New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-05-12
" USIC.
The Cincinnati May Festival.
LBr TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUNE

Cincinnati May 1.-THE sixteenth biennial May
music festival had its beginning here in Springer
Hail tbs evening under circumstances OF the most
suspicious character The weather was ideal. the
audience numerous, beautifully gowued and filled
with that glad undeniable excitement which pride
in a lovely institution and its appearance
creates. Besides. there was a member OF the Ger
man nobility. Prince Hohenlohe- Schillingftrst II
one of the boxes and this raised the social tenn
peratu-e few degrees. for titular princes are not
frequent visitors this city. and the May festivals
are quite important in their social as n their
artistic ASPECT.
The festival IS TO last until Saturday night and
there 10 be three evening and two afternoon
concerts. The evening concerts are the significant
ones 10 visitor from the East. for they are 10 be
devoted 70 three choral works Of imposing dinner
sions. The first Of these. Bachs Mass in 3 minor,
was performed this evening on Friday evening We
10 have Edward Cigars Dream OF Gerontus,'
and Saturday evening BeethOvens Mass in D
major with which viii be associated the same
composers choral symphony. Cigars work, which
has been performed n Chicago New-YorI. Phila-
delphia and Boston. and is. l believe. in prepare
ton has more recently had hearing in San
Francisco. is the only choral novelty in the fesu-
val scheme. unless we choose to count in Ber-
LoZ's Imperial Hymn composed for the Paris Elk
position OF II would doing this trumpery
thing. which BerIl0z himself called a grand musi
cal irework' too much honor TO associate it with
the noble masterpieces Of Bach. Beethoven and
Elsar
Bachs Mass WAS performed the festival two
years and its first grand divisions in 1854
Petitioners was announced in the festival scheme
Of 1878. when the Music Hall which Is the ctty's
boast, dedicated. but the chorus unable TO
master It in time, and the first performance took
place in 1850.
II was repeated in 1895.
These facts are valuable as helping TX the
standard Of judgment. II chorus Ike the Ora
tOrio Society OF Newly can perform two works
Ike Cigars Dream OF Gerontius and The Apos-
tles' four times years, besides giving three
F,r1- -o-Eos ~La LIST Is ct
asking too much OF the Cincinnati Festival Choir,
which is permanent body and devotes the same
period 10 preparing the festival works only. to be
letter perfect. or at least, equally efficient, IN the
work and the that revamped- But
Of this more directly on the compilation OF the rec
ord The festival choir numbers $50 sopranos. 136
contraltos &c terors and 70 BASES This looks Ike
a somewhat 1sproportiOnate and unsymrnetrical
distribution Of voices, but persons familiar with
singing societies Will need be told that numbers
DO not always signify in the question OF relative
strength and balance OF parts.
The body OF tenors Is not quite large enough, but
II gives out almost effective volume OF tone as
the sopranos. who are nearly four times as nu-
raerous- one explanation OF this circumstance is
that many OF the teuors semi professional sing
ers. who paid for their services while the
trehles are volunteers Time was in the history OF
these festivals when this fact caused much
burning and sneertng comment few Americans
being OF the fact that the custom compelled
by dire necessity practically universal. and that
the volunteer chortsters are the exception IN the
great English festivals. The choir NUN bers ~
The orchestra which augmented o.: this
evenings performance Of the mass. numbered I2l.
II the exclusively instrumental works 20 be given
u the course OF the week this buut VIII De
ter.aIly reduced and will consist practically q
the Chicago Symphony Orchestra The thi-ty-odd
additional players this evening called ia IA
order obtain something approaching the relation
ship between the instrumental! and vocal parts
which prevailed when Bnchs mass was composed
IL years What those relationships and
the devices 20 which modern editors and conductors
have resorted 20 restore them and 20 make
Bach's score practicable Tor modern players. have
frequently been discussed In The Tribune whose
musical readers win doubtless recall the e1haus-
tive studies this point 30 connection with the
Bach festivals ar Bethlehem. Penn. and Ciucu-
matt years ago. when Theodore Thomas. who
conducted the festivals from tho beginning made
a notable experiment with the work. That ex-
pertinent was eminently satisfactory IN some re-
spects and enlineuuy unsatisfactory IN others lie
repeated Il, with significant notifications
this evening. using groups Of flutes, oboes. clar!-
nets oassoonB and trumpets 10 60 along with the
chorus. but small band TO accompany the solos.
Instead Of the usual modest quota OF these nstri-
nents. he had flutes, ten oboes seven caru4ts
and six bassoons His orchestra. however was
only two-thirds as large as that OF two wears aEo
and much OF his striving seemed devoted 10 the
attainment OF delicate effects rather than tonaI
rohustitude.
The solos were sung by Miss Agnes Nichols
Nine. schumann-Henk. William Green and Watkiu
Mills, al foreigners Soprano tenor and bass ire
exemplars OF the English manner OF oratorio
singing. and, II may be said once admirable ex-
eTnpars OF the only style in this char
acter. 4 comparison OF the performance OF tho
mass with that Of two years ago will scarcely in
terest the music lovers Of the East. 1t might be
more 10 the purpose TO compare IT with some
OF the performances which the people OF New
York have heard within the last few years. At
the last festival there were features in which
the performance fell short OF the New-York and
Bethlehem standard. Most OF those shortcom-
ings were corrected this evening. The Spartan
Choir. OF Bethlehem, sings the work which 10
knows by heart. much more Justify. but neither II
nor the New-York Oratorio Society commands
fine quality OF the festival choir whose
defects, chiefly in the soprano division. seemed 70
be due timidity. inspired by the difficulties OF
the first chorus and the stupendous Cum Sancto
Spir1tu" which has always been a crux IN Gin
cianati and had its moments OF wavering again to-
night did also the "Qu TOLLS"
In smoother waters the body OF tone massive,
finely homogeneous and uplifting. But greater
spirit and vitality might reasonably have been ex-
pected at all times. Bach represents the German
artistic deal expressed in the axiom Strength be-
beauty which Mr. Thomas seemed DESTROYS
reverse. Of Difference. perhaps TO his orches
ira. which has always had the first place in his
affections More exquisitely beautiful than any
that been my privilege 10 hear at home or
abroad the obligau played by Mr. Thomas's
solo artists T. Starke, oboe d'amore: /. De Mare,
horn and L. Kramer. violin. All OF the ins-ru-
mental portions In the shape IN which Mr.. Thomas
has finally got them, were marveUously transparent
and refined, and the organ accompaniment. played
by wilhelm 01ittelschuite. WAS discreetly and ef-
fectivey played Still 1 fancy mat the effect
would have been more inspiriting had there been
more muscuIarty IN the instrumental as well as