New-York tribune., 1874-01-26
MUSIC AND THE DRAMA.
MUSIC.


ur "a Ills time In two cities Of Germany. We nt
A doscrh I'd In certain foreign journals symphonic
n,on but\ Is cantata OF respectable proportions
Ealing ncar,y two hours In performance and invOlvn,
soprnno alto ten and baritone solos, with chorus
fulI orchestra. T.ere are eight scenes beside al
orchestral introductory and they are sung with onl,
very short intervening ;'auses-somo OF them. fol-
example tho fourth and NTH 9nd the seventh and
eighth naturally running into each other. The
central figure Ia Of Ulysses represented by the
baritone whom fall the nobest and most impressive
numbers in the work. The other solo parts are OF de
oidedly inferior interest The first scene, Ulysses in the
Island Of Calypso, opens with charming Chorus OF
Nymphs and this is followed by beautiful and pathetic
passage Ulysses too irregular perhaps In structure to
be called an aria which Mr. sohst delivered with real eo-
auenoe and feeling. A fine piece Of defamation by
gives the teDor his only notable opportunity for
display the scene. having risen steadily In dramatic
strength and effective colorne since the
first measures. closes with the magnificent In
vocation by Ulysses. "Allmacbtiger Zeus." Tho
second scene. ulysses and the tsyreDs." is
full Of delicate and varied fances, the songs OF the
syrens miuging with the voice OF Ulysses and the
Of his companions In the third scene we have
a vivid story of the Storm at Sea, with choruses or
and tho Ooeandes. The fourth devoted to tho
episode OF Nausioaa (soprano). and contains
some of the most beautiful passages OF the
whole work, the Chorus or Maidens being
admirably interwoven with the soprano and baritone
duet Tho fifth Is the entertainment given 10 the
wanderers by Acinous, beginning with chorus Of the
Pheacans, to which succeeds remarkable Chorus Of
Rhapsadists, standing for the song of the musician
Demodocus described in Homer. The voices here
have loud. ,vgorousi pzzoato accompaniment by all
the strings and the harp (Mr Tbomas's harpist. Lock
wood having been borrowed last night. and as the
story goes on one wind instrument after another comes
in to add fresh cooring and new excitement to the
song disclosure OF the OF Ulysses leads into
beautiful quartet and tho scene ends with chorus OF
the people, The Sixth is wholly gwen to Penelope
alto) The Seventh is the Return ending with grand
solo Ulysses and tine Eighthiepcts thetFcsiva at
Ithaca, with short solos for Penelope and Ulysses a
good duet, and spirited final chorus
The music Is all strong and highly dramatic. The
popular audience will miss clear-cu melodies and rbyth
mic forms-fOr tho cantata Is constructed on Wdgner
principle Of continuous melody" But every one Will
recognize its refued and thoughtful poetic spirit, Its
brilliant Instrumentation and its majestic, dlgnhed
character Voices and orchestra are both super5ly
treated The performance was highly credtabe to the So
cety choruses all vigorous aud correct and the
orchestra under direction Of Mr. Paur all that
could reasonably have been demanded Besides Mr..
Sohst whose admirable delivery Of tho music OF Ulysses
we have already mentioned, the principal solo singers
were Miss JAnna Simon (sopranO), Miss Antonia Henne
(alto), and Mr.. Graf (tenOr).
The cantata preceded by miscellaneous concert
in the course Of which Mr.. 8. b. Mills gave beautiful
performance OF the and nae of Chopu's great
L minor concerto
THIRD SYMPHONY CONCERT.
The variety which has distinguished the last
three seasons OF Mr. Theodore Thomass symphony COn-
cers is not remarkable than the general richness
of the selections tho exceon0e OF the performance
From all the great schools OF music reaching back TO
the earliest development OF the modern orchestra, he
has characteristic specimens, grouping them so
give every the most favorable conditions for
effect This year havo had rather more than usual
of the older masters and cannot have escaped the
notice Of attentive listeners that Bach and Handel are
much more keenly appreciated by the general audience
now than they used to be- and that the popular under
standing of Beethoven is constantly expanding
So true that all paths which tho advancement
OF musical educaonmay be directed lead back again TO
those immortal in whose works later
tions must find the standards OF The following
was the programme last Saturday:
PARTI
Symphony. No. 1, In minor, Op 5...-......... Gade
Mr.. Victor Maurel.
For string orchestra two solo vons yioonceo
Messrs. Lsemann, JacobSohn, Lubeck, and Orchestra
PART II.
Rubinstein
Aria. "Le Nozze di Figaro Mozart
Mr.. Victor MaureL
Symphony, No. 8. IN F..................Be Beethoven
Nels Gade has never quite fulfilled the brilliant prom
ise made by this first symphony when he was twenty
six of 1t originally produced nj Leipsic IN
lss under the direction OF Mendessohn to whom 1t was
dedicated. 1T has given me more pie asure," wrote
Mendelssohn to his sister, than any work have seen
for long time wish you could hear this most original
most earnest. and sweetsoundng Danish symphony"
the personally then an utter stranger to
him. Mendelssohn wrote in still enthusiastic
To tie musicians unanimous, the public
enchanted, and the performance so successful was to
a OF delight great as il had written tn
work myself indeed may greater-for in my own
compositions the faults and tho less successful portions
always most prominent, whereas In your work
felt nothing but pure delight all its admirable beau
ties Whoever the last half OF this scherzo an ad
mrable genius and have right TO expect the most
grand and glorious works from him. Such was the
universal opinion yesterday evening IN our orchestra
and in the whole hall"
The first movement. short moderate con motto. fol
lowed by allegro though not the most popu
lar part sOf the work, Is distinctly original and even
striking having which Is generally lacking IN
Gades later works The second movement, the scherzo
Is perfectly delicious. and novel and very happy effect
is produced by a passage for the first volins muted
standing clear relief against the background OF an
accompaniment by the reeds aud the bass and tenor
strings played pizzicato. The third movement Is
beautiful audantino grazioso and the finale stirring
arrangement OF Danish popular songs, scored in
mastery manner lne peIiolnahCo "ao ouP'io' auN
the effect justified the magnificent praise OF the master
whom we have quoted above. Still more,nteresting
however than this characteristic Scandinavian w0rl
was the Handel concerto. Ii belongs to class o.
compositions, OF which Handel left many examples
designed for a variety Of instruments 1t gives less
prominence the solo than the regulation concerto OF
modern times and most OF it, indeed is like miniature
symphony three instruments taking the lead OF the
rest. broad and stately arghetto afettuoso leads
without interruption into fine fugato; and next comes
fascinating musette. sort OF dance movement rather