Church of St. Francis Xavier Sunday Service

“Much as the word ‘hackneyed’ has been used in reference to the Twelfth Mass of Mozart, when it is given in its entirety, as was the case yesterday, by a first class choir, and an organist who is the acknowledged head of his profession, it is always new, fresh and inspiring. It is called hackneyed because even the smallest and humblest choirs attempt to sing portions of it; but even the composer would not recognize the horrible mutilation his immortal work receives at times at the hands of incompetent singers and worse organists. It is undoubtedly the grandest mass ever composed for the Church, and when faithful interpreters are found for it, its grandeur and simplicity never fail to elevate and please. Without orchestra many of its best and brightest qualities are undeveloped, unless such an organist as Berge attempts the extremely difficult task of reducing without marring the instrumentation to the compass of the organ. And here we may remark that the organ of this church has not only been improved, but entirely renovated by the skill of Mr. Odell, and several new stops have been added to it. The choir yesterday numbered twenty-four singers, and, with the exception of the bass part, everything went like clockwork. The leading bass singer, Signor Bacelli, made two notable mistakes which had nearly the effect of producing chaos instead of harmony. One was in the middle of the great fugue at the end of the ‘Gloria,’ at one of the most critical situations in music. Here he commenced a bar too soon and was unable to recover himself. Again, at the commencement of the ‘Crucifixus’ he sang both out of time and tune. Such mistakes in a mass of this kind are inexcusable, and no such singer should be permitted to mar the efficiency of one of the best choirs in the city. The Misses Werneke and Signor Tamaro are always en rapport with church music, and it is a shame that their efforts and artistic spirit should be nullified by an utterly incompetent basso. The sooner Signor Bacelli is replaced by a reliable singer the better for the choir. It was a sufficient test of the remarkable efficiency of the choir that the mass went from beginning to end without break or hesitation. The most glorious solo ever written in sacred music, ‘Et incarnatus,’ was sung by Signor Tamaro with a fervor, passion and religious feeling that brought the sublime mystery of the Incarnation in a vivid light before the congregation. It is a solo worthy of a Rubini, Mario, or Guiglini. At the offertory Miss Terese Werneke sang ‘Salve Regina,’ a soprano solo, with great effect. It is a lovely melody, and the accompaniment sets it off to the utmost advantage.”