The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-09-17
WHAT IS SAID OF THEM.
Comments of Eastern Papers on the
Choir's Work


Choir's Work
Speaking of the Worlds fair contest,
the Chicago Record said:
The choral competition between four
great choirs was the chief event in the
greatest OF all eisteddfods. Festival hall
held 600 people when the platform was
cleared for the singers. Every seat was
occupied, every box filed to oyerfiowing
and enthusiastic PennsylvaDians stood in
the aisles, in the tunnels that lea to the
parquet, crowded the doors and made
solid circle back of the highest tier of
seats in the balcony. Two of the choirs
were from the Keystone state and they
were greeted with wild applause. Ohio
was well represented in the audience,
and when the Western Reserve Choral
union came on the platform the Buck
eyes stood up and yelled. Everybody
paid the Salt Lake Tabernacle choir the
compliment of a warm and hearty ap-
plause.
The prizes in this contest were the larg-
est ever offered in the history OF eistedd-
fod. 1t was open to all choirs and
choruses of mixed voices and had four
entries. The first prize was Sc, 600 and the
second 81 900, with gold medals to the
successful conductors. The test pieces
were the choruses, Worthy Is the
|
Are the Men That Fear Him. from
tElijah," and ssNow the Impetuous
Torrents Rise, +" from Jenkins oratorio,
sfDavid and Saul. - William L. Tom
Inns, John Thomas and DR.. J. II. Cover,
the adJudicators of the contest, took seats
in the circle directly opposite the center
OF the platform and the Cymrodorion
Choral society OF Scranton, Pa, Ola
voices, appeared as the first to sing.
The women VVPTn (1racepd in white fho
sopranos distinguished by sashes of
broard blue ribbon across their bosoms
and the contraltos wearing pink saShes.
The leader was Dan Protheroe aud the
singers were from the families of coal
miners.
SALT LAKE TABERNACLE CHOIR.
The Salt Lake Tabernacle choir fol-
lowed, with Evan Stephens as director.
Seldom has better trained chorus ap-
peared in Chicago. So far as technique
was concerned, the Mormons were SUI
perior to the Scranton singers, but the
'ssoul' was lacking. Next came the
Scranton Choral union, from Scranton,
Pa, with its youthful conductor, Haydn
Evans, and $50 songsters. The BASES Ia
this choir were particularly fine. Direc-
tor j. Powell Jones led his Western Re-
serve Choral union out last of all. It had
| 2O5 voices. This was Ohio's opportunity
and three times the Buckeye yell was
raised. All of the choirs sung without
notes and to the accompaniment of pianos.
THE soLoIsTs.
Following are some Of the criticisms on
the work OF our soloists:
ssThe duet. stCousolation, Z" a beautiful
and tender composition of Mr.. Stephens,
was delightfully."- sung by Mesdames
Nellie Druce-Pugsley, sopranos and
Bessie Dean Allison, contralto. The
spirit OF the number was soothing and
cheering, typical of its title. Both the
ladies possess cultivated voices of fine
power. volume and range, and their exc
cution was artistic. They were enthusi-
astically encoTed. y
Mrs. Agnes Olsen-T Thomas, dressed
in Norwegian costume, sang two Nor
wegian ballads in a clear, well-toned
soprano voice and was heartily encored. y
IA dainty number was the ssMother's