Sacred Concert on Odell’s New Organ: 1st

     “The popularity of Sunday evening concerts, started in this hall under the auspice of Mr. Draper, was abundantly exemplified on Sunday last. An immense audience congregated to hear Mr. George W. Morgan play some of his brilliant fugues and overtures on the pew organ. Mrs. Abbott and Messrs. Castle and Lumbard assisted, and sang a number of sacred and ballad pieces. These concerts will be continued every Sunday until the concert season closes.”

     The Odells have improved their new organ and have received a patent for it. The improvement consists of a mechanism that produces all desired combinations of different registers by pressing one of 6 – 8 buttons. Certainly this is very convenient and saves time.

     “The first of a series of concerts, in connection with Odell’s new organ, took place at Irving Hall on the 15th last. The stoppage of the rail cars interfered sadly with the attendance at all places of amusement, and this concert suffered from the same inconvenience. Mrs. Marie Abbott sang with Mr. Castle in Perring’s charming duet, ‘How long wilt thou forget me, Lord,’ so tastefully and effectively that a unanimous encore was the result. We have rarely heard Mr. Castle to greater advantage; his beautiful voice was in fine order, and he sang with both power and expression. His solo from St. Paul and his duet with Mr. Lumbard were received with signal favor.

     Mr. Lumbard’s singing on this occasion fully justified the praise we recently bestowed upon him. He has a truly magnificent voice, and he uses it with much skill. He sings tastefully and expressively, and has just feeling for dramatic effect. He was warmly encored in his duet with Mr. Castle, and also in a very charming song written for him by Mr. Geo. W. Morgan, to words by Henry Cornwell, which he rendered very beautifully. There seems to be assurance of a first-class concert singer in Mr. Lumbard; such a voice as his has long been needed, and he will fully supply that need, if he continues to study diligently and intelligently.

     Mr. G. W. Morgan played Bach’s Fugue in G minor well, as he always does, but dry Fugues are not relished by the general public, being regarded as mere tests for players’ ability to execute difficulties. The public cannot be blamed; they judge by the ear and the sensations, while the form, construction, and working of the Fugue, appeal solely to educated and refined musicians, who see in its apparent dryness the boundless resources of invention and science. Mr. Morgan’s performance of Weley’s Offertoire called forth a perfect storm of applause, and in reply to the encore he played ‘God Save the Queen’ with brilliant variations for manuals and pedals. This is a masterpiece of execution, and was greeted enthusiastically. The overture of Oberon, Weber, [sic] which closed the concert, was also finely played; the effects having been carefully studied, and [illeg.]. The second sacred Organ Concert will take place at Irving Hall next Sunday evening.”