Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-11-25
MOZART CLUB NIGHT.
An Auspicious Opening of Pittsburg's
Musical Season.
THE CAUSE OF ART ADVANCED.
Massenets 0ratorio Eve Given Before Crit
ical Audience.
EXCELLENT WORK BY THE ORCHESTRA

l0e hOZart SluD gave itS ATSb COHCeII VI
the season last night, at Old City Hall, in
the presence of a large and cultured audi
ence 1t is pleasant to see the number and
the quality of the clientele upon which
Pittsburg's leading musical organization
can now constantly depend; it is the right
result of the 13 years of earnest, upward
striving in the cause of art on the part of
Conductor James P. McCollum and his
jealous co-workers.
Mendelssohn's ''Melusine" overture
opened the concert. Its suave and graceful
measures gave opportunity to hear what
was in most respects the best local orches-
ira thus far got together by the Mozart
Club. BY some mischance the bassoons failed
10 put in an appearance as also did the
gentleman who plays the drums and other
instruments of percussion. They were
badly missed further along in the pro-
gramme, but the Mendelssohn niece Jared
quite well without them. The rest of the
wood-wind did their best to make up for the
absentees, and the string band proved to be
in all points superior to any of its prede-
cessors.
The orchestra, as now made up Counting
in the absentees mentioned) is well worth
working with. There were very many
points of excellence in its playing; quite
enough to justify the expense and labor of
several more rehearsals, In the confident e1-
pectation of attaining that complete GER
tainty and refinement which come only
through much practice, and which so incal-
culably increase the total effect of the per-
formance.
Eve Given for the First Time.
The remainder of the. evening was de-
voted to the first production of Massenet's
Eve" The author, Louis Gallet. calls
this work "a mystery" showing his intent
10 exploit the field once occupied by the
medieval ''miracl, PLAYS" or "mysteries,"
the precursors at once of modern oratorio
and the sung or spoken drama. 1t is in
three parts: l. ''The Pirth of Woman" III,
''The temptation" LII. 'The Fall, with an
Epilogue, 1.-The Curse" The central idea,
according with Milton, is that the fall of
man first found expression in sensuous love;
and the idea is worked out in page after
page of perfervid, amatory verse; the Gallic
quality of which is quite sufficiently pre-
served in DR.. Francis Hueffer's very sing
able English version.
'Eve" was fruit of Massenets early
maturity. 1t was produced in 1875, two
years after his first oratorio, %'Marie Mag
deleine" (Which some critics deem still his
best work., and two years before his first
great operatic success. "Le Roi de Lohore,"
which helped to make him in 1873 at Sc
years OF age, the Youngest person ever elected
to the Academic Francais. "Eve" must
be classed as an oratorio-though not
of the type of Handel or even of Mendels-
sohn. 1t belongs to the same class with
those works of Rubinstein, Gounod and
G.. Il. Il
and dramatic treatment is giver the sacred
theme. 1t is still oratorio, however, and
would not be so well suited for dramatic
and scenic production some others of the
modern works alluded IT,
Moments of Po-ec Fancy.
1t is in the moment; of poetical fancy |
and of anatorv emotion which so abounds |
in this work that Massenet's music is at its |
best. The opening number for chorus and |
orchestra is most graciou; and happily con-
ceived, and the first exchange of sentiment |
of peaceful innocence. The succeeding |
section portrays most vividly the life |
and motion of young, vigorous
nature upon the new created earth. Very
alluring is the temptation held out BIZ the |
voices of the night" in an unaccompanied
chorus and EUeS dreamy, melodious solo |
shows her in a most receptive mood, which |
rises to splendid enthusiasm over the |
vision of power held out by the tempters
The finest number is the great passionate |
duet with Adam, which ensues, and particu- |
larly the section dominated by lovely |
theme that reminds one of the love-duet in |
"Lohengrin." This whole episode is most |
eloquentlv set forth In startling contrast |
comes the final curse, pronounced with the |
full force of chorus and orchestra in some |
highly effective and dramatic passages
a. l.1-- l. r. II
which "Eye" has been given in it's COM |
poser's own land as also in this country,
where it was first produced by Mr. Clement |
Tetedou1, in 1881 at Chicago, with Miss |
Jean Wallace (now Mrs. L. C. Webster) in |
the title part.
The Singing Was on a High Plane.
In most respects the singing ofthe Mozart |
Club last evening was on the high plane to |
which II has accustomed us. The precision /
of attack and cutoff, the noble volume of |
tone from each part, the remarkably pure
intonation and the vigor and spirit through
out-all call for high commendation Only
once or twice was there any noticeable un- /
certainty, fine record for difficult work
like this. The shading, however, calls
loudly (too loudly) for attention. Hardly |
single pid7aiSSinao was given, though fire.
quently indicated. 1t is time that this
branch of effect received more serious con-
sideration from Conductor McCollum and
his singers.
Mr.. Edward H. Dermitt did excellent
work in the high baritone part of Adam
Certain faults of method aside, his singing
was artistic and full of appropriate feeling.
Mr.. Harry B. Brockett, JE, though his
voice showed the effect of spell of illness
sang with the utmost intelligence the lines
of the Narrator. Miss May Beeslev did not
shine as EOe. The part is not in anv way
suited TO her; it calls for dramatic
soprano, of sympathetic voice, with broad
declamatory style in certain passages and
ir