The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-07-20
BERGER IS A
GREAT BANOMAST TER
HIGH PRAISE FOR OUR OWN CAP
TAIN BY THE SALT LAKE
HERALD.

The salt Lake Herald has the fol-
lowing to say about the Hawaiian
band:
Those who fail to hear the Royal Ha
waian band-and few salt Lakers will
fail to hear twill never know the pos
sibiities of a band organization Here
is band that contains within its MEM
bcrship of more than sixty men mill
tary band of the highest quality, a glee
club. an orchestra, a mandolin club
And whether the brass was crashing
through one of Sousa's marches, whe-
Their the glee club was singing one of
| the langourous, soft airs of the islands
or the orchestra was playing a lively
/ two-step. 1t is no risk to recommend
! the Royal Hawaiian band to the atten-
! tion of this public. 1t would be an
unkindness not to recommend tan
unkindness to the public.
The first concert at Saltair where the
! band is to play an engagement of
week, was given i'm the pavilion yester-
| day afternoon. The music was a re-
velation to the listeners Few in the
audience had believed that such a Com
cord of sweet sounds was possible The
band was not a band at all; it was one
great instrument played by a great
musician Herr Captain Berger, direc-
tor AS the captain waved his baton
the music of the first number Sousa's
STARS and Stripes Forever" seemed
to flow from it, to rise and fall with it,
There is neither the time nor the in
clination to give a critical review Of
the afternoon and evening programmes.
1t is only necessary, and only fair, to
say that with the names of SOusa., of
Gilmore and of other great bandmas-
ters who have been heard i'm the United
States must be linked the name of
Berger and Berger's name must be
written as high as the name of any of
the others The German Hawaiian
American is a master So much-and
it is not enOugh-for the band as we
have come to understand the mean
ing of the word
Now add the glee club. the mandolin
club, the orchestra and half a dozen
slendid vocal soloists. For the first
time anywhere in the United States
an assembly of Americans danced last
night to music by a Hawaiian orchestra
1t was the sort of music that sets ones
feet to moving involuntarily. the sort
that makes the old feel young again
that makes one want to dance i'm spite
of ones self. And perhaps the best part
: of the music was the fact that it SEEM
ed to come from the hearts of the play
erS
They were not mere autOmatons each
sitting on a platform. with an instru-
ment in his hands and a music stand i'm
Eront of him. They were human,
warmth ooded men. who loved their
work who took a pride and a pleasure
in it. Their dusky faces shone with
enjoyment, their white teeth flashed,
their lips wreathed i'm smiles. This
whether they were singing or playing.
It was all one to them. They per-
formed equally well i'm either capacity.
The vocal soloists yesterday afternoon
and last night were Miss Lei Lehua
soprano, and John S. Ellis tenor. Miss
Lehua gave some Hawaiian songs that
brought her hearers to their feet with
round after round of enthusiastic APP
probation. Mr.. Ellis also sang some
Hawaiian songs and he too. was re-
ceived with the warmest demonstration
of APPROVAL. The programmes for today
will be new i'm their entirety. Indeed
it is said that so extended is the re-
I.pertoire of this organization, that il
could play twice a day for six weeks
without repeating a number.
The aftreroo nprogramme today, be-