, 1870-06-16
THE BEETHOVEN JUBILEE,


Wo must frankIy confess at the outset that
the first concert Of the festival week, last
night, II it was not all that one might have de-
ei1ed, exceeded our expectations, and held out
fair promises for the remaining days., The
transformed, enlarged, illuminated, and decor
atcd rink makes very fair coliseum, pleasant
TO the eye and very well adapted for eound,
and although it is only quarter as big ~ the
famous edifico in Boston, it is quite big
enough to hold tremendous audience, and
AFFORD ample room md verge enough TOR tho
largest chorus we aye likely to collect. It's ad-
vertiBed capacity-22, 000-is Of course an
abeurd ezaggeration, but We dare Bay it
will contain 1900 people beside tho
chorus and orchestra, and perhaps three-quar
ters or four -fifths OF that number were pres
ent last night. The glories of the Illuminated
approach past = board fence lined with gor-
geous posters aud decorated with lanterns, I'M
Ger the glare Of calcium lights and policemen,
and between rows OF tentEea with red eilk
badges Of Office, We need not stop to describe.
Tie interior is tastefully and rather simply
adorned. Canvas coats Of arms Of the dif7ei-
ent States hang between the arches on either
ride. Stripes OF patriotic bunting cover the
back. and against them arc suspended por-
trnita, not By the old masters, Of various dis
cline to commit ourselves. But the true
ali, muat be tic people WHO fiji II. i.
The chorus rise in banks Of seats, forming
three sideB OF Square. In the open space at
the.r feet is placed the orchestra. From tho
nid4t Of the back row OF singers rises the Or
gan, an instrument which boasts Of fine
front Of gilt pipes, but is not remarkable for
volume Of voice. We daro say .hare wero
LEGO or perhaps 600 singers in their places
We accept without any difficulty the announce
ment that $50 musicians played in tho or
chcstra- The audience at the beginning OF tho
concert looked emsciatrd. 4 dense fringe of
the economical surrounded the body Of the
hall, but the reserved places were not half
filled. AfteE the first piece, however, evesE-
eeats Immediately filled up.
The merit Of the opening performance ought
not to be gauScd By tho strictest rules OF art.
The New York Jubilee, to bc sure, has laid it.
SET open to seEerer criticism that could prop
erly be given to tho great festival in Boston,
pretenaions; and next, by the fact that ita
dimensions are such AZ to bring it fairly within
the range OF a close critical Judgment When
ten thousand men and women sing together
in room capable Of holding $1,000. We know
TINT the finer artistic effects must necessarily
be lost, and ne arc well satisfied if the 10000
only keep in tune and in time. The laws OF
acoustics and other inevitable physical condi-
tons forbid Us to EXPECT anything moro It il
well established, however, that 1000 or
even. 5000 can sing together without the
drawbacks which attend tho performance
and proper training can accurately inter-
pret the most delicate as well as tho grandest
OF q composers conceptions. Though the
number Of voices in last nights chorus vas
just about that from which the richest tones
might have been produced, we must remember,
however, that there has been little opportunity
for rehearsal. Toe band is made up Of great
number OF societies, who have been drilled
Under different leaders, and never cana to-
gethez antil yesterday or the day before, The
whole festival has, moreover, been prepared
in great haste, and as the haste Was unayoida-
BILE it ought to dispose US to a 1enient judg-
ment. Moreover, we all know that on jubilee
occasions Of this kind, tho singers rarely do
themselves Justice tho first day. In Boston
the first day was far from eatisfacto1y the
glory OF the jubilee, such As it vas, came later.
The programme Of last night, as it finally
etood after numerous changes, was a. fol
lows:
PART L
!. Symphony 50. $, IN G m!noE..;.:.. Beethoven
2 Aria and chorps-t. Innaulmatus":. .RossInt
''adamt Iar<pa Rets. e. ~ M eheras aaaorehts:sa d.
sy d1ss ri se% soar taee
Stv J<rsey Harmonee. Society, dirsesed BY Y. F.
ShsTrin.
Thanks be 70 Goln-lElIjah,. :. ;Mendessonn-
$, o,s.!ure-~streae,,as: aE:A: .r1osov.
Gi!mors's band, directed BY r. s. Gilmore.
!: "The Star spansled BANNER"
Madame lurepd Rosa, full chorus. orchsstra organ,
orsz,ala G.i,y Gs. d.stet<d BY p S. G'u0rf
6isesSd By Carl: Carl Rosa. i;ai'';' 49, "e's''
2: Part song-"Vo Of Spring.. Hendelssohn.
S'@ '''sy H''"'"ss s.tS;t zss;S.y' directed by ~
Iallelujahn-Gl -Gleasiah) ........... Handel
Ful chorus and orsh<sFa, directed BY DR.. jas Pse6.
The first Of these pieces Was undcniably a
failure. Mr. Bergmann probably never con-
Quoted symphony before with such an utterly
pitiful result We lay no blame upon him, for
be Is certainly the finest symphony leader in
tho country, but his $50 men evidently lacked
| in rehearsals, and the contrast between their
performance and the rendering Of the 8ame
work by hr. Belgmann's 100 players st re-
cent philharmonic concert, ras decidedly pain
ful. There MAS some noble Inusic, however, in
the second piece, where Madame Pazupz-Rosa
| gave tho 1'Inaanmntus solo with maRnif-
Gently telling effect, though the chorus hardly
not very telling. The chorus from Eli jAh
is very hard one for such large body Of
singers to render, and went only pretty well ;
| it was st1onger than the II In1ammatuR." but
rather blurred and ragged. The madkigA
and the part sung by The, New jersey Har-
bad. The execution was very crude, and
| the conception Of the nsdrigal entirely st
fault. The three perfectly satisfactory and
! inspl1iting pieces Of tie evening were "The
Star spangled Banner" the overture to
"Oberon, and the overture to "Stradella.' "
Of these would give them = full opportunity
for the manifestation Of their patriotism, and
it Was Just as ne said. The chorus wss mag
niiicent, the artillery, despite an inconyenient
echo. had fne effect, and far above the din
Of all rang PArepa's voice with 3 power and
anything else in the course Of the evening.
People jumped from their seats, waved their