The Saint Paul globe., 1897-06-21
PHILHlELPKIH'S WEEK OF SONG.
Northeastern Saengerbund viii
Open in That City Today.

PHILADELPHIA, Pa, June 20.-The
eighteenth national saengerfest OF the
the Northeastern Saengerbund will
open in this city tomorrow, and there
is every indication it will be the most
mammoth musical event of the kind
ever held in this country The socie-
ties which will participate in the festi
val come from all the larger
cities In the Eastern portion Of the
United States, and the mass choruses,
which will form a distinguishing feat
ure of the fest, are made up Of the
best singers in each society. The va
rious numbers in these choruses will
be rendered by 5000 male voices,
in addition to which there will
be school children's chorus of 5000
voices and choruses of mixed voices
numbering several thousand. The first
three days of the festival will be de-
voted to the vocal contests and con-
certs, and the remaining three days to
open air diversions and the distribute
ing of prizes. Many months have been
spent by the local committees and
their aids in perfecting the details of
the occasion, and the result of their
labors has been to gather together a
chorus of male voices seldom if ever
eQualed in point Of numbers and the
arrangement of a most elaborate pro-
gramme to be sung in an auditorium
specially constructed for the purpose
and capable of seating comfortably
nearly 10000 persons, and by a little
croWding fully 5000 more can be ac-
commodated. In addition to this, the
utmost attention has been given to
rehearsing. For the past two years
the musical directors of the league
nave been making regular tours
through the territory Of the associa-
ton instructing the singers in the num-
bers to be rendered. The feast will
open with reception concert by the
United Singers Of Philadelphia and a.
ladies' chorus. The president of the
society will welcome the society. Carl
Lenz, president of the Saengerbund,
also will make an address. Following
this will come the festival hymn, COM
posed especially for the occasion. On
Tuesday there will be prize singing for
individual societies in the first and sec
ond class and one-half of those in the
brought to a close by a grand festi-
val concert under the direction Of Carl
Samans. The next day will be taken
up with prize singing for the remaining
half of the third class for individual
societies and the two classes for the
city federation prizes. Samuel Her
mann will direct the festival concert
Wednesday night and at it's close the
Star Spangled Banner will be sung
by the 5000 male voices and the audi
ence. The prizes will be distributed on
Thursday at Washington park in
connection with the open air ex-
ercises which continue until Saturday,
when the official closing Of the fest
will be announced by President Len
hardt. The five 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 manner as to with
hold the identity of one from the other,
and not until the contests are over and
they meet to compare nOtatiOns will
each learn who his associates are.
The different qualities to be judged are
lntonation, precision, light and shade.
phrasing and enunciation. There are
six points to each quality, and the So
ciety scoring the highest number of
points in each contest will be awarded
the first prize of that class. The au-
ditorium covers the entire block bound
ed by 11Sth, 120th, York and Cumber-
land streets. The area is 200 by
$50 and the height is siXty-five
feet. There are no galleries, and the
acoustic properties of the place as
demonstrated by the rehersals.
which have been going on for the
past several weeks, are as perfect as
the most advanced scientific construc-
ton can make them The organizations
which will participate consist of some
of the most famous in the history of
German American music