The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-10-04
House Crowded to the Doors in
the kOrniu;.
First Appearance of the
Great Sembrich.
A Record Breaking Matine g
Audience.
Matinee

The promise OF the first day OF the
Maine Music Festival was.more then fall
filled on the second. It was DAY OF
magnificent audiences entertained by
series of magnlficent concerts The skies
in the early hours of the day did NOT
smile on this annual gathering Of mu-
sicians and music lovers, but that did not
deter the thousands who wanted to see
and hear the Incompatible Sembrfch
from going to the Auditorium long be-
fore the doorr were open for the forenoon
rehearsal In the raw, cold air, the pso-
pie waited patiently for the time when
they could entsr the hall, for 1t was
known that it would be first come first
served aud those In tne rear ranks would
not be likely to gain admfstanoe. The
appearance Of Sembrich ut the rehearsal
had been arranged largely to give the
school childran . chance to hear the
werId's famous singer. but there were
more grown folks than little ones in the
waiting thousands. When the doors wers
at last opened 1t took but o few minutes
to fill the hall. Every one Of tho ssttees
was occupied and then the attendants
began bringing In chairs. These we're
placed at the front Of the hall until they
were so near the stage that there was
scarce room to pass. Along the sides
of the great great room hundreds were
standing and in the gallery the ranks
rose tier above tier to the rear wall
where a rev Of enthusiastic people stood
for two hours and half mounted on
chairs that they might see the distant
stage.
The rehearsal was devoted in the main
to the last tou ches in the preparation OF
"1he Messiah" the evenings Offering.
1t served to introduce as soloists Nine.
MRconds, Misc Eva Cushing, MIR. Julia
Walker and MIR. Harry Pepper. The efforts
Of this talented quaFtette were greeted
with evident appreciation and in the
applause generously bestowed by the au-
dienos OF 5000 the chorus came In for its
full share. The rehearsal, too, gave the
people q chance to seq the way in which
Mr.. Chapman controls the Thousand
shoristeIs, and that, to many. was one OF
the interesting things about the fore
Moons entertainment. 1t is we'll known
shat Chapman as q conductor lie an
active man. He puts his heart and a good
deal of muscular sxerticn into the
work. 1t Is hard to keep your eyes away
from him, yet sometimes the singers let
theirs linger too long on their music.
What do you pay me for?" shouted
the conductor at enc of these timeR.
"Bless you, my dear people, watch me.
uksat fft,,k ora 10 a
start on the down stroke" and this time
the chorus looked and started, to bs re-
warded with ''hravo" from the condue-
tor. So 1t went and the people thorough
Iy enjoyed 1t. At last the soIoists left
the platform and the great audience
knsw that the event of the day for them
Was soon to come. MIR. Chapman went
to the side of tine stage and returned
with SeDlbrich, who bowed and smiled
again and again rs the audience APP
plauded. she looked down on one of the
greatest threngs, and perhaps the great
est, ever gathered in Maine ON similar
occasion. She saw the thousands sitting
and standing In every inch of avails Bile
room and all loudly Applauding her,
while many waved handkerohiefs and
some of the men swung their hats around
their heads. The audisncs sew a wons-
An of medium height, exquisitely gowned
In q dark street costume, woman whose
fass was lighted by o charming smile as
she acknowledged their plaudits She
carried lorgnetts and used 1t once or
twice in looking across the hail, but
when the orchestra struck up the nc
compartment, TO her first number the
lGrgnetJe :. came into play as = baton and
the prime donna beat the time rs she
sang III was the aria from LA Traviata,"
the soma which is regarded by many of
the admirers of the songstreas IS her best
ebert. That wonderful instrument. her
magical voice, must be treated with care
and tenderness and so at a rehearsal it
10 not allowed to ring out in the gran
dear Of its magnificent volume. 1t was
hsfd baok and the notes came low and
elsar. but the hearers Appreciated to the
fun the marvellous purity and sweet
Bess of those low notes which seemed to
Hnger and repeat themselves In be witch
Ing cadenoas In the ears Of those who sat
aEd .iste-ad. After the aria the great
singer favored her hearers with two more
munbers, one tho Fruhiingstimn men
waltz. As Sembrich's appearance was
m the nature Of a rehearsal this is net