New-York tribune., 1906-12-14
MUSIC.
THE MUSICAL ART SOCIETY.

The Musical Art Society. under the direction OF
Dr. Frank Damrosch began its fourteenth season
with concert In Carnegie Hall last night, at
winch, as has always been the sOciety's CUSTOM
the first part OF the programme contained some
Christmas music There was then instrumental
number intermezZo separating the eccIesf-
astical from the secular list. which was made I'D
OF modern composittors-Brahms's Ossisnic "Dirge
Of Darthula," which the society had sung on
previous occasion: CARROTS setting OF Burns's
80. Ny Luve's Like Red, Red Rose; an
Evening Scene7 by ElEar, from Coventry
Patnore's THE River and Barcarots for
eight voices with accompaniment for pianoforte.
eight hands. composed by Edward A. MaoDoweh
fourteen years ago for the Cecilia Society OF Bos
ton The accompaniment was played by Wesley
Weyman and Charles A Baker. The instrumental
number violin sonata IN f minor by Pferro
Locatelh QssS-f7Sf arranged by David Names. for
solo violin, string orchestra, harp and organ with
utilization Of the harnonies provided by Leopold
Alexander ZeIlner; Mr. Names played the solo. OF
the Christmas pieces the six-pa-t chorus "Cocnest
Thou, Light OF Gladness.' by Heinrich Won Her
8ogenberg. had been sung by the society an
earlier concert; the other number was OF those
delightfully."- simple ones with which DR.. Damrosch
wont tighten the severity of the old ecclesas-
tical music, for the cultivation OF which the Must
cal Art Society primarily called into existence
II composed OF two old French carols in set
tngs by Gevaert, the nelodIc charm OF which is
only eQualled by the nafvete OF the words There
also Unannounced Christmas number in the
shape of the German song. "Stils Nacht, heiIge
Nacht." as arranged by Frank Damrosch and fre-
quently sungby the society. 1t served an Introit
TO the first part OF the programme. The capella
Church works save Regina by Palestrna-
for two choirs. in eight parts. and ''kyrie,' by
OrazIo Benevou d6O2-'7g) for four choirs. in six
teen parts. The OF ths society also sang
for the first time In New York the "Laudi ALA
Vergine Maria" by Verdi, one OF the four sacred
pieces which the great opera composer gave TO the
world his swan song.
ham Ifr1ITv- aSfA
The choir sang different times in four, six, eight
and sixteen voices and in several unusual COM
binatons In the setting Of the antiphon. by Pal-s-
trina, for instance instead OF the customary divi-
sion OF each choir into soprano, alto, tenor and
bass. one choir composed Of first and second
soprano alto and barytone. and the other Of first
and second alto, tenor and bass. In the missal
hymn. by Benevol, the four choirs have each the
conventional four voices at the outset. but with
the entrance of the "Christe Eleison' there is q
change OF tonal color well feeling: the choirs
have only two voices each and the grave
voice, the bass, Is omitted altos sing with sopranos
alone in three choirs and tenors with sopranos IN
the fourth In the Verdi number. which is a
setting of the first seven stanzas from the last
canto of Dante's Paradise the women's voices
are divided into four parts. and the severity the
old style IS paired with modern harmonies. Only
one OF the vocal numbers had instrumental accom-
paniment-Mr. MacDowelrs 'rBarcarole"-set 70 a
paraphrase made by the composer OF a poem by
Friedrich Bodenstedt-and the pianororts part OF
this was much more than a mere accompaniment
Interest thus held. and curiosity piouAd rror,
beginning end.
OF all this music the finest impression was r,ads
oy the Pa!estrina motet, which had exquisite
performance that fl seemed as II the choir had
never before sung so beautifully with such lovely
homogeneity and purity Of tone and such per-
feet csntabile The voices were spun out through
nuance after nuance like the tones of a glorthed
organ, and long before the motet was ended the
old longing often felt these concerts came hack
that the lovers of the present and best Church
music that the world has ever heard might ne
privileged to hear such composition its proper
environment in a cathedral This Ave Re-
gina" or any one OF hundred motets by Pales-
trina Orlando di Lasso. Josquin des Pres would
make more for portion OF the reform which
Pope Plus Y has decreed than a hundred adtura-
lions. The inerable mystery of PaIestriutan beauty
was heard last night The music seemed TO have
purified the voices Of the singers of all dross they
came out pure gold. and 1t was only when the
music by BenevoL began that Il was found that
some OF the slack remained. that the feet os the
singers were sim In contact with the earth
Benevon's music though nightly uplifting with It's
Intervening sonorities IN the climax is still ths
chanting of terrestrals compared with Pedestrians
celestial quiring. Singularly enough, though due
in large part the transcendental colortngs OF the
womens voices which took iridescence from
the admixture OF modern harInonies some OF the
ETHEREAL beauty heard again IN the hymn by
Verdi which the ladies' OF the choir sang transport
ingly. The simpler delights awakened by the
pretty and unexpected Introit were renewed by the
two French carols, the second OF which tu-
multuously redemanded. An adorable little tuns.
set TO words Of childish simplicity. beginning
sasSs1, psst 'esps: aantssl.
Ls mutt DC noel.
Nasuit Petabis
sveIis at length into Joyous shout. OF ''1yoslr |
calculated make the very Christmas stars dance