The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-09-09
THE WORLD OF MUSIC.
Worcester Festival to Cover
a Vast Expanse Of
Human History.

Isn't the Worcester festival covering
a good deal of human hstory-begin-
ming with The Creation and ending
with The Damnation' ?' was the ques-
ton that greeted a Worcester woman,
when her train rolled into a Chicago
railroad station, the other day. The
questioner was a New York friend,
who had but just arrived in another
train, and who has attended more than
one festival.
Il always was fond of The Damna-
tion,' replied the woman from Wor-
cester, whereupon white necktied and
eherubic old gentleman rose up from his
seat in the car, and delivered to her an
assortment of tracts relating both to the
present and the life hereafter.
This incident recalls the experience
OF another traveller, not unknown in
Worcester, who found little in the opera
to interest her in Europe. In London
it was the same that she had heard all
winter in New York, and at Bayreuth
and other continental cities it was not
so good-in some places, in fact, far in
terior, except as to stage settings.
While America has but one autumnaI
music festival this year England has
three, at Worcester, Norwich and Shelf
field, though the triennial system is in
vogue over there, instead of the annual
as here. 1t will be seen from the pro-
grams below that these festivals are
much given to encouraging native COM
posers, and aside from their works, the
music is not conspicuous for novelty
Stlll PerosIs Passion of Christ" gets
place at Norwich. Here is the London
Musical Times prospectus of the three
festivals, with pleasant reference to
Horatio William Parker
The first festival, that of 1.-THE meeting
of the three choirs of Gloucester, Wor-
cester and Hereford" is also the senior
being at least It's years old
The Norwich festival in its present
ltrienniaD form dates from 1924 though
from the year 1888 and onWards there
We're intermittent music meetings Of a
festival kind. The name of Spohr is
closely associated with the Norwich
festival He was present at that held
in 1889 when he conducted his oratoro
calvary, the subject of which aroused
the Wrathful Indignation of the clerical
party in Norwich. Spohr who knew not
English, attended the service in the
cathedral on the Sunday preceding the
festival. In the course of the sermon
ne repeatedly heard the title of his or
atorio mentioned. Thinking that these
references of the preacher could not be
otherwise than complimentary, the
| composer very naturally assumed a
| cheerful cOuntenance His face beamed
! with smiles serene. What must have
| been his feelings when he afterwards
! discovered that the preacher had bold
| ly declared his conviction that all those
! who listened to Spohr's Calvary"
would be eternally damned!
! Sheffield, although by far the Junior
| Of this years festival family. shows a
youthful vigor of great promise and an
enterprise that will reap its due reward
| in the years to come
| The Messiah" and the "Hymn OF
praise find place in the schemes OF
all the three meetings. At Worcester
a distinguished American musician. in
the person of Horatio w. Parker, will
make his debut as a composer and con
ductor at an English festival. The DO
sitions which Edward Elgar, Edward
German and S. Coleridge-Taylor have
already attained as composers are well
maintained. In fact, the actual novel;
ties are entirely their products Mr.
| Elgar contributes for Norwich a new
cycle of songs, composed expressly fo1
Miss Clara Butt, who will sing them:
| Mr.. Taylor, new orchestral
work (Worcester) and an overture to
his popular cantata, "Hiawathas we'd
| ding-feast'' (Norwich); and Edward
German, symphonic suite, entitled
The seasons, of which the Summer
number is Harvest dance