Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-05-15

Rev. William J. Harris, d. D. The cbo
2 rus, which was larger than at any nreviou
rehearsals, then entered upon the prac
tlce OF the musici which was to be rem
dered at the first concerts. They worked
, with will, gradually and very PERCENT
bly, improving, doing so well at times a
TO perform some of the music. as Mr.
, Aerrahn expressed it, erce11entissimo.
AFTERNOON.
The matinee being announced to oper
atprecisely half-past two o'clock, the cho
} rus and audience began to assemble at
palf-past one, and, in gradually Increasing
numbers, continued to arrive until the
Tune Tor opening, when the members OF
the chorus were all in their places, and
the auditorium well filled. The doors
We're then closed, and the matinee was
opened by an overture on the piano by
Miss Inez Joyce and Mr.. Mietzke.
John n. Baxter, President of the Fes.
tlYal Association, in behalf of the
citizens OF Rutland, delivered the follow
ing
ADDRESS OF WELCOME
LddteS and Gentlemen A formal mart
OF this days programme seems to re-
quire that, holding the nominal office of
President of this Association, [ should
extend to you the right hand of fellow
ship, so to speak, in the name and behalf
OF the citizens of Rutland.
The preliminary exercise is somewhat
akin, perhaps, to ''grace before meat, {"
and as it is fair to presume that this
large audience are unsteady hungry, it
may be sufficient apology, and acceptable
to them as well as you, for making my
salutatiOn short
To those of you, then. especially those
who have come here from abroad. we
would most sincerely acknowledge our
debt of gratitude for your kindly pres
/ ence and cooperation, and beg to assure
! you of our earnest sympathy and deep
/ interest in the objects and purposes for
. which you are assembled. We would
/ extend to you cordial welcome, and
shall strive to second your cndeavors, as
i best we may, to make this All agreea-
bic. profitable aud successful musical
season
We hail your advent among us as cal
cuIated to awaken us to new life, and
encourage rs TO greater effort and prog
less in the divine art Many of you
have acquired that musical knowledge
and skill, the excellence of which has
been recognized elsewhere, and the
fame Of which has preceded YOU,
and your names are familiar as house
hold words We have sought You in
order that up here among the hills of
Vermont, where the musical watch fires
are dimly burning, we may he led to
emulate your high standard, and, in the
light Of your experience. manifested to-
us, stimulated to a livelier faith and bet
ter works.
We know that you have among YOU
one ''WhO holds the baton of command"
whose musical statue Is equal to his
physical who fully compartments the
spirit and meaning of the text, and inter
prets it in such a manner that the weak
catch the inspiration and follow in his
lead, where alone they would scarcely
dare 10 tread. You are fortunate in this
respect. The baton of Carl Zerrahn has
a national fame-it has recently been
welded in the great commercial metrop
oils Of the country, to the infinite graft
tica'ion and delight of its music-loyng
people, and the performance of the glu-
rious old "Handel and Haydn, render
ed under the direction of our magician.
seems to have enchanted a musical com .
munity, who are jealous of ''forrign .
interference particularly if it comes I
frer, tli, 70 Hub, - o..I --I-~-~- -s..-.--
are usually sharp and merciless, and cal
culated to frighten the best musical
talent out Of its propriety. Under these I
circumstances, we look with wonder and .
admiration upon the courage and faith .
of the Boston Society, which quietly sits
itself down among the New Workers.
and, by its triumphant success, dlsarnss ,
criticism IN It's stronghold, and cOmpcls .
an homage at once spontaneous and .
heartfelt.
And in paying this tribute to one 40 /
cmincntly deserving, | feel that this oc- /
casion ought not to pass, without an &C +
acknowledgement of thanks at least, if no /
other token of appreciation, to the gen /
tlrman who has so long laborcd in our |
midst, and given his best energies to the /
advancement of music among our peo- !
pie. aud who has been 40 especially ac-
tive and untiring in his efforts to make |
this musical gathering a pleasant re- .
union and productive of the best results, /
Like his prototype, born and nurtured /
in a land of music-loying people, the I
Fatherland of song-a people, whose |
music. addressed to the intellect rather |
than the passions, has a distinctive ma
tiOnal character-bOth have transferred !
their allegiance to the New World, |
bringing with them the early training
and cultivated taste of the best foreign /
schools, and each is laboring, in his own
sphere, perhaps without knowing it, to-
yard the formation of what will be, in |
the distant future, a national music OF /
our own, and which, when formed, shall |
be worthy of a republic.
There is, | may be allowed to say, too |
little care and heed given by commun- /
tiles generally as to the source from
which their sons and daughters are to /
derive their musical inspiration and be |
led to the formation of a correct musical
taste We are inclined to be ''pleased |
with rattle and tickled with a
straw" Many of the musical CON
ventions,' as they are termed, with
which Vermont hasbeen more or less IA
yored in past years, in my opinion, have
done us no particular good, and have
rather RETARDED than advanced and
true growth in music. We once had a
Mason and a Webb-honored names.
Their places are usurped nowadays by
what / should call an 'sorder of latter
dav musical saints" who are given to
the compilation and publication of books,
of original music, (Heayen save the
mark > in the shape of indifferent psalm
tunes, and getting up conventions IN
order to sell their wares, which other
wise would hardly be marketed. APP
plause. Without seeking to dlsparage
the efforts of these gentlemen, VIII, at
least, say they are misdirected, and re-
fleet no credit upon themselves or their
calling. These new lights hold about
the same relation to the old masters,
whose names you have appropriately
dressed in evergreen to adorn the walls
of your hall, as the cheap literature of
the day does to the Bible and Shakes
peare. Applause Let US hold fast to
the grand and permanent in music, and
reject the frivolous and ephemeral But
-. .un.-olinn ont of the record. and |