New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-05-19
MUSICAL COMMENT.
THE ANCIENT READING OF CHRISTS fAS-
sION-A NEW STEINWAY HALL~-MlSS
ppEMA THE PROPHET"


h ,nfro ton that there Is talk OF giving 1t in the
Cathedral at Albany next spring Instead OF repeat
ing II at the next May festival In That city IL '''
should be done 1t would be extremely Interesting ~
try the experiment suggested ten Gays as' ~
resnondent of this journal in his review OF the -"
,on nor,ormance that is strip It Of all Its con-
ventlonal concert features and make OF II solemn
service which should preserve as many aS p
of the elements OF the ancient Church reau'hs anu
combine tbem with the stupendous elements that
pocb odded The custom OF reading the story Oh
ChrIst's Passion In Holy Week as speca' se''ro
goes hack to the days OF the primitive Churcn' !"
the Eastern Church 1t was introduced III si,p'0
dramatic form as early as the iourth cen'u's
fortunately this period Is one OF almost 'o'a' '''
ness in musical history and there IL scarcely sro"nu
. o., rocuI,tion as to the character OF the
,usic used In the West thousand years iater '"e
Passion was read In way that PLAINLY pio'''', -,
| suggestion for the musical treatment OF me SuoJ
| odonted by Bach and his predecessors. lhree yea
| cons were employed one to read. or rather c"'"'
| uhe C;regorian tones being used the harrauVe' "'
| o,ber to deliver the words OF Jesus. ana the idSS
to give out the utterances and exclainatiohs VI Wv
| Apostles and the people In bachS ~ '
Passion" these three deacons are chahse" '"'" ''h
solo singers 0cvangeist tenor; Jesus. bass; Peter
| bass: Judas bass; Xion tenor; fHbt'' p'SS, MS"
| r,os,s hass. maids soprano) and double chorus
| n reflective element. which mas eSpreSS'o" ~ w
| chorales Is assigned to the worshpP'ns oo"s 20
| ton Now why should not all the af'H''' W."
Ii,l
thedral the orchestra concealed by II Scre'" anu NV
| ,o,derf,l music OF Bach be given with the SOL
| emnty that Il deserves? Supplies 90 not p''''
! exclusively 10 the clergy, ana there "o"'' y"
| inuroprlety I'm having the sacred wofdS sung "D''
| rho reading desk Think Of the mood In when U''
| ,,a,,o, ,,ould listen 10 such performance
and ,rv IA Imagine how all-compcling l'achs Hius'c
! would become.
IN poblados Letters from Spain" there is the
following account OF a Holy Week service
The four accounts of our ,ns say ay a% s%"aa
| PVndncadav Thursday and Friday, are drama
zed in tho following man ,acsd nctwecn the p1
pits in the Passion days, and thr,e pa,essgS ,ch
m" damatlc il worn by the latter ana the casuil
by the former-appear on these elsVatel posi- %
of,claiing ministers chosen amongst inc Slls1
crs in holy orders. one bass another tenor; ana h
narrative without changing the keynote ana MAKES s
pause whenever he comes 20 .ne In hose
| Messages the words OF our Saviour are sung ny the
bass in solemn s, aqsnnat se the Inferior charac
tcrs such Peter. the Maid ana r9n'iu Jus [n nre
The cries of the priests and muittude are rspr ,
| srnted by the bard OF musicians within the choir
! A somewhat similar reading OF the Passion seems
70 have prevailed in England to have been sup
| pressed during the Reformation and revived by
Queen Mary In his Popular Antiquities Brand
| quotes from n curious tract entitled: "A Dialogue
| or familiar Take, betwene two Neighbours. con-
the might Power Of Gods most hole pure Worde
| suppressed In Englande. and now for our unworth-
| ness set up agayne by the Bishoppes the lmpes or
Antichrst. etc, 155i." account Of the ceremony
| in question follows
The old Church kept memorye the Sunday
before Easter how Christes glory was openly re-
| ceived and acknowledged among the Jewes ;
| and the Gospel declaring the same appointed
| ~ he road on that day But now our blind leaders
| Of the blind take away the knowledge or this with
sande, scarce one knew what this ment But
lorde. what ape s-playe made they Of 1t in great
cathedral churches and a6oies! one comes iortn
in his albe and his long stole - This solempne
syre played chrstes part Gods rs5 name; Then
song in pricksong. the Jewes parts and the deacon
read the mddei text me priest at the Aar al ys
made of Paine to set upon your doors. and
to brare in your purses to chace away the Divei.
1t is an old complaint among the lovers of high
| class music that acousticaliy the most perfect
! MUSHROOM in the country closed to the public
when Steinway Hall changed into factory
| room The loss has been made good to New
| York yet, and t is just little humilitating that
stelnway & Sons should give to Chicago what they
| deny To New York. on May 10 and II they opened
| a hall in the Western metropolis which is described
as the most beautiful and perfect IN the United
States 1t occupies the second and third stories Of
| tho Temple of Music. which was erected for the
| firms panoforte business. The hall has a seating
capacity of about 500 is chaste and beautiful in its
architecture. with sage-green and Tuscan red as
the dominant colors in its decorations. A frieze
thirty long. spanning the stage arch. bears a
painting illustrating the story OF Baldur's death.
commodate eighty musicians. and is thanked by the
| two halves of Il grand organ The inaugural con-
ira. with Marie Brema. mezzo-soprano; Antoinette
SznmowslSa pianist and Clarence EDDY ana WI
lions. Mr.. Arthur Fredheim who was to have
played. suffered an injury TO his hand while going
TO Chicago.
said, came from the singing OF Miss Brema who
the same t IN CHeaSo thar Sne mas
ability of this woman Is only equalied by her IN
with her Brangane, ortrud and Brtnhilde in die
Walktre." she added, he BrnnhiIde of the "seg-
Damroschs season. 1t was in Plttsburg and the
Rrcma is not "A member of next seasons MetropNli-
tan company 1t VIII be grievous disappointment
to the public.
Another experiment in the way Of popular sum
Madison Square Garden on Tuesday evening of this
week. Mr. Ross Jungnckel, young american m'i-
more. has organized the band. which he calls the
concerts. lie promises hlgh-class compositions in
terspersed with music of lighter character and a
err. Those OF The latter who YIN be heard in the
Et S M Hs0 bs Na Nss Sna
Xavier keiter. French horn; Justus PfeinenSchnei-
calling in the ASSISTANCE of his orchestra players In
taken taxi G S a Front Mr. mr. cd SSc has s ass H
his intention TO devote one night each week to dance
day matlnees. The programme for Tuesday even
| ing Is follows:
March Queen u Sheba tiollmarlS
Overture "Festival assOn
Symphonic Poem. LES lr.udcs' List
Morse Folk Songs ana Dances ttirst tnel S,dcrman
'Tannhauser' Wagner
and Angel pautOmue. lEmperll.k
Forget tlrst tm") Macbeth
suite. 'lilfA scenes Masstn't
spanish lhhl4"'\ 'nabrl~r
Walt Morning Journal Strauss
'Norw gian Artists Carnival .SvendsOn
beers ''Prophatc' in America. called by the
silly habit OF managers to talk of "a revival
| whenever opera chances to be postpOned till
late I'm the season. has caused an unnecessary
amount of ink spilling The last contribution comes
from Springfield. Mass. whore correctly informed
! gentleman. who calls himself Leydcn. directs at
tention in the name OF the prophet the IN
dubitablc unassaiab,e and never-q questioned fact
that I'll Profeta' was performed for the first time
| I'm New York at NhlOs Garden, November %
lS1S. with Signora St,fanone Mime. Maretzek and