The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-09-24
MAINE MUSICAL FESTIVAL.
What is Being Done In the City of
& Bangor.

Bangor.
The Bangor Commercial says: "All day
long on Wednesday Manager Chase
worked on the festival ticket list; the
patrons subscribed many hundreds OF
tickets for the course. The sale OF seats
took place yesterday. 1t is likely that
the opening day of the festival Will be
governors day; Gov. Powers and his
wife will be present, with the members
of the staff. and will occupy decorated
box which will be reserved for them, =
Dne whole half section of the gallery.
$50 much has been said of the great sim
gers and chorus work of the Festival, it
may be well to call the attention of low
ers of good orchestral music to what we
are going to hear in that line. The
Andante from Schubert's great symphony
In G. and the scherzo-allegretto from
Bethoven's. eighth symphony and one of
his most delightful and bright movements
will be leaders. From Raft IS Leonore
symphony. we will hear that charming
but weird march--made by Miss Fother-
gil SO fascinating to the readers of 1.-The
First Violin" The fine overtutres from
"Oberon" and civilian Tell,'' the ex-
quisite prelude to :" Tristan and Isolde
and the ever attractive serenata by
Moszkowski, and last of all the numbers
by our own composers to be given at the
Maine concert-surely this will be feast
of Instrumental as well as vocal music
which the great festival brings to us.
AnAppeal for the Musical Festival.
To the Editor Of the Press:
At the rehearsal of the Festival chorus
on Monday night Mr. Chapman an
nounced his determination to give the
Musical Festival as advertised. 1t does
not seem to me that the Portland people
understand the true status of this Musi
cal Festival, or a more hearty support
would be given it. When was asked to
assist Mr.. Chapman with my work and
sympathy in the undertaking, satisfied
myself in the first place that he was one
of the famous musical conductors of the
United States,-one of the few natives.
The March number of Munsey's Maga-
zine contains portrait of him and the
notice of proposed Musical Festival to
be held at Lewiston. So many societies
applied from the various cities and towns
of the State, that this Festival, which
was started as patriotic thing to show
what a Maine boy coul4 do with a chorus
in his own State, grew into such proper
lions that it was necessary in order to find
an auditorium, to go from Lewiston to
a place where a larger hall could be Sc
cured. So anxious WAS Bangor to secure
this festival, that she raised sum sutfi-
cient and built an auditorium for the
purpose of holding an annual Festival.
Portland made no effort to secure the
Festival, but it has fine auditorium and
it was thought best to bring it here
rather than to hold it in Lewiston, where
there WIS no building of sufficient size to
accom- nodate it AS yet less than 500
patron tickets have been pledged by
Portland people. There is not, venture
to say, another city in which great
musical festival has been undertaken,
where citizens have not been expected to
subscribe many thousand dollars as a
guarantee fund, before any attempt was
made to drll-a chorus and secure soloists
and musicians to take part in the festi-
val. So enthusiastic were Mr.. Chapman
and Mr.. Chase in the carrying out this
venture. that they have pledged their pri
vate means to carry through the enter
prise Ii the hall is filled to it's utmost
capacity, there can be little more than
enough to pay the expenses of the festi
val. No one who has not heard from
T9sidnts of Massachusetts, an account of
the benefits of the Musical Festival in
Worcester, can realize what great edu-
eating medium it has been, and how it
has grown in favor and love of the people
year by year, until it is now the great
festival OF Worcester.
We hear people discussing the festival
as if it was something done for the bene-
fit of Mr.. Chapman. The only benefit
that can accrue to Mr.. Chapman, to pay
him for the loss of his entire summer va.
cation, and for the immense amount of
work that he has put into the festival
this summer, Is to feel that he has been
the pioneer and Inauguration of two an
nuaI festivals in Maine for the education
and delight of the people of his native
State l believe Mr.. Chapman has
genius for bringing the best work out of
a large, body of vocalists, and has the true
love and enthusiasm of ii man of genius
for his professional work. We residents
in the western part of the State of M aine
are the ones to be benefited by this glori-
Gus work, we are to be enabled to hear at
an extremely moderate price, one of the
largest choruses ever gathered in Ameri-
ca; and while | do not think that solo
work in so large building ever equals
in interest the chorus work, yet we are
to hear two of the finest sopranos, and
one of the best tenors in the world,
besides other meritorious singers and
musicians in much greater numbers
than the occasion demands.
No more unfortunate time could have
been selected than the fall of this year
and the month following the opening of
the jefferson in Portland, but surely
there are people enough in Western Maine
to give good audiences at every one of the
five performances, and thus insure q
Musical Festival annually for all time
Give what help you can at once
EDW a RID A.. MOVES