New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-06-23
GERMANS SING FOR PRIZES.
SECOND DAY OF THE NATIONAL sAENGER-
FEST IN PHILADELPHIA.


PHILADELPHIA. June % (specia)-The boast OF Phil
adeiphia that the eighteenth National sanseriest
of the Northeast Sangerbund would be the great
est affair Of its kind yet held bids fair TO be
realized One thing is certain No previous meet
ing was SO graciously favored by Providence In
everything that goes to make success for THESE
monster gatherings. The weather has been ideahF
perfect with bright skies, the sun yelled py mccoy
clouds a balmy breeze during the day and cool
ness in the evening which robs the concert nan OF
all the terrors which thoughts OF a summer night
spent within doors and In the company OF thou-
sands are likely to conjure up The spirit WIN
which the people OF the city have met the singers
can never have been more gracious or propi'ious'
In tho early days OF the Sangerfest four decaoes
ago such popular attitude unknown. On
the contrary there were times when riot wouid
inevitably have followed such an invasion Oh "ei-
mans as Philadelphia is welcoming with open arms
this week.
The people have manifested the warnest inter-
est In what the placards on the rolley-cars 'au'o
,og,cauv call the "S;ingerfest Festival" One mani
festation indeed was almost alarming TINS even
ing There was such crush at the concert do "
excite apprehension Of a catastrophe. Lohs peioi'
o'clock all the seats I'm the vast room were soiu,
and the police force without the hall was Kept hard
AT work for an hour turning back people VINO
wanted IN get IN but were not provided with
tickets ONLY the great good humor winch the
festival spirit had bred on all hands ana the energy
OF the police prevented the hall from peing SO
overcrowded that. had the slightest accldeht oc-
Cured the horrors of the recent catastrophe IN
Paris might have been multiplied n hundredfold
The bou il well provided with exits and the police
arrangements are admirable. but with fifteen thou
sand people seated in cramped aises on mario"
chairs and flights OF steps leading into the foyer
of the hall neither exits nor police arrangements
would have availed had anything precipitated a
panic.
7. 10 GRATIFYING 10 saw from an experience OF over
twenty-fve years with meetings OF this kind that
the Philadelphia festival will also mark an ad-
vancement in artistic achievement. 1t Is unWise
TO expect much from the festival concerts proper
the evening affairs in which the visiting singers
are massed In a single chorus OF thousands. AZ
these concerts the only effective features. as
rule are the unaccompanied part-songs OF simple
structure like the folksongs arranged by carr
Samans conductor of the concert when were
sung this evening. They were household words TO
nearly every one who heard them. Their simple
sentiments and arch melodies went straight TO
fifteen thousand hearts They were dialect songs
Den Lieben Langen Tag and Madeie hucA.
Ruck Ruck and Meme Gtine Settle, and the erect OF
such massing Of tone in them was uplifting ana
inspiring. When it came TO more AMBITIOUS Things
chorses with orchestral accompaniment the want
OF careful preparation and sympathetic interest
made itself felt at once.
So too with the orchestral pieces ana inc SOLO
numbers. which latter would have been most
:
mltted them to be effective. This circumstance
was ALI the more deplorabe from the fact that the
solo artists who were Miss Emma Juch, soprano;
T. IL Mckinley, tenor. and Leopold Godowshy,
pianoforte. performed their tasks with honest and
loving devotion Especially poetical and IoVey
was Miss Juch's singing - Lists .iToreiel,
surely II ANYTHING can just the Hungarian COM
noser,s nerverson of the simple folk-song spirit
which Heine caught up marvellously IN MS
noem II would be such n performance as MISS
Juch's But there must have been thousahos III
the audience-room 10 whom her voice came as d
moro trickle of sweet sound mingled with dis
cordant noises from without the hall. for kissing
locomotives which have no bowels or reverence
for the muses. pass the hall every few minutes.
Some day when local directors are less anxious
to shine a programme may be arranged TOT
sangerfest which will have character adapted
TO such a meeting. After the impression by the
folksongs, the most delightful feature OF the
concert the singing OF the German Leoer-
kranz of New-York. The society mustered near
IT, II not quite, one hundred voices and was nom
ored with the privilege Of singing apart from inc
other societies. similar privilege VIII De en-
ioyed by the Arion Of New-York. tomorrow
Neither of these societies has entered the compeu-
ton which is the most significant element OF the
Eastern festivals. but has been, or at least was
abandoned in the West. . a., 49,. o, =,
finished styie three set pieees1the choral number
from Nicode's mixture of symphony ana os ca! d
|
Mr. Zoellners 'Todesritt Won Mars La Tour ~,
really impressive composition which invoices t ne
spirit Of folksong most effectively at the close py
means of a device for which Mr. Zoellner has se W.
eral times disclosed fondness. With song ne
blends toward the close an obligato for TWO horhs,
consisting OF the touching folk tune 'Morgenrolh
! The device is "motvert." the Germans say, by
the incident related in the poem. which Is DaIlao
! Of Freiligrath's The society and Its CONDUCTOR
| Mr. Zoeliner, were honored with a storm or ap-
| plause. which would have served for a demand Tor
more were IL not rule of the festival that no en-
cores allowed
Of other societies were the guests of the Phila-
delphia Mannerchor. which enjoys the distinction
of being the oldest German singing society IN the
! United States. Intimate relations have existed
between the Mannerchor and the Liederkranz Ior
fifty years, and the fact was signaized to-nlght
by q gift from the latter to the former or por-
trait Of the late William Steinway. ~
/ In downright significance, far as the cultiva-
ton of amateur singing Is concerned, all these
! incidents of the evening were overtopped by the
competition In the afternoon, when thirty-six So
cietes sang for prizes. This competition VIII be be
be discussed with better understanding than Is
| possible now. H. T. ~