Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1871-09-14
BEETHOVEN.
Memorial Services at BonR-erand Mu-
steal Festival and Celebration.

steal Festival and Celebration.
From the New York Evening Post.
Bonn, PRUSSIA, August "a, 1S71.-
Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven
has just celebrated his centennial an,
niverssry in q quiet and becoming
manner, without inOrdinate dis
play, without monster effects
without extravaganza of any kind,
and yet with musical success which
is as undOubted as it is genuine. The
festival has lasted four DAYS, and has
attracted many Of the leading musi-
clans of Germany, England, Holland
and Belgium. Some great names in
the profession, however, were not
represented. The visitor st Bonn has
missed Wagner, LisZt, GounOd and
Others, who would doubtless have
been glad to honor themselves by
participating in the first Beethoven
centenary, and who certainly cannot
reasonably hope to attend the second.
On the other hand, the audiences
have included such men as Gevaerts,
of Brussels; Reinecke, Of Leipsici
Neils Gade, Of Copenhagen; NieuX-
temps, the great yiolinist; ,sSterndale
Bennett, Brahms, Rsff, Max BFUch,
Rsudegger, Bsrnby, Ii Calsi, Bevig-
nsni, and Others holding no mean
place in the world of music. The
Americans were but few in number;
among them were William Steinway
and Carl WOlfsohn.
THE ORIGIN OF TIE FESTIVAL.
In Bonn their has existed for many
years a BeethOven-Verein, an assOci-
alton including the best musical talent
of the place, and many of the leading
citizens, professional men, bankers
and merchants. The work is very
eQuitably divided. The musicians
play and the non-musicians pay. 1t
is an excellent arrangement, produc-
tive Of both musical and social har-
mOny.
Last year this society organized
Beethoven Centennial, and built a
suitable hall for the purpose, but oW-
ing to the sudden breaking out of the
war it wss found necessary to post
pone the celebration. This year it
has taken place in q season of peace,
which could hardly have been ex-
pected so early.
THE ARTISTS.
Ferdinand Hitler, Of Cologne, a con-
duetor Of great popularity, was chosen |
as cOmmander-in-chiefO of the musical |
forces, which consisted primarily of |
some three hundred and seventy vO- |
calists hsiling from the towns of AK
la-Chapelle, BaTmen, Bonn, Bruins
wick, Brussels, Carisruhe, COblenZ, /
Cologne, Crefeld, Dessau, DetmOld, |
Dusseldorf, Elberfeld. Frankfort, |
Hanover. Meiningen, NeuWied, Old
eHburg, SOnderhausen and Wiesba-
den. 1t will be seen that the affair,
therefore, enlisted only the services Of
the amateur talent of small section
of Germany. There were in the or
chestrs, also, several musicians from
Berlin, L,eipsic and London, but as q
general thing this festival was practi-
csIly ono Of qRe Rhenish district only.
The list OfsOlOists was not large,
but included good artists. Joachim,
the violinist, and Charles Halle, the
pianist, were perhaps the only ones
known by reputation in America.
The others were Frau HOfopernsan-
germ OttO-Alvsiebe1, from the Royal
Theater, Dresden, soprano; Madame
Joachim, alto; Herr NOgl, of the Mu-
mich opera, tenor, and Herr AdOlph
SchultZe, Of Hamburg, bassO. They
all did their parts well, Madame JO8-
LuAA4 UCAlk GFAuC4kAg A1Ab ldNOlAlB L
among the vOcalists, and finding her
best success in the ftAh, perfidO" aria,
U-hich-as she is a contraltO-was, to {
suit her voice, transpOsed two notes
lower Sban in the original. Joachim, {
the violin ist, seemed to be the sensa-
ton feature Of the festival, and after
his superb performance o a long con
certO was rewarded with quite an
Italian degree of grateful and vOcifer !
Gus enthusiasm. Charles Halle, who
played gracefully, also had many
friends among the audience.
Here / viii bid farewell to the so.
dOists, for, incredible as il may appear {
to the American mind, it was not !
they. but the chorus and the orchestra,
which were the most appreciated by {
the audience! The festival was one
At which no popular prima donna of I
the day absorbed the public attention. !
II was, in fact, a high carnival OF in
strunets tai over vocal music, OF choral
effects over solo trivialities.
THE MUSIC.
The great festure Of the centenary
were the perfOrnlsCce of the Mass in
ID. and of the Fifth and Ninth and s
ErOiea symphonies. Only BeeThO- q
ven's music was given, and yet the {
variety seemed as great Ss II the usual
range OF composers had contributed.
Mass, overture, symphony, song, =
quartetts vocal and instTumental), \
pisnO-fOrte and violin solos were all q
found In the vast repertoire of Bee +
but as many of the selections Q
actually made were simply well done, c
without presenting any remarkable ~
features; il is only necessary to allude
particularly to the fOm colossal per {,
formances-the Mass and the two n
symphOniesE d
MIssA sOLENNIs. Z
BeethOven's great Mass In Done u
r, he most difficult and most mag
If, aent works in the whole range OF z
nusi cal compositiOn-has probably '
ever been given in New York, u
hough London, Vienna and several ~
Itber "a IrOpean cities have heard it. =
ike All of this masters even vocal Il
works. il IS the orchestra rather than
he voice that receives his first care.
Nhe iDtervh Is in the vocal parts are
,eeuIisr and difficult, and the treble
ms so high as 10 be only singable by | r,
he utmost strength OF determination
nd lungs. At one place there is a
odd of seven bars on the high B fat;
Vhfle AS q nd Cps are favOrite perches
N which fha composer cOmplacently | az
Odges his fems e voices. The tenors :.
ave also a very herd road to travel, ~ ~
md altogether the vocalist who can ~ ~
correctly sing his or he< part in these =, =,
iificult chOruses succSels Wnere :,
many noted sOloists Of the day, If put st
o the same test, would fail. a.
In the evening Ryrie, the sopranos :, :,
egin at once with ID, g, and chen a ~ y,
nng upper A. In the succeeding so Sa
T1Oria they have similar work, -
hOugh, as the time is quicker, these e.
Ugh notes are not 50 fatiguing. In 81
ne phrase OJri sedes 0d deEterdB1 pa n,
ris a superb effect is produced by the =,
OF the high B fat. In the ~
o,aORiUng we have one OF the most l.
,rilliant and striking iugues which 1t ny
, possible to imagine. Conductor ~
Iilier took this at feaEfully quick q
ate. and it seemed doubtful whether -
he singers could master il. But they a. a.
we're not at ali Disconnected. The =, =
asses led of superbly, the tenOrs fell =. -,
18th promptness, the altos were on M
" ut needed greater fOrce-being, II
,desd 49, Ne only weak point in the AZ az
lueou' 49,, " ' the sopranos filed up ~
1OL y Lus-auo ,.s,oS,,So Il the harmony with o ~,
u ls1liaot fa eSaef These German so ~ ~
amos 1rrn1s are nsgnifle> ant. Clear, prompt r.,
nj telling, their vol, y @ soaa a4oNe
vervthing, are always ueae WEI sil
'anied. and never come dls s'pplnig Ia m
na sffer another, like flock ol sheep tn
tssS- ,,,-ar a fence IL dimly W D.