiences do. when the lIaIleluah Chorus is
sung. Hermanns, the operatic singer. assumed
the leading tenor part in the Messiah. He
y seemed singularIy out Of place in oratorio. In
X Faust he mad,: splendid Mephistophces, fitting
< diaboIiaIly about the stage in his red cloak and
coek's plume. AS Bertram, the friend of the
evil one, in ss Robert the Devil Inc was abso-
lutely satanic; the very mark Of neither fire was
npon him In short, he was quite my beau ideal
bf the deyIl. And now. to find him reIigiously
Eisposed. arrnyed in Sleeps clothing, and piously
:. Iasking. with HandeIs cadenccs, 's Why do the
heathen 50 furious!y rage together?" actually
gave n shock, and reminded one Of the
Froverb about =. the devil quoting scripture"
Monday, the day which the prize singing
was to take place, day of diligent
earsas. Eighteen musical societies, the most
Pkilfully drilled ones OF all the hundreds Of
foeieties present, were to compete in the evening
for four prizes, as follows: Two societies num-
bering more than forty-six members, two grand
ianos by Knabe Of Baltimore, valued each ut
800, offered as the first and the second
rize. Two - grand square " pianos by Cache,
2alued at $1,000 each, were the prizes for
peieties numbering fewer than forty-six members.
At O'Clock the long and narrow but capaeious
pli Of the Maryland Institute was crowded with
musical audienee-hrgciy German. An i'm
4 n ense platform, capable ot holding 1000 sing
?, hal been erected in the rear OF the hall and
pom the front Of this appeared, one after an
W her, the competing societies, each wearing n
iform OF IT'S own, or rather q uniform dress
New York Iiederkranz, for instance, in black
Oh white waisteoats, and white silk hat for
" street. The smaller societies, nine in num-
=, occupied the first halt OF the evening, all
I< hsing exluisitely. AL the pieces given were
horuses for male voices. ABB was the composer
no less than four OF the eighteen pieces sung
ueing from his pen.
The members Of the larger societies mean
bile awaiting their turn to sing; not, however
the hot AMI crowded entrances Of the Mary
Institute, but in the adjacent bcer-gnrdens
- pre- some approach to coolness could be found
WINS interesting to note the feeling OF rivalry
tween the different competing societies, the
To q I'M axriaa
IN mind was held that evening. The rivalry
y especially strong between the Liederkran;
! the Arion societies OF New York. Tn.
pncr il one OF the oldest, the latter one of ths
vest, Of the large German societies in America
q are eminent among musical associations 70,
Mr skill and for their wealth and both hae
their hearts upon taking the first prize upor
OCCASION The Liederkranz, (Ierr Paur
dnetor,l nad the advantage Of long rccort
victories IN contests, similar to the present, ir
s years The Arion Society, conducted By
Bergmann, who is also the conductor Of tbs
iharuonie Society OF New York, il an of
'e rom the Liederkranz, young, full Of ambi
ana determination, composed OF e1cellen
eriai, ana at least as well conducted as any
society IN the country. The dramati,
oaoiiities favored the success Of the Arions
know' from personal observation, that tn,
aerxranz Society approached with no sligh
glvings the contest for superiority.
~ haif-past O'Clock the larger societies com
nced to sing. The Arions led OF with n com
'tion by w. II. veit, entitled Pretty Rotl
as' The interest Of the audience was in
se, amounting to enthusiasm and excitement
MS powerful and disciplined society came for
80 upon the stage. AL the Liederkranz me,
gathered together by this time, and wer