New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-18
Auspicious Opening of Fes'
tival - Vesper Service
with Collection.
DEVELOPMENT FOR
TALENT OF CAPITAL
Dubois's "Seven Last Words of
Christ" Performed-Three
More Concerts.
BY u. r.. KREHBIFL.

Trenton, y. j., May 1.-THE capital or
New Jersey Is making an effort to shake
of the musical lethargy which. so some
OF its wideawake citizens say, has char
acterized 1t for decades and even gen.
erations. In musical history the city lives
| only in connection with one OF the ma
| tional hymns OF the United States. It be-
| ing recorded, l believe. that George Wash
ington was greeted somewhere In Its VI
cinlty by a choir of young women who
sang THE Presidents March," otherwise
Hail. Columbia" or something OF the
/ kind. on an interesting occasion. But the
| impression Is hay, and there Is no time
| TO look the matter up. However that
may be. Trenton has not disclosed much
musical life since, and If it is true tha1
when the Philadelphia Orchestra attempt
ed to preach the evangel OF Beethoven
and other great composers there some ten
years ago and was heard by an audience
Of thirty persons, then the incidents con-
nected with the opening of the third an
nual music festival. which took place In
/ The armorv OF the I'd Regiment this after
noon, were very significant indeed. IL
was n sort of vesper service In winch
civic religious and artistic elements Were
most happily combined.
/ To the first Mayor Donnelly gave ex-
preston in an opening address, In when
| he told of Trenton's historical past and Its
/ industrial present and prophesled hope
fuIIv of its civic. social and artistic future.
Then the Rev. Alfred Busch. pastor OF The
second Presbyterian Church, asSed tie
/ divine blessing upon all concerned III tne
festival. especially the singers VINO were
10 sing OF the great tragedy on caviar!
/ the seven Last Words of Christ. as set
/ to music by Dubois After the concert
had besun there was n pause to enable
/ Mr.. Dreschman, secretary OF the !. VI
! G. A., to make an appeal preparatory 10
the passing of baskets for an offertory col
Iection-another reminder that the DAY
WAS Sunday when it would nave peeh
unseemly. at least to have appeared mer-
cenarv bv charging an admission Zee 10
the concert The speaker handled his SUD-
/ iect like an adept at the business, ana 'he
"silver Offering" amounted to some SAW
which. il was explained, would go 10 oe-
| fraving the cost of the orchestra coii-
ductor. choristers and solo singers hd'ihs
| signified their wish TO contribute their ser
vices TO the cause of musical uplitt III 'he
/ community The vast floor OF the arihor!
was completely filled with the audience
ar CONGREGATION. as one chose to look at
-. ono ,vav of estimating the size OF the
gathering would be TO say that there was
! about an acre Of people on hand 10 near
the music-put IN figures, there were
about : 0O0-am "a. evidence that the COM
munitv is thoroughly alive to the advah-
lagos which the Festival Association Is
offering it.
This association has taken up with
commendable enthusiasm, zeal ana WIS
dom the task which Mr.. otto Polenarl
and a few local music lovers set FOR them-
selves some years ago-to awaken love
for GOOD music in the city II was
large contract. but thus far it seems To
have been successfully fulfilled. inc
festival which began to-day is only the
third. The first was small affair heiu
in the Trent Theatre; the second was
held i'm the armory last year. ana thoush
uaIter Damrosch and his orchestra
and solo singers had To he PAID ior'
tbere was no call upon the citizens whom
lanes G. Tattersall. chairman OF the
finance committee. had enlisted as guaran-
TORS against "A possible deficit. II Is al
ready assured that there VIII no TO 1853
this wear. though in the remaining three
concerts to be given on tomorrow an"
Tuesday sixty members Of the orchestrd
Of the Metropolitan Opera House. MI
IIagemann. their conductor. and quar-
,et Of singers we'll known i'm the metropo-
lis will take part And TINS hot"''"
,,ardirc, that the prices Of admission are
lou ranging from % cents TO 81. These
,ricos arc one evidence of the public spirit
which underles the enterprise. Another
rroof WAS the free admission 10 to-da!
concert.
The wisdom of the citizens who are
hoctinp Mr.. Polemann and his musical
associates is published i'm the scheme oil
concerts To-day the forces ehlpioSeu
were predominantly local twenty-five Oh
the fifty men in the orchestra were resi-
don't musicians; there were htty IN All an"
the other twenty-five came from fhild-
deInhia. The solos in Dubois's cantata
we're sung by local singers; the choristers
wore all Trenton people, OF course anu
tribute was paid TO the sanctlty OF ''e
d.v nv the programme. Tomorrow the
German singing societies composed OF men
will sing, with Mime. Schumann-Heihk anu
tho instrumentalists from New YORK 10
add interest on Tuesday afternoon 4'VVo
children from the public schools VIII sihs
and thus give occasion for an amiable
swelling Of the parental heart, and IN the
ovcning the festival chorus and quartet
Of New York artists will sing liahuel ,
messiah" and no doubt establish IL III
the hearts of Trentonians so firmly that
Ito performance will become an annual
function.
The concert this afternoon began WIZ"
the first movement of Schuberts sym
rhonv I'm b minor. the Unfinished. IL
was conducted by Albert Stretch, local
violinist and teacher who has set for the
coal ~ his strivlngs the development oil
a local orchestra capable or PROVIDING
Trenton with concerts OF orchestral music
NJ a popular. vet dlgni1ed sort. The PhiIa-
dolnhia contingent, as may be imagined
WAS chiefly in evidence IN the VIM
choirs. but the local men did excellent
service. not only in the symphonic move
mont but also in two popular pieces
which came later. Cannes "Exstase, ana
a number from the sylvia odliet py
Delibes. and the instrumental portion OF
tina cautata. Here was promise OF good
,b;,gs IN be expected in the future, IN