Los Angeles herald., 1909-05-25

for the best vocal
selection - each to
to be the product Of ,,.,.
an American au- y d TdsN"
thor. In response to this offer more
than hundred manuscripts were sub
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 Sc
lectlons will be sung and played. 1t is
said that the prize winners are SPLEEN
did 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 r~land in honor
of the opening of the new greensboro
bridge. 1t is proposed to have three
of the regfmental bands of the New
York National guard massed on the
roadway of the bridge, the whole ag-
gregation to be under a single leader
When he raises his baton the signal
will be flashed to every village on Long
Island, and a 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
or the Northeastern Federation of Sing
ing 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 German minnesinger,
given by Kaiser Wilhelm himself The
German emperor has always taken a
deep interest in the children 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 Northeastern Fedora
ton has membership of more than a
hundred thousand, Of whom more than
10000 are active singers. The feature
of this meeting will be chorus of 5000
male voices,
One of the most remarkable choral
societies in the world is the Reading
church Choral society. 1t is made up
of mixed voices, but has no leader. The
head of the society presldes at the or
gan when it 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.
canada has been awakened to the
need OF good music with a rapidity SCI
dom witnessed in a new country. Mon
treal is preparing for a ten-week season
OF grand opera next winter, Toronto
eXempts her music hall from texation
and the Toronto orchestra finds ample
patronage for its popular concerts at %
cents admittance. Throughout the do
mlnlon musical interests are looking
up, and the Canadian musicians see
great encouragement for the future
There will be much rejoicing by the
composers of music after July l. Here
tofore the publishers of mechanical
music could take all compositions with
out let or hindrance and publish as
many records therefrom as they
pleased. All they had to do was to buy
a single copy of the music. But cor
eress has at last recognized the claim
of the composer for payment when his
music is mechanically reproduced, by
authorizing royalty of cents for
each disk, perforated sheet, or cylinder
sold. Congress recognized music in an
other way last winter by appropriating
$4,000 for the further study of Indian
music.
The makers of organs in Great Britain
are rejoicing over the fact that Eng
land won over America in securing the
contract for the installation of the
organ in the American Episcopal
cathedral in Manila. Bishop Brent
selected the English manufacturer be-
cause he had made the one in st. Mar
garet's church, Westminster, which the
churchman considers the sweetest
toned instrument in the world. The
organ will be remarkable In its con-
structicn. The leather and the wood
will be soaked in poison so as to render
1t free from being attacked by ants, and
many of the parts will be made detach-
able, so that they may be the more
easily sent to London for repair. Much
speculation is being INDUCED In as to
whether or not the organ will be adj
mitted free of duty. 1t is hardly prob
able that 1t WILL since the United States
NIT even church bells free.
There is certain pipe organ manu-
facturer in New York whose offices are
filled with pictures of pipe organs he
has installed in the homes of New York
lAillionaires. John D. Rockefeller, An
drew Carnegie, Charles M. Schwab and
dozens of others have fine organs in
their homes and employ the finest Or
ganists in New York city. In addition to
this some Of them will pay a great
singer as much as $4,000 for single
hours entertainment. Schwab and
Rockefeller have organs with key
boards in different parts of the house.
Andrew Carnegie gives an average of
ten small organs a week to struggling
churches throughout the country.
Americas most famous living hymn
writer, Fanny Crosby, recently cele-
brated her eighty-ninth birthday. She
had written a special hymn for the oc-
casion, which was sung by the assem-
bled guests. She has been blind from
infancy, yet has produced more hymns
that give promise of enduring than any
other hymn writer in American history
1t is said that the records of the music
publishers show gradual Improvement
In the public taste for music. The
songs about mother and the old home
still find a greater sale than any other
class. Next in favor are high grade
love ditties. The coon song has lost it's
grip on the public, and millions of
copies promise to remain unsold for
ever.