The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-28

be otherwise I" but though sno r10non saying tias
nothing succeeds like success" is perfectly true,
and the '.u0 rtotts'' fAiis fearfuly heavy on the
Bostonians let Ms see whether they 30 severely
criticised only becsuse they failed or whether we
can race some real defects which had necessarily
originated and led to that double Atlure.
The Bostonians announced this Peace Jubilee "a
something quite extraordinary, because, as they
promised, musical feast Of never-before heard Of
proportions In ensemble and solos would be nven
In calling together chorus Of 10000, orchestra
OF 100, building an organ and Q piano for Q hall
$50 feetlong, the committee had the idea In view
this Is permissible suppositlOn-that the instru-
ments should be heard and seen. Now, whenever
volumes OF light or sound beyond what the eye and
the ear in common proportions can bear are pro-
duced, care must be taken to aid the common
capacity In taking in the uncommon quantity. No
one would dream OF INJECTING an immense electric
name on eye without the necessary precautions
and no one should have undertaken to load the ear
with SO mucn more sound than 1t il supposed to be
able to absorb, without knowing whether 1t was
possible, and, II SO, how 1t was possible to do 1t.
Now maintain that had the chorus and orchestra
been disposed as it ought to have been the effect
would have been ten-fold greater. l am not pre-
pared to say for all that that it would have been
desirable effect; for the getting together OF such
failure. But the disposition was in every way de-
fective. Mr.. Gilmore is an extremely popular and
courteous man, and he beats the time, to which,
out OF courtesy, the orchestra and cho-
rus sometimes respond; but q man with
q baton who beats the time Is no more
leader than man with rife Ia o soldier Speak
ing from experience, and having seen the greatest
living leaders-Berlioz, Costa Meyerbeer, Lind
paintner--study their orchestra, and having hun
rehearsed, am prepared to say that II Mr.. Gilmore
had been up to their mark he Woul0 have
seen the impractlbilty of his undertl king and
would not have pushed 1t on. The organ con-
structed for the purpose, as VIII as the piano, are
the most noisy, unmuscaf Instruments that ever
arrangement for noise with anvls chimes, guns,
&C., was such, that, however strange It may
appear the guns were the least Objectionable noise
but that the committee hoped every effect from the
noise alone is proven by the fact that they put the
anvil chorus In every days programme, and !. can
two committees during the frcnen's exercise, and
in that moment alone, looked with unspeakable
pride at his neighbor, as much as to say NOW,
yOu see what Boston can do; you go and find an
other city with hundred fremen In the
orchestra" If only the numberless boys outside at
that very moment had had the excellent idea Of
smashing all the stained windows in the building
the artistic pride Of the double chairman would
certainly have gone beyond bounds.
compact musical masses shows that an artistic
idea, really musical leader-in fact, the man
WHO uHuCI5UCOu Wuht uc WAS dUOuC-WHB ell
tirely missing and the good people Of the town
first thought-Let give show. As long as
there are numbers and mise enough we are sure to
Is the wOrd-a show anu nothing else-nO know
ledge, no real art, no leader NO music-a show and
hope Of cash for the show. A leader and an
orchestra require such rarely accumulated qualities
that 1t is very difficult to meet with either reaching
that degree OF perfection which the Bostonians
claim to possess not because they have 1t, but be-
In the Jubilee orchestra q number Of excellent
artists are sitting together just as in the chorus
number Of good singers are assembled. But In an
undertaking OF this kind 1t ia not sufficient that
number OF instruments should be heaped together
The violoncellos and double BASES, which in any
well-regulated orchestra cit together, are In Bos
ton posted up one behind the other, and just as
disadvan tageously for the hearer as can be, not
only because the first fifty must prevent the
other fifty behind from being heard but
bass, which must cover it entirely with the whole
part of the audience on that etde When Costa first
rehearsed his great chorus OF 5000 voices he sent
the gentlemen behind and kept the ladies In front,
because in the ordinary position Of the voice the
ladies' must be drowned by the gentlemen.
ana the bag brass instruments ssreatlaed to drown
the rest Of the band just as they often did In B0s-
as not to smother with noise what ought to be hap-
mony The organ too, In Boston enjoys, under the
S w1E + se seSo
know the leaders time, such grand liberty that
whenever there Is an opportunity it browns every
"God Save the queen" the organ was about two
thirds 3fa bar ahead, and the perfect chord OF the
Srs Ss - & rs g$sysas Ge es ss
e say sna mass HGHe e
together As to the piano. it certainly is capable
biggest sound. The idea OF allowing any instru-
ment to be heard by itself in such vast echoing
ton performed with orchestral accompaniment is
in itself proof OF the perfectly unmuscal spirit
which presided over the programme. Perhaps q
word on the performers might not be out Of place.
They were three-one of immense and wel-de-
served reputation, one nearly unknown and one of
Arabella Goddard, thorough artist, played the
piano solo-against her wil-but she played 1t In q
manner worthy of great executant who has moth
tons Of show. Mr.. Bendel, by no means an artist
OF ordinary skill and value though not possessing
a reputation IKE Madame Goddard, made the ut.
than seemed to be possible under these un-
artistic and adverse circumstances. Mr.
musicians to be an artist but only a
piano-runner without SOUL taste or artistic feel
Ing, who should have been the very man for the oc-
cason, did not even SHOW mechanical strength
enough. "Htc Rn0dus htc saltd'' was the motto;
and II he could not show Off there, he may pack his
with Bendels, who gave brilliant left-nand piece
as mere encore, Madame Peschka Leutner, Who
as your correspondent ably stated, has got three
voices, possesses everything necessary for sensa
tional slnger-hgh notes. staccato, extent-conse
quently all that will win show; but she has no
where proved herself great artist-a thorough
singer Her voice, utterly timbreess in the lowest
octave not even and full in the medium is brilliant
and piercing in the { to octave, because It has
been extended beyond the right limit. A voice Is
like an India rubber thread OF a certain thickness
which may be extended anyhow, on condition that
1t gets always thinner as it gets longer, and that
at once 1t might snap II 0verstrained Proch's
variations were Written lor Nine; Anna Zerr, who
taves; but to attempt to do what sbe did cost
Nilsson In two years four full notes, and Nine.
Peschka Leutner the whole OF her medium. What
remains of that Jubilee s the calling together OF the
foreign bands, the paying OF 500 for waltzes and
pokas-a miserable financial failure, and no benefit
whatever to art, MUSICUS.
PEABODY EDucAi kAI FUND
m ne