New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-29
His Rela tons with Mendels-
sohn. Spohr and
HeUptmann.


Tribune is able to-day to publish some letters WIZ
ten by three OF the musical heroes OF Germany 10
q New-york musician which throw an Interesting
uqht On the musical activities Of the city TWO
generations ago. The writers were Louis Spoiii'
Noritz Hauptmann and Felix Mendelssohn. ana
the musician to whom they addressed was
T. c. HILL founder and first president of the Phii-
harmonic Society. Some years ago DR.. Teschner met
.he widow OF Mr.. Hill in q small Maryland town.
where she was then living, and bought the letters
from her He also secured some Of the old pro-
erammes Of the Philharmonic Society and copy
~ 1.-THE New-York Atlas newspaper publisheo
sixty years ago, containing wood cut portrait OF
Nj Hill and q biographical sketch which. though
Incomplete, still TO clear up some points IN
,b- history of the most energetic and inter-
estng figures in the musical life OF New 10TH
during the first half of the nineteenth century.
They may well be brought forward now when New
York is enjoying abundant realizauons OF the
dreams of the to whom In one sense more
than any American musician who ever lived the
nresent state of instrumental music is due
Fifteen wears ago, on the occasion of the hftieth
anniversary Of the founding of our venerable con
cs-t organization. I published a little book en-
titled ..The Philharmonic Society of New-York; A
Memorial" The gathering OF the material for inc
historical sketch extremely laborious Inc
carly records of the society were not to be founo
,oinutes payrolls. correspondence referring TO the
G.. .,ro decades all had disappeared. Fortunate
" three of the five surviving members OF the So
c,etr at its foundation were within reach. Ihey
were William Scharfenberg. Samuel Johnson anu
James /. Ensign. who have since then joined 'ne
majority With the help of their memories OF musl-
%, conditions half century before, was enabled
IN put together the first consistent story or 'he
origin and development of the society one OF the
Cyst s,rprises which I met was the discovery that
tho Christian name Of the founder of the society
had never properly got into the books r l.. HIT
.s- who wrote what he considered history OF
music in America, set him down as urlah =.
Hill and said that he was born in GreenWlch-st'
Nev-York City. Mr.. Scharfenberg corrected this
nv saving that he Connecticut Yankee ana
~. b,s ,auoe was Ureli CoreIIf Hill. could only
'sneculate touching the origin and signlncance OF
such a name and / did so in the monograph 10 TINS
effect: In all probabfit his father was 1oho OF
the VIOLIN and for that reason endowed the son
with the name of the great Italian Vloilnis' VINO
g., cha seventeenth century laid the foundations OF
modern violin playing. 'Urelir however pae'
nv ingenuity Well indeed it might, but the sur
mise about CoreIli, with its inference 'hat eiio
father of whom nothing at all was Known was
musical was bulls eye hit The writer IN Inc
A.,as.. Of February s. 1916. says that u Z. Hill
WAS an American. descendant OF the Fiisiiili
Fathers with drop of Danish blood IN MS veins
His father was designed by nature to be nlus4cai
,,ro5gy but his Pu1itanical education interfered-
We will LET the old writer proceed in his own way;
II Is related of the good old gentleman that
when five months old, 10 church me youisS a
snnsie feeling Of deIcacy did not supply his wants
Until in ang{h d eqe paG demanded it loudly
Scarcely had the hungry infant tasted nouI
ent before te o5ce II EFT the breast it coveted
and listened in TaP at6e ten a+ t9 ane no for
The Young one. He had. matter OF course,
s1c h occasions no little difficulty in naming him
His father great admirer of Corelii deterInllea
ihsf owls Rs S @ioR I %as Gr he anxious gy
nm, o ot ae dear friend physician named Ell
TODD Adverse to giving a child whole string OF
his own and his friends by calling the boy Urel
which forms the names OF IN ana a1s h Said dismiss
Papa Hill without stating that at I'VE years III "a
age after ae T Tears disnguised himself both with the
pen and sword. He wrote patr1otlc poems WIl,ch
IKE the poetry Of the Pilgrims generally
sumo of too peculiar character TO be handed
DOWN TO posterity-
The boy was taught music first by his father
then by an unmarried Italian: composed piece
of music for the pianoforte at nine years OF age
which he sold for dollar; took up the Viohn, ana
at twelve began TO his livelihood by playing
at concerts. About 1921 he became a member OF
the orchestra at the Park Theatre, and played
during Kean's engagement there. and also when
Garcia came with the first Italian opera company
IN 1926 He produced Der Freischttz' in an Eng
lsh adaptation in March. 1925; gave the IrSt
American performance of Handlers Messiah
with orchestral accompaniment in 1881, and did
other things too numerous TO mention before he
made his first visit to Europe and came into con-
tact with the men whose letters called forth this
article. The first visit was made in 1885 He went
TO Cassel and studied violin playing with Spohr
and composition with Hauptmann, then MEMBER
OF spohrs orchestra. Exactly how long ne re-
NAMED l have been unable TO learn as yet "A
letter of introduction from Spohr to the English
violnist Henry Gamble Blagroye, is dated May
10, 1856 This would seem indicate that he re-
turned TO New-York within year or so. but the
writer In The Atlas newspaper says that he was
absent five years This would also seem to be
borne out by the first of the letters from Spohr,
which is dated September 8, 1910. and mentions
his fortunate return to America. From the fact
that the letter Blagrove remained in his possess
sion II seems fair surmise that he had con-
ternpated a to America via London in 1885,
but did carry out the plan. lie probably came
back to New York III 1897 for Scharfenberg came
in 1888 and Hauptrnann in his letter refers to
information about Hill derived through Scharfen-
berg. Moreover, Hill conducted performance OF
st Paul. here in 1888
HIS fate a melancholy Though he
could earn money he could not keep it. Five or six
years after he had founded the society which is
his monument, and which he had served during the
period president and conductor, he went west
to better his fortunes. He had invented a piano
forte with bells instead of strings and he trled
his hands In trade only make dismal failure OF
II, and TO conclude after few years that New
York his real home and music making was
hts proper vocation But the city had slipped away
from him. Once the Philharmonic Society depicted
Its exchequer TO help him with a loan and mad 10
wait long for its return. He played Iii the So
eetys orchestra till 1873. when he was retired for
old age being about seventy. For whhe ne
played in Wallack's Theatre an extra hue
was unable maintain himself there. He went
TO Paterson. y. J.. TO live and made some opera
tons in real estate which proved abortive. He
tried to get up concert for a daughter in Jersey
City, and was shocked at the lack OF interest In
his enterprise betrayed by his colleagues. Then