The Minneapolis journal., 1903-12-19
IN PRox1MATE WEEKS.

y
What little boy wants to grow up
and play on the double bass? What
young woman refers to friends in
tellect or golf and adds, HE plays so
divinely, too, upon the double bass?'
Why does America never thrill from
Pawntucket to New Whatcom at the
disembarking from a transatlantic
liner of Monsieur x, Herr Y, Signor
Y, or plain Tschhfzxsckefsky, the
famous double bassist? Are big.
fiddlers, or, rather, players of the big
fiddle, just born that way? or does
any one give lessons on the gigantic
gloomy instrument?
Such inquiries have occurred, no
doubt to most people whose attention
has been attracted to the patriarchal
figure in the left corner of the theatri-
cal orchestra. He's usually advanced
in years and is generally bald-a pub
lie defiance to the Seven Sisters. But
standing always beside his mammoth
viol he eclipses in picturesquenes the
director himself, with all his wink and
wand.
"And the double-b ass player is
quite as necessary as the director .
said on orchestral expert yesterday.
"An orchestra can direct itself in a
pinch, just as regiment may do
without it's officers, but you could no
out the double-bass than you coult.
build a house on air. The double bass
is the very substructure Of orchestral
harmony Besides, the big fiddle
marks time so prominently that any
carelessness on the part of the player
will confuse the whole orchestra.
you don't meet double-bass soloists
ished abroad, especially in Italy,
Here 'double-bassist' learns his in
strument only to play in an orchestra
and most all of the orchestral players
| of the fat fiddle are also teachers
| some celloists also. You can put
mute on the double-bass and praclce
it in your bedroom SO quietly as tc
suggest nothing more than a case OF
| nightmare to the 9th, I dodgers.
! 'It takes plenty of practice, too, tC
make a first-class double-bass man
We have several of them in Mime.
apolis. But very few young men are
| taking up this instrument now, anc
! the number of real experts have be-
come SO small that anybody able tt
play with distinction the difficult ant
| IMPORTANT double-bass scores of {
symphony orchestra can get prett!
nearly all the salary that he wants.
| Dean Fletcher has resigned his po
| sition as organist and musical dlrec
! tor in Park Avenue Congregations
church, to accept the position in th'
same capacity at First Presbyterian
church for the coming year.
| The Christmas music Of the loca
season will eliminate Christmas nigh
in the production of HandeIs Mes
siah." at the International auditorium
by the Philharmonic club Of 80
| voices and the Minneapolis Sym
phony orchestra Of fifty instruments
! all under the direction Of Emil Ober
hotter. es
The circumstance that, for the frs
time st. Paul will also enjoy a per
for,mance of the same oratorio on tn
same night has aroused some ques
ton as to whether one performanc
or the other might not lack com
! petent choristers. But, If either CIT
suffers, say the local managers, i
will not be Minneapolis.
The soloists here will be Jennie Os
borne Hannah soprano; Alma John
son POrteous, cOntralto; Edward
TOwne, tenor: Frederick {. Martll
basso, Mrs. Hannah of Chicago i
known all over the land for her beau
tiful singing in this oratorio. OF Mrs
Porteous it is unnecessary to speak
Last year Mr.. Towne, singing tn
tenor part from memory, fairly cleo
trified the audience. Mr.. Martin pos
sesses a beautiful bass voice of i'm
mense volume and range. His repu
tation in "The Messiah" equals tha
of Joseph Baernstein. which is unsu1
passed. It will be a treat to hear MI
!; Martin sing the arias, .Why do tn
Nations" and 1.-THE Trumpets Shal
, Sound
The Orpheus Singing society ha
arranged for a Christmas party to o
given Sunday afternoon and ever
ing, Dec. 27. at Odd Fellows hal
: Nicollet avenue. This will be the frs
public appearance of the society III
der the leadership Of it's new directo
Professor Claude Madden. He hs
( been in charge of the work for fe
weeks only, but the chorus is said
, show marked Improvement In tn
quality of it's tonal effects. The pro
gram will be entirely informal in ne
, ture and sequence. Those attenoi17
the Christmas party should bril
their children with them, as speci
! efforts will be made to entertain glt
$ riously both old and young.
Madame Julia Rive-King of Ne
York, one of the we'll known pupi
: of Liszt, will give a piano recital ia
/ %, at the First Baptist church, Mil
: neapolis One Of her numbers wi
l be the difficult D-Minor concerto
Rubenstein. The orchestral part WI
be played on a second piano by Mi
; Eulalia Chenevert.
q New York musicians-and espe
Y tally those many charming Wom4
: that expect to become expert harp1s
sooner or later--have been indulgir
4 in fine musical frenzies of late. b
4 cause two eminent female harpist
playing at the Metropolitan oper