The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-31

were ever gathered together on mu- slcai mission before. Founded by Mrs. Theodore Thomas at the Chicago Worlds Fair, the Federation has grown in numbers and influence until today II Is one of the greatest factors operat. ing in the music world. It Is pledged to the cultivation of musical taste Tn the public schools, and to the advance ment of American music in every branch.
 The most interesting feature of this gathering of the 1s2 clubs representeo in the Federation will be the awarding of prizes. 1t was announced last year that $2.o00 would be given for the best compositions 900 for the best or chestral composition and $500 for the best piece of instrumental music, and $500 for the best vocal selection--eaen to be the product of an American au- thor. In response to this offer more than a hundred manuscripts were sup mitted, most of them by prominent composers. The judges have finished their work, but the result of the con test will not be known until the meet ing Is In session. when the winning selections 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 for these prizes were raised by free will offerings on the part of the clubs constituting the Federation.
 Another great musical event will be the celebration on Long Island in hon. or of the opening of the new Queens boro bridge. It is proposed to have three of the regimental bands of the New York National Guard massed on .Ao oF fhn the whnle aggregation to be under a single lead CT. When he raises hls baton the sig nal will be flashed to every village on Long Island, and half million voices will join him in singing Home, Sweet Home" Elaborate preparations for the event are being made, and all Long Island will ring with song.
 The twenty-second triennial conclave of the Northeastern Federation of Singing Societies will be held at Mad : ison Square Garden in June, and IL will be oneNof the great musical events of the summer. Many splendid prizes will be contested for, among them splendid little statue of a German min nesinger. given by Kaiser Wilhelm himself. The German Emperor has al- ways taken a deep interest in the chil- dren of the Fatherland in America, and feels the keenest pleasure in the efforts they put forth to keep alive the songs of the homeland. The Northeas- tern Federation has a membership Of more than 100000, of whom more than 10,0OO are active singers. The feature of this meeting will be a chorus or 5000 male voices
 One of the most remarkable choral societies in the world Is the Reading Church Choral Society. It Is made up of mixed voices. but has no leader. The head of the Society presides at the or gan when 1t sings, and 1t Is said that inc 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 opera must ever remain to the musi- clan what Hamlet is to the playgoer. The money invested in the production of grand opera amounts to more than kings ransom. In the two weeks sea son in Chicago this year the receipts amounted to more than $200,000, q sin gle house bringing $1S,000. The Met ropolitan Opera House closed the New York season with a deficit of quarter million dollars. During the days or Grau the Metropolitan was able to sup ply its conductors for S25,000 for the season, but owing to the competition of a rival opera house the prices nave been forcd upward until now single conductor gets that much. In the ear Her days the singers had to seek the impresario, but now, the tmpresario has to seek the singers--haS to ransack Europe for them, carrying lot of csr- tifled checks, and spending money In q way that would break the heart of most multi ti-millionaires. Twenty thou sand dollars a week for a whole sea- son has been paid to single singer
 The day when France and Italy had q monopoly on the production of grand opera singers has passed. Each year the list of Americans who sing in grand opera is enlarging, and the sing ing teachers of Paris are all but living on the shekels 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 Con- servatory was being awarded to Amer lea with too great regularity to suit the French. Result: Americans de- barred from contesting for the Grand Prix. Now 1t Is proposed to establish an American Conservatory in Paris and practically the last essential de- tail has been arranged for.
 No accurate census of the Americans studying music In Paris has yet been made, but it Is said that there are more than 5000 teachers who practically live off the fees derived from Yankee stu dents. It Is estimated that no woman ought to think of attempting to get along on less than $2,000 year. or or completing her work under six years If there were only ten pupils 10 tne teacher this would mean an outlay or more than s6,0O0.oO0 year.
 Canada has been awakening 10 at, hne need of good music with rapiolty seldom witnessed in a new country. Montreal is preparing for a ten-week season of grand opera next winter Toronto exempts her music hall from taxation, and the Toronto Orchestra finds ample patronage for It's popular concerts at tweuty-five cents admtt- tance. Throughout the Dominion mu- sical interests are looking up. and the Canadian musicians see great encour- agement for the future.
 It Is said that the people of English speaking North America now excel ev- cry other nationality in the high stand ard of amateur singing. The excuse Tout of practice" Is now heard much less frequently in their drawing-rooms than In any other part of the world. The number of women who study un- der the best teachers with no inten- tion of becoming professionals Is an- nually increasing. Great revivals of old fashioned singing are reported from the country districts, in many cases whole counties joining in an all- day meeting at some central point. Church music predominates in nearly all of these fashioned singing bees.
 There will be much rejoicing by the composers Of music after July 1. Here tofore the publishers of mechanical music could take all compositions without let or hindrance. and publish as many records therefrom as they