New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-04
MUSIC.
THE PEOPLES CHORAL UNION.

Last evening saw the full fruiton of an idea
planted four years ago in the establishment OF the
| Peoples Singing Glasses by Frank DamroScn
and several hundred Jealous young men and women
| for the cultivation of choral music among the
working classes of this city. The work that these
| people have done In this tim, has a been In the
direction of steady and certain progress. II was
! crowned last evening by perform lnce OF THE
| Messiah" in which there rot only little OF the
tentative, little for which allowances had to be
made asked and absolutely nothing OF the
! perfunctory. but in which there were TO be per-
| ceived qualities that are rarely attained by choirs
! Of much longer experience and training. Not only
did the chorus know its Messiah thoroughly,
but it understood its musical significance and sang
with n desire to bring it fully to realization with
an enthusiasm and intelligence and splendid
vgor that are not often heard in the performance
Of the most familiar Of all great choral works
| The chorus numbers about thousand voces-a
| fact that necessarily implies certain amount of
| unwieldiness, which, however. was surprisingly
| seldom i'm evidence last evening. Save for a weak
ness in the altos, it Is well balanced and 1t sings
| with freshness of tonal quality and volume
that frequently of thrilling power The tenors
are Of unusual strength Tho evidences OF careful
and effective study were everywhere TO be seen In
the attack. which for a chorus of SO great size
was uncommony sharp and clean. ard in the GER
tany with which the fugal passages were de-
| lvered though in of them Mr.. Damrosch
| adopted tempo that made strict cohesion mat
! ter of no LITTLE difficulty for great body OF
| singers. Equally delightful the attention 10
| dynamic graduation and the dramatic quality
| gained thereby. Tho whole performance denoted
that there is in this Peoples Choral UHion arts
| tic force that VIII have to be reckoned with
seriously by the musical life of this metropolis.
! The few hundred beginners of four years ago have
attained to real power-a result the full siSniii-
canoe of which Is to he comprehcnded only by con-
sideraton of the means by which II has been
brought to pass and the people into whose lives 1t
has entered. The circumstances have been fully
set forth before and to those who have followed
them and who believe that the cultivation OF
choral music among the great masses OF the peo-
pie IS of tho most potent agencies for cultiva-
ton and spiritual uplifting they are Of the great
est cheer and encouragement.
The SOLO parts taken last evening by Miss
Eleanor Meredith, soprano; Mss Mary Louise
Cary, contralto: Theodore Van YORK, tenor. and
Ericsson Bushnell. bass Miss Clary and Mr..
Bushnell the only who have reached
artistic stature sufficient TO carry the burdens
that imposed upon them. Mr.. Sealy played
the organ, and some of the members Of the New
York Symphony Orchestra gave a rather inefficient
reading Of the orc 6esral accompaniment.
An interesting concert by all the grades OF the
singing classes given Sunday evening, in
which the various stages of progress made were
exhibited by the elementary and adve need classes
and the Choral Union. Part songs were given. the
most important number being Gr!egs splendidly
muscular male chorus Thanksgiving"