The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-12-01


when viii w. Watkins. of Peckville
won the $50 prize on the baritone solo
competition, Upon That Day." against
nine competitors.
The Schubert quartette also sang at
Friday evenings session and won the
male quartette competition. THE
Homestead" singing the selection in
German, for prize Of $50. The soprano
solo competition OH my Redeemer and
My Lord" for a prize OF $50, was also
decided that evening. There were
thirty mine competitors, the test dwind-
ling down to two, Mrs. Frank Brund-
age, of this city, and Miss Edna Bur-
ton, OF Brooklyn. The latter was re-
quested by the adjudicators to repeat
her solo in the competition and was
awarded the prize.
Discrimination Charged.
Mrs. Brundage claims in this she was
Disseminated against, that the adjudi-
Gators should have decided in the pre-
liminary contest If Miss Burton's inter-
probation was incorrect, and that she
should not have been permitted to sing
the second time in competition. This
same point came up again in the bass
solo competition. in which Philip War
rem was one of the four competitors.
out of nineteen entries, and two of the
four were obliged to sing the second
time, and then the prize was awarded
to the last singer. The winner was
Charles McCreary, of East Aurora,
N. Y.
The festival was held in the Forty
seventh regiment armory. at Marcy
avenue and Hayward street, beginning
Thursday evening. Prior to Saturday
afternoon. all the competitions were for
the German societies, writer's. music
ians and soloists, excepting those men,
toned in the preceding paragraph. The
Scranton singers and their competitors
were the Scranton United Choral soci-
ETY., Mount Vernon Musical society,
Chaminade Glee club, of Brooklyn;
Harmony Glee club, of Brooklyn; DR..
Mason Glee club, OF Wilkes-Barre:
Brooklyn Oratorio society.
The visitors were entertained at the
Arion hall, where the final rehearsals
We're held, and were located to the left
of the stage in the armory during the
competitions. The attendance at both
sessions on Saturday was about $4,000
persons.
Got Inspiration Here.
Inspired by the success scored at
the Scranton eisteddfod, and by what
features the musical and literary con-
tests OF the Welsh singers of Pennsyl-
vania eXcelled above other singing fes-
tivalS, d few of the Aridh members
conceived the idea. of arranging SINH
lar festival at Brooklyn is the manner
in which the official program mme of the
festival tells of the inception of the big
event.
The reception accorded our singers
was beyond expectation. and their sing
ing was a revelation TO their hearers.
The first competition in which Scran-
ton talent appeared OH Saturday was
the bass solo, referred to previously.
The only two male quartettes on the
"Bugle Song" out of nine entries, al
lowed to appear We're from Scranton,
the Schuberts and No. 5. The first
named were John w. Jones. John r.
Watkins. Thomas 5eynon and Willard
NJ. Bunnell. The others We're Alfred
Wooler, Philip Warren, Alfred Pilling
and NJ. j. Leonard. The Schuberts
won, singing with accuracy, mtonation
and splendid ensemble.
In the tenor solo competition, 80
Promise of a Joy Divine" but four
We're allowed on the stage out of sin
teen in the preiminal'ies, and Tom
Beynon easily carried off the honors.
His singing Of this number was un-
doubtedly the best competitive work of
his career. The chief competition at
the afternoon session was on the
Spanish Gypsy Girl arranged by
Walter Damrosch, in which three
ladies parties We're entered. They We're
the Ladies' chorus. Mount Vernon
Musical society, Alfred Hallam, con-
ductor; the Chamnade Glec club,
Brooklyn Uimited to twenty-five voices,
augmented by fifteen voices from wait
ing list for this festival only), Mrs.
Emma Richardson Kuester. conductor;
the Ladies' chorus Of the Scranton
United Choral society, John r. Wat
Eins, conductor.
Were Astounded.
The Mount Vernon and Brooklyn
competitors We're astounded at the mar
rellous chorus from Scranton, and some
of the New Workers We're amazed that
working girls" as they called them,
should go down to the metropolis and
carry off the prize from the Chaminades
who are considered in a class by them
selves, being picked professional voices
from all over New York.
The adjudicators said the Scranton
ladies sang with freshness, vivacity and
accurateness. and compimented them
and their leader in a hearty manner
The prevailing opinion was that their
was the best ever heard in a
Brooklyn competition.
The male chorus competition on Dud-
ley Bucks THE Spring Is Come" had
-four parties entered. They We're the
Harmony Glee club, Brooklyn, George
II. Meyer, conductor: Male Chorus
Mount Vernon Musical society. Alf.
Halam, conductor; Scranton United
Choral society John r. Watkins, con-
ductor: ID. r.. Jones, assistant conduc-
tor; Florence Richmond, Accompanst,
and the DR.. Mason Glee society, Wilkes
Barre, Pa, John Lloyd Evans, conduc-
tor.
The competition was keen and eX-
acting. The adjudicators admitted that
never before had they faced such Il
task. The rendition by the Brooklyn
chorus was brilliant, the judges said;
the Mount Vernon party gave a splen-
did Interpretation, but the Scranton So
ciety surpassed both in all points, as did
also the Masons. The latter sang
with Il greater degree of buoyancy in
their rendition" and "were more com
pact in their ensemble" and in conse-
quence We're awarded the prize. The
Scranton party had many adherents
who thought they sang the best. Prof.
Watkins was the first to congratulate
Prof Evans on his victory
Prize Went to Brooklyn.
The contralto competition, Return,