Frederick Bergner Benefit Concert

Right margin difficult to read. “Mr. Frederic Bergner, one of the best of [our?] musicians, is to have his annual concert on Thu[rsday] evening at Association Hall. We risk little in pred[icting] an excellent entertainment. Miss Mehlig will play [and?] the programme includes a trio of Beethoven’s a[nd] a quartett of Schumann’s.”

Brief. “Fred Bergner, the favorite violoncellist of the Philharmonic Society, has a benefit concert at Association Hall on Thursday.”

“No reservation of seats.”

Brief.

Lists performers.

“At Mr. Bergner’s concert to-morrow evening we shall have an opportunity of hearing the string quartett whoused [sic] to give such excellent concerts of chamber music every season, until they were starved out. We mean of course Theodore Thomas, Mosenthal, Matzka, and Bergner. Miss Mehlig, Mr. Mills, and Mrs. Kempton are also on the programme.”

Lists performers.

"This celebrated violoncellist had a medium-sixed concert for his benefit last night. Mrs. Jennie Kempton was sick and therefore the vocal part of the entertainment had to be dispensed with, but the instrumental part of the programme was very interesting. With such artists as Theodore Thomas, Mills, Matzka, Mosenthal and the renowned beneficiare, any concert cannot fail to be a success. Miss Mehlig played Liszt’s dull and dreary transcription of the ‘Tannhauser March,’ one of the least interesting of the great pianist’s works.”

“The storm which commenced at sundown and continued intermittently throughout the evening, lessened materially the attendance at the several concerts. Mr. F. Bergner’s concert took place at Association Hall, and was principally interesting to the amateurs of the violoncello. Mr. Bergner needs no introduction here as a master of this instrument, which has lately been quite conspicuous in musical entertainments, and which was almost too prominent yesterday, partially by reason of the absence of Mrs. Kempton, the single vocalist on the programme. Mr. S. B. Mills and Miss Anna Mehlig, however, were heard, and Messrs. Thomas, Mosenthal and Matzka played the tenor instruments in the concerted pieces.”

“A heavy shower at an early hour last night sufficed to render the streets damp and muddy, and deterred many intended visitors from going to the various concerts announced…

“At Association Hall, the Bergner annual concert, was, by the illness of Mrs. Jenny Kempton, deprived of a vocliast. As a purly instrumental concert, it was, however, interesting. Miss Mehlig (who appeared at two concerts on the same evening) played Liszt’s ‘Tannhauser’ arrangement. Mr. Mills, Theodore Thomas and Mr. Bergner himself were among the other performers.”