New-York tribune., 1891-09-24
THE MUSIC AT WORCESTER.
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING CONCERTS
OF THE SECOND DAY.
BRIDGES a REPENTANCE OF NINEvEH" HAS ITS
FIRST AMERICAN PERFoRMANcE--A WORK
WITHOUT GREAT ORIGINALITY.


[BY rELEeRAPH TO THE TRIBusEf
Worcester Mass. Sept 23.-Save for an occasional
lapse ino things which smacked Of the puerilty Of
taste begoten OF old habits, and perhaps inseparable
from a systtm which makes weeks musical
feast Offset fty-one weeks OF musical famine. the two
festival concerts given to-day were dignihed enter
tsnments which, when they did not satisfy lofty
standard Of Judgment at least stimulated curiosity
and irtaed the critical faculty. The afternoon pro
cramme was we'll arranged and the offences against
taste of the kind that under the circumstances
must be viewed as venal.
The public here makes holiday out Of festival
week AS matter of fact they interested
In the style, texture and color of a singers gown
than in the character OF her music and diversion is
more desired than edfcation. When Mrs. Ford sang
one Of Mozars concert airs which, despite its archaic
character was yet exceedingly interesting in parts
and most admirable agency for the exhibition OF the
singers ability, sbe listened to with dfiti-
tu respect. When she supplemented the
classical air with the familiar arch and art
fuI song by DelIbes, about two loyal maids
Of Cadiz, she rapturously applaudcd. When
schumann's symphony in D-minor was violently dis
membered to enable photographer 70 take picture
OF the orchestra the performance accepted by the
audience with great good humor and as distinct con
tribuon to the pleasure Of the day. That much of the
significance and beauty Of the symphony grows out OF
the fact Of its organic unity, conserve which the
composer conceived IL a single piece TO be played
without psuses between the movements, ana employed
the device OF recurent themes does not seem to have
been thought OF, even by the conductor, Mr zerran
How, then. was the public to know or to care
In the evening two compositions dealing with Bion-
cal subjects separated By the waiZ nom Gounods
Romeo and Juliet" and because Miss Nordica, who
the first lady Of the festival sang II and because the
public like such music regardless OF its fitness or
want of fitness, and could never be guilty Of not
liking the first lady Of the festival, mat
she
the poonaise from "Mgnon,' which she sang after
ward quiet the tempest OF applause, 1t marked the
high tide OF the popular delight since the festival
began. 1t will take some time yet to rectlfy short
comngs of this character but they will be rectied and
then when the methods Of study have been bettered
and the choir has been strengthened in its weak |
points, notably in the tenor division, Worcester will be
able 70 boast not only that IL is the only city In the
world that enjoys festival every year. but also that
Its festivals arc in every respect exalted artistic
plane Then il will exert puisssnt influence Oh |
choral culture throughout the land, and the musical
historian will sing It's praises in saecua saeculBum,
amen"
The instrumental numbers In the afternoons
scheme besides the symphony of schumann, were the
andante and pizzcato scherzo from Tschaikowsky's
symphony in F-mnor, Grieg's Peer Gynt" music and
6antSaenss Concerto In A-minor for violonoeilo
This concerto was played BY Victor Herbert,
who is dsctotum in ordinary to the festival
assistant conductor panoforte accompanst ana
commissioned composer. In the last capacity
he Will appear tomorrow Afternoon, when ambitious
work for solo voices, chorus and orchestra enttId
" The Captlve' viii have its first performance. AS
9 virtuoso his chosen instrument, he gave great
pleasure to-day. though fear that all the concerto
except a dslntly conceived middle part caviare
10 the general The singers at the matinee two OF
the most popular women OF concedtrOOmS,
both representatives of the West, Mrs. Julie L. Wy
man, Of Chicago who sang Verdl's " . Don Fatale,"
and d recall Ethelbert Nevlns's Twilight" and
Mrs seaouTy C. Ford, OF Cleveland, who sang Mozarts
- Bella Mia Namma, Addo," and the pretty Deiibes
trihe already mentioned. The tasteful manner in
which Mrs. Ford acclaimed the reciative Of Mozarts
concert air and sang the slow part gave me much
higher opiffon Of her merits than 1 had hitherto |
she endured very severe test like
an artist
In the evening the interest of musc-lovers centred
In dramatic for contralto voice and orchestra
entitled Hagar in the Desert" composed by Rubin
stein, and sung with real pathos and refined and
truthful feeling by Mrs Carl Alves, of Ncw-York,
and q dramatic orst0rio by DR.. J. +. Bridge, Or
ganist Of Westminster Abbey entitled "The Repentance
Of Nneveh.' This latter work, which was composed |
for the English Worcester festival of last Year. had
It's first American performance this occasion.
lbe reason OF its choice, among the many novelties .
u its class, which the English festivals stimulate
,very year, is not patent Perhaps desire TO en- :
courage facternal relations between the two i
sOulelnlng 10 90 Win III. WltnOut ais
playing marked originality, Dr. Bridge and Joseph
sennett, the compiler of the book Of words, have eX
rcised considerable ingenuity in building up sequence
4 incidents which adapt themselves well TO treat
nent IN the style Of the modern dramatic oIatoriO
tyle which rests chiefly Mendelssohns Elijah" o
'ut Is modified by the employment Of the modern de-
nee OF representative themes or typical phrases In
he musical score. In the conduct of the characters
nd their physiOgnomy, the work smacks n good deal
u EhIah,' which, as we know, is not bad model | G.
'ut as prophet, JONAH who is the hero Of this .,
YORK; fell about as far short of Elijah as Ridges w
music falls short of Mendessohn's The irrcverent =
nd Je seohers seemed Inclined tonight TO find fault 81
th Messrs. Bennett and Bridge for omitng the epi.
ode OF J0nahs adventure with the whale which makes 9
one-half OF the Biblical story touching him, and y
FUSED 10 be comfored with the incident of the gourd
which the authors Of the Oratorio make so much that
ley We're obliged TO include gourd theme' in their
e0olc catalogue But they that sit in the seats Of the In
Oinfu are hard to please, even when the music O. in
Ehglsn organist is offered for their delectaton oc
lime Will not allow Of hurried estimate of the s
ork tonight The performance disclosed the fact sa
AT the choir has this year undertaken little more al
an lis capacity u learn warranted. The choral | I'm
ok was far from satisfactory but the solo singers
me. Nosdca, Mrs Alves, Carl Duff and Herbert pi
Anson did full justice to their music III. Elk. Ol