The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-12-30


 port Oratorio society in the State Ar nory last evening for never d1o more appreciative or more repre1enta- tive group of citizens gather for .. oeaa- cer4.
 Never. since its first perfornnance in 1742 has the beautiful sacred oratorio been better rendered than last even ing. Three hundred and fifty Bridge porters seemed to put their very lives into their voices and sang as though everything depended upon it. One of the most stirring parts of the whole oratorio is the chofus, For Unto Us a Child is Born.'' which is followed by the exquisite pastoral symphony where the soprano soloist first is heard, This part was given to perfec- tfon last evening. as was also the great climax of the ora,torio, the Ha1lelu1a'h chorus at the end Of the second part where it is customary for the audi encetO rise, and again the last chorus svYorfhy Is the Lamb That Was Slain'' and the great final Amen chorus.
 The four assisting soloistz, Mime. Anita Rdo soprano, Miss Rose Bryant, and Robert Maitland. bass, have won fame i'm this country and abroad for their beautiful voices. Both audience and chorus were generous in their ap- pIanse of the soloists.
 AErne. Rio added to a charming
  prano voice which was especially de- lightful throughout the pastoral sym phonys particularly in the part Re 5efce Greatly, o Daughter of Zfon's
 Miss Bryantss parts were given with deep feeling, her selections 'tOh Thou That TeI1est Good TIdings. 7 He Shall Feed His Flock Like a Shepherd.' g and He. was Despised and Rejected Of Men being particularly enjoyed by the audience.
 William Wheeler needs no fntrodac- tlon to Bridgeport, having sung his 4he Oratorio society.s performance last February whefA 376 SVas tenor soloist
 Robert Maitland was new to the city but like Mme Rio and Miss Bryant was received with enthusiasm, and was particularly app1auded upon his Thus Saith the Lord Of Hosts and Why Do the Nations so Furious F Rage Together ?''
 Too much cannot be said in praise of Dr. Arthur Mees, the conductor of the concert whose splendid work con- tribtlted so largely toward the suc- and whose thorough and ef7efent guidance was evidenced in every stanza of last evenings stupendous performances
 The great thirty five piece orchestra. under concertmeister, F. Lorenz
 
 for the splendid way in which it ac- con1panied the great qliaLntfty Of voices. Miss Mary L. Peck, the efficient music teacher was the accompanist
 Since it's organization several years ago the Bridgeport Oratorio society has gained renown each season for the particularly splendid concerts which it has produced and has be- rome known for many miles around as credit to Bridgeport. Until last evenings performances. Verdi's tsRe- q4ziem Mass,ss given in Febru a1-y had been coRsidered it's most splendid of- fering to5tHe bItcs but now that the a1essiahs h as been preseuted all have agreed in pronouncfng 1t the best ever" and in declaring that yet ar- ether milestone has been reached on sfhe road to musical effieiency in Bridgeport
 The production Of the .Messiaf fa. ;, the nrst part of which treats of the prophecies concerning the coming of Christ. and of His birth and life on earth, the second of His crucinxion 8 and triumphant resurrection, and the [ Third of the significance of His life and resurrection is par ticularly fitting at this season Of the celebration of His birrh
 Handel. though bf German birth: spent practically his entire life from the time that he was twenty-five, in
 
 iForks were written in that country. His oratorfos were therefore composed 10 English words, hence the splendid homogeneity of score and text that is lacking in the works of Bach, Bee- thoven, Mendelssufln and other great German composers whose works are only known to English with text translated from the original and ham fpered by the necessity Of adjusting it Ito the score.
 During his life in England, Handel d beeoz1ae very fond of the Irish and this truly musical people had long been devoted to him Tn the summer Of 1741, the Duke of Devon shire, Iord-Ldeutenant, asked him over to the Emerald Isle and an fn- huentfaI society of amateurs in Dub lin requested him to compose music for festival in aid of spoor and dis tressed persons in debt in the Mar shalsea- The outcome was the Mes siah.' begun and finished within the compass of twenty days from August 22nd to September 14th, The words were prepared by HandePs friend, Charles Jenneas. The work was not performed, however. until ApriI 1s. 1742 when at midday the great hall in Fishamb1e street was crowded with an enthusiastic audi 5 ence. To the honor Of the ladies', ii is recorded that they consented tc leave their hoops at home in order that an additional one hundred listen CTS might be got into the room'' The proceeds amounted to about four hun dred pounds.
 The Messiah was produced il London, March 23. 1743, in Covent Gar den. George II attended and when ths .sHalleIuiahy chorus was reached he stood The audience followed his ex- ample and thus custom was -estab- Ushed that continues to this day
 The officers of the Bridge port Ora torio Society are:
 NathaIial w. Bishop, president
 Jonathan GodfEey4 vice president Charles ID. Davis, vice president.
 Mrs. Fred k B. esrannis, secretary
 F7 I4fott P Curtis, treasurer
 Dr. Arthur Mees musical director