The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-10-18
The Musical Festival at Bangor.
To the Editor Of the Press:

To the Editor of the Press:
An unqualified success, "sJis.the uni
yersal verdict of all fortunate enough to
be present at the concerts of the first
Maine Musical Festival, held last Thurs.
day, Friday and Saturday in Bangor.
The charming and artistic arrangement
OF the chorus. impressed each person that
entered the large, new, Auditorium on
the opening night. One appreciatiye
woman declared, "It's worths the price of
admission to look at that chorus; all
can think of is two immense bouquets of
of bachelors buttons" Describe it!
utterly impossible; the effect, to be appre-
ciated, must be seen. Two of us follow
one of the many attentive ushers. and
were soon catching the secho" of Mayor
Beals' happy congratulatory remarks
and feeling more and more convinced that
| when the great festival is held in Port
land, the hearty welcome to sister associa-
tions, and loud plaudits, appreciative of
music's transcendent power, would be
distinctly audible 1876 miles away. And
as one famous artist after another shall
appear and charm the ear, the..futtering
of countless handkerchiefs would be
clearly visible in far-off Bangor. How
nobly the Queen City has sustained her
reputation for free -handed hberality and
generous hospitality, and done everything
in the way of patronage to sustain the
management. The singing of the chorus
was wonderfully fine and when the short
bored, and it Is known that many men,
bers were untried singers, wholly new to
| this class of music, the results were phe-
nomenal. The tone produced was partic-
ularly sweet and clear, and the volume
| of sound magnificent. We have been par
ticularly impressed with the unabated en-
thusiasm of chorus and audience from
start to finish, and that, in itself, is
| strong lever for success. II we found the
chorus SO satisfying, what remains to be
! said Of the soloistsp When have the peo
| pie of Maine ever entertained at once.
such an array of artists as Mr.. Chapman
has secured for this festivalp Nordica.
the peerless-superb in opera, commanding
in oratorio. dazzling alike in
solo, duo, or concerted music
Blauvelt, whose slender throat seemed as
an aviary in itself, where apparently
| dozens of birds warbled or trilled,
in fascinating abandon; could any
| thing.be more even, pure, and liquid than
| those exquisite runs. We have not space
allotted us to tell the triumphs Of the
orchestra in dainty serenata or magnifi
cent overture; or how Kronold sang upon
the soulful cello, Walters wondrous
prize song. The impressive voice of
Duff will not soon be forgotten. The
Toreador song, the Two Grenadiers, SO
nobly rendered by Meyn and Miles. will
long be delightful memory. 1t is ac-
knowledged by all that the power of the
preacher consists in no small degree In
his ability to set before us old truths in
new and moving ways; in much the same
fashion, the genius o.. the singer mani
tests itself when by his impassioned
tones, familiar compositions glow with
never before suspected fire. eff with
all your hearts, has been sung many
times, to us all it is ever one of Mendels-
sobn's most exceptional inspirations, but
we feel sure we are only voicing the
thought of the entire audience, Thursday
evening, when we declare that Mr.. Will
liams's Interpretation was revelation of
the deepest feelings of the human heart.
We cannot make known in words the in
expressible longing of that cry, 'Oh that
l knew where 1 might find Him." 1t
is an experience which comes but seldom
in Ia lifetime, to have thesaheart thrilled
as it is by Mr.. Williams's remarkable
| voice and unusual intensity of expression.