The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-05-30


 AT THE cLUB-THE GRoWLERs TO ENTERTAIN - ANNOUNCE MENTS-NoTES.
 Few cities can boast an organization of young singers with the splendid training exhibited by the Euterpean club a High school organization, which has as It's members a group of boys and girls from 14 years of age and with the quail ifications of real singers.
 Almost everyone was talking for days after the music festival of the numbers given by the Euterpean club, and the question was often asked, ''Who has had the direction of the Euterpean." The ex- cel1ence of the numbers given by the club was due to the efforts of Miss Leta Kits, the clever supervisor of music in the local public schools. Miss Kits has been familiar figure in Birmingham for tie past ten years. She may be seen al- most any morning on the cars going from one of the schools to another, where she directs and tests the work in the various grades. Always impressive, she is re- membered after being once seen. Tall and of a splendidly robust type, her fig ure and manner bespeak power, and the direct glance of her fine eyes, as well as her decided manner of speech make one know instinctively that she is one of those gaining instant attention and com- pliance from those who are under her di- rection. A free athletic stride adds to the appearance of strength which is so essentially a characteristic of the woman. When I expressed an interest in the Euterpean club programme to be rem dered tomorrow night she suggested that we talk over the numbers together.
 AS I approached her home the evening of our chat she was executing some bril- liant number on the plano, for Miss Kits has not given her entire time to the study of the pedagogy of elementary and high school music. She is an accom- plished musician both vocally and in- strumentally. but has given little atten- tion to anything but her public school pupils since coming to Birmingham, as she is one of the busiest women any, where. When I asked how much of her time is given to her duties as supervisor,
  rarely reach home until or : o'clock, for as you know we are having rehearsals for the Euterpean concert, and though the children only rehearse twice each weeks there are a thousand and one things that fall to the lot of the direo- tor"
 ..Tell me, Miss Kits. something of the appointment of the club director" l sug- aested. Are you elected or is the office an appointment?' My position as direc- tor of the club is one of my duties as supervisor of public school music" she explained. Tt is according to a law es- tablished by the board of education, which says that the supervisor of music shall also be director of the Euterpean club Further than directing I have no voice in it's affairs. l do not attend the business meetings, and if l did, would have no influence, as I am not mem- ber.''
 q remember" I said, "the year that the Euterpean club was established, about nine years ago. A little group of boys and girls with voices ranging through the painful gamut of shrill, squealxy, loud hoarse and croaking. The prevailing idea in those days, I believe was noise ' The club did not even have a name-did not really need 1t, believe, it was such trif1e."
 "Yes, that first year." answered Miss Kits" there were only 35 memoers. Now there are 135, and they really sing better than in those days. I am expecting s great things of some of them," she fin- ished smilingly.
 q have heard, Miss Kits, that MT. Damrosch was very complimentary to the Euterpean club and that he hopes to have them sing again in the music fes- tival next year.
 ''Oh," she answered quickly, If there is a music festival of course they will sing. Mir Damrosch suggested a can tata, and I expect to take 1t up next spring. It is Crusader" a very beautiful and one of the most powerful of modern eantatas. It's theme is that which Wag- ner has treated in ''Tannhauser,' the con- fict of the human soul with the powers of darkness. beauty and sorcery, and it's final triumph
 MT Damrosch commented upon the splendid enunciation of the members of the chorus did he not?'
 Why, yes" said Miss Kits, ''he asked me if I did not have trouble making them enunciate distinctly. naturally sup posing that I would, as I am a northern woman. have very little trouble that way. A little drilling makes things all right, and as I told MT. Damrosch, the members of the Euterpean club are chill dren yet and children are automatic. They do things the way they are told.p
 '"Tell me something of the cantata that is going to be presented tomorrow night. I remember "Joan d Arc" last year as 8 surprisingly splendid production. 1 have never heard the Erl Kings Daugh- ter Is 1t the story of Goethes tragic poem? If 1t is l should love It. because I can't imagine anything more fascinating than the poem or the song by Schubert" |"
 This cantata," replied Miss Kits, tells different story from that made famous in Goethe's poem. In the poem, you remember the father rides through the night clasping his boy and pursued by the Erl King and his daughters who are secretly enticing the child. In vain he assures the lad that the Erl King g voice is but the sad wind signing through the withered leaves, that his train is but the mist and that his daugh- ters are the aged willows deceiving his sight. At last as the lad cries out in mortal terror though. at first. charmed with the apparition the father gallops