New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-04
MUSIC RULES CINCINNATI
Financial Success of the Festival
Is Assured.
IRv TELEGRAPH TO The Tribune. ]

Cincinnati, May 3.-Cincinnati has seldom
been more completely given over to music
/ than to-day. when the nineteenth mu-
steal festival had its beginning, bronze
statue of Theodore Thomas, who founded
the festivals. was dedicated by the Presi-
dent of the United States and d national
conference of the music supervisors began.
! The presence of President Taft had a
/ large influence, no doubt, in bringing about
the extraordinary financial success which
/ the festival is going to have, but though
! Springer Hall was crowded to its utmost
/ capacity the preliminary sales of two of
the other evening concerts were larger
than those Of tonight. and il is safe to
predict that from one point of view the
festival will be the most profitable of any
held since 1873, when the festivals reached
high-water mark through the help of the
dedication of the new hall.
1t seems likely. too from to-night's per
formance that the artistic results Will be in
all respects commensurate. The music to-
night consisted of Handlers Judas Mac
cabaus'' in a new version prepared for the
occasion by Frank Van der Stucken, the
conductor of the festivals since Mr..
Thomas's death. Features of the version
which call for critical discussion will have
TO be deferred: but there need be no delay
in pra1sing the performance of the chorus
in higher terms than it has been the priv
ilege of this correspondent. who has re-
ported all of the eighteen previous festivals.
The singing of the chorus was marvellous
in its precision, quality Of tone and atten-
ton 10 nuance.
1t might have been more flexible, more
eloquent in expression. but it could not
have been more responsive TO the obvious
wishes of the conductor. What detracted
in a measure from its eXpressiveness was
the somewhat too obvious obedience to the
maTtiuetship of the conductor. who more
over. spoiled the temper and thus marred
the enjoyment. of few hundred of music
lovers, by keeping them standing in the
rear aisle of the hail and wandering
about its corridors, by refusing to make a
pause for the late corners (many of them
innocents who could not control the speed
of carriages. streetcars and autOmobiles),
until the first part of the oratorio was
over It is an excellent rule, strictly en-
forced by Mr. Thomas during his long
regime, that the artistic or dramatic con-
tinUity of the compositions should not he
interrupted by the seating of persons who
came late, but this excellent rule has cor
rect application only in the case of sym
phonies and other ompositions. when an
interruption would be artistically disturb
ting.
Why il should he applied in the case of
an oratorio whose overture has no more re-
Iationship to what follows than the multi
plication table would have TO the genealo gy
of Christ according to St Matthew. 1t must
be left for Mr.. Van der Stucken to explain.
Mr. Thomas was d semi-taskmaster for the
never showed such arbitrary disregard for
the comfort and enjoyment of his audiences
a. did his successor tonight
The dedication of the bronze statue to
Mr. Thomas took place after the second
well. who is the president of the fest al
association and who was Solicitor Gen
eral of the United States under President
Cleveland, introducing President Taft fe-
licitousIy. The latter spoke with an enttu-
siasm in which the entire audience shared
of the debt Of gratitude which the people
owed to the man who mad not only founded
the festivals but had been the highest ax-
emplar which the country had vet had of
musician devoted to the highest ideals
The President sketched hUrriedly the life
of Mr. Thomas after referring to tie rand
progress which musical culture had made
in America. and contrasted il with what
I've had learned from an address b. the
Belgian Minister to the United States of
the thousand years of artistic education
which Belgium had enjoyed and then
sroke brief eulogium Of Mr. Thomas
Meanwhile the wells were withdrawn from
the bronze statue in the corridor, and when
the audience went out for the customary
intermission the heroic figure stood *
posed 20 their view.
It is the work Of Clement Rarnham a
local sculptor. and in pose Feproduces ex-
ceIIeutlv the conductor who first suggested
the festivals. which have since become
famous. at the dinner table Of the lady who
* now Mrs Bellamy Storer. but the nor
trait is defective-the features not so ac-
curatelv reproduced might have been
exnected in the case of one of such pro
nounced physiognomy Mr.. Thomas-and
there is want of proportion between the
size of the head and body which was wide
II commented on
The ceremonies were attended by the
widow of the conductor and her sister. Miss
Amy Fay of New York.
The solo singers in the oratorio were Mrs.
Rider-Kelsey. Mrs. Mariska Aldrich. Evan
yy-iIJiams. Daniel Beddoe Herbert Wither-
| snoon and Claude Cunningham-aIl singers
vel known in New York Mr.. Van der
e,,chen's disregard of the traditional man
- ~ singing Handel's music embarra ssed
/ ,be,, somewhat and also disturbed the ar
.ta.to sense of veteran lovers OF the old
-l. b,,t there can be nothing but praise
/ for the performance according to Mr.. Van
- stucken's conceptions / have never
heard more responsive choir, and the ef-
lIren1a few climaXes-was profoundly stir
rI,a. IL L. H.