The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-09-24

-. " 1870 10 BY far too remarkable y
.t;nr to Re left without notice in the pages
~ the Literary Cl.urchman. Regarded only
.. 'a literary production, it is remarkable
a. o,nh IN deserve mention but, regarded
90 Shole. musio, acting, singing, together
18th the circu instance that 1t is ut once To- |
~ nrnSnction. and that the performers are
exclusively from the one smaii vAi1Ee "
Ohar.Am nerrau, it is q wonder indeed.
~" sh.iI mot dwell upon the history OF the
,,sreoImsnce. It's origin two centuries and
hsN hack and it's marrow escape from
.unnression in the cold and faithless days
Of the later eighteenth century, are
known to every sas the a %asi per
f"rmsnca.
Eor ne strxoture Of the work, its libretto |
80 ~ Hkened In some measure to that OF
an oratorio. But it has these additions 10 20
an Sssoro fret that 81 sss words secony
G sh ~ sSaition to aotiny, we have series
%. w sahlsonn y;Camts representing Scripture
oo.nes. most of them excellent, and three
ar four Of them of surpasstng splendof ana
OF m,aSn,aoepce. Iu the actual acting. ordi-
M aiocntion is employed by ordinary
s.Syr. INT. in addition to this, each
acso, ;ncindes two or more choral odes,
.rnr nartly in recitative usually simple
hut always effective, sometimes Wonoer T
~ topching and even impressive. Inc
,orus and the actors are distinct through
o"t. and the former consists Of choragus
and-at least it did 90 on Sunday, July 10
Mof eighteen male aud female performers,
ranged in equal numbers on either hand OF
.1'atr leader. The function of this chorus
~. same with that in ancient Greek
S.sn,as- i. e., it explains, remarks on, and
;iinstrates the actions, whether that action
wev of tableaur Cirants, actual per-
formance, or by both.
ioI IT, Harformance 10 arranged in seven
.... acts. On July 16 it occupied nine
leu md a half. with an hours recess at
10 These seven acts consist of seven
! noo. .cenes from Passion History, begin
Ming with the Palm Sunday Procession'
n.lS .rd;no with an exquisite poet Resur-
anu : en0 Se..ne in which the Risen Christ
recllon =" n group Of His followers, in
appuas N;codemus, Joseph of Arimathea,
c cruz The Angels Of the Resurrection, and
Anu anu s,owiv and solemnly, the curtain
then s'1 :honid here he added that til,
Ials. :. onsn 70 the air and of vast breadth
s.ase .het IN its centre it has an ordinar.
anu .u st.Ga with a curtain to serve TO
co... nsrt Of the acting, tableaar riuants
tna' poi; nJ, reonirrs stage machinery. 1
etc., Wiz 10th in front and at the side
large spaS .,.rsS norton is left free, SO tina
OF Sn's TO- and chorus. singing procee
nu;nterruptedly while tue curtain of tn
.nvared stnae is down, thus giving wonder
est sooTa tn the performers as q whole.
Au1 E s" oS the seventeen acts, exceptin
,nIw the sixteenth, that namely OF I'll
only 0y;s snS ;tself. Ia introduced by one
more Tableaux, representing in !, near
averv instance au Old Testament Type.
the sssss from fso TN. TSas for esanp
a xe aG H.. the Ii scene is the meeting Of Il
sanhedrim which resolved on Chris!
de DEATH, anu the brethren Of Joseph plotti
lis destruction. Act Nv. exhibits Chris
weeping over Jerusalem and His declar
tom of its final rejection. The Table
acts forth the TNpe of the rejection of
Jews and the substitution of Gent
Church, which is supplied by the reject
room the chorus, of course, explains tt
Vasbti's ain was that of pride and disobe
snce. and it warns the Gentle Church,
mnst in the very strain of st. Paul to
Romans, to avoid the sins which led to
re;ect;on of Yashti aud her Antitype.
VIA the Institution of the Holy Euchar
- an5 most exouisitely rendered it is
Dean calm solemnity it is, perhaps, uns
nosseS in the whole Passion Play. 4
the ;ntroductory Tableaux set forth the