The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-17
WITH MUSICIANS
AND MUSICAL PEOPLE.

the advancement of music, the highest,
most refining and greatest pleasure
giving of all the arts. The ninth May
festival has just been held at Spar
tanburg. April %, 80, and May l, when
chief among the artists appearing We're
Nine. Blauvelt and Herr Andreas Dip
pei Nine BlauVelt appeared twice
singing the Mad Scene from Thomas
Hamlet and the "Bolero' from Nerdi's
Sicilian Vespers. and Herr Dippel sang
the tenor role in NeTdi's Aida" which
was given in concert form. If 1t has
been possible to accomplish such re-
suits in a town of 5000 inhabitants,
where all must have worked together
for the same ends. there should be
even greater possibilities in a place
like Savannah with ten times the pop
ulation and a far greater proportion
of wealth. For these annual festivals
in Spartanburg a fund is guaranteed
by 100 citizens of the place, insuring
the vast undertaking against any pos
sible deficit.
During the past week a great musi-
cal festival has been in progress at
bethlehem. Pa. In the spring of 1900
the prominent musical people of that
place conceived the idea of inaugural
ing an annual Bach festival, and the
first attempt proved a marked success. !
The undertaking was repeated the fol-
lowing spring. but was not attempted
during that Of 1902. This year. how
ever, renewed vigOr has been put into
it and great success has been made.
Everyone with any knowledge of music
knows that the Bach compositions,
whilst pure and beautiful. are, as a
rule. ponderous and heavy to a degree.
They are replete with laborious, and, to
most people, uninteresting. themes, and
70 he go
made thoroughly familiar to be appre-
ciated. a chorus of 10 voices has just
given at Bethlehem a good portion of
his Passion music, and the accOmmoda-
tons of the town We're taxed to pro-
vide for the crowds who focked to the
festival covering several days. At f1r-
teen minutes before 70 O'Clock on the
first day of the festival a chorus of
trombones assembled to the tower of
one of the churches and from there an
nounced to the assembled multitude
outside the opening of the festival. Jo-
ham Sebastian Bach, born in Eisenach,
Saxe-Weimar Germany March q, 1855
and died July o. 1850 in Leipsic was
one of the grea tesp masters of all
times, and one of those who, probably,
will never be surpassed. Only a small
part of the tremendous number of his
compositions appeared in print during
his lifetime, and it was not until Men
delssOhn performed his famous "St
Matthew Passion" music at Berlin in
1929, that this great composer was
brought to light in all the fullness Of
his greatness. On Sept. "a, 1884. a
monument to him was erected in his
native town, Eisenach-the only one up
to that time, except a small one set up
by MendelssOhn at Leipsic many years
previous.
Edward Elgar the composer of the
sacred cantata. THE Dream of Geron-
thus" which has of late caused so much
| interest throughout the musical world,
is now busy upon another work, an or
atorio, which will be produced at the
next Birmingham (England) festival
The title of the work is THE Apostles"
the text of which is mostly scriDturaI
! The composer will not individualize all
| of the twelve apostles but has selected
/ Peter, John and Judas as his dramatic
| figures. The subject being very reli-
gious in character should inspire the
| devout imagination of Elgar to an i'm
| pressive musical expression of which.
| he is fully capable.
1t was pleasure to the many friends
and admirers of Mrs. n. H. Finnie to
I have her appear again as one of the
soloists on the May concert programme
of the Music Club. At the first four
| annual concerts of the club she took a
prominent part on the programmes. and
| though selected to appear at those of
May, 1901 and 1902, illness at the last
| moment prevented her from doing so.
| Mrs. Finnie was one of the organizers
of the club in 1896 and was at once
| made one of the board of managers in
which capacity she has served contin,