New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-18
THOMAS AND TIE MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
George william, Curtis in Harper's Magazine .

GeorCe william Curtis an Hdr3eT"S MdgdStHe
In the sense that Napoleon was AusterlItz
Tha,,es was fhe Festival Without Napoleon, there
had been 40 AusterlItz; WITHOUT THOMAS 10 eeti
val For him. indeed, II was peculiar uIu.iil' MN.
TO those who have known his long, unwearied, most
Efficient and most unselbsh devotion TO the develop
ment and education of the best musical taste IN TINS
country it was a profound satisfaction 10 feel the
immense muS,Cal success OF TINS ftstNal' Inc
long selection of music TO be performed was OF suS
taiued excellence. There was no attempt to eaten
a cheap applause, or 10 tickle the ears OF multi
tude The purpose not superficial entertainments,
but the enjoyment that comes from the highest ART
As those who were directly interested III the pre-
partitions the leader masSing ms Vocai ana IN
strumental lines to scale tue rugged ana peIpeh-
deulaI heights of the most inaccessible Beethoven
and HaudeIan chorals, or to thread the weird ana
bewildering laDyTnths of the NagncIlan OIchestra
ton they could not but feel that al least the Ill
rector W as no douttng Thomas, and his courageous
confidence inspired the enterprise Indeed, hat j.
the secret OF Mr.. Thomas success lie believes IN
his cause and therefore he conquers lie believes
that the public will accept and enjoy the best
music and ne makes them ENJOY H. When II was
asked of a certain concert whether IL wa, not De-
yond the public taste, the answer was. his IS the
only way to lft the public taste Like the old
warrior who hurled ms JaVe!n lar INTO the ranks OF
tho enemv and fought his was forward 10 recover
H. Thomas filings his baton higher ana higher toward
the pure and awful peaks. anu we an grady press
after, up, up INTO a more inspiring an anu
broader and grander horizon.
But even Napoleon must he able to depend upon
his associates Every provision for the movement OF
the army and for its actual operations must he
nremptiy and definitely made, or there - no VIC
tory The preliminary arrangements for the con
lnct NJ 50 pr,,at an enterprise necessarily i'm
mense They Involve an appalling detail, and de-
mand for their effectiveness careful attention TO
minute points and power OF OIsJhzSIioh winch
are not readily to he comprehehHeu' 70 tSeIN Que
W no saw the spectacle OF the vast nall on the
oppniuV evenng-the admirable aud beautiful dis
position of the orchestra and chorus Tie ielcItDus
distribution of the space upon the uoor; the CON
venlent entrances and exits the heavy banengs TO
deaden any reycTDer3tOn; the precision anu
promptness with which the audience was seated;
the clear asles the universal oIder-It was OBJ
vious that those who had bad charge OF the hall
were singularly fitted for the happy discharge OF
their duty. And when. on the Handel night the
stupendOus chorus massed TO the roof III the vast
space before and above the audience and the spec
tai or knew that half of the singers came from other
cities and had been brought every one to his place
i'm the hall by the supervising care OF OF her vOlun-
teers like those of the Hall COMMITTEES care
which would provide for everyone until all W ere
safely returned TO their homes-t was again evil
dent that the work which had been done silently
and InvIsIbly to accomplish results apparently 50
easily achey ed must have been enormous
SO 10 was at every point. Inc admlrdple ana IN
structive Book of the Festival; the pretty pro-
grammes, designed III different but excellent taste
for every concert were all signs OF Lat care ana
And IL was all the work Of volunteers, of young
men who. for the love of mnsc. anu with perfect
confidence IN the mastery leadership Of Thomas IN
such an enterprise, and IN the support OF the great
city, freely and gladly gave their time and the
untlrng labor OF many weeks to the promotion OF
the triumph which was achieved. Their labOrS
were as unsefsh they were efficient. The Music
Festival is signal illustration of kind of public
spirit the existence OF which III New-York has
Oeen often denied.
As the weeks performances ended toward Satur
day midnight amid tunut of delight from the
thousands that crowded the vast hall. and after
five minutes of continuous rear OF demand from
the audience that would not depart until he ap-
peared, Mr.: Thomas came forward To receive such "a
greeting we have never seen surpassed upon any
occasion Amid the tornado of excited applause.
the retiring auditor Of "A philOsophlc and contem-
plstive turn undoubtedly asked himself what was
the real permanent result OF so great musical
triumph. The result however, was evident. IL
Is shown that festival need not he merely
series of big" or monster" or mammoth" con-
certs but that larger numbers both Of Instruments
and singers may greatly increase the true eett OF
the music Indeed, the grandest choral effects re-
qulre vast space and mighty volume OF sound,
W hieh are possible only under the conditions OF IA
lest VAL and most of the finest contemporary nstru-
mental music contemplates an immense orchestra
Nor is an adequate voice and noble manner lost IN
a festival. however large the space.
Moreover, the popular interest awakened by such |
an enterprise and the education that attends the |
admirable rendering of admirable music, are in |
themselves incentives TO such festivals, and vindl
cations of their usefulness.