Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-06-15
FREEHAND NOTES.
PASSING REFLECTIONS UPON TIE
THOMAS CONCERTS.
An Applause which Could Not be Sup.
pressed-Incidents and Impressions
Of the First Musical Concert.

The city is warm and dusty by day and
:" muggy and dark by night but in
spite of all, and all the more, do the peo-
pie swarm to the pavilion to hear the
Thomas concerts. To be sure, goodly
company of the audiences has totally mis-
taken the true inwardness of the organiza-
ton, and instead of orchestra concerts
fondly imagine that all that wonderful en-.
semble of perfect instruments is for Is to
accompany the charming Emma Thursby
but even these deluded ones 90, if only for
the chance of hearing their favorite once.
By the way, the audience had little
tussle with Thomas iron will this after
noon at the last concert, and the soldierly
old director had the best of it, of course.
If they had studied the shape of his head
and his physiognomy, they would have
known that defeat was destined to be theirs
in any such contest. 1t was like this
Miss Thursby sang HandePs Sweet
Bird" with a flute obligato, and was rap.
turously recalled, and again, and yet again,
with such storms of applause as seemed to
solicit without words-I had almost said
tacitly-a concession from the lordly ukase
on the subject Of encores. Miss Thursby
bowed and
SMILED HER PRETTIEsT
Aud disappeared, but the clappiDg went
on. Mr.. Thomas took the stand still the
audience clapped and stamped. Mr..
Thomas raised his baton same uproar.
The movements of the members of the
orchestra showed that the Midsummer
Nights Dream" scherzo was in process of
rendition, but nothing was audible except
a tutti of boots, sticks and palms, while a
hiss occasionally zig-zagged across the
sturdier background of sound. No effect
was produced on the decision Of the in.
flexible director, however; he inexorably
waved his white baton to the last notes Of
the Mendelssohn number, and the multi
tude gradually subsidized. Then they
sulked, the hayward throng they bon
daient Thomas, for he had arranged the
rest of his programme for the popular ear
exc!usively-the Rigoletto quartet, and
waltzes and polbas by the Strausses bat
everything after the unanswered recall was
received IN
STRICTLY NON COA1NITTAL SILENCE.
What a season it has been What an
event in the city's life and in the lives of
many of the individuals composing the
great audiences To SO many of US it is
such music as we never hoped to hear.
There are just few things more grateful,
more Overwhelmingly satisfactory in real
ization than in the most fervent antieipa-
ton, and rich music by a trained orchestra
is assuredly one of them. The first night,
when there was such jam and crush at
the doors, and, once seated, the audience
on the floor began locating the boxes-the
Haggin, the Hopkins, the Sanderson, the
Parrott, the BAbcock box-and making a
note of the white costumes, the instant
Thomas raised his baton, evoking like a
wizards wand the first strong notes of
the Tannhauser overture, the often-men-
toned
ELECTRIC THRILL AND HUSH
Went over the audiences that is only to be
produced by genuine power. As Thomas
stood there night after night, directing the
great symphonies and overtures of the
world, he was an epitome of brains in
diligently applied with perseverance to-
ward definite aim. Sometimes he seemed
like performer on some mighty, complex
instrument, and sometimes like a General
directing his forces-separate wills, yet all
bent to one object. He has the round head
and deep.set eyes of General, too. Every
instrument in the orchestra has the choice
tone of solo instrument, and all seem
music. saturated, as if but to touch them
would elicit musical reverberation. The
Californians, Louis and Ernst Schmitt, are
with the orchestra-the former among
the FIRST violins, the latter with the cellos.
The bowling of the players of the stringed
instruments was an endless wonder and
delight-so absolutely uniform that a
board arranged just to clear one would
never be struck by the others. The
grandest burst of sound, the fullest and
completest and most satisfying, was the
march and chorus from Tannhauser on the
Wagner night.
THE CHORUS OF SIX HUNDRED VOICES,
Beautifully trained by Mr.. Loring, one Of
the most intelligent workers in the cause of
music that the city possesses, did its work
with spirit and confidence that spoke vol.
umes for their enthusiasm and study, and
the wonderful drilling of their master. The
house was picture, especially when seen
from the balcony boxes. The parallelo-
gram of the chairs upon the floor lying be-
tween the graduated tiers of the chorus
seats at one end, and the upstairs gradu-
ated seats for the rest of the audience at
the other, and framed in by the double
row of dress. circle boxes, while above ran
the balcony boxes, specially well filled On
the Wagner and Beethoven nights. All
the vocalists were exceptionally good, no
one phenomenal-that is, not what one
would call "big" voice-for even be-
witching Miss Thursby, while her voice is
pure and true, and her execution nearly
perfection, and her repertory extended,
lacks a certain majesty and heartfulness
which are part of a great voice. One OF
her most delightful numbers was the ia
miliar "una voce," from " the Barber, u
whose light, arch variations suited her
voice and style equally
IN N EVIL DAY
Mrs. Humphrey Allen decided that she
was dramatic singer, and gave her mind
to the study of the great air from g Fret.
schultz and Beethoven's "Ah Perfido, y
and the method she employed to tame the
latter would make her fortune if she