The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-01-08

adelphia Pittsburg, Washington, Chi cago. Minneapolis and other cities have great symphony orchestras founded on the Thomas model, following the Thomas ideals. acknowledging indebtedness to the Thomas inspiration In 1891, when he or ganized the Chicago orchestra, it played at an annual loss of $1OO0O0 in 1904. it has become self-sustainlng in receipts, and the people have subscribed $75O.000 to make it a permanent feature of the city.
 This Is the man that in America made Wagner the best known and most pop ular of composers: with the exception of the overtures to "Tannhauser" and "Lohengrin" every orchestra selection from Wagner that has been played in this country was first played here by Theodore Thomas. This Is the man that first introduced us to the waltz music of Johann Strauss, that aided In making the American reputation of Richard Strauss, that played for the first time in this country Berlioz. Tschaikowsky, Saint Saens, Dvorak, Smetana, D'Indy, Sibe- Illus, Franck. Coleridge, Taylor, Bruck- her, Grieg, Elgar Hausegger. Glazounow, Weingartner. Charpentier, Bruneau. The first time the Beautiful Blue Danube was heard in America Thomas played t. the first time Lszt Us "Mephisto Waltz" was heard anywhere outside of one or
 
 before Felix Weingartner's Second Sym phony'' had been played in Berlin, Thomas had played 1t in Chicago.
 Played Centennial March.
 It was Theodore Thomas who induced Richard Wagner to write the "Centen- nial March and who played it with great orchestra at the Centennial cele- bration at Philadelphia, July 1, 1876 He built up, by long years of patient effort. the New York Philharmonic to a posi- tion of distinction in American music. He was the first orchestra leader in the world to introduce the low pitch by which the orchestral tone has been so much dignifed and improved. All have 1t now. He was the first to introduce the practice of blowing together" by which unison is secured. Nearly all Dow to- gether' now. He Is the only orchestra leader that plays classic compositions with the trills and figure ornaments as originally written by the old masters. His is the only orchestra whose members have no other business Bleaching aside) except the orchestra. and his is the only orchestra that regularly rehearses four times a week.
 His life has been resolutely conse- crated to one object. the advancement of the cause of good music. For ifty-nine years he has worked for 1t in America He came here when he was 10 years old a boy violinist, from Esens, Ost Fries land, where his father was the local band master and a musician of some note. For seven years he has travelled from town to town giving performances where he could get audiences. Eventually he established himself in New York play ing first violin in the irregular and short-lived orchestral organizations that the slowly developing musical taste of the city alternately demanded and de- serted; playing in chamber concerts, playing at the opera and at the appear ance of notable artists such as Jenny Lind. Sontag, Mario. and others When Jenny Lind sang before the Prince of Wales, for instance Thomas was first violin; so he was in that famous cham ber-music quartette of which William Mason. Bergner and Joseph Mosenthal were members.
 AS first violinist in one orchestra or another, he had. in the absence of the conductor. been called upon often to lead, and herein was the slow, inevitable shaping of lis destiny. for from these employments he came to launch at Irving Hall. New York City. on October 24, 1863, his first definite orchestral ven ture In his own name. and began, with an organization of sixty, his first regular season of symphony concerts; playing that night the Prometheus' venture of Beethoven and Mozart's Third Sym phony. From that historical occasion he