The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-05-24

Today is a red letter day in American
music. The National Federation of Mu-
steal Clubs is meeting in the sixth BIZ
ennial session al Grand re pids. and the
expectation is that there viii be- more
women in attendance than were ever
gathered together on musical mission
before Founded b. Mrs Theodore
Thomas. at the Chicago words fair. the
FederatiOns has grown I'm numbers and
influence until today il is one of the
greatest factors operating in the music
world II is pledged to the cultivation OF
musical taste I'M tie public schools and
to the advancement OF American music
in every branch.
The most interesting feature of this
gathering Of the IS clubs represented i'm
tae Federation will be the awarding Of
prizes. II was announced last year that
sea- would De given for the best COM
positions 90 for the best orchestral
composition 500 for the best piece of in
strumental music and $500 for the best
vocal selectiOn-each to be the product
of An American author. In response to
this offer more than a hundred manu-
scripts were submitted, most Of them by
prominent composers. The judges have
finished their work, but the result Of the
contest viii not be known until the meet
ing is in session, when the winning Sc
lectiOns will be sung and played ii IS
said that the prize winners are splendid
examples Of American music, and that
the decisions Of the judges are popular
with all who are in the secret The FUNDS
offerings on the part of the clubs con-
shutting the Federation
Another great musical event will be
the celebration on Long Island in honor
of the opening Of the new greensboro
bridge. 1t is proposed TO have three OF
the regimental bands of the New YORK
National Guard massed on the roadway
of the bridge. the whole aggre cation to
be under a single leader. When he raises
his baton the signal viii be flashed TO
every village on Long Island. and half
million voices VIII join him in singing
Home Sweet Home" Elaborate prep
aratiOns for the event are being made,
and all Long Island viii ring with song.
The tWenty-secOnd triennial COnClave of
the Northeastern Federation of Singing
Societies will be held at Madison Square
Garden in June. and it will be one of
the great musical events Of the summer.
Many splendid prizes Will be contested
for, among them a splendid little statue
of q German mnnesinger, given by kais-
peror has always taken a deep interest
I'm the children of the Fatherland in
America and feels the keenest pleasure
i'm the efforts they put forth TO keep alive
the songs of the homeland. The North
eastern Federation has membership of
more than 10000. of whom more than
GOO are active singers. The feature or
this meeting will be a chorus of 1000
male voices.
One of the most remarkable choral so
cieties in the world is the Reading Church
Choral society. II is made up of mixed
voices but has no leader. The head Of
the society presides at the organ when
il sings and it Is said that the members
have so mastered their work that they
can sing together as well as if they were
following the most skilled leader in the
land.
The great mass OF singers belong to
singing societies. but Of course grand op-
era must ever remain to the musician
what Hamlet is to the piaygoeT: Inc
money invested in the production of grand
opera amounts to more than kings ran
som. In the two weeks season in Chi
cago this year the receipts amounted to
more than s200O00. a single house bring
ing S1S,00o The Metropolitan opera house
closed the New York season with a def
cit of a quarter-milion dollars. During
the DAYS of Grau the Metropolitan was
able to supply its conductors for S25.00o
for the season. but owing to the cOmpc-
/ tition Of rival opera house the prices
have been forced upward until now
earlier DAYS the singers had to seek the
/ impresar but now the impresario has
TO seek the singers has to ransack Eu-
rope for them. carrying a lot of certi-
/ fled checks. and spending money I'm
way that would break the heart of most
rnuitimillionaires Twenty thousand dol
/ lars week for a whole season has been
/ paid to a single singer.
The dav when France and Italy had a
monopoly on the production Of grand
/ opera singers has passed. Each year the
I list of Americans who sing in grand
opera is charging, and the singing teach
ers Of Paris are all but living on the
/ shelIels that come their way through the
/ American students. And those students
/ have formed the habit of walking away
with the prizes In fact. the Grand Prix
Of the Paris conservatory was DenS