Sacred Sunday Concert: 7th

Includes program.

“Two so-called sacred concerts were given last night. One of them took place at the Olympic Theatre—the other came off at Irving Hall. The attendance at both was good—good enough, in fact, to deserve something better in the way of music than was offered at either. If the ‘selections’ that were given (instrumental as well as vocal) were chosen for their ‘sacred’ character, it is to be feared that the notion of what is holy must be rather limited in the minds of the framers of the programmes at both places. Ballads of unrequited ‘love’ have not hitherto come under the classification of religious music, nor have the lighter operatic melodies been considered very referential or godly! Half the music played and sung at the concerts last evening were of these orders; although at Irving Hall Mr. Theodore Thomas indulged, as usual, in a ‘Theme’ and ‘Symphony’ or two, which are not (as a general thing) as sacred as they are soporific.  These Sunday night concerts threaten to become popular, but before they become entirely so, or altogether worthy of extended favor, the singers in them must be of a better order, and the managers must come from behind their present hypocritical mask and call their entertainments something else than ‘Sacred’—for they are certainly anything else!”

Grover will continue his Sunday concerts at the Olympic Theatre despite the departure of his ensemble. The gifted young conductor Adolf Neuendorf is performing satisfactorily.

Grover has discontinued his Sunday concerts for unknown reasons.