UMS Concert Program, December 21, 1892: The Messiah -- The Choral Union

Season: 1892-1893
Concert: SECOND
Complete Series: XX
University Hall

University Musical Society.
FRANCIS W. KELSKY, Ph. D., Pkesiiiknt.
CHORAL UNION SERIES. 1892-1893.
Fourth Season. (No. XX, Complete Series.)
SECOND CONCERT. University Hall, Wednesday, Decemuer 21, 1892,
AT E1C.HT 1. M.
THE MESSIAH.
THE CHORAL UNION.
270 VOICES.
ASSISTED BY
MISS ELIZABETH A. DOOUTTLE, Soprano, MRS. MARSHALL I'EASE, Contralto, MR. CHARLES A. KNORR, Tenor, MR. GEORGE ELLSWORTH HOLMES, Bass,
ANT A FULL ORCHESTRA.
MR. WTL11ELM YUNCK, Concert Master. ALBERT A. STANLEY, A. M., Conductor.
Choral Union Series.
rpHE "MESSIAH" represents the ripened product of Handel's genius, and reflects the imblest 1 aspirations and most exalted devotion of mankind. Among all his oratorios it retains its original freshness, vigor, and beauty in the highest degree, in that it appeals to the loftiest sentiment and to universal religious devotion.
The oratorio is divided into three parts. The first illustrates the longing of the world for the Messiah, prophesies his coming, and announces his birth; the second part is devoted to the sufferings, d.eath, and exaltation of Christ, and develops the spread and ultimate triumph of the (inspcl; while the third is occupied with the declaration of the highest truths of doctrine,--faith in the existence of God. the surety of immortal life, the resurrection, and the attainment of an eternity of happiness.
The first part opens with an overture of majestic chords, leading to a short fugue, developed severe simplicity and preparing the way for the accompanied recitative, "Comfort ye My People," and the aria for tenor, " Every Valley shall be exalted," which in turn leads to the full,
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hurt fugue, developed c, " Comfort ye My
__._._, ......_, ..........__......cd," which in turn leads to the full,
strong chorus, "And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed." The prophecy is announced in the great aria for bass, (" But who may abide the Day of His Coming"), written in the Sicilian pastoral style. Once more the prophet announces, " Behold, a Virgin shall conceive," followed by the alto solo, "O Thou that tellest," which preludes a chorus in the same tempo. The next aria, ("The People that walked in Darkness"), with its curious but characteristic modulations, leads to one of the most graphic fugucd choruses in the whole work ("For unto us a Child is born"), elegantly interwoven with the violin parts, and emphasized with sublime announcements of the names oC the Messiah in full harmony and with the strongest choral power. The grand burst of sound dies away, there is a significant pause, then follows a short but exquisite Pastoral Symphony for the strings, which, with the four succeeding bits of recitative, tells the message of the Angels to the Shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem. Suddenly follow the chorus of the heavenly hosts ("Glory to God"), which is remarkably expressive, and affords sharp contrasts in the successive clear responses to the fugue, the difficult but very brilliant aria for soprano, " Rejoice greatly," and the lovely aria, "He shall feed His Flock."
The second part begins with a majestic and solemn chorus, ("Behold the Lamb of God"), which is followed by the aria for alto, " He was despised,"--one of the most pathetic and deeply expressive songs ever written. This leads to the spirited and thoroughly interesting chorus, "All we like Sheep have gone astray," closing with an adagio of great beauty ("And the Lord hath laid on Him the Iniquity of us all"). This is followed by the recitative, ("Thy Rebuke hath broken His Heart"), for tenor, (" Behold and see if there beany Sorrow"), all of which arc remarkable instances of the musical expression of sorrow and pity. These numbers lead to a triumphal shout in the chorus and semi-choruses, " Lift up your Heads, O ye Gates," which is followed by the aria, " Thou shalt break them," leading directly to the great Hallelujah Chorus, which is the triumph of the work and its real climax. It opens with exultant shouts of " Hallelujah." Then ensue three simple phrases, the middle one in plain counterpoint, which form the groundwork for the " Hallelujah." These phrases, seemingly growing out of each other, and reiterated with constantly increasing power, interweaving with and sustaining the " Hallelujah" with wonderful harmonic effects, make up a chorus that has never been excelled, not only in musical skill, but also in grandeur and sublimity. This number closes the second part.
The third part opens with that sublime confession of faith, " I know that my Redeemer liveth," --an aria which will never be lost. It is followed by two quartets with choral responses, " Since by Man came Death," and " For as in Adam all die," in which the effects of contrast are very forcibly brpught out. The last important aria in the work ("The Trumpet shall sound"), for bass with trumpet obligato, will always be admired for its beauty and stirring effect. The oratorio closes with three choruses, all in the same key and of the same general sentiment,--"Worthy is the Lamb," a piece of smooth, flowing harmony; " I'lessing and Honor," and the final "Amen ' chorus.
Other oratorios may be compared one with another ; the '' Messiah " stands alone, a majestic monument to the memory of the composer, an imperishable record of the noblest sentiments f human nature and the highest aspirations of man.--Geokge P. Upton,
Choral Union Skriks.
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Oratorio by G. F. Handel.
PART THE FIRST.
OVERTURE.
RECIT. (Tenor.) Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God ; Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem ; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned.
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness :--Prepare ye the way of the Lord"; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
AIR.--(Tenor.) Every vallev shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill made law, the crooked straight ami the rough places plain.
CHORUS. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.
RECIT.(Bass.) Thus saith the Lord of Hosts :--Yet once a little while and I will shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land ; and I will shake all nations ; and the desire of all nations shall come.
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in ; Behold He shall come, saith the Lord of Hosts.
AIR.--(Bass.) But who may abide the day ? His coming and who shall stand when he appeareth
For he is like a refiner's fire.
RECIT.--(Alto.) Behold, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Emmanuki., God with us.
Choral Union Sf.
AIR. (Alto and Chorus.) O thou that Idlest good tidings to 'Aon, gel thee up into tlie high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up tliv voice with strength ; lift it up. be not afraid ; sav unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God !
Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.
RECIT.--(Bass.) For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people ; but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee, and the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and the kings to the brightness of thy rising.
AIR.--(Bass.) The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light ; and they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them halli (lie light shined.
CHORUS. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prin Jj of Peace.
PASTORAL SYMPHONY.
RECIT.--(Soprano.) There were shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
And lo ! the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
And the Angel said unto them, Fear not; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people ; for unto you is born this day in the City of David, a Saviour which is Christ the Lord.
And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying :
CHORUS. Glory to God in the Highest, and peace on earth, good will towards men.
AIR.--(Soprano.) Rejoice greatly, O daughter of .ion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem ! behold, thy king cometh unto thee.
He is the righteous Saviour, and He shall speak peace unto the heathen.
Ciiorai. Union' Skriks
RECIT. (Alto.I Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, and the ears of ? the deaf unstopped ; then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing.
AIR. I Alto. I He shall feed His ilock like a shepherd ; and He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with voting.
AIR. (Soprano) Come unto Him, all ve that labor and are heavy laden, and He shall give you rest. Take his yoke upon you, and learn of Him, for He is meek and lowly of heart, and ve shall find rest unto yimr souls.
PART THE SECOND.
CHORUS. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. AIR. (Alto) He was despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
CHORUS. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way.
And the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
RECIT.--(Tenor.). Thy rebuke hath broken his heart; He is full of heaviness. He looked for some to have pity on Him, but there was no man, neither found He any to comfort Him.
AIR. (Tenor.) Hchold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto His sorrow. RECIT. -(Tenor.) lie was cutoff out of the land of the living; for the transgression of Thy people was he stricken.
CHORUS. Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ve lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.
Who is the King of Glory
The Lord, strong and mighty ; the Lord, mighty in battle.
Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of Glory shall come in.
Who is the King of Glory
The Lord of Hosts, He is the King of Glory.
CiiokAi. Union Skriks.
AIR. (Bass.) Why do the nations so furiouslv rage together, and wliv do the people imagine a vain thing
The kings of the earth rise up, and I he riders lake counsel together against the Lord, and against His Anointed.
RECIT.--(Tenor.) He that dwelleth in heaven shall laugh them to scorn ; the Lord shall have them in derision.
AIR.--(Tenor.) Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron ; Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
CHORUS. Hau.ici.it.iaii : for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.
The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever.
King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. Hai.i.ki.iii.aii !
PART THE THIRD.
AIR. (Soprano.) I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that He shall stand at tlie latter day upon the earth ; and though worms destroy the boilv, yet in my flesh shall I see God.
for now is Christ risen from the dead, the first fruits of them thai sleep. QUARTET AND CHORUS. Since by man came death. By man came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die. Even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
RECIT. -(Bass.) Behold ! 1 tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep ; but we shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
AIR.--(Bass.) The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
CHORUS. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by I Us blood, to receive power and riches, and wisdom, and strength and honor, and glory and blessing.
Blessing and honor, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.
Chorai, Union Shrif.s.
Mrs.
Miss
Mrs, Mis
Mrs
Miss
Anna May Bailey,
Franc Barnard, Ruth Beckwith, W. W. Beman, Minnie L. Bender, A. Marguerite Blunt, Nettie Bossuet, Amelia M. Breed, Julia Brennan, l'herese Brennan, Carlotta B. Bullis, Cecilia L. Burke, A. P. Cady, Alice SabraCaldwell, Minnie B.Caldwell, Elizabeth A. Campbell, Mary F.. Carter, Artena Chapin, Sidney W, Clarkson, Lucy K. Cole, Lydia C. Condon, Genevieve Cornwell, Wjrt Cornwell, Winifred Rose Craine, Hattie A. T. Crippen, Jennie A. Crosby, Nina M. Davison, Katharine Decker, Lydia Dittman, Nina M. Doty, Nellie Dunham,
Miss Christine K. Bronson, Mary L. Burridge, Mame L. Cady,
Mrs. Wm. A. Campbell, Delia Childs.
Miss Bertha Christie, Myrtle B. Claar, Annie Condon, C. G. Darling, Julia Decker, Katharine Diehl, Belle Donaldson, Klspa M. Dopp, Susie J. Dorrance, Hattie Kddy,
{ennie Eddy, lary K. Fish, Lizzie M. Foley, Lida Gillet,
K. Bruce Armstrong,
W. R. Bagley,
James P. Bird,
A. P. Cady,
11. Oiis DeUrfa;,
Wm. II. Dorrance, Jr.
V. Win. Dykeina,
A. H. Kelger,
R. I1". KlinteniKtnn,
H. H. Gammon,
SOPRANOS.
Mrs. Kd. H. Eberbach, MissOttilie Eberbach.
.May Estey,
Nina May Fall;
Anna K. Fisher,
Clara J. Foley, Mrs. W. F. Gates, Miss Jeanette M. Grace,
Kmilie A. Gruner,
Anna Gundert,
Kmily Gundert,
Gertnide K. Hamilton,
Kmily K. Hayley,
Frances A. Jones,
Uelle Joslyn,
Flora Koch,
Anna M. Leland,
Gertrude L. Iceland,
Nellie S. Loving.
Kmtna G. McAfiaster,
Eva I. Mains,
Edna Mettler,
Anna Miller,
Lena Miller,
Elizabeth W. Moore,
Lou E. Moore, Mrs. C A. Muma, . Miss Mathilde A. M. Neumann.
Mattie C. Otto,
May Palmer, Mrs. M. C. Peterson,
ALTOS.
Miss Emily A. Harper,) Georgia Hawes,
Mrs. George HempI, H. V. Holmes,
Miss Kate A. Hopper, Charlotte Hutzel,
Mrs. J. T. Jacobs, L. P. Jocelyn,
Miss Mary E. Kelley,
Mrs. Silas R. Mills,
Miss Louise Morey, Ida May Muma, Bessie A. Newton, Flora Oakley, Emergene Orr, Alice C. Patten, Florence H. Pope, Myra McPherson Post, Josephine Louise Roberts,
TENORS. F. H. Hess, Arthur M. Hovey, Frank William Howe, Charles F. Johnson, Guy L. Laraway, Horace H. Lovehmd, K. F. McAllaster. W. H. L. McC(urtic, A. H. Martin, L. C. Martin,
Miss Agnes W. Pfeifle, Clara Pinckney, Mary Fairman Power, Emily J. Purfield, Flora M. Quigley, Amanda Reyer, Anne Stuart Richardson."
Mrs. J. C. Rolfe,
Miss Julie Rominger,
Katharine Bradley Ross, Minnie K. Ruckman, Esther L. Sanborn, Margarette Shaw, Frankie M. Smith,
Mrs. M. (). Stark,
Miss Carrie CSterling,
Grace Delafield Sturges, Martha P. Taylor, Lillian Thompson, May E. Thompson, Kate K. Tremper, Lillie Mae Volland,
Mrs. F.C.Wagner,
Miss Carrie M. Watson,
Margaret Weidemann, Anna E. Wetmore, Sarah Whedon, LidiaV. White, Annie M. Wiley,
Mrs. D. Zimmerman.
Miss Carrie Schweinfurth, Bena Seyler, (HeaShipp,! (leorgia Smeallie, M. Lena Smith,
Mrs. H. A. Sober, A. A. Stanley,
Miss Margaret Stocking, Frances S. Taylor, Lucy E. Textor, Monna Tucker Alice E. Wadsworth, Elizabeth Wallace,, Nellie G. Wetmore, Susa Whedon, Louise Willebrands,
Mrs. Levi D. Wines,
Miss Bertha Wolf.
Jonathan Palmer, Jr., Frank S. Pierce, Hiram Powers, John A. Pratt, Weston A. Price, A. W. Reed, Hedley V. Richardson, Fred A. Sager, Frank H. Smith, FninfeJin Van V. Swan,
Choral Union Skries.
V. H. H. Garver, H. N. Goddard, F. C. Groninger, A. W. Haidle,
Duncan Anderson, lr.,
A. V. Ball,
Marvin E. Barnhardt,'
Thomas Wilson Battin,
I. A. Bendinger,
C. A. Bowen,
Frank Briscoe,
F. H. Brown, O. J. Bruce, Benj. F. Buck, Ernest N. Bullock, Will J. Caspary, Jr., A. L. Clark,
J. A. Cook, Howard M. Cox,' M. Levant Davis, P. R.dePont, Herman J. Douds, Thos. J. Doughty, Robert W. Dunn, James M. Eakins, James Eddy, Elman P. Felch, JohnW. Foley, Edgar O. Galloway,
G. Irving Gavett,
Edward G. Maul, Carl D. Morris, I. Raleigh Nelson. FurcstJ.'Overboil,
BASSOS.
Harry llevillnu t'.eiger, A. C." V. (lilnmre, M. P. Green, L. C. Grundy, Karl E. Guthe, K. F. Hall, Win. A. Heartt, Arthur H. Holmes, Charles E. Hooker, Anderson H. Hopkins, H. F. Hussey. L. P. Jocelyn. ' (ieorge C. Keech,' W. A. Kickland, Harry P. Lewis, I.W. McCaughey, H. F.. McClumpha, Frank A. Manny, IHvighl Miller, Wm. A. Mogk, Charles H. Nancrede, William F. Neumann, Kmory L. Niskern, E. J. Ottaway, John A. Percy, Anthony Pratt,
Julius C. Travis, James H. Trott, Orlie li. Van Horn, James Jenkins.
Norman W. Price, W. H. Rheinfrank, J. A. Ross, A. Davenport Rowe, Paul H. Seymour, K. A'. Sliipp, Hal. H. Smith, Newton J. Smith, William A. Spitzley, Louis A. Strauss, Charles L. Thomas, Robert I''. Thompson, Warren H. Thompson, C. M. Thursion, I.. C. Todd, Kluier K. 'J'owle, Thomas C. Truchlood, II. H. Van 'I'uyl, Herbert S. Voorhees, Henry H. Walker, Henry Baldwin Ward, Kllia !'.. Watson, R. C. Whitman, Levi I). Wines, I). Zimmerman.
The Choral Union.
Prof. PAUL R. B. de PONT, President.
Prof. LEVI D. WINES, Treasurer.
Mr. ANDERSON H. HOPKINS, Secretary, .
Prof. ALBERT A. STANLEY, Conductor. Mr. FRANK BRISCOE, Librarian.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.
Miss ANNA MAY BAILEY.
Miss MATHILDE A. M. NEUMANN. Miss IDA MAY MUMA.
Miss LUCY E. TEXTOR.
Mr. WESTON A. PRICE.
Mr. HEDLEY V. RICHARDSON.
Prof. THOMAS C. TRUEM.OOD.
Mr. ERNEST N. BULLOCK. [Ann Arbor Courier Print.