The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-12-19


to and fro; young ladies in black silks
and velvets and sstins; old men-wbere
we're 80 many men with white hair ever
seen before stately with thin faces, bald
teachers, college professors. Tiers OF
seats in the form OF half a pyramid rise
at either end of the organ. These are
filling with the chorus-soprauos and al
tos in black dresses and white shawls,
tenors aud BASES in black coats, white
neck-ties and kids. In front, between
the great chorus, rises dark statue, and
around this musicians are gathering
players on violins, violas, violoncellos,
contra BASES, flutes, oboes, bassoons,
trumpets, trombones, horns; the pyra-
midal seats fill the hall overflows; the
doors are full, the galleries. The instru-
ments tune. A dark-haired man steps
upon the conductors stand; he raises his
baton there Is hush, then half hun
dred instruments pour fourth the SYM
phony.
DIT listens. He has never heard such
music before he did not know that any
thing like it was ever heard on earth. 1t
grows sweeter and sweeter:
Comfort ye."
Did an angel speak ? The instru.
ments are sweeter now:
Comfort ye my people,"
Did the voice come from the air 2
DIT listens and wonders If this is earth.
"oomiSr. ye, comfort ye my people. saith your God,
Dot sees tall man standing alone in
front of the musicians-is it he that is
singing? Dot gazes upon his face with
wild eyes. 1t is he-and he is the tenor
who had befriended him the night before
What music followed when the chorus
rose and sang:
Every valley shall be exalted I"
Dot hears the grand music sweep on,
and he feels, as all feel, that the glorious
Messiah is about to appear. He sees a
lady in white satin and flashing Jewels
step forward he hears ripple of ap.
plause, and voice full of strength and
feeling sings:
30 thou that tellest good tdinss to Zion thou that
teest good %nsS to Jsrpsaem say unto the cities of
Dot knows that voice. Will indeed she
lift her eyes to him ?
| No, she does not. She sits down, the
hall ringing with applause. She rises,
bows, but does not look toward the statue
of Apollo, near which Dot is sitting.
| Dot hears dreamy music now, more en-
chanting than any before it. The great
audience do not stir, or move fan, or
raise a glass. 1t grows more ethereal; it
seems now but wavy motion in the air.
He hears lady near whisper:
"The pastoral symphony"
The alto has risen again. She stands
out from the great chorus-what beau
tiful figure The dark-haired man lifts
his baton the lady turns her face toward
the upper gallery. Her ewes wander for
a moment; they rest on-Dot:
"He shall feed his flock like shepherd, and he shall
gather the smes T w.t.. , hs arm and eaIy them 10 his
There was no applause now. Tears
stood in the altos eyes-tears stood in the
eyes of every one. There was a deep
hush, and tears, and in the silence the alto
stood looking steadily at-Dot.
There was rustic in the hall-it grew.
The silence was followed by commotion
that seemed to rock the hall. The ap.
plause gathered force like tempest
Then the beautiful lady looked toward
Dot, and sang again the same wonderful
air, and all the hall grew still, and peo-
pies eyes were wet again.
The Hallelujsh chorus with its grand
fugues, was sung, the people rising and
standing with bowed heads during the
majestic outpouring of praise.
1t is ended now-faded and gone. The
great organ stands silent in the dark hall
the coaches have rolled away, the clocks
are striking midnight.
81 have come to congratulate you before
retiring" said our tenor to the alto, as hi
stepped into the parlor of the Revere
House. "To.night has been the triumph
of your life. Nothing 80 moved the audi
ence as He shall feed his flock like
shepherd
"Do you know to what owed the feel
ing that so inspired me in that air ?"
mo"
alt was poor little Dot in the gallery
You teach music, do you not 7"
eyes"
"You are about to open school ?"
"Yes."
"Give Dot a place as off ,e.boy-er
rand.toy-something. 1t will lift &
weight from my heart"
81 had thought of it. He has beau
tiful voice."
81 might get him place in a choir"
Fifteen years have passed. The oil,
Handel and Hayden Society have suut
1.-The Messiah" fifty, perhaps sixt,
times. The SHOWS of December ar,
again on the hills. The grand oratorio il
again rehearsing for the Sabbath evening
before Christmas.
A new tenor is to sing on the occasion
he was born in Boston, aud has studied
in Milan, and has achieved great triumph
as an interpreter of sacred music in Lon
don and Berlin.
The old hall is filled again. TIL
symphony has begun its dulcet enchaut
ment; the tenor, with a face iuminou
and spiritual, arises, and with his frs
notes thrills the audience and holds it a
, by spell:
, Comfort ye."
He thought of the time when he frs
heard those words. He thought of tn
hearts whose kindness had made him
singer. Where were they2 their voice
had vanished from the choirs of eartt
but In spirit those sweet singers seeme
lowering around him:
Comfort ye my people,"
He looked, too, toward the Apollo o
the wall. He recalled the limp below,
, boy who had sat there sixteen years ago
How those words then comforted him