Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1893-09-05
THE CHOIR IN ST. LOUIS.
Their Performance Warmly Praised
Good Words for SolOists,
Chorus and Conductor.

The following handsome notice q
who Mormon concsip given by lb
Tabernacle choir In It, Louis las
Saturday ia from the GioJo.Demoora
Of Sunday morning!
Many mon Blill in middle life cal
remember when the Mormon bands
driven from the Mississippi valley
turned their eyes 10 tho great west M.
began the long journey thAt ended Ia
this valley OF Salt Lake. Although th'
railroads have Practically ABOLISHED
spaus and made Sslt Lake Cily aud
81. Louis ne.t door noighhoTs, tue iacl
- not 20 veil appreciated but that n
thfiii VI surprise was ftlt ut the an
nouncement that n large band u nc.
complished singers from tho Mormon
Tabernacle woulI appear In ~. Louis
On route to Chicago, thofo 10 contend
! for prize Of substantial proportions.
| The idoa Of musical culture In the
heart OF the Rocky mountains IA now
10 most people not familiar with that
region, and yet the fact was ompha.
sized with nc little force by the appear.
auco Of $50 singers, Mormons all, the
trained choir Of tue principal church
Ia this Mormon country, who gave an
entertainment that may Justly be pro.
nounced one OF the events OF the
sessJu.
The choir was large M inlimated,
anu tho parts af- thoroughly we'll bal.
anced. The Thinning u which the
great chorus has been subjected Ia Of
the most substantial character. From
the start II could be- perceived that the
leader, Mr.. Stephens, was thoroughly
In command OF his forces, and had the
situation nj the Und Of his baton.
The solo and duet work was admlta-
bly, done and 10 tho Intense satisfaction
Of the audience. Tue Mesdnmes Nellie
Bruce Pugsley and Brssie Dean All.
son were singularly happy la their
rendition OF the "COnsOluti0nn duet,
anu received warm encore. Mr..
Agnes Olsun Thomas rendered tho
Norwegian ballad In u style that took
tho audience by storm, while Mr.. Eas-
ton was 40 lees fortunate IN the Scotch
ballad, his selection being "Annip
Laurie" The prison scene from TROY.
atofo WAS given with great cleverno,s
by Mrs. Nellie bruce Pugsloy nnd Mt.
George Pypef, and not often II II bet.
ter done. Tue audience was eslfenely
sympathetic and gave the singers lu,i
credit for every effort to please. TIL
voices Ui the sOloists were all Of oxr, =
fut quality, ara the tcuslc selected
we'll suited to their capacity.
But tho malu feature Of tho enter.
tiinment was the chorus singing. The
voices displayed before the audience OF
last evening arc Of the best. Of course,
they are picked vDicns, but tho fac
that 40 many voices ofsuch degree Of
excellence are 10 bs found In cry thr
sizs Of Salt Lake IL an adm,fabI,
tribute 10 the purity OF the Rocky
mountain atmosphere. Good ns they
evidently AFRO by nature, they have ~.
ceivcd no little beneit from the Gaze
iul culture received ut the hands Of
Conductor Stephens. The control VI
the conductor was perfect, and the
mastery obtained over the c mposilllns
rendered was n revelation. The three
contest cboruses are OF widely diiletunt
character, no different Indeed M To be
differ ut types OF music, hut even
chptluus critic would hardly hazard
tho dec araliou that the Mormon
choir 10 not equally vi homo In each ul
the three styles represented la tho ~.
lecilOus. Whether tested by the
grand strains In "worthy D.
tho Lamb the softer notes %.
"Blefsed Are the Men that Feai
Him,O or the rushing haTmune.
Of "NOw the InIpetuoua roftcnla
Rise" II was equally at home Aud
alike good. From purely tschnlci
and professional point Of view thu
was little TO he desired In the Choir
work. A trlfllng blemlsh hero a d
there might ho pointed OUT, but whris
the general excellence Of the perform.
nnce was Of 30 high grade fault.inu.
ing " trivial. There was what In often
lacking in concerts OF professional peo.
plr, spirit Of enthusiasm among the
singers that more properly rendered
the chosen selections than could have
been done by professional skin alone.
but when TO the skill " the proies.
aional il added the enthusiasm Of tho
amateur the result In perfection. Such
"a result, comparatively speaking, was
the musical work VI the Mormon
choir.
One feature especially noticeable
about tho concert was the rendition OF
several compositions from the pen OF
the conductor, Mr. Stephens. The
opening chorus was OF his writing, NJ
also was the duet, aud each displays
both learning aud geniue. Each had
variety and IRE; each showed not only
"A fund OF melody, bat q marked com.
mand OF all tue resources Of harmonic
| elect.
There WAS lack Of oonyentloualiiy
Ia the concert that both surprised and
pleased the hearers. The leader read
the program In nn 0ld.iasbiOneC
style that both interested Snd amused
the people; he pulled the oonduotO'i
stand from the platform with an enerl J
that showed lie was accustomed 10 wal
on himself, he forgot 10 bow On en-
teTiug and on leaving, AMI generally
exhibited uniamiliEfi,y with the trick
Of professional conductor, But q
lar from being offended tho chang
was evidently agreeable 10 the uuul
ence aud they applaudad his old.timt
ways as heartily as they would hav
done tho most Chcsteffieluian bow
that was ever made from "a platform,
The audience was limited ouly b
the sizo Of the hal aud was com pose
no, only OF the hsuiiual CJnccrt'goeI
gud musicians, but Of people VINO mr.
not regular attendants nt such eutel
lEinmente, but came because they ~
llcipAted n pleasant ovoning, ANON
tbs number were many hundreds d
tho visitors ana delegates 10 the Sun
day School convention, whose bAdg,
were plunlliully Roatterad here an
there through the tirra OF seat.
/ VIVA "A uUOu.humlTru audience lTlt