New-York tribune., 1903-04-26

corporation and wfdened the horizon Of their work.
so that the Philadelphia Orchestra has been as
active as any Of its colleagues during the season.
and has endeavored TO promote musical under
standing in more directions than any OF them IL
has given fourteen evening concerts. preceded by
the same number Of afternoon public rehearsas
as they have heretofore been called In New-York.
The phrase comes from the Philharmonic Socoety
and was once accurate in its description Since
the custom of giving two performances to the same
nrograrnme one in the afternoon of the day imme
dately preceding the concert day. has become gen
eral # may be well to tell of its origin
At the beginning of the second season Of the
Philharmonic Society, in 1S4S. a change was made
in the constitution IF that organization which
produced results that had never entered the minds
of those who effected It. In order to give profess
sional musicians who might be able to attend the
concerts an opportunity to hear the music and at
the same time to create a body from which the
orchestra could be recruited, provision was made
in the constitution for a class Of associate mem
hers who at half the cost Of the regular sub
scripdon were admitted to the rehearsals. For a
space these associate members were formally
elected by the society, and their numerical growth
was inconsiderable compared with that of the
subscribers Of sudden however, it was brought
to the notice OF the board Of government that
there were others besides professional musicians
who wished to attend the rehearsals. In the
third season there were twelve associate members.
one of whom was an amateur who admitted
excention became the rule and the associate list
grew to thirty-sx. In the fifth the list was
formally divided into professional and amateur
and contained seventy-one. In the sixth season
1T had grown TO one hundred and thirty-two. and
nineteen OF the associates were women, the first
of the thousands who have done much to sup
port the Philharmonic Society ever since. In
another year the relative positions OF the two lists.
associates and subscribers, were completely re-
versed, the report Of the seventh season showing
q
in the twentieth the former numbered 73S,
the latter only eighteen. Now the professional
membership was abolished and the associate list
went up S55. the subscribers to thrty-nine Dur
ing all this period. down. indeed. TO 1879. IT
customary to open the doors - the associate MEM
bers at three rehearsals, and sometimes more, be-
fore each concert; the custom being plainly
relic of the plan adopted in the second season of
admitting professional musicians the rehearsals
in order that they might become familiar with
higher class Of music than they were wont to
play Since 1879 the plan of public rehearsal,
which is conducted with all the formality of a
cert, has been followed by the Philharmonic So
ciety and adopted by Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati,
Pittsburg and Philadelphia.
To return TO the record for this year of the
ganizations In question. The Philadelphia orches-
ira, besides the twentyeght concerts of it's regu-
lar list. gave FIVE concerts of a popular cast. five
concerts exclusively of Beethoven's music, at
which all the symphonies OF that master were
performed three concerts in Harrisburg. York,
Lancaster. Wilmington and Reading and one each
in Trenton, Wilkesbarre, Scranton Lebanon.
Carlisle, Lock Haven. WIniamsport. New-York,
Baltimore and Washington. It has given seventy
concerts in all. and assisted at local choral
concerts. Here is the significant feature OF the
present orchestral activity compared with that
Of fifteen twenty ago. There now six
missionary centres where then there were one or
two. The Boston Orchestra, under Mr. Gericke, has
given twenty-four afternoon aad evening concerts.
and two Counting this evening" in Boston.
fifteen IN New-York Cten in the Borough of Man.
haitian. five in the Borough of Brooklyn). ten IN
Cambridge ten in Philadelphia, five in Baltimore
two in Hartford and each in New-Haven.
Springfield. Troy and Fail River: ninety-six
certs in all, and there could have been many more
had there been more time. The Chicago Orchestra
has also been heard in twenty-four afternoon and
as many evening concerts and carried orchestral
music to many cities in the Northwest. Besides
twenty concerts in its own city. ths Cincinnati