New-York tribune., 1903-05-14
THE BACH FESTIVAL.
Il DAY OF SMALL THINGS.
Only One Concert GiUen at
Bethlehem.
IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE. 7

Bethlehem. Penn May 13.-To-day the day
of small things. comparatively speaking, at the
Bach Festival. but it was a day which offered
number Of exquisite enjoyments. Only one con-
cert was given and il occupied only an hour and
a quarter OF time. It period of bodily rest
and spiritual refreshment for the choir. which had
nothing to sing except wondrously harmonlzed
choral an invocation 10 death. Brother OF Sleep.
as the old German hymn writer set the phrase.
inverting familiar and profoundly beautiful idea
of classic antiquity. The music consisted of the
second Brandenburg concerto and two unfarnliar
solo cantatas
which has been forgotten, the second for the nine
teenth Sunday after Trinity. They were respec-
lively "SchIage doch gewunschte Stunde' for alto
voice and string orchestra, with obbligato bells "a
novel device in Bashs day though familiar enough
now) which was sung by Miss Marguerite Hall,
and ''Ich will den Kreutzstab gerne tragen' Tor
bass with strings oboes. in unison with the volins.
taie "a tenor Or alto OBOE for which a good sub
stitute is found in the modern English horrD IN
unison with the violas. basses and continue This
last part. feature of most of the music composed
in Bachs time. was tonight played the organ
in the concert as master cantatas. sometimes with
good effect, sometimes with i'll.
The proceeding raised another of the many ques-
tons which will ask discussion when the summing
up of the which Mr.. Wolfe has presented to
musical students is reached. At present it seems
advisable to let all these questions tone: they can
not be disposed OF hastily. and the Bethiehemitic
mind is not disposed toward anything but self
coplacent pride It is mentioned or ly for the sake
OF the record, and because 1t marked departure
from the methods pursued at the festival two years
ago. when Mr.. Wolfe thought that he could get
nearer to the ancient manner by Ul9ying much Of
the music which tradition teaches was given to
the harpstchord upon pianoforte the modern
equivalent of its obsolete precursor.
In the performance of the concerto the arrange
ment made by Felix Mottl was utilized. though the
organ introduced in the exquisite slow move
ment Here Bach contemplated only the harp
sichord accompaniment Motl worked out
the part for the ripeno strings Mr.. Wolfe used
this and added the organ. which made the music
sound Opaque and marred the individuality of the
solo voices the concertino as (ey used to be called
The performance did not recall, even remotely the
exquisite beauty to which the Boston Orchestra has
accustomed it's patrons. but 1t was the most cred
table piece of work that the orchestra has done
thus far. and, such. gratefully accepted.
In the two cantatas the myriad minded Bach
again challenged the amazement of the connois-
To the first must be given place apart
among the old masters compositions. 1t is sim
pie hymn like Arioso homophonic throughout The
great contrapuntist seems to have dreamed dream
of the monody of a century and a half before his
time in glorifed garb, or had vision OF the song
style of three-quarters of century after The use
of chimes give dramatic verisnilitude to the
text-they strike tonic and dominant of the key In
to the invocation, Strike. Oh Strike, Thou
Longed for Hour'-was so startling device long
after Bach used it that this almost inconsequentiaI
cantata mentioned by the first of Bachs
biographers century ago The music is gracious
and winning, but one would have suspected Bach
of its authorship had it been found without marks
of Identification seventy-fve years ago. Miss Hall
sang the music with ample and beautiful voice. and
greatly hampered at the outset by the tire
somely slow pace which Mr.. Wolfe set for her.
If this cantata suggested the German song com
posers of the early part of the nineteenth century.
the other. sung by Julian Walker. seemed in the
poignant harmones of it's first number like a pre-
hgurative of the music of agony mortal and di-
vine which Wagner conceived for his ''Parsfal "
After this there came another modern effect, a
positively startling bit of realistic instrumental de-
scription Of the seething and kissing of angry
sea, to accompany one Of the poets SMILES What
would this Bach not have done mad he lived a
century later than he did? Mr.. Walkers voice
sounded light in the music, but his singing was
marked by distinction and admirable taste. To
nights attendance showed a growth in popular in
| terest. The church not filled. but the audi
! ence was the most numerous within its walls
! this week H F X