Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-07
SINGERS DISPLEASED.
New Haven Men Claim They Should
he Awarded First Prize.

Though the annual saengerfest of the
Connecticut Saengerbund is past and
gone, there is as yet considerable dust
lying about, with the chances in favor
of more as the days speed by, says a
New Haven paper.
The Hermanns Sons Singing society
of New Haven is more than displeased
with the decision of the judges at the
competition held in New Britain last
week. The local men claim that the
hrst prize in the first class, which went
to the Hartford Maennerchor, should
nave been awarded to them. On Sun
day last the executive board of the
state association held meeting in New
Britain and the New Haven society
was represented by Herman Loenicker
of that city,
Ihe New Haven men are persistent
in their resolution to enter a protest
with the state association. This is to
be done at the meeting of the state
board of delegates, to meet at the call
of the chairman. Then there are to be
Drought charges against several of the
Judges and other officials of the meet.
The Judges who officiated and gave the
decision are: G. Kapp of Newark, N.
D., FL. Steinbach of Brooklyn, n. Y, @.
Bartschmidt of Boston, Mass.
In the charge the dissatisfied men
Will claim that q conspiracy was
formed previous to the contest to de-
prive any society of the first prize in
the first class and to award that prize
to the Hartford society. The New Ha-
ven men claim that they have abundant
evidence to win their case. They do
not want the prize now, but only the
official decision that they sang better
than any other society competing.
One of the officers of the Hartford
Saengerbund said: ''It is too bad that
there should be all this talk about the
award of prizes. / am surprised at the
attitude of the New Haven people, for
Mr. Peters, their director, told several
of our members that we well earned
the prize and that they thought New
Haven got bad deal by not getting
place instead of Waterbury,, This MIX
ing UP of Hartford in the conspiracy is
new one on me, for understood the
charges of conspiracy were against the
Waterbury people. AT the time of the
singing the judges were enclosed In
little box, where they could not see the
societies..
1.-THE real trouble was over second
place, which New Haven claimed. As
for the best singers-why, we are will
ing any time to leave that to any
Judges that may fbe selected. We've
got the prizes, anywaydS-Hartford
Post.
Aurelius Reichenbach. president of
the Concordia Singing society, was
asked to-day If the New Haven society.
had any just grounds for complaint
and Ii Waterbury was in any congpir-
acy with the judges. He replied en-
phatically in the negative. "What
did we know about the judges2 They
were strangers to us. When the sing
ing contest was being held the Judges
were enclosed I'm boxes and could not
see the societies. The complaint of
the New Haven society is most fool
ish. Their only reason for thinking
there was conspiracy Is this. When
the Concordia Singing society of this
city was about to sing In the contest,
Hans Saro, the director, struck the
notes on the piano nearby that the
singers might start off properly. The
New Haven men claim that he struck
the piano so that the Judges would
know that it was the Waterbury soc1-
ETY. which was going to sing. The
charge is nonsensical. Mr. Saro only
did what he always does at every re-
hearsal. The New Haven society did
not deserve any more than what IT
got. It's leader ought to know that at
sang a part of the song IN the wrong
tune. We are ready to sing against
them at any time. There is always
some dissatisfaction with the decis-
ions at the saengerfest. The losing
societies generally complain. Water
bury made no complaint, but instead
congratulated the director of the Hart
ford society for winning the fira6
prize"