The age-herald., 1900-08-05
BRILLIANT MUSIC s'e FOR NEXT SEASON Famous Concert Organizations
 Coming to Birmingham. LATE DUKE AS A VI0LlNlST Programme of England's Great Festival Next October-Many Rare Works
 to be Performed and Many
 Artists to Take Part
LATE DUKE AS A VIOLINIST
BY WILLIAM RYAN

occupied a high position in the musical world, and there is every promise that the amusement season of 1990-19ol will be more brilliant musical1y than any that has pre- ceded it. In November Innes' band will be among the attractions, in December we are to have the Strauss orchestra and in the spring the Thomas orchestra of Chicago, all at the Auditorium And in addition to these famous organizations quite number of distinguished soloists and opera and concert companies have been booked at the Jefferson Theater. Innes, the first of the attractions announced has by far the finest brass and reed band in the United States. Sousa was the premier bandmaster for many years and while he will continue to rank high in popular esteem, Innes has the lead now. Innes' band has been splen- did success at Atlantic City this summer and music lovers who have heard 1t there readily accord It the palm
 church ChoIrs
 Several of the Birmingham churches are to give especial attention to choir music the coming fall and winter. The foremost choir will be that of the First Methodist Church, with Benamin Guekenberger as director and Miss Belle Mccoy as or ganist. MT. Guckenberger will organize a double quartette and an auxiliary chorus of thirty or thirty-fve. With such a choir he will be able to give in most effective style selections from Oratorios, sacred, can tatas and other grand works.
 Il. T. Staats, who succeeds MT. Gucken- berger as organist ans= l:5oir master a | St. Mary son the Highlands, is organizing a large choir and he will doubtless main tain the high musical standard set for that church by his predecessor. }
 C. C. Washburn will continue to act.IaS choir master at the Southside Baptist Church. He will have a select quartette which will rank with the best in the city,
 At the First Presbyterian Church. Miss Corrie Handley will remain in charge of the organ and an excellent quartette witlr be employed to render concerted pieces and . lead in the congregational singing.
 Phil Memoli will continue to direct the choir at St. Paurs Ca.nolc Church. He will have under him number of good solosts and chorus of twenty-five or thirty. The choir space at St. Paul'sa is very large. It is sufficient to accommo- date an orchestra of fifty and chorus of one hundred and fifty without the least crowding MemoH may not have the priv ilege of directing in the near years musical forces so great in numbers as those indi- cated, but before another decade rolls round Birmingham will have bishop and when that comea to pass St. Pauls will-be the cathedral. By that time the choir will have been brought up to hundred or more.
 A Royal violinist
 The Duke of Saxe- -Coburg-Gotha (the Duke of Edinburg), who died on Tuesday last, was perhaps the best amateur Yie- linfst in Europe. His mother Queen Vic toria recognized his musical talent when he was a lad and encouraged him to per sue his studies on the violin his favorite instrument Ten or twelve years ago his royal h.ghness appeared as soloist at pub lie concert, playing Mendenlssohns con- certo and a piece by Spohr A few years ago Maud Powell, Americas greatest vio- Iinist, told me of her experience at Ken sington Place, where she played before the royal family by "command' of her ma esty It was there that she first met Joachim, whose pupil she afterwards be- came. The duke was one of t.-a performers on that occasion and at Miss Powelrs re- quest played several pieces, Ernsts fEfegie being one of them. And how did he make out?' asked. 'Oh, he played like a prince-badly," replied Miss lowell. But in the same breath she took 1t back 'T said badly, but I was only joking. The duke was really a muscanly violinist. While I could not say he was great, as great virtuosos go he was far above medio- city and played with more skill and feeling than some we'll known professionals have since heard.
 Bnmiu ghan, England
 It is unfortunate for American musicians, especially those engaged in teaching and Tn choir work, that the triennfal festivals or Birruinghan England, occur the au- tumn, instead of in summer vacation. Ii ,.sey were to take place in July or August hundreds of our musical folk would attend them. As it Is, no professional musician can arrange to do so, for everyone is at work in the fall of the year. The Bfrm- ingham festivals are historic No city in the world, not even Birmingham, Ala, has had nything in the festival line equal to them The highest honor that falls to any master composer is a request from Bfm- ing1am to write a work for first product ion at one of the triennials.
 Rich Programme
 The next Birmingham triennial festival will take place October 2, 3, 4, ,, 1900, when the programme will include "Elijah' (Men- delssohn), Messiah" (HandeD, the "St. Matthew Passion" of John Sebastian Bach; Dyoraks dramatic cantata, "The Spectress Rride;'' part of an unaccompanied Mass by William Byrd an old English composer or merit; the German Requiem of Brahms,. and the '.Hiawatha" trflogy of MT. Samuel Coleridge- Taylor; Sir Hubert Parry's De rrofundis," and a new cantata, by MT. Ed ward Elgar, of Marlvern, ..The Dream of Gerontius," expressely composed for this festival The list of principal vocalists compares favorably with any list on record at English festivals. whether at Birming- ham or elsewhere. The sopranos will com prise Mesdames Aibani, Nordica and Esther Paliiser; the contraitos, Mesdames Marie Brema, Ada Crossley and Clara Butt, are the most eminent in the world; the tenors, Messrs F. Lloyd, Ben Davies and William Green leave notfang to be desired; and the [ tasses, Messrs. Andrew Black, David Bis- pham and Plunket-Greene, are all famous in their own special.ss. The festi- val of 1897 surpa ssed it's predecessors in the matter of purely instrumental music, and a feature so successful in the hands of the conductor, Dr. Hans Richter, naturally commends itself to the committee Ac- cordingly the programme will include Sym phonies by Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert and Glazounow, the last to represent the Russian school so acceptable at the present day. The band and chours will number 800, and the chorus-master will be Dr. c. s. Heap The choir has already devoted much Mot ha,