The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-07-11
TOWN AND COUNTY.


Continued from mage ~
travelling and wishing to devote
more time to perfecting his knowl-
edge OF music, he accepted the po-
sition as director Of the Mt. Pleasant
City Band, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa.
Here his ability as director was
fully demonstrated by the high stan
dard to which he brought this band,
for although only a small band of Is
pieces, it became under his director
ship, one Of the best bands in the
state. This band had the distinction
Of being the first band to play the
universally popular march entitled,
The Battle OF Shiloh" q march
composed by MIR. Farmhouse, which
he published and put on the market
in 1888. 1t Immediately became a
favorite and almost all the profess
sional bands in the United States
made it one Of their leading pieces.
Its sale has proven phenomenal and
it is now used by over 1000 bands
in this country. Mr.. Farmhouse re-
manned in Mt. Pleasant for three
years, leaving there in 1890 to accept
the position as director of the Bur-
lington Boat Club Band, which po-
sition he retained for one year when
he was offered and accepted the di-
rectorship of the Iowa Brigade Band
of Oskaloosa. Removing here in
May, 1891, he Immediately assumed
the position of director and has filed
it with a decided credit to himself
and the band. Under his director
ship this band has become known
all over the country and is today
considered one of the best and most
popular bands in the west. Mr..
Farmhouse still holds the position as
director of this band and the fact of
his having filed this important po-
sition for so long time and the ex-
cellence of his work, speaks volumes
as to his worth as a director andsa
musician.
The success that Mr.. Farmhouse
was destined to experience in later
years was foreshadowed in his carly
youth, when at the age of fourteen
he began to compose music and at
the age of sixteen he wrote his first
composition for publication. The
successful sale of this piece was the
prime cause of Mr.. Farmhouse max
ing this his life work. He has pub.
lished in all three hundred and
thirty pieces of band and orchestra
music. This includes the work of a
corps of about fifteen other compos-
ers besides himself, he having COM
posed about half of this number.
Among his latest popular publiea-
tions maybe mentioned the "P, E.
o. y New Annapolis, . "The Knight
Of Liberty" and Sanitation" mar
ches, besides a number of others-
that are meeting with peppRiiar favor.
One piece at music that Mr.. Barn
house composed, and of which he
Justly proud, is Evening Idyls. F"
This piece, composed by him re-
Gently, has won him many words of
praise and he. has received comph-
mentary letters from a large number
of the leading bandmasters of the
United States and Canada. This
piece is played by the best bands of
these countries and is prime favor
tie with the regimental bands of the
United States army.
Mr.. Farmhouse publishes all his
music in this city and has probably
the finest music publishing outfit in
the west; the facilities for publishing
are the best that money and expert
ence can acquire. He does a large
wholesale business in musical publi-
cations and sells to az the leading
must, dealers in the United States
and Canada, besides having mall
ing list of over 1000 band and or
ehestra leaders over the country
who are constantly buying his popu-
lar publications. This extensive
business, especially in the mail order
line. gives Oskaloosa q great amount
of advertising and there is perhaps
no one feature in the city which has
spread her name more broadcast, as
almost every town or city in the
United States and Canada knows of
OskaIoosa through @. L. Farmhouse,
the music composer and publisher.
rrne.E, pRN MCCOY,