Evening star., 1915-07-15

the contagious good-wellowship. kindli-
ness and humor Of its director. Out on
the Pinnacle hill, after a picnic sup
per, the chorus and its friends sent
ing message from the heights.
Soon invitations began to descend
upon the chorus. Now it was an In
vitation to sing on the beautiful lawn
of one of its members. Then the chorus
was asked to sing on the grounds OF
treat thrown in.
If there is any civil function which
needs a little good music the chorus
offers its services. A picked sixty IL
Farwell, supervisor of municipal music
in New York city. at meeting of the
Rochester City Lunch Club. The one
hundredth anniversary of the Star
spangled Banner" celebrated by .ae
patriotically thrilling by the chorus.
which led the audience in familiar
song.
Opening Park With Song.
At the annual opening of the Genesee
Valley Park. one of the most spectac-
ular festivals in Rochester, the Com
munity Chorus made the fete more
beautiful still by leading the singing
of the multitudes on the snore alohs
the river For more than sixty years
renditions of the Messiah" have been
eiven occasionally in Rochester by
biehIy trained singers. This year the
Community Chorus, after less than
wear for rehearsal. and with re" eA
perienced musicians among its mum
Der. gave the great oratorlo with sig h"i
success. .
The singing fever has been coma
eious in western New-York. Will can
andaigua has had a chorus. uhoer
Judge Thompson, for some nine years
and the Perry Oratorio Society was OF
ganized two years years ago, o,srp wrpsiu have but
recently caught it. Together tnese
pIaces have united into the lntercom-
munity Song-fest Association.
Indeed, what is said to be the Veas
first intercommunitty rxnoaiiion sonRies' Park,
Rochester There the Canandalgua
singers and the Rochester Community
Chorus Joined in giving a program,
which included Mendelssohn Hytilh
of Praise" and Rosstnfs STA pa. Ma
ter" The next day the Perry Oratorlo
Societv and the community choruses OF
Rochester, Webster, Warsaw, Wyo-
ming and Newark united in an aiter-
noon and an evening concert OF htkh IN
order During the intermisslon lne
thousand singers sat down to good
fellowship banquet spread IN one oi
the huge buildings Of the park
Ad Men Are Helped.
Most unique Of all was the song1es'
held in Convention Hall. Rochester.
This was a competitive songfest, IN
which the chorus was seated on the
platform and the Ad Club, the Rotary
Club. the Optimist Club and the Cham
ber of Commerce Choir. sitting In the
body of the house, alternated in sing
ing Rochester songs.
The dreamers whose dreams have
come true with such surprising sud
denness now dream of whole conven-
ton of community choruses of New
York state in 1916. They insist that
pageants, in which the town or city is
the hero and music is the medium
through which this hero conveys his
message. are sure to follow. They in
sist that the voice of the people will
be supported by the dramatic and
graphic arts of dancing. painting and
sculpture, all supplied with beautiful
settings to inspire work for the high
est. community ideals. And they be-
lieye, too, that through the inspiration
of such expressive festivals our ma
tional spirit will find itself and be
voiced in music composed by our own
people.