New-York tribune., 1875-05-14
MUSIC IN CINCINNATI.


GRAND EVENING CoNCERT-BAcHs MAGNIFlCT
IN d PERFORMED FOR THE FIRST TIME IN
AMKRICA-BEETuovEN's NINTH SYMPHONY.
.BY TELEGRAPH FROM STAFF CORRESPONDENT of rHE
TRGBUNEl
CINCINNATI, May 13.-The matinee to-day
vas the festival OF the school children About 200 of
the little scngsters filed the chorus benches and two
sections Of the gallery all pretty dressed-the boys in
the rear the girls In white gowns and gay ribbons
blooming in the front They all IN futer OF ex-
cement and tremendously elated ut the prospect of
singing under Theodore Thomas whom they regard with
profound awe the greatest and most celebrated
musician in all this world. think II they had known
that great and celebrated sodier-I mean Gen. sher
man-was listening TO them, the weight OF so
much accumulated honor would have broken them down
great crowd Of people TO hear the performance
many OF them usual coming late. and making
great it The first chorus was prayer ar
ranged from Gluck The next the favorite Night
shades no Longer" from Rossinfs Moses in
Egypt" They charmngly sung, not only with
iptOnation. but with beauty OF shading which
ia extremely in chidrens singing while the fresh
ness purity OF the multitude Of young voices had
peculiar effect which maturer art can never initiate.
am opposed encOres principle but could not help
feeling glad when the little folks stood up to repeat the
chorus after the whole house had insisted upon
t. subsequently they sang the choruses in Mozarts
miniature cantata, originally written for Masonic
celebration and entitled in English Praise Of Friend
smith, Miss whinnery, and Miss Cranch The Juvenile
performances interspered during the rest OF the
concert orchestral selections and good vocal
sCios by Mrs. Smith. Miss whnnery, Miss Cranch, Mr.
Bischof and Mr. Whitney.
The evening performance the elimination OF the
festival II was for this that Chorus Orchestra and
Conductor had worked with greatest&eal and toward 1t
the public had looked forward with greatest eagerness
The programme consisted Of Bachs Adgnifcdt in d."
before performed in this country and Beethovens
Ninth Symphony 1t is only few years since the SYM
phony looked upon by our musical associations as
very nearly impossible phenomenal and incompre-
hensibe alteration OF genius which we should no more
hink of trying perform than OF bringing the SPHINX
out Of Egypt and setting 1t up in the Central Park No"
here hardly choral society of reputation in any sec
ondrate American city which does not attempt IT, Some
II the vocal passazes lie nearly range; but they
oan sung and they sung The intervals are less
ifcut than in "Lohengrn," and the complication OF
the parts infinitely less trying than in the song OF
Triumph" 1t is beyond question also that the sym
phony NJ much generally understood than 1t
used to be: and I dare say the time may come
when all that is now obscure shall be Hghened
up and whole work be plain 10 us as the pastoral
No man IN United States has done half as much to
bring absnt this result Theodore Thomas VIII not
say ths: he understands BeethOven's meaning better
chan any other conductor but he is the first in TINS con-
try who has succeeded in displaying II to the people De
ause he il the first who discovered how TO throw out
the melodic thought in the proper bold relef. nave
attempted in another place 70 show how he does THIS
need only say that 10 the symphony was only an
awful my stery until his Interpretation showed me light
through the cloud and form IN the midst OF the
shapeless void Thomas besides, the first TO make
Bach loved appreciated in this country and there
was q peculiar fitness in his assocating on this pro-
ranme the two great whom he has been such
. faithful disciple. Bach is BeethOvens prOgenor ana
10 OF course the " Magniica" came first.
BACHs MAGNnICAr.
Tho HMaOnifcatn WIS gwen, as nearly all
Rachs p.rncpal vocal works must be given nowadays
With the additional acconpaniments by Robert Franz
The Invaluable labors OF ths scholarly musician upon
the scores of Bach and Handel entirely unlike the
unfortunate attempts TO mOdenize the older masters
which we occasionally called upon to lament Bach
left but the merest sketch Of accompaniment for
his great vocal compositions, supplying few
parts for flutes, hautboys. strings, ana
now aud then or two other Instruments
together with the monotonous continue, and figured
bass which he filled mp extemporaneousy on the organ
The secret clothing these skeleton scores with life
and beauty OF outline died with him, and Franz discov
cred il only after long and patient study He has mar
nonizcd the whole in the polyphonc style OF which
Bach the great model and has added instruments 70
the orchestra with such taste, moderation. and clear
tns,sht into the composers intentions that could
almost believe the improved TO be entirely the
work OF Bach himself lie retains the organ
though course it longer asserts ltSeH so
prominently in the accompaniment as it had to
yat been developed. Bach parts for flutes
aautboys oboe damore, trumDets, tympani LIST and
ID yions VIOLA and bass strings the conhn"o to these
Franz adds only claTnets usng them partly ss suDst
t,as for the obsolete damore bassOOns and, very
sparngly the bass trombone good example both OF
The necessity his work and the manner in which he
bas performed it Is the noble bass solo, Quia
reot" As Bach left it, with only organ and continue
accompaniment. this aria almost mpracticabe; but
Tranz, supplying the string quintet, with carlnets
and two bassoons besides the organ, throws upon II
pure bright light which sets out all Its beauty and
makes clear its meaning. The terzetto suscept Israel
FOR two sopranos and alto would also have been i'm
possible without the aid Of Franz for the only accomPa
niment in the original consists of two hautboys in
unison viooncelu sen-a riolone boSsOni, and organ
Franz re eorces the hautboys with two clarinets in
UNISON and supplies harmony by first and second vio-
lima viola and voloDceo solo, with very soft In
come parts of the work he redsrbutes more OF less OF
the accompaniment-as for example IN the opening
chorus where he assigns TO the carnets certain pas
sagcs which Bach who had no carinets, gave TO the
srumpets but wherever II " practicable he adheres 10
1hs original Instrumentation as far as 1t goes.
The Magnifcat in consists Of II short numbers,
follows: l. Introduction and Chorus, "Magnfcat anma
mea' 2 Aria, I'd soprano Et exultavit" g. Aria, lst
soprano "Quia respexit" A. Chorus, "Omnes genera
tones" s. Aria bass, Quia fecit." o. Duet, alto anu
tenor "Et mseroordia" z. Chorus, Fecit potentiam
8. Aria. tenor, "Deposuit potentes" g. Aria, alto,
Esurientes" 10. Terzeto, sopranos and alto, sus
cepit Israel" II. Chorus, "Sicut locutus est" IL.
Chorus Gloria Patrt" All the chornses are in five
parts-twO sopranos, alto tenor, and bass There Is
short instrumental introduction The horid and joyful
opening chorus given correctly and huentY though
with not enough spirit. The delicious aria for second
soprano was almost lost in the noise of the unquiet
audience but in the snatches Of II which heard, Miss
whinnery seemed to be singing with unusual sentiment
"A