The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-02-08
THE SCHUBERT CONCERT.
The Club Does Excellent
Work in Spite Of a
Chilly Audience.

The Schubert's usual bad luck in
weather attended the second concert last
night. The size of the audience was not
greatly affected, but the cold blasts seemed
to nave chilled the subscribers, and they
did not thaw out sufficiently to become
enthusiastic over ever the best work.
The concert was altogether d charming
one, although the orchestral music which
adds so much to the first and last Senu-
bert concerts each year, and which Schu-
bert subscribers love, was missing. The
outsiders were two women vocalists and
q iharpist-not different enough, perhaps
to relieve the concert of a little MON
otony. 4
THE best thing in the concert was the
club singing. Mr.. Baier has been i'll, this
winter, and there were some fears that
lack of rehearsal might impair the
precision and finish of style which are
leading features of Schubert work. But all
such fears were g~roundless. The singing
went with the dash and spirit which win
the general appreciation, and at the same
time it showed that perfection of detail,
which pleaseS the critical ear, and which
is the result of hard study and training.
The attack was good, the color rich, the
movement was animated and the shading
was delightful. The orchestral effects
which Mr.. Baier contrives to make his
voieeA produce were not wanting. In that
exquisite number, THE Sunken City" of
Victor Herbert, these effects were par
ticularly noticeable. This piece was really
the triumph of the evening. 1t was sung
with exquisite poetic understanding, and
with a technical excellence which was
simply marvellous to those who realized
the difficulties of the time and the
intricacies of the interviewer parts. The
effect of syncopation is given by the
tenors and BASES in the "dfng dong" of
the refrain. 1t is something that must
be sung eonsummateIy, or not at all.
The Schuberts sung it as 1t should be
sung.
The double numbeH (a) Autumn Sum
SET" (b) "She was but seven" Haw-
ley, was another especially good feature
The club has an inestimable habit of pay
ing heed to the meaning conveyed by the
words to which they sing. 1t was pref
tily exemplined in 'sShe was but sever"
an engaging trife, which set off "Au-
tumn Sunset like a blossom against a
cluster of LEAKAGE. Autumn Sunset We'd
with 1.-THE Sunken City, for first honors.
The club sang it with rare appreciation
of the beauty of its passages The or
chestral effects in it were marvellous.
sTom, the Piper's Son." that popular
song of the club, showed another side OF
its ability. 1t is a tuneful melody, sung
lightly n airily with a quick change
from a march to a waltz movement. fol-
by a chant in the middle of the
piece. 1t was sung as a closing number,
and sung we'll, SO that it sent the audience
home with a pleasant memory of the
evening humming in their heads.
The other club songs-and in both good
work was done-were "a wet sheet and a
flowing sea-" Lloyd, and sThe Stars,
Mohring-Buck.
Miss Frances Cook, the soprano, did not
greatly please the audience. Before each
song she coughed frequently and she was
probably suffering from a cold. Her high
notes suggested it. She san Pace Mic
DID," Verdi; Beat upon mine, little
heart" Nevin, and MAY Morning"
Denza. The little lullaby, which has but
slight range, she sang exceedingly well;
the other two selections, somewhat me-
Chemically. Miss Cook PUSHES her songs.
In all three she constantly attacked one
phrase before she was well through with
the preceding one. Her voice on the lower
notes is sweet. Her principal fault is a
failure to produce climatic effects.
Miss Florence Halliday, the contralto,
sang 20 Love, Thy Help" from Samson
e Delilah,'' Saint-Saens, and the famous
gavotte from Mignon (Thomas). On the
former she won an encore. On the latter
she should nave had one-but the audi
ence was so cold. She sang the gavotte
with life and lightness. 1t was a beautiful
effort down to the very last note, when,
for some. strange reason, she slurred the
closing phrases, and thus failed to draw
the applause which everyone had been
almost ready to lavish on her. Miss
Ha1lfday's high and low notes are pleas
ing. Her pianissimo effects are not so
good as her full tones. She has tenn
permanent and ability. h and Miss
Cook sang two duets, Caracciolo (a) "A
Flight of Clouds" (bJ "Oh, Happy Are
the Blind "a Flight of Clouds" is an
extremely musical little bit. 1t is one of
those peculiar little songs that are not
grasped until the end and then one wishes
to hear them again. Mr.. Baier deserves
special credit for his mastery accom-
paniment. 1t was. a sort of embroidery
of short, quick, graceful treble notes upon
the broad, slow movement of the paired
voices.
OF the three ladies, Miss Avice Boxall,
the harpest, was. most popular. Her first
solo was 'sReverie,v Thomas, not
Romance" as on the programme. She
also played, (a) watching the Wheat;
(b) s"The Bells of Aberdovy," traditional
Welsh melodies, and as encores to the
first number, the Spinning Wheel" and
to the second. the March of the Men Of
HarIech.D 1t is strange that Welsh mel
odies are so seldom heard. hose which
Miss Boxall selected were most interest
ing, fairly rivaling the overdone Scotch
Tninstrelsy in inspiration and musical
quality. Miss BoxaIl played them with
great grace and with as much force as
can be put into the gentle harp.
The last concert of the season will take
ulacaAO on the evening of April Is.