El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1896-12-05
THE CHORAL UNION CONCERT.
1t Was Enjoyed last Night by Fair
Sized Audience.

The sec3nd concert OF the Choral
Union was given last night in Chopin
music hall before fair sized audience
and with an effect that may we'll have
encouraged the singers to continue
their organization and prepare for
auother public appearance. The pro-
gram was .carried out as advertised,
except as to Mr.. Brown, and the hearty
reception by the audience of the per-
formance indicated that his phase of
musical endeavor ought to be made a
success in Ell Paso.
Owing to unfortunate financial linn
| itations, the instrumental accompani-
ment was necessarily circumscribed,
and the orchestra was absent, leaving
| Professor Pitzer to make the piano
90 as far as possible under the circum-
stances; so the Tampa Overture was
given alone on the piano. Miss Phelps
made additional friends by her solo,
| ''Fleeting Days. She has a sweet
| lyric soprano voice which with her
charming personal appearance will
always make her favorite in the Ell
Paso musical circles. The trio
by Mrs Fink, Mrs. Howe and Miss
Doane was a beautiful thing. Their
voices blended very we'll, their inton-
ations and phrasing were good, and
the selection chosen suited their voices
exactly. And it may be observed here
that the choice of a song to suit the
voice is, to use the vernacular, mo
small chOre." The fair trio of singers
easily won an encore, and repeated
the selection.
The piano duet by Misses Humphries
and Richie was we'll played and en-
joped The recitations by little Miss
Pearl Penniman were great card.
She proved herself cOnsumate little
actress. 1t is not common TO see a
person of her tender years show such
marked control over themselves, and |
so self possessed before an audience;
Her work WAS one of the marked and |
most interesting features of the even |
ing +. w. Brown was to have sung a |
solo but he failed to show up, and the
number was necessarily omitted The
chorus was very good, albeit they |
abored under the disadvantage of
of absentees, and were short
on the number of contraltos. There
was ample evidence of training aud
frequent practice, and the voices were
all wholesome, attractive voices. The
was good, but would have
appeared to better advantage in a less
funereal selection. The opening chorus
in the opera of Ernani, for instance, or
the Monks chorus in Tannhauser
would have sounded much better.
1t is unfortunate that the manage
selection of the night for the first
concert was mistake. There was on
that same evening, a rece ption to Bis
hop Kendrick at Mr.. McCutcheOn's
residence, and fully fifty people who
would otherwise have been glad to
attend the Choral Union concert, felt
it their duty to rather stay with their
church associations where the two
interests confIcted. The date could
lust as we'll as not have been set for
night when the pubic
was only too ready for some diversion
or entertainment. Moreover, the con-
cert was not properly advertised.
Three or four brief reading notices for
three or four days in the papers are
entirely insufficient. The public bill
poster, George De Foutaine, should have
been hired to paper the town, just like
any opera house entertainment and this
with a few display advs in the papers
and the setting of the ate for Thanks
giving night would have filled the
house full.
However, sit is never too late to
mend" and the society, it is hoped,
will continue, and by the selection of
some night on which the public will
not fail to turn out for the next concert,
such say, as the night Of Washing tons
birthday; and with public bill board
the society ought to
good deal more than make expenses.