The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-04-27
Elijah /" Wonderfully
Sung by Wednesday
Clubs Artists.
WORK OF CHORUS
HIGHLY PRAISED
Croxton Big Feature in Sacred
Part-Jonelli Restraints Grand
Voice, and Sings Though Ill.
Governors Gratified by
Success of Festi-
val.
nY ". DOUGLAS GORDON.

By w. DOUGLAS GORDON.
Even the most sangnine of all the
governors of the Wednesday Club
could hardly have hoped to see such
nm audience at presentation OF an
oratorio as that which gathered at
tho City Auditorium last night to hear
that greatest of all oratorios--Men-
delssohn's Elijah" 1t had been fear
ed that the great audience OF the
night before had been attracted chiefly
by the fact that one sublime voice
would sing with tho chorus and Would
alao sing several arias and songs. and
that such work os Elijah" would
not attract as many people, whereas, II
there was any difference. last nights
audience was larger than that OF tho
night before. And. Judging from the
tense silence. the absolute stiffness OF
the house. 1t was just as appreclative
as though Nine. Jomelli had been send
ing out her glorious voice in all the
soaring beauty of "Gallis,' or charm
ing her hearers with the dainty fun
OF The Three owlets"
solemn and sacred.
For. al the very outset. Mr.. Morgan
requested the audience not to applaud
during the singing OF the oratorio. just
as is done before the opera "Parsifal'
request was made. While far from
sonibre. Elijah" is solemn and sacred
in its character. and to applaud during
its performance would be almost as
incongruous as TO clap after one OF
the solos or choruses in Staincr's Cru
cifIxiou-"
And as II was sung last night by
the artists and chorus, II was in very
truth a "sacred grand opera" as Tall
Esen Morgan happily called it-sung
with reverence. dignity and al! due
solemnity and feeling. Every word
distinct. every phrase full of mean
ing. the orchestration beautiful be-
Sond words: condyctor, soio!sts and
chorus all In harmony the effect was
,najestic-and the word is not too
strong
sang, Though III All Day.
Again Nine. Jomelli showed The
great artist that she is. Though III!
In bed all day. she sang the marvel
Gus Hear Ye, Israel" with a beauty
of tone. a depth of feeling and q dra-
matte fcrvor that made the hearer al
most gasp. And yet, when she was
singing with others. She restrained
that great voice of hers in a manner
that was moro than artistic--it was
generous and altogether perfect Miss
Smelling, the contralto, sang with a
great deal OF feeling and in the very
centre OF pitch--her singing of 20 Rest
IN the Lord" was really beautiful. but
I think she forces her tones in order
TO get a big effect, which is a pity.
because sho has luscious quality.
DR.. Franklin Lawson is very artis.
tic lyric tenor. whose work shows care
full study and thorough knowledge:
he breathes unusually we'll ard his
phrasing is most admirable. Mrs. Wal
ter c. Mercer sang the small part OF
"rhe Youth" and the second soprano
in the trio, Lift Thine Eyes" with a
style and in a voice that was beyond
crlticism-a perfect biz of work.
One Big Figure.
But Frank Croxton was the one big
figure among the artists. He is we'll
known as one of the very best Of our
basses. but the opportunity of hearing
liim has never been given TO us before.
and we did not know how superlatively
good no is. Bass he is called; basso
cantante he is, with a great, big, beau-
tiful voice, with all the ring of a bar
itone and all the depth of power of a
basso profundo. a man who can sing
TT Is Enough" in the floating" tone
of high baritone. and can run down
as he did last night. to the e fiat below
the bass clef. He had been told that
he ought not to sing, with throat al
innamed from cold but he went on and
sang "over' his cold with method
that onlygan artist could have used
Dignihed, manly and earnest. he was
an ideal Elijah and the finest concert
bass that / have ever heard.
Arthur Scrivenor said that Mr. CroH-
ton is the only man he has ever heard
who could be compared with F'rangcon
Davies. the greatest OF Elijahs. III
Is Enough with Mr.. Goerner's eN-
<quisite cello work. was simply and abb
solutely beautiful.
Fine Work by Chorus.
And the chorus With the possible
exception OF its work in Cesa,
t'ranck's ."Beattudes.'' have heard nc
euch music in years as MI Morgan
crew from his chorus last night. He
changed the seating--placing oil the
men together in the centre, and there.
by improving 1t greatly, because ne
mad all the men almost directly under
his baton and could control them moro
completely. The chorus. with the ex.
ccption of one or two little ragged
spots, attacked as one voice. and
have never heard better shading, bet
ter contrasts. more effective changes
an tempo and in tone than the conduc'
tor drew from his singers last hlSht
All honor to Tall Esen Morgan. FL
has made us sing as we had not sup
posed we could be taught to sing
yThe chIldren's chorus In the after
noon drew its customary big house
Tho work Of Walter G.. Mercer will
that organization OF youngsters Is 81
well known that. is hardly necessary
to dwell upon it. They sing with &
precision and volume of sound tha
can never be expected from an adul
chorus.
II at times there is a certain stritl
ency of tone. what can one eNpec
from hundreds of chldren?Es And -
one of their numbers--Ratiste's Com
munion In G--they SANG with grea
IDEAL of beauty of tone. and divide
Np into parts with a perfect harmon
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