Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-04-04
INTERESTING FOREIGN LETTER.
The Jubilee Singers and their Sue
cessful COncerts-What the Grea
Manufacturing City Of England has
had i'm tie Way of Concerts.

cessfuI C0ncertsLWhat the Great
Manufacturing City of England has
had i'm the Way of Concerts.
Correspondence of the Union and American.
MANCHESTER, ESe March l4.-The
Jubilee Singers from Nashville have been
with us here, and truly it may be said of
them. 'they came, they saw, they conquer
eds Manchester is Justly celebrated as a
musical city, and here the notables in the
art find crowds Of willing and admiring
listeners. MIR are the eoncert-going people
here to be banked by slight obstacles
their patience and perseverance are
something astounding. They will
crowd the colorado Of our famous "Free-
Trade Hall' on Aniass eve for fully three
hours before the Messiah commences, and
set or stand for three hours more during
the performance, with scarcely any visible
signs of impatience. ObliviOus to fatigue
or cold, during these six hours of waiting,
with perhaps a return home Journey Of ten
or fifteen miles) hundreds from the ada
cent towns flock in, thus to enjoy their an
nual XMAS treat. But the vast building
is far too small for the numbers seeking
admission; so for some years Mr.. Chas.
Halle, at the urgent request Of large num-
bers of music-lOving people, has given two
performances of the "Messiah7 on consecu-
tive nights, upwards of four thousand being
present on each occasion. The season Just
closed has been of more than ordi-
nary interest. We have had in choral
works the ssCreaiion,r "Walpurgis Nights
Est. Paul." "The Messiah aJudas Macca-
beus,' "John the Baptist" Ga new oratorio
L. L. - IN
Light of the World,n by Arthur Sullivan.
closing with the "PaSsion Musick," by Jno.
Sebastian Bach. At these concerts we
have had as 'soloists" all the popular stars
Of English and Continental fame. The
twelve instrumental concerts have all been
of a high classical character, and the sym
phonies'' and "concertoS" OF the Great
Masters have been rendered in a mastery
style. A few evenings ago Bethovin's IA
nous "Ervica" symphony was performed.
Exactly fifty-five minutes were occupied in
its performance, and the vast audience
seemed ~spell-bonnd from first to last.
A pleasing incident occurred at the per-
formance Of Mr.. Sullivan's "Light of the
World" The composer conducted the con-
cert, and though the hour was late when il
was over, the Manchester gentlemen escort
ed Mr.. Sullivan to a splendid supper, and at
the close of the feast presented him with a
valuable antique silver goblet and a purse
containing two hundred sOvereigns-truly
this vas a pleasant finale to a capital per-
Torrance.
The above quite brief summary will
be sufficient to show that Manchester coli
cert-goeES are accustomed to a very re-
spectacle ''bill of fare" and yet here the
"Jubilee Singers" have been, and literally
taken us by storm. We had heard OF their
performances in London, Glasgow,
Newcastle, and elsewhere. and
expectation wa rife when they came
among U.s.
They gave US four concerts, and never
success more complete. The chair
occupied respectively by the Mayor of
Manchester, the Mayor of Stafford, Jacob
Esq, Gate NJ. P.,) and Richard
Howard, Esq. The huge hall was crowded
in all four of the concerts, and the large
audiences eTinced their satisfaction by
hearty rounds of applause. 1 shall
not attempt to criticize the perform
auce. The Singers and their music
were so novel in their character, that the
effect produced was something marvellous
o behold. The opening piece at each of
he concerts was 'Steal away to Jesus"
md was given with much taste and feeling.
The eight and shade of this piece was
managed with artistic skill, so much so
hat ore of our oldest musicians, an organ
st and chOir-master of forty Yeas stand
nc, remarked, shat he had never heard a
lianissimo more perfect in his long expert
snce;@ and their 'crescendo' was effected
With equal skill; in the chant of the Lords
this was strikingly apparent, and l
Gould not but remark TO our mutual friend, |
White, that such efficiency reflected
most favOrably ON their '~'trainer." The
weird, plaintive negro songs, redolent If
I'D time camp-meet1ng "reminiscences had
peculiar interest here from their capital
..xecutiOn and their novelty. Several of
heir pieces were ''encOred" with all the
pirit and vim characteristic of Manchester
audiences.
To me it seemed most remarkable that a
ew negro boys and girls from Nashville
,Ould produce such a wonderful effect.
simulated negro-minstrelsy, with plenty of
DuInt cork, and swaggin, and bluster, and
Ow b~uffOOnery, so common in such enter
ailments had often been here, p%atroniZed. |
however. but very sparingly by the refined
md educated Of the community; but here
sc had the negro "simon-puTe" for our en-
ertainers and among the listeners num-
of clergymen Of all the varied denOmi-
with d. DIS, NJ. AS land b. AS not
few. These ministers literally besieged
'lr. White with pressing invitations to al
DIV the singers to attend their respective
hurches and chapels for an evening; they
only 4 few of these invitations,
nd in v ryinstance the churches were too
mall for tile crowds that flocked to hear
hem. In one instance, at the famous DR..
'arker's chapel, now occupied by the Rev.
|. l. Bray, a collection was taken up for
hem, quite against Mr.. Whites remon-
trance, and about forty pounds realised.
heir visit to Manchester, / am pleased to
has been, financially, a great success,
nd that, after all, was the main object of
heir mission here. L believe the
ct amount realized at the four
Oncerts was about a thousand pounds. /
hall take pleasure in furnishing you Occa-
with a few old-wOrld jottings for
Auld-Lang-Sine." G. W.