The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-02-20
ST. PAUL CHORAL
CLUB SINGS "ELIJAH"
tnteTpretS the Famous Men.
deIsSohn OratOrio in a Graf.
flying Manner.

A splendid triumph for the st. Paul
Choral club was the presentation Of
MendelSsohns dramatic oratorio, Eli
jah," last night at the Peoples church.
An audience large and most crafty
ingly responsive enjoyed the triumph,
and perhaps was in a measure re-
sponsible for it, for the enthusiasm of
those who listened was apparent
enough to be communicable. 1t was
the work of the chorus that was no.
ticeably brilliant last night.
Heretofore, and this season particu-
larly, the note Of femininity has seemed
to dominate in the ensemble singing,
but last night the balance was true,
and in the impressive choruses the au-
dience heard a great, compact body Of
melody which impressed by it's har-
mony and never disturbed by lack of
proportion. Director bennington has
never welded so potent a baton. 1t
drew always an instant response and it
led the singers with grace, sincerity and
dignity through this stirring Old Tesla
ment drama to a climax that kept the
people in their seats until the last note
had died away.
The work throughout was even, but
the final choruses in the first and sec
ond parts of the oratorio gave better
opportunity than the others for dra-
matte effects and therefore these were
particular impressive. Both the organ
and the string orchestra were in happy
accord with the voices last night. The
former provided an admirable back
ground of somberly massed tone which
threw into admirable relief the melody
0f the sin or0rS' uniaar nd h.
the strings.
Gwllym Miles, the baritone, was the
prophet, Elijah last night. which
means that he did not sing the role
merely, but entered completely into the
spirit of the character he portrayed.
1t is because he is capable of doing this
that Mr. Miles is such an absolutely
satisfying oratorio singer. His dra-
matte voice is capable of an infinite
variety of expression, but he never
permits his audience to feel that if is
merely an effect that he conveys He
has gift seldom found in a vocalist.
a gift that enables him to conceal art
with art. His singing of the sublime
song of resignation, 1T Is Enough"
aroused the audience to a tremendous
Outburst of applause.
Mrs. Alma tombstone Porteous. who
sang the alto solos last night is an
admirable OratOrio Singinr. She has a
voice of fine timbre, rich in color and
most expressive. She sings with Dig
nifty and made her audience conscious
always of the spirituality of the text
she read. Throughout the oratorio She
maintained commendable poise which
aided in creating an impressive atmos-
phere for her arias and recitatives.
Alfred D. Shaw, the tenor, possesses
voice of fine lyric qualities, with suf
hcIent body to give it the effect of sub
stantiality. Unfortunately, Mr. Shaw
mas not Mr.. Miles dramatic tempera-
ment, and he suffered somewhat by
comparison. His final aria, with organ
accompaniment, was beautifully sung.
Mrs. Ruby Cutter Savage, who sang
the soprano solos last night, has an
excellent soprano voice, but it is i'm
mature and perhaps at it's best woTId
not be heard to good advantage in ora
torlo work, which demands above all
Things simplicity. But Mrs. Savage is
sincere in her work and her full clear
tones conveyed pleasure. Her voice
revealed it's fullest capabilities in
Hear Ye, Israel and the singer was
loudly applauded at its Conclusion
Mrs. Savage's enunciation is on N,,e
whole, good, but one could not HER,
wondering last night what authority
she had for pronouncing Israel. Us
roy-el."
The part singing was most satisfac-
tory. The trio, consisting Of Miss
Jennie Durham Miss Faith Martin and
Miss Marjorie Hall, contributed most
artistic bit Of vocal work to the sue
cess of the oratorio in the song, lift
Thine Eyes to the Mountains"
IF o(NJoIAo +-,,5