New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-05-15
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
THE BOSTON MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
FOURTH DAY-THE CHORAL SYMPHONY.
lFRoM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

ROSTON, May l3.-lDe pfOuucllOn VI DcClho-
n,s immense Choral symphony is the Incident OF the
t 20 which many of looked forward with the deep
-, ,,,erest and in which Mr. Z,rrahn and his capable
sociates probably took the greatest pride II hardy
,,ossibe TO listen this gigantic work without slgh1
huddcr OF fear. II Handles choruses are the highest
EXPRESSION Of all that is majestic in song BeetnoNos
>inb symphony is music In lis most aWIu
- the embodiment OF ideas so spiritual
feeling 40 intense exaltaton far above the range OF
ordinary human experience, that human agencies seem
hardly competent 20 its expression ami the listener SITS
hewildered and half terrified by his own emotions
beethoven sought in this his last work to give voice I"
sprta 10Y that almost painful Ivy its very elevation
NOT the lighness OF heart belongs to youth and
.unshne and that rradates such compositions as his
Pastoral symphony, but the ecstaoy win Which, afer
life Of suffering soul rises above the clouds OF earh
and beholds the brightness Of the eternal heavens lie
had found in the orchestra resources which no one
had imagined before his time; but the or
chestra alone too puny for this idea nothing
would suffice but a combination OF the two greatest
forms OF musical expressiOn,-the symphony and the
monster chorus. The work is continual upward pro
ress from the strange opening allegro to the stnpend
Gus finale, where the voices como to the aid OF
the overcharged instruments. 1t is bass voice
alone which first raises the song of rejoicing;
the quartet takes up the strain. whose difficulties
increase and multiply at every measure; and
finally the mighty choir Joins, In song which is not Ike
the Of earth but the shouting the celestial hosts
II is so hard to sing, that always trembles lest
the whole should break down in some tremendous
and disastrous crash not because the master
has wanonly loaded the with technical difficulties
but because the sentiment Of the music high
for human nature because the Joy which wells up in IL
is Of that intense kind which language has words to
describe and music has before SINCE found notes
90 Indicate 1t is partly because Of this difficulty and
the evident struggle which the singers must make
I'm order to It, that the average listener rarely
derives what is commonly called pleasure from the
Choral symphony during its performance. But the after
effect upon the Imagination is unparalleled.
There are very few societies ia America that have the
TO undertake this work. and probably the Handel
spd Haydn is the only one that can do it well The per
Torrance yesterday afternoon was excellent. The
quartet by Mrs. II. NJ Smith, Miss Sterling, Mr.. Cum
mings and Mr. Rudophsen though not great, was good
and the chOruses almost invariably correct ana
firm. cannot call the Interpretation such an extraord
nary one Of 1863 when Madame Parepa Rosa sang
an the quartet and electrified chorus and orchestra aud
audience so wonderfully; for that OF the rare
trumphs of and enthusiasm which are only witnessed
and then In q lifetime. The Choral symphony that
year produced an immense excitement 1t was the tax
OF the town for days afterward Z,rrahn cheere1
by his chorus. Musicians declared that nothing like it
could be heard anywhere in the world and Madame
Rosa told me that when it all she wanted to
with delight. am afraid shall never hear any
thing like that performance again. This year the sing
ing admirable, but the effect not the same. 1t
grand and exciting and would seem nearly perfect
II one could only avoid comparisons.
The concert of which this noble performance formed
the concluding part the only one given yesterday
The first part contained GoldmarE's "Sakuntaa" over
ture, Schuberts unfinished symphony the unaccom-
panied part song OF Memberships Farewell to the
Forest" which admirably done on the first day,
and repeated by request, and solo singing by
Miss Sterling and Mr.. Cummings. The lady did herself
the highest credit, with canzonet Of MOzart'S, and
IAszt's King In Thule" / never heard her sing with
more feeling and animation, aud knew her fine
voice to be in better condition. Mr. Cummings gave us
Handels Deeper and deeper STILL" and "Wat her
angels" and took by this beautiful rectatye and aria
much higher position in Boston estimation than he had
previously achieved The orchestral performances call
for special remark None have been good as we
used to at home.
The attendance at all the exercises continues to be
overwhelming and great the expenses of the festival
must be- presume the Society will lose nothing by It's
splendid enterprise The great organ has been raised in
pitch expressly for this occasion. When 1t was b the
new French normal dapasOn was the talk OF the musical
world and was expected to come into general use Inc
organ was consequently tuned TO that But as
some time any rate must elapse before the
new pitch generally adopted by orchestras'
a set Of wind instruments, manufactured on the
new dapasOn. was imported by the directors Oh inc
Music Hall, 10 be used whenever band was needed
with the organ. When the instruments arrived the
players would not touch them. Every man naturally
preferred his own declared that he felt lost with the
newfanged things. So festival days they tuned the
orchestra down well they could, pulled out the
flutes and clarnets and other reeds adjusted the sldes
OF the brasses and screwed down the strings. With all
they could do the organ always little below the
rest and the orchestra in tune with ITSELF
There was dscord among the reeds and the strings had
constant tendency creep up to the accustomed con-
cert pitch At last all this trouble has been mended
The French dapasOn is given up and at great cost the
organ, with its 5000 pipes, has been tuned higher
j. Il. G. II.