Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-09-24
Che family Circle.
Swiss Notes.
BY PROFESSOR j. p LACROIX.
CONCERT IN THE DARK.

Dl hOr ESSoh LACnOlAs
A CONCERT IN THE DARK.
GENEVA boasts of one of the finest organ
lists OF Europe, NJ. Hoering. His per-
formances on the great organ Of st. Peters,
the cathedral which CALVIN took from the
Romanists, are one of the chief Sunday
attractions of that church. The week
night concerts which he gives in this tenn
pie have become celebrated in all Europe
[ determined to attend one of them. But
did not know what they were like. My
American head anticipated bright lights
and sparkling audience of gay fashion
ables. Vending our way up one of the
harrow streets that led from the modern
Geneva to the old central Geneva Of Cal
YIN, we reached the little square OF st.
Peters in due time. Here we at first
thought we had made mistake, either as
to hour or as to day. For the great church
portals were all shut, and the somber ST.
ence was only broken by the solitary steps
of here and there traveller" But We
were not mistaken. Presently a sweet
food of slow-rising sounds announced that
the master was at the great organ. We
rose 20 investigate the matter. Passing
round to the rear, we met an old lady Of
terlng us ticket. " But where do We
enter ?" Around there further" pointed
she. Going thlther, and presenting our
one-franc ticket, we passed through mar
row passage into the transept. Here we
we're almost amazed. 1t was nearly dark
and fast growing darker But not light
ed taper was visible. The receding twi
light, as it traveraed the purple and gold
OF the exquisite Gothic window, made a
very weird impression. 1t barely enabled
us to fud our way to the choir, aud to dis.
tiDguish an empty seat from an occupied
seat. Taxing place amid unknown fair
ones on either hand, We gave ourselves up
to one of the happrest hours OF our life.
At the distant end of the great nave sat
the great organst before his organ. Only
the faint reflections of an unseen taper re-
vealed to the eye his presence. But the
ear had better evidences. We now, tor. the
first. time discovered the propriety of the
absence OF light on the occasion. 1t was
that the ear might have fail scope unrival-
eds 1t now was more full y impressed upon
me than ever that the richest, deepest
purest enjoyment Of music can only be had
IN the dark. For dark it now fully was
So much so. that as each tardy visitor
came in, the old door-keeper had to turn
into the church the feeble glare of her
lantern to light him to a seat. The pur.
pie and gold of the windows admitted now
no more light than CLEANS at MONDAY
through the w!thered sockets Of blind
man. We had need of but one sense
and that sense-how richly and deeply il
was called into activity! | shall not
make myself foolish, however, by attempt.
ing to describe its enjoyment. The poten'
cy of the sound-feast may be jud ged of by
It's effects. | do not know that there was
present any roaming wild beasts that need.
ed Orphic tanning. But do know thai
there were present divers sorts of chatter.
lngly inclined people-bright groups o.
French tongued children, and brighter
groups of young misses and young masters
who were speli-bouud into the speech
Iessness of Egyptian mummies; save that
IN the brief pauses between the pieces
there was heard trembingly pronounced
the various vocables, I" beautiful" sex
quisl:e;" etc., which family represent es
thetic enjoyment. The concert lasted jus
one hour. Some Of its passages are untor
getable. This was especially the cas-,
with the Storm piece. 1 had heard pre-
tended musical storms before. But the
required an effort of the imagination t,
discover the resemblance. Not so here
this was the positive storm itself. Ha(
beast and bird been there, it would hav,
precipitated them incoDtinently TOWARD
nest and den. We perceived very plainly
the low mutterng in the distance, thu
whistling sweep OF winds through tree
and boughs, the roar of thunder, the cla]
of bolts, the shrek and terror of Alpin,
horn, and finally the rushing fall of rail
and of swelling mountain-torrent. How
art could be required to 60 higher than thi
we could not see. Ga second thought
however, we said: elf our present i'm
perfect, untuned, earthc.ogged ear can b.
the channel of such feast OF sound, VIVA
thousand-fold richer harmonies may we en-
JOY, when we shall have put on tle un
logged aud uncogging medium Of our res
direction body" Thus the night sermon
of NJ. HoerIng made a more salutary i'm
preston upon me than the cold sermon
had heard there the Sabbath before.
PILGRIMAGE.
I France is just now Astounding in pilgrim
ages. Utramontanism is rubbing off tn
smut and oblivion from many shrn
which the good sense of ages has permitte
to accumulate. Metropolitan bishops ar
busy in getting cheap railroad tickets, t.
entlce their supplemented focks to Sun
day excursions to all sorts of local miracle
working shrines. l made pilgrimag
also. But NINE was little more laudabl
than those of the devout Papists.. l pi
grimaged to the chateau of Voltaire. Fer
ney, where the arch in6ded spent twent
years of his most productive literary pc
Rod, is prettily situated village of Franc
at only an hours distance from the city Q
Calvin. An omnibus runs out thithe
many times day, bearing an unabatin
stream of curious strangers. But, asid
from a fine view of Mont Blanc, and til
, mere satisfaction Of being where the grea
deist wrote and laughed, there is not muc
, to be seen. In front of the chateau stand
still the neat little stone church, whic
" Voltaire erected to God" The inscriI
ton is still plainly is be read: Dec er
!, exit Voltaire. But the Catholics .hav
had the good sense to take the sting out Q
the Caring sarcasm; the church is no long
er used for worship, but stands there as
) historic monument. In the chateau, tw
rooms are kept open for the public. Here
a very neat, looking gentleman
eternally busy explaining furniture an
pictures and local traditions. The chair
are very comfortable still they were pa
| L. D