New-York tribune., 1920-04-28
Carnegie Hall and Metro
politan Opera House Wit
ness Unusual Concerts:
Programs Of Wide Extent
kwartin in Debut Here
Occidental and Oriental
Worship Songs Rendered;
Choristers Afford Feature
By II. E. Krehbiel


music. Performers, listeners and COM
positions were as widely different from
each other as can we'll be imagined.
In Carnegie Hall their were 1000 to
100 persons Of the type usually seen
at high-class concerts, though their
more festive attire indicated that
social and ecclesiastical tribute was TO
De paid as well as an artistic.
The performers were a choir of fifty
TWO young peonle from the College
OF st. Olaf, which is located at North
neid' MINI. The singers and the con-
ductor were obviously OF Scandinavian
nativity or descent. and the music was
largely that Of the German Lutheran
Church. In the Metropolitan ODera
house were crowded between 5000 and
9,ooo OF our Hebrew citizelt, many OF
them. probably the majority, of Rus
sian and Polish origin.
Hall listened with mixed. piety and
decorum to artistic music OF a classical
and Occidental stamp, that in the opera
house listened with equal interest
but with many evidences of devotion.
to the singing by Kwartin. a Jewish
chasom. recently arrived from Europe.
OF traditional MUSIC filled with echoes of
a vast antiquity and of an Orientalism
1amlllar only to those who have at
tended religious Worship in the syn
agogues of orthodox Jewry.
Conventional Music
Music of a conventional character
was played by an orchestra and sung
by d daughter of the concert civer.
but IT'S interest was negligible Not so
that Of Cantor Kwartin, who disclosed a
voice Of excellent quality and great
volubility and a remarkable command O.
the style and intervallic peculiaritles
whlch touched the racial ard religious
feelings of his auditors. Little else
can be said OF his concert lrom an ar
tlstie point OF view
The program OF the choir from the
Northwest was a Imost wholly drawn
from the hvmnody OF the Lutheran
Church, with It's foundations in the
chorales which entered so largely
INTO the motets and cantatas Of Bach
One of the Leipzig masters motets
was sung IN part, but in it there was
an exhibition Of such misconceptions OF
style on the part OF the conductor, Mr..
e. Nehus Christianson. that we do not
wish to charge it against the merit Of
.he singers, winch IS as admirable as
1t IS lncontestable.
te e"olt numbers hity-two voices,
NOUS In opali+v a,d tro;1,od ~ - e0p!.o-
cjsior onus1 to .b.+ of .l,a ~ = |r.F p
of Re+bleha,1 W. thn,, I,.i1 y ,.i w. ,
bner ners,,aioa -, 'uoU'u naS
melodies If fb'a;r cl,,,maii,, s,'e 9e"1e.s
and manner which a. .,,,o ~ -e'', pg
a jigyinp frivolit,, is i,,cn.,nra,
As little c4n ,vo con,rIahonl ~
such an ..ranoon,en+ of "a S+,onr.Loi5 !
Sure" as was rsed v.as snna 7,.ta'' .l~,~
there were so NAM nohle bsr7noTi1
tons Of Bach at hand.
It would have hean ar-is+icall,, &c
we'll as his+orica]lv ;r+,res+;r,r -
heard thn o1d b,,,,,,, 90, ,,+t,a,e w. 40
and c2rried = nar+ IN !. =
Neither in tbis bT-,n,, Which .,.,,,,.l
the co,,car- mo-. ia .bo 49, y
Bachs "Rlessino Glow, o,l W'.1,.. 'Ui'a " =,
nor in the anthem, ..prais, ~ +,ao 1i y,
did we haar an annrasrI ~. ~ +i,e +t, '-oi ~
Of the sturdy ola coyonns;+;o,s ss's 'i''i -
Yet in nortiors ~ MnOaais.ol,,, ,,'o',a
saviour a. sinners" and Grs9oI1a,'i
nofT's 20 God Tear Nv, p,.arar,, nio
we're made 10 marvs] az ~, ah;i;+,. ot
tho choir. and there vas o,-a.s ~o,,;rS a.. ~
bea,,tv il an an+len, h., S|Ia.,, iav ,S,.ll1s
4 Il :
Of bell chimes W. '' ''se 60 ''0''
" ,,..a,, .,,,.~@. ,-
-hucn interesting Music
n the Lutheran hymns and the more
elaborate compositions based on them
there was much that was Interesting to
the lovers Of sacred music. and few
hymns which have long been incor-
porated IN T. gllsh hymnals. Stoutest,
most rugged and historically most sig
nincant Of them was Luther's a Strong
mold Sure which Heine called the
Marseillalse Of Reformation, and OF
Whlch he SAID that when sung by the
bold reformer and his friends as they
intend worms made the old cathed raj
totter and startled the ravns in their
hidden nests IN the towers.
heine 5 enthusiasm, like that Of Car
lyle, who translated the hymn. is par
donabie, butt. IS mere likely that
Elm feste Burg was not heard til the
meeting of the Diet at Speyin at which
The German princes protested against
the reFocatIon OF thelr liberties, and
thereby put the word Protestant into
the termlnology Of the church.
There was also IN the list Nicolai's
superb chorale, "W axe, Awake, for
Night Is I'lying," which forms a
soothing number in Mendelssohn's "St
Paul" and long before had been echoed
IN part BY Handel 10 his 'Hallelujah -
chorus inVhe setting OF the words The
Kingdom of Our Lord.
Less familiar TO worshippers IN Eng
lsh churches. outside Of the Lutheran
confession, was the hymn which pro-