Anna Mehlig Benefit

Tendered by the Mendelssohn Glee Club; “…the Glee Club will give songs of Liszt, Schumann, Rubinstein and Abt.”

“The Mendelssohn Glee Club gave a pleasant concert last night at Irving Hall, as a testimonial to Miss Anna Mehlig. It is hardly necessary to say that the audience was large, brilliant, and appreciative, and the performance distinguished by that neatness and good taste which have given this Club so much celebrity. While we have such a good male chorus as the Mendelssohn Glee Club, and such a good mixed chorus as the New-York Vocal Society, we need not be ashamed of the musical culture of our American amateurs. The programme last night contained some of the Club’s best pieces—Mendelssohn’s ‘The Cheerful Wanderer,’ Schumann’s ‘The Lotus Flower,’ Rubinstein’s ‘The Festival of Love,’ and a somewhat remarkable and very pleasing song of Liszt’s ‘Over all the tree-tops is rest;’ and there were two charming songs by Abt for soprano solo (Miss Beebe) and male chorus, ‘The Spirit of the Woods’ and ‘The Bird’s Question,’ the former of which was especially well sung. Mr. Bergner played two violoncello solos, accompanied on the piano by Mr. Caryl Florio. Miss Mehlig gave a careful and refined interpretation of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, an arrangement by Tausig of Strauss’s ‘Soirées de Vienne,’ Liszt’s first ‘Hungarian Rhapsody,’ and Liszt’s famous ‘Hexameron’ duet, with Mr. S. B. Mills.”

“During the past season Miss Anna Mehlig has several times played for the Mendelssohn Glee Club, and last night the compliment was courteously returned, the club tendering to the pianist a testimonial concert, which was very largely attended and must have proved a gratifying pecuniary success.

The entertainment took place in Irving Hall, which is now an unusually bright and cheerful place. The members of the Glee Club and Miss Mehlig were assisted by Miss Henrietta Beebe, soprano; Mr. S. B. Mills, piano; Mr. F. Bergner, violoncellist; and Mr. C. Florio, accompanist. Mr. Mosenthal conducted, and under his baton the club sang with the greatest precision and with admirable effect. Mendelssohn’s ‘Cheerful Wanderer’ opened the programme. Schumann’s ‘Lotus Flower’ was warmly applauded, and Metzger’s ‘Rosebud’ was given for the encore. Abt’s charming composition ‘The Bird’s Question’ was one of the features of the evening, owing in a great measure to the pure and charming vocalization of Miss Beebe, which rose sweetly and gracefully above the foundation of the male voices. Miss Beebe is always a delightful vocalist, and the audience would have been well pleased to have heard her in a solo.

Rubinstein’s ‘Festival of Love’ is one of the most striking and original works of its kind to be found in the whole range of compositions for male voices. It has been sung before by the Club, and was last night received with great favor—a courtesy which was by no means accorded to Liszt’s strange and pretentious setting of these lines:

Over all the tree tops is rest

Mid all their boughs is scarcely heard the faintest breath.

The birds are hushed—silent the forest”

Only wait! shortly thou too shall rest.

Miss Mehlig appeared three times. She rendered Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ with exquisite grace and tenderness, and in several other selections of a more brilliant character, displayed to advantage her facility of execution. Some of her friends think that her playing now gives evidence of the influence of Rubinstein. Certainly, she plays with greater variety of effect and more masculine power than ever before. This was specially shown in her performance with Mr. Mills, of ‘Hexameron’—Liszt’s curious and almost grotesque arrangement of a well-known air from Bellini’s ‘Puritani.’ Both artists, however, treated this work rather carelessly, and it did not make a marked impression. Mr. Bergner played the violoncello with the taste and delicacy characteristic of this artist. The audience, completely filling the hall, appeared in full dress, and insisted on encoring nearly every member on the programme.” 

“Tuesday, May 6. The Mendelssohn Glee Club gave a testimonial concert to Miss Mehlig. This is the second public entertainment which has been given by this association (composed of amateurs, who from long and conscientious practice, have reached a high degree of excellence in the singing of part songs and glees.) Miss Mehlig has, I understand, played several times at their private entertainments, hence this complimentary concert.

The programme included [see above].”