New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-18
MuSIC AND THE DRAMA.
THE BROOKLYN PHILHARMONIC,

Tn the crowded audience and Its beanuIn.
enthusiasm last night at the Academy VI
Mnsic. on the occasion of the second con-
cort If the Brooklyn Philharmonic Society
3be managers of that admirable INSTITUTION
,nust have found recompense for the liberality ana
enterprise which have slgnaized their efforts IN o'-
half of music during the last few seasons. he''
efforts have been directed with high aim, and the
newest phase which created a CHOIR anu nus
wideDed the scope of the concerts Is areaoy
hearing fruits thai are sure TO enrich the mnslcaI
culture of the city The choir made ITS 1lrst appear
apce last night, aud its singing hlled the PNe"'ns
with Measure and quckcned the senahlltles OF
The listeners 40 that all the music was heartily en-
loved. This WIS the programmed
symphony No. g. fiat, op. 81. schuTnanIn
SG sSo Irg al,s AC Mis. Hattie 5cbc .E1y
Winant, Orchestra and Choir -,
Air, Die FIRST is. nm" o.,..., Wagner
Minuet and Fugue from Quartet OPP 59; N0 .;
Duo Nocturne, from Beatrice aud Ben SdH,!o2
Festival Procession Queen of sheba" GOldmarN
In this scheme there is supsrabundahce oi H"
%, for discourse Much of the music was as goou
~, 90 the vast majority of it's hearers, ard 1t
s+irrad nm the fancy marvellonsly. The hhehisn
svmphony performed with techhlcdl nnIsn ="
which no flaw could be picked, had just the
seriousness requisite for a fitting approach u INC
Glnck selection. on which. for patrio'ic as wen as
musical reasons, the chief interest OF the evening
was focused and the Gluck pieces opened "el-
spring of delight. Their righteousness alrec'noSs
of expression and dramatic vTilty must nave come
as revelation to all VINO hearu 'n'
old masters music for the hIoU '''
Three wears ago last May these extracts ana
Others from GluclIs classical opera were IN 'ne
scheme of the Cincinnati Musical Festival III was
Mr. Thomas's second effort on large scale to ac-
ouaint the people with Gluck's music, he having
brought out a number of scenes from "Orpheus III
the first festival in 1873 He has followed the so
course here and the effect, within the narrower
confines of the Philharmonic Concert, was similar 10
that at the great festival. Curiosity was lOiloWeu
by surprise and surprise by admiration, as the
music took hold of the minds of the listeners anu
they felt themselves borne along on an lrreslStipie
current of dramatic excitement. 1t was one o.
the greatest lessons if not the greatest lessonausht
nv any of the musical festivals and the modified
perf finance of last night had like results GlucK'
principles became living truths, and thousands per-
ceiyed for themselves how music could be confined
to its trne dramatic province in opera OF assist
ING poetical expression and auglnehtlhg
the interest of the fable without inteTuptlng tne
action or chilling 1t with useless ana supernu'us
ornaments The music too was as gTa elu 10 inc sing
eIs % to the hearers and the amount OF encourage
ment which it brought to the choir in the raptrous
applause of two thousand people gave 1t
q two-fold value. Its influence upon the
musical people of Brooklyn will no more be lost
than was the reformatory agitation begun by Gluck
upon the opera writing of his and all subs quent
days.
The choir was banked in solid mass back of
tbe orchestra to accommodate which the
stage had to be extended ten feet into the
concert room 1t numbered over 500 voices and
there was suggestion of BroOklyn's spirit Iii
the circumstance that the women out
numbered and outsang the men. Prompt
ness in the attack. precision, intelligent e1-
preston, good volume and an enforced muAcal
quality of tone-these were the striking qualities
of the choirs SINGING last night. In the
dramatic choruses of "Alcestls and the
swelling finale to the Goldmark piece-rather
strained as well as widely exclusive piece of
music-the enunciation remarkably clear
and the tone quality pompous and thrilling.
The perfection of graceful singing came
In the last of the Alcestis" pieces, the
pretty chorus which Gluck borrowed
from his earlier opera of paris and Helen"
It's lovely melody and dainty pizzicato inter
ludrs fairly bewitched the audience and induced
succession of recalls of the solo singers and the -
rector. 1t was not strange his would be stohd
mind indeed, that such measure could not dance
into captivity.
The singing by Gaass of the great song from
1.-THE Flying Dutchman" must be passed over with
the simple mention of its admirableness and the
fact that with il he won several recalls
and at last responded by singing another Wag-
ner song go, du mein holder Abend-
stern" from "Tannhauser." Mr.. Thoma3s
massed strings gave TWO movements from the third
of Beethoven's Rasoumofsky quartets, and though
the fnue was taken at a breakneck speed,
Che men never faltered forgot the graces which
win admiration when four instead of fifty read
this music for rs Perhaps this is the way TO make
chamber mnsc popular with the masses. There Is
no disturbance of the composers ideas, only
magnifyng Of the four voices that
give them ont. Miss SchelPs pure, high
soprano and nice taste blended hannoniOusly
with Miss Winants mellow alto in the
duet from Berlioz's " Beatrice and Benedick."
The music is characteristic Of the
fancfdl Frenchman whose marvellous skill in
orchestration (here splendidy demonstratedl
never closed his eyes, when writing
for the voice, to the need of pure
and practicable melody. There is concert of ma
ture's nocturnal harmOnies in the accompaniment.
and the plants Of Hero and Ursula are borne away
on zephyr.
CONCERT OF THE AIsION
concert which among the numbers has now
i l.. -.