Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-05-18
UNION AND AMERICAN,
CINCINNATl'S TRIUMPH.
A Critical Review of the Musical
Festival.
The Grandest Artistic Reunion
of the Time.
To the Union and American:


To the Union and American:
CINCINNATI, May l5.-The "Musical
Festival" closed last night, and, as it was a
remarkable success, its history is encOur-
aging and instructive. Having attended it
closely, l will give you the impressions
that as 4 result thereof remain on my mind
this morning. You ought to know the
surroundings first, however, and this fact
takes me back to my arrival here last Tu-s-
day afternoon.
The first glimpse Of the city suggested a
virulent case Of measles; nearer view
showed nothing more serious than a gen.
eral eruption of bunting. The city was
literally in a ilutter with its national flags
and cOlOTs Haunting and quiVering from
almost every house. That the occasion
was musical was determined rather more
from the names Of distinguished composers
that everywhere appeared than from the
hideOUs pictures called Beethoven, Mozart,
etc. The streets were crowded with the
denizens in their best clothes; the street
cars were decled with flags, sewing ma
chine offices, beer saloons and hotels dis
played welcome" in letters Of generous
SIG bdAnAE- 4AAA- ~ n
of his wagons headed by a small but very
violent string band, and there were even
other indications of the entire and ecstatic
cooperation by the citizens 50 glOWingly
described by the city press.
The first duty Of a stranger coming to
Cincinnati, (at least by the o. and NJ. TOad)
who does not wish to be thought citizen,
is 10 be disinfeCted. For, from Gilesd,
Il. ---Hn -HrHH-h 20
city, some ten miles out, the journey lies
through a stink, an awful Unmitigated,
pOnderOus stink, the smell whereof must
cling to his garments. Being CIsenfeGed,
he may next pay his deTUtiOns 20 Deacon
Richard Smith, the only living piOus jour
na.ist. he will find the old man prema-
turely in his dOtage from excess Of earthly
trials and very feeble. The gOOdish ancient
iBOstOBese dialect) confines his converse
tiOn with pilgrims, 10 either plaintively
asking ''giye me a shade (trOm the AelC
York SUM or spuTLs out dam EN-" The
unhallOWed eXpletive be learned from
another gOOdish ancient one Ben Wade,
and refers exclusively to rebels. / learned
that several Of the eOcene politicians Of
Ohio, now on the SURFACE by reason Of the
late earthquake, were ~ the city-but l
come to hear music so would none of them
Don't know what brought these primal
types here unless il was music, which, you
know, makes
Co. Huge leviathaas
FOrsake UusOunded deeIs 10 dance on sands
But TO the festival. The programme for
the opening concert challenges attention.
Il is Nap0le0uic. Read iJ. 1. Triumphal
Hymn, OF. 55-JohauEes Brahms. ,.
symphony No. : in 4, Op. 92-BeethOyen.
>. LOhengrin. observation-disclosures. Here
is no seductive invocation 10 the dear
people. No Strauss WaItZes and "DOwu On
the Swanee River to tempt and tickle a
multitude of lazy liste-ers. 1t is a simple
command 10 the whole army Of musicians,
horse and foot, to charge the last strong
holds Of music. In America we mad only
heard Of tie "Triumphlied." How
Brahms gave utteTance two years ago at
Cologne TO the German nations JOY and
exultatiOn over its overwhelming victories
IN the graceful numbers of this his master
piece, and how tie English chorus al the
CRYSTAL Palace, London, had been unable
after four attempts 10 maSterltS Intrlcacies.
Second comes the maj sic 9Th Symphony,
written by the emperor of COMPOSERS 2t the
zenith Of his ability. Third, LOheDgrin,
Of which We knew just enough to have gi-
gantiC expectations when Thomas, the
apostle Of Wagner, was TO produce il.
/ could not but feel as if on the eve Of a
great contest, and went beJimes to the EX-
position Hail to look over the ground. /
found a plain rectangular hall about twice
as long as broad, with a gallery RAINING
around it, but dropping by tiers OF seats TO
the prOsceniUm, leaving q small amphl-
theatre at that end in which sat the or
chestra of 1O2 members-IhOWas'o original
orchestra, with about Eity additional ar
fists. T-p and around this to the organ
and gallery sat The chorus Of 500, equally
divided on either side of the orchestra.
The hall was severely simple, plain timber
painted, and held seats for $500. Ali dec
OrasiOus were banisbed, and the acoustics
Of the hall proved excellent. Ny next
anxiety was the audieuc'. At Z o'clock,
Humanity-Of the better class to all ap-
pearances-began to tGiCkle in and drop IN
spots, but sOCn it poured, and that rush OF
the multitude and tramp of thousands OF
feet in broken STEPS which sounds 50
much he the ocean tie was heard, The
audience was certain. 4 quarter to .,
Theodore Thomas raped with ms baton,
Triumphlied began, and the sublime mo-
Ynent for the chorus vas at hand. There
was not "a culver. "BOldly they charged
and well, and almost from The first meas
ure all doubt Of their slice. IS vanished.
The Triumphiied seemed 60 me peculiarly
German. With tg0 slight exceptions, il is
a double chorus throughout. and every
individual part requires like ability
for reid tiOn-uO SuUUIaIlaieS as 10 skill,
Each IDEA S pursued with intense patience
and peI,inaci.y, leading TO remarkable IN,
tricaCies. bus e-at herring tIle and force until
the climax where it becomes resiSlieSs
The words 10 these mighty notes aTe
chosen mainly from the Apocalypse Rev
49, The first movement opens with
the chorus d" Hallelujah, Praise the Lord
Honor. power and glory to God and
seems like a musical lahaTynth. The sec
ond movement also opens with q chorus
changing 10 a baritone solo, then to an al
ternato melody 10y the Two choruses 4
baritone solo opens the Third movement
then tie chOrUses lead, echo and answer
each ether with ever increasing vlgor anc
bold fovousness until the climax is reached
in 4 grand HalIelujah that
"Is borne
Rapt and dissolved in ecEtacy to Heaven
The chorus conquered rs signally as tn,
Germans had and evidently by the sam'
means-constaut and intelligent drill be
fOTehaud. The audience showed full ap
probation by the heartiest applause in th'
right places.
/ never was better prepared tn enjoy
Beethoven, and Hassard. the critic Of the
Nel- York Tribune, saws Thomas neve
gave the seventh symphony in a more
finished manner. More clearly ,han eve
did Beethoven appear to me as the musician
Ofh3Hm nature, often putting a life in
single measure and a thousand lives i'm
movement. lie is deeper than all othe
composers in that he better understand
the fact in human experience that $50