Samson

Encourages chorus members to attend rehearsals punctually.

"The N.Y. Harmonic Society will give a grand Oratorio performance at Dr. Cheever's Church, Union square, next Thursday evening, March 8, when Handel's Oratorio, Samson, will be produced for the first time in this city for over 20 years. The Society, one of our oldest choral organizations, has a large and effective chorus, and has secured the services of Miss Brainerd, Madame Fanny Raymond Ritter, Mr. George Simpson and Mr. J.R. Thomas for the solos, and Theo. Thomas's grand orchestra, for this occasion."

“We have reason to expect, from the past reputation of the society, a faithful and worthy rendering of one of the grandest of oratorios.”

“This oratorio has not been performed in this City before during the last twenty years.”

“Dr. Cheever’s Church, Union Square, was filled last night with an unusually good and appreciative audience, who had come to listen to the oratorio of ‘Samson’ by the Harmonic Society. We believe it was the judgment of the most of those present that this great work was worthily rendered throughout, although we could have wished a larger orchestra and chorus.”

(…) This work was not performed here for 20 years and would not be known to many lay people in New York. It is not as popular as the Messiah, yet is just as valuable artistically.

The performance was not well done. The choruses were the best, however; the soloists seemed to not know what to do with the music at times. Ms. Ritter and Mr. Simpson performed the most correctly. Ms. Brainerd’s voice is still too weak, and Mr. J. R. Thomas seemed unusually insecure. The work should be repeated a few more times and then performed publicly; possibly with an organ. To hear a piano in such a work at a church seems to be too much to bear.

“An overflowing audience attended the performance of Handel’s Oratorio of Samson, by the New York Harmonic Society.  The attempt to perform such a work with about a hundred in the chorus, a small orchestra, and a piano, is Quixotic in the highest degree, and is a mortifying comment upon the taste and love, in New-York, in the line of sacred music.

[Lists performers and their roles.]

The chorus was ill balanced and rarely blended, and their execution of the choruses, with a slight exception at the very close, was very coarse, irresolute and scrambly.  The points were not promptly or clearly taken up, and the answers were terribly confused. Considered en masse, without going into particulars, for which disagreeable task we have no heart, it was a performance creditable to none.

We entertained serious doubts before hearing the performance whether the Harmonic Society could make even a tolerable show in the execution of such a work. Those apprehensions were grounded upon the manifold defects in their execution of Handel’s Messiah, observed year after year, and the conclusion was irresistible that if a work familiar to all and practiced for years received such marring treatment from their choristers, the result of their attempt upon Samson could not be otherwise disastrous. And so it proved. Attempts have been made by injudicious friends to bolster up this performance and puff it up as a success. This is all wrong, for music can never be justly honored as an art if, through cliqueism [sic] and partisanship, a positive failure be recognized as a real success.

This last performance proves, more than the two previous performances, that Mr. Ritter is not calculated, physically or mentally, to wield the baton.  He has neither the coolness nor the firmness requisite for a conductor. Both chorus and orchestra lead him, or leave him ahead, and he has neither the nerve nor the manner to hold them in hand, so that his position on the orchestra is that of a superfluity rather than a necessity, and could have been dispensed with to the advantage of the performance. When the Harmonic Society shall put themselves under the close training of a conductor who thoroughly understands his business, and come before the public in proper shape, well informed of their duty and fully prepared to challenge fair criticism, they will undoubtedly obtain that recognition as worthy interpreters of grand oratorio music to which their recent performances give them no claim.

We shall not particularize the merits of the solo performers. We have heard them acquit themselves to better advantage; but, as they suffered much from very bad accompaniment, we refrain from individual criticism.”

“The performance of Handel's oratorio, ‘Samson,’ by the Harmonic Society, under the direction of Mr. F. L. Ritter, leads us to hope that the society will undertake the study and production of other works similar in character to this. Until lately, the Harmonic Society has only awakened once a year from a Rip Van Winkle-like sleep, given the ‘Messiah’ on Christmas evening, with more or less success, and then turned round to slumber on its laurels for twelve months longer. But a new life seems to have been infused into its veins, and we are happy to learn that there is now hope of our having regular Winter series of oratorio performances.
 
    The production of ‘Samson’ on Thursday night, was, taken on the whole, a good one. We regret that so little sympathy is felt by our amateurs in choral singing, the chorus of the other night did not much exceed a hundred and fifty voices, a number altogether unworthy of a large city like New-York.

    Among the solo singers, Mme. Raymond rutter [sic], who sang the part of Micah, deserves especial mention. She gave her arias with great pathos, and the noble recitatives belonging to her part, were declaimed with fine coloring and expression, and very distinct enunciation. Miss Brainard [sic] also sang with great care on this occasion, particularly in the air ‘Let the bright seraphim.’ Mr. Simpson, although deficient is power, sang the music allotted to ‘Samson,’ with much taste. Mr. J. R. Thomas, who sang the bass arias, made his first appearance here since his return from England.

     The orchestral accompaniments were played by members of Theo Thomas’ orchestra. Mr. CONNOLLY accompanied the recitatives very carefully on a fine Steinway Grand.

    The oratorio, which is exceedingly long, was judiciously cut. Fine as the recitatives are, we think they might have sustained even further curtailment. We hope the Harmonic Society will be encouraged by the success of their performance to a still more vigorous activity.”

“Handel’s great oratorio ‘Samson’ was brought out by the Harmonic Society at the church of the Puritan last Thursday evening.  Under the musician-like and energetic direction of Mr. F. L. Ritter, this society is gradually regaining the prestige and influence which it had lost under his predecessors; and, a sure touchstone of the most genuine kind of success, the opposition of mercenary and undisciplined criticism.  The performance of last week created a deep impression among our music-lovers, and we understand that in acceptance of a liberal offer from prominent citizens of Brooklyn, the oratorio will be shortly repeated in the Rev. H. W. Boccher’s church there.  What shall we say of the effect produced on ourselves by this colossal work?  It is one ‘too deep for tears,’ or speech either.”