September 5th, 1880
THE MUSICAL CRITIC AND TRADE REVIEW.
HOWE'S PHILADELPHIA LETTER.
voices. The career of these male choruses was as brilliant as it was brief. The success-
ful concert singing first took prominence in the Abt Society. This, with the Orpheus
Club and others, nourished immensely for a while. Presently the material began to give
out. Composers, that is all the great ones, who know more and see farther than singers,
P H I L A D E L P H I A , S e p t . 2, 1880.
had not wasted much time on writings exclusively for male voices. Whether the singers
THERE was never anything more truly spoken than John Ruskin's remark that man's grew weary of hearing serenades and drinking songs again and again I do not know, but
best work is always done for love. Not only in conservative England, where the words the public did.
were written, but here in active, practical, shall I say, self-loving America, the remark
THE ORPHEUS CLUB.
holds as good and is as true as an apothegm. I have just seen an evidence of it which re-
To-day
the
only
male
society
which gives regular public concerts during the season
called the matter to my mind. Previous letters have dealt considerably with the con-
ditions of the pianoforte trade. But we all know that this branch of artistic mechanics is is the Orpheus Club, skilfully c "mducted by Michael H. Cross. Its numerical strength is
no: what it used to be. A half dozen or more patented appliances are used indiscrimin- not large, but the management has always shown sufficient tact and good judgment to
ately by all builders, and there are nice little mechanical contrivances affecting both the secure solo talent to vary the inevitable monotony which a whole concert of male choruses
workmanship and the after working of an instrument which are used in the same way, produces. Under this plan, we may all feel glad that the Orpheus Club seems destined
both to save time and cheapen [the result. The piano builder in the old times when Jos. to continue successful.
J. Mickley took a first premium at the Franklin Institute in this city, began at the legs of
NO GREAT CHORUSES IN PHILADELPHIA.
the instrument and worked upwards until the piano was complete. That was in 1824. It
is not so any longer with pianos, but it is still so with that most delicate and delicious of
I will not pause now to mention the exclusively German singing societies. These,
instruments, the violin. Indeed for nearly two hundred years successful violin making more particularly the male choruses, such as the old and young Maennerchor, the Saenger-
has been a contest between the 'qualifications of single individuals rather than of great bund, etc., have done much ambitious and some beautiful singing ; but, as the very best
companies.
of it has been rendered for special occasions of importance and interest to Germans only,
the general public has had little opportunity to enjoy the efforts of these frequently well
CHARLES F. ALBERT.
cultivated singers. I have said enough in regard to chorus singing in our city to show, at
I had occassion to visit a violin maker a few days ago. He is recognized here as a a glance, why we have no great chorus in Philadelphia. If a very great and universally
leading man in his calling. Nor alone in this city. Charles F. Albert, although still a recognized conductor should ever show himself here, it is possible the various and neces.
young man, received the only prize awarded to an American maker of violins, at the last sarily-conflicting vocal elements might possibly combine under a single baton. They
HOWE.
Paris Exposition, in 1878. He possesses autograph letters from nearly every remarkable certainly never will as things are now.
violinist who has visited this country. They come from Ole Bull, from Vieuxtemps,
Wilhelmj, Remenyi, Camilla Urso, Sauret, Kopta, Wieniawski, and others. Nearly all of
these speak in high terms of Mr. Albert's qualities as a repairer, some comparing him to
Viullame, the noted Paris repairer. Every one of them speaks particularly of his G
violin strings and pronounces them the best in the world. He winds them with the aid of
JTJDIC.—Mdme. Judic will come to this country if any of the managers
a machine patented by himself. All of the foremost musicians in this city who play on
stringed instruments warmly endorse Mr. Albert. I wish you could see the interior of his who are seeking to engage her will pay $100,000 for 100 performances, and
workshop. It is a picture which dwells on the mind. Violins completed ; violins half deposit one-half this amount to her account in advance. We think she will
done ; slabs of rarely preserved old wood, exquisitely grained ; precious old instruments have to wait a little while longer.
on hand, occasionally for repairs ; all these are over your head hanging to the ceiling, or
AIMEE.—Mdme. Aimee will probably return to this country next year to
on work-benches round about you. And the young artificer sits among his treasures,
quiet, taciturn, always busy, thinking and working both at once, just as you might im- repair her fortune. She is said to have lost about $100,000 in 10 months.
agine old Stradivanus in his far away Cremonese workshop. Albert, as Ruskin says, does
JOTJKDAN.—Schubert's song recitals were recently given at the summer
good work because his heart is in it and he loves his calling.
residence at Newport, of Mrs. C. F. Chickering, of New York, by Jules
ALBERT, THE VIOLIN MAKER.—CHORAL SOCIETIES.—MALE SINGING CLUBS.
MUSICAL NOTES.
CHORUS MUSIC.
Jourdan.
FRENCH OPEEA TROUPE.—Mr. Maurice Grau, Miles. Paola-Marie, Mary
Albert, and all the principal artists of Mr. Grau's new French Opera Com-
pany, arrived on Wednesday last per steamship Canada, of the General
Transatlantic Company. Mr. Grau's company began rehearsals of the new
opera, "La Fille du Tambour Major," which is to be produced for the first
time in America at the Standard theatre on the evening of the 13th instant.
SUNDAY CONCEBTS.—This kind of entertainments, which is en vogue in
New York, is objected to in Canada. Fortunately, we do not belong to Her
Majesty's Dominions,
FBOBISHEB.—An informal literary and musical reception was given by
Prof, and Mrs. J. E. Frobisher, at the College of Oratory, No. 54 E. 21st
street, on Thursday evening last.
THE HANDEL AND HAYDN SOCIETY.
OBITUARY.—Stephen A. Holbrook, organizer of the Harmonic Society of
The Handel & Haydn Society of this city, which has thus far maintained its nominal
status, was, for a long period, the chief choral body. It has been in existence for about Newark, and its conductor for fifteen years, died suddenly on Wednesday,
twenty-three years. During many of these years it occasionally combined with noted the 1st inst.
soloists from foreign opera companies to produce creditable oratorio music. As time and
FANCELLI.—Sig. Fancelli is said to be engaged at the San Carlo, Lisbon.
education progressed together, it became possible to secure American artists, with whose
aid equally good work has been done. This until somewhat recently. For two seasons
MIOLAN.—M. Ullman has engaged Mdme. Miolan Carvalho for a tour of
the Handel and Haydn has done nothing at all in public, and it is doubtful if the society, 20 concerts in the principal cities of France, in October and November.
during that period, has been called together for rehearsals. I do not even know if it has
any leader.
TTJBPIN.—Mr. E. H. Turpin has been appointed Lecturer on Musical
History to Trinity College, London.
THE CECILIAN CHORUS.
HUBEB.—Joseph Huber, composer of "Die Eose von Lebanon," has
The most numerically prominent, and certainly the most active of the existing sing-
ing societies, is the Cecilian Chorus. This is in some respects a continuation of the Bee- written another "music-drama," "Irene."
thoven Society, founded by Carl Wolfsohn in 1870. Some six or seven years ago the
BIVTEBE.—It is reported that M. Riviere, the well known composer and
Beethoven Society came under the direction of Michael H. Cross, and after a single sea- conductor, while out with a fishing party at Sandley, near Gillingham, Dor-
son of the new leadership it was reorganized, or as some members might insist, replaced
by the society which now sings under the title of the Cecilian. The present choice of a set, met with a serious accident. In jumping a ditch, he fell, breaking his
leader is a very happy one. Mr. Cross is a most versatile musician, having studied and leg.
experimented in almost every branch of the art. In instrumental music, particularly
MILLS.—Mr. S. B. Mills registered at the Clarendon, Saratoga, last
chamber compositions, he has immense knowledge and experience. He has had a life-
time of practice at the organ. He plays creditably a half dozen or more instruments ; week.
PAOLA MABIE.—Mile. Paola Marie, the prima donna of Maurice Grau's
but he is always at his best when leading a chorus. The Cecilian has done quite a quan-
tity of large and important works in the oratorio line, and has the credit of first giving opera bouffe troupe, took a walk on Broadway on Wednesday evening in
Handel's "Samson," in Philadelphia. At concerts, about 200 voices are usually mus- company of a good looking young gentleman, most likely a tenor or baritone
tered. Not this many are often to be found in rehearsals; and the male element, on these of the troupe.
occasions, is particularly weak.
THE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.—Gen. Hancock gave a private musical
THE MENDELSSOHN CLUB.
reception on Governor's Island on Wednesday last, and among the guests
In point of artistic culture, there is no society which has displayed recently so much was John N. Pattison, who played his " Honneur et Patrie," which he has
talent as the Mendelssohn Club. This organization is so feeble in numbers (about 35 "Dedicated to the Second Army Corps and their commander." He received
voices) that it does not essay any of the larger choral works. But under the guidance of the thanks and compliments of Gen. Hancock and the company. In case of
their intelligent and wide-awake leader, Mr. William W. Gilchnst, it is surprising how Gen. Hancock's election, we hope to see Pattison removed to Washington.
much difficult, beautiful, and altogether new music (that is, new to us), the ladies and Suwn cuique.
gentlemen of the Mendelssohn Club have succeeded in rendering. Last spring this club
SAENGEBFEST IN DETBOIT.—The third annual festival of the Peninsular
sang at Chickering Hall, in your city, by invitation, and all of your dailies distributed
hearty praise upon their efforts. Mr. Gilchrist is still a young man. Like all such, he Saengerbund commenced on August 31, and was continued on September 1
has progressive ideas, and works very hard. He aims to bring out the club, during the and 2, in the New Music Hall, especially erected for this occasion, on Ran-
coming season, with Robert Schumann's " Faust" music, and other compositions which are dolph street. Max Bruch's cantata on Schiller's poems, for solo, quartette,
novelties here.
chorus, orchestra and organ, was one of the principal works performed. The
chorus, composed of the Detroit Musical Society and the Harmonic com-
THE WEST PHILADELPHIA CHORAL SOCIETY.
bined, numbers 250 voices, and evidences the careful drilling given them by
There is a larger mixed chorus under Mr. Gilchnst's directorship known as the West their leader, Frederic Abel; the sopranos and altos, most of them young
Philadelphia Choral Society. This chorus comprises about 100 voices. Most of girls, sang with a freshness and vigor that was surprising. The following
the singers are old and competent musicians. The society was founded in 1868, and Avas the programme for the remainder of the festival: On Tuesday after-
was the first to produce Beethoven's now familiar Mass in C, which it did with 200 noon a miscellaneous concert, at which Mile. Nellini, Miss Antonia Henne,
voices, on the centennial anniversary of the composer's birthday, in 1870. There is every
reason to look for good work from this chorus, in the near future. The same leader has Bischoff, Remmertz, and the violinist, Remenyi, assisted. Tuesday even-
charge of the Amphion Society, of 60 mixed voices, in Germantown, a suburban portion of ing's programme, Mendelssohn's violin concerto and " Walpurgis Night,"
with songs by the soloists. Wednesday afternoon and evening were devoted to
the city only a few miles out,
two concerts, embracing Beethoven's violin concerto, " Penelope and Odys-
MALE SINGING SOCIETIES.
seus," a scene for soprano, and the "Emigration of the Normans," male
The male singing societies are no longer popular here. In the years from 1870 to chorus with baritone solo, both by Max Bruch. Several other societies
1874, there was a perfect frenzy over male singing. I am not sure that this temporary from the neighboring cities contributed their male choruses to the various
«
fashion was not largely to blame for. so disturbing and disintegrating the societies of mixed programmes.
I have hitherto postponed mentioning our choral societies, since the season of vica-
tion keeps them generally concealed from public notice. As, however, before your next
issue several of them will have resumed work for the season, I will run hastily over the
more prominent of the list. Before commencing the very brief series I cannot avoid de-
ploring the secondary artistic condition, the financial straits, the numerical weakness and
the lack of general interest which cling to the condition of chorus-music in Philadelphia.
Twenty years ago there was a stronger choral force at active work in this city than any
single organization can now boast. There were not, of course, greater acquirements, but
the organizing tendencies were more marked. At present the forces, which, speaking in
the potential mood, might, could and should do noble work, are nearly frittered away
among a group of societies, not one of which is of sufficient vocal capacity to undertake
a great composition with any hope of more tcan that of second-rate success.