Evening star., 1898-12-24
THE CHORAL SOCIETY
Its Forthcoming Representation of Handers
Great 0ratorto, ''fhe Messiah"
A "ss'e" of u 1Tm'e' Of Times
Thfs work Has Been Given
and the SOlofsts.

the congregational Church, corner 10th ant
Gstreets s,nextWednesday evening and raises
the interesting question as to how otter
and under what circumstances this work
has been rendered here by this organiZa'
| ton. The first public concert given by this
| society was on February 23, 1884, and the
first rendition by them of any portion OF
the Messiah was at their concert of Fri
| day,May 13, 1887 lat the Universalist Church
when miscellaneous program was rem.
dered, and of which the second number was
Handel; Aria from the Messiah by Harry
Brandon No other selection from this
work was rendered by them until theil
hrst rendition of the complete oratoric
Wednesday, December 10, 1890, at Lincoln
MUSIC Hall. Mr.. H. c. Sherman, director
MT Arnold w. Meyer, pianist; Mrs. Jennie
+. Walker, soprano: Miss Gertrude Ed.
wards, contralto; Mr. Herbert johnson
tenor, and Mr.. Ivan Morawski, bass, all OF
Boston. Mr.. Ad5lph Carnis of New York
trumpeter, and an orchestra, conducted by
| Mr. Robert c. Bernays. The chorus num-
bered 194, and nine of the present members
OF the board of directors sangin the chorus
no 40, presentation OF the work was given in
1881, but IN lS92 and 1893 two presentations
We're given each year, one eacn in 1894 and
1880, two in 1896, one in 1891 and one has
been given in 1898, 50 that considering
seals tne annua1 presentations
GATE from 1892, this being the seventh an
nuai, and that of last year, the sixth an
mual, as printed on last years program
Inc Choral Soclety's year, or season, how
over, runs 1rom october to May, and reck-
ohllS IN TINS way the society has presented
the Messiah regularly at least once in
every season since the season of 1SyU-91
When 1t was first produced, this being in
ledlty the nlnth annual ana eleventh con-
secutlFe performance of the complete work.
AS matter of Interesting local musical
history complete summary of these sew
efal sa.pe periornanees Dr. 1an @ viii now pc given.
Season of 1S91-92-Monday, January IL,
is92, at Albaugh's Grand Opera House,
Malter Damrosch, director; Nine. Mary
hove, soprano; Miss Gertrude Edmonds,
Ivan Morawski, bass, and the New York
symphony Orchestra; chorus, 1873 voices.
Season of 1S92-93-First presentation
wednesday, December IA, 1892, at Metze-
rott Music Hail. Mr.. Walter Damrosch,
director; Mrs. Corinne Moore Lawson, So
prano; Miss Gertrude Stein, contraito; Mr.
Payne Clarke, tenor; Mr.. Percy AveriIl,
pass; the symphony Orchestra of New
YORK and chorus of 212 voices. A second
presentation was given at the same place
May z, 1893, under the direction of Mr.. John
Porter Lawrence, with Mrs. Nellie Wilson
Shir-Cli1f and Mrs. +. A. Mute, sopranos;
Mrs, o.: X. True. contraIto; Mr.. w. d. Nc
tarland, tenor; DR.. Merrill Hopkinson,
baritone; MIR. Arthur D. Mayo, pianist;
Mrs. Nettie S. MGR ariand, organist, and a
chorus of 2O4 voices.
Season Of 1ss3-94-Thursday, December
~, at Convention Hall, MIR Josef Kaspar.
director; Mrs Genevra ]. Bishop, soprano;
Miss Gertrude Edmands, contralto; Mr..
Z. Z. IoWne, tenor. and Mr.. Ericsson Bush
nell, bass The Baltimore Symphony Or
chestra and the Choral Society, assisted bv
the Mt. Vernon Choral Society, the Mozart
Chorus Club, the Mt. Pleasant Choral So
ciety, the Euterpe Glee Club and the Cap
ltai Glee Club, making a combined chorus
of 1913 voices.
Season of 93.-Friday, December 2S
1894, at Convention Hall, Mr. Josef Kaspar.
director; Nine. Emma Juch. soprano; Mrs.
katharine Fleming. alto; Mr.. William H.
Rieger. tenor, and Mr. Ericsson F. Bush
nell. bass. The Baltimore Symphony Or
chestra and chorus Of 355 voices.
Season of 1S95-96-December II, 1896
Convention Hall; Or. Henry C. Sherman
conductor; Miss Charlotte Walker substi-
tuted for Mrs. Charlotte Maconda, soprano
the other solostS being Miss Ruth Thomp-
son, contralto; Mr.. Z. c. ToWne tenor and
Mr.. Carl E. Duff, bass, with Mr. Herman
Rakemann's Washington Symphony Or
chestra and chorus of 174 voices. This
was the last concert given by the society
In Convention Hall.
Season of 1S9G-97-Two renditions were
given on successive evenings, at the Con-
gregational Church, December % and 80.
1896, with Mr.. Josef Kaspar, conductor
Mrs. Nellie Wilson Shr- Cliff, soprano; Miss
Sophia Church-Hall, contralto; Mr. w. D.
MacFarland, tenor, and Mr.. Ericsson F.
Bushnell. bass, with an organ accompani-
ment by Mr.. John Porter Lawrence, and a
chorus of 161 voices.
Season of 1S9I-9S-Tuesday, December 2S
at the Congregational Church; Mr. Josef
kaspar, director; Nine. De Diaz Albertini,
soprano; Miss Fielding Roselle contraIto:
Mr.. h. c. Towne, tenor, and Mr.. Ericsson
F. Bushnell, bass; Mr.. John Porter Law
renee, organist, and chorus of 16O voices.
For the present season of 1S9S-99 the
Messiah will be rendered at the Congre-
gational Church, under the direction of
Prof. Josef kasDar with Mr.. John Porter
Lawrence at the organ and DR.. Anton
Gioetzner at the grand piano, with the fol-
lowing soloists: Miss Shannah Cummings,
soprano; Mrs. Anna Taylor Jones, con-
tralto: Mr.. Nicholas Sebastian, tenor, and
Mr.. Ericsson F. Bushnell, bass, all of New
York, and chorus which will probably
aggregate not far from 200 voices. This
will be, as already stated, the ninth annual
and eleventh consecutive presentation.
Taking into account the coming rendition
of next Wednesday evening It will be seen
that the Messiah will have been given four
times in the Congregational Church, three
times in Convention Hall, two in Met
zerotts Music Hall (now the Columbia
Theater) and once each in Albaugh's Grand
Opera House and Lincoln Music Hall.
This will be the sixth time that Mr.. Kas-
par has acted as conductor in the rendition
and Mr.. Walter Damrosoh having con-
Quoted twice each and Mr.. Lawrence once 1t
has been given three times with organ. ac-
compartment and will this year for the
first time be given with a combined organ
and piano accompaniment, twice with the
New York Symphony Orchestra, twice with
the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, once
with Bernay's New York Symphony Or
chestra and once with Mr. Rakemanns
Washington Symphony Orchestra Mr.
Lawrence, who is the to play the organ
accompaniment, has presided at the organ
at nearly every presentation of this work
which the society has given. Mr.. Bushnell
leads as the favorite soloist. as this will be
his sixth appearance here for this society
in this work. Mrs. Shir-CliY soprano. and
Mr.. Mcfarland and Mr.. E. c. Towne. tenors.
have each appeared three times, and Miss
Gertrude Edmands, contralto, and Mr. Ivan
MOrawski bass. twice geach
On the whole our local choral organiza-
tion may well be proud Of such a record.
and from the work of the chorus at recent
rehearsals and the known excellencies of
the soioists one oftthe most successful pre-
sentatiOns of this work ever made by this
society may be confidently anticipated for
next Wednesday. =
Fifty-Two ChEistmas Gifts a Year.
Christmas present that comes not once