Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-09-22
srful. and under perfect control. Of good
range and quality.

range ana QuhlIty.
THE GRACE-sTREET oUARTErTE.
The Grace-street Baptist church choir.
which 10 under the direction or Mt. Eu-
gar L. Justis. IL ono OF the suohsest
Quartettes in the city. The lady mem
bers are Misses Mary A. Hopkins ana
Bessie Powell Mr.. Haddon Watkins 10
the tenor. and q bass has not yet been
selected to I'll the vacancy caused by the
resignation Of Mr.. Vivian FAUX. MI.
Watkins was born In Powhatnn county
thirty-eight years ago. In MS carrier
days he, like Captain Frank Cunningham.
aspIred to be q bass singer. ana not
until he was Is years old did he ma ms
voice to be Q tenor. He moved to hlch-
mond about ten years ago. and has peen
singing ever since. with the exception
OF ons season at All-Saints. at Grace
Street Baptist church. where he IS hkeiy
to sing until his voice falls him. He
has q magnificent tenor OF great power,
compass. and sweetness. and as a Gospei
singer he hns been so successful as TO
be eagerly sought after by preachers con-
Quoting revivals. As q concert-singer he
Is hardly less popular than as church-
singer. and there is hardly a town In
the State In which he has not been re-
peatedly invited to sing.
Miss Hopkins, the soprano at Grace
Street, was born In Connecticut, and Is
yet In her teens. Most Of her musical
training was received In Boston, where
she studied for some years under the
leading teachers. Her voice Is a mezzo
OF purest quality, which che handles with
artistic ease. and but for her modesty m
appearing before the public she would
rapidly be recognized by all as enc OF
our leading sopranos. She has sung one
season at Grace-Street, and they were
so delighted with her that they engaged
her Cor the coming season at double her
former salary, and say they intend to
keep her 80 long as she sings.
SINGS AT ALLSAINTS.
Mrs. John J. Durrett Is the exclusive
property OF All-Saints. that being the
only church she has ever sung In. Some
years since she was engaged there as
contralto In the second quartette, the
choir being composed OF double quar-
tette ut that time, but when the church
decided to reduce the choir TO a single
quartette they were so much pleased with
her singing that they offered her the po-
sition as contralto She has been there
ever since, and, II possible, the people
there enjoy her singing moro now than
ever. Her voice is OF unusual depth and
richness being, as a fine 'cello-rlayer
here said. exactly the same quality as
the wonderful "A" string on his instru-
ment.
Mr.. Oscar Il. Lohmann. who sings this
season at the First Baptist church, Is so
universally admitted TO be the bass singer
OF Richmond. and is SO well known that
Il IL almost unnecessary to speak or
him at length. lie has sung IN all the
leading churches here. and his reputation
as 8 choir-slnger is unsurpassed. He has
voice OF unusual range, singing
from C below the bass stop to + above.
a compass Of two and a half octaves, OF
magnificent richness. or. as Frank Cum
bingham says. las smooth as OIL"
Miss Nellie McCance Rogers, who this
season has the direction OF the music at
All-Saint.. has been singing In church for
about eight years. She has mezzo voice
of great power. and is we'll adapted for
leading soprano. She sung for several
seasons at st. Paui's. but has been at
All Saints for six years. and has so en-
deared herself TO that congregation that
II Is very likely she will remain there as
long as she cares to do SO. This is the
first time che has ever had exclusive d.
rection Of the music, and her friends are
confident that with her energy and ability
she will make II a success She and
Mrs Durrett are the highest-paid singers
| in Richmond.
Mrs. Carrie Stauds Rowe. the contralto
| at tne flrSl BdpllSt CHuICil, IL one Oh tne
| favorlte Richmond singers. She studied
| In Boston for some time, and sang for a
| season on the stage Her forte lies, pos
sibly more In dramatic than IN church
| music. Nevertheless. the people at the
| First church consider her unsurpassed by
any singer here.
| Mis-, Eva Lawson. the soprano ut the
First Baptist church. has q voice Of
| great power and sweetness, which she
uses in X thoroughly artistic manner.
| Her voice shows very marked improve
| OUR SWEET TENOR.
| II is no exaggeration TO say that Cap
| tain Frank Cunningham. who sings at
the First Baptist church. is better and
| moro widely known than any other vo-
calist In the State. He adopted his style
Of singing from the late Mr.. BEDFORD,
and has carried II 10 q high pitch OF ex-
cellence. He has a voice Of peculiar and
| penetrating sweetness. which he uses
| with boundless expression. 1t is Of con-
siderable range. and pure lyric quality.
| Captain Franks services are often in
| demand. and wherever the cause OF
| charity may be furthered, wherever there
| Is a load Of care on the heart OF n fellow
| wanderer capable OF being removed. and
| whenever friends are gathered round the
| open grave-side OF n departed brother,
| "Our Frank" counts not the cost, II only
he may be present 10 solace the distressed
ones with a free use Of the gift that
God has so generously bestowed upon