The age-herald., 1901-05-01
MAGNIFICENT
 MUSIC SNAYED
 GREAT CROWD May Festival Attracted Most Brilliant Asssnb|ags in His
 tory of Birmingham THE HARMONY WAS INSPIRING Soioists Were Never Heard To Better Advantage, and the Work of the
 Chorus and Orchestra Was
 Simply Superb.
THE HARMONY WAS INSPIRING

Of all the notable musicst events that have taken place in Birmingham, the opening concert of the third annual Music Festival at the Auditorium last night was easily the most brilliant. It was mag nifcent performance from beginning to end: a tone banquet of the choicest; a grand poem in song. And not only was the music great but the audience was great The Auditorium Is a spacious house. Large audiences have often as- sembled there but never before last night was 1t so near filled when An admission fec was charged From the stage to the door every seat was taken. livery seat in the balcony was filled. The gallery on the side set apart for white people was almost filled, and d half hundred colored persons occupied the colored section.
 All the cultured and srpart folk of Greater Birmingham seemed to have turned out; and along with Birmingham came a strong contingent from the State of Alabama at large. The only thing that marred the evening was the tardiness of majority of the audience. The adver- tised time for beginning the concert was s:15 o'clock, and exactly on time the per- formance began. But only meagre au- dience was then present. It was quite o'clock before the seats were filled This
 
 was too bad, for the confusasl of reating the late corners not only annoyed those who had come early, but 1t was exceed insly annoying to the musicians. The management begs the audience to be prompt in entering the Auditorium to- night.
 For the first and second festivals Mol lenhaurer's Orchestra was engaged, but this time the greatest orchestra in the United States supplies the instrumental music. The fact that Theodore Thomas with his superb symphony band is here would be sufficient to give eclat to the festival But in addition to the part which Thomas has in it Benjamin Guck- enlerge'r chorus was larger and better balanced than ever before
 The Programme. The programme was as follows: Part II of Mendelssohns Elijah, with chorus. orchestra and soloists-Mrs. Gen evieve Clark Wilson. soprano: Mrs E. G. Chandles, soprano: Mrs. Benjamin Guck- engerger, alto: Mrs. Morris Newfield. al- orIa NY Clark. basso. all under the directorship of MT. Guckenberger: and Vorspiel, Die Meistersinger' (Wagner): violin solos, Romance fSvendsen) and "Perpetuum Mobile (Ries): Norwegian rha psody by J.alo and Liszt's symphonic poem, Les Preludes." the orchestral numbers being conducted by Mir. Thomas.
 The Chorus.
 The soloists were exceptionally strong. while the chorus attained almost the ideal Was ever information of mass chorus better? Was ever attack more wig orous or more certain? Did any chorus | anywhere ever sing with more intelli- gence or more spirit? It may well be doubted,
 Which was the finest chorus number last night? It is usually an easy matter to pick out the best. But not so on this occasion. Not single musician or critic was found after the concert who would say that this or that chorus was the best. "They were all so fine. it is hard to discriminate was the comment on ev- cry hand. If one might venture dis eliminating opinion the number Then did Elijah, the prophet break forth like a fre.' was perhaps the grandest chorus of the evening.
 | MT. Guekenberger.
 Theodore Thomas. who has directed the Elijah scores of times. is noted for his true tempos in this immortal oratorio He has them according to the Mendelssohn tradition Few other directors in this country have the tempos quick enough. But Mir Guckenberger had them just right : just like MT. Thomas and the members of the orchestra marveled that it was so
 The opening solo by Mrs. Wilson was beautiful thing of art and the oftener this lady sang the closer she got to the hearts of the audience. She has high soprano of wonderful purity. and her style is perfectly suited to oratorio.
 Mrs. Guckenberger. always an artist. achieved a signal triumph. She seemed inspired indeed as never before. MT. Ham lin made splendid impression. and so did MT. Clark. In the trio. unaccompan- led, by Mrs. Wilson. Mrs. Chandler and Mrs. Guckenberger, Mrs. Chandler was at her est and in the quartette for wo- men, Mrs Newfield, like Mrs. Chandler. acquitted herself with high credit. The final chorus, And then shall your light break" was one Of the most difficult of all. and was sung with an effect that stirred the audience welinght to the shouting point. It was a spleidid climax to the first part of the programme.
 MT. Guckenberger left the conductors stand amid tremendous applause. His