New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-09-29
noRCESTER MUSIC FESTIVAL.
.,rNDELssOHN'S ELIJAH GRANDLY
srNG-MIss ANDERsoN's ARTS
TIC SUCCESS.

X,ohar degree Of artistic merit than the inst-
80 has ever known. The evening was devoted
W uendelssohns Elijah" work that had FIG
,.d on the schemes of the association seven times
80 and which. for that reason. would call for
.,. oomment under ordinary circumstances But
H. circumstances Of the performance were not
s,,orv and without discussing them at the pres
W. .i-,e II may be said that. such they were.
49,, gave a lovely significance to the triumph
.n,svcd A spirited Performance. one with
49, nerfunctoriness the part OF singers play
80 md conductors. with a finer balance Of tone or
,.c.r volume II has seldom been my lot 10 hear
>-ov.r have | heard the dramatic interest OF the
a., mart go finely sustained and steadily and In
diligently developed TO the climax In the Thanks
10 10 God" chorus and for this the credit was
.,oe,, due 10 the superb mpersonation-tha is
rba, It was-of the Prophet accomplished by
rfrangcon Davies The man sang with an inteh-
s,,v Of earrestness that made his proclamatlons
positively inspiring. and II was no wonder that
Mics Sarah Anderson. the young New-lork artlst'
spnnlemented his work in an ideal performance OF
che scene with the youth. accomplished In man.
ner which could scarcely admit of Improvement.
The chorus and orchestra caught the spirit OF
the piece and answered every wish OF the con-
duc,or with surprising eloquence. The conductor
yas George w Chadwick, and 10 see him standing
where Carl Zerrahn had stood for so many Years
awakened many reflections. to some Of which so
far as they bear the changes which the festival
e undergoing attention may be given in the course
Of a
that the wish Of the management to raise the
artistic value Of the festival is meeting with
splendid realization. and that far from. repelling
the public II is meeting with encouragement OF
The most substantial kind. Last year the associa-
lion suffered a severe financial loss: this year the
subscription sale has been large. and gratifying
~ not exceedingly handsome outcome is expected
The two solo quartets were composed or MISS
Marie Downey. Mrs. Carl Alves, Mackenzie Goroon
and Ffrangcon Davies. for the principal work and
Miss Sarah Anderson. Miss Minna Moka kellcss'
Dudley Buck IT, and Gwillym Miles for the sec
ondarv parts OF Miss Anderson and NJ. Ffrang-
con Davies have spoken and Mrs. Alves's always
painstaking style and fine voc. are familiar enough
IN New-York excuse comment Mt Gotioh sang
with intelligence. perfect inonatic3 and tha' eehle
quality which expect from that representation
OF Obadiah Miss Downey disappoirtins The
music overweghted her. and her voice refused 10
blend with the voices Of her companions though
she sang earnestly. To le-rn the merits OF ths
rest we mus; wait until opportunity for the ex
hibition Of their gifts Offers.
The second day Of the festival developed lovely
crescendo in popular and artistic interest. which
augurs favorably for the complete success OF the
enterprise In the afternoon the features 81 spe-
cia interest in Their relation to music culture IN
America Tribune readers know that purely local
view cannot be taken by its correspondent were
the singing Of Miss Sarah Anderson ana Inc pro
ducuon for the frs: time in America. with or
chestral accompaniment. Of a cantata by MIS- II
II A. Beach of Boston. entitled The Rose or
Avontown." Besides these numbers. there were
performances by the orchestra, which. as usual Ia
made I'D Of members of Mr. Hgginsons superb
Boston organization of Tschakowskis overture
fantasia Romeo and Juliet" and RATS Forest
symphony
How these works were played may safely be LETT
TO the ina gna,ion OF a public familiar with both
compositions and performers Mr. Chadwick con-
Quoted them and that fact provided the only valid
t. ravsirp liar
thing on this may he sai1 later in the course
Of this review. Miss Anderson. who comes from
New York (she Is daughter Of Mrs Sarah b
Anderson who has long filled place in the music
OF the metropolitan concert-room and church, sang
a scene from Tschaikowskis opera. Jeanne dare"
and the solo part in the cantata. Hers
was the most distinctive individual triumph
Of the two concerts Her professional ca
reer began late in the last New York
season and with such modesty that IT no Won
der that she appeared utter stranger here.
The greater therefore. the triumph, for to-
night the talk of those who discuss the festival Is
chiefly Of her. century under similar cir
cumstances. she would have been the Of the
town The critics put the qui vive by her
singing Of the small hut extremely difficult part
Of the youth in Elijah" Tuesday evening. when
she helped wonderfully 10 work up the dramatic
fervor which distinguished the performance Of the
first part of the oraoro but for the general public
that performance could have little weight. To-day
she effected her real debut, challenging critical at
ention at the by her choice OF the extrernei
difHcut piece + Tschaikowsk! delghiing the
critics with her and winning the enthusiasts
plaudits Of the public II genuinely Artistic
success without particle OF adventurous aid for
the scene from Jeanne dare" is Il dramatic com
position cast in tn modern mould. and very fa- in
deed from the style Of music which used 10 be re-
He'd on a decade warm the heart Of the
people Of Worcester. But the lovelincSs Of her
voice its freshness and warmth. It's searching quail
he " ne II. he n
telligence shown In its use her emotional frank
ness her simple and unconstrained manner quietly
dignihcd and without trace Of affectatioA all
these things stamped her IN the appreciation Of
everybody as artist from whom only her
friends but what is better. the musical art may
confidently expect much
Through the agency Of the womans musical {
clubs. which are doing noteworthy work In the /
creation OF taste and understanding for hgh-clnss
music. Mrs. Brachs cantata has been extensively ]
performed throughout the country in its original
form with piauoforte accompaniment II was first {
given by the Cecilia Ladies' Vocal Society Of Brook
lyn whose is inscribed on its title page.
little more than two years ago. Since then II has
been sung r New-York Boston. Detroit. MINI /
apolis Newark New-Haven. Reoit. Los Angeles +
birmingham. Albany and elsewhere The fact that
It's composer is wpnan mas hal good de-! u
DO with these performances. but it Is nevertheless
a CHEEKY and gracious composition. and the hecom-
ing orchestral dress with which Mrs. Beach decked
II out for days performance relieved II OF some
Of the nonotony which is practically i1scparabe 4
from works Of It's genre
In the evening TWO chora. works were given. both
new to Worcester. and OF them new 70 the
country except Cincinnati and Chicago The
former was Mr. ChaGwcks caniata. The Lily :.
Nymph." composed for the Montreal Philharmonic r
Society but frs, performed at concert Of the ?
New York Musical Society. Frank Dessert con I
duc,or on December l. 1895 Since then It has /
been given In New Bedford Springfield ana /
or three other cities 1t is Il work in the romantic |
style fun Of beauties. especially in the orchestra
ton containing descriptive and dramatic elements /