Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-07-07
MUSIC
IN RICHMOND
No. l..
The Wednesday, Club.

The wednesday, Club.
II IS sometimes profitable for an
INDIVIDUAL or an organization to pause
occasionally and review the past. In
order that The progress made in
gwen cycle of years may be estimated.
ouch retrospect may disclose marked
Hro"th or deScneration: seldom will
II reveal condition OF static repose.
win no tendency IN either direction.
obviously. the best evidence OF active.
Hirilc life Will he found in progress
ana growth. either in physical size. III
creased power or enlarged influence.
~ is. however, still possible that all
'heSe may lie lacking and. in their
stead, condition of ARRESTED develop
ment may be- found
The Wednesday Cluu celebrated its
l"cnty-hfth anniversary 1T It's last
MUSIC FESTIVAL. II is oppOrtunc thai
review be made of its work and its
achicvemcnts. which can best be
reached by resume OF its public pro-
grams and appearances. works pre-
scented and artists sponsored II is
quite manifest that no exact appraisal
OF us value 10 tn. community can he
made; II mus, he largely left to the
Ieadef 10 make his own deductions
from simple facts presented. Nor Is
there here AN! desire to disparage to
any extent the splendid record OF the
" ednesday club: whatever Facts are
stated. remarks ,interpoiatcd or conclu-
sions drawn. the motive will be ~
construct rather than destroy. to en-
courage rather than disheartcn.
Though the hrst public concert of
the Wednesday club was given in 1894.
Tho real beginning OF the club may be
noted, III passing. AS having heen some
time cartier. existing in an informal
organization OF thirty-one singers
meeting in the parlors OF MIR. and Mrs.
Henry +. Meloney under The leader
r S,rik.
III private house concerts without pre-
tcntiousness and principally for the
plcasur- or its members. AS with
most worth Will. institutions founded
on real love of art. the idea OF en-
larsement took root and the private
chorus grew into the larger Wedncs-
day Club.
The hrSt public concert then. of the
wednesday Club, 60 numne was given
M FueEday evening. May 20. 1894 at
the Mozart Academy Of Music. Still
under the leadership OF Arthur Scriv-
enor. the Wednesday Club Chorus mus
tered in It's active singing membership
i6G voices. made up in parts as fol-
lows: soprano. "a: alto 20: tenor. 80:
bass, 36. So far as statistics may show
this was a better balanced ensemble
than is often found in chorus OF
similar size and il embraced Il we'll
nigh perfect representation of parts
1t was far superior in this regard 10
the chorus of 1918, after the passing
oil quarter century Of club activity
The music chosen for presentation
AT this initial concert was OF re-
Gious or oratorio nature embracing
such numbers as Praise His Awful
Name from Spohr's Last Judgment:
Hear My Prayer" from Mendelssohn:
iounod's Ave Nerum": God SO Loved
the World" from Stainers Cruel
hHion": and the Damascus Chorus"
from Costa's .Naaman."
The soloists on this occasion were
Mrs. Gerrit Smith. soprano, and Erics-
son Bushnell basso. well-known New
York artists. with. Jacob Reinha rdt.
accompanisi and an orchestra The
program embraced Zine numbers
Letter of Indorsemcnt
10 the Musical Editor. Times Dispa,ch.
sill congratulate you on tho artf-
Gle III last Sundays Times DiSuatc.
and hope your efforts toward making
Richmond a recognized music center OF
the south Will bear fruit. WAS glad
TO have found that such a newspaper
as The Times Dispatch would i-vote
a fcw columns every week 10 this.
worthy cause. When located here.
a little more than a year ago. scourer