Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-19
M II S &c
sa5stSAya BY HELEN FETTER. -rz.Is
BY HELEN FETTER.


tional Importance and endured
until after the Civil War. Today
this tiny village in Pennsylvania
has a Bethlehem Symphony Or
cheStra.
ITO one who is not seasoned
l. ATTENDED at the Bach FeSti-
walls, perhaps the most remark
able feature of the entire event is
the excellent training of the diff
ferent sections of the choir, so
that the entire ensemble is as re-
SponSive to the slightest gesture
or expression on the face Of DR..
Wolfe, the founder and leader, as
a huge, beautifully toned organ
would be under the manipulation
of great organiSt.
Interest centerS, first of all, in
this master of Bach. j. Fred
Wolfe organized his first chorus in
his home town of Bethlehem when
he was only Is years old. This
was the Bethlehem Choral Union.
He conducted it until he went to
Munich, Germany, in 1884, to
study the organ. He was there
10 months and returned to Amer
lea filled with the deepest admira-
ton for the tremendous works of
Johann Sebastian Bach. He de-
termined to give this chorus of his
Bach to sing. He conducted them
in the first performance in Amer
lea of the "St. John Passion" June
S. 1888. This was followed by the
"St. Matthew Passion" in April,
1892, the first of only six perform
anceS Of that work ever given by
a Bethlehem chorus under DR..
Wolfe. The sixth performance
was that given May 10 of this
years festival, the fifth by the
Bach Choir.
DR.. Wolfe became so absorbed in
the beauties and possibilities CT
the works of Bach that he felt
great desire to present Bach's
greatest work-the Mass in B
Minor" which is probably the
greatest piece of music in the
world. His chorus, however,
baked. They felt this work was
beyond their capacity. DR.. Wolfe,
firm in his intention and enthusl-
astic in his desire, refused to lead
this chorus in any other musical
compositions. It was the Mass or
nothing. The Choral Union was
disbanded. Five years later, real
izing the great talent that DR..
Wolfe possessed as a conductor
and reluctant to let such a great
gift lie unused, 80 leading singers
of Bethlehem banded together
and promised to rehearse and
sing the 'fMass in B Minor" If DR..
Wolfe would lead them. He &C
copied the offer. The newly or
ganiZed Bach Choir rehearSed for
IA months, weekly and sometimes
oftener, until the difficulties of
this most difficult of scores were
overcome. The mass was present.
ed Tuesday, March q, 1900, in
the auditorium of the Moravian
Church by this choir Of 80 voices
and an amateur orchestra OF 30.
DR.. Wolfe conducted from the or
gan bench, at times playing the
organ accompaniment. A COM
ment made at the time by writer
was: 1.-THE choir was letter per-
feet and Prof. Wolfe has done
wonderfully we'll" No critics were
at that first performance. but the
news of its success spread, so that
when it was known that there
would be a three-day festival the
following year prominent critics
of leading newspapers were pres
ent and wrote of the event in
glowing terms.
No festivals were held while DR..
Wolfe was in California (1906-
1912, where he was director of
the department of music for the
University of California. 1t was
Charles M. Schwab, the steel mag
nate, who was a patron and lover
of music, who visited DR.. Wolfe in
California and persuaded him to
return to Bethlehem and resume
the Bach Choir performances.
Since then all festivals have been
held in Packer Memorial Church
by courtesy of the Lehigh Univer-
sity authorities.
Always the Mass in B Minor" is
the feature of the Saturday per
Torrance of the festival. This
last performance, said even by
"old- timers" to have been the
most superb of them all, was the
twenty-second annual perform
ance. Given in the cool, religious
quiet of this lovely church, with
it's high rafterS making for per-
feet acoustics and its stained win
dows and orderly pews for dig
nifty, the Bach Choir presents the
power of a great dramatic truth
exemplified in music. Supple
mented by the rich organ tones
and the 40 pieces from the Phila-
delphia Symphony Orchestra, the
voices of the choir ring out with
vivid inspiration behind the pre-
cision of perfected practice. There
are great effects that even the
finest and largest Of a cappella
choirs could not achieve. 1t Is the
experience of a lifetime to hear
the Bach Choir on its native
heath in this stupendous Prot
estant mass.
T OCAL choir directors may be
IL interested to take a glimpse
at DR.. Wolle's method in prepar-
ing these works, as set down in a
little booklet compiled by James
Robinson. He says:
THE rehearSals, which last from
one and a half to two hours every
Monday night from the beginning
of October until May, when the
festival is given. are taken very
seriously by all the singers. There
Is no humdrum method Of re-
hearsing. DR.. Wolfe avoids all
serious drudgery by making his