The San Francisco call., 1909-04-23
BACH'S MONU MENTAL
MASS SUNG In
BERKELEY
j. Fred WoHe's Genius Aided
by Singers and
Orchestra
BY eWALTER ANTHONY

hills. There was Bach festival in
the Greek theater. The man, ito whom,
according to Schumann. music owes
as great "a debt as religion owes to its
founder" was brought to life. was
revivified and carried into, new cycle
by the genius of j.. Fred Wolfe, aided
by the patience and zeal of a chorus
of 150 singers, an organist and an or
chestra of 40 players. Johann Sebas-
tian Bach's monumental and immortal
mass in B minor was sung.
Mind you, this tremendously difficult
work has not been done in America
more than once before. 1t takes time
and patience to learn; and the modern
rush and hustle and hurry which OBJ
sesses US all leaves no leisure for the
distractions and serenities of the
music of the composer of Eisenach.
Therefore, when DR.. Wolfe began to
rehearse his singers over a year ago,
It was said that he'd never finish. His
EFFORTS would be like a Bach fueue
without a cadence-incompIet and
broken Yesterday, however. told a
different tale. The Bach B minor mass
was sung with splendid spirit and be-
iore an audience which must have been
as inspiring to the musicians as they
were to the hearers The Greek theater
was thronged. As Wolfram in 'sTann-
hauser" sings, there was "a wreath of
danes and maidens fair, whose as
sembled glory dazzled. the behoIder."
though there were but few of the
stronger and stupider sex. There was
behind me, for instance, to digress. a
brother who read his paper while the
chorus was singing the superb "Et
Incarnatus, with its descending
phrases symbolizing the descent of
Christ into this world of worry.
The temptation to sermonize its al
most irresistible. What we enjoyed
yesterday is what we should enjoy
frequently. The singers are here; the
players are at hand; an organ with
16 foot fundamental tone was wheeled
to the stage. and Wolfe was there to
guide and direct and inspire.
What A. D.. Coleridge was to England
Dr.. Wolfe has been to America. COL
eridge in 1875, or thereabouts, organ
lied the Bach choir in London for
the purpose of learning and present
ing the Bach E minor mass. which
the greatest choral composition ever
penned. Wolfe organized a Bach choir
in Bethlehem Pa, several years ago
to give this mass and other of Bach's
compositions for the first time in
America. Then he came to assume
charge of the musical department of
the University of California. The
Greek theater in the Berkeley hills
attracted him and he saw it's possi-
bilities. Beginning with nucleus of
devoted musicians, the Bach choir was
organized. Gradually the numbers
grew until the membership was great
enough to warrant the projection of
yesterdays concert.
The .'Kyrie.' which of course opens
the mass, is prayer for aid and guild
ance. 1t is in five parts, with an or
chestral part independent from the
vocal. In this section the altos in the
closing chorus had an excellent oppor-
tunity and were heard to rich advan-
tage. The "Credo" in, / think. seven
movements with bass of many passing
notes played on the organ, was a
splendid bit of vocal and instrumental
music. The duet in the "Kyrie." sung
by two sopranos. was a most enjoy
able feature of the movement.
The .'Et Incarnatus" was another
wonderfully beautiful number, and the
"Crucifixus," with it's short sententious
theme in dolorous minor strains. was
weighty with solemnity and awe. When
Wolfe pulled his singers from the minor
cadence to the triumphant chorale of
the Resurrection" a thrill was sent
over the vast audience which can not
be described. Then came the Sane
tus" with its skiold chorus like the
six wings of the seraphim adoring
the Christ A Implicated voicing, sug-
gesting the ethereal theme, brought
thoughts of modern Wagner and
Beethoven and Mendelssohn to mind
and proved that in music as in litera-
ture and life there's nothing new under
the sun
OF the ''Hosanna'' chorus, which
brings the mass to close. itNis not
possible to write A gigantic web of
harmony is woven out of a triumphant
theme. sung first in unison by the four
departments of the choir and then de-
veloped polyphonicaliy until each sec
tion is shouting glorious hymn
Hosanna,
Whatever of labor and pains have
been put into the Bach B minor mass
by the devotees of absolute vocal mu-
sic was well repaid yesterday and the
Bach choir. organized by Dr. Wolfe
and sustained by fine spirit of mu-
steamship, proved itself the greatest
musical institution that has ever ap-
peared before music loving audience
in this community. The soloists who
helped in Yesterdays success were: Mrs.
Grace Davis Northrup Mrs. Orrin Kip
McMurray, Miss Alice j. Andrews; con-
tralto, Mrs. Lille Birmingham; tenor,
Carl E. Anderson; bass. John CARING
ton; organist. Miss Elizabeth Simpson.
Hother Wismer was concert master
of the orchestra.
Answers to Queries