New-York tribune., 1908-05-06
CINCINNATI FESTIVAL
Brilliant Artistic Prospects for
Eighteenth Musical Event.
by Telegraph to The Tribune. ]

Cincinnati, May 5-Nature has greeted the eigh-
teenth biennial music festival, which began here
THIS evening. in sullen mood. The skies have been
frownng for week, within which time there have
been heavy snowstorm and much rain. The pros
poets are brilliant from artistic point of view
and so are the financial prospects, provided the
elements become kindly and remain for the
rest of the week. Tonight Haydns Seasons
had fine performance 1t is novelty here at
least to the younger generation Of choristers and
music lovers, but IL lacks the sensational features
which the public looks forward to in the festival
period. and popular curiosity was large enough
to give it an audience commensurate in numbers
with the excellence of the performance. Joyful
expectancy is running higher for the concert OF
wednesday, when there will be a notable perform
ance of Bachs Passion According to St. Mat
thew, and especially for that of Friday, when
seven hundred school children wiz help sing
Pierne's beautiful "Chidren's Crusade This is
likely to be the climax of the meeting from every
point of view.
The festival inclined to think from obser-
vations made at the rehearsals of the last four
days, will be as enjoyable as any of its prede-
eessors, though it may fall short of some of them
in social brilliancy. it is free from many of the
adventitious elements which too often marked the
meetings in the past 1t has become thoroughly
serious in plan and preparation. The programme
does not look Sc imposing did that of the six
teenth festival the last conducted by Theodore
Thomas, but it is better balanced and more varied.
Not its list of compositions so much the manner
record luminous.
Mr. Van der Stucken, who has trained the chorus,
Will conduct the performances of the principal
works, and we shall be spared the old experience
of seeing the choirmasters work of many months
set at naught by festival director who comes in
at the eleventh hour. The festival of two years
ago was gver under peculiar difficulties. chief of
which was the disruption of the established choir
There had to be reorganization of the festival
forces The city's wealth in choral material was
finely demonstrated then, but this year the demon
stration is doubly emphatic. The regular choir
numbers only three hundred and fifteen, whereas in
the early days it was twice and thrice the num-
Der, and at the beginning But the
standard of efficiency has been raised and TO the
choir, upon which the principal work will devolve
has been added another two-thrds large, TO sing
f ( chorals in Bachs Passion and still another
of two hundred boys sing the "Cantus Fir
mus" in the first and last choruses of the first
part of that monumental work. But this is not
all; there is fourth choir of hundred boys
and girls, which will come into action Friday
evening, reinforcing the regular festival choir
1t was beautiful spirit that mustered all these
forces; a more beautiful one which made them all
practically letter perfect in much difficult music
The orchestra is that of Chicago which bears the
name of Theodore Thomas and thus brings it
again into association with the institution which
that musician called into life thrty-fve years ago.
At its head in the afternoon concerts of Thurs
day and Saturday will stand Mr.. Thomas's
successor, Frederick A. Stock, who at some of the
1eSINdlS occupied lnOCeSt place among Ine pay
in the band His participation associ-
ate conductor recalls incident in the career of
Sir Edward Elgar, who shared the conductorship
with Mr.. Van der Stucken two years ago. He, too.
sat among the bandsmen time and again at Eng
lish festivals which during the last decade have
felt themselves honored in producing his compost
tions. 1t is thus that the orchestral leaders
Of the world have grown up from the ranks
Richter, Nikisch Gericke, Coonne and many
others.
There has been augmentation of the Thomas
orchestra, and the festival band numbers ninety
five. At the last festival the Cincinnati Organza-
ton formed the nucleus of the festival orchestra
and was strengthened by musicians brought from
Pittsburg But the Cincinnati orchestra has been
dsbanded owing to difficulties between its sup
porters and the Federation Of Musicians. 1t was
foreshadowed would be the case in my reports of
The festival years ago. This year Cincinnati
has heard instead concerts by the Chicago. Pitts
burg and New York symphony orchestras. The
music has been better. but the financial results
have been than before. and the patrons OF
orchestral music in Cincinnati debating
with themselves the question whether not it is
worth while to try to keep it up with an apathetic
public and the methods and demands of musical
trade unionism
The Cincinnati festivals are now old enough to
have traditions One of these is that there must
be en- English artist in the forces brought over
for the purpose. Thus there have come in the past
such excellent singers Edward Lloyd, Ben
Davis. Andrew Black and Ffrangcon Davies.
the superior style of oratorio singing cultivated
in Britain. For this festival there has come
another basso, Mr.. Dallon Baker who one
of the solOsts tonight, the others being Nine.
GadSk. a German. and Daniel Beddoe, of Welsh
extraction. but a New Yorker. Tomorrow
night nearly all the solo singers Will be native
Americans.
Mr. Baker preserved the credit of his country by |
the finished manner of his singing. but failed to
stir the audience profoundedly did some of
,jS is Of quality
Iightfully pure his dction refined and his delivery
smooth and dignifed. He seemed TO be lacking in |
power, however. and also somewhat in vitality and
warmth though it is possible that these drawbacks
were due to the fact that he trfe under the
weather. Mr.. Reddoe TOO though he sang delight |
full and mis- voice unusually lovely in quail |
ity was wanting in assertiveness. Nine Gadski |
poured out voice with her usual prodgaity, and
stirred the audience to its depths by some ringing
tones and sweeping phrases in the air "Oh, how |
pleasing TO the senses.
This is a commentary the tendency of the |
times that all OF the suave and graceful melodies |
Of Haydn approached rather gngerly, as if |
their idom an unfamiliar one; and so it is; |
there must be revuIsion from the note spiced
music of latter day composers with its elemental
appeal the emotions, and revival of the old
art Of singing before shall hear the old-fash-
onef oratorio airs sung as they ought to be The
true snirit breathed through the singing of the
choir tonight. however and 1t is quite impos-
sible to tell how delightfully."- and refreshngly
he fell into Wearied by the strenuous
music which has marked so much of the season
lust ended in New York. And the gracefully melo-
dous orchestral music with its naive touches of
delineation was as a soothing benedicton. More
ioyous singing than that of the choir tonight
Cincinnati has never heard, nor has any festival
choir sung with more beauty of tone. more finished
precision or with better expression. A large vol
ume from the tenor contingent would have been an
Improvement could it have been had without loss
Of emphasis but all the choral music uplift-
ng and the performance, the whole the