Scan 6
Musical Courier 1897-11-03: Vol 35 Iss 922, 1897
23 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 7. See the scan on archive.org.
1the original piano accompaniment ought to have been used, or one of Beethoven's songs with orchestra substituted. Edward German's symphonic poem, "Hamlet," came next. This is a study in music of the principal characters in the tragedy rather than program music. There are themes standing for Hamlet, Ophelia and the King. The composition is well knit as to form, but the brooding presence of the melancholy Dane pervades the whole. The scoring is sombre, but masterly, and there is only just a suspicion of theatrical effect in the coloring of the theme associated with the King. The test of a new piece is—will it hold or move an audience?
3For myself, I can say it enchained my interest from the first note to the last. The dirge on the death of Ophelia is very touching, but the mysterious opening excites the imagination, and that, to my mind, is evidence that the new work possesses high artistic qualities. The performance was very fine under Richter's baton, and the composer was called to the platform to receive the congratulations of the audience. Miss Marie Brema and Mr. Bispham gave a grand reading of the closing scene from "Die Walküre," the mosaic of motives in the orchestra coming out with marvelous clearness. The "Song of Destiny," by Brahms, was heard here for the first time, and despite occasional faulty intonation on the part of the chorus, the performance was most impressive. Beethoven's Symphony in C minor had a good rendering, recalling, though not surpassing, the marvelous performance at the festival of 1888—a performance never to be forgotten by those who heard it. Mr. Bispham gave, with impassioned feeling, the song "An Jenem Tag," from Marschner's "Hans Heiling." Few now know anything of Marschner's masterpiece, and the song had perhaps never before been heard in Birmingham. With a grand performance of Schumann's tragic overture to "Manfred" the concert concluded.
5On Wednesday morning, the 6th, was introduced the most important of the festival novelties, Professor Stanford's Requiem in A, op. 63, written in memory of Lord Leighton, the great painter. It consists of seven numbers: Introit, Kyrie, Gradual, Sequence (Dies Irae), Offertorium, Sanctus and Benedictus, and Agnus Dei and Lux Aeterna. Space will not allow of detailed analysis, and a few general remarks must suffice. In the first place the text is interpreted not only with fidelity and reverence, but the spirit of the work is solemn and impressive to a degree. The opening theme, a descending scale broken into three note groups, is used throughout the work, and the first vocal theme of the Introit becomes of much importance. The Dies Irae begins in a remarkably impressive manner, with soft chords for trombones, and a shuddering phrase of five semiquavers for string basses, the voices entering with terrified murmurs. The five note theme in augmentation afterward becomes the basis of the Lacrimosa, the finest and most elaborately worked out movement of the whole.
7The Offertorium affords bright relief and the fugue, "Quam olim Abrahae," is as effective in performance as it is scholarly in construction. The Hostias which intervenes before the repetition of the fugue is for the solo quartet, and is a graceful movement in A flat, with tasteful accompaniment. The Sanctus—set for voices in ten parts, four sopranos, four altos, tenor and bass—has two leading themes and gives literal point to the "continual cry" of the Cherubim. There is much of the manner of Wagner in this movement and the design is extremely clever, but it falls below the rest of the work in loftiness of conception and the listener admires the skill of the composer where he should be awed to worship. The Benedictus is beautiful, and the concluding division reaches the high level of the opening. The movement is in the form of a funeral march, with superposed chorus, the Lux Aeterna forming the trio. There are several fine passages for the solo voices and the whole work is a masterpiece.
9The vocal principals were Mme. Albani, Miss Brema, Mr. Edward Lloyd and Mr. Plunket Greene. Their work was of an arduous character, for either alone or with the chorus they were constantly in requisition. The performance, under the composer's direction, was exceedingly good, the chorus singing with grand tone, and the soloists acquitting themselves admirably. The fine points of the score were well brought out by the orchestra. Though applause is forbidden by the committee—an out-of-date piece of legislation in the concert room—the composer was warmly received, and at the conclusion of the performance was greeted with acclamations loud and long. The Requiem was a great success, but such compositions do not appeal strongly to English hearers other than Roman Catholics, so it is not safe to predict great popularity for this masterly composition.
11Following this came Bach's "O Light Everlasting," a Whitsuntide cantata, dating probably from about 1740, but made up of an earlier wedding cantata. The first chorus is colossal in form, and the singers seemed to revel in its glorious counterpoint. Miss Brema sang the solo, "Rejoice, Ye Souls, Elect and Holy," with fervor, and Messrs. Lloyd and Greene gave the intervening recitatives. The concluding chorus was grandly sung. The last piece in the program was the Symphony in C minor, op. 68, of Brahms. This had not previously been heard here. The work as a whole is sombre, not to say stern, especially as regards the first movement, and it was therefore quite in place in a solemn program. The performance was exceedingly fine—one of the greatest in my experience.
13At the evening concert another miscellaneous program was presented. The first part was taken up with a recital of Purcell's "King Arthur" music. The band was limited to the instruments found in the Purcell MSS., but was still very large, while a chorus of 350 was certainly never contemplated by the composer. An edition of the work had been prepared by Mr. Fuller Maitland, who has been sharply taken to task for his editing. Into this controversy I am not going to enter; but though the work was given under very different conditions from those originally intended, I must say I was greatly interested in and pleased with the performance, and the audience generally were surprised and delighted with the tunefulness, spirit and bold character of the music.
15Mr. Ben Davies gave in grand style the warlike song, "Come If You Dare." Miss Evangeline Florence, with her light, flute-like notes, was highly successful as Cupid, and created a sensation in the patriotic song "Saint George." Mr. Bispham sang well throughout, and in the "Frost Scene" his delivery of "What Power Art Thou" made an artistic triumph of what might easily have become ridiculous. He did not, however, reach the level of his wonderful performance at the rehearsal. Assistance was given by Miss Anna Williams, Miss Ada Crossley and Mr. George May, the last named an alto vicar-choral of St. Paul's Cathedral, being specially retained for this work. The score just supported without in any way obscuring the tone of the chorus, and in none of the works did that shine to more advantage. Dr. Richter conducted with the utmost care, and the performance was excellent. I must not omit mention of the part played in the accompaniments by two harpsichords, presided over by Mr. Arnold and Mme. E. Dolmetsch. Some folk laughed at the antique tones of these instruments, but they cut their way through everything and were distinctly audible even when the full chorus was going. I was rather disgusted, though, to find they were of mere modern make and not the genuine old specimens; but that was perhaps because I possess a very fine Tschudi and Broadwood harpsichord, of which I am inordinately proud.
17In the second part Miss Anna Williams gave a fine reading of "Ocean, Thou Mighty Monster," and Mr. Davies won great applause by his excellent singing of Siegmund's love song from "Die Walküre." The orchestral pieces were Beethoven's overture "Leonora," No. 3, magnificently played; the "Variations on an Air of Haydn," by Brahms—new here and a great treat to listen to—and Cherubini's "Medea" overture. A fine concert altogether.
19Handel's "Messiah" occupied its time honored position on the Thursday morning. The performance was conducted by Dr. Richter himself, for the first time since the Franz score was discarded in 1888. The great conductor has not the local idea how the choruses should be taken and most of them had a slower tempo than we are accustomed to. But on the whole it was a grand performance in that respect, and in "For unto us" the brass was limited at the climax. Miss Anna Williams, singing for the last time in oratorio, put forth all her strength and distinguished herself in a manner to make all regret her approaching retirement from the concert platform. Miss Marie Brema was not so successful in the contralto solos, not being so much at home in oratorio as in opera. But she sang with fervor and in "He was despised" made a great effect. Mr. Lloyd was successful as usual and Mr. Andrew Black was successful in "The trumpet shall sound," the obligato to which was played by Mr. Jaeger from his place in the orchestra, the old trumpet and voice duet from the front of the platform being sensibly done away with.
21The chief feature of the evening concert was the production of Arthur Somervell's "Ode to the Sea," the second of the two works composed expressly for this festival. The poem is by Laurence Binyon, and contains some stirring lines, though the whole does not yearn for musical treatment, and offers difficulties to a composer. There are exclusive of the overture six numbers, in two of which there are solos for soprano. The overture consists of an introductory adagio, and an allegro, fully developed, the opening theme being employed in the first chorus, "Mother of Immemorial Desire." The poem deals with the vastness and mystery of the sea, touches upon various incidents, as the flooding of Holland to raise the siege of Leyden, the sinking of the Birkenhead, and above all, "dwells on the special nearness and dearness of the sea to England." The last section is patriotic in spirit, and the composer rises to his subject. The solos, "Fearful and Vast Thy Dark'ning Waters Heaved," and "O Sacred More Than Earthly Grave," show the composer's melodic invention, and there is much skill in the construction of the choruses; but the subject seemed to stand in the way of varied treatment, for the sea, like the desert, has its "vast monotony." Mme. Albani sang with all her fervor, and exerted herself to achieve success. The chorus singing was marked by power, but at times lacked fire and one of two readings
22The chief feature of the evening concert was the production of Arthur Somervell's "Ode to the Sea," the second of the two works composed expressly for this festival. The poem is by Laurence Binyon, and contains some stirring lines, though the whole does not yearn for musical treatment, and offers difficulties to a composer. There are exclusive of the overture six numbers, in two of which there are solos for soprano. The overture consists of an introductory adagio, and an allegro, fully developed, the opening theme being employed in the first chorus, "Mother of Inmemorial Desire." The poem deals with the vastness and mystery of the sea, touches upon various incidents, as the flooding of Holland to raise the siege of Leyden, the sinking of the Birkenhead, and above all, "dwells on the special nearness and dearness of the sea to England." The last section is patriotic in spirit, and the composer rises to his subject. The solos, "Fearful and Vast Thy Dark'ning Waters Heaved," and "O Sacred More Than Earthly Grave," show the composer's melodic invention, and there is much skill in the construction of the choruses; but the subject seemed to stand in the way of varied treatment, for the sea, like the desert, has its "vast monotony." Mme. Albani sang with all her fervor, and exerted herself to achieve success. The chorus singing was marked by power, but at times lacked fire and one of two readings
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