Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-05-04
Our Boston Letter.
BosToN, May 2, 1871.
MUSICAL MATTERS

generally known that the Handel and
Hsydn Society of this city has, for many
months been preparing for its second tri-
ennial festival-of music-which is to
commence on Tuesday the 9th of May,
closing at the end of the week. The
chorus will contain seven hundred voices,
the whole accompanied by an orchestra
of one hundred musicians, and the organ
of the Music Hall. The solo singers,
which are required to sing the parts of
the individual characters in these histori-
cal works, include the most of our resi-
dent singers who have been the most sue
cessful in this department of music. In
addition are the names of Madame Rud-
ersdorff, soprano, and Mr.. Cummings,
tenor, both of London, who have there
acquired great regulations as Oratorio
singers. Mr.. Zerrahn will be the chief
conductor with frequent aid from others.
Five oratorios and four orchestral con-
certs will be given in the afternoons
and evenings of the succeeding days. The
programme of the opening day will be
somewhat miscellaneous, then follow the
oratorios of "Eliiah," Israel in Egypt"
"Choral Symphony" the oratorios "Wo-
man of Samaria"-which is new,-and
the messiah"
1t is very easy to write these facts for
others at distance to read, perhaps
making very little impression on the
minds of the readers. 1t is with no pur-
pose of advertising that these details are
given, bat it is with the sincere wish of
one who has had opportunities of judging
of the great worth of these occasions and
the character of the music, that among
the thousands of readers of your paper,
some of those may be induced to attend,
who, in addition to taste or passion for
music, also feel the peculiar charms of
Hebrew history, poetry and biography /;
or, in wider sense, all the scriptural
themes upon which this class of music is
based and made to narrate. 1t is not
necessary for the full effect of these mu-
steal representations, perhaps, that the
listener should accept the history literally
as given in the scriptures, for the poetry,
and the feelings and sympathies which
they affect are the same to all. Most of
the scenes and occurrences which have
been selected by the few composers of
sacred oratorios, are such as to call for the
sublimest musical effects, such as the rep
resentation of events of nature or the
movements of large masses of human life,
, also that which can be made to represent
: the actions, the feelings and passions of
. the principal individual actors.
, That one extreme may be attained,
J there is the chol as of hundreds of voices,
with organ and instruments. For the
other extreme there is the single voice of
the solo-singer in the recitatives and
songs, the commands and prayers of the
prophets, chief men and women. If it
could be realized how much application
and practice is required TO perfect large
chorus of singers for these works, what a
triumph Of patience, art and musical
judgment it is when they are rendered as
they were intended by the composers, and
how grand and appropriate they are for
the time and place and purpose, these
occasIous woulo OO ~-eu-1y ~--~:>1
\ The Handel and Haydn Society of this
city, of more than seven hundred mem
bers, and composed of gentlemen from
every trade and profession-of working
men and women, of saleried men, of
wealthy, retired men, men land women of
culture and refinement. The qnaliioa-
tions, among others, for membership, is
the possession of undoubted musical abil-
tiles, and considerable familiarity with
music in practice The resources of this
old society are very great. 1ts possession
of an accomplished leader and conductor
among others, Mr.. Zerrahp, who, wheth-
err he has to deal with sacred or secular
music, vocal or instrumental, with chorus
es or ochestras or with vocalists of world
wide reputation, he is still always master
of the situation. The leading pianist and
organist, Mr. Lang, it is well known is
not surpassed by any other in the coun
try. 1t may seem little reflection upon
the boosted abilities OF its members to
say that many choruses are sung in prac
tice together scores of times before they
are mastered, and this, too, when the
members practice them individually.
Whether the results are worth all the
pains may be asked, but only by those
who have not heard them sing. or parti
cipated in the peculiar pleasure of ac-
curing them.
In regard to matters of art, painting,
ETC., there is something to be said, but at
another time, except the mention Of a
large painting of the battle of Gettys-
:, burg, by Rotbermel, for the state of
Pennsylvania It has been on exhibition,
at fremont Temple for some days, and re-
ceived the attention of the papers. On
account of its magnitude-thirty feet
long-and the size of the figures and for
other reasons it is worth seeing, yet it is
not quite satisfactory. The time select
ed is the same as that Represented by Col,
Bachelors painting of the same battle.
some months ago on exhibition shows
nearly the same part of the field but at
right angles with the former. Col. Bach
elders though much smaller painting.
represented more of the battle field, and
for that reason is much more satisfactory.
What people want is general views or
ideas and facts relating to the whole
field, and they can supply the details, of
individual action, beyond that which a
multitude of figures, and the indistinct-
ness of distance cannot perr.it in any
reasonable sized painting. Many of these
paintings suffer greatly from not being
skillfully described, for it is not strange
for man to talk an hour and not see the
points of compass, all the while speaking
of - ho