Charity Concert for the Western Dispensary

“The concert given last night for the benefit of the Western Dispensary was a great success. Art and charity warmly combined in an enthusiastic effort to increase the financial means of this very valuable institution. The audience was gayly and fashionably dressed, in good spirits, and seemed to act as if the concert was a large reunion of musical friends. The ushers, all attention, were attired in the best of their wardrobe, and formed quite an ornamental fringe to the concert.

“The eighteen pieces on the concert were generally of a popular nature, and well suited to the occasion. As might be expected, the number was increased by the demand of the audience and the gracious condescension of the artists.

“Miss Kellogg was of course the bright particular star of the evening. Dressed in the most exquisite taste, simple and unpretending in manner and in action, and warbling like a spring bird, she elicited the warmest applause and riveted every eye to her. Mrs. Kempton sustained her well-merited reputation, and drew from the audience the best expression of their delight. Miss Gibbs, personally prepossessing, very modest, somewhat unstrung by embarrassment, though showing much vocal ability, awakened the heartiest sympathy of her hearers, and was as fully rewarded for what she did as for the blooming promise of what she is destined to do. The rich, sonorous and highly cultivated voice of Centemeri was never heard to better advantage; and when to this array of artistic talent we add that of Pattison, Mora and Hall—so well known to our musical people—it will readily be seen that the superiority of the artists was in fitting harmony with the benevolent object of the concert. The whole entertainment was made more interesting by the distribution of beautiful flowers to the lady vocalists of the evening.”

“Association Hall was filled last evening by an audience assembled by the announcement of a grand charity concert for the benefit of the Western Dispensary. The artists were Miss Clara Louise Kellogg, Miss Hattie Gibbs, Mrs. Jenny Kempton, Mr. W. J. Hill, Sig. Mora, Signor P. Centemeri and Mr. J. N. Pattison. They interpreted a programme of tremendous length, which was almost doubled by incessant demands for repeats. A Swedish melody was Miss Kellogg’s most satisfactory contribution, which was made especially conspicuous, let us note, by the assistance of Mr. J. N. Pattison. Mr. Pattison had not been heard in the concert room for some months, and his rendering of the familiar ‘Polka de Concert’ and of a ‘Russian Hymn,’ with variations, gave assurance of the unfailing influence of tasteful and brilliant execution.”

“A very elegant and fashionable audience assembled at this hall on Tuesday night on occasion of a grand charity concert for the Western Dispensary. The programme was formidable in length and remarkable principally for a preponderance of vocal pieces, which made the concert fearfully monotonous. There were plenty of artists, and good ones, but some of their selections were unfortunate. Miss Kellogg was the star of the vocal department, but she should not have attempted pieces so utterly unsuitable to her light, bird-like voice, as Verdi’s A forse lui or Gounod’s Ave Maria. By the way, a very pleasing innovation was made in this quartet in the substitution of a ‘cello for a violin. The former is better calculated to give the full tone and sympathetic expression which the beautiful subject demands. Mrs. Kempton sang an aria by Robaudi, with ‘cello and organ accompaniment, with rare taste and artistic finish, but she should not have responded to an encore with the dreary ‘Three Fishers.’ Miss Hattie Gibbs has a hard, unsympathetic voice, and labored under the disadvantage of nervousness to such an extent that, in Gounod’s serenade and ‘Berceuse,’ her voice was at times totally inaudible. Mr. J. N. Pattison has lost none of his old fire, to judge from his brilliant piano playing of his own ‘Polka de Concert’ and arrangement of the ‘Russian Hymn.’ The same crispness of touch and completeness of idea in rendering of a work which we always accorded him came out in strong relief the same evening. Signor Mora played that dreary tocatta [sic] and fugue in D, which is always a bore on the organ, and a queer sort of Bellini transcription of his own, which displayed his pedaling powers to the utmost advantage, but also showed his want of tact in effecting good combinations of stops. The vox humana on the magnificent organ in this hall is a very pretty stop, but when used ad nauseam it becomes insufferable. Violent contrasts, also, are not calculated to please on such an instrument. Such a piece as the duet from ‘Crispino’ should not be sung outside the opera. Another thing we must take exception to, and that is the persistency with which some of the audience encored every piece on the programme—not that it was always deserving, but from a monomania that by doubling the bill they would get more value for their money. Mr. Popper played the violoncello accompaniments in an unexceptional manner.”

“A concert for the benefit of the Western Dispensary was given in the Y. M. C. A. Building on the 7^th [sic] inst., and proved in every way successful, the attendance having been large and the music charming to a degree. Miss Kellogg was the star of the evening, supported by Mrs. Kempton, Miss Gibbs, Centemeri and Messrs. Pattison, Mora and Hill. Miss Gibbs, a personally prepossessing young lady, and a recent addition to Gotham’s musical firmament, made by her warbling a brilliant promise for the future.”