Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1898-12-20
w Aspiring Singers Flock to
Greater New York,

INl NOotOi NtW IOTkt
lNew YORK, Dec. S.-About three
thousand men and women who are
convinced that they are possessed of
musical voices have now arrived IN
this city, and 1t Is estimated that fulIv
another three Thousand will be here nv
yhe end Of the opening week In Jam.
u1ry. These musical people, who are
Iqlmost always unmarried. come from
Ieyery part Of the country. Not a
Estate, hardly a county is lunrepresent-
ed. The influx begins about Noyem-
ber and continues for two months
1.-THE earlier ones come to study for
New York and not Boston, which is
looked upon as the musical center of
\ America. The later ones come in the
n hope of securing positions in the
d churches of New York and vicinity.
A Singers in New York church choirs
d are engaged to begin the year on May
4 II, but so great is the pressure for
Il places that practically all who seek
u slthem arrive four OF five months in ad-
lilYance, stop at the hotels, make the ac-
q tuaintance of members of music COM
\ mittees, help t6 circulate the gossip of
J, the church set and secure a paid place
If she or he cam an.a
hlsrsWhile every city efyany size in the
"a whole country is represented among
q these applicants for New York church
{, choir. positions, the best trained voices
i come from the twin cities of ST. Paul
and Minneapolis. Good voices come
III also from Cincinnati and st. Louis,
but not so uniformly excellent as
91 from the Northwest. In quality of
y voice the best come from California,
: while the worst come from along the
81 Atlantic seaboard. Time was when
8 Boston was looked to for well-trained
voices, but that city has lost its pres
ssll tige. The Atlantic Coast cities, even
including Philadelphia, which is well
inland, and Washington, which is
!, wholly so, are notoriously hard in cli-
+ mate upon good voices, and it is in
!, part for that reason that SO many new
- ON1CCo NhiO III III NoW OTh
! each season. Many a fine voice, when
S it came fresh from California, has de-
It Perforated in the damp atmosphere of
d the extreme east, and lost for the own
i er an independent position.
Il There are about 1000 churches in
IL New York. OF this number about
y three-fourths hire singers. The total
& number which they employ is not far
d from 1900. Fully 1000 of these are
d re-engaged each year. So that the
u 5000 singers who flock here now have
q not far from 100 places open TO them.
A very large proportion of those who
II come here seeking positions cannot
e read music. The salary for the COM
Y paratively few who can read notes is
e enhanced, One, dealer" says he re-
: jects three out of every four who ap-
r ply to him, About 1000 amply. The
500 whom he accepts he undertakes to
" find positions for, and generally sue
Is ceeds in the case of 200 to $50 of them.
8 1t may seem to be, therefore, a rather
pl uituclbdhlAb IOI IuC yOunE
o man or young woman residentsI in a
: Western city TO come to NeW York
& and secure profitable place.
!, The salary ranges from 5000 to $4,000
d a year I Really, good voices are rare
C There is the largest supply of sopranos
: the next largest barytones, the third
: tenors, and. the smallest, contrary to
!. general impression, contralto. The
: most expensive auartette in New York
q is the West Presbyterian, located in
d Forty-second street, opposite Bryant
r Park, and attended by Russell Sage
y and a few other such men. The most
Q expensive surpliced choir. is st. Bar
tholomew's, right I, near the Grand
n Central Station, and attended by the
Vanderbilts Other expensive choirs
o are Trinity, Grace, the Brick Presby-
; terian, the Marble Collegiate Reformed
q and st. Thomas's Sometimes churches
y search the country for good voices
Il Recently one Music Committee paid
the fares of singers from Cleveland
h and Chicago in order Ito hear them
sing, the candidate paying the return
1t not infreuently happens that mem
. bers of choirs who have to face the
q congregation during service are allow
If ed to go at he end of the year for no
If other reason than that new faces are
- desired; the congregation is tired of
the familiar face. Men while waiting
q for positions often get other work to
i do, out women are unable to do this
: and occasions the dealers" or brok-
= ers no end of worry. The inflow of
d singers, Or supposed singers, to New
q York each year is steadily increasing
, and even the very small towns are be-
4 ginning to be heard from.-Cinclnnati
q Enquirer Correspondent
:. ~ @sgSaDs