Oratorio Society of New York: Samson; Testimonial Concert to Leopold Damrosch

Includes names of soloists.

“The Testimonial Concert of the Oratorio Society to Dr. Damrosch afforded the audience a most enjoyable performance of Handel’s Samson. The chorus is especially deserving of commendation, giving us the best work of the kind that has been done in New-York for a long time. The hall was completely filled, and it is evident that the efforts of the Society and the labors of Dr. Damrosch do not lack gratifying encouragement.”

“Handel’s ‘Samson’ was admirably sung last evening by the sterling chorus under Dr. Damrosch’s direction. It was even an improvement on the excellent performance of last spring.

Too much praise can hardly be given this society for the firmness, decision, and accuracy with which they sang such intricate and difficult choruses as that ‘To song and dance we give the day,’ and the famous one, ‘Fixed in His everlasting seat.’

The society also was fortunate in the soloists. A finer oratorio tenor than Mr. Alexander Bischoff has rarely been heard in this city. He has a true and forcible dramatic style, and sings always in the spirit of the words, pathetic where they are pathetic, and heroic in the war-like passages. His enunciation is admirable, and his style finished.

Mrs. Imogene Brown’s very lovely and sympathetic voice was veiled by a severe cold, and both Miss Drasdil and Mr. Remmertz sang with fine effect, the latter indeed giving the touching aria, ‘How willing my paternal love,’ with such perfection of voice and style as to win the only encore of the evening.”

“Last night the Oratorio Society of New York gave a testimonial concert to Dr. Leopold Damrosch at Steinway Hall. On this occasion Handel’s celebrated oratorio ‘Samson’ was performed with full orchestral and organ accompaniments.

The soloists were [see above].

Mrs. Imogene Brown sang particularly well. The very agreeable quality of her voice and the extreme care with which it is produced were specially noticeable in the music of the part of Dalila. Her delivery of the aria ‘With plaintive notes’ was greatly admired, and with the exception of the pronunciation of the words ‘turtle’ and ‘doubled’ as ‘turtull’ and ‘doubeld,’ the language was as perfect as the most fastidious could desire.

Mrs. Brown also sang ‘Let the bright seraphim,’ which Handel has given to another character, and which requires wholly different powers of voice and another style of singing. The Italian manner—one peculiarity of which is the prolongation and attenuation of certain notes—does not appear suitable to the dignified, vigorous style which Handel has adopted in this noble song. The obligato part was played on an ordinary cornet, which was found to be a very inefficient substitute for a trumpet.

Mrs. Brown received marked attention from the audience on her appearance in the orchestra, and was at other times loudly applauded.

A larger share of the soprano music fell to Miss Bedloe, who sang as reliably and satisfactorily as at the society’s previous concert.

Miss Anna Drasdil also distinguished herself and by a very pathetic rendering of ‘Return, O God of Hosts’ created considerable enthusiasm.

Mr. Bischoff as Samson displayed his powerful voice to great advantage, and although it is occasionally hard and unsympathetic it has many redeeming qualities.

Mr. Franz Remmertz, being as usual in good voice, was a great acquisition. He sang the air ‘How willing my paternal love’ with such eloquence that it was unanimously encored.

The oratorio being very long, numerous ‘cuts’ were made, and it did not appear that these had been duly marked in all the copies. On this account, occasionally, some little misunderstandings were noticed.

The cembalo accompaniments were played on a piano-forte in chords so thin and meagre that they recalled the old-fashioned way of accompanying the recitatives in the Italian opera on the cello. The horn-players were occasionally at fault, and in the ‘Dead March’ from Saul (which does not occur in the original score of ‘Samson’) the various editions in use had evidently not been collated, and therefore certain discrepancies were noticed. But the performance in general was most praiseworthy. The choruses were all sung with good effect; the fugal entries being made with great precision, and the language enunciated with such vivid distinctness, that the dramatic force of these wonderful productions was fully made manifest.

The unisonal passage at the words ‘Praise him with mirth, high cheer and wine’ became more emphatic by a broad rallentando; but in the chorus ‘With thunder armed,’ the slackening of the speed seemed to be objectless.

We have nothing but unqualified praise for the rest of the choruses. Mr. S. P. Warren presided at the organ with his usual ability, and in the chorus, in the Phrygian mode, ‘Hear, Jacob’s God,’ by introducing broad, massive coloring, added greatly to the grandeur of this truly sublime ‘number.’

The concert was not so well attended as one could wish. This is to be regretted; for the society deserves encouragement and pecuniary assistance, without which the performances of oratorios in New York cannot be sufficiently numerous to cultivate a taste for these works of genius.”

“The accomplished director of the Oratorio Society, Dr. Leopold Damrosch, had a benefit tendered to him last night by the society which he organized, brought up to a high standard of training and placed in a position whence many great artistic triumphs may be expected. The work chosen for the occasion was Handel’s ‘Samson,’ not by any means the most attractive of the great master’s works. The principal choral numbers, ‘Then round about the starry throne,’ and ‘Fixed in His Everlasting seat,’ displayed to the best possible advantage the excellent materiél of the society. The quality of the voices is fresh and full of fire, and the evidence of careful rehearsals was shown in the promptness of attack, precision of rendering and obedience to the conductor’s baton. The soloists were [see above].”