New-York tribune., 1896-12-06

WELL DRILLED CHORCSlo AMI Nl'NA' 'N-'A
OF so1.o1srs-GEaMAN sAENGERBUNDs AND
ENGLISH CHORAL ORGANIZATIONS.
Song and singing societies In Brooklyn nave al
ways occupied a strange position. anu Inc "iS,o'.
Of the last fifteen years in relation 10 'he'" ""'.
combined with a recital OF their prese'oe' :.
chronicle full OF interest. In some particulars IL "
q recital Of rise and fall, of triumphs q'hoN,' T.,
and then new combinations and new ieaoers' IA
others OF long continued prosperity anu
sary following anniversary.
All of this seems complex and enigmatica' pu' ~
is really simple when the conditions arc o"00 -.'
derstood. Brooklyn. 10 begin with' iS iiu'0~
her fnger-tips, and any enterprise oi 'i'o ~
sort finds the hear,iest support fer time a' 'e'''
The difficulty has been TO make such Oh s
live In many cases. after seasons OF successes
societies have fallen from their high musica es'e'
Whom this came about rev clubs wouid a'iSe'
nbnnix-like under new names ana des'ii'eu ~ W."
similar brilliant triumphs'
Ir,o two great classes does song In Brooklyn re-
solve itself; on the one side Of the line the sesaS
verein" or German singing societies. coiiie'.i's
among themselves and against ike cluos Ill o'"''
cities sngly or en- masse, for vocal hohors' oi "'
o+ber the English choral ORGANIZATIONS inc orh'oi
ical operatic cantata and giee ciuDs' III winch
women play and have played iaise anu 49,
part The "gesangverens." with ie" eAeep''O'''
have their meeting-places In the Eas'ei" D''''''
and most of their members are u"e"e'' "
"Dutchtown" or on its outskirts. Ihe Ahsn'1i
cubs centre on the Heights. though the men al"
women that make them up come from every wneio,
and old Williamsburg, around the FOUNTAIN Oh
Radford-ave has been of song importance io'
many year. i, ,.o.,,
Tbousands. of course have been factors IN brook-
lvn's musical life and yet few have mace d MAJ
IN II that entities them to place IN th's Ho-'o U
tho citv's history The reason Of this Is NOT u'ih
cll
ouke a-a GREAT armies battalions or rank anu 'ie,
and a few captains and generals. ms System y,
military rule of hard drilling with occaSio""
halts for needed refreshment. Is what mas '
tho German saengerbunds TO their hsh Po'''i
Tho BroolSlyn Choral Society, which IS now o"' =.
the musical race. having no chorus anu S.'"ia'
keen,ng I'D its organization by an election oi oi'-
GERS each year. was four or five seasons aso o'7
=, tho most perfect pieces Of musical machinery
oror arranged Each member of the chorus was
known by number alone. Each hao u u0Ne'' N
without that ticket could not get INTO 'he wen!
rehearsals On numbered sneet s'cr ms checked
she or he entered the rehearsal-rooh' waS oara
ofy The sheets were afterward examined i, caie
fully and any member absent WI rtbomt ~ anpeal
without valid excuse was dropped Wllnous ,ia
II was rigorous In its harsEness cour
in its discipline. but It turned out oces For each
drilled body of nearly hve hundred voices Sreter lo
concertNa larger number than even the Norcesa,c'
or the Neyv-York Oratorial Society ever o,nt
before telling. Individually Of the men orJ ana ia
women who have aided the progress OF sTns tnors m
brooklyn Not ell of them nave 9een 9 INV 'o mrsi
saI socety finely drilled effective chorus is only
mart of the battle. Equally material III tnneduaI tne
i,sbment OF these large bodies are the lnuNu@unis @
,lbn manage them With a careful hand such men
of Brooklyn as William Berr Lyman ,, h.l,, a,hnr
Frederick c. Buys and Silas H. Dq%.chei' % n6 Ms
t.th such women as Mrs Bernard Peters ana MT M
Charles H. Russell, have made successes posslpic
~ 80 efforts in the outside world. by stirring up
enthusiasm and by planning the iiiahSSStS5 ,o-
In in. German societies ii is rather dlllere, 10,
there cong needs no encouragement; IL grows anu
nourishes OF itself. and the battle that mas 10 pe
fought in tho English clubs to make them cohtiue
in prosperity after they have run a course OF sev
eral wears is needless IN the gesangvereins, TX
cent I'm rare cases a saengerbund never dlcs mourn
there are legends OF failures even in these III III.
early Nfties before the Teuton!c population oil
Erooklyn had waxed mighty Now prosperous year
follows prosperous year and every chorus IS con-
tinually well filed. Besides the singers. VINO are
,,rov-r as 'active members each organization mas
several hundred passive members. who give the
societies stability and turn out In full force at eacn
cnfertainment The officers. however come from
L ruInkl