Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1909-03-28
MRS WI. BERRY
ENTERTAINS At
A MUSICAL
LARGE NUMBER ATTEND RE-
CITAL AT RESIDENCE OF
MRS. ID. j. ROBB.

|
meeting of the Musical club conduct
ed by Mrs. w. L. Berry for the BEN
eft of her class and those interested
in music took place.
The time was devoted to lecture
upon Mendelssohn by Mrs. Berry,
dealing with his life, time, and
standing as composer. Many
interesting facts were related in a
pleasing impretentious manner. Mrs.
Berry began her talk. by relating the
incidents of hardship encountered by
Moses Mendelssohn-the founder of
the family. He was the son of a
shoemaker in Dessaur, poor as pow
erty itself, but with an unquenchable
desire for study. When he had ex-
hausted every research in his birth
place he left his fathers house for
a wider field eventually locating in
Berlin. Here he made loaf of bread
"a week sustain his poor little hunch-
backed body while he devoured
everything in the way of books that
fell in his hands. From this be-
ginning the great family of Mendel-
ssohn sprung. The sons of Moses
Mendelssohn were bankers in Paris,
Hamburg and Berlin.
Abraham, the second son of
Moses, was the father of Felis Men
delssohn, the composer, and he al
ways laughingly said: "As a young
man he was the son of his father, as
an old man he was the father of his
son.
The composer was born 100 years
ago in Hamburg, moving while yet
a child with his parents to Berlin,
where with their wealth, culture and
refinement. they drew about them
the brightest minds and most charm
ing personages of the day.
After bringing out the powers of
the young Mendelssohn, his great
and never ceasing labors unsteady,
Mrs. Berry stated that the criticism
that for years has been melted out to
him was gradually being overcome,
and more liberal view taken of the
man and his music. Many there are
who in the past have decried his
compositions as lacking in depth for
the reason that Mendelssohn had
not suffered sufficiently to make him
feel this phase of life and put it into
tone pictures as he did the beauties
and poetry of existence. These peo-
pie who would prove the weakness
in his character maintain that with
the first cruel blows of fate he sue
cumbed. 1t is not stated as clearly,
however, that the man was already
broken by over-work, having accom-
plished in his thirty-seven years
what older musicians before him had
taken eighty years to do
| The musical program was given in
illustration of his peculiar achieve
ments in new forms of composition.
At the age of 10 he wrote his splen-
did overture to Midsummer
Nights Dream" a composition of
wonderful strength and charm and
containing the famous wedding
march. This was rendered upon the
piano as a duet by Mrs. Wesley
Stewart and Mrs. Berry. After the
composition had been explained it
was pleasure to listen for the fair
les trouping in, to the nocturn as
they quieted down, and then every
one thrilled as the familiar strains
of the wedding march was played
for Oberon and Titania.
The. next illustrations were vocal,
beautiful quartet arranged for
four ladies voices was given by Mrs.
Zeb Kendall, Mrs. Grimes and the
Misses Robb.
Mrs. H. H. Brown followed with
four of the smaller songs, also new
forms of composition peculiar to
Mendelssohn. These were given in
charming way in both Germand
and English.
Mrs. Tom Kendall played the
Spring Song" so gracefully and
daintily that 1t will be remembered
for many day by those who heard
her. Her second number was the
beautiful dirge-like march which
was rearranged by Moscheles and
: made into funeral march for the GER.
| emonies attending the burial OF
Mendelssohn.
: Then came one of the Irresistible
y duets. "A Thousand Greetings, .
sung by Misses MurIel aud Blanche
Robb. Mendelssohn Is perhaps most
charming In his part songs.
. The last number was the scherzC
J from the Scotch Symphony. PLAYED
: BY Mrs. George Blakeslee and Mira
a Berry. This tlny little Scotch theme
I Ia carried through every voice. every