New-York tribune., 1909-12-24
SYNOPSIS OF sCENER7
D4HROSCH CONCERT.
Big audience Hears One Of
His SOCiciy's Best Programmes

His SOciciy's Best Programmes
The attraction that music for its own
sake holds stili for a certain section of
tho public was shown last night by the
size Of th" audience that gathered I'm Car
ncEle Hall az the first concert Of the sea
son Of the Musical Art Society. Under the
direction of Frank Damrosch. Tho choir
IF the society was assisted by Miss Julia
Heinrich ami the New YORK symphony
Orchestra. with Mr.. g. \. Baker az the
organ
The programme Of TIE concert was one
~ the most interesting schemes that the
society has given iu an tho sixteen years
of its existence. though AN the music was
not of o." kind that appealed 70 every.
even cultivated. taste. An appreciation Of
something else than the conventional and
commonplace was assumed as 2 condition
precedent 10 enjoyment bu' 'u addition
there was asked from those who would en-
JOY ai tue music q taste for some Of its
manifestation which arc still "caviara 20
the general and which many honest.
lovers II tie good IN art hope will re-
main So.
Az the outset tafter an unaunoun~ed per-
formaUCr Of the familiar German Christ
mas song. "StUe Nach' hsuig, Narht."
there came three settings of tho Ave
Maria by Palestrius NittorIa and Area
delt-t0 illustrate the classical school 81
cGprHg church music. After a iovors
Christmas motet. "IIodio Christus natus
est. rs SweeIm,k. three settings Of the
Angelic saltustiou-ny L,zt Franck and
NeudeIssohn-werc added. % show what
modern genius had done with the hymn
It was a delightful lesson I'm the evolution
of music. but had fl not been for Men
dois-ohu's exquisite music the nineteenth
century would have made but sorry
showing as against the sixteenth
Tie setting for meus voices iu four parts
by NiJtoria was a. revelation m It's vay.
and the familiar composition attributed to-
Arcadelt was most ingrstiating. though
every critical student or music must rocos-
nize that if g. really came from the brain
OF composer of tire sixteenth century
its present form must be Ercatlv sophisti-
Gated Ir the compositions by List
Frau.k and Mendeissohn. for four. three
and eight parts tmiNed voices. respectively.
tine organ was added. The settings repr--
sluted a crescendo in merit. Liszt's music
sounded strained and Theatrical Fraucks
more sincerely devout and with a finer
sense Of sheer beauty bat Meudelss0hn's
marked al once the elimination OF re-
ligious feeling and car filling. soul filling
euphouy
The nrst part Of the pro gramme having
been devoted 20 ecclesiastical music. the
other two parts We're devoted 90 secular
Part m was given over wholly TO Brahms's
rhapsody Tor Contralto solo. male chorus
aud orchestra. Op. 55. the text borrowed
from Goethes Winter Journey in the
Harz." IN which N.ss Julia Heinrich
daughter os Mr.. Max Heinrich long an
admired singer Of songs here ana else
vhsre in the United States sang the solo
part. as she did also in the second of
three part-songs by DebUssy. which came
later IN the evening
The music Of tire 'RLapsody' belongs %
that Of Brahms's best PeTiCd-the period
which save us "A German Requiem" IL
Is not music for those who find pleasure
only in strains which fan lightly ana
easily into The ears and are as lightly.
easily and quickly dissipated 10 is noble
and uplifting. its imagery deeply impres-
sixe like that Of the poem with which Ct
is consorted. lis spiritual appeal of tho
highest order. It's progress Is from the
deliLeatiou % external things and moody
broodlng 90 the contemplation OF thiuzs
divine and comforting aspiration Do il
aud the same composers thren0dv.
-Nanl-." which closed the concert. ~us-
tr.ted the austere side or Brahnas's Slar.
aet-r. they also eXemp.ided what mIxht
well he called the slintlness or his genius
A madrisal by OIazio Eecchi ds5I-lC5,.
'Pastorelld. grazloselll." an exquisite ex-
ample of the humorous style az cultivated
by the OH composers of whom We gem
orally think only in connection with the
Church began Part III.
From This composition to tho next num-
Der on tire programme There was "a mighty
leap. Dr Damrosch paid tribute 90 the
French spirit cf to-day cor perhaps.
day after tomorrow by~producinE three
very old French chansons a. set % very
new music by Debussy. The poems were
o. Charles dOrlssns. that Duke 90 C,r-
leans. nephew q" the King who is men
tior.d iu Shskespeare's Henry "" Who
was taken prisoner a. the battle of Agin-
court and carried o. England where ha
abode under constraint for fuI quarter
of ceatury and had plenty of time %
cuiussts hia taste iog poetry. Popular