New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-09-04
MUSIC-ART-DRAMA.
MUSIC.
THE GARDEN CONCERTS.

THE GARDEN COSCERrS
A MendelssOhn Night" at the Central farK
Garden was certain to prove Irresistible attraction
and the concert last evening received with some
thing Ike rapture by an assemblagc OF the huges'
dimensions. The programme was as follows
Symphony No. 1, minor, op. IL. . ,,.,.
i. Allegro motto. O. Andante. Minuet. T. flnaie
Messrs. schnitz Pieper Kiistenmacher. and Kohser
T. Allegro moderate. 2. Andante. s. schorzo.
4. Presto.
Symphony No. 2, A minor Scotch, op. So. s.,.u.,
Introduction and allegro agAto' eor9 Scn gaor
assai viyace. 3. Adag1o cantabile L. Allegro Kuoi-
riero and Finale maestoso.
PART III.
Music 10 the Midsummer Nights Dream; wo,
Overture. Scherzo. Intermezzo Nocturne. wed
ding March.
or ali COMPOSERS. Mendessohn probably touches the
sympathes and the affections OF the greatest mu
ttude OF listeners His exquisite creations are grateful
alike to the tyro In art aud the most accomplished
musician The one admires the perfect finish OF all his
work and the beauty of form which results from
the very highest artistic sense, while the otner
loves the play of his fine fancy and the mex
haustible flow OF his melody Imagination ana culture
were his in almost equal degree. Inspiration never de
serted him and led him into excess His tnought
was always distinct his expression always clear ana
His fertile invention was always controlled by that In
stncye perception OF the rules or proportion winch
distinguishes the masters OF classical art 10 MAKO
10 a programme exclusively or the WORKS Oh one com
poser would be In most cases dangerous experiment
There are few however whose range Is so extensive
and whose variety is that we can listen to them
in the concerroom whole evening without any loss
OF relish Wagner as last week. is one OF these
exceptional masters and Mendessohn. as we saw last
night is another The selections illustrated large part
OF his short and brilliant life and almost the entire
development OF his powers as writer Tor tne orchestra
The Symphony in minor Of the very earliest OF
his productions boysh work which he was apparently
not anxious to have remembered. 1t Is almost I'M
known in tins city, for 1t is very seldom played, ana
hardly has a place In the classical repertory. We
found it lacking in Mendelssohn's characteristic
elegance aud polish - indeed was TO
have been expected-yet it was certainly an
interesting study, and a marvellous example OF preco-
cious powers Almost any other boy composer attempt
ing a symphony. would have exhausted himself In the
first movement but Mendessohn went on doing better
and better to the very end his hand growing frmer his
treatment OF the instruments more ingenious, and his
melody richer and graceful The Finale Is real
GEM
The other works on the programme are all
familiar The Horn Quartet is arrangement
OF q well known part-song. The Octet. written for
four volius, two tenors, aud two 'cei, was played
by the full string orchestra double BASES omitted with
supendous effect This also is early work, having
been written when Mendelssohn only 10, and yet
it ranks as one OF nobest In thought and most per-
feet in texture of all his instrumental compositions
Tie Scotch Symphony, published when he was 49, but
begun many years before is often considered the rpes
OF his orchestral works but have never found in 10
the indescrbabe charm which belongs TO the " MID
summer Nights Dream" THIS is genuine poetry Of
which the world can tire.