The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-21
Eighteenth National saengerfest in
PHILADELPHIA.

Philadelphia. June 20-The 18th Ma
tional Saengerfest of the Northwestern
Saengerbund VIII open in this city to-
morrow and there is every indication II
will be the most mammoth musical event
of TIE kind ever held III this country.
The societies which will participate In
the festival come from all the larger cities
in the eastern portion OF the United
States and the mass choruSes, which will
form a distinguishing feature of the fest.
are made up OF the best singers in each
society. The various numbers in these
chcruses will be rendered By 5000 male
voices. in addition to which there will be
d school children's chorus of 5000 voices.
and choruses of mixed voices numbering
several thousand.
The first three days of the festival will
be devoted to the vocal contests and con-
certs, and the remaining three days to
open air diversions and the distribution
of prizes. Many months have been spent
by the local committees and their aides
in perfecting the details of the occasion,
and the result of their labo-s has been
to gather together chorus OF male voices
seldom = ever ecualled in point of num-
Der and the arrangement of most
elaborate programme to be sung in an
auditorium specially constructed for the
purpose and capable of eating COM
fortably nearly 10000 persons and by a
little crowding fully 5000 more can be
accommodate ted. In addition to this the
utmost attention has been given to re-
hearsing. For the past two years the
musical directors of the league have been
making regular tours through the terri
tori of the association instructing the
singers - the numbers to be rendered
The fest viii open with "A reception con-
cert by the United Singers of Philadel-
pnia and a ladies' chorus. n. Leonhardt.
president of the United Singers. will wei
come the visiting societies. as will Gov
ern0r Hastings. Mayor Warwick, and il is
hoped Nice-President Hobart although
the attendance OF the latter is doubtful.
Carl LEM. president of the Saengerbund,
also VIII make an address. Following
this VIII come the festival hymn COM
posed especially for the occasion. On
individual societies in the first and second
class and one-half of those in the third
class The second day will be brought to
4 close by grand festival concert under
the direction of Carl Sar1ans. The next
day viii be taken w with prize singing
with the remaining half of the third
class for individual societies and the two
classes fo- the city federation prizes.
Samuel Her,nann Will direct the festival
concert Wednesday night and at its close
the star Spangled Banner will be sung
by the GOO male voices and the audience I
The prizes viii be distributed on Thurs
day ut Lierzs Washington park. in con-
nection with the open air exercises TO
continue until Saturday, when the official /
closing of the fest viii be announced by !
President Leonhardt.
The fivc Judges of the contests have (
been selected for the occasion. Each is an /
accomplished professional musician. and
not connected with any society in the !
league They have been selected in such
a manner as to withhold the identity of /
one from the other and not until the con- /
tests are over and they meet to COM /
pare notat.ons will each learn who his |
associates are. The different qualities to !
be judged are information, precision light I
and shade phrasing and enunciation /
There are six points to each quality and /
the society scoring the highest number of /
points in each contest VIII be awarded |
the first prize of that class
The auditorium covers the entire block /
bound By Eleventh, Twelfth. York and |
Cumberland streets. Its area is 200 bv 1
i52 feet and the height is 65 feet. The
style Of architecture is German renais-
sance. There are no galleries and the
acoustic properties of the place are as |
perfect rs the most advanced scientific |
cen make them
The organizations which will participate
consist of some of the most famous in
he history of German-American music.