Evening star., 1928-12-18

"THE MESSIAH IS PERFORMED.

tsTHE MESSIAH is PERFORMED.
ssThe Messiah" that Christmas ora
torio which doubtless will survive for
all time as the dominant composition
of George Frederick Handel. the nat
uralized Britisher, whose body rests in
Westminster Abbey, London, was given
its most recent performance In Wash
ington last night by the National Capt.
tai Oratorio Association at Central High
School Albert w. Harmed, director,
conducted.
For some reason or other Washing
topians did not come out In as large
numbers as might have been expected
for this performance. The rain may
have had something to do with this;
the nearness to Christmas may have
been another reason. Possibly the
many previous performances, some of
which might have been much more in
spring, had lessened interest. Then,
again, it is not impossible that the long
winded fiorid passages, so foreign to the
guild artificialities, so foregn to the
huStling twentieth century spirit of the
United States, and even the world at
large, today, may have not had the
public.
Those who did not attend missed ex-
| cellent choral work and fine orches-
! tral accompaniment by SO musicians,
some of them well known soloists here,
| with Herman Rakemann as the able
| concertmeister. The $50 voices in the
chorus showed thorough, intelligent
training and remarkably good command
Of diction, as well as nicely blended tone
color. It is the best chorus that has
been heard in Washington for long
time and deserves the heartiest sup
port of the citizens of Washington
Also many young people are in it, CIV
| ing that element of fresh voices, show
| ing enthusiastic buoyancy in the sing
ing that is most valuable. The parts
were we'll balanced and the rhythms
marked with clean-cut phraSing. This
gave a SmoothneSs of general effect
This is the kind of chorus that vel
can be built in time into festival pro-
portions.
The soloists all were well known
singers who have appeared here fire.
quently in oratorio and other perform.
ances. Charles Trowbridge Tittmann:
rich, melodious bass, with rounded vel
vet on the lower notes in particular
was the dominant solo voice. Ethe
Holtzclaw Gawler, soprano, was a.
marked disadvantage, as she was calleC
upon at the last moment.
/ Jessie Masters singing of the con
tralto role showed authority, with tht
excellent command of diction for which
she has become especially noted and als'
real sense of the intrinsic values of th'
words she sings. Miss Masters knew
her role completely and rarely referret
to her book. She, too, was substituting
as DR.. Harmed announced, for Haze
Arth, the young Washington contralt'
who gave up her role in this production
to participate in the Atwater Kent au
dition finals, in which she won the frs
award for a girl. Eugene Dahl, tenor
showed good training in the role t.
which he had been assigned. Mabe
Frost, organist, and Dana Garrett, trum
peter, were quite equal to their tasks.
The performance was very late start
/ ing, beginning at about 10 minutes be
, fore 9, and, with the traditional temp
observed, which is quite slow, only tn
first third had been completed by i
{ o'clock. The playing of the "Pastora
r Symphony during this first section o
the oratory deserves special mention
. The string sections were particularl
admirable. Il. +.