New-York tribune., 1903-05-12
THIRD BACH FESTIVAL.
OPENS AT BETHLEHEM.
,fve;r Lorers Gather to Hear Can
fata and 'Magnifcat.
rnr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. ]


-. zach choir, under The direction Of J. Fred
- had its beginning in the old Morsvian
,,, here this evening. Bethlehem and the Bach
= have become synonymous terms through
=. ,re greater part OF the musical world since
o @ -hsever,euts Of the festival of 1901 pro-
.e5 hut that fact has not been permitted
-se,,,-s, the serenity OF the town >-aou the
- esrnestness and modesty OF the url9~e in
..,,fion So The festival to-day had just such
.-,,,s ouerinE the visitors who were here two
- $50 and again tonight, expected. In fact
! a. not require a great stretch OF the imagna-
<s7rv to-nights session mere continuation
. The meetings Of 1Sh
9. - 7ras a little more hustle at the railway
.--5ons than usual during the day, q trihe more
-. in the streets. 4 greater number OF
,,r hO, 4, the old cemetery a somewhat more
.,,x So inspection Of the tombstones and memorial
sls-s hut that was all. In the evening CROWDS
.t,-s5 5lrdemonstratiyely hear the church TO
- 70 the "Pious Orgies" Of the trombones
- Summoned the Bach worshippers into the
-. -ben entered aud -ook their places for all
- vo-ls as Il they had been in the habit Of doing
.o- decades The attendance was not numerous,
- nutsic curiosity had not been aroused by the
onnoernent for the opening day, and a full
.ss.s devotion at the shrine Of one composer mas
~<.birr so anomalous about il that the musical
--ri1;,ude Is more inclined TO stop and marvel
.Ler 10 Furry 70 the Bachian Mecca Moreover a
-. NJ discrimination has already taken posses
= ~ the festival patrons. Certain days and
80 - -hs festival scheme are in favor-Thursday
- +bs passior music. Saturday and the minor
-sss The fact tells story OF education ana
-tersfore must not be disposed Of lightly In eooo
nus, fle world loves best what il knows best anu
.Lo.e who cannot devote six days TO the enjoyment
= psrr-s music are not 10 be faulted ior oe-
-.rr % renew and intensifying old enloynents
-,-rsr Than TO court new pleasures in UNKNOWN
TeldS
-,vtrb+-x music presented only unfamiliar faces
-hs. Who came from atar to look upon them were
-7rSia ISIS
-,-,eical culture in their homes, conductors Ike
Fritz ScheeI OF Philadelphia, and Sam trahho' ol
&ez--york: Mr.. Glover. the choirmaster OF the
-ircfrrsti festivals: Mr.. Rawson, faithful pro-
-,o.e- Of the same festivals, chairman OF the
.4r-,,e committee vice-president Of the testNa4
Association and long time member OF the poafo
of directors; and-why should they not De Hel-
stoned e-fha musical editors Of dozen or so OF the
,oos- influential newspapers Of the country 1hese
s-5 some scores or hundreds OF music lovers from
-.-ias East and West are here. and their presence
tonight means that they have come 70 stay OUT
the week: but the real festival enthusiasm Is not
likely 70 show itself until THURSDAY
Tor that days sessions and those OF SATURDAY
.he-e are extremely few seats left Il is pleasant
70 report however that. though there were hun
5re6s II vacant seats in the church tonight the
financial success OF the festival is as good as as
er-ss The cost OF the nine concerts is estimated
81 SO 60, and the advance sale amounted TO SSVvt
leaving only s. 900 to realized from the sale OF
tickets for 1he single concerts Of the next I'VE
Gays That is . mere bagatelle in view OF what Is
sire 70 cone Nobody is disturbed by the pros
pect and the majority Of the good people OF Beth
leteun appear still TO be wondering what it can be
h1 mas created exrao-t mary an interest In the
musical doings Of their town
Two compositions were performed this the
opening day Of the festival The first was bach
church cartata -'sleepers. wale C'Wachet auf
ruff urs die Stimrne'); the second his 'Magnihcat
in u Both are impressive and characteristic
works. and either might furnish forth material
for study which would I'll columns Of this
journal; but the week Is before US, and It may
serve a purpose TO reserve some Of the discussion
touching the cantatz TO another day when its feat
s.es can be compared with those Of some Of its
companions in Mr.. Wolle's scheme. In one respect
the works were alike-they were equally unfa-
mar 10 the audience though the choral melody
which lies at the base OF the cantata is one which
has resounded not only in every German church in
.Ae country but from every choir that has sung
aIendelssoh1as st. Paul" I have never heard or a
performance Of the cartata il the United States,
and since the only English edition Of it with
which am familiar Cthe Hovello edition prepared
tv Dr ProutD is cnIy years old, fancy that
& received its first American hearing tonight
Touching the ''AIaenihcat' I can be more definite
and certain It had but one performance in Amer
Sea- before tl5s-that took place twenty-eght years
arc and it fe my lot chronicle the fact at the
tine. II was az q Cincinnati festival on May Is.
's-- under the direction Of Theodore Thomas, and
the solos sung by Mrs. H N Smith, MISS
Winch and Mvron ". Whitney. Ny mind Is blank
So FAR as the singing Of the chorus that occa-
sion is concerned. but memory still harbors de-
liuhlfaI echoes Of Miss WhnncTy's 'Et exultavit" "
Nj Wh5;nev-s .quia fecit mihi magma" and the
tenGer zones OF Miss Cary and Mr.. Winch in the
TT rifsericordia.' which seemed TO me then fun
cf eentle comrlainings well comforting
promise. The recollection makes me feel like vet
eran I'm tire Bach cult, especially when recall also
t+lat have assisted" the French say, at all
tut two Of The American performances OF the
''CdristEnas Oratcrio. at the first performance IN
-hls c7--utr, OF ihe mass in 3 minor and at the
majority Of the performances Of The Passion
According 10 ST Matthew which works are 10 90
Heard afer At this festival But this is no time roI
personal "reminiscences. The meetings Of the week
40 T. ae concerts and not religious functions, yet
1her circur1stapces and environment have such
lovely dignity and seriousness that Mr- Wolfe mas
not hesitated 70 lay out the festival schenae on
lines which viii bring into notice the cllmacteTlc
Eohicvernents Of Bach's work as a composer foi
the church. When Bach went TO Ieipsic as cantor
# the School Of ST Thomas he assumed charge "f
ths music IN the city churches as well as me
nusical instruction % the students IN the schooI-
WIKI q zeal as unexamped as his creative genus
10 urCer- ook the regulation ot the musical poI-
to- IF The church services 70 which end he com
posed czutatss for all the Sundays and festiVals
curing a period Of FIVE years. The one set piece
which either preceded or followed the sermon IN
the lt4rgi- service Of the Leipsc churches, was
IN artistic composition. q motet or csnlala-
Eachs custom Was To take the Gospel lesson
sn6 the proper hymn IS the foundation 81 ms
osHtsta and So If is possible for historians 70 Ik
npen the occasions which prompted nearly al @ MS
eartatas which have been preserved though ihe9
csInc ap-evs tell the year in which sny particular
was written. The cautata sung tonight was
composed for :be twenty-seventh sunoay aiter
Trinity. q SUNDAY of rare occurrence. as II pre-
suHrosee an extremely early Easter II lulfne-
6is;eI preceded the Advent and Christmas seasons
and though she former is fun Of penitential gloom