The times., 1898-12-29
HANDEL'S MESSIAH SUNG
The Choral Society Presents a
Masterpiece.
AN ENRAPTURED AUDIENCE
Mrs. Markee Makes Her Washington
Debut - Miss Cummings Unable to
Appear-Mr. BushneIPs Work-SoIo
Parts Finely Rendered-The Per-
sonnel of the Competent Chorus.

The ninth annual presentation of Han
del's great masterpiece THE Messiah by
the Choral Society Of Washington, was
gational Church, the seats and standing
room of the edifice being filled to their
capacity.
The production was under the direction
of Prof. Josef Kaspar, and was partici-
pated in by chorus of one hundred and
seventyfive voices.
The solo parts were taken by the fol-
lowing artists: Mrs. Sophia Markee,
soprano, who sang in the place OF Miss
Shannah Cummings, who is suffering from
influenza; Mrs. Anna Taylor Jones, con-
tralto; Mr.. Nicholas Sebastian, tenor, and
Mr. Ericsson Bushnell of New York, bass.
The popular oratorio was again inspir-
ingly rendered. Rounds of appreciative
and rapturous applause followed the es-
pecially fine passages. Both the solo and
chorus work was tremendously effective.
and Mrs. Sophia Markee. the leading So
prano. made a decided impression in her
first appearance before a Washington audi
ence in her excellent rendition of her
part.
Mrs. Markee is an American. who began
her musical life in Chicago, where she
was associated with the Women's Amateur
Club and the Apollo Club with which lat
ter organization she made her professional
appearance in Boston in 1895, TO the salts
faction of that critical city. Since then
she has travelled as soloist in orchestral
concerts throughout the East and West
While some disappointment was at first
expressed because of the absence of Miss
Cummings. who had been announced to
sing the soprano part. there was general
satisfaction in her choice of so clever a
substitute.
Mr.. Bushnell also proved to be nest
satisfactory, acquisition, and his rich and
powerful bass, perfectly controlled as it
was. with such resonant effects and re-
freshing ease, earned for him enthusiastic
praise.
Mrs Jones, contralto, and Mr. Scbas-
tian, tenor. were also delightful in their
respective parts.
The personnel of the chorus was as fol-
lows:
sopranos-sMiss Ruth A. E. Adamson Mrs. s.
Bailey, Mrs William I. Bowdler, Mrs. Charles W.
Bridwell, Mrs Jennie b. Brown, Miss Lizzie r.
Brown, Mrs. Cyrene f. Browne Miss Mary f.
Cunningham, Mrs. Ellen N. Currie, Mrs. w. +.
Dales Miss Mary Davies, Mrs Florence E. Day,
Mrs. Benjamin Durfee, Miss Kate NJ Ellis Mrs.
J. f. Fell, DR.. C. Evelyn Gilbert, Miss Nav
Goodman, Miss Lillian Graves, Miss Florence ID.
| Haines, Mrs. John T. Hart, Miss Alice T.. Has.
| lup Miss Alverda G. Hawk, Miss Corinne Hay.
| Mrs. Charles G. Heitinger, Mrs. Marion H. Hell
ton, Mrs. Charles J. James. Mrs. Albert l.. John
| son, Mrs. Josef Kaspar, Miss Marie A. Kuhnel,
| Miss c. B. Linn, Miss Anna L. Lockwood Miss
Laura r. Mullen, Mrs lone Murray, Mrs. Charles
| A.. Neale, Miss Lillian A. Norton, Mrs. M F.
o'Donoghue- Mrs. Henry NJ Paul. Miss Margaret
L. Pentland, Miss Z. F. Pierce, Mrs. William C.
| Pollock, Mrs Katharine G.. Powers, Mrs. s. w.
| II. Reicheldeffer, Miss Elsie A. Ruebsam, Miss
| Iura C. Rugg., Miss Anna Z. Rupli, Mrs H. W.
| Selah, Mrs Elizabeth C. Sloan, Miss Anna II.
| Strickcr, Mrs. P. C. J. Treanor, Miss Margaretta
vanNess, Miss Sallie 'Westhorpe, Miss Frances
| Wickham, Miss Elizabeth Winter, Mrs John t.
| Winter. Miss Alice Whitman, Miss Mary V Wood,
Mrs Thomas P. Woodward, and Miss Julia Mar.
| guerite Wrenn.
Altos-Mrs. Charles Greeley Abbott, Mrs. Rob
ert Armour, Miss Annie s. Best, Miss Naomi r.
| Began, Miss Naomi Boss, Miss Alice NJ. Brady,
| Miss Sue A. Brown, Miss Emily F.. Camp, Mis-
Josephine N. Clark, Miss Mary Cumpston, Miss
| Christie Davies, Mrs Mamie Lee Davis, Mrs. W.
J. Etheli, Miss Maggie NJ -Fitzhugh, Miss Lillian
| Foster, Miss Harriette T. Galpin, Miss Rosa X.
| Gockeler, Miss N. Esther Gordon, Mrs. Joseph
/ Harper, Miss Ina Virginia Hotchkip. Miss Ella
E. Johnston, Miss Emily Jones, Miss Edith Keck,
! Miss Margaret Edith Lacy, Miss Edith Halsey
Lay, Miss Amy Clement Leavitt, hrs. John Lewis