New-York tribune., 1908-12-21
MUSIC
Gabriel Piern6's Christmas Cantata

Or. Frank Damrosch devoted the second part OF
the Concert for Young People at Carnegie Han last
Saturday afternoon to Gabriel Piernes cantata
The Children at Bethlehem In the performance
he had the help OF a chorus OF hundred chill
dren from the public schools OF Mount Vernon, VINO
had been trained in the music by Alfred HanaTn
supervisor of music IN that very well trained
too, so far knowledge OF the musical text was
concerned though greater care In the production
Of may have seemed desirable to some minds.
and also more attention to fuency in the singing
of the melodies An obvious desire for precision IN
attack it was. apparently, that created staccato
effect which worked injury TO the music. especially
in the frs part OF the work The performance also
enlisted orchestra, Mr. BiSpham as narrator
lit his to sing a little and to deetaim a
dozen lines OF explanatory nature 20 IN
struuentaI music which may be marred by the dis
traction), and Miss Nevada Van der Veer, Miss
Laura Combs. Miss Ruth Harris Miss Fanny Rice.
Miss Underhin Mr.. De Los Becker and Mr. Z A
jain The first Of the ladies represented the VIZ
gin Mary the second the Star Of Bethiehsm, which
the singular conception Of NJ Pierne and his poet
has endowed with voice. as IL has also given
human speech to and an ass. occupants with
the Christ Child OF the lowy stable in Bethlehem
For musical purposes. also. the shepherds who
watched their focks by night all seated on the
ground" are transformed into children whose ut
terances like those Of the Virgin and all the other
characters, OF an ingenuousness quite starting
to the Anglo Saxon mind OF to-day.
1t is impossible to call to mind anything IN
modern music which IS quite obviously the prod
OF preliminary success as AhtS WOEA u
Piernes. Had there not been a 'Chlldren'S Cru
sade" there would never have been Children at
Bethlehem" and the comparison between the works
is as fatal to it IS inevitable In The
ChiIdrens Crusade there is contrast OF thought
OF color and OF suggestion; in the new work there
Is rlonotony OF melodic idea. OF harmony and OF
mood. Much Of the music is extremely DeautiIuI
and also extremely original There are harmonies
and instrumental effects which seem 70 rise from
the orchestra like a intoxicating odor; but their
TIER eventually
and create positive longing for q bit OF sturdy.
old-fashioned commonplace II required a French
poet and a French musician to create so singular
a mixture Of medieval literature and modern Hu-
sic as this work exempIihes; but there is charm IN
the daring OF the scheme, there IS promise or
reversion TO artistic tastes Of purer and nobler
sort than those generally prevalent to-day
It IS very likely that the cantaIa would have
been more effective than II IL It had not been
preceded by much other music on Saturday. II
is quite long enough in itself to I'LL out concert
yet DR.. Damrosch asked the audience-hns IN num-
Der and characterize listen first TO the tiresome
march from I1szt's 'Christus. four OF Corneltuss
Christmas songs, sung with dubious intonation BY
Mr.. Bispham; the charmingly naive serenade for
flutes. with harp accompaniment from Beriioz's
Infancy Of Christ" and his own arrangement Of
the German carol, "Stiue Nacht-" Attention wes
already jaded when the cantata began, and in con-
sequence 1t seemed unduly prolix.