Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-04-19
They Challenge Criticism.

They Challenge Criticism.
Here are two programmes that can challenge
criticism according to the highest standards of
the art. The Boston orchestra, neither under
Mt Gericke nor Mr.. NiKisch, has given us such
a programme heretofore; indeed, the writer's
memory does not bring Up any orchestral pro.
gramme offered in this city quite equal to the
scheme above outlined for Thursday evening.
wi h the single exception of the Beethoven
night of the May Festival of 1888. The second
programme. too, in presenting 4 complete
choral work of the rank and magnitude of
Nerdi's Requiem, will stand good a COM
parison with any choral concert, Festival or
otherwise, that We have had for a number of
years.
In the performance of these admirable pro-
grammes is enlisted the best chorus Pittsburg
has produced. that of the Mozart Club, which
is now closing its twelfth season of earnest
artistic work-a permanent body composed of
the choicest local material, and from its incep-
ton continuously under the careful and eff
GENT drilling OF Conductor James p. Nc
COlluln.
There is also enlisted the finest orchestra
this country has produced-thankS to the phil
anthToplc enterprise of Banker Higglnson, who
clearly that the best artistic results are at
fainable only from permanent body of players
occupied daily and exclusively upon the best
music and under jhe same conductor, and then
had the courage to back up his opinion TO the
extent OF paying an annual deficit amounting
as estimated by a reputable critic at the close
OF the eighth season ;lSSS-S9) 10 the pretty sum
total Of SIG, ,S64 up tn that date With what
great and justifiable qualification must
NOT Mr. HigginSon look back over
tie decase, noting that for several seasons past
the fashionable people of Boston have been
bidding premiums of from S. to 500 and over
Tor choice OF season tickets, while many thou
sands OF poorer music-lovers have enjoyed the
concerts AZ prices from % to 50 cents apiece OBJ
Serving that the foremost critics throughout
the country now unanimously acknowledge the
Boston symphony Orchestra to be without
men of Chicago. New York and San Francisco
now uniting to follow his footsteps by subscrib-
ing guarantee funds for permanent orchestras
upon the same lines.
The Mozart Club has for these concerts en-
gagged solo singers worthy and accustomed TO
appear wl:h such a chorus and orchestra. Mrs
BISHOP. Nj. zimmerman and DR.. Martin are al
ready known and much admired here. Mrs
NIkisch is the wife of Mr.. Arthur Nikisch the
Ei-hly-priZed conductor of the Boston Sym-
pEOny Orchestra, and is herself a singer whose
European reDute and recent appearances in
important concerts in this country commend
her to Pittsburg's attention. For Miss Lena
Little, the contralto, quite as much favor is be-
spoken by her successes at home and abroad.
~
The Origin of REQUIEM,
Preliminary to 4 more extended notice next
week of Verdi's "2ianzoni Requiem" first
produced May %, 1874 the following little
known story of its origin. given on the authori.
ty Of Sir George Grove. will in this connection
be of interest:
shortly after Rossini's death (November lS,
1868 Verdi suggested that the Italian compos-
ers should combine to write a requiem as a
tribute to the memory of the great deceased;
the requiem to be performed at the Cathedral
Of Bologna every hundredth year, on the cente-
nary Of Rossinis death, and nowhere else and
on no other occasion whatever. The project
was Immediately accepted. and the Is numbers
ol The work, the form and tonallty of each Of
which had been previously determined, were
distributed among different IL composers, Verdi
Oelng assigned the last section, she Li6crd nls.
"Ihe several numbers were duly set TO music
ana sent In, but, might be expected when
performed In an uninterrupted succession, they
were found TO want the unity and uniformity
ol style 1uat Is the sine qua non oil work OF
art: and, though everyone had done his best,
there were too many different degrees of merit
IN the several parts; so that, without assigning
any positive reason, the matter was
dropped ana after = while each number
WAS sent back to its author. BuG
II. Mazzuc2to. of Milan. who had first seer the
complete work, was 50 struck Dv Verdi SLi6srd
me as TO write him letter stating the impres-
sica he had received from that single number,
and eutreatlng him TO compnse the whole
requiem. Shortly after this Alessandro Man
zHii ghe celebrated novelist and poet who was
Scrdi's intimate frienu, died AT Milan; where
upon Verdi offered to write requiem for the
Of ManzOni's death; and this is the
work the last movement of which was origin
ally composed for the Requiem OF Rosslni.n
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