Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-12-28
A Desirable Thing to Do.

is no possible doubt that the third meeting
should come here.
~
A Desirable Thing to Do.
1t is not too late, by any means, for any
and every music-lover hereabouts, profes-
sional or not, to subscribe the modest fee of
81, as an active or associate member
of the P. S. NJ. r. A. Whether you can go
to Philadelphia or not makes small differ
cnce on this score; the sum Is trit1ing to
each one, but it goes with many others to
make the success OF this admirable effort to
advance the general musical interests of our
grand old State. Moreover all assistance
from our end OF the State for the present
meeting in Philadelphia will in all likeli-
hood be returned with interest when the as
sociation meets in Pittsburg.
Special notice has already been made in
this department regarding the active share
to be taken by musicians from this vicinity.
The general scheme for the three davs' ses-
sion, according to the most accurate inform
alton now obtainable, is as follows:
MONDAY, DECEMBER 29.
$50 A. M.-Address of welcome on behalf of
the city. Response by the President. Essay
J. H. Kurzenknabe, Harrisburg, Country
Singing Class Teachers" Discussion. Essay
!. Z. kockersperger, Philadelphia, Past and
Present Methods of Teaching and Study"
Discussion. Recital, vocalist, Mrs. Agnes q.
Naille; pianist, Edmon Morris.
AFTERNOON
2P. M.-Reception; essay, H. A. Clark, Musi-
cal Director, How Music Became Fine Art !"
Discussion. Essay, A. w. Borst, "The Modern
Church Organst." Discussion. Essay, H. E.
Coggswel, Music in the Public Schools
Discussion. Business session; presentation of
reports from the county vice presidents; pre-
sentatiOn OF reports from the chairmen of
specialist committees: consideration of the
question of the establishment of piano and
organ tuners union; selection of next place of
meeting.
EVENING.
Concert, SP.M.-Pianist c, Sternbere; VIOLIN
ist Frederick f Hahn; vocslists Miss Theo. B.
Wormley. soprano; Mr.. Emil GasteI, baritone;
accompanies. Mr.. Thomas a'Becket, Jr. Pro-
Eramne includes trio-piano, violin, cello
Ad. ". FOersuer; pianist, Oh. E. Knauss: violin,
Gustav Hille; cello Rudolph Hennig.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 90
$50 a. M-Essay, Beveridge Webster, Pitts
burg. Discussion. Essay, Michael II. Cross.
Musical Criticism" Discussion. Essay, F.
Carneil, WilliamspOrt. The Organization and
pi1nist, c. Z. Heffley, Pittsburg: vocalist
Miss Margaret A. Neyins, Catasauqua,
AFTERNOON.
PIP. M.-Lecture and Recital, IAN Evening
With the Piano; Some of Its Music and Musi-
clans, Mrs. N. Gregory Murray. VOcalists,
Miller, baritone. Business session. Aa4
EVENING.
Concert. s P. M.-Pianist, Michael ]. Kerize
Nocalists, Nine Z. Suelke, soprano; Mr.. Karl
hausche, tenor. Accompanist, A. w. Borst.
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 81.
$50 A. M.-Essay, a. R. Taylor, Vocal Art;'
discussion; essay, c. Slernberg, 'Class Teach
ing Piano." discussion; essay, H. q. Thunder
Tonic Sol Fa;'' discussion; recital pianist
Michael Cohen; violinist Hymen Cohen.
AFTERNOON.
2P. M.-Essay. Miss Helen A. Clarke, Music
al development Illustrated in Myths" Recital
Pianist, Mrs. Kate Q. Lppa, Pittsburg; Mrs
Carl Retter: vocalist. Miss Agnes Nogel; song
Loreleyi business session, election of officers.
EVENING.
Organ concert at Second Presbyterian
Church, Twenty-hrst and Walnut streets;
organist Oh. Davis Carter, Pittsburg; ].
FreGeric Wolfe Bethlehem; J. w. Pommer
prano; Frank Carnell, Mus. Bac, tenor; Harry
N. Mays, basso.
An Ancient Piece of Music.
An interesting feature of the Christmas
music at ST. Johns P. E. Church, Law
renceville, was the aScription sung by the
Burpliced choir after the sermon. 1t was
adapted and harmonized by the organist
and chOir-master, Mr.. Dan Dore Ezechiels,
from the famous Hymn to ST. john"
written in the year 40 by Paul, deacon of
the Church OF Aquila.
This Old hymn, or chant, played an i'm
portant role in musical history. The words
were as follows:
Ut queant laxis,
Resonare fibris,
Mira gestorum,
FamuH tuorum,
Solve polluti,
Iabil reatum,
Sancte Johannes.
And it so happened that in the air OF the
chant the first syllable of each line but the
last fell upon the successive tones of the
scale, C, d, E, etc, After it had been sung
Tor over four centuries the monk, Guido
Aretinus, dawned upon the musical horizon
(it the narrow limits of the art in those days
could warrant the term) and invented the
modern system of notation by means of
staff, with lines and spaces indicating the
pitch, using the syllables from the old chant
TO designate the notes. The cut" was
changed to edo" for convenience and
euPhony and a seventh syllable "si" (de-
rived from initials of the last line, S and y
WAS introduced in the seventeenth century
and thus the system has stood ever since.
Our schoolboys and girls to-day owe their
do, re, mi, ia, SOL la, 81, do to this chant
more than /, 100 years old.
Mr.. Ezechiels, by the way, who arranged
for st. Johns Christmas service this hymn
to that church's patron saint, and who is
comparatively recent acquisition to our mu-
sical circles, is one of the graduates of the
institution known as "The Kings Twenty
two Pupils" in The Hague, Holland.
The King does not do The teaching,
but be does provide the funds for Civ
ing a musical education 10 a constant
enrolment of % deserving students, who are
put through four years course of abstruse
musical lore quite unlike the curriculum of
most conservatories. Mr.. Ezechiels was
there a favored pupil OF the eminent Dutch
composer, Marinus. Before coming to Pitts
burg he was for five years teacher OF music