The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1877-04-26
Heavenly and other Harmon,s..
Correspondence of the s,ate,mAnl

Correspondence Of the S,atesmanl
NEW YORK, April 20.
l am fairly drunken with sweet
sounds. Easter week brought us whole
focks of song birds, and l would fain
have heard them all at once. / would
willingly have given "all my incomes
from Observation-Disclosures noLe other
in exchange for newspaper report
er's well known ubiquity, but none Of
the craft wishing to invest in that To-
cality, was reduced to the level of
ordinary mortals, who can only be in
one place at time. am dazed, be-
wildered wanderer, lost IN n labyrinth
of entangled harmonies. Pappenhelm's
full meZzO soprano and BischOff's flute
like tenor, the sea-like ebb aud swell
of Warren's organ, and the the fairy
like bells that tinkle over the strings
of Thomas's orchestra; the songs the
heavenly host sang to Handel, Hadyn,
Bach and Beethoven, Mendelssohn,
Liszt and Wagner, are gliding, glanc-
ing, rising, falling, whispering, thun-
dering, swelling, dying, rolling and
reverberating through heart and soul
and brain, in wierd, wild chorus,
like sweet bells tangled out of tune"
How am to bring order out of all this
confusion, and tell you what have
heard.
1.-THE sweetest singer in all Israel. I"
Theodore Thomas, gives his last con-
cert this evening and then takes that
exponent of all heavenly harmony, his
orchestra, on q western tour. How |
envy all of you who shall hear them
A friend sat beside me at his last con-
cert; one who ''has music in his soul, "
Notwithstanding the fact that his organ
of reverence needs cultivation. He
walked up suddenly, about five minutes
after the last notes of Beethoven
symphony had died away, and burst
upon me with "The hundred and forty
and four thousand couldn't improve on
that! The good people tell us that
heaven is one eternal song; and being
fond of little variety haze thought
it might bore me; but if they only give
me quiet corner, with no gabblers
the rostrum, with Thomas as boss an,
gel, l think l can get comfortably
through with several eternities." And
heartily responded "Amen and
amenm
am not going to talk art jargon for
two reasons: First, and best, because
1 can't; and secondly, because so many
musical critics talk (n that unknown
tongue) what may, for aught
hn tnh arfO I'm
! may (not improbably) be the
highest possible nonsense. l only
essay to express, feebly and mesI
imperfectly, what feel. l enjoy the
Thomas concerts as l enjoy no othel
combinations of musical sounds that
have ever fallen on my ears. With
the first notes, close my eyes, and
float away-away-int the cool gleni
and deep forests of "dreamlsnd,
where the elves and fairies hold higt
carnival. The white feet of water.
sprites glance over cool, dripping
rocks, their eyes CLEAN at me from be.
hind the spray of waterfalls, the
hemadryad swings from bough tt
bough, with soft, swaying motion, the
elfin horns are blowing, and the fares
fairies laugh and dance and sing; tn,
echoes ringing through the glens anC
playing hide and seek behind cragg,
cliff and laughing cascade, with sweet
wild, entangled sound. And wheI
the last notes ebb and swell, lnger
and slowly die away, l wake up re
gretfully and come back to earth with
a sigh that Edand's joys should be 81
fleeting.
l have heard Wagner fitly interpre
ted. had supposed HIM to be to-
highly and nightly scientific for tn
midnight darkness of my musical pa
ganism to understand, appreciate, o
enjoy. l was mistaken. He weds hi
sentiment so simply and fifty to appro
pirate sound, that "child might I'm
derstand-" His mighty rushes of sount
THAT come IKE the waves come whom navie
are stranded;
That come like the winds come when 70: ests ar
| Bonded"
are so majestic in their harmeniou,
marching that the veriest clod mus
feel their inspiration; and his soft pas
sages are so heavenly sweet that n,
soul attuned to music, however uncul
tivated, could fail to enjoy.
l rejoice in Madame Pappenheim'
triumph. Many lions stood in he
path. She has slain them with tn
sword of genius, and the buckler O
true womanhood - and now, at last
she is most justly crowned, Queen O
Song. Her elizabeth" I'm Tannhau
ser) is a magnificent creation. Owe
Meredith's elizabeth is q sweet
pure nun, with the cloister of saint
soul shielding her from all earthl
temptation; lovely spirit, but to
angelic to inspire an earthly passion
Madame Pappenheim's creation is
CONAN, full Of grace and beauty, pos
sessed of every sweet, loving and al
trsctive womanly attribute, and withal
strong, grand, majestic; with a cour
age and q heroism that is simply sui
lime.
Hadyn's "Creation" was sung O
Wednesday evening, at Steinway Hal
by the Oratario Society, under the dire'
ton of its president, DIR. Damrooct
1t was very finely rendered. The o.
chestfa was a most excellent one, an
the chorus was full and grand. TT
duo in Paradise was most beautiful
sung; albeit, the baritone, who WI
the Adam of the hour, twas to I'll
naked eye" rather a dllapidated loob
ing specimen for the being whom go
created in his own image"-looke
as if the zephyrs of Eden didn't agrt
with him, and reminded one q trif
uncomfortably of saloons, champagr
suppers, and other nineteenth centul
improvements upon nature.
One of the most charming musict
novelties we have had was a conce
given in DR.. Chapin's Church for Il
benefit of rye Sunday school" 4
usual, am talking too much, and wi
therefore only enclose you program
me, (Which you can publish for Il
amusement of your readers more acct
rately than from a written copy al
add that the music was rendered
one of the finest choirs, assisted |
some Of the amateur and operate tale
of the city; and ye singers being in o
folks' costume, and with manners
correspond, how could it be otherwii
than Jolly"
l fill my evenings with sweet sound
and my days with lovely visions fro
the walls Of art galleries, varied by I
occasional peep into Stewards, Lord
Taylor's, McCreary's, etc. What shs
: l next talk about, art or fashion2 l.
dies, which shall it bel
Awaiting your suggestion,
: LIDE.
An Old Prophecy.
II (hriairr dn. H.