German Sängerfest: Monday Evening Concert

     Includes the program.  “This morning, at ten o’clock, there was a rehearsal, to which the public were admitted as a charge of fifty cents.  An orchestra of one hundred performers accompanied the two thousand singers who took part.”

     The review recounts the opening of the festival, including the reception concert on Sunday evening.  “The second concert took place at the Academy of Music last evening, on which occasion 2,000 singers and 100 performers were announced.  The programme was as follows:

        Part I

1. Overture – Robespierre. (Full Orchestra)………………………………………..Littolf
2. Thiermerlied (by the United Singers)…………………………………………..Rebling
3. Aux Greift Zum Schwert……………………………………………………….Kücken
    (Sung by the United Singers of Philadelphia.)
4. Oedipus in Colonos………………………………………………………Mendelssohn
    (The United Singers and Orchestra.)

        Part II

1. Overture – Rienzi (Full Orchestra)………………………………………….R. Wagner
2. Hymn to Music……………………………………………………………..V. Lachner
3. Prayer of the Earth………………………..…………………………………….Zöllner
    (Sung by the United Singers of Baltimore.)
4. Schlacht-Gesang…………………………………………………………………Rietz
    (United Singers and Orchestra.)

     The overture ‘Robespierre,’ by Littolf, is a very clever and a remarkably dramatic composition; startling in its effects, and requiring the most marked, positive and delicate execution.  We never saw Mr. Bergmann’s power over his orchestra so manifest as on this occasion.  He seemed literally to hold every man’s will in his hand.  A more perfect performance we never listened to; it was so intelligent that any hearer could understand the author’s meaning at this single hearing.  It was loudly cheered, and the audience tried hard to get Mr. Bergmann to repeat it, but the encore was not granted.

     While the overture was played, the green curtain was down.  At its close it was drawn up, discovering a perfect mass of heads, at which sight the cheers were deafening.  At the rehearsal it was found impossible to crowd 2,000 singers on the stage.  By dint of hard squeezing something over a thousand were massed together, but so close that they were literally singing into each other’s ears.  Certain it is that these 1,000 or 1,200 singers made no more tone that the 600 of the evening previous.  The choruses in which all the singers joined were distinguished by the same excellence in execution as those of Sunday evening.  All the points were firmly and promptly taken up, the shadings were thoroughly observed, and the intonation was true and just throughout.

     The United Singers of Philadelphia sung a selection from Kücken in a charming and tasteful manner.  The composition is exceedingly beautiful, containing one phrase, often repeated, of exquisite tenderness and pathos, which was justly rendered by the singers, who exhibited a fine sense of the refined sentiment and earnest passion of the composition.  In delicate coloring, just emphasis and intelligent rending, the United Singers of Philadelphia have not yet been surpassed.  Their voices are fine and harmonize well.  Their efforts were rewarded by loud and long-continued applause, and the audience would have gladly heard it over again.

     The United Singers of Baltimore were not quite so happy in their selection, but they sang with decision and spirit, and made many well calculated effects.  Their voices are good, well balanced and well intoned.

     The second concert was even more successful than the first, not only as regards superiority and effect, but in attracting a brilliant and overflowing audience.

     This evening the prize concert will take place at the Academy of Music, when fifteen societies will compete for the possession of a splendid silver cup to be given to the best singers.  The judges have been appointed, and great excitement exists among the various clubs.  They will all sing their best, consequently a real musical feast may be expected.”

     “The concert given at the Academy of Music last night, by the German singers, was in every way a success.  The sale of tickets brought over three thousand dollars, and the house was so crowded in every part.  The space at the rear of the seats was occupied by standees.  Those who had reserved seats, however, found no difficulty in reaching them, the arrangements of the house being complete and satisfactory.

     The concert began punctually at eight o’clock with the ‘Robespierre’ overture, by Littolf.  It is an attempt to depict, with orchestral effect, the terror and confusion of the French revolution, culminating in the wild outburst of the Marsellaise hymn.  The performance was in every way spirited and satisfactory, and elicited the warmest enthusiasm of the listeners.

     The green curtain then rose, disclosing the vast company of singers, who were seated on the stage, completely filling it up to the rear wall.  They sang the Thürmerlied by Rebling.  The United Singers of Philadelphia followed this with a vocal composition by Kücken, Auf greift zum Schwert, which was favorably received; and a magnificent chorus by Mendelssohn, from Oedipus in Colonos, by the united singers and the orchestra, closed the first part.

     After a brief pause the orchestra began the second part with Wagner’s overture ‘Rienzi;’ and however fashionable it may be to sneer at the music of this erratic genius, there is nothing in this overture to warrant such deprecation.  It contains all the elements of real music in its exquisite melody, its noble harmony and its rich and varied instrumentation.  The leading theme is well worked up, and recurs in the latter part of the composition, as in the Rossinian overtures.  The work was received with the heartiest applause.

     A ‘Hymn to Music,’ by Lachner, was sung by the full chorus, but failed to produce any marked impression.  The vocal gem of the evening was Zollner’s ‘Prayer of the Earth,’ sung by the United Singers of Baltimore, who include in their number many superior voices, among them an effective first tenor, whose voice and style is very much like those of Lotti.  The composition sung by this group of vocalists is unusually varied and striking, and at once took the fancy of the audience.  Though sung without accompaniment, the singers never failed, hesitated or flattened; and their admirable performance was rewarded with the most cordial applause of the evening.  The Baltimoreans will prove prominent competitors at the singing tournament this evening.

     The concert closed with a battle-hymn by Rietz, the main theme of which reminds the hearer of a well-known phrase in Meyerbeer’s ‘Huguenots.’

The Choral Effects.

     The upper part of the house, the warmest and most uncomfortable, was the best in which to hear the music.  The choral effects were full and satisfying, but not as overwhelming as the vast body of singers would lead one to expect.  It is, indeed, a mooted point with musicians whether an increase in numbers produces a corresponding increase in choral sonority.  According to some of the best authorities, six hundred is the maximum number of average voices which can be used effectively in a chorus.  In England, at the Handel festivals, several thousands are, however, used; and at the great musical gathering to be held this summer at Dresden, there will be the enormous chorus of twenty thousand voices – the greatest ever known in the history of music.

Features of the Concert.

     There were but few Americans at the concert last night.  The entire affair was thoroughly Teutonic; and as such it possessed certain features which it would be well to imitate in all our concerts:

     First – The punctuality of the singers and audience, which enabled the director to begin the programme promptly at the appointed time.

     Secondly – The absence of fatiguing entr’actes and wearisome pauses between the various pieces performed.

     Thirdly – The shortness of the programme.  Notwithstanding the vast assemblage of vocal and instrumental musicians, only eight pieces were announced, and the concert was over by a quarter to ten o’clock.  In this way no listener became weary or bored; and instead of finding the end of the concert a relief, every auditor regretted there was not more to listen to; and this is one of the greatest secrets of success in musical as in all other entertainments.

     Fourthly – The quiet refusals to interpret the well-earned applause into calls for an encore.

     Fifthly – The orderly and interested demeanor of the audience.  There was no giggling, no whispering, no shuffling of feet.  Everybody in the house listened with the most quiet attention, and the jabbering which usually disgraces the proscenium boxes during an operatic performance at the Academy of Music would not have been allowed for an instant.

     Sixthly – The courtesy of the audience in remaining to the close of the performance.  Not one individual arose to depart until the concert was entirely finished.  This, however, was to a great extent owing to the judicious brevity of the programme, which saved even the most lukewarm of listeners from getting fatigued.

The Conductors.

     Mr. Pauer conducted the vocal and Mr. Bergmann the orchestral selections.  They were both welcomed with applause on their appearance, and after the concert Mr. Pauer was called for by the audience and bowed his thanks.

The Dispersion

     of the audience was quiet and good humored.  Those with ladies—and there were a number of ladies dressed in full opera style—went home, but the majority of gentlemen adjourned to the lager beer saloons in the vicinity, and quaffed the national beverage with copious liberality.  The concert was discussed over foaming mugs, and was acknowledged by all to have been a thorough success.”

The second concert of the choral festival yesterday – the main concert in which local and guest singers participated – exceeded people’s expectations. A response which can be credited to the well-chosen program pieces as well as the quality of the performance. (…) The Philadelphia Allgemeine Sängerbund deserves credit for its performances which were sung with sensitivity and skill. The first tenor in the solo quartet “ O Lenker der Schlachten’ impressed with an extraordinary voice. The Sängerbund is fortunate to have him. Rubling’s “Thürmerlied” was performed by a too big chorus for the work. Therefore the effect was not favorable. There is a limit to the number of chorus members for specific pieces otherwise the accuracy and sensitivity of the musical nuances gets lost and the quality of the performance is compromised. The same happened in the double chorus performance of Mendelsohn’s “Oedipus in Colonus”. Although the first (musical) entry of the chorus was impressive, and although the precision and intonation was excellent, the performance still partly lacked the sensitivity and nuances in the artistic expression of the piece. A lot of praise, however, is due to the united singers for the performance of Lanner’s “Hymne an die Musik”. (…). Also, the orchestra conducted by Bergmann performing R. Wagner’s “Rienzi: overture” to open the second part of the program did very well, played with fervor and sensitivity. (…) The concert was fully booked and the audience applauded enthusiastically. Mr. Paur was called out at the final bows. 

     “The Academy of Music was crowded Monday evening with a highly Teutonic audience. The season, in fact, is unfavorable for any other; and it may be added that the programmes are constructed for Germans alone and possess none of the saliences that Americans expect and are eager for. It is in some measure deemed a privilege to attend these hearty gatherings. There is surely a lesson and an example in these myriad toilers who, rising superior to those ‘twain-jailors of the soul, low birth and iron fortune,’ yet contrive on many nights of the year to devote a pleasant period to the cultivation of art, and once in the round of the months to carry with them to other cities—as now—the evidence of their devotion. When we remember the sickly condition of our own singing societies and compare them with their German competitors, we see how completely the true feeling and enthusiasm are on the side of the latter.  It is hardly worth while, therefore, to question the policy of making the programme too Teutonic. Evidently there would be but little advantage in making it more American.

     Still from a purely German point of view it is possible to object to the trivialities of last evening’s bill of fare. When twenty-five hundred singers and a hundred orchestral players are assembled together we have a right to expect something better than the little four-part stories of Kuecken, Rebling, &c. The orchestra is degraded in playing the vamped-up accompaniments of such things, and the singers exhibit but the commonest order of talent in singing them.  A single chorus from Handel would have been an acceptable boon last evening.  The programme was as follows:

        Part First.

1. Overture – Robespierre - full Orchestra..………………………………………..Littolf
2. Thurmerlied - by the united singers..…………………………………………..Rebling
3. Auf grift zum Schwert………………………………………………………….Kücken
    (Sung by the united singers of Philadelphia.)
4. Oedipus in Colonos…………………………………………..……………Mendelsohn
    (By the united singers and Orchestra.)

        Part Second.

1. Overture – Rienzi - full Orchestra.………………………………………….R. Wagner
2. Hymn to Music……………………………………………………………..V. Lachner
3. Prayer of the Earth………………………..………………………………….Zoellner
    (Sung by the united singers of Baltimore.)
4. Schlacht Gesang………………………………………..…………………………Rietz

     M. Littolf’s overture is an ingenious and effective manipulation of the ‘Marsellaise Hymn.’  It was played with much force by the fine orchestra, and created a great sensation.  We may here explain that the platform for the instrumentalists was brought more into the auditorium than on Sunday evening, and that acting on the hint we threw out the stage was closed in with the baize curtain.  The full effect of the powerful band was thus – in the instrumental pieces – thoroughly conserved.  After the revolutionary overture came (no. 2,) an aristocratic morceau called the ‘Thurmerlied,’ (the Warder’s song,) a simple pleasant production, wholly without character, and somewhat tedious by repetition.  It was creditably sung by the united societies.  No. 3, again warlike, Auf Greift Zum Schwerdt [sic] (Up, Grasp the Sword) is one of those pleasant little musical stories which Kuecken knows so well how to tell.  Valor and sentiment are expressed in it with much simplicity of feeling and neatness of melody.  When sung by thirty or forty singers, it is even large.  When rendered by a larger number, it is decidedly small.  The piece was given by the United Singers of Philadelphia, who cannot, we think, boast of much solo talent.  The gem of the evening was No. 4, by Mendelssohn.  The broad masses of sound, electrical with vitality and moving palpably to a climax, filled the house with sensations of pleasure and brought the first part of the programme to a successful evening.  The United Singers and the orchestra were equally good.   Mr. Paur conducted with an enthusiasm which, by the amplitude it gave to the sweep of his baton, rather retarded the time than accelerated it.

     The overture to ‘Rienzi,’ which opened the second part, is well known here.  It was written before Wagner’s self-consciousness was thoroughly developed, and at a time when he was not unwilling to recognize the value of melody, having unquestionably a small inheritance of that capital to draw upon.  The orchestral coloring is excellent, and the overture in every respect is popular and pleasant.  It was the instrumental satisfaction of the evening.  This will readily be believed when we mention that Mr. Bergmann presided in the orchestra.  A festival of such importance should have been under this gentleman’s sole direction.  No. 2, by Lachner, a vague saccharine nonentity, was finely interpreted.  No. 3, by Zoellmer [sic], fell to the lot of the Baltimoreans, who did justice to it, except in a paltry solo, which trembled in the balance of modesty.  The composition is exceedingly poor.  No. 4, ‘Schlacht Gesang,’ (battle-song,) by Rietz, possesses a clear, square melody, which is handled with strength and effect. We failed to hear the solso [sic], although Mme. Zimmerman and Messrs. Bernhard, Sterns and Trost were announced to sing them.  The announcement, we fancy, was a mistake.

     The academy was very handsomely decorated with the beautiful embroidered flags of the different societies.”

     “Passing over the morning’s rehearsal, and the various hospitalities of the day, we come to the second evening concert.  2,000 (?) singers took part, under the direction of Herr Agricola Paur, Herr Bergmann conducting the orchestra.  Academy crowded.  Programme as follows:

1. Overture – Robespierre (full orchestra)……………………………………..Littolf.
2. Thiermerlied (by the United Singers)………………………………….…..Rebling.
3. Auf greift zum Schwert………………………...………………………….Kücken.
    (Sung by the United Singers of Philadelphia).
4. Oedipus in Colonos……………………………………………….…Mendelssohn.
    (The United Singers and Orchestra.)
5. Overture – Rienzi (full orchestra)…………………………………...….R. Wagner.
6. Hymn to Music…………………………………………..………………..Lachner.
7. Prayer of the Earth………………………………………………………....Zöllner.
    (Sung by the United Singers of Baltimore).
8. Battle Hymn..…………………………………………………………………Rietz.
    (United Singers and Orchestra.)

     The overtures were applauded, - at all events the fine execution thereof – while opinions differ as to their musical importance.  ‘Robespierre’ being finished, (the Post goes on to say:

     The green curtain then rose, disclosing the vast company of singers, who were seated on the stage, completely filling it up to the rear wall.  They sang the Thürmerlied by Rebling.  The United Singers of Philadelphia followed this with a vocal composition by Kücken, Auf greift zum Schwert, which was favorably received; and a magnificent chorus by Mendelssohn, from Oedipus in Colonos, by the united singers and the orchestra, closed the first part.

     A “Hymn to Music,” by Lachner, was sung by the full chorus, but failed to produce any marked impression.  The vocal gem of the evening was Zollner’s “Prayer of the Earth,” sung by the United Singers of Baltimore, who include in their number many superior voices, among them an effective first tenor, whose voice and style is very much like those of Lotti.  The composition sung by this group of vocalists is unusually varied and striking, and at once took the fancy of the audience.  Though sung without accompaniment, the singers never failed, hesitated or flattened, and their admirable performance was rewarded with the most cordial applause of the evening.  The Baltimoreans will prove prominent competitors at the singing tournament this evening.

     The concert closed with a battle-hymn by Rietz, the main theme of which reminds the hearer of a well-known phrase in Meyerbeer’s ‘Huguenots.’

     The upper part of the house, the warmest and most uncomfortable, was the best in which to hear the music.  The choral effects were full and satisfying, but not as overwhelming as the vast body of singers would lead one to expect.  It is, indeed, a mooted point with musicians whether an increase in numbers produces a corresponding increase in choral sonority.  According to some of the best authorities, six hundred is the maximum number of average voices which can be used effectively in a chorus.  In England, at the Handel festivals, several thousands are, however, used; and at the great musical gathering to be held this summer at Dresden, there will be the enormous chorus of twenty thousand voices – the greatest ever known in the history of music.

     The Tribune prefers the Philadelphia singers; let them have the benefit of it:

     In delicate coloring, just emphasis and intelligent reading, the United Singers of Philadelphia have not yet been surpassed.  Their voices are fine and harmonize well.  Their efforts were rewarded by loud and long-continued applause, and the audience would have gladly heard it over again.”