Gottschalk Instrumental and Vocal Concert: 2nd

Performers, price.

“Despite, the bad weather, the commencement of these [Gottschalk] concerts took place, Thursday, at Irving Hall in the most brilliant conditions. Today, the second concert will be given with an entirely different program than the other night.”

Lists the two duets.

 “--Mr. Gottschalk has been giving concerts at Irving Hall. It seems to us that Mr. Gottschalk plays better and better every time he appears before the public. His digital dexterity now seems to have arrived at its perfection. His capacity to handle octaves with immense force and rapidity is enormous; his lightness of touch in a spray of sound, the last possibility of quick fingering. It may safely be said that Mr. Gottschalk has extracted from the piano all that it is capable of in resonance, delicacy, chord-combinations, octaves, and individual sequences of notes. He is equally correct and large with Thalberg, and with a passion that Thalberg has not exhibited–certainly in this country–whatever he might have shown in his young days. We would counsel Mr. Gottschalk not to play in a larger room ever than Irving Hall. His extraordinary force and correctness as a player enable him to make an effect in that Hall, already too large for ordinary solo piano performers–but in the Academy he cannot be effective with all his power. The omission of an orchestra from a piano concert is a great gain. The volume of sound, the duration and varied color of the notes of the orchestra, are very unfavorable in their contrast to the piano solo quality. With the quartet simply as in these concerts though the room is too large for the quartet, the central idea of the evening, the piano-solo, is not overlaid.”

“[A] repetition, as regards attractiveness and success, of his previous concert on Thursday.  With the fashionable world, Gottschalk’s concerts are, in default of opera, the musical events of the season.”

Brief mention. “Gottschalk’s concerts have been brilliantly attended during the week.”

Kempton “made so favorable an impression.”

“Mr. [H.] Sanderson has recently distinguished himself by his playing of bravura duets with Mr. Gottschalk.”

Sanderson “creditably assisted Gottschalk.”

 “Mr. Gottschalk has given another series of concerts at Irving Hall. Their mixed character, reduced prices, and curiosity regarding the débuts of some of the ‘assistance,’ have drawn large audiences. . . . [Many performers] have taken part in the programmes, the selections of which have been as usual, with an occasional good thing sandwiched between bad and indifferent.”