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The Great Saengerfest

The Great Saengerfest image
Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
August
Year
1886
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

This lias been a great week for Ann Arbor. For the flrst time in our history ve have been permitted to listen to a MlgorfMt, and our people have enjoyed t, and if we jude aright our visltors lave also. The wholc city has put 011 h gala aplearance, with llags flying, banners floatng, niottos hung on the outer walls, decoratioii8 of all kinds grecting the e}Tes on every side and at every turn. The lirst arrival was on Sunday evenng at 10 o'clock p. m., when the society rom Waterloo, Ontario, with itó grand Chora, and perhaps the finest band In merica to-day, arrived for the festival. On Monday every train on every road rought its quota of societies or visitors. From Detroit, from Toledo, East Saginaw, Bay City, Lansing, Jackson, Grand iapids, and other portions of the state bey carne, until fully 5,000 strangers were within our city. All the singers were previded with badges, all the bands were handsomely uniformed, and this added to the brilliancy and life of the streets. The OPENING EXKRCISES were held at Unlversity hall Monday evening. Dr. C. George, president of the Beethoven society of this city, presided, and Prof. lt. II. Kempf, acted as fest director. After an overture by the orohwtra, a few words of welcorne were given the visitors by the City Recorder, Geo. II. Pond, who was culled upon to takfl the place of Mayor Kobison, who was obliged to attend a meeting at Lansing that evening, and could not be present. Hesaid: Ladies, and Oentlemtn of the Penintular Saei gerbunJ: The Mayor of our city hnvlng beeu called to auoluer purllon of lue State tu-nlght, the plensiug tluty of ofteiing to the Btrangurs wüliln uur Kiii-s word oí welcome, has boen delegaled, ijuiie uulortuuateiy, lo Iho uexl ¦nanloipal official. For the flrst Urne, 1 belleve, in the history of tbls place, has 11 beei UU8 houored, luit we hope thal.your greetlug wlll be no cordial, and uur ineellug so successful, Huil the l'eulnsular Haeugerbund may accord Anu Arbor au estimable place in lts afl'uolions AHhoughour Utlle city haa uut altalued any considerable liuporiauce lu the Held ol niusic, yetlt has made a noble uommenceini'iil, and the seeds are sowu, yes, the plaum are tlruily rooled, that wlll bear good fruit lu the future, and lt la confldently hoped that thts Saeugerfest wlll glve au Ímpetus to the art ol tuusic that wlll ue of lastlug beuetlt to thls Uulversity city. lt we are to believe the lestlmouy of one of Uerinany'a t-realest sons, "Who loves not woman, wluc or song, KriiuuiiK a fooi nis wtiole hlc long.1' And the masler iiilnd ol the Kug llsh tpeak Ing race, Shakespeare, has wrllteu : ''That man Uut hath uo luuslu lu hlmself, Aud Is uot mov'd with concord of sweetsounda. Is ut for treasoii, strategems and spoils- Let uo Hun trust imu." That verse Is a tribute to the Germán people, ir to uu-m Is conceded the birlh aud uurture of thls sweet art, untll lt has reachet m.nrar perfecllon tbat "there's DO passlou iu the uuruan soul but ilnds ita food In ruuslc.' "Divine lDterpreter thou art. Oh ! Song ! To thee all secreto oí all hearts beloug." We wlll leave to abler tongues than ours the relation or the History ol Muslc. Uow the aucleul Ureeks concelved In ihoeuus Apollo a god puraoulfylug the perfectlou o, human Kil in, aud gave to hliu the realm ol music aud prophecy; how as civlllzatioD developeduiusickeplslow paoe; fromUreece to Koiue lt descended aud there Uugered oi tue shores of sunuy ltaly untll trauHplacel to Ucruiany by Charles the Ureat ; Uow 1 cluug lo Ufe, lenaclously.survlvtng tne great discords and wars of the uuhappy perlod o early Uerman history ; and how, slraugely euough, uuderjosepu 1., at tne closlng pe rlod of the terrible 'Thlrly Years War,' lt arose to great prominente amldst the pow dered wigs, paicticd faces and íurbelows o the Prluces oí that age; how at the close o the 13lh ceutury the art sprang to perfectlou uuder the master iulnds of Beethoven, Mu z.:ui. Ulttck aud Haydu, until to-day the ua tious of the earth Bil eutrauced wilh the mei odies of Geruiany. Uthers wlll lell you of these thlngs In better phraüe than eau we, bul noue eau glve u you a more cordial welcome, ih.in li Is uiy privilege to tender to-uight In the name o the citizeus of Aun Arbor. Uur gatea are opeu wlüe, and the hospltall tles of the city uearllly glveu you ; aud we trust that wheu you lelurn to your homes 1 witl be wilh such kiudly feellugs In you hearts as will leiui you, lu the nut diulanl fu ture, to come agaiu. The next address was by Hon. Chas. R Wliituian, of Ypsilanti, who welcomed ihe Saengerbund in bchalf of the Kegents of the University in the following words Welcoming Mddresi in béhal of ttg Regcntt lo the iaetigerftst : lt is my happy privilege to-nlght. in helmi ot the tíoard oí Hegeuia to welcome you, m Uerman brethren.wlth the walls of my Alma Maler. As an arueut and tlrtu frleud ot the cuuse of educatlou 1 aiu especlally pleased to exteud the haud of lellowshlp toyou, klns men of Beethoven and Goethe, citlzens from the land of educatiou and culture. The pur lly aud perpetuity of our civil lnatltutlous our very rank aiooug the varlous uallona o Ihe i'.iriii must depeud upon the ïnteillgence Ihe educallou aud the patriotisin of tb. masses. Hul love of country iuust be base upon the excellence of our governmeut, anc that upon the charaoler aud quallty of the cillzeu. Kducatlou thRu, mental and moral, Is the beginning aud enülug of public as lt ia of individual lile. We recugnize you aa colaborers in the field of kuowledge. Il has beeu wisely sald that music has beoome a great lunguuge wilh ts classic literature, as iiuportaut to our lutellectual completenesa as i',UKiiii.c"lusiiin nuil ,i,iitln grammar, and a knowledge of whlcn inay Just as well bo acqulred liy auyone who wlll take the trouble. We have dune soinethlng here m the cause of muele, lliouitti not what we ought. A professorshlp has beca establlshed, umi, witii the mean at hand astoulshlng resulta bas been accomplished. But the best frutts cannot be obtalned nnlll the importance of muslc u an educatlonal factor xhall be lully and geuerally recognlzed. The wist si educalors say that such a general recognli ion of muslc as au Integral part of a liberal educatlon seems the most Important reform Umi could be almed at in musical educatlon. Mr. Jevons, tho great polltlcal economist holds tlint musical cultlvatlon Is the safest and surest method of popular culture. I'iiintlnK and sculptore are but the rigld fnriiii of unchanglng beauty, but the hlithesl of art, mUNlC'the supreme art medium ot emotlon," Is as flexible as the changtng moods of the nnmortal soul. In the cottage and In the palace, umong the rlch and the poor, the human heart may travel into the great unknown, beyond the cares, vexatlons and pain of llfe to rest upon theocean-breast of heavenly harmony. Wns ltall lmmagtnatlon that, 'Orpheus could lead the savage race; Aud trees uprooted left their place, Suquaclous of the lyre," and when hls beloved wlfe Eurydlce dled, he followed her Into the Infernal reglons; charmed to repose the dread god. Piulo, and carrlod the lost one bank Into heaveu ? Music bas lts greatest lnfluence on .those who Ifiirm-il lts power In chlldhood. It Is an article of mental food and at the same time the bit of sweetenlng which raakes more platable the dlotof the schoolroom. As an educatlon for chlldren.no other study elther In art or sclence can surpass It. The frall nature Is strengthened In many ways, not alone by the elevatlnt! lnfluences of muslc. but by tralulug the character in the vlrtues of perseverence, patlence, self-sacrlflce and perfect purlLy of motive. The mental powers can reach no hlgher state of culture luearljryears froin any other pursult. A perfectly clear conception, a ntce poetlc discriminación and good Judgment of effecls goes to every musical lnterpretatlon, thus every student can appreclate the mental grip attalned by any musirían who glven an evenlng recital from Bacil, Beethoven, and Chopln with ml notes; and the Immaglnatlve power that eau lead the player through so wfdo a field of emotlon. Abllity to do thls meansa mlnd under qulck control, yet tralned to long contlnued and severe appllcation, and such a mlnd U equlppcd for llfe. All thls we have seen done bytheyoung, and Is poAslble to be done because the study of muslc glves lts hourly reward. The baby who coos ltself to sleep, the child whose llght heart breaks into song, and deaf Bee thoven leadlng an orchestra whose sounds were audible to hls inner ear alone, ettch aud all find perfect sattsfactlon. The clilld may carry to the home of poverty a work of art in soiue simple melody whlch ahall add more peace and happlness to that humble home than often dwellg lu the habltaüou of the rlch. In all ages the people have found ezpressions In Bongs and oallads whlch have become a part of thelr national Ufe. What Is the magie in those uatlonal antbems. like "Watch on the Khlne," or the "Marseilles 1 1 v ii ui " which excites tbe heart to great and herolc deeds? It hos been sald In substance that lf a man were permltted to make all the bailad, he need uotcare who should make tbe lawa of a natlon. Mr. Schuman saya: "Listen most attenllvely toall popular songs; they are a mine of most cbarmlng melodles, aud affbrd an liiBlght Into the character of the different uatious. Whatgreater aijency for moral cultnrewlth young and old, even the hardened criminal [s llfted above the gross desire and wlcked Impulses of hls dwarfed and dlslorted nature when llstenlng to tbesweet melodles of rhililhood or the soft aud meltlng hymns of rhrlstlaulty, he "Is boni agaln" aud " becomes as a llttle chlld," and hls heart is brouKht to the very foot of üod. Kobert Hall, the well-known prison reformersays: "It Is, to say the least, a sln{ular colucldence;that all of the reformalory uBtilutlons whlch I have vlslled those only can be said lo be succesHful In whlch a prom¦ ii-ii i place is glven to Instrumental muslo." Hurely an agency so powerful may and should be employed to tbe rullest la the velopment of our Individual and natlonal Hk). We havo boen cnllel a materlallstlo people by those who forgot that our nailon was beKini ax the outgrowlh of a plrltual need. Our materlallsm was Iho resul t of outwurd iri-urasiiiniv. W had a race of Bavages to ubdue, a mlghty foreat to turn into cultlvated fleldH, rndleBH rlvers to explore, a rackless desert to span, the problems of reIkIouh lndependimce and polltlcal luallty to Holve- and we were but a handtul of men. Tbe earnextness and Intenslty, the gloom and represslon of the early New Knglamt ¦ettlers baR colored and markcd our natlonul liiiractt-r to this day. lor us there U no blk-song to cheor ¦ farmer at hls plouglt, he medíanle In hls shop, and the housewlfe nherdaily toll. Germany has led the world In her lntelootual Ufe, and has thereby lm i a mlghty natlon. Mr. Liothrop, In hls masterly plea for hlgher educatlon somel years siuce apon thls plat'ormRald: 'Oi tlie Prench army lt Is Mild Jmtonly 48 por cent. could wrlte, whlle of Uerman armv 98 per oent. oould wrlte." Th Is led a great orator to say, "In the great oonfllct between Qermany and AuatrTa 11 was tbe Ueruian schoolhouse wlilch desiroyed lifAiistrlun military foroe. In the conflict between Uerniany and France lt was the schoei house whlch destroyed Kranoe. The ii'i'iiiaiiK who have come to our shores and beoome au Integral part of our natlonal growth have brought thelr lntelllgence,thrlft nul especlally that clvlllzer, muslc, man'a sweetest Joy, Int our Ufe. Thelr saengerfestx are rapldly formlug and developlng public taste, and the day Is not far dlstaut wlirii muslc, last mul dlvlnest of the arts, shall load us Into the higher plalnfi of eesthetlc culture aud to " those helghts where dwellers repose," The speech of the president, Dr. C. George, was delivered ia Qerraan, was enthusiastically received, and full of jfood poinU. We regret benig disappointed in securing a synopsis in p]nglish. After the speaking the musical part of the program commenced. The very tirst piece ."Einzuj; der Landes-Edleti," by the ladies of the Sajjiiww and Bay City Choir, was probably as well appreciated as any piece of the evening. "Frühlingüzeit," as rendered by Miss Ida Belle Wlnchell, was one of the best of the entire fest, in the opinión of very many. The solos of Miss May Whedon, Mrs. Milttier, Messrs. Slocuru and Mortens in " The Dre:uu." given by the Clioral Union of Ann Arbor, were well received, the sweet and clcar voice of Miss Whedoa especially charming many ears. After the regular program the Waterloo (Ontaria) band, that carne in cennection with the tlaglng society froin that place, reiulered a Uillicult piece lu a nianner tli.it gave t hi- i1 standing as mtisiciaiis without furtlier (juestlon. mati.nki:. Tuesday the crowd in the city swellec perceptibly, excursión froin all portions of the State cume pouring In, ono froin Detroit alone bringing 17 car loads ol people. At 2Vg u'clock p. in. University Huil was fillci! with about 2500 people to listen to what ws to be one of the concerts of the fest, aud they were certainly not disappointed. The best music of the entlre festival was certüinly given at this time. The grandest vocal pitee was "Gebet Waarend der Schlacht," giren by the Peninsular Süugerbund. There were over 200 voiees, the air was one that wa pleatlnx, whik' the renderlng was excel leut. Miss Ilenninge-i und Mrs. Mlltne gave i Kleetlon from " Martlia" "Voi deu edleu caTaliren," which VU well re ceivi-d. The veterans of the Detroi Miinnerchor rendered " Schifferleid," in such n maiinei' us to lead the audience to believe that the old boys could give the youiiüsters sonie poiuts on singing yel The "Storm Scène," by Uubenstein, as remliToJ by the orchestra, probably ex celled iinything ever heard in this city VVords ean liardly -xpress its beauty an( grandeur. The audience sat as if en Irmiced :is the players produced the weired, soft, entrancing, or wild am grand straius of this great musical productiou. Mrs. Miltner's best piece was, probably Aus der Jugendzeit, by Uadecke. He yoice is good, quite powerful at times, an susceptible of mueli sweetness. The bea of thesinging society's productions in the mindsof many was " Diedrei Wünsche, by the Arion des Nordens, of Bay City The trio, aus dein Nachthiger von Gran ada, as rendered by Mrs. Henninges Messrs. Slocum and Mertens, liad man; enthusirtstic admlrers. The HAUPT CONCEKT, or closing concert Tuesdny ovenlii":, wa listened to by about 3,000 people, am was anotlier brUltfcnt event, but not eqaa as a whole to tli.it of the afternoon Among the stiiking pieees were, an ai from Menilelssolin, ' Kiülillngs-ahnung, by the ladies of the Sagiuaw and J{ i) City Choira; "Ach ich habe sie Verloren," by Mrs. Miltner; and an air fron "Reine de Salea," by Miss Henninges The sweetest bit of rnusic glven by Mis Ilemiinges was a verse in reply to encor a f ter rendering the above. This lady lm a powerful voicc, one that can fully UI the grcat hall, and it is thoronghly culti vated. Somc of lier selections are fault lesa, though lacking at times a gweetnes. that would add wonderfully to herappre ciatlon by an audience could ït be at tai ned. The Harmonie Society of Jackson though few in number, rendered " Das Bild der Rose", In a manner to provok applatise. The singlng of the variou societies can not be criticised. All wer exellent, and while one mlght appreciate a particular rendición, another person would see In them all mucli to praise. "Gut' Nacht", by the Saengerbund, was vcry fine. Mr. Slocum is so well known by ou rausic-loving people tbat anytlilng we might say of him would be useless Everybody admires hls voiceand culture and he has long been a favorito with Ann Arbor audiences. Mr. Mertens, as basso was excellent. Hts superiors are few and difflcult to find. Thus closed the musical part of the fest. To-day is the picnic or genera jubilee day, which will close with i gram hall at Ttecthoven hall to-night, whicl will be attended by the young people generally, and doubtless many of the oldcr ones. So far the 8aengertest has been a grand success. Not a thing hns gon e wrong, evcrything has moved off har moniously, and nothing could be line tban the wenther has been to help on the fcstivitlea. The festival has been an educator to very many of our people. They know more of music now than thcy ever di( before, of its beauty, lts power, lts thrllling "rapturousness," and it Is hopcd that this art will receire an Ímpetus that will brlngit prominently forward. To have liad such a unanimous endorsement as Capt. E. P. Allen had last week at the county convention is soraethiog that gentleman may well feel proud of receiving, for it. camu usolicited and was correspondingly hearty. It is siife to say that but fewconventlons have ever met in ttiis county whlch have been preceded by so little wire-pulllng. Nocaucus was (Ixed, nor was any delégate. Thus Mr. Allen' popularity alone in bis owq county made hini the unanimous cholee, and gave hlm a, solld dek-gation to the Congressional convention whlch meets to-morrow in Adrián. Theie twenty delegates are going prepared to fi;ht early, late, and all the while tor Washtenaw's favorite son. They wlll be " stayerg " if neoeasury.

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Ann Arbor Courier
Old News