The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-12
BETHLEHEM'S BACH FESTIVAL.
NOTABLE WEEK or MUSIC IN THE
LEHIGH VALLEY TOWN.
The Cantata "Wachet Auf" and the "Mas .
nifica" Renderctl-Lnrse Attendance
From other Piaces-StrikinE Atrac-
lions OF the Famous MOrayian Town.

BErHLEHgM. Pa, May 1.-THE third OF
the festivals of Bach, music which have
made this It'll, Pennsylvania tom, snug
| Cling in the sequestered Lnhigh Valley,
| famous for something besides the manu-
facture o, armor plate for the navy. began
tonight in the old Moravian Church. The
newspaper accounts of the last previous
festival, which took place two years ago,
| had aroused sufficient interest IN the out
side world to draw a larger number OF
visitors to the town than attended the
former festivals.
People came not only from New York,
but from Philadelphia, Washington and
places much further away Those VINO
arrived early In the day spent the after
noon in looking at tho historic sights OF
the place. The lovely peace and sweet
contentment of mood which rest on Bethle-
hem we're never in better evidence than
| they were to-day, when the air was balmy
with the warm breath Of spring. The old
| church, with it's severe lines and antique
! belfry, drew the gaze Of the visitors. while
| right across the street they could examine
the Moravian Seminary, the oldest school
for girls in the country and, in the stormy
| DAYS of the American Revolution hospital
wherein died many Of the heroes who went
out from the Lehigh Valley to do battle for
national independence.
Many of the visitors wandered through
the Moravian burying ground behind the
J church and examined tombs of good
| brothers and sisters, some OF whom were
born as far beck as the seventeenth CEN
fury Fancy the thrill of some man with
a fresh memory Of his boyhood delight in
Coopcrs Misunderstanding Tales looking
| at the grave of Tschoop, a Mohican Indian,
who was baptized John, and died in l7ie,
and learning that this was none other than
| the veritable Great Serpent, the father OF
Uncas. the last of the Mohicans. Bethle-
| hem is full of such landmarks. and the
visitor need not have time hanging heavy
| on his hands.
The pecunary success of the festival is
| assured The greatest demand for seats
| is for Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the
days on which three large works are to be
| performed, and there is also much interest
| in the Wednesday concert when the second
| Brandenburg concerto seems to be attract
| ing the attention of the public,
! Probably that is because an orchestral
work i, novelty at these festivals and
| music The expenses of the week Will
| amount to $4,000. and the sale Of seats this
morning had reached 5000. The local
| managers have no fear that the remaining
| of those who arrived to-day came without
| tickets, trusting 80 the possibility OF secur-
| ing them after arriving.
! The forces of the chorus and orchestra
will be constituted of elements similar
! to those of the previous festival. The
| chorus is practically the same, numbering
| III voices, and there is a boy choir of fifty
one. The string players of the orchestra
| are nearly all local amateurs The concert
| master is F. W. Schascha who was brought
| from New York to fill the important
| place Among the first violins are two
| women. among the seconds four and among
the violoncel!os one. Two New York must
clans have been engaged to play the "Oboi
d'Amore." and other professionals from
New York and Philadelphia I'LL out the
other wind instruments.
The solo singers tonight were: Etie
Stewart and Lucy Brickenstein, sopranos;
! tenor, and Herbert Witherspoon, bass.
The programme of the first concert con-
sisted of the cantata. .Sleepers;. Wake for
Night Is Flying" and the "Magnificat
Bach for the St Thomas Church at Leipsic.
| It was composed for the twenty-seventh
Sunday after Trinity. Of 1871. This Sun,
| dav seldom occurs in the ecclesiastical
| calendar and Bach felt called upon to pro-
| duce something of especial Importance
! for it.
The text is chiefly that of Nicolais hymn,
""achet Auf,' or, as translated IN the
Novello version by Georgiana Iroutbeoky.
| the hymn are inserted recitatives and
| duets embodyng the dialogue of Christ
and the bride, which as Splits we'll says.
| breathe Of chaste fervency without ever
trenching on the domain OF personal pas
sion"
The final stanza of the hymn, of course,
! appears in pure choral form and brings
! the mystic and impressive little work to
a fitting end with the congregation on it's
| ,,l mi, ,t,t has
J opening cantata suggests the need OF just
i a word or two on the church cantatas Of
| Bach as whole. The church canta,a. in
| its original form, consisted Of conjoined
hymns About 100 the Italian recitative
and aria were introduced into it. and in
| the hands of Bach it became very sgnifi-
cant form of church music.
Erdmnnr Ncumister, preacher. brought
the text to a condition which appealed
! to the great master and his settings OF
| these texts solved an ecclesiastical prob
| lom which threatened to lie as formidable
a. that nj the proper treatment 81 the text
| of the Roman mass was when Palestrna
came TO the rescue. Bach managed TO
! treat the cantata in such way that the
| hymn tune, Which he used as basis was
! presented in its purity, and the conGrcga-
ton was brought into the performance
| in the chorae al the end. In the setting
Of tho text not belonging to the hymn
he did not employ distortions of the hymn
tune but wrote new and independent
melodies. enriched with wonderful in
strumenta,ion. "Wachet Auf" is one of
the finest specimens of Bach's compost
tons in this style and it served admirably
| as n prelude to the festival.
The "Magniticat" is the song Of the Virgin
looking forward TO the birth of Christ:
| 1t was written for the evening service OF
Christmas at the ST. Thomas Church, where
it was The custom to sing the hymn of the
Virgin in is Latin form AFTER the sermon.
Bachs setting of this hymn IL conceded
! 10 be one of the nohlest creations of his
genius. The work is for a fve-part chorus
with accompaniment Of organ, strings.
Two oboes, three trumpets and drums. The
text is treated partly for chorus and partly
for solo voices.
This work has had only one previous
performance in this country and that was
nearly thirty years ago. II in a pity that
it is not heard oftencr, for to-night's pres.
on, alton. though far from ideal, showed
it to be one Of the choicest of the smaller
! creations Of Bach.
n Mr. Wolfe could have given it with the
original int't i7imentation i, would have
made a still deeper impression, but Bach.
like other musical prophets has had to
Weld To the ruthless hand Of the improver.
and tonight the Instrumentation of Robert
Franz, and not that of the composer. was
! ,Isr a