Russian Church Music

Author(s): J. P. B.
Source: The Musical Times, Vol. 60, No. 922 (Dec. 1, 1919), pp. 702-703
Published by: Musical Times Publications Ltd.
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3701950
Accessed: 10-11-2015 07:15 UTC

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702

THE MUSICAL TIMES.-DECEMBER

I,

1919.

Lincoln MusicalSociety-comprisinga band and chorus because it enshrinedthe deepest convictionsof an over' Hiawatha'sWedding- whelmingmajorityofthe Russianpeople. In some respects
of two hundredand fifty-announces
the Greek Churchresembledthe Roman Catholic. There
feast' and 'The deathof Minnehaha'on December3.
Letchworth Philharmonic Society has Elgar's 'King were however,many differences
between East and West.
was entirely
Olaf' in preparationfor a concertin DI)ecember,
and will The Churcharchitecture
different.There were
no organs in Russian churches,nor were thereany seats.
give 'Messiah' on Good Friday.
Excellent work is being done by the PortsmouthSermons were preached only occasionally,at important
PhilharmonicSociety under the directionof Mr. Hugh seasonsof theChurch'syear. What theyhad was worship.
Burry. Three PromenadeConcertson successivedays in The language in which the service was conducted was
October provideda feast of well chosen music, includingarchaic,and called Church Slavonic,but it was understood
part-songs and madrigals, well-known overtures,&c., by the congregation.
concertosand symphonymovements. On December Ii,
For us in the West, thehistoryof RussianChurchmusic
the completecycleof 'The Song of Hiawatha' is announced,mightbe said to commencewith Bortniansky
(175t-I825),
and the programmeon March I8 will include Charles beforewhosetimethe musicalserviceof the Russian
Church
Macpherson's"Bythewatersof Babylon,'and Mendelssohn'sconsistedalmost entirelyof a kind of freetypeof chantor
of
Praise.'
'Hymn
plainsong. He was sentby Catherinethe Greatto continue
An excellentprogramme
was chosenfortheSouth London his studies withGaluppi at Venice, wherehe remainedfor
PhilharmonicSociety's concertat Goldsmiths'College on eleven years. On his returnto Russia in 1779 he was
November I.
Besides Elgar's 'From the Bavarian
appointeddirectorof the Imperial Chapel choir,a position
Highlands' the choir sang Gibbons's 'The silverswan,' he retaineduntilhisdeath. The singingofthechoirhad left
set himselfto improve
J. Saville's 'The Waits,' and Wilbye's 'Sweet honey-much to be desired,butBortniansky
suckingbees.' Grieg's PianoforteConcertowas played by matters,with the result that it reached a standard of
Mr. George Woodhouse, Miss G. Ffrangcon-Daviessang excellence whichhad made it admiredfromBortniansky's
Mozart's' Deh Vieni,'and the orchestrawas heardalone in time to this day. He was a veryfinechoirmaster,
butas a
Schubert's' Unfinished'Symphony.
composer,while he wrotesome excellentChurchmusic,he
The NorthStaffsDistrictChoralSocietygave a concerton left much that was very dull and even commonplace.
October23, with Bach's 'Jesu, pricelessTreasure' as the Italian musicwas thenthe vogue,and Bortniansky
evidently
chiefwork in the programme. The singingof thisnoble thoughtit the rightthingto composeon fashionableItalian
musicwas worthyof its theme,and fullysustainedthe high models, with the result that his own personality-as a
reputationof the choir. Other choral pieces were Elgar's Russian composer-was almost entirelyobliterated. This
' O happy eyes,' Faning's 'Daybreak,' and Benet's ' All Italian influencehas been graduallybut steadilyeliminated
creaturesnow are merry-minded.'Mr. Ernest C. Redfernuntil at the presenttime, in the writingof men like
conducted, and solos were given by Miss Phyllis Lett, Nikolsky, Kalinnikoff,Kashalsky, Ippolitoff-Ivanov
and
Mr. RobertRadford,Mr. AlbertSammons,and Mr. Arthurothers,we meetwithworkso strongincharacter,
so national,
Cooke.
so indigenous,that at once we feel it could never have
The programmeof a concertgiven by the Southend been writtenoutsideof Russia.
12
on
November
included
Love
Marchant's
'
In Tchaikovskywe meet with the firstgreat modern
MadrigalSociety
is a sicknessfull of woes,' Fletcher's' The Islet,' Leslie's composerforthe Russian Church. His works comprisea
' A Rose of the Garden,' Brewer's ' The boy,' Caldicott's settingof the Liturgy,an Evening Service, and some very
' Winter days,' Elgar's 'As torrentsin summer,'Balfour fineMotets. In these we finda styleof compositionvery
Gardiner's'Cargoes,' and Leslie's 'Charm me asleep'-an different
fromthatof the Symphonywriterso well knownto
excellentlist. Mr. W. L. Boothconducted.
us all. In his Church music Westerninfluenceshad but
The StockportVocal Union gave the firstconcertof the littleplace. Instead, all was colouredby the plainsongof
Feason on November3, under Dr. T. Keighley'sdirection.the EasternChurch,givinga strength,
and fascinacharacter,
The choralpiecesin the programme
includedMorley's' Now tionnotoftenfoundin the instrumental
writing. Balakireff
is a monthof maying,'Faning's 'Daybreak,' Dr. Keighley's did excellentworkas directorofthe ImperialChapel Choir,
'The Leprehaun,' Elgar's 'O happy eyes,' and Balfour for which he wrote six pieces, characterisedby splendid
Gardiner's'News fromWhydah.' The orchestraplayed colour, vitality,and variety of treatment.The brilliant
Massenet's 'Scenes pittoresques,'and, conductedby Mr. career of Kalinnikoff,one of the most giftedof modern
wasunfortunately
cutshortat theearlyage
HarryMortimer,accompaniedDr. Keighleyin two move- Russiancomposers,
in D, Op. 42. 'Messiah' ofthirty-five.
mentsfromGuilmant'sSymphony
His beautifuland deeplyfeltChurchmusic,so
is announcedforDecember 22, and Verdi's ' II Trovatore' sincere,so full of characterand originality,
had all been
forFebruary9.
publishedsince his death. The twentypieces he left
The EnglishFolk and Carol Choir,whichdid good work representedthe highestachievementin Russian Church
last yearon behalfof charities,is again active. Mr. Martin music.
Shaw conducts,and the secretaryis Miss Constance C.
Rachmaninoffhas publishedten sets of remarkablyfine
Russell, II, BigwoodRoad, N.W. 4.
ChurchMotets,conceivedmostlyon biggerlinesthan those
'Messiah' will be given by CheltenhamPhilharmonicby Tchaikovsky. The music is of exceptionalbeautyand
vocal and gratefully
written
forall the
SocietyunderMr. C. J. Phillipson Decemberi6.
originality,
eminently
Mr. BernardLangdale has been appointedconductorof voices. 'To Thee, O Lord,do I liftup mysoul' was, inthe
Wombwelland DistrictChoralSociety.
lecturer'sjudgment,one of the most beautifulpieces of
and thisexceptingno schooland
Churchmusiceverwritten,
no composer. It is onlytwenty-two
bars long,but within
RUSSIAN CHURCH MUSIC.
these limitswere comprisedmore inspiration,beauty,and
The forty-sixth
sessionof the Musical Associationopened sheergeniusthanwereto be foundwithinthecoversof many
on November4, witha paper on ' Russian ChurchMusic' a largeand pretentious
work.
of The outstandingand characteristic
of this great
features
by Mr. A. M. Henderson,the organistto the University
and much and splendid literaturewere firstthe all-pervadingmodal
Glasgow. He remarkedthatwhilethe literature,
ofthe musicalartof Russia was familiarand appreciatedin influence,
givinga colourand ecclesiasticalqualityto all this
this country,the beautifuland characteristic
music of the Church music,and second, the influenceof the national
Russian Church was unknown here. This could be folk-song
not onlyin thecurvesofthemelodicline,but also
accounted for partlyby the difficulty
of the language, in-thefreedomof the rhythms. Many of the pieces were
thoughsuitabletranslationshad now been provided,and eithernot barredat all, or onlyby dottedlines forthe first
of performance,
all the worksbeing guidanceof the singers. Anotherfeaturewas the wonderful
partlyby the difficulty
intendedfor unaccompaniedsinging,while many of them yet musical freedomof the part-writing,
comparableto the
werein six, eight,ten,and even twelveparts. The Russian writingfora stringquartet,butwithalit was evervocally,
nation had been described as the most religious in and not instrumentally,
conceived. Above and beyond all
Christendom,and no doubt in no othercountrydid the this,therewas the spiritualbeautyof the music,forit had
a
more
to
the
whole-hearted
Christiana nobility,a dignity,and a qualityand elevationquite its
peoplegive
allegiance
Churchin itslocal embodiment. The OrthodoxChurchwas own. These were surelyfeaturesfranklyto be desiredirn
not merelynationalin the technicalsense, it was national our own Churchmusic, especiallyat a timewhenso much

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THE MUSICAL TIMES.-DECEMBER

I,

1919.

703

was toleratedthatwas utterly

trivial,cheap, and unworthy.the artist showed that he is probablythe finest living
of some of this Russian Church music interpreter
The introduction
ofBrahms. His technicalfacility
is marvellousin
would have an immediateeffectin raisingthe standardof its suggestionof effortless
ease, while his readingsof Bach,
our choir singing,it would bringa purerand moreworthySchumann, and Liszt were marked by pronounced
and artisticconception.
typeof music into our churches,and it should also react individuality
on ourown composers,encouraging
themto giveus
helpfully
Mr. BernardJackson,the founderoftheBirmingham
Bach
work worthyof themselvesand worthyof use in places Society, gave an
chamberconcertat the Royal
interesting
consecratedto the worshipof Almighty
God.
of
Artists'
on
October
which
served
also
Society
gallery
23,
The paperwas illustratedby examplesfromthe worksof to
introduceWilliamFenney'sRhapsody,Op. 26, No. 3, for
thecomposersmentioned,
sungby membersofthe Streatham pianoforte
and 'cello. The composition
wasworthya hearing
Congregational Church Choir under the direction of -indeed, it made such an excellentimpressionthatit was
Mr. FrederickHaggis.
J. P. B.
repeatedat the close of the programme.Mr. Fenneyhas
alreadyshownthathe possessesinventivetalentin a marked
degree,and his Rhapsody,excellentlyplayedbyMr. Bernard
JacksonandMissJoanWillis,afforded
delightful
hearing. The
includedalso Beethoven'sSonata inA, Op. 69, for
programme
(BY OUR OWN CORRESPONDENTS.)
pianoforteand 'cello, Schubert's rarely-heardPianoforte
Sonata in C minor,Op. posth., and two groupsofsongsby
BELFAST.
Mendelssohn,Handel, Pergolesi, and
The forty-sixth
season of the PhilharmonicSociety was Haydn, Schubert,
Veracini,whichwere sung by Miss Eveline Stevensonwith
inaugurated
by an interesting
concerton October 24. The much charm. Madame Minadieuaccompaniedthe songsin
work of the choirconsistedof Bach's doublechorus'Now herartisticmanner.
shall the grace,' and Dvoraik's Te Deum in G. The
carefultrainingand skilfulconductingof Mr. E. Godfrey Madame Minadieu'sfirstMatinde Musicale of the season
Brownensuredexcellentpresentations
of bothworks. The was held at the Grosvenor Room, Grand Hotel, on
orchestraprovidedthe accompaniments,
and also played October25, and consistedof a vocal recitalby the eminent
Beethoven's'Coriolan'Overture,
Wagner's'Rienzi' Overture, Russian tenor, M. Vladimir Rosing, in which he was
and Massenet's 'March du Cid.' The greatestsuccess accompaniedon the pianoforteby SignorVeroli, a perfect
art. He tooktheplace of Madame
oftheconcertwas, however,the performance
by Miss Irene masterin thisdifficult
was notable to be
Scharrer,ofSaint-Saens'sConcertoin G minor,and several Rosing,who,on accountof indisposition,
works of Chopin. Miss Scharrer,who had never before present. In an exhaustingprogramme,M. Rosing gave
at Belfast,electrified
theaudienceby herplaying. ' The fourSeasonsof Love'-Spring, Summer,Autumn,and
performed
Rubinstein,
It is indeed difficult
to imaginethat any pianoforte
reading Winter-as portrayedby Rimsky-Korsakoff,
could be moreperfect,combiningas it did fineinterpretation
Schubert, Brahms, Duparc, Tcherepnin, Tchaikovsky,
and unerring
Martini, Chausson, Schunann, and CyrilScott. Unusual
technique.
and passion characterisedhis magnificent
and
Miss Ellen Suddaby,who possessesa charmingsoprano temperament
voice,also made herfirstappearanceat Belfast,hersinging expressivesinging- indeed, he seemed to fascinate his
beirg highlyappreciated. Mr. Newell, a verygood local audience in a marked degree. Not the least impressive
contributions
were comprisedin his encores, viz., Grieg's
baritone,also sang.
'Le Reve,' and Leoncavallo's ' Vesti la Giubba' from
BIRMINGHAM.
'I Pagliacci.'
An excellentstartwas made in Octoberinthelocal musical In connectionwith the Universityof Birmingham,Prof.
world,the manyconcertsgiven beingall wellattendedand Tovey gave a recitalof a series of Beethoven'sPianoforte
appreciated. The Appleby Matthews Sunday evening Sonatas at the Midland Instituteon October 24 and
orchestral
concertsat the FuturistCinemacontinueto draw followingFridays. He is no doubta Beethovenplayerpar
crowdedaudiences,and one is glad to see thatworksby new excellence
whomall studentsshouldhear. It is rareto listen
Englishcomposersfindtheirproperplace in theprogrammes.toso graphica readingofthe' Appassionata' as Prof.Tovey's.
Mr. J. D. Davis, a nativeof Birmingham,
and sprungfroma His conceptionand mastery
recalledsuchmemorable
strongly
musical family,was representedby a newly orchestratedinterpretations
as those of Anton Rubinsteinand Madame
'
the
from
his
Russian
The
piece,
prelude
opera
Carrefio.
Zaparogues,' given at the Theatre Royal by an amateur
The Midland Musical Society, which has alreadyin the
The
new
in
the
company 1895.
of
concert-arrangement
vindicateditsaffection
for Coleridge-Taylor's'Song of
past
on
three
based
on
mainthemes,is framed a big scale.
work,
Hiawatha,' once moreplaced thiswonderfully
originalchoral
Another Birmingham musician, Mr. CliffordRoberts, work
its
season's
it in the Town
in
programme,presenting
organistof St. Jude's Church, personallyconductedhis Hall on
October25, whenitwasconductedas usualby Mr.A.
'Pastorale' for strings,a distinctlymelodiouscomposition
was securedwhichhad
J. Cotton. A gratifying
performance
whichwas well playedand enthusiastically
received.
A Saturdayeveningconcertwas given at the Town Hall manyexcellentpoints,the choir (especiallystrongin female
on October 18, arrangedby our local baritone,Mr. Sidney voices) puttingplentyof energyinto its task along with
dramaticfervour. The interpretation
of the
Stoddard,in aid ofthe NationalInstitutefortheBlind. The emotionaland
orchestralscore was evidentlya labourof love
principal artists were Miss Rosina Buckman and Mr. picturesque
Maurice D'Oisly, who in operatic selections and some for the players,which they ably discharged. Excellent
was also renderedby the three principals,Miss
popular old songs-Tosti's 'Good-bye,' and 'Sullivan's service
' The Sailor'sGrave'-brought downthehouse,as thesaying MargaretHarrison,Mr. William Heseltine, and Mr. Alfred
to the concertwere Miss Askey.
goes. The other contributors
Cecilia Yeoman (pianoforte),Miss Nancy Guest, and Mr.
The firstof the QuinlanSubscription
Concertswas given
AlfredAskey (vocalists), Miss DorothyRoe (reciter),and in the Town Hall on October 28, in the presence of a
Dr. RowlandWinn,an excellentaccompanist.
packed audience, the great attractionbeing Madame
The firstof Mr. Max Mossel's series of four popular Tetrazzini,who had not appeared here since 1914. Her
concertswas held in the large Central Hall, when the voice is now fullerin its lower registerthan formerly,
programmewas devoted to a pianoforterecitalby Benno otherwisethere is no difference
in the qualityof her high
Moiseiwitsch. It was his onlyappearancehere previousto sopranotimbre,and technicallyhervocalisationtouchedthe
his extended American tour. His excellent and varied phenomenal,as hitherto. In addition to the Mad Scene
selectioncomprisedBach's ChromaticFantasia and Fugue, fromAmbroiseThomas's 'Hamlet,' and Verdi's'Ah ! forsP
Liszt's wonderfulSonata in B minor in one movement,lui' from'Traviata,' she contributedno end of encores,
Schumann's Carnaval, Op. 9, Ravel's 'Jeux d'Eaux,' amongthembeing' Voi che sapete' fromMozart's'Figaro,'
Debussy's 'Clair de Lune,' and Brahms's'Variations on a and 'The last roseof Summer,'sungin English,whichwas
Theme by Paganini.' There are twenty-eight
variations,givenwithslightornamentations.She had forhercoadjutors
but thesewere not played in the orderin whichtheywere an excellentItalian tenor,SignorLenghiCellini, Madame
the performer
written,
makinghis own choiceaccordingto Rende Chemet, the accomplished violinist, and Signor
his fancy. It was the crowningeffort
oftherecital,in which PietroCimara,an artisticaccompanist.

intheProvtnces.
SEuotc

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