The Spanish Fork press. [volume] (Spanish Fork, Utah) 1902-current, 1910-12-08


The famous blue parlor, perhaps
the most notable and most interesting
OF all the apartments in the presiden-
tial mansion, has been transformed
into music room There President
and Mrs. Taft seek relaxation during
intervals of leisure and there many
OF their friends have been enter
tanned from time to time with infor-
NAL musical programs.
Regarding the impromptu concerts
the people generally have heard lit
tie, but all readers of the newspapers
who follow the chronicle of social
doings at Washington must have
noted that the musicale has, under
the Taft administration, become one
of the favorite means of formal en-
tertaining.
The favoritism manifested for this
kind of hospitality has occasioned no
surprise among Mrs. Taft's intimate
friends. for the present first lady Of
the land has always been exceedingly
fond of music, AID is. moreover, some
thing of musician herself. She was
the founder and longtime president
Of the Cincinnati Symphony orches-
ira. The idea of bi-weekly band con-
certs on the Potomac river, water
side esplanade at the national cap
ital, was suggested by her.
The musicales which Mrs, Taft has
given at intervals during her first
year in the White House are in a
sense personal Inequalities, as dis
tinguished from the state dinners and
semi-public receptions which, accord
ing to time-honored custom, it is in
cumbent upon occupants of the man
sion to give each winter. 1t Is the
prerogative of each mistress of the
White House to indulge herself with
some personal entertainments quite
apart from the formal affairs die
tated by tradition, and 1t is in this
connection that Mrs. Taft has had
recourse to the musicale as a means
Of hospitality.
How completely the management OF
these affairs is in Mrs. Taft's hands
may be surmised from the fact that
the social secretaries at the executive
offices who have charge of formal so
cial functions have no jurisdiction In
the matter of the musicales. Invita-
tons TO the latter are sent out in
Mrs. Tafts name and she, with the
aid of her secretary, makes up her
own invitation list
Conspicuous in the domain of the
inff in icfG 10 10 70
$4,000 gold plano, which has been
for several years past conspicuous
object in the furnishings of the White
House. This musical instrument dc
luxe was designed especially to har
monize with the present gold and
white decorative scheme of the east
room, and the entire instrument is
overlaid with gold The introduction
of the American eagle the seal of the
nation and the coats of arms of the
10 original states emphasizes the dis
tinctively American character of the
decoration.
Mrs. Taft's supervision of the
White House musicales extends to g
personal selection of the numbers that
make up the concert programs. Inc
artists are professionals of first rank
The pianoforte is the instrument or
which Mrs, Taft gives expression tc
her own musical sentiments, and hel
tondness for this form of music is
evidenced by the fact that an emf
nent pianist has participated in al
most every musicale held at the
White House. Prominent among them
have been Mms Fannie Bloomfield
Zeisler and Ernest Hutchinson. Karl
Jorn. the tenor OF the Metropolitan
Opera company. sang at one musicale
and at another the program was con
tributed by Prof. Willy Hess, Mr.
Julius Won Theodorowicz. Mr.. Emue
Ferir and Mr.. Alvin Schroeder, the
string soloists of the Boston Sym
Shony orchestra.