The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-10
munity, and toward midnight Of Christmas
eve he led the little congregation in singing
Adam Dresses hymn:


munity, and toward midnight Of Christmas
eve he led the little congregation in singing
Adam Dresses hymn:
Not Jerusalem. lowly bethlehem
Twas that gave US Christ to save US.
II was q hymn written BY Drese when he
WAS court chapel master at Arnstadt and
Sebastian Bach was organist. And from
this hymn the little assembly on that Christ
mas eve took the suggestion TO call their
lowly settlement Bethlehem. 1t seemed
as II the spirit OF old Bach were present
from the very beginning out yonder In the
Lehigh Valley.
And now for the musical history OF this
community. 1t began With its birth. for
the grand old Lutheran chorale came from
Europe with the settlers and there came
also the active missionary spirit Of their
Church. which leads ii to endeavo to spread
abroad the cultivation Of religious music.
As early a. l743 flutes, horns and VOLS ap-
peared in the service Of the Church, and In
1746 began tho Use OF the solemn and Affect
ing quartets OF trombones. which Ii still
employed. and which Ia one OF the most
touching beauties Of the festival In l744
the theological students Of the town formed
a musical club and in 174e the first organ
entered the town. In l7A8 no less a person
than Benjamin Franklin wrote to his wife
that he had heard very fine music in Bethle-
hem. and that the organ was associated
with flutes, oboes. horns and trumpets.
In 1850 Bethlehem had fifteen instru-
mental players on violins. violas. 'oelloe,
horns. flutes. oboes and trumpets. In
1900 bassoon came to town, and In 1900
a double bass. In It's . string quartet
was organized and the music Of good old
Papa Haydn was it~ daily food. for in the
same year the Rev. Emanuel Nitsohman
brought TO Bethlehem the first copies Of
the quartets. He was himself violinist
and one Of tho first violins In the first Beth
lehem Orchestra.
In 1908 was organized Z society for the
purpose Of giving musical performances.
and In thirteen years THU society gave 2A
concerts. though the receipts wore at al
times extremely small Parts Of HAydn's
Creation were given by this society az
early as 1911. In 1870 II took the title OF
Bethlehem Philharmonic Society, and the
climax Of It's usefulness was reached in
1879. 1t had in 1870 an orchestra Of twenty
Ave. These players were amateurs, and
to this day the work Of amateur instru-
mental players is feature OF the music OF
Bethlehem. At the festival OF 1901, most
OF the orchestral players were amateurs,
but this year tho Philharmonic Orchestra
will be employed. OF this feature Of the
musical life Of the town H. E. Krehbiel
wrote two years ago:
1t does not appear that Bethlehem diff
fen to any great extent from other Anen-
can cities Of its size In the cultivation OF
uw<r vvN,,n3N rsraathlU In tho
earnestness which has 70 remarkable an
illustration In the willingness Of amateurs
to 10 through the drudgery OF rehearsals
weak After week. month after month. for
the sake Of tho festival. This earnestness,
however. may be thu fruit Of tradition.
Bethlehem's musicians, at tho time when
Wa at It's height, were not professional
practitioners, but tsadesmen. mechanics
and farmers. who In their cultivation OF
while they satisfied their artistic predi-
lections. There was, indeed, little uss for
professional musicians % long - tbs No.
ravian influences wore dominant AusioAl
instruction WAS given IN the schools and
there Wa no Aeh for the theatre and dance
orohsstras.
1t 70 said that though there were 100
violinists In the town. dancing parties at
the hotels bad to send elsewhere for their
music up to 1850. for dancing WAS forbid
den BY The moral code Of tts Church. Musio
remained domestic and social pastins
and religious function, and was cultivated
- . refroshnsnt from the labors Of or
dinsry occupations. Thsre were elk or.
Sanists who gave tt,sir services to the
Church ct ths beginning q ths nineteenth
century, whom the population Of NJ town
was only soo. anA IL ~ wtrs. BY vocssson,
matchmaker, bookbindsr, clerk. nursery
nEn. tinsmith and blacksmith. Tho duties