Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-15
FREE RECITAL EVERY DAY
All Glasses and Creeds Welcomed ia
Noontime Performance.
CHURCH PRESIDENCY SUPREME
Its Command Never Questioned by
Disciples, Who Cheerfully Obey.
Missionaries Pay Own Expenses.
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.

special correspondence VI i he t'tai anu 'hS
Chicago Record Herald.
SALT LAKE CITY. October e, 1909.
Every week day between II and l
O'Clock there is an organ recital in the
tabernacle at Salt Lake City, which is
free to all Corners, and it Is attended by
clerks. mechanics, business men, tourists
and large numbers of women. 1t is
part of the educational system of the
Mormon Church, which. as l told you in
previous letters. devotes a great deal of
attention to physical musical and liter
airy culture, and furnishes diversions and
amusements of various kinds to protect
the morals. cultivate the taste and pro-
mote the contentment and happiness of
it's members.
Everybody who is familiar with such
subjects knows that the Mormon taber-
nacle contains one of the great organs
Of the world, celebrated among musicians
everywhere for the sweetness of its tones
and the remarkable effects which may
be produced by skillful performer. 1t
is often referred to as freak" organ
for that reason. Some of the stops are
remarkable for their tone. particularly
those which initiate the human voice and
the notes of birds.
The programs of these daily recitals
are made up chiefly of classical music
with at least one popular air, usually
IdHlllldT H6iOUN WIFI SdT1dtlOllS Dy Tue
performer. The recitals are worth going
across the continent to hear. particularly
those of John ]. Mcclellan, the chief
organist
Mr.. Mcclellan born in Payson,
Utah. April 20, 1874, and developed genius
at very early age for when he was
only ten years old he was the organist
of the tabernacle in that town. When
he was seventeen. in 1891 he went to
Ann Arbor. where he took a course in
tho T-pi,-ercifu Of MichiUon d,-
ated from the school of music. Return
ing to Salt Lake, he became an instructor
for two years in the Latter Day Saints
College. and then spent several years in
New York completing his musical stud
les. Upon his return he was made pro-
fessor of music in the University of
Utah, and In 1901 was appointed organist
Of the tabernacle. John P. Meakin in
his Leaves of Truth says: LAS or
ganist of the tabernacle under the di-
rection of the first presidency of the
church he inaugurated the scheme of
free organ recitals, and for years thou
sands of people have enjoyed and been
made nobler beings by the sublime
music"
His lode to Irrigation"
Mr.. Mcclellan has appeared in concert
in nearly every city of the country He
oficiated as organist at the ST. Louis,
Portland and jamestown expositions. He
wrote an lode to Irrigation" which won
the first prize in a competition at the
national irrigation congress some years
ago for the best musical setting, and now
forms an official part of the program at
each national irrigation congress. It has
been sung on such occasions at Ogden,
Boise. Portland Sacramento and Spokane
to open the proceedings.
In 1908 Mr. Mcclellan was chosen di-
rector of the Salt Lake Symphony Or
chestra composed of sixty performers,
and for the last national Eisteddfod he
organized the Salt Lake Choral Society
which Is composed of Mormons, Jews and
Gentiles. He also conducts the orchestra
at Saltair Beach. the resort at Salt Lake.
In 1901 Mr.. Mcclellan persuaded the
presidency of the church to have the
grand old organ, at which he presides,
overhaUed and modernized at a cost of
$4,000. 1t was originally built thirty
years ago by Joseph G. Ridges, a local
musician assisted by Utah artisans. Mr.
restoration was made by the w. W. KIM
ball Company of Chicago, who intro
duced several valuable improvements, in
Guiding new mechanism. There is no
color, shade or tint of tone that cannot
be produced upon it.
Tracy Y. Cannon. one of Mr.. McClel-
lan's assistant organsts, is a son of
the late George Q. Cannon, for many
years a delegate in Congress, and a
grandson of Brigham Young He was
born in Salt Lake City in 1879 passed
through the public schools and gradu-
ated at the University of Utah Dur
ing his childhood he studied music with
local instructors and when he was only
sixteen years old was appointed choris-
ter of one of the Mormon ward churches
After graduating from the university he
studied harmony and counterpart at
Ann Arbor for two years with Dr. A.
y. Stanley: was three years in London,
three years in Berlin where he studied
the piano with Alberto JONAS and com
position with Walter Meyrowitz In
Paris he studied the organ with Alex
Guilmant and orchestration with Albert
Roussel. and returned to Salt Lake last
November to accept the position of or
ganist i'm the First CONGREGATIONAL
Church of that city. He was appointed
assistant organist at the Tabernacle in
April. 1909. and gives two recitals in the
Tabernacle each week. Mr.. Cannon has
composed a number of songs, hymns and
anthems.
Promising Young Musician.
Edward P. Kimball. another of Mr..
McClellan's assistants. is a grandson of
Heber c. Kimball. of the organizers
of the Mormon Church. whose name is
closely linked with that of Joseph Smith
and Brigham Young, and his maternal
grandmother was one of that famous
band who made the journey from Mis-
souri, to Utah on foot, pushing all their