Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-06-07
THE MUSIC WORLD.
Review Of Friday Nights Concert
That Closes the Season of the
Popular Mozart Club.
DEFICIT OF THE NAY FESTIVAL
To be Wiped Out by Means of Very Excellent
Programmes to Be Given at the
Duquesne Theater.
RUSSTHS ATTITUDE TOWARD THE ART.
Items Fran at Home and Abroad That VIII Interest
Lovers Of Bars and Spaces.

ready for little else than simple sweets like
these:
Bridal Chorus, Rose Maiden" Cowen
Miss Carrie Angel.
'-O'- Mr.. F. ". Beari. 's'A
1ei' Miss Irene ss;nnie'
Miss Mn Beesiey. '''' -l' ''S'
MIR. j. Boyd Duif.
Miss Lucia Asic
'.wynke:, Blynken and Nod,''
"A Dutch Lullaby for Soprano Solo and Chorus.
Set to Music by Ethelhert Nevin.
Mrs. NJ. Henkler and Chorus.
Love Hail'd Little Maid .6ang
Mrs. +. e. Frlcke.
"oi"e 10 me'''ir Mr., Ed Ed Ed:irom. DenNa
My Heart Heart at Thy Sweet Voice (samPsOn ct
'''''" Miss Margaret 4. Crouch.
Mr. VI. b. Edwards. ~'-''A
Snn6er song Rn, Ries
Miss May Beesley.
Miss Jennie Evans. Miss Lizzie Reed and Messrs.
Geriing, Muslin, Bullock. Wagner and chorus.
The Ballad Concert is of value also, be-
cause Of the good opportunity it affords tor
giving prizes, as it WERE in the shape of solo
assignments to the faithful ones WHO have
contributed so much toward the excellent
choral work which is the Mozart Clubs chief
pride. This stimulus TO the chorus singers is
now of relatively greater significance since
advancing standards make it less desirable
to have the cultivation of local sole talent
figure so prominently in the clubs more inn
portant programmes during future seasons
The chorus singing of Friday evening was
not up to the clubs high standard. The
Rose Maiden" extract was evidently too
familiar: il was treated with good natured
carelessness that forbade much precision
and refinement. The quality and balance of
the whole body of tone was, however alto
gether delightful in this rs in the other
choral numbers. In the Lucia" fragment
the soloists were somewhat over
weighted and the minor chorus part was not
smoothly fitted in. Ethelbert Nevin's set
ting OF the quaint and charming lullaby was
the prime feature of the programme. 1t is
absolutely delicious music, poetically con-
ceived and skilfully worked out possessing
charm of its own that acted like magic
on Friday evenings audience as it has
wherever it has been heard. Its repetition
was compelled by such hearty, continuing
applause as is not often heard. This was the
more remarkable since the grateful work
was not sung altogether as it deserves nor
as this chorus is capable of singing it,
Various changes in tempo and in
degree OF force along with some
indicated by the composer, were more or
less disregaTded, The chorus was rarely
soft enough to form proper background TO
Mrs. Henkler's acceptable delivery of the |
solo part; but this was due largely to the |
fact that Mr.. Prftchard's unexpected alb |
sence threw his share of the pianoforte ac-
NJ
tings, who, naturally enough. erred on the
side OF giving the singers too much support |
rather than too little.
Space is lacking, were it otherwise desir- |
able, to reYiew in detail the singing of the |
numerous soloists. In the kind of music |
they wisely chose most of them were able to |
attain very satisfying results. Miss Mar
Earet A. Crouch deserves to be singled ont |
for her thoroughly artistic and truly i'm
passloned Interpretation of the Saint-Saens
aria. Miss Crouch proved herself one of
our very best sopranos: she should be heard
more often. Mr.. Rinehart Mayer played
the accompaniment particularly well.
word 1S 9 as '' well pO' for T''S the luscious, S
sympathetic voice as for the repose and ex-
pressiyeness of her singing. Mr.. Edstrom's
agreeable tenor was for the most part well |
handled. Miss Beesley was not in good |
voice nor was Mr.. Edwards; neither of them |
did Justice to their proven capabilities.
Miss Angel, Mrs. Fricke, Miss Ashe, Mr.. |
Duff and Mr. Bearl justified their selection
for solo work on this occasion.
The audience filled the hall and bestowed
most appreciative plaudits upon all the
efforts put forth by the varied forces arTayed
under Conductor james z. McCollum.
Promises of the Festival Patron esses.
As the appended programme will show, an
extremely enjoyable evening is to be antici-
pated by all who attend the entertainment
to be given next Friday mot Thursday at
the Duquesne Theater under the auspices of
the May Festival Patronesses and a few
prominent men, for the purpose of making
up as much as may be of the deficit result
ing from last months big event.
just a word on the subject of deficits In
such enterprises. 1t is an absolutely clear
deduction from the history, not OF Pittsburg
alone, but of the entire musical world, that
music on the gTandest scale is not to be eX-
pecUed to pay for itself, no more than great
exhibitions of paintings or sculptures. The
fine arts do not and cannot stand simply on |
the plane Of business enterprises.
Throughout Europe the Governments, the |
cities and the petty potentates universally
make regular appropriations for the sup
port of musical undertakings. They could |
not exist otherwise (That word, ''they'' |
may almost be construed with either the po- |
litical powers or the undertakings; music's |
value to peaceful, cOntented society is well !
understood over therei) In our own coun- |
try, the Higginsons, the Carnegies and all |
the other publjc-spirited private individ- |
ulilS, richer and poorer. have to assume the |
burden which our Government has never |
taken Up.
Commenting upon the customary spring |
crop OF music festival deficits (including |
Pittsburg'sl and the various public-spirited |
plans for meeting them, last weeks Musical |
Courier eLtract this crImb of comfort from /
the situation: I'VE understand that there |
are many losses OF like nature in the large /
list musical festivals this season, which is |
q happy omen, as it indicates that music is |
being paid Tor by those who are blessed with !
abundant earthly goods"
Let Us hope that in Pittsburg the common
duty of helping out valuable a public /
institution as the recurring music festivals 1
viii this week 0e fully performed not only /
bv the wealthy but also by the general mass |
of music lovers, to whom the following popu- |
lar attractive programme should be strong /
stimulus:
''The Message Of Spring.. .Gade
Festival Chorus.
Buck
Mr.. John A. Strouss.
''O"H Miss Mamie Reuck.
Mrs. Maurice 1. Coster.
''ShadOw Song - tDnorah) .Meyerbeer
Miss May Beesley.
Variations for two pianos on Beethoven
Mr. Carl Retter and Mr.. Jos. H. Cuttings.
Quartet from ''RgOlettoN Verdi
Miss Agnes Vogei. Mrs. Mary r. Scott, Mr.. Paul /
,.,.,, ZImmcr1na8 and Mr. john A. strouss.
ta) tiavotte Cb) Tambourine dance.
Thirty two Masters and Misses, trained by
cirsv Tieo Miss Davis schuu,rn
OpsE .pCnun ann
Festival Chorus.
Ny Heart at Thy Sweet Voice" (Samsonet
Miss Agnes Vogel.
Miss Mamie Reuck.
Mr.. Paul Zimmerman.
Mrs. Maurice l. Coster.
ITO sevilla' Dessauer
Mrs. Mary r. Scott
':Iuflalnmatfs'' tStalat Materl Rossni
Miss May Beesley aud Festival Chorus.
-
What Russia Is Doing for Music.
Apropos Of Mr. Tschaikowsky's brief
American trip Mr.. Krehbiel make the follow
ing suggestive remarks in the Tribune:
AS Tor the people of the United States,
there WAS a highly suggestive lesson in NJ
lx~-r.wr ~l.A l