The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-04-28
AN EVENT OF NOTE
TOpekans' StupendOus Festival
Marvel of Music.
Production at Auditorium De-
serves Great Credit.
(By Bertha Hempstead.)

An event which IS the most lmpOr-
tant and significant in the musical
history of Topeka was the spring fes-
tiva1 which closed last night with the
production of Verdi's great Mass, the
Manzoni Requiem, sung by a chorus
of Topeka people. The work was
presented by the Musical Art society,
under the direction of Horace White
house of Washburn college, and assist
ed by the Minneapolis Symphony Or
chestra, and the soloists, Marie Sun
delius, soprano; Alma Beck, contral-
to; Albert Lindquist, tenor, and Mar
ion Green, baritone.
The Requiem is a stupendous mu-
steal work, intricate in construction
and with many difficulties of execu-
ton The chorus has worked for
months in its preparation, and so
thorough was it's instruction that the
ensemble effect was almost faultless.
The chorus sat on the extended plat
form of the auditorium in wedge
shaped arrangement, with the orches-
ira in the center, and orchestra and
chorus were conducted by Mr.. White
house. The command of artistic re-
source of a successful conductor is nor
hard to appreciate, in consideration of
the many mental processes that he
carries on at one time, his required
thorough knowledge of the text and
or the score, the necessary precision
in his command of the voices and all
the instruments of his orchestra. The
music for the Requiem eloquently en-
phasizes the mood of the text. and in
both there is a grandeur that not
many composers have attained even
in their greatest works.
The listeners. at last nights pro-
gram were surprised at the technic
developed in the treatment of the in
VoIved pasSa geS and the strength and
power of the climaXeS.
The soloists for the evening were far
and away better than any that have
occupied similar position in Topeka
~ Gil "a a fo fy-c-(
years. Lindquist, the tenor, is a singer
of excellent reputation already, and
has been selected by the prophets in
matters musical as being one of the
great tenors of the future. Miss Beck,
in heavy part that made many and
various demands on her vocal powers,
was one of the chief factors in the
evenings success. The other two
evenings program, fulfilled the ex-
pectations that their first appearance
inspired.
Mr.. Whitehouse did a courageous
thing when he organized his society
and prepared to give so large and diff
ficult piece, with the imported help,
in face of the public's manifest indif-
ference as expressed by the support
given former efforts of similar
However the audiences
were good for all the concerts of the
series, though there were vacant seats
that ought, by all the laws known to
prom OterS of musical entertainment,
to have been filled.
The performance of the requiem
was mastery, and sustained the stand
ards of choral art which the organiza-
ton defined for its public in its rem
dering of THE Messiah" last win
ter. and its response to the leader was
keen and earnest. The success of the
has proven it's leader, Mr..
a musician of versatile
powers as conductor as we'll as a
teacher and leader, to say nothing for
his energy and perseverance that has
kept him in the vanguard of the
towns artistic progress