New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-28
MUSIC.
annual Festival Of Worcester
County Association Begins.
fBv Telegraph to The Tribune

ing The city has been largely given over to the
festival since Monday, when the rehearsals with
orchestra began, and Monday and Tuesday even
ngs when the chorus rehearsaIs were held the
audiences were quite numerous tonight when
the first concert took place. Worcester, as Is
known. makes a musical disposition of festival
week. when it hears music IN four five
days than it does during all the rest of the year
1t is a feast before and after famine.
The wisdom Of the scheme has often been ques-
toned but after all there is much that is ami
cable In the enjoyment the festival patrons and
firm and honest artistic purpose in the festival
forces that 1t would be deplorable If the meetings
were to be abandoned and Worcester adopt the
methods of the larger cities of the country
The festivals Of the Worcester County Musical
Association have been held annually for fortyeight
years, and it's friends are looking forward with
pleasure TO their hftieth anniversary two years
hence 1t is record Of which they are entitled to
BE- proud. In artistic dignity the festivals have
never reached the plane occupied for thirty years
by the biennial meetings in Cincinnati or the old
triennials of the Boston Handel and Haydn So
ciety But 1t is much to have long and honor
able history, and be rounding out half cen
tury without serious decay of interest either in the
singers, the managers or the public. The glory Of
the veteran Boston society has not departed. but
its officers long ago abandoned, too arduous and
costly. the task of giving festival once every
three years. Local pride and the devotion OF a
Coterle of friends to Mr.. Theodore Thomas, who
called them into life. have maintained prestige
somewhat out Of proportion to artistic accomplish
ments for the Cincinnati festivals since 1878, but
they have been biennial not annual, affairs, and
the death of Mr.. Thomas leaves their continuance
in doubt The Worcester festivals have gone
unInterruptedy for nearly half a century,
and have peculiar interest to the student Of
musical history as the only surviving link be-
tween the old musical convention of New-EnSland
and the modern festival. My memory Of them ex-
tends than twenty years; in the case
Of the Cincinnati festivals it is even longer. for
heard the first festival in 1873. and have reported
every one Of them with a singla exception ever
since Their influence upon choral culture in the
United States marked but not lasting. have
myself seen or recorded the birth and death OF
festivals which were their direct offspring in New
York. Philadelphia. Indianapolis, St Louis St
Paul and other cities. The Worcester festivals
have passed through many stages and vicisstudes
and have had struggle for existence for a dec
ade or moro. There have been financial deficits.
and each yeaE the managers oppressed with
apprehension lest the public interest should so COM
petely fall away as to IN le their continuance I'M
possible. But the chorister5 are faithful the di-
rectors Jealous and hopeful, and for them the
skies seem to be Frightening. Last year there
deficit OF 500. but this the sale OF sea-
son tickets gives promise OF better outcome. This
Is particularly gratifying to serious music lovers
from the fact that it has followed change OF
policy which seemed TO spell ruin at the outset
When the fortunes Of the festival were at their
lowest younger element in the management took
hold and began effort to recoup them by put
aside the expensive sensational winch
led to financial disaster without bringing artistic
gain and adding to the seriousness and dignity Of
the programmes. Not the performer but the musio
brought to the fore, and. though the men who
directed the policy Of the festivals with the ar
tisto help and advice of such progressive young
sters as George W. Chadwick, Franz Kneisel an2
Wallace Goodrich looked upon by their pre-
decessors misguided, they have perseverAd ane
seem to be putting the institution on Lore
stable foundation than it ever had,
she wac maj e w ia
centring the interest or two stars The
influence Of that policy is still observable in the
popular attention paid to the solo singers. They
are not the great of the past, but the familiar
figures Of the choir lofts and recital halls OF New
York and Boston. Nevertheless, their comings and
goings, their gowns and their doings are volumi-
nousy recorded and serve for the vouble gossip
of a week. The force Of tradition is also seen in
the setting apart of the last night of the festival
as artists night" This the youthful and pro-
gressive element sought to do away with when 1t
assumed the administration Of affairs, but this
habit had become ingrained in the public, ana so
we have again the old parade Of singers IN tho
wishy-wa shiest music of the week, and witness the
climax Of popular enthusiasm at a moment when
all serious artistic interest shall have departed from
the meeting.
The festival had so beautiful and dignihed an
opening that sympathy and interest were at once
warmly enlisted and all possible desire to cavil
and fault disarmed. The first part of the pro-
gramme consisted Of Mozart's Requiem Mass the
second of selections from Cesar FranckS Beau
tudes" The Requiem new to the festival
schemes: the French oratorio old. The French
work was performed at the festivals OF 1900 and
1901 The choristers familiar with 1t, and
therefore it received more impressive and con-
vincing performance than did the famous COM
nosition by Mozart For work which has so much
beauty and historical interest to recommend 1t
tho .7eouem is strangely neglected by choral or
ganizations. In NewYork the Oratorio Society
does not dare to perform it because IT is thought
that its Iiturgical character will brighten the pub
lie AWAY from the concert room. Requiem seems
n ba a fearsone word, and when Brahms's orstorio
entitled "a German Requiem was last performed
by the Oratorio Society strenuous enorts were
made to disabuse the public mind OF tbs possible
notion that it was ecclesiastical function The ef
forts beng made By the reignng Pope to reform the
music of the Catholic Church have put ban upon
Mozarts Requiem well as nearly all the great
MASTERPIECES comps,sd for the Roman service since
tba sixteenth century. The reform is making very
little progress and is little likely to be either FAR
ooobi,o or thorough but 1t would less like
a calamity to the art of music If it were to result
in tho more frequent performance OF the masses OF
| beethoven Schubert and Cherubini In the concert
room The words Of the mass have ever been the
most inspiring of all texts to the master composers
snd it &c pftv that some of the finest music in
| the world should be put away like sealed DOCK
| because it is tabooed by the Church or too DIM
cult for performance under ordinary circumstances
Mr. C2oodrich conducted the concert THIS evening"
! rho ,,nothar was delightful and the audience in
festal mood though trife moro sedate than in the
dav, when il was less an artistic more social,
function than now The orchestra was composed
NJ Aftv men from the Symphony Organization OF
80. r-ho choir numbered nearly four hundred.
as usual and in quality of tone was as good as any
that have heard in my many visits and some
what better in performance than on the majority
Of occasions It's chief defect is one that Is UNI
- -. a,,,,+aa. organizations OF its kind-weak
ness in the male voices, especially in the tenors.
~ ra.-.os and altos on the contrary, were eX-