New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-19
Mems Voices Heard in Part
Songs at Music Festival
in ArmOry.
OLD MELODIC
IDEALS PRESERVED
Participation of Opera Players
Recalls Musical Gatherings
of Year in South.
by II. T.. KREHBIEL.

Trenton. y. j.. May la-The second con-
cert OF the Music Festival this evening
was devoted to the popular glorifcation
OF Nine. Schumann-Heink (which feature
has little. il anything. to do with musical
culture and German HanreroesdnD-part
songs by mems voices. In the latter feat
ure there was predominantly an historical
interest The modern music festival,
which received its impetus from the Gin
cinnati meeting OF 1873. was the direct
outgrowth of the festivals Of the North
American sangerbund. which by a
strange coincidence had their beginnings
in the same city more than sixty years
ago. That the national gatherings Of Ger
man singers, which within a generation
grew TO most extraordinary dimensions,
should have had their origin In West
ern town has always been matter Of
curious amazement. Long before 1919
! there were German singing societies In
the East which numbered hundreds
where the societies in the West numbered
scores. and the German singers OF New
York and Philadelphia were in the habit
of visiting each other for purposes OF
conviviality and song decades before the
small societies of the Ohio Valley dreamed
OF coming together in festive gathering.
Start in Cincinnati.
Yet the Sangerfest idea sprouted in Gin
clnnati and not only grew into national
institution, but suggested the scheme Of
a union of American societies of mixed
voices TO sing oratorio music to Theodore
Thomas, wherefore he projected the first
Cincinnati May Festival. which was held
1873 in a building which had been
erected TO accommodate German
Sangerfest. There had been musical
conventions. as they were called, in New
England before that, but they were
gatherings of church choirs only, and
were devoted chiefly TO study of the
rudiments of singing as taught at the
time by the disciples Of Lowell Mason
and his Boston associates. So far as
know, there is only one survival OF the
old conventions and that is the festival
which is now held on newer lines every
autumn in Worcester, Mass. The fact
that the German-born citizens of Amer
lea still cling fondly to the traditions
which they brought with them from the
fatherland was illustrated in tonight
concert, when about one hundred ana
sixty members of six German societies
united in performances of the type OF
music fondly and proudly spoken of by
them as "Das deutsche Lied The
choir confined itself to the type which
was thus isolated from the other feat
ures Of the concert-the singing of Nine.
Schuman-Heink and the instrumental
music contributed by the orchestra, COM
posed of the band which played at the
Metropolitan Opera House in New York
during the season which ended few
weeks ago. The German part-songs were
sung under the direction OF julius u.
Kumme: the orchestral numbers were
conducted by Richard Hageman These
numbers, as well as Nine. Schumann-
Heinks airs and songs. had significance
only TO local listeners. but the participa-
ton Of the German singers in the fes-
tival was at least interesting as an
earnest of the SINCERITY of the move
ment TO stimulate musical love in the
community.