Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-05-29
BACH CHOIR PAYS
TRIBUTE OGEN|US
Festival in Composers Honor
Opens at Bethlehem Before
Big Audience
PHILA. MUSICIANS AID

remarkable musical organization in the
United States, yesterday paid The first
installment of it's annual tribute to the
composer after whom II was named
John Sebastian Bach, the mightiest mu-
sical genius Of all time. This took the
form Of the performance Of three Of the
cantatas. two instrumental numbers the
Suite in Il minor for flute and strings
and the Second Brandenburg Concerto
and the superb motet. "Sing Ye to the
Lord a New Made Song" for unaccom-
panied voices.
The Bach Choir is so we'll known that
any comment as to its brilliant history
and the devotion of its conductor, DR..
j. Fred Woole, to an ideal which has
had an appreciable effect upon the at
titude of the American public toward
the music of this greatest composers, is
unnecessary. Each year this remark
able festival, all the more extraordinary
because given it a comparatively small
city instead of one of the great music
centers, draws larger and larger crowds.
Today il seemed to the writer, who has
missed none of the fifteen performances,
that there was a larger audience than
has yet heard first days offerings.
The afternoon session opened with
the cantata, There Is Nought of
Soundness in All My Body When Thou
Art Angry Bach never erred in his
Judgment of the proper music to fit the
text. and the c0ntata Is therefore the
apotheosis of sorrow. but it is sorrow
Of sincere restrained type. totally diff
terent from that expressed in certain
famous symphony by n great Russian
composer. The cantata was splendidly
sung by the chorus and the soloists.
This was followed by the suite in B
minor for flute and orchestra. the flute
solo being magnificently played by John
A. Fischer, of the Philadelphia Or
chestra. Mr.. Fischer's tone and exccu-
tion were more than adequate to the
great demands of the composition. and
he played in perfect tune throughout,
although the work requires the extreme
registers of the instrument. A more
satisfactory rendition Of the work has
never been heard in Philadelphia at
least.
The afternoon session closed with the
cantata, How Brightly Shines Yon
Star at Morn" and it must be confessed
that major key was welcome after an
hour of the key of b minor. The can
tata must rank high even among the
marvellous series of cantatas by Bach.
Like the first cantata. the chorus had
only the opening number, the remainder
being given to the soloists, but the same
impressive character of the choral
number was sustained both as to tone.
quality and Interpretation.
The evening session began with the
wonderful motet Sing Ye to the Lord a
New made Song" for unaccompanied
voices, and it was here that the Bach
Choir showed on the first day its full
capabilities. The composition is ex.
tremely difficult and involved beginning
with the full choir. then subdividinl
into first and second choirs and ending
with a marvellous fugue for the com
plete chorus. This was followed by the
Second Brandenburg Concerto for or
chestra with solo instruments and ths
session closed with the exquisite cantata
'Sleepers Wake. for Night Is Flying. "
The chorus maintained throughout
both sessions that enthusiasm which
comes only with the singer who does his
part from love of the work. This is the
one essential which cannot be secured
from the professional singer who does
choral work. The balance of the choir
is excellent and the tone quality far
above the average, while the members
of the choir know their parts as do those
of no other choir in the country. And
Bach is never easy to sing. This pre-
supposes the fact that the Bethlehem
Bach Choir holds numerous rehearsals
of the most arduous kind-othprwis
such results as were achieved yester
day could never have been attained.
The soloists were Mildred Faas.
soprano: Nicholas Douty, tenor and
Charles T. Tittmann, bass. Miss Faas
and Mr.. Tittmann were adequate,
which is saying a good deal when the
difficulty of the solo parts which they
took is considered. but as usual in re-
ligious works the honors were with Mr..
Douty. Reed Miller was to have been
the tenor soloist of the day, but a sud =
den illness prevented him from appear T.
ing and Mr.. Douty took the enormously
difficult parts of both cantatas at a
days notice. Bach is merciless to the
tenor. both as to range and execution
and that Mr.. DOuty was able, on a few
hours notice. to perform the solo part
as he did. speaks volumes for his adap-
liability and even more for his musician
ship. He was in fine voice both as to
quality and volume and his enuncia
tion, always perfect, made his presenta =
tion OF the part one Of the outstanding
features Of both sessions.
The orchestra, made up Of members
Of the Philadelphia Orchestra, was
better than at any previous festival.
The extra rehearsalS made possible by
a donation, had a decidedly beneficial
effect, as there was a better balance
and more unity in the ensemble. espcci
ally in the dynamics The solo in E
strumental parts, played by Emil F.
Schmidt, violin; William a. Schmidt
cello: John A. Fischer. flute; Paul
Henkleman, oboe and English horn, and
all but impossible French horn parts
PLAYED by Anton Horner, were splen
didIy rendered.
The Bach Mass in r minor was sung
at two sessions Of the festival this after
min.