New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-07
THE CRITICAL PENDULUM
Swings from One Extreme to the
Other in Cincinnati.
tBy Telegraph to The Tribune. !

Cincinnati, May 6.-When IL comes 10 dh
opinion on the artistic merit OF a May
festival concert. there is no such thing as
conservatism on the part of the average
Cincinnatian. Time was when it would not
have been difficult to start a riot by
rude expression of dissent from the popular
view. President Taft remarked at the COM
mencement exercises of Yale University
last June, when an honorary degree was
conferred upon one who had been called
upon TO discuss the festival performances
that he had seen the time when the critic
had escaped only with his life
1t was an amicable exaggeration; but
after all, only an exaggeration, for the
choristers and their friends really once did
feel as If disagreement with the popular
opinion touching the superiority of their
performances over those Of all the musical
institutions of the world was greater
crime than treason against the govern
ment of the United States Age and ex-
perience have modified this view consid-
erably since, and If one who has come
from the East for the fourteenth time to
review the biennial meetings were to give
frank expression to ali of his observations
touching the popular attitude toward the
performances. he would be obliged to con-
fess that there is at present as great an
excess of disparagement of the achieve
ments of the choir and its director as there
used to be excess of laudation.
The system which came in with Mr.. Van
der StuclIen has been wonderfully beneficial
from an artistic point of view. Under tie
new system the conductor has been enabled
to impress himself upon all the factors enI-
ployed, 10 Undue every element with his
spirit Formerly the choir master Iabored
with the choir for large portion of twenty
four months, only TO have everything
thrown into confusion by Mr.. Thomas when
he came for the final rehearsals. There
was time in the closing days of prepara-
ton to bring the singers and the conductor
en- rapport.
The change has enabled this reviewer to
say with good conscience that the festivals
are now on a higher artistic plane than they
ever were during the thirty-two years which
preceded the consuiship of Thomas, except
at the memorable meeting of $780, when
the relations which now exist between the
festival forces and Mr. Van der Stucken
existed between the festival forces and Mr..
Thomas. Mr.. Van der Stucken also intro
duced a popular feature, the recurrence OF
which tonight made the concert the SEN
X.
the employment of a large choir of children
from the public schools.
Cincinnati has been proud of the sing
ing of its school children for nearly if not
quite two generations, and can be proud
without vainglory. Seven hundred boys
and girls took part tonight in Gabriel
Pierne's 1.-THE Children's Crusade" which,
first given in America by the Oratorio So
ciety of New York in December 1906, was
performed at the festival two years ago
with such triumphant success that a repe-
tition at the present festival was inevita-
BILE
Some of the solo singers, Mrs. Rider KEEL
sey Ito whose beautiful art I must pause
TO pay a tribute, though the centre of
gravity of the performance lay in the
choral work of the children), Mrs Chap
man-Goold. Mr.. Beddoe and Mrs. Werner
West "a local singer. were the same that
took part in the performance of two years
ago The orchestra and chorus were con-
stituted practically as before, but in the
nature of things there had to De change
in the children'S choir
Two years ago there seemed to be nc
words of praise too enthusiastic for the
singing of the youngsters. There are none
tonight. The seven hundred children sans
without books throughout the long dra
matte cantata. They kept their eyes upor
the conductor and their response to hi:
every indication was quick as lightning
The choir of grOwnups performed notable
deeds and the orchestra did all that could
be expected of a band of veteran instru-
mentalists, but the school children would
have put them to shame had they fallen a
trife more below perfection than they did
But precision was not the only merit OF
the children's performance In the per-
Torrance of Judas Maccabeus,'' on Tues
day night, Mr.. Van der Stucken introduced
the voices of children to brighten the effect
of certain cinaxes Tin Hail Judea," for
Instance) and to give variety to See the
Conquering Hero Comes but in all this
music the strident tones Of the youthful
choristers. while they were stirring, were
yet artistiCally disturbing. Tonight tht
children sang with nicely modulated tone
color, with considerable expression and with
a distinCtness of enunciation which was as
astonishing as it was admirable When
our oratorio societies, our opera choruses
texts is these children sang theirs tonight
there will be no more talk about the I'M
musical character of the English language
AS at the eighteenth festival the audi
ence was so large as to alarm the Police
and Fire departments. charged with the
without accident. H E. K.