The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-06-09
DIR. MEES SCORES
 TRIUMPH IN BIG
 MUSIC FESTIVAL
Musical Conductor of Bridge port OratOriO Society Wins
 Nv LaurelS.

The success of Dr. Arthur Mees. | conductor for several of the last con-
 certs of the Bridgeport OratOrio so-
 ciety, at the musical festival in Nor
 folk, is a source of much satisfac- tion to his many admirers here. pr. Mees is 1auded for his triumphs in the
 review written by the musical critics of the Waterbury American. He says:
 The first concert of the Norfolk sea- son was enjoyed last night by the us
 uaI throng that filled the Music She'd and listened for hours to the work of chorus and orchestra. The great hon or of the evening may be truly said to have been earned by pr. Arthur Mees, the veteran conductor, who not 1 only conducted the chorus and orches- tra but filled the trying position of drill master during the season, talk | ing the five choruses with whom he was unfamiliar and maintaining the high standard set by Conductor Rich mond P. Paine, the only leader that these singers have ever known. This was a. task that might well have a.p- pa1led; it was nothing short of a Ia- Dor of love for MT. and Mrs. Stoeckel, 1 in order that MT. Paine might have a season of rest from the severe strain | of the work, and opportunity to study | the methods of other conductors and composers
 The chorus work last night fully de- m onstrated Dr. Mees's ability and fit
 ness for this Herculean task, and the result was gratifying to the Stoecke1s and also to MT. Paine, who was given l his first opportunity of listening to 1 the chorus in other hands, and whose l appearance in the audience was greet ed with rounds of applause by the singers.
 The festival opened with the sing ing of the chorale, Sweet is the | Work, My God, My King,'' in honor | of it's composer, Robbins Batte1I, in l whose memory the Lftchfield County | Choral was founded. A few moments | of expectancy followed, and then the 1 audience rose and welcomed the com l poser, Charles Martin Loeffler, who was invited to conduct the initial rem | tica,'' written expressly for the Nor folk concerts, for which he receives the honorarium awarded by the Litch- l field County University Club.
 libra Mystica" is the name some
 times given by the monks to the ev-
 ening service following vespers. The symphony is woven round the recita- l ton and chants of the capitu1um: l 'fTu autem in nobis~ es, Domino, g ''In
 manus tuas, Domino, commendo spir-
 itum meum." and the antiphone. ! 'Salva Regina" The principal theme l of the symphony is inspired by the 1 response of the capitu1um: "Deo | gratias."I The sYmponhy is in one | movement. In the first part, pre- ceding the principal allegro, the diff
 ferent motives gradually develop into l themes; the called exposition of | themes takes place in this introduc- | ton. The Allegro is followed by an Adagio, which in turn leads back to l the Allegro and the recitation of the capitu1un: ''Tu autem in nobis es, Domino" Then follow the chants in | unison: fIn manus tuas'' and ttSalve Regina" The symphonic part is closely interwoven with these chants; indeed the "SaIve Regina" is the can tus firmus of the Adagio with the repetition of which the work closes The succession of notes on the bells, B D E F A B, comes from one of the oldest Benedictine monasteries,
 near which the composer also noted the curious tOl1ing of smaller village church bells; they are rendered in the beginning of the work and are play 1 ed by the harp. This motive occurs
 repeatedly during the work.
 The mood is one of religious me1i- tation and adoration of nature. A l lonely pilgrim winds his way through a, land of ever changing enchant-
 ments, a land where clouds pass like | a procession of nuns over the noun tains to descend above a lake, chang | ing it into a mysterious gray sea-a 1 land where shepherds still pipe to ! their f1ocks.. Finally the pilgrim con | templates the beauty of the cathe- l dra1, even the grotesque beauty of the
 gargoyles, placed on the house of wor- ship to ward off evil spirits. Within
 the cathedral the service of~comp1ine
 explains itself
 It is extremely difficult to describe | this work which requires an expert in
 harmony to appreciate. To the un- initiated, it seemed a babel of sounds,
 musical and otherwise, with a har-
 mony so extremely close that the or i dinary listener missed it altogether,
 and it was necessary at this juncture i to accept the assurance of the musi-
 cal critics, who are supposed to know,
 that MT. LoeffIer is recognized as
 master of harmony, and that his musi-
 cal compositions for orchestra are in
 demand in this country and abroad.
 Midway in this work the composer | introduces thee hant of the monks
 ''Tu autem in nobis .es, Dom1ne,'' with
 a peal from the chimes. This part
 was sung by a male chorus of 40
 voices with good effect.
 MT. Loeff1er was born in A1sace when that province was still a part
 of France, and his early life and ed
 ucation were moulded by French in fluence. He studied violin and com 1 position under the same master as
 the celebrated Claude De Bussy. MT. i Loeffler came to this country as a
 young man, and joined the famous
 Boston Symphony Orchestra, where
 for many years he played the first
 violin.g He is recognized as a. mas
 ter of this instrument, for which he
 has written and arranged a number
 of compositions. MT. QoeffIer re- tired from the active practice of nu- sic to give his time to composition
 and instruction, and now resides at
 Medfie1d, Mass, on his farm which 1 is known as "MeadoWmere.''
 Hearty applause followed the com
 pletion of the work, and the composer
 was presented with the laurel wreath,
 in recognition of his musical trt-
 umph.
 Brahms "German Requiem
 The principal event of the program
 was the production of the Brahms German Requiem by the chorus of