The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-06-30
GERMAN AND AMERICAN FESTIVALS.

highly successful celebration. though the
weather has somewhat marred the brilliancy
of the street parades, and the concerts have
not been all that fancy painted them. At the
contest for prizes, which in name at least was
the chief object of the gathering, there was
little really good singing, aud at the enter
tainments in the Rink, though the combined
choruses did some excellent work, there we're
blemishes that could not escape notice.
Bring together sixty or seventy societies
from distant cities, give them weary
journey by rail-, fill their days and nights
with professions, pic-nics, Rhine wine, and
beer, rob them of sleep, aud then set them
to singing, and you certainly will not get
the best they can do. There are limits
to the physical endurance even of a Ger
man Snpgerbruder. The shortcomings of the
festival, therefore, should not be too closely
criticized. When high art is combined with
popular merrymal1ing, high art must inevita-
bly, suffer. We look rather at the motive
which lies at the bottom Of the feast, and we
cannot help admitting that upon the whole it
has done its good part, and deserves an
honorable remembrance. 1t is art after all
that brings these Jolly travellers together.
They have plodded along for two years, doing
the hard work that true culture always de-
mands, and when they meet for a test of
their achievements, we certainly shall not
complain if song and goodfellowship are
the song at all if the junketing did not go
with it. The modern contest of the Minne-
singers presupposes beer-garden and a
Jones Wood.
Popular festivals like this are among the
pleasant characteristics of German life which
Americans have long been urged to initiate,
and this year the imitation has begun. For
the first time, our native-born citizens have
taken part in a Sangerfest. The extraordi-
IS iaf, 1aJ hxy
an American musician and composed of
singers who with one or two exceptions are
Americans not only by birth but by parentage,
has been a notable incident of the week, and
a surprise to almost everybody. 1t has not
escaped attention, moreover, that the Ameri-
cans excelled most of their competitors in
quality of voice quite as much as in excel
lence of culture. 1t is well known that there
are no sweeter and purer voices in the world
than the best American Sopranos
and we are now learning that
there is nothing richer and more
grateful to the ear than good American male
chorus. Within a few years the art of male
part. singing has made remarkable progress in
New York and other cities, and excellent
clubs of young gentlemen devote themselves to
it in quiet way, rarely coming before the
public, but expending their sweetness on the
ears of their personal acquaintances. Whether
this growing practice will expand to the
dimensions of the German festivals, or Ame-
rican societies as rule ever join cordially
with the characteristic celebrations of their
Teutonic brethren, seems to us very doubt
full. Perhaps neither event would be alto
gether for the benefit of art. Our taste
in singing inclines decidedly towards
mixed choruses. There is no ques-
tion that when men and women sing together
we have higher class of music, aDd a more
delicate, refined, and truly cultivated execu-
tion of it than when men sing alone. We
should be sorry to see the growth of mixed
choruses checked by too strong a develop
ment of the Sengerbund theory, which-at
least in its present form-is only adapted to
the usages of male societies. Let us share
little in the German contests, and initiate, if
we can, the German readiness for simple,
harmless, and cordial eDjoyment but when
we have learned by this what capacity for
musical eminence we really possess, we may
as we'll hold our great celebrations in our own
way. The German is satisfied if his festival
be merry; the American demands first that it
shall be big. But the difference is not only
here. With the Germans, merriment in the
audience and extraneous amusements to fill
out the day will compensate for weak chorus
and slovenly orchestra. Americans care
| little for the side shows, but sit soberly
! through the chief entertainment and that
must be the grandest of its kind. Mr.. Gill
more knew what he wanted when he added to
popular airs the booming of battery, the
clangor of bells, the ring of a hundred anvils,
and the glare of hundred red shirts If he
had brought ten thousand men together, de-
moralzed them with parades and banquets,
| got them to sing inditferently well, and then
filled up his Jubilee with excursions, ice
cream, and sherry y-cobblers, he would have
! failed But half his singers were ladies', and
that made all the difference in the world. 1t
through the Coliseum that air of gen.
tility which the average American so dearly
loves. 1t gratified our national fond
ness for the female voice 1t gave us much
better singing than we could possibly have
got from men alone. And when to all this
was added that grotesque element of gigantic
slam bang, his audience felt that their cup of
happiness was full. The American ideal of q
festival was realized critical musician
looks upon such jubilees with little RELISH yet
even critical musician must confess that, so
far as the development of taste and the crea-
ton of art-enthusiasm are concerned, they
are better adapted to the character of our
people than German S@ngerfests. The Jubilee
of 1869 really did great deal for popular
music; and the Jubilee of 1872, which is to
bring together either in Boston or New York
the bands of all nations and chorus that for
bigness has never been equalled, we dare say
will do a great deal more, even though il
should be very far removed from the region
of high art itself.
THE DESPERATE LEASE.
| From the A. Y, World.