The Portland daily press., 1897-10-27
MUSIC IN MAINE.
What the Worcester spy's Correspondent
Has to Say.

Festival has two column review of the
event in the Spy of October Goth from
which we make these excerpts:
1t was worth something to have lived,
If even to enjoy a few only of the great
events of this life; and, to have been per-
m1tted to enter into the joys and thrilling
experiences, both as listener and active
participant in the exercises of the present
series OF immense festival concerts in the
State OF Maine, will always remain with
me cause for thankfulness. One cannot
have part, though small, in such en-
thus1astic and multitudinous Assem- blies,
where eye speaks to eye and heart to heart
ana the overlooking feelings of the masses
ma expression in tumultuous applause,
as tne voices OF the great chorus break out
IN majestic volume in praise of Jehovah
OF IN swelling pillows of song proclaim
ing Une dellverence of nation or the
triumph of right over wrong, without
experiencing emotions too intense for
utterance
1t Is at such times, when the work in
hand is sung in good sound English, that
waves OF magnetic sympathy pervade the
great hall and impressions are produced
rs 81, lasting as time-perhaps as eternity.
Ihe events of the passing days remind
me much of the earlier years of the
Worcester festivals, when Music,
heavenly maid was young, Ito Worcester)
and the companies of singers and their
friends came with smilin g faces from the
surrounding towns and friend met friend
with cordial greeting and ''eyes looked
love to eyes that spoke again, and all
went merry as marriage bell.
chorus girl, writing to the Portland
PRESS, says every body felt glad all
over that theMaine festival was an accom-
plished fact; and, secondly, that they
were in it," adding, Hthe audience may
like it, but it can't be to them what it Is
to a member of the chorus-to be carried
and find yourself singing 'Hallelujah'
and Thanks Be to God and feel that
you never had half an idea before what
worship and praise meant'-and that is
just about the size Of it. 1t is this feeling
that weds the chorus to their societies
and induces them in heat or cold or
stormy weather to attend with prompt
ness rehearsals and public performances.
The PRESS critic writes: 1.-THE con-
cert of last evening will remain memory
to every one who was in the audience; not
that as great artists have not been heard
here. or that some of the numbers that
have become HOUSEHOLD words have not
been executed fully as well If not better
by them, but never have they been heard
before with the addition of such
glorious chorus
And there he hit the mark exactly; but
you say at Worcester, "a chorus of 400 is
better than one of 500,' and following
the same line of argument, 800 better than
400, 200 than 800 or 100 than 200. Stuff and
nonsensel You might as we'll say the
Kneisel Quartette is better than the Bos-
ton Symphony Orchestra! An elephant
cannot well dance hornpipe, and is not
expected to do so; there are compositions
for large and small bodies of singers and
instruments, but that music festivals are
better with small choruses than large
ones, is proposition made either by one
who has no knowledge of the subject, or
no appreciation of music in it's sublimer
moments St. Paul did not write in his
exalted vision of the great future of the
overwhelming impression produced upon
him by the "quartet'' upon the sea of
glass, but of the song sung by the hun
dreds and forty and four thousand,
typical of the grand chorus of the future
which no man can number. in which
voices no doubt silent on earth, will be
heard with those who sung below, in the
heavenly hallelujahs!
Had one member been absent from the
splendid chorus of 700, who made mag
nifcent effects last evening, by just so
much would the effect produced have been
weakened. 1t was their great number
and splendid enthusiasm that wrought so
Tremendously upon the immense audience
which in turn enthused the great chorus
by their spontaneous and overwhelming
applause.
Then the article goes on to say that the
chorus from abroad was entertained by
the Portland people, a gallery built in
the auditorium by the city, and the use Of
the hall given. The correspondent says
this is hint to Worcester and that If
Worcester is to carry on its festivals sue
cessfully in the future she must reduce
her fixed charges, the salaries paid to
artists and pattern after Portland. When
Worcester did SO in the earlier days of the
festivals she made money. Probably if
MIR. Know it all Of New York, Mr.. Royal
of Springfield and Mr.. Biar of Boston
had attended the Maine festival they
would have scored the promoters for SO
many "chestnuts" on the programme.
The writer liked "chestnuts" as q boy,
and does now if he doesn't have too many.
Speaking of Mr.. W. r. Chapman, the
writer says:
1 once said to a New York reporter, 81
notice that W.R. Chapman is doing quite
little work as musical director, what
sort of man is her" He said, "Ugh!"
and shrugged MS shoulders, OF course that
settled it. These New Workers who honor
Worcester by their presence are SO chuck
full of wisdom and things that their
opinion once expressed, ends all, (seeg)
A conductor, however, who can produce
the almost phenomenal results from one
rehearsal, that Mr.. Chapman did here
even presupposing the seven hundred
choristers had already learned the music,
is a power in choral organizations, drill
and performance that cannot be put out
of mind with sneer You may say you
disagree with his tempt, which certainly
differs essentially from the traditional
style, and / won't deny that his various
movements when at the head of his forces
are somewhat cratic and almost sensa.
tional. but there is no denying the fact
that he had thorough and entire control
of the choral force, who followed his beat
to the fraction of second. even in the
most arbitrary variations of time, and
in the most pronounced shading,' from
forte to pianissimo, both with and with
out orchestra, or any other accompani-
ment.
The writer praises the features of
speeches by the mayor, the Introduction
of the conductors who trained the chorus.