New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-08
700 School Boys and Girls
Sing Twenty-third Psalm
of Schubert.
INSTRUCTION BASED
ON FINE TRADITIONS
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Shows Virtuosity at Third
Days Concert.
BY II. Il. KREHBnEL.

Cincinnati. May THE third concert
Of the May festival in Springer Hall to-
day was an afternoon affair OF miscel-
laneous character, only one feature OF
which invited the special interest OF
New Yorker. This was the singing OF
choir OF 700 girls and boys from the pub
lie schools
Cincinnati has always been proud OF It's
school instruction in music. How much
better 1t is than that OF the other large
cities In the country 1 do not know, but,
though | have attended many festivals
East and West during the last forty
years, I have never heard a children's
choir which could measure up to anything
like the standard disclosed at the chill
dren's concerts, which have been feature
OF the last four festivals. The traditions
Of the instruction which has produced
such a result go back sixty years or more
and have their origin In the coming OF
some other New England convention
teachers.
Ii was a part of my good fortune TO
know one Of these in the days OF my
newspaper apprenticeship. and I we'll re-
me of the state Of musical culture In the
Ohio Valley when he brought his tuning
fork from the East and began teaching
church choirs and school children the
rudiments OF music.
One OF his stories told OF contest
for the precentorship OF the old FIRST
Presbyterian Church. There were SER
eral candidates for the position, and they
were asked to stand in a row, and told
to sing, all at once at the word OF COM
mand The deacons gave tho post to the
man who sang loudest or fastest. nave
forgotten which.
He also related how he had been obliged
TO put aside his singing book because OF
the political prejudice against freema-
sonry. 1t was In Maysvlle, Ky, and the
people, excited by the disappearance OF
Morgan, would have no "Masons" book
in their town.
out Of the primitive methods OF men
like one of the ubiqitous Mason family OF
Boston, Baldwin. Squire and Aiken, gre"
this devotion to school song, which has
marked Cincinnati ever since; and out OF
this devotion has come that ability on the
part OF tho children in the public scnoo!'
Of which I spoke In yesterday report
the ability to carry a part in the great
fugal choruses of Bach's Mass In
minor.
To-day's work was OF a simpler KIM.
The chorus Of seven hundred children
sang two songs-familiar. both Of them
which Schubert composed for choirs OF
women's notes.-the Twenty-third Psalm
and God in Nature"-both fitted out
with orchestral accompaniment, the hrst'
I think, by Reinecke. the second by Louis
V. Saar, a local musician, one OF the
faculty OF the College OF Music. All the
lovely artistic qualities which have fire.
quently been praised in these reviews
were present again-the precision OF at
tack, the distinctness OF enunciation'
which always puts the festival choir or
grswn-ups to shame, and the nice bal
ance of tone.
In quality, the girls on this occasion
greatly surpassed the boys. who in the
second song were permitted to shout their
loudest, obviously to their great salts
faction.
AS usual, a storm OF plaudits rewarded
the youngsters. and a double round greet
ed Mr.. Hartzell, the trainer Of the youth
full singers, when he was persuaded 10
show himself on the stage.
The other features, which can well pass
without comment, were the singing OF two
opera airs-"Eri tu." from Verdfs I'm
Ballo in Maschera." and the Largo al
Factotum," from RossinPs "Barbiere al
siviglia"-and four orchestral pieces
three OF them obviously chosen by Dr.
Kunwald to show the degree OF Nrtu-
osty which he has developed In the Gin
cinnati symphony Orchestra.
They were Schumann's First SYM
phony, svendsen's Carnival In Paris,
Strauss ALSO Sprach Zarathustra' and
LISTS Second Hungarian Rhapsody.