The herald., 1896-02-23
MUSICAL COLUMN

"lEat beats faQereWSkl nDlOW !. CucH
was an opinion overheard as the crowds
streamed forth from Hazards pavilion yes
terday afternoon. While such a compari-
son cannot of course bs considered seri.
ousIy as musical expression, no doubt it
voiced the popular verdict. Sousa's band
gave two concerts yesterday. both of which
were attended by very large audiences, for
the capacity of the pavilion is very eXten-
sive. The matinee program was in every
sense delightful and Sousa was in the most
mood, for encore after encore he
to with the greatest good humor
and considerably introduced the most
popular of his marches. The concert
opened with the very finely descriptive
music of Tschaikowsky, 1872; or the Re-
treat of Moscow. The beautiful intro
duction by the clarionets, flutes and pico-
los gave the effect of an organ played in
the most mastery fashion. Then the air
of the Marsellaise is heard through the
din of the march, the pealing of the church
bells and the roar of cannon. The render
ing of the piece was splendid example of
the powers of the fifty artists who sit be-
meath Mr.. Sousa's baton. As an encore
Plantation Chimes was given with that
wonderful spirit and accuracy of time that
helps to make this organization OF musI-
clans so famous.
A suite of Sousa's own composition, en-
titled Last Days of Pompei, was the next
number, and the delicate expression of
Nydia, the Blind Girl is brought out very
significantly in a tender melody. This
was followed by the familiar strains of
Sousa's Manhattan Beach. The grand
fantasia on the dear, old air My Old Ken
lucky Home was the first piece to arouse
the enthusiasm of the audience. The
euphonium solo was finely played, and the
air was then taken up first by the reed,
then by the brass. Another of the great
leaders, marches, Liberty Bell, followed.
Whose feet does not feel impelled to mo-
ton or to dance, when these inspiring
strains are heard? What heart does not
feel the lighter for such music? Depression
becomes impossible as long as the ear is
open to such glad lively notes.
A favorite, Escholtzia, by Blanchard, was
OF especially interest, and for the inevitable
encore ''The Blending of the Blue and
Grey was given with a fine power and feel
ing. The intermezzo, Forget Me Not was
IA dainty piece of work and characterized
followed by Sousa's fine march Director
ate, but the audience still craved for more.
and Sousa could not have better pleased
them than by giving his last march, which
is already 30 we'll known here, King Cotton.
Variations on Yankee Doodle completed a
very popular and entirely enjoyable pro-
gram.
OF the two young ladies who accompany
Sousa's band, Miss Myrta French, the
soprano, and Miss Currie Duke, it would
be difficult to speak too highly. Miss
French has voice of remarkable power
and purity, though naturally it cannot be
judged to the best advantagein place like
the pavilion, where acoustics are sacrificed
to space. The soprano sang The Waltz
Song from Gounod's Romeo and Juliet, and
as an encore the old ballad Ben Bolt. Miss
Currie Duke played Saint Saen's Rondo
CapriciOso with extraordinary power of
execution. Miss Duke is pupil of Joa-
chin, and has the same easy, yet powerful
method as the great master. The sweet
strains of Suwanee River as an encore were
beautifully brought out by this talented
vocalist.
Mr.. Sousa is indeed prince amongst
conductors. His manneris perfectly calm,
yet most suggestive and powerful. He is
eloquent to his finger-tips. There is a
great force of command, and yet intense
sympathy. His soul is first wrapped up in
the music that is before him, and secondly
entirely III touch with each member of his
baud.
The evening program was as follows:
Overture. Tannhauser-Wagner.
Second Hungarian Ria psody-Liszt.
Trombone solo. Air Varie, Pryor-Mr Arthur
Suite. Three Quotations (new)-sousa.
a, ''The King OF France with 10000 men,"
"Marched up hill and then came down
again"
b. "And /, too, was born in Arcadia"
c, Elm Darkes Africa"
March, Our Italy, southern Cal -Blanchard
Soprano solo, Delight valsc, Luckstone-
Myrta French
a, Caprice, "rhe Water sprites. new-Kunkel.
b, March, "king Cotton" new-Sousa.
Violin solo, Zigeuner Weisen, Sarasate-Miss
Currie Duke.
Humoresque, The Band Came Back, new
SOusa,
MIR. Arthur Pryor's fine trombone play.
ing was one of the features of the evening,
and Blanchard's March, the rendering of
which was a revelation, proved exceedingly
popular. On Monday night the program
will be confined to Sousa's compositions.
"Sousa nights' elsewhere have proved ex.
ceedingly popular, and their success is sure
to be emphasized here.
4 4 4
No lover of sweet singing can afford to
miss hearin. Miss Rachel Walker, who re-
mains for another week at the Orpheum.
The lady is aptly enough called "The
Creole Nightingale Her notes indeed
Besides singing with great skill number
of operate ideas, Miss Walker brings
home the beauties of such old favorites as
1.-The Last Rose of Summer and "The
Suanee River" in a most telling fashion.
Her upper register, especially in mezzo
voce, is rarely beautiful; the notes are
brought out with the greatest ease, smooth
ness and sweetness. A pretty tribute was
paid on Friday night to Miss Walker by a
well known citizen, ex- Mayor Rowan, who,
on leaving the Orpheum, vehemently de-
clared that "it was the sweetest singing he
had ever heard"
Paderewski's six concerts in San Fran
cisco are said to have realized $35OO
apiece. and it looks as if his managers
would be able to fulfill their promise to
him OF credting his banking account with a
million francs for the seasons work as soon
he gets back to France. Some of the San
francisco papers have boen commenting
OH the self control exhibited by California
audiences in comparison with the hysteria
which Paderewskl evokes in the east. A
correspondent writes to the Examiner find
ing fault with a notice of one of the con-
certs i'll which the reporter had said that
no tears were visible amongst the audience (;
the correspondent confesses to have went
copiously herself.
4 4 4
The week has been a quiet one in local
musical circles, and the instrumentalists
reserved their endeavors until they had
heard Sousa's great band.
& 4 4
1t is the intention of the writer of this
column to review in turn the singing at the
principal churches in the city. The notice
next week will be of the choir at Simpson
M. E. tabernacle.