The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-16
Printed ~ Special Arranosme~s- Copyrighted 1861
The CELLO PLAYER
BIZ ALLEN G. BIGELow.

My friend Gilbert sat on the organ bench, his
back to the manuals his left knee clasped IN both
his hands, and a meditative look in his fine, ex-
pressive brown eyes. / stood facing him with
my back against the gallery rail- my two
elbows resting upon it and an equally medi
tative look in my eyes of no particular
0neness or color. 1 know how Gilbert
looked because I could gaze directly into his
face / know how I looked because I could
glance beyond Gilbert into the looking glass
over the key boards. And between the looking
glass and the key boards, lying open at the last
page. upon the music rack, was what had thrown
both Gilbert sid me into this meditative silence.
twas piece of manuscript music, written in an
exquisitely neat hand, clear as copperplate. yet
full of character. and unlike the soulless work
of the professional copyist as possible. The
music was defaced by stains. had bean torn and
patched, was thumbworn at the lower corners,
and altogether showed hard usage.
The reason that Gilbert and thus faced each
other in meditative silence was that he had just
been playing this composition while I 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 med
itative look, perceptible moisture Either
Gilbert's organ mirror was shamefully becloud-
ed with dust or else my eyes were dangerously
full. for my face looked irdistinct in the glass.
1 had never heard the piece before but Gilbert
played it. hardly glancing at it, though he turned
the leaves as he went along
1t was requiem, evidently composed for use
in the Roman Catholic service-a sad yet noble
work that filled the arches of the great empty
church with the very spirit of woe as the minor
harmonies flowed; up the nave and seemed to
surge against the very altar itself, as if seeking
solace where alone it might be found. My heart
swelled more and more as it neared the close.
After the final chord, and when the tears within
me were trembling on the divide, not kno wing
which way to flow, I 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, were the
words:
DE profundis CLAIMANT ad te. Domino" 1t
was then that my tears refused to go back
whence they had come.
AS We thus faced each other the afternoon sun
suddenly sunk below the caves of the church
roof and shone directly through a window into
the organ loft staining Gilberts face and hands
He quickly got down from the bench, turned and
leaned his elbows upon it, and looking at the
manuscript in an odd sort of way, said: IN
tell you where
At first did not understand him, but in a
moment remembered that after he had stopped
playing had asked: Where did you get it
Gilbert9' and that he had not answered me Or
spoken single word till now. l sat down in a
chair and Gilbert began his story:
~ had been engaged to direct the spring festi-
Val of the Northield Musical Association in
1870. The festival was to last three days, and
the closing performance to consist entirely
of Mendelssohn's oratorio, Elijah. I must
pay that the Mortified association was
one of the. best choruses it has been
my fortune to conduct. It was composed
of the best singers in Ave towns, and numbered
some $50 voices. When I tell you that they
were all good balanced each other perfectly, and
that they had their Elijah music we'll learned
when first met them. three days before its per-
formance you will readily understand that it
was pleasure to conduct them.
'sThe committee had spared no expen Sc in
making their arrangements Metz was to sing
Eliiah-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
eapital. and had an orchestra picked for the
occasion.
Everything went along smoothly till the last
eehearsal of Elijah Then Metz, whose sing
Ing love- but whose disposition I hate began
his tantrums I had selected Grozz to play
the solo Cello we'll knowing that Metz
would not sing his part at all unless 1t
IsRenough' was accompanied as it should be-
Now Grozzi can play the cello obligato to 1T is
enough nearly as well as Metz himself can sing
It, But, for some reason, Metz found fault with
the way Grozzi played the obligato, and
the whole rehearsal came to G standstill. We
tr led three several times, and each time Metz
stopped stock still as soon as Grozzi had played
the introduction, and dumbly refused to go on.
was angry. The whole chorus gazed down at
the actors in this absurd drama much as they
might have looked upon dog fight from the
raised seats of an amphitheater. / saw that un
less / asserted my authority there would be
total decentralization. The pause after the third
stoppage WIS but momentary. raped
sharply for attention, turned the
nsNt number on skpOea he
solo entire. and away we all went, leaving Metz
standing with his book in. his hand lvid with
rage. Presently he sat down in his chair, fixed
his eyes on the chandelier in the center of the
hall, and did not move until the intermisson.
we skipping everything in Elijah's part
''At the intermsson Metz arose and left the
hail. Where he went / did not l was
thoroughly mad, and would have abandoned
the whole oratorio and given concert of Sc
lected music, which could readily have done,
before would have submitted to Metzs child
ishness, and told the committee so.
AFTER the rehearsal the committee came to
me in great distress. Elijah the chief at
traction Of the three days session. Every seat
in the house had been taken, they said and only
Elijah would do. The people would not put up
with anything else, and yet there was Metz
smoking a cigar on the veranda of the hotel-a
hotel, by the way, already overcrowded by those
who had come from a distance to hear Elijah
the obstinate basso evidently determined not
to sing a note. Not one of the committee dared
beard the lion in his den would try him and