El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-12-28
MESSIAH AGAIN
THIS EVENING
Splendid Performance In
sured by Great Success
of Public Rehearsal.

! The most popular oratoriO. the most
/ closely related to the emotional life OF
/ man, was given last evening at the
/ First Presbyterian church. in public
rehearsal The choir consisted of 12O
, voices, drawn mainly from the choirs
/ OF the respective churches Of the city,
I while an orchestra of "a pieces, supple
mented by the pipe organ. presented
! the musical background for the pro-
] phetic and laudatOry verse. James G.
| McNary, conducted with ihs usual
marked ability and minute care the COM
7 bined talent OF voice and instrument
I while Mrs. James MeNary performed
with skill and feeling the difficult
task of the organ part.
George Frederick Handel's Messiah"
has become an Institution in the De-
cember life Of the year It's broad
and marvellous scope in material. its
intensity Of emotion, its loftiness OF
theme have all made Of it the premier
oratoriO.
What really occurred at the First
Presbyterian church was not alone the
singing in an enthusiastic and intelli-
gent manner one of the greatest Of all
: chorals- but the remarkable fact that
120 voices has voluntarily come to-
gether TO participate in one Of the
finest of all pastimes-the team work
OF harmony and collective singing The
team work was present at all times
The fugue qualities and the counter
point that make the Bach, Haydn and
felt and expressed The exuberance OF
the chorus, magnetic and dynamic,
struck response in the minds Of the
listeners. The time and the rhythm
Of these great numbers was excellent.
The voices moved in big, fine and ma
jestic periods The surety and the
enthusiasm Of the singing were con-
What especially struck the listener
was the sympathetic support Of the
strings during the singing of the reei-
tatives and the airs. They played IN
good unison and with an Intelligent
musicianship. The strength Of an or
chestra centers in the first viOlins and,
they esta blishing the meter and the
dramatic backgrounds was confident
and assured.
The soloists were Mrs. J. J. Kasters
Mrs. ". d. Howe. Mrs. Robert Holiday,
Mrs. Ralph J. Wilson, soprano; Mrs n
II. Goldstein, cOntralto; F. G. Billings
and Chas. J. Andrews, tenor; Matthew
Lemen and ItalO Picchi. bass. All OF
them sang with fine spirit, Intelligent
appreciation of the sentiment. and eX-
cellent musical Interpretation, so that
the performance as a whole. despite
the fact that il was a rehearsal, pos
sessed a finish and satisfying Quantv
by no means common in oratorio work
anywhere
The reeds and brasses in the orches-
ira were in evidence during the
chOrals and contributed an interesting
BACKGROUND LOT LuE llAldA IEtAAdtANE anu
air by Signor Picchi. Here the trumpet
note Of judgment is sounded, with the
big musical phraseolOgy of complete
ness. The score is such as to present
voice and horns in opposition. one
questioning. and the other answering.
While the reeds and brasseS played a
lesser part in the program. they were
indispensable in the bigger and dra-
matte episodes and their work was in
teresting at all times. often very eff
fective.
The first part Of the program was
preceded by the Messiah overture, and
the second part by the Pastoral SYM
phony" The orchestra and the organ
gave both Of these in an acceptable
manner. The finale was the rich
''Halielujah" chOrus-written on so
broad and fine a scale. The rendition
was inspiring and Of all the chorals
was given with the most surety and
the most spOntaneity-
The program VIII be given again
this evening as a concert performance
at the First Presbyterian church