New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-25
GALA
AROUND C|TYS TREE
ontinued from first page.

Band burst forth into a fanfare from
"Parsifal"
As they sounded their first note the Big
star at the apex OF the Christmas tree
began to glow: 1t frightened gradually as
they continued, and when IL had reached
its most brilliant point the colored lights
on the branches below winked here and
there into being. one cluster after an
other until the whole fairy tree stood
revealed.
The choirs and chorus. which had as
sembled at 40 o'clock in DIR. Parkhurst
Church, across Madison avenue. and had
marched TO the bandstand led by Charles
l.. Stafford, their marshal, now began sing
ing The First Noel" Every one in the
thousands, penned In the pathways by
special detachment OF police. clapped but
the volume Of applause sounded faint
across the snowy waste dividing hem
from the bandstand-soundcd bit Ike
the rustling Of a forest under the winter
wind Fortunately, no wind disturbed the
singers or the tree, and the multitude.
warmed here and there by coke burners
such as Workmen use to heat their tools
in winter considered themselves com
Portable enough 10 remain indefinitely.
Another feature adding 10 the modern
convenience Of the celebration was the
presence Of two hundred Boy Scouts of
America to act as public messengers.
Alongside the bandstaud the singers have
portable house also heated with cleo
tricity. These singers number one hun
dred. all Of them voluntary workers Ike
their little brethren. the Boy Scouts.
Evening Filled with Music.
Last night the Mcdowell schola Can
forum and the Welsh Singers event
Choir bore the larger part OF the burden.
They sang under the leadership OF Kurt
SCHNEIDER with brief intermissiOns. stead
ilv until $50 o'clock. At this point there
INTERVIEWED a half hour OF silence. AZ
o'clock the Van Baar Band, OF forty
pieces. took up the task OF entertaining
the Christmas-hungry for an hour. There
followed an intermission OF one hour. aid
then the singers SANG the songs OF all
nations until midnight
At midnight the band crashed out The
strains OF MY Country, It's Of Thee.
and the crowd blackening the snow round
about sang an accompaniment
the example set for them by the Mac
Dowell and Welsh singers and come Tor
ward 20 supply the entertainment for
other nights, since the tree Is TO be Kept
illuminated all night long and every night
until the dawn Of January l. 1913. JACOB
A. Riis and his friends will conduct the
celebration about the tree on New Years
Eve
In succinct form the organizers OF the
municipal Christmas celebration made tho
following formal explanation OF just how
the tree came into being:
The idea-Mrs. j. b. Herreshof
The tree-The Adirondack CLUB.
The transportation-A railroad man
ager who asked 10 have his name not
given. ~ -
direction Of the tree-Colonel william
Washington. 49, ,,.
The lighting of the tree-rhe Edison
Company under the direction Oh "r'
Those who have arranged the details
of the programme and supplied the funds
prefer TO remain nameleSS
1t NAV interest the public 10 know that
tile entire programme has been arranged
IN one week and that all has been voluh-
teered and given, the one expense being
the erection OF the great tree
Heinrich Meyne sang BARITONE solo.
THE Manager Cradle" by Neidlinger'
after the first carol. Miss Eva Emmett
Wycoff interpolated a soprano solo, 20
Holy Night by Adam. between the third
and fourth carols No. s on the pro-
aramme was a tenor solo. 20, Little Town
of Bethlehem" by Spross. sung by Lud-
wig Hess. Miss Elizabeth Sherman Clark.
a contralto, contributed No. II. solo
Might OF Nights" by Van de Water
The entire programme was as follows:
Carol, 1.-THE First Noel
TRADITIONAL melody 80,
Rarvtone solo. ''Fhe Manager Cradle .Neidlineer
Carol, shepherds. Leave Your Floeks
Behind"
Carol. From Highest Heaven to h-arth
We ,old GermsnJ
So,rano colo 20 Holy Night" ......... Adam
Carol. While Shepherds Watched Their
Fiocks by Night.
(Oid English
carol. Good King Wencesss.
TRADITIONAL melody
Tenor solo. 30 Little Town OF BeIhiehe.l
Carol. "God Rest Ye. Merry Gentlemen"
TRADITIONAL melody
Carol. las with Gladness Men OF Old.
l.,,,.ai,o solo night of Nights Van de Water
Anthem, Holy Night Peaceful Night .Hs"ley
Many young women prominent in So
ciety helped out the musical programme
bv singing in the Soda Cantorum-Miss
Mary +. Field. Miss Belle Guernee, Miss
Dorothea Draper. Miss Marion Norris.
Miss Natalie Curtiss. Miss Marion Greg
orv and Miss Gertrude Parsons among
The management of the celebration Is
Indebted to Marc Iagen, manager OF
Miss Wycoff and OF Miss Clark. for the
sar,,;ces of these two singers Director
,S,,tc az tho Chorus Of Colored Music
Snttlement Voices generously arranged
o. The PRESENCE Of his chorus, as did
Eucene Jackson. leader OF ST MARX
choir