The Portland daily press., 1880-03-17
I SIU lC VI dDO
Like a fish,
And only wish
Tho fhipU uas ovar

But new misfortune awaited me. At half
past eight terrific thunder storm broke over
the city. The noise of the rain ON the roof of
the building was tremendous, and in trying to
fill the aching void of emptiness between me
and the audience with my voice, and thus
drown the pattering of the rain and the crash
of thunderbolts, had indeed enough to man.
age. Worst of all, I got through before the
storm did, but the audience could not then
venture out as there was not an umbrella in
the whole crowd. So they all remained as if
petrified; and although ready to drop with IA
tigue, was nevertheless obliged to be pre-
sented to one after another, and do my best to
be entertaining. One was kind enough to sug-
gest that play few more pieces to pass the
time, but the considerate invitation was de-
clined with thanks. i must say, however, that
all present were very complimentary, far more
than I deserved, and their kind words gave
me more agreeable idea of Portlanders than
had previously cherished. At last the storm
ceased, and the audience released me.
L ought not to omit mention of the return of
the dreadful Prof. Blank, few days before my
lecture concert He met me with the cordially
of an old friend and laughed heartily when 1
told him what had suffered on his account.
He soon gave undOubted evidence of carrying
a warm German heart in his breast, and was
indebted to lin for several courtesies.
Rev. DR.. Thomas Hill, ex-President of Har-
ward University, and great mathematician
5 is pastor of an Unitarian church in Portland
he abused Richard Grant Whites articles ON
Wagner and Liszt in the Galaxy. did me
good. DIR. Hill has the best choir of the city
in his church, quartette, and it is directed by
Mr.. kotZschmar, a talented man, whose prin-
cipal fault, however, in his choir, was the
DISQUALIFICATION of phonetic nuaaces, which
often detracts from the dignity of the service,
is at variance with the dramatic essence of the
words, and is quite opposed to the traditional
severity OF pure ecclesiastical style. I also
fhnfr nfh .kar.
and ended in B-flat, which was not according
to the best models.
The best pianist in Portland is Miss Eliza
beth M. Dyer. She played some selections
from Bach for me one day, and afforded me
much pleasure.
I also heard Mr.. Marston play in the State
street Congregational church. The choir is a
quartet; land in the tune Dundee, the organist
used the reeds in every verse right through the
hymn! and yet they told me that this gentle
man has studied in Europe. Well, Europe is
big place!
In one of the Episcopal churches heard the
Ie Deum sang to Feltons famous Funeral
Chant. Just think of it! 'Make them to be
numbered with Thy saints in glory euerlast-
ing," in F-minor
Another organist heard was Mr.. Halves in
Baptist church. The gentleman played
very correctly, but gave not the slightest evil
dence of imagination or of a knowledge of the
organ, judging by his indiscriminate use of the
reed stops.
There was an irruption of strolling street
musicians while was in Portland. The in
evitable harp-fute-fddle would Jump out of
the pavement, as it were, at all times and
places after dark and twang, and toot, and
scrape their dance tunes. Pat, and Mike, and
Dennis, with their own Mary Anns,' would
at once emerge from under their trysting trees
and start dance; and what with the murdered
music and the scraping and stamping of cow
hide boots on the sidewalk, things were made
particularly pleasant for a poor but-honest
musical tramp like me, who generally was in
bed by ten, at latest, l wished those creatures
were in purgatory, at least fifty times.
Regarding the newspapers of Portland, re-
ceived very contrasted treatment from the two
morning dailies. The Argus treated me with
kindness and courtesy, although it got
none of my job printing. The
PRESS, on the contrary, which got
all of it, and whose musical editor, a Mr..
Wade, if do not err, made wonderful profess
sions of friendliness, honored me the morning
after my lecture.concert by as coarse and veno-
nous an article as had ever received in the
provinces. OF my Four h Dirge, several times
played by Theo. Thomas orchestra in New
York and by the Germania in Philadelphia,
this scholarly and elegant critic remarked that
the final bars fifty represented "the slammng
down of the coffin-stools by the undertaken
after funeral" But forgive him. -
Let me not close this historical recital with
out mentioning citizens Of Portland by whose
acquaintance was honored, and from whom