The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-05-17
THE ANNUAL MAY FESTIVAL
STATE MUSIC TEACHERS' ASS0CIA-
 TION IN SESSION HERE.

Enormous Attendance nt "OrGanists' Guild,, Service at st. Paul's Church Brilliant Promenade Concert at the Hyperion-Yesterday's Business Meet ing-sevoral Concerts To-day.
 The eighth annual festival of the Connecticut Music Teachers associa- tion began yesterday and will continue throughout the entire day to-day and also tomorrow. The yearly orgy has begun and the revelers are assembled from the uttermost parts of the state. They are here in greater numbers than ever before, and although more ex- heretofore the success of the festival promises to be as great as in former years. The programmes this year are most attractive, and the prosperity is well deserved.
 The festival began with the least festive occasion of all, the annual bus mess meeting. This occurred at o'clock at Warner hall. The first event of general interest was the service of the "Organists' Guild" at o'clock at St. Pauls church. This was attended by an audience that completely filled the edifice despite the weather.
 The new organ was heard for the first time. but as it is not yet completed it is not fair to express an opinion concerning it's mer- Its at. this time. The fact that the choir is unused to the new instrument probably occaunts for the fact that there were numerous uncertainties in the first part of the service. The pro- cessional was sung at a slow tempo. Next MT. Camp of Hartford played a voluntary. Rev. Dr. Lines read the guild service, which has been chosen from the liturgy of various denomina- tions. The anthems sung were Stein- CTS 1T am Alpha,'' "When the Sab- bath Was Past,'' by Foster, and Goss' 'WiIderness. As an offertory MT. Moyle sang an aria from Shelley's "The Inheritance Divine" The choir did the best work in the Goss anthem, which was very effectively sung. The ad- dress was made by Rev. Dr. Lines and was a we'll considered and interesting discussion of the relative value of mu- sic in the church service and of the proper sphere of the choir in church. worship. At the end of the service MT. Ries' of Norwich played a voluntary, after which the recessional "The Son of God Goes Forth to War" was sung. Why the professional precedes the opening voluntary in the guild service and likewise why the closing voluntary precedes the recessional are facts that are unexplained. The organ, which is to be one of the best in the city, was heard to disadvantage yesterday. It deserves fine recital when it is fully completed.
 on felIowships in the American school YESTERDAYS BUSINESS MEETING
 The business meeting of yesterday was held in the room of the general committee in Warner hall and was called to order at 2 o'clock by Presi- dent John $. Camp of Hartford. He made a short address in which he stat ed that while the main object of the festival was to entertain, it was also held to furnish the public an opportu- nifty of hearing good music by the best of artists at a very small price.
 The report of the committee on choral societies was read by tie Rev. O. O. Wright of Sandy Hook. He gave de- tailed account of the work of the vari- ous choral societies of the state, telling of the concerts given and the music rendered.
 On motion the same committee was reappointed for the ensuing year. It is composed of Rev. o. o. Wright of Sandy Hook, George A. Kies of Nor wich and Rev. George Foster Prentiss of this city.
 The secretary and treasurer A. J. Wilkins of Bridgeport, read his reports. In the past year the treasury receipts have been $5,39O.17 and the expenditures s4,063.1O, leaving balance in the treas ury of $1,327. The reports were placed on file.
 Willis H. filling of this city, as chair man of the committee on published compositions, read the following re- port:
 Before taking an action regarding data for the report of the committee it was thought best to confer with the of ficers of the association. The outcome of this was that it was decided to make but one appeal to composers to send in lists of their compositions. And so in December we sent out a circular which in substance read as follows:
 During the past two years but little interest has been manifested by the members, and it has often been neces- sary to write three or four personal let ters before the committee could get the desired information.
 '''This year we shall conclude that you do not desire to appear on that list unless you send to us a reply of some kind at your earliest convenience. No second notice will be sent to you. Ii you wish to continue on the list, or tc appear on 1t If not yet included, it is absolutely necessary that you reply al once.'
 ''The responses were few and far be- tween, only five being received, com prising eleven new publications.
 F'Under these circumstances the work of this committee becomes of no value to the members of the c. M. T. A., and they wish to recommend that this com