The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-11-04

Richard Deans Musical
Lecture In HasbTouck's
Hall Last Night.
FASHIONABLE AUDIENCE PRESENT
The Tableaux Participated in By
Some Of the Leading Young
Ladies' Of the City.

The musical lecture course at Has
brouck Hall was ~inauguratsd last, night
with Richard Wagner's Heroines." 1t
is one of the hardest tasks that has fallen
TO my lot as critic to be perfectly just to
the entertainments as q whole. Because
the whole evening was dominated by the
tanleaux.-and the tableaux, whatever
may be said for their prsrtinsss, did not
give an idea, or rather CAV an incorrect
idea of Wagner's heroines. Mr.. Dean Is
an excellent lecturer; the artists assisting
were III sympathy with the music, but both
Mr. Dean and his musicians were COM.
plstely obscured BY the living pictures.
Now. IL these living pictures had bssn
accurate REPRESENTATIONS OF tina sheroiues,
it would hays been less tryiug to lose
the music on their account, for, In tho
creaking of the curtain and the ringing
of the bell and the russiing Of the audi
ence most Of the music was, IL not en-
tirely lost. reduced to mers Incidental
accompaniment. such as we have for any
tablsaux. But were We given an eqalva-
lent for Wagasr's music lost. In scenes
from Wagusr's drama gainedt For az
ample. the character of Etizsbssh In
Tannhaeuser. Mr.. Dean has sketched
the legend. OF the knight. lost through
carnal love. 20 zoe redeemed oaly
uy the sacrifice OF a "Maideu pure
aud WHITE" The strains Of the beautiful
Pilgrim Chorus, SUM behind the cur
taip, intensity the solsmnity of the scene.
full Prayer of Elizabeth." singing with
all the intensity which 1t demands. Due
who has never seen the opera can picture
the devoted woman, grand ia her pura
and holy love, PROSTATE before the way
side cross, pouring out her soul in an
ecstasy of r~enuucistion. In the midst a
bell claugs In a different key, the curtain
goes breaking upward. and a pretty young
lady Is discovered in an attitude of quiet.
pleased contemplation. The anti
thesis is violent. 70 make it
worse after the curtain has
fallen, applause breaks out. After it has
ceased one becomes conscious that Miss
Nelson has been singing all the time.
Was it wise TO Interrupt and divert the
attention from Wagner's own music>
picture Of the heroine to a stage picture
that, while q pretty tablesu, was IN no
respect the Elizabeth of Wagner? It ali
resolves itself into the question whether
1t be better TO give the audience no pic
toFial idea at all, or to give 1t q false idea.
1t seems Co ME that the musicians OF
the audience last night would nave pre-
ferred to retain the musical impression
of Eliz heth rather than the pictorial.
The trouble is that Wagner deals with
i~mmensities IN the way of scenic art, and
demands that his drama be taken as a
whole to do justice to any one of the
Darts. And Wagner Is rather a tight fit
for the stage on which the Apollos
play.
The best of the tahlsaux was the first.
In which Miss Turner, as Ssnta, was
discovered spinning, as the chorus out
side sang the spinning song At its
close she sang the aria. IA Ship the
Restless Ocean Sweeps" with an alto
getner unexpected dramatic force, that
with her m~agni1csnc voice and the &C.
cessories OF scenery and costume, made
the whole true to It's model. 1t was
oDera-glass to be sure, but Wagner for
all that. Brynnilds was Miss Heloise
Hamtlton; Miss Hunts costume rs Issult
was additionally accurate; Miss Koonz
made an excellent Eva (dprop0s, Iva can
be put upon a small stage much better
than the others. owing to the light and
daintycharacter OF then eistersinger) Miss
Gould was Elsa, a good representation;
and Miss Horey was T~annhaeuser's Bvs.
The musical numbers were generally
good, tha piano arrangements especially.
Mrs. Brown played thu song Of the Rhina-
maidens and Mr.. Becker the Waldwsbsn
and ~FsnerzRuber, that Ii. parts Of each.
M. CASES singing OF the prize song from
than a hearing from behind the
scenes The best chorus was
the Pilgerchcr. the best ensemble
work the Liebssted for violin. organ aud
plano. The choruses were from the
Melopoiea and Schubert. The little solo
In the Spinning Chorus was so good that
7 asHad xHhnuo n Npo ann fnnnh {k fo hn
Miss foffey's.
Mr.. Dean told The story OF the operas in
q concise. interesting way. he evidently
believes that Wagner, whatever ne might
think of women in the concrete. had q
high opinion of In the abstract.
In support OF this. he brought forward
the SIX women around which the great
operas centre The lecture was interest
ing as l said, the music good, aud l regret
that they We're SO much onscured by the
scenic side.
SERVICE AT DR. BRETT's.
Tomorrow evening Nc DR.. Brstt's
church the choir will give it's monthly
service Of song, for which a brilliant pro-
gramme has been prepared. On this oc-
casion Mr.. Q. Langley, ~violoncellist Of the
Brah m's Stfin2 Quartette. will be heard
with the choir 10 several selections. The
music will be given under the direction
of the ORGANISE, Mr.. Louis h. Dresslsr.
and is as foIiows,--
Prelude for Organ and Cello ..... .Goltermann
Aathsn, ITO Thee be Praise Forever. NJ Costa
Lords Prayer :.....e......... William Dresslsi
Glorla Pasr! in E Fiat Buck
Response, PITY, 0 Saviour" ........A. Stradslla
lBaritons Solo with'Cello Qoligato).
Anthem, Zone Sweetiy Solemn Thought
with g % oOl,sgssoo. P. A schnseEsr
with Cello Obligatol.
Hymn, "Now God Be with U.s. ....... Bartlett
written for the Choir.)
Organ Postlude, in F......,.......... Guilmant