Page 26
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES
A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION
‘Four Centuries’ Of Homes Brings
Union County’s History to Life
small simple six-over-six windows in
the original section versus the more
elaborate millwork surrounding large
bay windows in the final parlor addition.
The entire home was moved from
its original Route 22 locale to its
current setting in 1985. It features a
room dedicated to the war veterans of
Elaborate architectural moldings,
Ionic pilasters and columns flank
AREA — It has often been said
not only the exterior façade but the
that if walls could talk, every house
interior fireplaces and room enwould have a unique story to tell.
trances. It features large leaded glass
This past weekend, the 23 sites sewindows, an expansive open string
lected for Union County’s “Four
staircase with raised-panel moldCenturies in a Weekend” tour spoke
ings and carved stringer ornamenvolumes about our local history.
tation, as well as gilded mirrors and
Beyond the words
original oil
presented in inforpaintings of
mative brochures
the time peavailable at each loriod.
cation, the homes
Also interalso told their stoesting to note
ries through archiis the use of
tectural details such
tiles left over
as fireplace mantels,
from the buildstaircases, millwork
ing of the Holand windows. Tourland Tunnel
ing each site althat line the
lowed visitors to exwall behind
perience and comthe 10-burner
pare different eras
Vulcan range
of local living.
in the kitchen.
Built in the early
By being
1700s, the Osborn
able to experiCannonball House in
ence the atmoScotch Plains got its
sphere and dename after being
tails of homes
struck by a cannonfrom various
ball during the Revocenturies all in
lutionary War. The
one weekend,
white clapboard
Christie Storms for The Westfield Leader and The Times visitors could
structure features low PARLOR TRICKS...Period artifacts fill the living room of the Osborn Cannon- really get a feel
hand-hewn ceilings, ball House in Scotch Plains, including an authentic Victorian Hair Wreath which for the changes
a narrowly steep was often woven by women in mourning using the hair of departed loved ones. that occurred
staircase and origias our county
nal wide floorboards. Despite its mod- Mountainside, genuine Union County grew and prospered. Thanks to the
est size, it once housed the Osborns tax ledgers from the 1800s and dis- many dedicated volunteers and careand their eight children. Dressed in plays of period textiles.
takers of the properties, these hisperiod costume, Ginger Bishop, a doVisitors at the Deserted Village of torically significant stories can concent from the Scotch Plains Historical Feltville in Berkeley Heights were tinue to be shared with future genSociety, acquainted tourists with arti- invited to taste apple cider from an erations.
facts such as a dry sink, jelly cupboard, authentic cider press operated by volold toys and decorative wreaths wo- unteers from Boy Scout Troup 23 of
ven from human hair.
Elizabeth.
In Westfield, members of the Motts
This site consisted of several hisArtillery recreated army camp life in torical structures from the original midtheir Revolutionary War uniforms and 19th-century mill town. The houses
greeted visitors at the circa-1740 Miller- typically featured more than one enCory House. Administrator Joan Barna try, fireplace and staircase, indicating
and Arlene Soong fired up the authentic occupation by multiple families, most
beehive oven to prepare dishes typical likely those who worked at the mill.
of the time period, such as cornbread,
The exterior of the Crane-Phillips
pork and apple pie, baked beans and House in Cranford is a vibrant dis“Bubble and Squeak,” a stew com- play of late 19th-century colors. This
prised of bacon, potatoes and cabbage. Victorian-style cottage houses artiThe chore demonstrations, colonial facts such as a wood burning stove
wares and simple furnishings helped and primitive “washing machine.”
provide a genuine representation of Visitors were invited to operate its
early American farm life.
authentic pump faucet in the kitchen.
The Deacon Andrew Hetfield
The majestic Twin Maples House
House in Mountainside was built in in Summit reflects the grandeur of
Christie Storms for The Westfield Leader and
The Times
three stages beginning with the origi- the 1900s. Modeled after the neoclasTHE
LIFE...Ginger Bishop,
nal circa-1760 dwelling and ending sical style of the White House, it docentSIMPLE
of the Scotch Plains Historical
with the addition completed in 1830. reflects upscale trends of an era when Society, provided detailed informaChanges in the architectural details railroads first allowed businessmen tion about colonial life as she guided
of each period are evident, such as in to commute to New York City while visitors through the Osborn Cannonthe varied widths of siding and the living in New Jersey’s finest suburbs. ball House tour.
By CHRISTIE STORMS
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times
Beethoven, Jersey Style
NJSO Travels ‘The Beethoven Route’ in Kickoff Concert
By VICTORIA McCABE
Specially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times
AREA — Nineteenth-century composer Richard Wagner once declared
that Beethoven broke the symphonic
form. Wagner said that, with his Ninth
Symphony, Beethoven had pushed
the symphony as far as it could go,
and that to attempt to match
Beethoven’s effort would be futile.
And though composers since
Beethoven have in fact ventured to
write symphonies again, the Ninth
(so widely revered and so familiar
that the “Symphony” part is almost
superfluous) still stands as one of the
cornerstones of the Beethoven myth
and as one of the greatest masterpieces in all of classical music.
Last Friday night, the New Jersey
Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), under
the baton of Neeme Järvi, kicked off
its season-long exploration of
Beethoven’s music-history-altering
symphonies with a clever and appropriate “The Beethoven Route: 1 & 9”
program. The only program of the
series that would feature Beethoven’s
work exclusively, experiencing the
composer’s first and last symphonies
back-to-back promised to be extraordinary.
Even for a true Beethoven fanatic,
the performance exceeded expectations. With the First Symphony, conductor and orchestra showed us the
symphony as Beethoven found it. With
the Ninth, they showed us how
Beethoven transformed it. And their
inspired performance left us eager to
return for every symphony in between.
During the First Symphony, the
orchestra played as a row of percussion instruments sat unmanned off to
one side – a hint at the aesthetic
evolution that was to come.
The NJSO performed the most tra-
Happy Halloween
NINE LIVES...Neeme Järvi, musical director of New Jersey Symphony Orchestra (NJSO), conducts his musicians. In his second year with the NJSO, Maestro
Järvi will lead his orchestra through a season-long exploration of Beethoven’s
nine symphonies.
ditional symphony Beethoven would
ever write with aplomb. The crisp technique the musicians employed in the
first movement allowed the oboe and
wind melodies to soar, and the cellos
and second violins blended for beautiful passages in the second movement.
It was a fine performance, and as
delightful as many of the piece’s
moments are, above all it generated
amazing excitement for the program’s
latter half.
* * * *
At the premiere performance of the
Ninth Symphony in 1824,
Beethoven’s audience was completely
confused. As people entered the theater, they had absolutely no idea what
a choir was doing on the stage. This
was a symphony – four movements,
four sets of expectations, a conductor, an orchestra, but definitely no
choir. Of course, by then the music
world had seen Beethoven defy conventions in myriad ways, but this was
exceptionally odd.
Odder still was the music they heard
– every movement had an unfinished
air to it, and there were many more
musical jokes than the mere inclusion
of a choir in a purely instrumental form.
Even though this modern audience
knew at least a little about what
Beethoven had up his sleeve for the
Ninth, walking back into the theater
after intermission and seeing the 140member Montclair State University
Chorale on stage with a considerably
bulkier orchestra was quite impressive.
Unlike the more form-abiding First
Symphony, the Ninth breaks conventions from the very first note, and the
captivating Maestro Järvi physically
embodied the contrasting musical
styles of the two pieces. Conducting
the stately First Symphony, his physical expressions came through his arms
– he danced with them in the third
scherzo movement, he gestured
grandly in the finale.
But for the overwhelming Ninth,
Järvi’s own movements were as impassioned as the notes. He conducted
with his whole body, at turns wild, at
others tender, emoting the wide spectrum of the piece’s emotional range.
Beethoven wastes no time adding
to his audiences confusion; the opening measures of the symphony are
open fifths that, for one matter, don’t
sound like an opening melody, and
for another, do sound exactly like an
orchestra tuning. It’s a brilliant trick,
and in the NJSO’s hands, the “tuning” melody rose into a sense of urgency, immediately asserting itself
as a whole different musical aesthetic.
The timpanist showed excellent command; his instrument thundered, underscoring the impact of the augmented instrumentation Beethoven
wrote into the symphony.
Some small missteps appeared – a
few erratically punctuated phrases, a
few sloppy notes in a solo – but they
were hardly noticeable and immediately forgotten as the orchestra dug
into the tempestuous tonal ambiguities that drive the symphony forward.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
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16 to 18 lb. Oven-Baked-To-Perfection Turkey
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8 to 10 lb. Boneless USDA Prime Rib (Medium Rare)
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We have hundreds of hot Hors D’Oeuvres, Side Dishes and Desserts to choose from.
Come in and we’ll plan your Holiday needs.
908-233-9733
439 south avenue west, westfield, nj
(right by the Circle)
visit our website at www.clyneandmurphy.com
fax: 908-518-7770