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Show PRAISE FOR Hilt; IS H A MUSICAL CRITIC The Ogden Tabernacle choir, Ogden and the Ogden canyon are given international inter-national publicity through the columns col-umns of the August 5 issue of the "Musical Courier" in a section of Editor Edi-tor Leonard Liebling's story of his recent trip to the Pacific coast and return. Mr Liebling and his secretary, Millard Mil-lard H. Ellison, passed the afternoon and evening of July 13 in Ogden, as guests of Professor Ballantyne and the Ogden Tabernacle choir. The local lo-cal stories of his visit were reproduced repro-duced in the July 28 issue of the "Musical Courier" and his own impressions im-pressions of the visit nrc given in the following paragraphs taken from the August 5 issue "Through the Sierra Nevadas, covering cov-ering wide wastes of wonderful alkali desert, and winding up with a forty-mile forty-mile trestle trip over the Great Salt Lake, wo reached the fair city of Ogden, Og-den, one of the large Mormon strongholds strong-holds In Utah. Mormons received us at the station, Mormons entertained enter-tained us, Mormons sang and played for us. We found them to be, contrary con-trary to our expectations, a very jolly, very human, very musical and very broad minded lot of men and women. They understand fully the light in which they are regarded by many persons per-sons who never have seen or met a Mormon and they are keenly amused at the Ignorance which underlies such an attitude. Most of the Mormons Mor-mons we encountered did not speak of Mormonism until we broached the subject for purposes of knowledge, and thenthey discussed all its phases with refreshing freedom and truthfulness. truthful-ness. Playful remarks by ourself regarding polygamy were received with utmost good nature and in most cases turned against the projector with keen repartee. One gentleman remarked that while many eastern and western tourists used to stop at Ogden and Salt Lake during the days when polygamy was legal there, now most of them, for some reason or "Other, traveled straight through and went on, respectively, to San Francisco Fran-cisco and New York. An address made at a luncheon oy a music editor, edi-tor, in which he began by calling his audience "Fellow Musicians and Fellow Mormons," was received so well that a fine mutual understanding was established at onco and maintained maintain-ed splendidly to the end of tho visit in Utah. When one notes tho thriving thriv-ing and constantly growing communities communi-ties of Ogden and Salt Lako, sees their impressive buildings and municipal mu-nicipal achievements, meets their manly men and their dollghtful women wom-en among whom beauty is the rule rather than the exception hears tho excellent music, and realizes the , strength of the belief that brought these people together originally and has enabled them to found a rich and enlightened state in this union, then one is forced to tho conclusion that there must be something intrinsically intrinsic-ally fine in Mormonism when It is leavened with the spirit of this ago and of Americanism. In that respect re-spect Mormonism is much like Christianity Chris-tianity in this country, even though Mormons do not like the comparison. "Wo motored about the environs of Ogden and saw the lovely canyon and mountain views that surround the city. The new waterworks also were visited. Wo know as little about engineering as it iB possible for an adult to know and yet be a citizen, but we liked very much the taste and coldness of the aqua pura that bubbled bub-bled forth from tho eighteen natural springs which supply the city of Ogden Og-den with water Wo liked also the spectacle of Mayor A. G. Fell, attired at-tired in boots and muddy clothes, standing knee deep in mud directing the sinking of a shaft In the hunt for new wolls. The mayors we had met hitherto spent most of their time in comfortable leather cushioned chairs, giving interviews to newspa per reporters and speculating on the chances of re-election. "From Mr. Ballantyne wo learned that the Tabernacle choir which he directs averages 240 mixed voices. On the morrow the organization was scheduled to undertake a Pacifio Coast trip (the success of the trip has been chronicled In tho Musical Courier since the writing of Mr. Liebling's Lieb-ling's notes. Acting Editor) with 200 of Its members participating. Mr. Ballantyne, one of the amiable Mormons Mor-mons aforementioned, acquired some of his musical education in New York and Europe, but he prefers to be considered con-sidered essentially a Utah product 'I have taught my singers as much as I could, but I never cease- to learn from them,' he said modestly, 'and together to-gether we are educating ourselves and Ogden musically.' However, tho sphere of influence of the Ogden Tabernacle Tab-ernacle choir Is much more than local, lo-cal, for the present Pacific trip of the body Is not its first acquaintance with the farthest west. In 1905 the O. T. C went to the Lewis and Clark exposition at Portland, and in 1907 the same singers appeared in San Francisco and Sacramento. In tho latter city there were 10.500 paid admissions ad-missions at 50 cents. The choir was guaranteed $3,500 for tho engagement, engage-ment, which proves that the local manager banked shrewdly and correctly cor-rectly on the reputation of the Ogden choristers. Mr. Ballantyne informed us that his city is proud of its famous choir and doubtless will undertake other large traveling enterprises in the future. It is to be hoped that some of them will include sorties to the far cast. In the evening we had tho great honor to be one of the very few guests at a special concert given by the O. T. C. with the program reproduced in this article. The singing was of an exceptional order, striking freshness of voices, remarkable comipand of the dynamic range In all its gradations, finically precise attack, admirable diction, dic-tion, and unswerving intonation being some of the qualities that stood forth markedly. Mr. Ballantyne is a true artist with the baton, for not only does he achieve technical perfection and musical delivery, but also he uscb the chorus as an interpretative instrument in-strument and gets from the massed voices striking effects in color, in emotional exposition and In dramatic presentation. Tiie Gounod and Verdi performances were especially noteworthy note-worthy in that regard. Emma Lucy Gates did not sing the "Caro Nome," but Instead gave Eck-ert's Eck-ert's "Echo Song," in a style thoroughly thor-oughly surprising. She has complete coloratura control and her utterances are carolled forth with truly amazing ease and finish. Tho voice Is of clear, silvery timber. A boon to musical mu-sical hoarers was the exquisite taste with which the soprano moulded and colored the phrases of the Eckert song, in itself not the highest type of vocal composition. It Is a perfect vehicle, however, for any coloratura as routined and versatile as that of Miss Gates. An encore was demanded demand-ed so enthusiastically that the performer per-former could do nothing else but respond, re-spond, and she did so with Lohr'3 "Laddie," a lovoly bit of emotional Ringing that made a deep appeal. Leon Hoffmolster, an agreeably toned baritone, sang very well. Sam F. Whltaker did some tasteful organ work during tho concert, and dlscrlml- 1 -- agtaBagnBcaMWM nating piano accompaniments were furnished by Tracy Y. Cannon and B. Cecil Gates In addition to the above story, r Liebling has utilized a good part of four pages of tho "Courier" in tho reproduction of pictures which were furnished him at his request while in Ogden Among them are a half-page picture of the Ogden Tabernacle choir taken in the Tabernacle Just prior to its departure for California on Juno 1-1, with an insert of Director Joseph Ballantyne In tho upper left hand corner; cor-ner; smaller picture of the choir taken In Festival hall at Portland, Ore , in 1905, and In San Francisco in 1907; a group picture of 19 young lady members of the choir taken in Ogden for publicity purposes on the California tour; a full sized reproduction reproduc-tion of tho program used at tho recital re-cital given in honor of Mr. Liebling by the choir, Miss Emma Lucy Gates and Mr. Leon Hoffraclster, on the occasion oc-casion of his visit here; and a fine picture of the Hermitage in Ogden canyon. . sr- |
