The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-29
s'The Messiah" Is Given by
Topeka Choral Society.
Twenty Five Hundred People in
the Audience.
PROF. PENNY'S SUCCESS
Carl Busch Leader, of Orchestra,
Publicly COngratulates Him.
People Prevented from Leaving
Hall During Final Number.

About $500 people attended the ora
torio of THE Messiah at the Audi
forum Monday night, rendered by the
Topeka Choral society, the Carl Busch
orchestra of Kansas City, and several
local soloists. The music was of high
order. and showed the careful work
which has been done by the conductor,
Prof. George Barlow Penny. of the
Washburn musical department.
Prof. Penny led the combined chorus
and orchestra throughout the evening,
and there were no mistakes or flaws,
IN spite of the fact that the only re-
hearsal was an incomplete one Monday
afternoon. There We're at least 100
voices in the chorus, and about %
pieces in the orchestra. Miss Gertrude
Tracy, as pianist, sustained her repu-
tation as one of the best accompanies
who ever played in Topeka From be-
ginning to end, her part of the pro-
gramme was doubtless the most i'm
pcrtant of any one of the participants
in the programme. 1t takes lot of
endurance, as well as skill, to play
Messiah music for two or three hours
with hardly d stop worth considering.
The sOloists were Mrs. Frank
Thomas, Miss Lumina Riddle, Mrs.
Joseph Griley, sopranos; Mrs. Florence
Fox Thatcher, cOntralto; Harry Pribble,
tenor; David Bowie and Elmer Fox,
bassos. All are well known Topeka
singers. and it is little enough to say
they sustained their parts well.
There was a mistake made by some
body in the management of the ticket
business. 1t seems that over a thou
sand tickets were sold without any re-
served seats attached. People did not
Know that they would have to get the
seats reserved. and the result was a
struggling mass of people in front of
the ticket window from about 7 80 I'M
til nearly O'Clock. The fact that peo-
Era6
seat checks made the crowd very late
IN getting into the hall. 1t was about
$40 when the concert commenced
A few people left the hall at the end
OF the first part, about $50, and at the
close of the second part, at 1915, more
of the audience left. Prof. Penny an
nounced that all who wanted to leave
had better do so at the close of the
second part, as the doors would be
closed after that until the end of the
programme. This was done to prevent
a Stampede" of the audience during
the singing of the hallelujah chorus
the concluding and browning feature
of the OratOriO. The plan worked very
well, and should be adopted at all con-
certs. Getting up and leaving during
the last number of a programme is the
most annoying thing Topeka people
have the habit of doing
After the conclusion of the first part,
Carl Busch, leader of the orchestra,
stepped around to where Prof. Penny
was sitting and congratulated him on
his leadership. and on the work of his
chorus.
1t would have helped people to un-
derstand the theme which Handel was
trying to immortalize in the compost
ton Of the Messiah if the programme
had been more adapted to popular
needs Nine out of ten people who at
tend oratorios don't know anything
about classical music, and the tenth
man usually pretends to know a lot
more than he does. For that reason,
the programme must be a sort of guide
book and epitome of useful informatio
for the unmusical. Something about
Handel, and the ideas which he was
trying to convey by the three parts of
the Oratorio, with their various sub
divisions into recitatives, airs and
choruses, would be mighty useful to
the average man And in order to make
a sure thing of it, the programme
ought to tell exactly where 1t is proper
for the audience to get enthusiastic,
for otherwise the chances are that the
dumb. driven cattle will miss the point
altogether
Perhaps some time people will get
so they can walk through a production
of the Messiah, or Elijah, or some 9TH
er sacred underbrush of music, without
the aid Of guide posts and signboards,
but the time is not yet.