, 1870-12-18
;TnE woRlo:oF AMUSEMENT:
Beethoven.
Nilsson.
Interesting Details OF Her Sen.
SON.

of nauAio In Chicago, recoltections which run
back nearly twenty years, Eaeu tempxs
fugt, can recall no such mus3cat season u
The present. First, there was that pleasant
English opera season. Then followed, ths
superb Lefranc, the delightful Basnsbee-
Smith concerts, tho memorable Thomas
orchestral season. tho combination Of music
and toilette BY that musical-modiste CLARA
Louise Kellogg, the too brief eeason Of Ade-
laide Phillipps. last weak the Beethoven Cen
tenuial, and this week Nilsson.
Perhaps am IN enthusiast, but It eeemed
to ma, ~ hoard tho Ninth Symphony r.
hearsed On Thur7day; morning, that It was thn
noblest. the grandest, the most dignided and
fat-reachirg work Of art which God Almighty
ever allowed man to perform. It seemed to
ne to be the whole Of life concentrated IN
one picture by the power Of mu1ic-not the
l,fe ef butterfly, or soeiety "cateh, bu.
the life that ls real and earnest, the life that
is worth living, although it ia pierced By iate
and crowned with thorns- Goethe drew thu
same picture at one sitting, aad Shakspeare
has portrayed 1t, passion BY passion, in i'll his
plays; but the wor1s hamper and fetter tho
movemsnt and the reality OF the terrible
sto1J. You can SEQ 1t, but you do not
boundary you cannot pass. but In music there
Is tnsntation and suggestion in the master
hand Of genius, which carriea yon aboye the
Fates spinning In tho upper liz, and raiaes
the curtain which wells the Infinite. In that
first moment occur the everlasting question:
Ing and struggle WITH, Fate, the slternations
between hopo and despair, y1ctoD xad d.
1eat, The presence Of the gloomy shallow
which alwAys daEk1es between ~ and the un-
querchable light. In the second, pleasure
summons Ill her nymphs andaaty1s, her aYIoha
and bscchantea. passing before Us in mad fey.
elry, but IN the background still folIows
ia ia sSS9IE saSeiaI, 'aaas p;asss md ah,o,ls i:
the din of the reyeller "a the ahfiok q =
pieeo!o piesces through the mamed harmony
Of : fnn orchestra The third movement IL
N ele1, full Of buried hope and yet Of placid
resignation. Man ceasaa his usaleea str11R1a.
Neither the philosophy Of Faust nor the mst-
pleasure is dratned and there are only bitter
dsegs at the bottom. But in the fourth move
1uent the human VOICE apeaka aud diasolvee
the charm. Volce calls unto voice as vaye
answers to wave, and, finally, the great chorua
Of humanity bids the millions embrace, for
lore and pesce have prevailed and uuiveraal
liberty and uIiversal brotherhood proclaim the
victory OF Man. And this, 1t seeIna to me, Ia
the Erandeet theme which his ever yet en-
gagged the mind Of the artist; this is the croHn-
ing harmony Of aIt.
IN listening to III. Colliera admirable orr
ton On Friday evening, could aud but one
staten ut to which exceptions might be taken,
VIZ: Msndelssohn was Hebr4ic." greatly
fear that come disciple OF Wagner has indoc-
ttinated Mr. Collier with the Judaism in rnu-
&c; There is no distinctive national chsrao-
testsio IN hendelssohn'a nnsic- He Ia the
boundary line between tbs old and the naw.
HA muaio is = departure from the figured
forms Of the old to tho dramatic color and
realtem Of the now. Mendelssohn wrote for
~ The world - Deethoyen did, but Mondels-
sohn Has objective, and Beeshoven subject
tye. Beethoven had no such tinta AZ mark
the Midsummer Night'a Dream music,
and Mendelssohn no such subjective meta
physical power "a marks the Ninth Symphony.
Beethoven Was massive, majestic, rugged,
and colossal; Mendelssohn was stasslg, ale.
CANT, graceful, and beautiful, and the music
OF the two masters is perfect tone-picture
Of their lives ~ Influenced BY surrounding
c!rcumstances, which, in the one case, were
alEa{s friendly; In the other, always adverse.
Mandelsahon Kks the post OF sentiment, the
Jean Paul Of romAnce; Beethoven was the
poet OF sentiment and intellect combined, the
Goethe Of al time.
Mendelssohn has alw1ys seemed to me- ia
90 Like beautisql, grammatical tree In = gar
deu, every limb dropping In graceful curve. its
trunk perfect in taper, its foliage exquisite in
gresne,y, lsa blossoms delicatsfy tinted and
loading the air With thar odofous bresths.
fairies hold their moonlight revels IN the II ricb $
graas under Ito leaf canopy. The milIers boz
meets his betruthed th4re. The firnt yiolst
blossoms there. The birds sing tn ita ahranchea
their sweetest spring songs. Only the gentls
zsphyrs rustic It's leaves. The san ia never
l.oing beaghs pattern Of deliests Ight tA md
shsds.. No rude gales disturb it in this seques-
tered garden. Life flows on calmly and "A
rene1y. urdktu1bed by dpple,
Uu the other hand, Beethoven has ALWAYS
seemed to me Ike mountain oak, which hss
many time and oft with Tho Aerce blssts.
Its top uses TO the heavens, and its roots
ssflke down deep into tho earth, anchoring
themselves among the priueval rocks. Il
catches the fuggestioua Of the Infinite, be-
cause it is near the hsavene. Nature whia.
pers to It her mystesions. secrets, because its
roots ne e9tT,ned sbout her vesy yheart. Tbs
storms and the liGhtnings OF years have
twisted and bent and wrink1ed 1t, but 1t has
gained sturdiness and rugged strength With
each new attack OF the elements. Its bark is
xrinkaed, It's li1nbs ase Jagged and knotted,
like the arms Of =. gladiator, but It
standsthefe soltary and alone, majestic, strong
nings, defying time itself. Aud get upon Ills
bough and that bough, In this Leaf and that
leaf, Ia vernA g.een and autumn gold, there
Is besuty. and tho birds sing in its branches,
It catches tho frat light Of fhe gray morning.
and the lat gleam OF the purple eve. Ne
look Ut the tred in the garden and admire and
love We 3ookupon the tree II the mountain,
and wonder hnd worship. Under the one, the /
fairies and clras may dispo1t themselves:
under tho other, tho Druids worship Under
the ono Apollo basks with hin Tyre; under The
Other Jupiter, the udsBearez, rests with
his ughtnings. :,
Not Hebsaio alone, Az. Collar, but, haud in
hand, the two great masters Of music 60 sing
Ing down the stream Of time; and IN those
twain is III fnuRic for al the ARas-all music
for humanity. ftom the sorzoHing heart Of ;
~omAn up to the universal brotherhood OF
ms1, and, beyond these, to the everlasting
attributes Of the Deity.
And, In leaving Beethoven, It would not be
Just to dany Mr.. DalatkA the tribute which he
deserves, for to his conscientious endeavor
End 10 his unremisting labor is due our enjoy
naent Of the Ninth Symphony. Previous 70
Fourtb, Ftt6, si1th, s. Seventh, md md 1 Eighsh
Symphonies, and nov he has crowned his Ia
bors with the Ninth. And, while thanking
him for my shara Of pleasure, hope he will
not rest coutented until he has added the
Third Qhe Heroic), and made tho List COM
p1ete.
And now We 60 from Beethoven to Nilsson,
the fair-haired singer of Srno1and. Consider
ing the predictions Of disaatet in another
journal, It is rather amusing to see that tho
sale for the Sileaon season has never been
n4uAieo u tus eouAdy. w 70 LILLE *n!ane+
e9, 600. and Of single seats to 5000, which il
pretty good for failure! In fact, 1t seems
to me that any we'll regulated pe1son should
be delighted to fai1 this WAY As often as pos
dble. It il not the first time that Chicago
has ahoxn hessef to be the only city In the
mate arnatements. Chicago gave Risto1i the !
best season she ever hid. Chicago gave
Pa!epA the most golden reception ,the PIN
Gutd pIlmA- donna ever experienced. Chicago
gaye to Mad Seabach tho largest house ehs
ever knew Chicago gAye to{ Theodore Thouoas
tho most ovezfoNing concert he ever sav.
razal1elea in profit, and now Chicago once
mcre tenders the Scandinavian dica the most
royal and lavish Welcoma she has erer hsd.
:. AL OF which goee to ahow that Chicago
knows what good thing H.. for the reTetse
OF this prodigslty ID equally hua. There Ia
not city In tho United States which will
send 10 few people to really poor entertain
meut-
It strikes me that, without any Personal
knowledge Of this artists vocal abilities, she
ia worthy the welcome We extand to her. She
haa come up from ths humble beginning OF
Attls peasant maiden picking mp few coppera
1t the village fairs OF Sweden. with her voice
md violin. md ey dint Of her talent alone has
made her name knoxu In are15 part OF the
world. - one Of the recognized qusena Of
song. This little Scandinavian, once offered
the uauuidoent sun Of Elk dol1ara per year by
etroIlinF juggiH,, il she would JOIN his
troupe. has stood bsfore, Queens and
SIX % hss compelled recogaition from ROM
them By the poHar Of eceptrs
more commanding and more .1niversat than
theirs-tho supremacy Of music over the co.,-
mon heart 6he triumphed even in Ps.is
With lso!eda Who va not = sybazite. She