Kennedy Songs of Scotland Concert: 1st

“Mr. Kennedy, The celebrated Scottish Vocalist…will give one of his popular entertainments on the humorous, pathetic and descriptive songs of scotland, interspersed with anecdotes and remarks, illustrative of Scottish manners and customs of the Olden Time.”

“Songs of Scotland.—Mr. Kennedy, a celebrated singer of Scotch songs, has recently arrived in this country. He purposes giving one of his characteristic entertainments at Steinway Hall on Thursday evening, when, we doubt not, his countrymen, who cling fondly to the beautiful melodies of their native land, and remain faithful to all who can sing them, will turn out in force. Mr. Kennedy’s entertainment was very popular in London, where it was repeated upward of two hundred times. Mr. Kennedy offers a liberal programme, and will be assisted by Miss Kennedy at the piano-forte.”

“Steinway Hall was well filled last night, and with an audience strongly suggestive of the nature of the performance. We have seldom seen Scotland so fully and so well represented as on this occasion, when a Scottish vocalist—of great reputation in Great Britain—made his first appearance before an American audience. Mr. Kennedy fully sustained his fame in the old country. It is long since we have had so faithful an interpreter of the Scottish ballad music. The performance was not merely a vocal one, but was varied and lightened by Mr. Kennedy’s humorous dramatic delineations.

‘The Land of the Leal’ was sung by him with peculiar pathos and effect. ‘Scots wha hae wi Wallace bled,’ the favorite war song of the Scottish people, was given in a manner that even put a new fervor of national feeling into the hearts of the men from ‘the land o’ cakes’ who heard it.

The selections given from ‘Noctes Ambrosianæ’ were exceedingly laughable, particularly, ‘Hogg’s experiences of shaving.’ Mr. Kennedy told some funny anecdotes about the songs on the programme, and sometimes read and explained them, thus securing an intelligent interest on the part of those to whom the Scottish dialect is little less difficult than Greek. Near the close of the performance Miss Kennedy—a lass of about twelve—played on the piano a selection of Scottish reels and ‘strathspeys,’ to the general acceptance. She also accompanied her father.”

 “The Songs of Scotland.—An excellent audience filled Steinway Hall last evening, and Mr. Kennedy received a very cordial, if not noisy, greeting. He sang a number of the most popular Scottish songs with admirable effect, and without overburdening the entertainment with labored illustrations of Scottish humor, he made occasional digressions from the musical part of the programme, which were appropriate, were in good taste, and sufficiently well appreciated. The songs which told most effectively on the audience were ‘Young Lochinvar,’ ‘Alister McAlister,’ and ‘Scots wha hae wi’ Wallace bled.’ But nothing could be finer than his rendering of ‘Auld Robin Gray’ and ‘The Land o’ the Leal;’ the latter, especially, was given with a tenderness that we have never heard equaled. Mr. Kennedy, assisted by his daughter, who plays the accompaniment admirably, will give another entertainment at Steinway Hall on Friday of next week.”

“The vocal programmes of this season’s concerts sadly need reformation. Even artists of merit and reputation insist on singing grand scenes and arias from operas or meaningless sentimental songs, which are often entirely unsuited for their voices. Again, when a singer makes a hit in some really good song, we may be sure of hearing nothing but it from him or her at every concert. The public soon tire of having the same unvarying round of vocal pieces hashed up to them, and they long for something more in accordance with their tastes. National ballads are interesting as being the most faithful exponents of the manners and customs of a people, and they should be heard more frequently in this city. A competent delineator of the national characteristics of any country would be a welcome and moral treat to our audiences. Above all, one that can reveal the treasures of Scottish melody and bring out the humor, caustic wit, pathos and sturdiness of Caledonia’s children would be doubly interesting. Such a want has been supplied by Mr. Kennedy, the Scottish balladist, who made his first appearance at Steinway Hall on Thursday night. He was greeted by a large and select audience. The fashionable character of his hearers may be inferred from the fact that a large number of carriages were drawn up before the hall. Mr. Kennedy has a pleasing tenor voice, which he has trained to give expression and point to every phase of sentiment or humor in the matchless songs of Scotland. The explanatory and characteristic remarks with which he precedes each song add much interest to those charming melodies, and he possesses the grand qualification of identifying himself thoroughly with the people he represents. He sang ‘Auld Robin Gray’ in a supple, touching manner, and conveyed the sentiment of the song as much by his beautifully modulated voice as by his artistic manner of using it. His little daughter accompanied him on the piano. Such a singer can do much towards elevating the taste of some of our concert vocalists beyond a meager repertoire of mere showy and sensational pieces which they persistently refuse to increase. Let us have variety and change, as well as merit, in vocal pieces. There are hundreds of excellent songs, written by American composers, which are rudely thrown aside to make way for the same old stereotyped German ballad or Italian aria that for years has been sung by the same artist.”

“Mr. Kennedy, the Scottish vocalist, was greeted by a large audience on the occasion of his first appearance at Steinway Hall, on Thursday evening, notwithstanding the inclemency of the weather. He has an excellent voice, and sings the beautiful songs of his country with genuine feeling, and with much spirit and effect. As an elocutionist, he has a very happy delivery, and the descriptive matter by which he introduces the various songs is all pertinent and highly interesting. His entertainment is very pleasing, and seemed to be thoroughly enjoyed by his audience. His daughter, quite a young lady, played his accompaniments with rare taste and accuracy. At a smaller hall we think Mr. Kennedy could repeat his entertainment many times with success.”