Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1919-05-04
BY HENRIETTA M. REEFS.

NEW YORK CITY has many
IN advantages in musical way,
which many another city may
envy, and not the least among these
is the vast amount Of musical re-
sources at hand. Easter Sunday
comes along. and the organist and
choir director--who in all the Lead
ing big churches OF the metropolis
is always one and the same person
this director has no difficulty in
engaging assisting soloists for the
special music of the occasion. and
m also augmenting or diversifying
the instrumental portions by the use
Of an assisting small orchestra, or
with brasses, strings or woodwinds
as he may desire.
Clarence. Dickinson. organ;st and
choirmaster at the Brick Church on
Fifth avenue on Easter Sunday fea-
tured a group of horns with the or
gan and choral music, engaging his
talent from among the leading play
ers of the Philharmonic and other
orchestras. The velvety, warm tones
OF these instruments, in contrast
with the distinctive organ tone and
the voices, made wonderfully inter-
esting musical effects possible. Mr..
Dickinson plays new organ in this
church of the same make as the one
at the First Presbyterian church
here, only it is much larger in
strument. 1t excels in string tone.
and has unusual and convenient cres-
cendo effects. 1t has only been in
stalled since Janua ~.
Frank Wright, the organist and
choirmaster of Grace church in
Brooklyn, decided to give, victory
commemoration service, and because
OF the size of Brooklyn aid its niu-
steal resources. it is possible for him
to unite four boy choirs and to en-
gage assisting orchestral soloists
for this occasion, without gong far
from home to do it.
T. Tertius Noble, organist and
choirmaster of St. Thomas church,
runs a choir school for boys i'll con-
necton with the music, a school
which would hardly be possible to
have in smaller cities, even with so
great director. The personnel and
the number of the different choirs
make it possible for great deal in
the way of church music to be &C
complished in New York City which
would be out of the question in
smaller cities. The quality Of what
is done can be as good in Omaha as
in New York City, however; that is
an individual matter and depends
upon the qualifications and ability
of the Ndirector.
One evening at the invitation OF
Edward Johnston, brother OF George
S. Johnston of Omaha, we attended
the University Glee club concert at
the Hotel Aston. This club is made
up of some 200 or more men. Each
of these during his college days was
"a member of his college, Glee club.
Every voice in the active member
ship of the club is tested twice
year, and if a man is not keeping
up Though stress OF business or for
tVntT reasons, lie is SIddudtcu mo
The associate membership. The re-
suit is a splendid singing body of
Unusually high standards. with Won
derful balance of tone and equality.
Arthur Woodruff conducted and
the art and musical effects obtained
were a great and pieasuraole sur
prise to me. There was the greatest
finish in every detail. Lambert
Murphy. a member of the club, was
the soloist. The program was
worthy of any fine horal society.
Mr.. Johnston is member of the
club and he is remembered NJ Oma-
ha as one of the soloists of the Har-
ward Glee club When they made
western tour some years ago.
We were the guest at luncheon of
Leonard I.iebling during our stay in
New York. Mr.. Liebling is editor
of the Musical Courier and well
known as versatile writer OH musi-
cal sub jects. He comes of a musi
cal family and is equipped with
fine musical education which gives
weight and authority to his cleverly
expressed ideas, He is greatly in
terested in the musical development
of the west and of western cities.
The biggest advertisement Min
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