The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-07-27
From the Washington Post.

From the Washington Post.
4 Mess present indications fail
fICl Washington will have its own
NJ MaeDowell club before long
Hhere is a prevailing opinion among
musicians of the first rank in this city
that the capital should do honor to the
memory of Americas great composer
who has laid down his pen forever, and
whose life is rev Pickering out,
The purposes of the MaeDowell club in
New York. iorI4ed last fall, have been
amply set forth in newspapers and period
icals the latest article appearing in the
June number of the Critic; but senti-
ment exists aere that our musicians are
too far from the metropolis to keep IN
touch with such an organization, ana
would prefer to become members OF
local association to be branch of the
parent society.
Several women musicians of the stamp
of Mrs. Suzanne Oldberg and MISS Amy
Clement Leayitt have manifested an ar
dent interest in the idea, and at least
half dozen of the citys progressive men
In musical circles, in expressing their
sympathy for Edward A. MaeDowell and
his devoted wife, have appeared DESTROYS
of going beyond mere words. The known
circumstances that MacDowell's music
has enjoyed considerable popularity, and
that he possesses warm friends to lend
him financial assistance have somewhat
retarded the demonstration which the
character of the composers illness should
have called forth.
A universal fallacy with regard to Mac
Dowell has classed him as one OF the
wealthy composers. 1t has been generally
supposed that he realized handsome roy
-alties on his compositions, but the fact
is that the income he derived in this way
has never been sufficient for his support,
and that 1t was necessary, so long he
was physically capable, for him to main
tain himself by teaching. The ridiculously
small sum of $500 was the sum total of
MacDowell's royalties on his compositions
during his first twenty years of creative
activity.
One of the most active agitators in the
cause of establishing MaeDowell club
in Washington and in creating in a pecu-
MARY way some means of recognition for
MacDowell's work is Oscar g. sonneck,
of the Library of Congress.
In this connection Mr.. Sonneck said.
ut has been the natural inclination of
people for many ages to desire to help
the man of genius who is in unfortunate
circumstances. That impulse expresses it.
self in many and various directions. Mae
Dowel's case is an exceptional one. There
are comparatively few great musicians
who have been in need of aid, and of
those few, a very small number have
been threatened with poverty through no
fault of their own.
but whenever there has been occasion
for a demonstration in behalf of great
composer, people have rarely been slow
in coming forward. The case of Hugo
Becker was one in point Not many years
ago when he announced his intention
of leaving Frankfort to accept a more
favorable London engagement, the
wealthy People of Frankfort collected
funds sufficient to retain him in their
city. His experience was not unlike that
of Beethoven who had enough warm adj
mirers in the princes of Vienna to Sc
cure him 1000 forms as an annual guar
anteed income. Yet neither Beethoven
nor Becker were poor men,
Another illustrious example of appre-
citation of a composers need through
financial assistance was shown in the case