Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-21
THE CELLO PLAYER.
by Allen G.. Bigelow.


knee clasped in both his hands, and Il
meditative look in his fine, expressive,
brown eyes | stood facing him with my
back against the gallery rail, my two ell
bows resting upon it and an equally med
itatve look in my eyes of no particular
fneness of color. know how | looked
because | could glance beyond Gilbert
into the looking glass over the ieyboards.
And between the looking-glass and the
keyboards, lying open at the last page,
upon the music rack was what had thrown
both Gilbert and me into this meditative
silence. 1t was IL piece of manuscript
music, written in an eXquisitely neat
hand, clear as copperplate, yet full of
character and rs unlike the soulless work
OF the professional .copyist as possible.
The music was defaced by stains, had
been torn and patched, was thumbworn
at the lower corners, and altogether show
ed hard usage.
The reason that Gilbert and thus faced
each other in medtative silence was that
he had just been playing this composition
while listened. Had you heard it, you
too would have sunk into silence as we
did ; and am much mistaken If your eyes
would not have held beside meditative
look, a perceptible moisture. Either Gill
bert's organ mirror was shamefuily be-
clouded with dust, or else my eyes were
dangerously full, for my face looked in
distinct in the glass. | had never heard
the piece before but Gilbert played it,
hardly CHANGING ut it, though he turned
the leaves us he went along.
1t was a requiem evidently composed
for use in the Roman Catholic service
a sad yet noble work that filed the arches
of the great empty church with the very
spirit of woe as the minor harmonles
flowed up the nave, and seemed to surge
against the very altar itself, as if seeking
solace where alone il might be found.
My heart SWelled more and more as it
neared the close. After the final chord,
and when the tears within me We're trem-
bling on the divide, not knowing which
way to flow, | glanced at the last page of
the music. There, after the heavily ruled
double bar at the end, written between
the slaves in the same odd yet beautiful
hand, We're the Words
ODE profuldiS claimant ad te, Dominic"
1t was then that my tears refused to go
back whence they had come.
As we thus faced each other the after
noon sun suddenly sank below the caves
of the church roof and shone directly
through Il window into the organ loft,
staining Gilbert's face and hands. He
quickly got down from the bench turned
and leaned his elbows upon it, and look
ing at the manuscript in an odd sort OF
way, said "l'll tell you where"
AT first did not understand him but
IN moment | remembered that after he
had stopped playing | had asked "Where
did yOu get it, Gilbert ~ and that he had
not answered me or spoken single word
till now. | sat down in a chair aud Gil
bert began his story
II had been engaged to direct the spring
festival Of the Mortified Musical associa
ton i'll 1870. The festival was to last three
days, and the closing performance to con
sist entirely of Mendelssohn's oratorio,
Elijah | must say that the Mortified
association was one of the best chOruses it
has ever been my fortune to conduct. 1t
was composed of the best singers in five
towns, and numbered some $50 voices
When tell you they were all good, bal
anced each other perfectly, and that they
had their Elijah music well learned
when first met them, three days before
its performance, you will readily under
stand that 1t was pleasure to conduct
4hem.
The committee had spared no expense in
making their arrangements. Metz was to
sing Elijah-and when all is said and
done | would rather hear Metz sing that
part than any other man in the country
The other SOLO voices were capital and
sion.
"Everything went along smoothly till
the last rehearsal of 'Ehjah.' Then Metz
whose singing | love, but whose dsposi
ton | hate, began his tantrums. | had
selected GrOZZi to play the solo cello
well knowing that Metz would not sing
his part at all unless 1T is enough wa.
accompanied as ii should be. Now GroZZ
can play the cello obligato to 1T is
enough nearly as well as Metz can sing
it. But for some reason Metz found fault
with the way GrOzzi played the oblgato
and the whole rehearsal came to stand
still We tried three several times, ant
each time Metz stopped stock still as
soon as Grozzl had played the introduc
ton, and dumbly refused to 90 ON. | wa,
angry. The whole chorus gaZed down a
the actors III TINS absurd drama much "a
they might have looked upon dog figh
from the raised seats of an amphitheatre
| saw that unless | asserted my authority
there would be total decentralization. Tn,
pause after the third stoppage was bu
momehtary. ! raped sharply for the at
tentlon, turned the leaves of my score an
nounced the next number, skipped tn,
troublesome solo entire, and away we al
went, leaving Metz standing with hi
book in hand, livid with rage. Present.,
ne sat down III his chair, fixed his eyes on
the chandelier in the center of the hall
ana dId not move until the intermi-
son. we skipping everything in Elijah
part
AT the intermisson Metz arose an,
Left the hall. Where he went | did no
care ! was thoroughly mad, and woul
have abandoned the whole oratOrio am
given concert of selected music whic
we could readily have done, before woul
have omitted to Metz's childishnes,
and told the committee SO.
After the rehearsal the committe
came to me in great distress. 'ElIial
was the chief attraction of the three day.
session, Every seat in the house ha
been taken, they said, and only 'Eliial
would do. The people would not put Il
with anything else, and yet there WA
Metz smoking "A cigar on the veranda {
the hote "a hotel by the way already owe
crowded by those who had come from
distance to hear 'Elijah'-the obstinat
basso evidently determined not to sing
note. Not one of the committee dared {
beard the lion in his den; would | tr
him and see if could pacify him? No.
said, very emphatically. | would not col
descend to pacify Metz. But | woul
make him sing, if the committee desire
me to.