Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-06-02
THE MUSIC WORLD.
A Retrospective Glance at the Most
Striking Features Of
THE MAY MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
Something Better Than the Average Con-
cert in the Future
SOME LESSONS THAT MAY BE LEARNED

With the.whole community now shudder-
ing inst outside the awful shadow of the
death angels wing it is hard to think back
to last week, when public interest was CEN
tered upon the social and musical brilIiance
of the May Festival And yet before
that event passes too far out of mind, it may
be we'll to take retrospective glance at its
main features. Some instructive lessons
may be learned for future occasions of a
similar nature.
For we do want to have festivals in the
future. Until Pittsburg's musical activity
became great enough to maintain perma-
nently complete modern orchestra of the
first quality and q chorus of half a
thousand or so; great enough to keep
up succession of regular concerts in which
these two elements will be aided by solo
artists of the first rank both local and for
eign-until, in>short, the normal level of
musical life here shall be somewhat the same
as in Boston, New York and one or two
other cities, the musical festival will con-
tinue to be of great value in supplementing
our ordinary activities and helping to bring
about that period of local self-suficiency.
ButWe hope the future will bring us festivals
considerably better in some essential points,
than the late series of imposing miscellaneous
concerts can claim to be. The chorus, which
should have been the chief factor
least First, in the meager list of works as
signed to it. One-third of the Creation"
with the "Deluge" and the finale to the ninth
symphony (both the latter being rather orches-
raj than choral works. formed the chief points
of the chorus work here while in the same week
the festival chorus down in little Petersburg,
~ -11%o 1rSr
other interesting numbers besides Of this
meager list the ninth symphony finale was the
only important thing that was really well done;
the rest was mediocre or worse. The chorus
being mostly placed at the very end
of the big, overloaded, inartistlcally-con-
tired to enjoy it even if it had not been inter-
rupted by the scores of impolite persons that
tramped out toward the close of each evening
eT; Ketser @ re 5 ana ms IS SINGERS are not by any
bly, did the best they could under the cir
cumstances. The time was too short for
properly organizing and drilling the
chorus and forS rehearsing q full festival
programme. It takes two years, at
least for any new chorus to do that; even the
well established festival chorus Of Cincinnati
Biennial festivals, not ANNALS are what we
want then. That will give time, toe, to or
ganize the chorus more compactly and efi-
ciently.
AS for the orchestra it is better to have
fewer players, and more rehearsals Mr..
Seidl and his players did wonders, but
the absolute result could not ap-
proaeh the wel-nigh hawless work of
the Boston Symphony Orchestra during the
previous week. Secure a regularly organized,
permanent orchestra, set them at rehearsal
Several days to full! rehearsals here with chorus
and soloists. This would cost little if
any more than to pay the Is or 20 extra players,
and would be immensely more productive from
inf
The solo list was about as good this time as it
could be conveniently made. Such occasions
can ALWAYS count on securing fair number of
the leading artists in the country at the time
TO make up the third land in a festival the
least importantly Of the performing depart
ments.
Not much more need be said of the pro-
grammes. The criticisms passed on them when |
announced were well borne out by the result |
The great preponderance of Wagner's music /
Certainly was not in line with the best festival
heals (concert music, not opera, is what /
Aelongs therel, and just as certainly failed to
please the people as the management hoped.
With such lessons laid to heart, permanent /
scheme for bienlial musical festivals is Just /
y hat Pittsburg wants.
Musical Editor Of The dispatch:
Could you possibly settle an argument lust now |
on the tapis by informing me for whom the kissing
was intended last Saturday evening, after the |
duet by Madam and Herr Paul Kalisch. By so |
Yours respectfully, NV.
With pleasure. The hissing-at least that in
which the writer heartily Joined with the |
better element In the audience-was in |
tended to silence the greedy mob that /
insisted on getting more after the singers had |
most clearly indicated that they could not sing
again, and in SO doing gave a grievous insult to
the eminent director who stood there, baton in
hand, to proceed with the rest of the superb
programme which the mob would have sacri-
iced to the whlm OF the moment
Many blusheo Tor the city at that moment
ANY of the ordinary kinds of public enter
it would seem like ghastly mockery
TO hold for the benefit of the Johnstovu suffer-
ers. And yet a great concert might be ar
ranged with programme that would be a
ht ing memorial of the music-loving populace
30 sadly stricken down, and at the same
time form another wide channel for popular
contribution toward their relief. The Mozart
Club with Gounod's touching elegy "GaIlia"
20 build on, might readily construct a suitable
programme If promptly given, such a concert
would be thoroughly in touch with the deep
felt by the people of Pittsburg for /
her sorely afflicted sister community.