, 1874-12-18
ADJUSTMENTS.

THE BEETHOVEN SOCIETY CONCERT.
The Beethoven Society gavo its first concert Of
the season last evening ut tho now Ferwell Hail.
and made it tue occasion Of a Beethoven anni-
vcraary fcstivity. tho chronological Of the Society
choosing between tile disputed days and years Of
liB birth, so aa to hiring it on tho 17th and mako
it the 10Ith anniversary, thus assigning tho 17th
Of December, 177o. instead of tho 18th Of Do
ce,nber, 1772, as tho roal birthday, Beethoven
himself to tho contrary notwithstanding. Tho
audience WIS very largo one, aud, II 1t did not
celebrate tho anniversary with m unbounded
enthusiasm, or mnni1cst All oyorwleln1-
Ing. joy 1t lhe return OF tho
facts : first. that tho programme was too heavy
and long, lasting M it did until II o'clock and
second, that tho festival WAS hold in the worst
possible place imaginable for tho hearing Of
n,usic. Tito na,ne Of tic hall should ho changed
out of respect to tho memories Of tho old ono,
for no music can over sound we'll In it. It's
acoustics arc killed by tho enormous
shelving gallery which projects 20 far
forward TINT 1t only acryes for q perfect
lsmpor on sound. No Hlngors can gain
credit in it, hdwoyer vol they may do, and this
fact nhould bn TAKEN into ACCOUNT in estimating
Tie results accomplished last eyoning. Wa
doubt not tint tho Society itself will ro)oics
tlat the birthday Of their patron eau como bnt
onco year, for it was hara task that Alr.
Wolfsohn Bot before Lis singers, requiring m
immense amount Of study, and. aftor nll, con-
ferring real pleasure only upon tho few. As
q n,attor Of novelty and curiosity, however,
tho production OF 10 great work
aA tho Mass in could not but provo interesting.
under any cironMstunccs. Its original title
poats the opus number SG and the date 1907,
n f1nHs$sHtfnt tSariiff1AbH 1ftnaknr
although there l,Ad been previous dedication to
Count EBterhazy. Although not work OF tho
etupandous proportions OF tho Mass ila D. or Soc
ond Mass. rs It ia usually Called which waa COM
posed about tho time OF tho Ninth SYMPHONY, 1t
Ia peculiarly into ohting nG composition which
led tho Way to tho Second and al having boon
written in tho poriod which gase BIRTH to 6onso
q til a oof net Of osas ind as1s s4 Of hl @
symphonies. Many srrltors lsayo sought
in ttlis mass retlection Of Beothovon's reEg-
ious idoaa, aud attonptad to assign those idoas
to eonae peculiar SCOT hut OF eoursa without my
that Beethoven waB g Catholic hsca,,so lo wrote
this n,usa, III to nay that Verdi il worsiper Of
1sis bocauso hs wrota aida" Haydn aaiA
beethoven waa MI athelst. but this wAs untr,o,
numerous other oocan!ois. recorded his pro-
found conviction Of tho oxisteuco of God. lie
! Was undoubtedly all adhernnt OF that Cor
/ man mystlcisnl "lsIcI, has includod III
ltb IAilKH 6u luaH} u &H8 bGllluHgH
OF shat country Tho viow Of tho Ieatlfio Vla-
| ion which this naEa diacloses il q poot!cal ono.
i ia tho misiug Of religious poet. which. u tito
Second Mana, dceponed into gouui,io religious
| feeling.
| Fori its production, tho socioty turned out
about l50 members, pretty oyeuly dlydod in the
PartH,-AIrs. Fnrwo!l, alsa Ella White. Mr.. Tay~
lor, nnt Nlr. Sloan taking tho q,,aetotta and
solos. Tho quartotte waa cha,lgoa from its
| original cnst, Miss Whfto having tho part as
signed to Mrn. Johnsoa, mud Mr. Sloan that
Of AIr. lloot, owing to tho illncsa OF
tho two abuentcos. Conhidoring tho tlllllou,tica
or Tie work, mud tho youth OF tho Society, tho
performance waa worry crotabs onn and what
| over blo,nlshos thorn woro, wero atunetl for by
tho enthusiasm aud thu cunBcioutiouH ontloRyor
with Which tho siugorH nitlreasod themselves to
their work, showing THAT they have studioA this
n!uBc diligently aud faithfully. Tho baInuce Of
tho chorus ia by no means perfect, a. yet. Tho
tenor:. although numerically strong. arc thu woalt-
ost part in voice, aud layo comparatively littlo
| aofd, effective tono. Tho altos hro aleo wonk,
but when Tho oPportnrstv offered they made
nome very excellent poluta. TLa bauses are