Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1881-05-13

There has been an immense amount al eX-
travagant praise of the great musical festival
held in New York last week : hut the YER
dict of the Iest critics is not On the whole
very favorable Ii was an immense ALTAR IN
point of numbers. The musicians AMI sing
crs numbered about two thousand and the
audiences ranged from .o9o 10 ll,om, the
latter number representing the utmost capac-
ity of the building while hundreds, per
haps thousands, were TUNED away from the
doors during the last two days of the festival
1t was highly successful financially. The
EXPENSES were upwards Of S.5, 900 and the
receipts about $4,000. But musicaliy 1t
was unsatisfactory 10 those hest qnallhed to
Judge. The building an immense area,
with arched roof, like a large railway depot,
supported by trusscd archcs-scems 10 have
had serious acoustic defects and what the
orchestra and chorus gained in SIZE they
seem to have lost in unity and precision
The Tribune, whose notices of the festival
have furnished admirable examples OF gen
uine and independent musical criticism, thus
editorially sums up the results.
The truth appears TO he that while greal
effect was produced by the assembling oil
vast masses OF performers and listcners-for
there is always something impressive IN the
gathering of a multitude intent upon ohe OBJ
icct-the musical results of the enterprise
were disappointing. The only really i'm
porlant undertaking was the production OF
the Berlioz Requiem" and that, il we can
trust the judgment OF the most experienced
musicians and connoisseuis, was su'stah-
TALLY failure. Nor, indeed, il We apply
the proper standard of criticism 10 the WORK
of the chorus and orchestra, can we AVOID
pronouncing the same hard verdict upon
other performances of the week rs well.
The chorus often sang out OF time AMI out
of tune the band was rude aud I'M
| certain; and although there was
rough yigor in many places, ii was
| noticed. as "A curious and unexpected phcnom,
enon, which some attributed 10 accoustlca
defects in the building and others 10 an i'm
perfect mastery by the conductor ui The
| forces under his command, that crcsccndo
passages missed their effect and left the cal
unsatisiied This is the account which many
| intelligent listeners have given of their I'M
pressous at the festival.
II We expect to accomplish anything worth
while by great musical gatherings, the prln
ciple must he kept steadily in view that tho
proper aim of such enterprise is moi to give
bigger concerts but better concerts than We
can hear in IN ordinary hall and with ordi
nary forces. What sense is there in striving
all winter for II polished and expressive
rendering of the masterpieces of Bectho
ven and Handel if in the spring W,
are to crown our work by calling to
gether a great company of people TO perform
the same symphonies and oratorios with les:
accuracy. less polish, and less expressive
ness2 All musicians know that even the eN
| pected sonorousness in such cases is not al
ways obtained, massive effects depending ial
more upon perfection Of drill than multiple
ity of numbers This, We thought, wa:
pretty well established when the Gilmore de
fusion died out in Boston.
| When it is urged in excuse for the short
comings of performance that the perform
ers were too numerous To do II any better
an unanswerable reason is thereby given why
the performance ought not To have beer
| holt