Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-05-17
FESTIVAL OF BACH.
MUSIC IS PLEASING
Many Westinghouse Attend
Bethlehem, Pa, Choral
Sessions.
BY HELEN FETTER.


BETHLEHEM, Pa, May 17.-Another
year, for the twenty fourth time, festi-
val of the music OF Johann Sebastian
Bach, the great composer organist of
Leipzig 200 years ago. drew an audience
of Americans from all over the country
master. The opening program yester-
day afternoon was composed of chorale-
cantatas never heard in Bethlehem
festivals before and, for the most part,
new to audiences in the United States
There were 10 cantatas in all, i've in the
afternoon and five at the evening ses-
sion.
Prior to each session the audience,
which was later TO pack the chapel on
the Lehigh University grounds to its
capacity and then overflow into crowds
that listened silently outside the rich,
ivy-clad walls of quaint old Packer
Memorial Chapel. during the singing of
the cantatas, listened to chorales as
played by the famous trombone choir of
is pieces.
Directs From Organ Bench.
DR.. j. Fred Wolfe, organizer and di-
rector of this Bach Choir 80 years ago
this season for the first concert festival,
conducted the performances even as the
great Bach himself is said to have done,
seated on an organ bench and conduct
ing with his right hand. His chorus of
more than 200 responded with perfect,
beautifully toned effects.
The soloistS this year were Ernestine
Hohl Eberhard, soprano; Mabel Beddoe,
contralto Arthur Kraft, tenor, and
FIRST three are from New York and Mr..
Tittmann is one of the best known
soloists in Washington, d. C. He has
never sung better than he did It the
first two sessions today, although he
Is one OF the established favorites
among soloists with the Bach Choir and
has sung with 1t many seasons.
Mr.. Kraft, the tenor, is another guest
artist OF long standing. His voice is
Of much lighter quality out he has
the Bach traditions and sang his solos
most acceptably. Mabel Beddoe, con-
tralto, has appeared at previous festi-
walls and has rich quality, but is in
clined to spoil many of her loveliest
notes with tremulo. Miss Eberhard has
q very light soprano of considerable
nexibility and sang well, although not
very colorfully.
After all, it was the chorus and its
orchestral accompaniment of 80 picked
men from the Philadelphia Symphony
Orchestra that won the laurels. The
chorus is the keystone of these festi- |
walls. 1t sings superbly under DR..
Wolle's direction.
Bach Contrasts Striking.
OF all 10 cantatas probably the most |
individual were the exquisite death |
contata, Come, Thine Hour, Kind |
Death, Is Striking" and the totally |!
different laughing" chorale-contata, |
Then Our Mouth Filled With Laugh |
ter" These were strikingly contrast
ing examples of Bach's mastery of |
descriptive music.
DR.. Wolfe showed unerring skill and |
artistry in balancing cantatas of differ |
emit moods and cantataS, too, that gave |
the soloists special opportunities with |
those that were chiefly for the chorus |
Today at ] o'clock in the afternoon |
the most famous of all Bach's works, |
the great Mass in B Minor" will be |
given, with Esther Dale, soprano; Mabel |
Beddoe, contralto; Arthur Hackett, |
tenor, and Charles Trowbridge Tit |
mann and Robert Crawford, basses, as |
soloists.
Washingtonians Present.
Among the visitors from Washington |
who came to attend the Bach festival, |
numbering nearly SO in all this year, |
including several guarantors, the largest |
number listed as coming for one Of |
these festivals, were: MISS Lucy |
Brickenstein. Miss Mary Brickenstein,
Mrs. j. B. Kendall. Mr.. Charles Trow-
bridge Tittmann, Mr.. and Mrs. William
H. Hill, Miss Mariana Hill, Capt.
Theodore Bittermann, Miss Isabel
Squibb, Miss Ethel Hicks, Miss Dorothy |
Coggeshall, DR.. and Mrs. Max Lowen-
thai, Mrs. j. Davis Brodhead, Miss
Katherine Lee Jones, Mr.. Louis Potter,
Mr. and Mrs. Adolf Kaspar Miller, MIR.
and Mrs. Gerritt Miller, jr.; Mr.. John
wilkinson. Mr.. and Mrs. Walter Bruce
Howe, Mrs. Edwin Parker, Miss Anne
Parker, Miss Mabel Cooke, Miss Elsa !,
Petersen, Miss Helen Nicolay, Miss /
Florence Spofford, Miss Lucy Street,
Mr.. Robert Howe Harmon, Mr.. William
Braithwaite, Miss Ruth Howell, Mr.. and
Mrs. Arthur H. Howell, Mr.. Charles
Heaslip, Mai. and Mrs. Guy Withers, I
Mr.. and Mrs. T. w. Cook, Mr.. John !
O'Rourke, Representative and Mrs. |
Radford Coyle, Miss Van Dunn and |
DIR. and Mrs. Mather Lewis. recently of |
Washington, but now making their resi-
dence in Easton, Pa.