The Sunday Oregonian., April 12, 1908, SECTION THREE, Page 11, Image 35

11
SECOND DAY OF MUSIC FESTIVAL AT
THE ARMORY CHARMS THOUSANDS
Artistic Performance of Orchestra and Singers at Matinee Pleases A "Swan and Skylark," Principal Piece
at Night Concert, Proves Gem. .
UNIO
UAI
THE SUNDAY OREGOMAX. PORTLAND. APRIL 12. 1DOS.
4
BY J M. .iLBTIN.
WITH' continuing ch.rm and un
abfiiir.3 tnthnei.trn amrn the
au.Ilfiic n, the nmu- fesifval of
istd by the nifin-rji of the Port
land Choral SvcUiy, st:I; hoKte sway at
the Armory.
Y'tr(tay wa thf ft'"n.1 day of the
fi-Mtival nr.il even fwttr jmi more artNtic
prcf ran: in wt-re of!' re!. Unh oriht-stra
an-i chorus h;.v fu:n1 themsvcn and
are bettor gfttinic usrd to rrond:r.gr3.
tVnitiii'rt, v, N-rh Mr. Hot-nhwker und
!r. T.Iior. i t o: -li: tors, arc happy.
AMhoutf h t !; symiihoriy oriistra U
tTU thr main att art ion at t he festival,
with its p'i!o!r:- the Portland Chorus
Bvi is to Niw stiMrk 'i pouiar chord and
t h-'i,l f-.r-t mir tR.-c-'e on tiie at'l-H-tions
r tl,-' j ;Jiii K r 1 nut sunn. daaRh
t r. ;:'- u1 ii' T-; ws. and in Bonie
friMK tait.wn :ind mnN-r In Ihc chorus.
t' to tl; ir m.mv relatives in the Port
laid HudiTH'fs? Th rhoruB Is also fi-l-iux
more at homo 0:1 the raised benches.
aid t n t;:e yo in-fit singers have re
r"Vi!rM from at trick's or 6tai:e-f rljiht, so
tnijrti so that last nicht in the foi tisxiruo
ms a I mi: c suitably Informed the
chorus ii.trly drowned out the orchestra,
wht'i wa. tht-n playing for its lite in the
Gor!i:g-Tlumas "Swan and Skylark" can-
tMlH
Mother and father and the boys and
girl? attended the matinee performance
esit rday at'ternoon at th Armory, and
lo Kay that the younjr folks enJoyM thetr
first :afti. of Imported symphony orche
t a 1h nutting it mildly. Sullivan's Dl
Hallo' overture was played with , a swing
and a dash by the orchestra that madtj
the air tinglt with sweet sound. Kncoro?
Of course. It was a dainty string-study,
Minuet of the Kly." by Cubulka. and
then Conductor Roscnbecker earned fresh
hiitrels by the two Greig numbers. Tho
two Hungarian dances, by Bra Inns, was
out of ihe ordinary, so much so that I
think they were the star contributions of
ihu afternoon. So much so. that the ef
fect was electrical. The encore was a
dramatic and soul-stirring, orchestral ren
dition of the famous sextet from Lucia."
In the whole world of music, I don't know
one t-lection that Ui'ts one out uf oneself
lilic this. Another novelty, for us, were
tlio two AnWriean gems of the pro
gramme, MacdowoD's "love .Song" and
"Indian Paiioe." Striking originality is
Ihu first effect observed, especially in the
latter number, where suggestions of tin
Indian tom-tom dance, and tho weird
mus-lo of ttie red man steal upon you.
The tone picture is perfect. For an en
core was played the Kubenatein melody
tn V. Tht orchestral finale was a grand
climax of startling ef fects for both strings
at id bras in Svendsen's "Coronation
March.
(Jood opportunity was offered at this
matinee to make a closer acquaintance
with two of tho visiting vocal soloists,
Mrs. Hose l.utiger Gannon, contralto, and
John B. M iile.r, tenor. If you remember,
the two other soloists, Mia. Genevieve
Clark Wilson, soprano, and Arthur Middle-ton,
basso-canlante, sang at the Fri
day night concert, and I npoko of them
and their work In detail yesterday. Airs.
Gannon 1? a pupil of Jean de Reszke. of
Paris, and her home Ik Chicago. Her
voice is remarkable for Its beautiful tone
and di pth, her compass belnK from low
V, to high A flat. She visited this city
some little time hro, in concert, as -the
solo contralto with tho Chicago toadies'
Wuitrtel. and her home is in Chicago,
where she is welt known as the noted
contralto soloist In tho choir of the
tin a I Temple, where the celebrated
ltabbl Kmil G. Hirscb preaches. This
church choir position Mrs. Gannon has
held for five consecutive years, und is
one of the very best church-choir posi
tions in the Vnited States. Her compass
Is from low K to A above the staff. She
lias iv most pleasing platform appenianre.
Her solo, was an aria from Ponchiello s
"I. a Gioconda," a selection well and
favorably knuwn here, from its vividly
dramatic properties, and Mrs. Gannon,
who sang it in Italian, gave it an artistic
rendition. She was cordially received,
and for her encore sang in KngHsh
"What the Chimney Sang," by Arthur
Griswold , with orchestration by Mr.
liosonbecker. It was a valuable voice
lesson to listen to Mrs. Gannon's crisp
Phrasing and distinct enunciation.
John B. Miller, Una tenor soloist, is a
stately, impressive looking man, and his
, oic although a lyric tenor of fine
iuality has considerable carrying power.
He is a native of Anna, III., and at the
present time lie holds the position of
tenor soloist hi tho choir of St. Paul's
!' ni versa list Church, Chicago, and like
M r. MUldleton, the basso-cantante, is a
memb-T of llie faculty of Chicago Musical
College. Mr. Miller's compass la from C
to B natural. Ho has never been further
rmb'ance
west before, than Denver, and is favor- . mJshtr unison duet
ably known in the Middle West a a mU8c bearing- such
'"'"""i winw.iH i'iior. fiis vocai s?:ec
Hon was the flower song from Biz?t's lhat tn'
pure, though not powerful. IPs tone pro
duction is very pleasant to the ear.
also was kindly received. " and for his
encor- tang "Ump oT Lovf." by Mary
K. Salter, with orchestra" on hy Mr.
Kosenbec ktr. The orchestral accompani
ment was a trifle lod.
of triumph, the
i suspicious re-
c ertain popular songr
udlence of lat ntghrmay be
i pardoned when some listen:! s tat up in
; t !ilr seats and asked themselves:
! "Where have 1 heard that air "before
J It seems to me H-m-m." The
i musi al passage in question recalls a
I famiJiar ditty In wtilch a merry auto is
j the principal f-uture, or perish the
! thought Is It that the Goring-Thomas
The dominant prt of the evening j ""s cu flom th cloth as
concert, without meaning at all to dim ! the Bon n Question? Of course I
t. v. - . i . , ! couldn t mention tae name of the song
the orchestras art. turned out to be , nQ not at the rtft Qf doilar a
the rendition of Goring Thomas "Swan J jut a little hint.
and Skylark." sur:g by the chorus of j Several messages from chorus, solo
30. it wa an impressive slht when . tsts and orchestra cay "Summer Is
those singers arose for business. They j Come." and on page 38 of the score a
1 had the cur.f.dtnt air that they knew i Joy picture was unfo'ded by the
by heart what they were goins; to ! unprano soloist, Mrs. Wilson, who sanff
Rina: ajid that's half the bottle in ' britliarit. colorature music of lace-work
fcinjjinfr. The cantata was all tha mora ' finish. In one instance she reached
enjoyed because it employed all the high C in alttsstrno:
Ihrd'the
choing jcj
visit ing- soloists. Mrs. Wilson, Mrs.
Gannon, Mr. Miller and Mr. Middleton.
and it went with a sweep and a vigor
ous quality of tone tha-t carried all be
fore it. William H. Boyer. who trained
the chorus, waa, by the courtesy of Mr.
Hosenbeeker, conductor of the cantata,
It struck me that this lighter sort of
muslo Is more suited to hes voice than
the heavy, dramatic qualities called for,
from the soprano soloist in "Fair Ellsn."
The trend of the music In the chorus
beginning: "Higher Still and Higher," re
minds me of Wagner, somehow, and also
and he skilfully handled both orchestra j because of the exacting demands made on
and chorus.
I wish to state at the outset of thi
criticism on the "Swan and Skylark"
that this cantata, a typically Kngilsh
one, waa written by the late Arthur
Goring Thomas, who died March 20,
1S!2, the words being; selected from the
compositions of three Fngrlish poets
Heipans, Keats and Shelley. Tho editor,
who also orchestrated from the piano
score left by the dead composer, is
Charles Villiers Stanford, known a one
of the most g'ifted composer-musicians
Ireland has ever produced. "The Swan
and Skylark" paraphrases life and
death by the departure of Summer and
Its resurrection, and- speaks of the
dying; flowers and tender shoots of
leaves suddenly springing; into beauty
and fragrance, through the all-life
grivinp mi.
irloom marks the opening motif, finely
Ming by the basso-cantante, Mr. Middle
ton: A Grecian poet T. but born too late;
For me no nymph sings from the upland
wood t
Her antique song; nor in bright, hurrying
brook
Is svten and lost her illusive smile.
The sentiment us pagan an savors of
thick woods and hoary Druids. It is
woven Into a delicate, tender symphony
by the orchestra, and then come voices
which murmur, "'mid the long reeds that
o'er a Grecian stream," "the sculpture of
a broken shrine.' and "a lonely swan
warbled his death chant." The poet
listens to tho strange music and bids
farewell to laughing Summer, the theme
beiny swelled to a chorus, with a typical
contralto lead, and the sentiment glows
and pulses "as with the sweetness wrung
from parting love' whatever that may
m an.
Summer, the time of rosrs and sunshine,
whrn all the little growing plants take
new beauty, is first voiced by contraltos,
memlfT's of a special chorus of women's
voices, the names of these soprani-con-tralti
singers bring:
First soprano: Mrs. May Dearborne
SHiwab, Mrs. Ella Ho berg; Tripp and Miss
Kva Wells: second soprano, Mrs. Nettie
Grter Taylor and Mrs. 12. S. Miller; first
contralto, Mrs. Rose Coffey Powell, Mrs.
Gertrude Holmes Drewery and Mrs. Leila
Hammond; and second contralto. Mrs.
W. A. T. Hushong, Miss Petronella C.
Connolly, Miss M. Evelyn Hurley and
Mrs. Jessie McConnell Hale.
Their theme is "Soft Summer Clouds,"
and a suggestion comes of singing, warb
ling birds all In a garden fair. The
semi-chorus was sung with excellent
taste and shading;, the voices blending
perfectly and the tone quality, especially
in the head register displayed by the
singers, was delicious. Considerable
credit must be given to the members of
this special chorus of women's voices for
tho skilful way? in which they interpreted
the leading motif. It is even a feat to
read the music correctly, so difficult is
the score. Portland is one of the few
cities on the Pacific Coast to possess
such a finely-voiced and intelligent-reading
chorus of women's voices. These
singers fairly represent tho church
choirs of Portland-
But, taking up again the thread of
"Swan and Skylark," a more than
usually joyous moment downed when
chorus tenors and basses began one
vocalism. The resemblance to Wagner
also haunts one in the motif "So Thoae
Two Voices Met," vivid picture of life
and death. The note of farewell has a
dirge tone, and instead of the remainder
of the cantata from this particular point
being built to a ' glorious, triumphant
close, to my great disappointment, the
composer has again Introduced the "dying
swan" effect. Every singer in the chorus,
and both soprano and tenor soloists, find
the music growing fainter, until one
wonders what on earth Goring-Thomas
was driving at. He ordered the pass
age, on page SO of the score, 'Thou Art
Wonderful" taken at double piano. Then
the motif dies away, softly, but suddenly,
without any apparent reason, and or
chestra and singers are left to look at
one another. And it's all over, liko a
flash. To my way of thinking, it is a
tame way io end a really meritorious can
tata representing the very best in the
modern ecuool of music.
Now, to speak even more critically
about the score of "The Swan and Sky
lark": purely. Goring Thomas must have
written it as exhibit A of technical dif
ficulty. To read some of the chorus
passages ts aa bad as a Chinese puszle.
There are frequent and capricious
changes of key. broken time, and the
motif twists and twines like a sinuous
sunbeam, only to emerge again In un
expected places. The poetical atmos
phere is almost Moorish, so warm is Us
intensity. But, after all. as a cantata
"The Swan and Skylark" is a fresh
breath from the open. It is unhackneyed,
and is marked by really high art. Too
bad that its composer died so young!
Just think of the additional master
pieces he might have given to the world!
Arthur Goring Thomas was bom at Rat
ton, Supsex. England, and according to
Rupert Hughes' book tho date was No
vember 21, 1N50. Sir George Groves gives
the time as November, 1851, At tirst
Goring Thomas was educated for a busi
ness career, and music did not seriously
come into his life until his 20th year.
In J875, he went to Paris and studied
for two years with M. Emile Durand, and
for three additional years he worked with
Sullivan and Prout. As a composer, he
was an instant success, one of his early
hits being an opera on Moore's poem,
"The Light of the Harem." He soon
achieved celebrity at the Knglish music
festivals, particularly the series at Nor
wich, and grew to be favorably known
by his compositions In detached pieces
for orchestra, songs, etc.. for his cantata,
"The Sun Worshippers." and his four
act operas, "Esmeralda" and "Nade
schada." Hie was a busy musical life, of
which this writing necessarllj because
of the time at my disposal must be a
brief sketch.
His friend and the editor of "Sirtin and
Skylark," Charles Villiers Stanford, the
noted composer and conductor, .was born
September SO,' 1862. at Dublin, Ireland.
Stanford has written lots of good church
choir music, and he has nearly revol
utionized music .at Cambridge University,
Knglan.d. Stanford's best-known works
are: "The Veiled Ftophet of Khorassan,"
"Savanarola," "The Canterbury Pilgrim,"
;"Shamus O'Brien," incidental music to
Tennyson's "Queen Mary," "The Eu-nienldes,'-
"The Holy Children," "The
Revenge," Voyage of Maeldune," etc.
BANK ClEfffi&S GAINING
KxrrxTrn soon to gkt back
TO NORMAL TOLI ME.
lUicli AVerk Sees Advance unci Port
land Lends Coast in Rapid
Recovery.
TVi-Uand tnk clearings keep crawling
kaok tow ant t(i" normal point whera
tliey wre before the financial stringency
of a fi-w nioutns no. It will not be very
Iohk. it Is believed, before they entirely
tveover from the deprespingr effect of
the unfavorable condition of the country
when nnum-tul squalls set In last August.
Kaih week sees the clearings slightly
ahead of previous weeks and the week
lust closed is no exception. For the six
business days ending yesterday, the as
sociated banks of Portland show cash
transactions of StvlOij 5'.'S.69. For the cor
responding week of last year, when the
wave of prosperity sweeping over the
country w.is at ita crest, the figures were
jS.9T3.7oO.lil.
Clearings yesterday were $S59.839.-S.
wnile the corresponding Saturday of last
year showed a total of jysU.iiSSS.
Portland is at the head of Pacific Coast
cities in that the decrease compared with
last year's figures is smaller than other
centers on this shore of the continent.
San Francisco shows a decrease of 30.6
mr cent, l.os Angeles 21.1 per cent. Seat
tle 2S.S per cent and Portland 1S.S per
cent. The average decease lor all cities
listed In the Bradstreet report Is 30.1
Iter cent, showlug that Portland is far
ahead of other cities in recovering its
place in the financial world.
The statement made throughout this
state that Portland is first among tho
oast cities to emerge from the troubled
financial conditions and that Oregon Is
among the most favored sections of the
whole country at this time is borne out
by the official figures.
New Roud In Marion County.
Articles of Incorporation of the Wood
burn & Western Railway Company were
tiled yesterday by K. L. Donald, C. N.
MeArthur and Wallace McCamant. The
company plans to build a line o rail
way from Seott Mills to St. Paul. Or..
la Woodbitru. I,.th termini of the road
ire located Iu ilaliou County, 'ilio object
in building the line is to provide facili
ties for getting the output of newly
opened coal mines near Scotts Mills to
market. Work is progressing on de
velopment of the mines, which, it is said,
are rich and will supply considerable ton
nage for tile projected road.
SUBWAY PLAN ABANDONED
are combined, the hiatter Is one that is
very Interesting.
"Our relations with the Northern Pa-
ciflc are of the-moyt plensant character."
"The
Business
Center of
the Peninsula"
Drydocks; flouring, grist, shingle,
lumber asti woolen mills; steel,
forging, and veneer works; foun
dries, stock-yards, packing-houses,
and factories of all kinds surround
us. The Swift Packing Company
has under construction one of the
largest plants in the world, at a
cost of $4,000,000, and will employ
several thousand men.
Do you realize what it means to
UNION SQUARE, located as it is
in the midst of these activities?
"'ou will see a solidly built up city
of 50,000 people in a few years,
and you know that population
makes values.
Buy a lot in Union Square now;
while the price i3 low, as values
on the Peninsula will double and
treble in the next few months, and
our prices will advance as sales
progress.
STUDY THE MAP Notice the navigable rivers; the railroads; the streetcar lines; the factory districts; the boulevards and"
wide streets ; the location of Maegly Junction, and the Northern Pacific Depot site, where the immense freight and passenger traffic
of the Inland Empire will be handled. ,
EEMEMBER, THAT FOUR GREAT TRANSCONTINENTAL SYSTEMS CROSS AND RECROSS NEAR UNION SQUARE.
Come out and see this splendid property. Take St. John car and get off at UNION SQUARE. Office on the ground. Fare only
5 cents. Come out today do not put it off. The choicest lots will go first, and they are going fast. ACT NOW. "
PRESENT PRICES
COLU
$300 UP
TRUST
EASY TERMS
COMPANY
M56S1
7 13-7 14-7 IS Couch Building
109 FOURTH STREET, NEAR WASHINGTON STREET
A 1916
said Mr. Fee yesterday, "and they will no
doubt remain such. I waB with that com
pany for years and I can see no reason
why there should be the slightest change
In the attitude of the two systems. Our
Interchange with the Northern Pacific
at Portland continues as always without
the slightest interruption and promises to
do so indefinitely.
"The only matter that can be given out
of interest locally Is that our company la
rearranging its time card to California
but this requires the approval of the
operating department before schedules
can be announced. The arrangement of
details may riqulre some little time yet."
Mr. ' Fee left last night for his home
In San Francisco, accompanied by his
wife In the private car Sunset..
sheep. Hitherto the King's herd had
been kept in a large lnclosure in Wind
sor Great Park, but His Majesty, who,
It Is understood, always thought It was
a pity . that they should be kept from
public view, Immediately presented
them to the Zoological Society on hear-
birds-r which he keeps at "one
private residences.
lngr that the gardens were to be. ex
tended, in order to provide a permanent
free show of some of the animals.
Sir William Ingram ha also raade
an interesting presentation to the free
part of the Zoo, In the Bhape of two
of the cassowaries larjre ostrich like at the tract today (Sunriav)
See Evanston today. Absolutely the
finest residence buy in Portland. Take
the W-W car. A Spanton agent will be
GIFT TO THE LONDON ZOO
King Edward Presents It
Herd of Moufflon.
With
LONDON, April 4. King: Edward ha
presented a little herd of moufflon to
th extension of the Zoo, now nearing
completion, which, it is hoped, will be
open a few days before Easter. In this
extension, which covers about three
acres, there wlllabe a number of large
paddocks, containing various animals,
which will be visible to- the pubJIts from
Rengent's-Park.
Moufflon are the only wild Furopean.
Project for Putting Wires Tnder
p round Will Rewt for Present.
At a meeting of the subway committee
yesterday morning it was voted to recom
mend to the City Council that the plan
be abandoned, for th present. This
project was one which was thought might
reduce the danger from overhead wires
of heavy voltage, but is now thought to
be impracticable. An appropriation of
$5000, which was made to defray the ex
pense of making preliminary estimates
and plans, will be returned to the Coun
cil, and will probably be used to pay an
expert engineer to submit plans and
specifications for a high bridae. over or
a subway under the Willamette KUrer.
Inasmuch as the telephone and tele
graph companies doing business in Port
laud have already put their wires under
ground, and because the city cannot force
them to shift their wires into a munici
pal conduit, it was decided to be best
to abandon the project. The orginal
plan was to construct conduits through
out the tire limits and to compel all com-,
panies using wires to lay them in the
city's subway. A rental was to have
been charged to defray the expense of
tl:e work.
NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.
Charles S. fVe Not Concerned With
Vexed Gateway Matter.
That he has nothing whatever to do
with the vexed gateway question that is
asitating the mind- of Portland people
is the statement of Charles S. Fee. pas-'
stnger traffic manager for the Southern
Pacific Company. The gateway matter
is purely one between the Union Pa
cific and the Northern Pacflc, the South
era line being entirely disinterested. The
closing of the gateway affects only east
and westbound travel via Portland and
has no significance whatever when viewed
by Southern Pacific officials 8 such.
H re in Fortland. whre the Southern
i'ttUlio and O, B. k iN. ptusscuer olricej
Teeth Without Plates
According to this system, all missing teeth are supplied with or without
plates. This advanced bridge work is the greatest triumph of modem den
tistry. The above illustration shows an ordinary case as is handled every day
in this office. A couple of tirm teeth is all that is needed. You will then, be
able to chew your food perfectly, suffer no discomfort, and your appearance
will be improved beyoud description. "VTe only advise plates when your are
toothless. This is the home of advanced dentistry. No charge for examination.
OUT OF TOWN PEOPLE
Should remember that our force is so oreanized that WE CAN DO THEIR
ENTIRE CROWX. BRIDGE AND PLATE WORK in a dav if neeessary.
POSITIVELY PAINLESS EXTRACTING TREE when plates" or bridjres are
ordered. WE REMOVE THE MOST SENSITIVE TEETH AND ROOTS
WITHOUT THE LEAST I'AIN. Ten chairs. NO STUDENTS: no un
certainty but SPECIALISTS who do the most scientific and careful work.
TWENTY YZAES IN PORTLAND
AND ASSOCIATES
PAINLESS DEM.STS
W. A. WISE,
Failing Building, Third and Washington Streets.
8 A. M. to 8 P. M.- 'Sundays. 9 to-12. Painless Extraction,-50c; Plates, $5.Q0.
BOTS PHONES, A AND MAIN 2029.
Allow Us To Fit You Out
- For Easter . JlKlft
iy
In the Latest seL
Spring Styles
;- y . mum '
T?mP-s easy . 'few lmW
; Wr.r ii-i payment "ifimmm mt
alittle
Bfffplp and
NO FINER
SUITS IN
THE CITY
You are welcome to CREDIT
oig- cast s
ti e i n
iae score
GEVURTZ BROTHERS, Proprietors
East Burnside and Union Avenue
T