, 1880-05-23
MUSIC:
Program Of the Last Beethoven
Society Concert.
The Apollo Club concert-Amy
Fay Recital.
Concert at the Exposition Build
ing-Pinafore Again.
A Great Variety Of Local and
Foreign Musical News.

A Great Variety Of Local and
Foreign Musical News.
The third and last grand concert Of the Bee
thoyen Society for the season takes place on
Tuesday evoning, Nay 25 at which are to be
given ~ the cantata OF 1.-The Erl Kings
Daughter" by Gado; "a the cantata OF II Tho
Fishcrrnan's Crave by J. Maurice Hubbard;
GN selections from the opera OF "Lohengrin,"
by Wagner The theEne Of the ballad Of Sir
Olaf and the Erl King ssDaughters IS one OF the
most curious in the whole range Of mytho-
uoesv. It reaches 40 far back into the past that
no date can be given to Its origin. In the
present form 1t was given to the world by the
great German scholar, philosopher, and poet
Johann Gotfried Herder 1who translated 1t from
the Dnuish but into tho Danish 1t Was drawn
from tho early Sagas of the Northtncn, whose
mythology was personifcatiou Of the elements
of Nature In their struggles with these the
imagInatons OF the Vikings Of the North peo-
pled earth, and gea, and air with deIties whom
they regarded with awe. and yet with dstrust-
Tie ballad of Sir Olaf, however, marks nota-
bic charge In the aspect OF these 1maglnattons,
because it acknowledges the dangers Of the
allurements OF beauty, and the sentiment Of
,oye which had no plce In the sterner mytho-
logical conceptions which preceded it. 1.-THE
Erl King" is as tleeting and shadowy a ooncep-
tion as that of Lillth, Adams first wife,
and curiously enough, like her, with a
strange human longing for possession Of the
children OF human beings. But unlike Lilith,
his longing also extended to the capture OF the
men, and bis means Of alurement OF these were
his lovely daughters. Beneath it's poetic orna-
ments we can get at but one tangible Idea in the
conception of the myth of the Erl King, and
TINT s that it was personifcntion of Death, but
one entirely different from that Of the King Of
Yerror5'
Tho story Of Sir Olaf is. that, while betapthed
to au earthly maiden, he by chance, while riding
! in the forest, meets with the Ell Kings daugh-
I ter and becomes enamorod Of her. AS his we'd
| ding-day approaches. the destinations of the
| Erl maidens allure him into the forest,
| and, under prctext Of going to invite
| guests to his wedding, he secretly goes
] to meet the Erl Kings daughter. But when he
tries to break away from her in order that he
may go back to wei his earthly bride next day,
the Fri Kings daughter touches bin %ith the
his death the next day at the wedding festivities:
Goethe, who was Herder's devoted friend and
Ind Of 1.-THE Ell King In which this character
| is more Clearly shown. but BY which 1t loses
Of of fRa M tt Ra a'ssi sad fhs hs
daughters have, however, been the parents Of q
numerous progeny. From him are descended
the en kings the g91s raav ana me ad e1's ana
! that have peoplcd the realms Of German poetry
It is curious paradox, in German character
| that though more strongly bound by the ties OF
home and kindred than almost any other peo-
| pe they are also more susceptible to the allure
ments OF wandering lives and strange loves.
apprehension Of being thus drawn AWAY that
We lind in ul these tales Of the Erl Kings de-
d @ of M oa IN tas
| betfCles who listens to the Erl mGldens singing.
| The musical setting Of the ballad Of "Sir
Is The p m1st nx onS IL It's
effects, but beautiful and melodious throughout
| When executed in correct tune and time tnere
| viii wear SO well. It is arranged for soprano,
Alto arid baritone solos, With chorus and or r.
chestral accompaniment The distribution ot y
Mrs. Clara D. Stacey, soprnno; Mrs. o. K. John-
son. contraito; Mr.. schwarz, baritone;
The new can1aia' OF Wnlea l. g ai,,e tta frst
p'G' pubIc rendition en- is entitled t'The Fishermans
Grave" and Is the recent composidon Of Mr; J.
been Singing in the chorus ever since the socie-
/ ty was organized. The central point IN the
theme of he poem Is the 1Hra ct t 1t5s shSr IT.
nucleus around which to guther In various arias
IF aee er The
was anonymously published some years ago In
Al the Tear R9 carries ze sentHent Hears IN some ane
in others SO like Tennyson's "Break,
| Break, Break that 1t was evidently suggested
IL is Mr.. % Hubbard's own work, there can Of course,
| be no criticism in advance, except as It comes
from the Judgment of musicians and singers
who have been rehcarsing it. All these speak
| very highly Of it: tho musicians who have re-
hearsed the orchestral parts, indeed, are enth1!-
siastic about its success as popular compost
tion. The vocal parts nre arranged for contralto
( and tenor solos, quRrtette. and chorus, the
] whole movement h1ngeing upon the quartette.