Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-20
THE CHORAL SOCIETY
PLANS FOR NEXT SEASON OUT
LINED.
"The Messiah" to Be Given Christmas
Night - Cigars "Dream of
Gerontius" in March.

The officers of the Choral Society have
been meeting weekly during the summer
arranging their plans for next season.
Their desire Is to make it as brilliant as
possible, unsteady. and at the same time
financially satisfactory. The last season
was one of reorganization. Former plans
were radically changed and the corpora
ton of an orchestra was secured for the
hrst time In many years. This necessarily
involved new items of expense and the ad-
Justment to the new conditions could not
be satisfactorily made at once The ex-
perience of last year has been found valu-
able IN permitting the avoidance of both
artistic and financial difficulties
Dennite arrangements have now been
maze Tor the first two concerts by the So
clety. The Messiah will be given as
usual. and as Christmas falls on Sunday
the performance Will be given Christmas
nisHl at Chases Iheater. The accompani-
n ment wiz be by the Washington Symphony
orchestra. This will be given new STRENGTH
during the coming year and If is haI;aTad
that the work can be given with more than
usually satisfactory results The solois,s
cannot yet be definitely announced. but #
Is expected that Mime. Anita Rio who s.na
so we'll last season, will he tho snnr .,,,s
MI. Nicholas Douty, who has SUNG VIII
the society every year now for fiva yaa 20
past, VIII probably take the tenor mart
nv 'Is pass VIII De In the hands of either
Henri q. Scott of New York AVA
The Dream of Gerontius
me second concert will be on the 10Th Of
""ioi' ana on thls occasion 1t is now ex-
pected that the great work of the Ene,is,
composer Edgar Elgar. The Dream of
derontius." will be presented. The wash-
fn2tOD
company. but the work is scored so be,,.i-
~ lor modern orchestra that several n,av-
ers from New York will have to ha ON
gagged for such unusual Instruments os
Ehglisn horn. bass clarinet and contra
fagOtto. N eoh'ta
This work has created a deeper i,nnrAs-
sion than any choral work for many vea &C
and the composer is hailed as the .,ra,t
est English musician at least of this cen
fury. The poem is by Cardinal Newm,n
whose pest known poem. Lead. Kindly
Light. Is classic with ali Christians Ths
work was first produced in England wbero
II was hailed as production of great pen~
Jus. ana has since been given in New York
scented at the Worcester festival in Sen
TENDER. The best critics have greeted II
as a work of undoubted inspiration. II 10
the most formidable task undertaken nv
Mr.. kaspar, has been examining the score
at his country residence and advises the
officers of the society that the chorus must
be Increased to at least $50 members in or
der to produce 1t properly. The vocal work
does not present unusual difficulties except
In the division Of the parts. an eight-part
chorus being required, supplemented by a
four-part semf-chorus. The greatest diffi-
Guilty in the presentation of the work Mr.
kaspar says. lies in the appreciation Of its
deep religious fervor, and for this reason
he insists there must be an extraOrdina RI
ly large number of rehearsals The chorus
will take up this work at its first meeting
In October and continue its rehearsals I'M
til the LIST Of December. 1t will then sus-
pend the rehearsals after the perform
ance of the Messiah. resuming them again
the first of January and continuing them
until March 10, thus giving over four
months to the rehearsals for the work.
Third Concert Not Arranged.
The third concert has not vet been def.
nitely arranged. 1t is probable that the
Washington Symphony Orchestra will not
be able to accompany the society on this
occasion. If not an interesting program
will be made up OF sacred works. beginning
with the early English composers of the
sixteenth century and concluding with the
works of the present day. 1t is hoped that
some American composer may present an
original short work for the occasion. II
the orchestra can be secured. it Is probable
that Verdfs Requiem will be presented