The Washington times., 1907-09-01
END 5OTH YEAR
WITH FESTIVAL
Golden Jubilee Planned at
Worcester With Noted
Singers.

The Worcester Music Festival closes a
half century of existence this year, in
celebration Of which a golden jubilee is
planned for the first week IN October.
The exact dates are October l. 2 g and
4 For the ffueth festival a list OF
artists has been engaged and a program
planned that viii be fitting for the
1 golden anniversary OF such an associa-
ton. The works TO be presented are:
/ wednesday. October 2. evening, Job" a
dramatic poem. for solo voices. chorus
and orchestra. This was written for the
festival by Mr.. Frederic S. Converse. OF
Boston, and is to be given its first pre-
sentation the opening night OF the Ju-
biiee; also Dream OF GerontiUs.' lrst
| part; Thursday night. Prof. Horatio
I w. Parker's ''Hora Hovissima." Thurs
/ day afternoon. symphony program. with
festival violinist: Friday afternoon, SYM
/ phony program. with festival pianist:
Friday night. artists night, with Wag-
uer program.
The artists engaged are: Sopranos,
Mrs Edith Chapman Goold. Corinne
/ Rider Kelsey. MignOn Aurelle. mezzo
/ soprano. Nine. sChumann-Heink con-
tralto. Miss Adsh Campbell Hussey; ten
/ crs, Daniel B6ddoe. George Hamlin,
Evan Williams. and Frank Ormsby; bar
itones, Emilio De Gogorzs, Claude Gun
bingham; bass, Frank Croxton: violin
ist. Miss Maud Bowel; pianist, Nine.
| Katharine Goo6sOn. Franz Kneisel will
| conduct The orchestra numbers, Wallace
Goodrich will conduct the choral works,
and Arthur J. Bassstt will be accom-
PIANIST The Boston Symphony Orchss-
ira Of siIty-hve pieces IS engaged for the
week
The late Walter Moody Lancaster,
who wrote the program book for sew
eraI years, in 300 had prepared this
history.
Probably the city OF Worcester Is
more widely known for its annual
music festival than for any other sin
gle institution or circumstance The
festival is professionally the frst I'M
pOrtant musical event OF the fall and
winter season. II not indeed the most
| important OF the year. outside OF Bos-
ton. New York. and Chicago. Clearly
this is an ambitious assertion for an
| inland city that boasts OF barely 130.0O0
inhabitants; but there Is warrant for II,
and the just claims OF other cities 10
artistic recognition may be freely grant
ed without IN the least impairing WOr-
cesters title TO next place after the
/ three musical centers named. Evidence
| Of this eminencs is found, first OF all,
| IN the eagerneEs with which singers
geek a Worcester appearance" The
| high value set upon the festival as a
professional opening and opportunity
Is no meaningless hattery % prOv4nciSS
pride; for European singers OF world
vide reputation cross the ocean solely
that they may be heard in Worcester,
and go back the following week 10 full
fill engagements IN England or on the
Continent. Not few American singers
owe their present emlnenCe to z foTtu-
nate performance in Worcester. where
they first made their artistic abilities
known 70 visiting managers, musicians,
and critics. To hundreds this Is the
only opportunity for hearing large Choral
works gi-ea with completeness and be-
coming dignity, and instrumental mas
terpieces performed by one OF the most
efficient orchestras in the world.
Some OF the prominent works, choral
and Instrumental given since 1900 in
cluds the closing scene from Wagner's
"ParsifaI," in 1902: Johannes Brahms
Song OF Destiny" In 1906: MacDowelFs
tone poem, "LanceIot and Elaine" IN
1900, and The Beautiful Aida" The
Saracens," and fragments from the
Song OF Roland" in 1906; Cesar
Franoks The Beatitudes. IN 1900 and
1901: Cigars The Dream OF, Gerontius."
in 1901: Frederic S. Converse's Romance
for orchestra, The Festival OF Pan" in
1902; George w. Chadwicks The Birth
OF Venus in 1904 and 1902; Symphonic
poem. Cleopatra" in 1906; Bach's
Christmas oratOrio. parts / and 2,
IN 1899.
The record OF the festivals has been
one OF constant enlargement and prog
ress, according to such light as the
managers have enjoyed. Whatever else
may be said OF their policy, there was
never a backward step; and If the man
ayers have been sometimes thought
needlessly conservative, they have also
been charged with singing over the
heads OF the people" In a community
OF 10000 population two-thirds OF which
resides IN country towns and villages,
It might well be thought rash to follow
closely the advanced ideals OF musical
performance: but It does not yet appear
that the most ambitious position as
sumed by the festival. is a losing game
There are few prominent American
singers who have not been heard at the
Worcester festival. and al ist Of the
soloists would make a directory of the
musical elite OF the United States for
the past forty years