The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-02-22
The FESTIVAL A SUCCESS.
Sayannah'S Week Of Music Closes With
Gratifying Results.

Dramatic Cantata Well Rendered.
Able Renditions Of the Soloists.
Voices of 400 Children Heard on the
Stage at Yesterdays Matinee.
When DR.. Palmer appeared before his
enthusiastic musical cohorts last night
the cry of Festival, Savannah Siss
boom-ah from the grand musical chorus
shook the theater
That" said the doctor, lis what you
can do with people when they love you. ="
All this was apropos Of the presentation
to the doctor a few moments before, of a
beautiful piece Of cut glass, the gift of
his admiring singers, and was handed
him in one of those neat and
feeling little speeches for which Col
Olmstead is celebrated. DR.. Palmer was
much affected. The whole scene, indeed,
the entire evenings concert, was as full
of enthusiastic enjoyment as it could pos
sibly be. The theater was again packed
to its full capacity, many music lovers
having attended every concert, and it is
no exaggeratiOn to say that no mu-
steal event in the history of this
city has ever given as much general
pleasure or awakened anything like such
a degree Of enthusiasm as the second an
nual festival just ended.
In the course Of his speech Col Ohm
stead feelingly thanked the chorus and
the audience. He called attention to The
fact that the executive committee had
fully met every pledge given last year,
and predicted that even greater successes
were stored in the future.
BRILLIANT PROGRAMME LAST NIGHT.
To speak of of the last nights concert
in detail is pleasure, because the pro-
gramme as whole was far in advance of
anything yet presented at any festival
concert and was of character sure not
only to please every musical taste, no
matter how inexperienced, but to appeal
to cultivated and more advanced know
ledge as well.
The work of the chorus consisted
Of five numbers in Josef Rhein-
berger's cantata, "Clarice of Eber-
STEM" two part songs, an arrange
ment of Strauss beautiful "Blue Danube
Waltz" and the great Hallelujah chorus
from the Messiah" The chorus showed
to better advantage than in the previous
concerts. The attack, precision and
shading were distinctly better, and while
1t could not possibly be expected that the
quality of tone would be equal to that of
a regularly drilled and experienced body
OF singers, IT was surprisingly good in
| RA0CSo1 anu DdLSh az hO blulG. JOSEF
| Rheln0erRer has perhaps written as
much charming music for chorus
as any living author of the past
twenty years and his Clarice while simple,
is dignited and thoroughly musicianlv.
II was well sung, better than good judges
believed it possibly could be with the
amount of rehearsal given, and was
warmly applauded
WORK OF THE soLoIsT.
Summers, Dr. Mendsen and, Mrs. Schrei-
ner, as well as that of the fairy trio, Miss
Georgia Howard, Mrs. Hunter and Mrs.
May Silva, was also most satisfactory.
This work closed the first part-and af-
ter a brief wait, Mrs Wicken berg, who
has very clean soprano of good carry
ing power, sung an arrangement OF the
well-known Intermezzo, from Cavaleria
Rusticana, accompanied by Mr. James
Douglass, with violin obligato-both per
formers pleased the audience, and Mrs.
| Wickenberg responded to an encore.
The immortal sextette from the opera
OF Lucia dt Lammermoor came next and
) wonderfully catching effects certainly
never before had such rendition in this
city as they received on this occasion
Mrs. Haynes and Mrs Hunter, Messrs.
Walker, Mendsden, Ford and w. N.
Smith were the singers. They brought a
spontaneous recall and had to repeat the
number The only soloist not heard be-
fore during the festival was MIR. w. F.
Blois, who has very nice low baritone
voice, and sings in manner
which always ,pleases the average
audience. His selections were a Creole
love song by Moncrietf, and "Oh, Promise
Me" by Dekoven; rather light in their
character as compared with the rest of
the programme, but so acceptably sung
that the audience called for more with
enthusiasm, and Mr.. Blois kindly re-
sponded and still left his hearers asking
for more
A second and third hearing of the chief
soloists served to deepen the favorable
impression made by Mrs. Summers and
DIR. Mendsen. The former had two noble
numbers on the night programme-"Der
Asra," by Rubinstein, and that we'll
spring of melodious enjoyment, II Know
That My Redeemer Liveth," from Han
dels Messiah.
Mrs. Summers Interpretation was very
careful, and being in better voice than on
| Tuesday night, she sung with greater
ease, and pleased exceedingly. II is a
real pleasure to listen to a singer who is
so scholarly in her methods, and of such
versatile capabilities.
DIR. Mendsen also had two numbers fit
to test the abilities of any singer. The first
was Beethoven's Adelaide" considered
by many people as the uuapproachable
song, and the doctor surprised those who
hadjudged him by his lighter ro-
mama and ballad singing by
giving o very q forceful Oand Hcorrect
rendering of the great masters song.
His second number was the opening
recitative and aria from the Messiah,
which are sufficiently difficult to tax any
artist, and sufficiently melodious to please
the most inexperienced listener DR..
Mendsen was in good voice. and gave a
pleasure which win be long remembered.
Mr.. WALKERS RENDITION.
The third selections from the Messiah
was the short recitative For Behold ~
followed by that wonderfully stirring aria
for bass, The Trumpet Shall Sound -
and it is not saying too much TO state
that this great aria had a
really intelligent and forceful pre-
sentation by Mir. Julian Walker Nothing
ever done by this talented young singer
can be compared in artistic quality with
his singing of this noble number. He de-
claimed well. He phrased the exceed
ingly trying and forid passages like an
artist. IL was a success of the kind
TO make Mr.. Walkers best frienl
justly proud, and cannot fail TO favorably
affect his future work.
This number was Immediately followed
by the Halleluiah chorus which as usual
the audience heard standing, and as its