The record-union., 1892-02-04
ADJUSTMENTS.

] ~ VIZ CAbAiiC - E'IAfl- hONiSG ILLS Gh Gu-
/ ing ''Hhe Streets of New York; will be
repeated. The play is well presented,
/ the cast, with single exception, is a good
one and the fine scenic and mechanical
/ effects are ali handsomely worked The
! box Office is open daily 1or the selection
! OF reserved seats, without extra charge.
! The Opera-hOuSe is now well warmed and
all draughtS are excluded, so that no mat
! ter what the weather outside. comfort
obtains inside.
At the Metropolitan Theater this even
ing the oratorio of elijah" will be given
/ by the new choral society. There will
/ be 100 voices heard in the oratorio. sup
ported by an 0: o:chestra of twenty capable
lnstrumcntallSts. The whole will be tIn-
der the direction Of W. II. kinross,
whose capabiIity for such direction is
1 we'll known and unquestioned.
Musical connoisseurs are divided in
| opinion as to the rank Of Mendessohn's
masterpiece in comparison with the more
! familiar oratorios, Messiah" bv Handel
and The Creation" by Haydn. It is
! such division of opinion as places Men
! delssohn's wonderful composition on the
same plane with the others.
OratorioS, as we now understand them.
date from the middle of the seventeenth
century; They early became popular,
|
and were established as of the highest
forms of musical composition throughout
Europe. They have in performance
reached their highest development in
! Germany and in England. In the latter
/ country the taste for the oratorio is very
! highly cultivated. They are really the
! most popular form of chorus singing in
that country, where they are frequently
given with thousands of voices and hun
/ dredS OF instruments in support
Not until about thirty years ago did
musical taste in the United States turn
strongly IN the direction of oratorio After
some fifteen years OF popularity there
came a decadence, until very recently
/ ofatorlo presentation has revived, and has
now apparently permanent place in the
musical taste of the people.
francis Z. bowman, an accomplished
critic, ascribes the influence OF Men
delssohn to have been exercised nartIy
through his orchestral works, but mainly
! through his two great oratorios. 'sFliiah;
and ''St. Paul" The former. which is to
! be sung tonight. after long and careful
/ rehearsal, ought to be well rendered by
so strong body as hundred singers. In
/ no community Of like size have we any
record Of SO many singers equal to the
task being grouped tor oratorio produc-
/ ton.
Elijah" deals with events pre-eminent
in Biblical history. Its descriptive pas
sages OF prophesy, of sacrifice, OF lamenta-
ton, OF devotion, of the hope Of promise
and of JOY, and of the translation of the
prophet, are among the most profound
and deeply-moving examples OF the use
| of melody of which the history of music
| gives us any record. 1t is the story of the
prophesy of distress; of the exile of
| Elijah to escape the anger of his enemies:
! OF the punishment by famine, the suffer-
ing of the people; of the help from above
extended TO the prophet; of the test of
/ power between the priests of Baal and
the prophet of God and the triumph Of
/ Elijah. The oratorio then proceeds with
the rejoicings of the people, of the con-
| spiracy against the prophet, his flight and
! his translation.
Seats can be secured to-day for to-
nights entertainment at Purnell's book
! store.
At Turner Hall this evening the Catho-
lie Ladies' Relief Society will give a
grand ball. The affairs of this kind
heretofore given under the auspices of
the society have been well-managed and
! pleasant ones.
At Pythian Hall yesterday the second
OF the popular afternoon concerts was
given. 1t was well attended. Hugo
! Mansfield of San Francisco. the accom-
/ plished pianist, was one of the instru-
mental soloists. He played the sPolonaise
/ Heroique," by List. His style is so
well-known here as TO require no com
ment. And the same is true of Mrs. C. A.
| Neale, who gave a piano solo, Mendels-
sohn's Concerto" in G minor, and also
with Miss May Oatman served as ac-
companist; L. J. Lewis was cello ac
companist. Miss Carrie b. Cornes of San
| Francisco was the soprano soloist. and
| sang "Children's Hour by Cowen' and
The Waiting Heart" by Mrs. CORY.
She has a pleasing meZZo-soprano. sang
! with TASTE and created very favorable
! impression. All the other numbers ften1
were by the orchestra, and were excel
| lently played. c. 4. Neale was Musical
! Director and conducted the successful
concert with practiced skill and good
| Judgment.
Mrs. Percy Ross, a well-known Sacra-
mento soprano. this morning announces
her first Evening of Song'' for February
29th. Mrs. Ross has never given a con-
cert here for her own benefit. Yet for
many years she has sung for the benefit
of scores of others, for charities, churches.
societies, social clubs, celebrations and
public undertakings. Possessed of a fine.
pure soprano, flexible, sweet and culti-
vated, she has been aino t prodigal in
using it for public gn"'. aatertain-