New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-04
q In the World of Music and Musicians
Notable Music Festivals
And Their Origins

1t may be explained here. a century
ago meant not exclusively the art-form
which we associate with the word. but
was the equivalent of a concert of
sacred music. 1t does not appear that
the Harmonic Society, which died
ABOUT 1929. ever gave a festival or
held a convention. but the concert on
october IL. 1926, was a somewhat mo-
meneous affair, inasmuch as 1t was at
tended by the President of the United
states, John Quincy Adams, and the
Governor Of the commonwealth after
they had talked "horsc, pigs and pol
tues at the fair grounds. The first
precursor Of the present festivals was
a convention organized by Edward
Hamilton, q Worcester musician. and
Benjamin F. Baker, of Boston, who
had also a local reputation as leader
OF one of the singing societies of Worces-
ter. Under their auspices the first
convention for the discussion Of church
music was held September 28-October
/, 1858. After that conventions were
OF annual occurrences; and, indeed.
1nere were two of them, rival i~nstitu-
tions. in 1868. The managers of the
convention which met in Mechanics
nall IN that year proved to be the fit
test, and they survived under the for
man title of "the Worcester County
Musical Convention." More than
twenty towns were represented in the
list of officers and, it is to be pre-
sumed, in the choir also. In 1871 the
name of the governing organization was
changed to that which it bears now
the Worcester County Musical Asso-
ciatton"-and it was solemnly resolved
that thereafter the Conventions"
should be Festivals"
Origin of the Cincinnati Festivals
should like to delve into the ancient
records OF Boston, New York, Philadel-
phla, Charleston and other cities to
snow how foolish is the notion that mu-
seal culture is a new thing compare
lively in the Uaited States, but I must
hot. 1t is enough tor present pur-
poses to state that the records show
that the cultivation Of choral music
ny amateurs is as old on this side of
the Atlantic as it is in Europe. Ham
oels music, and HaydN's, some of it,
was sung by church choirs as far
vest as Cincinnati within the first two
decades of the nineteenth century.
Mendelssohn and spohr were invited
10 conduct q music festival in New
York in 1s47. Mendelssohn declined
because of illness, and died at the end
OF the year. But to get back to a
consideration of the line of develop
ment which resulted in the festivals
Ct the Cincinnati type. German sing
ing societies., cholcs Of men, sprang up
m the East in the 'Sos of the
nineteenth century. Philadelphia.
Baltimore and New York were ear
lest in the field. but within &
dozen years there were already sim
lar societies in Milwaukee. St. Louis,
Cincinnati, Louisville, Madison, Ind,
and other Western cities. OF course
the cultivation of Gemuthlichkeit fol-
lowed hard on the heels of the prac-
tlce of music in these societies, and u
il terchange Of visits among the So
cieties. Philadelphia and Baltimore
yet the example, which Louisville and
Cincinnati followed in lS48. At this
meeting the North American Sanger
bund was organized, and in 1849 the
first of its festivities took place in
Cincinnati. Sangerfeste were held by
the bund in Cincinnati in 1840, 1851,
1853, 1856 and 1870. In the course of
these twenty Years. the festival grew
steadily in magnitude ii not in artistic
character, so that when the gathering
OF 1870 took place it was found neces-
sary to build q hall to accommodate
a body of 5000 singers and %instru-
mcntalists, besides the audience. The
building erected to this end became
the visible bond between the German
festivals and the meetings with loftier
aims and purer means established by
Theodore Thomas anC a committee of
prominent citizens in 1873. At that
time Mr.. Thomas was still engaged
in orchestral peripatetics, spreading
knowledge and appreciation of high
class instrumental music throughout
the country. The San~erfest Hall had
been saved to the city for the purposes
Of industrial expositions, and this fact
inspired Mr., Thomas on one Of his
visits with the idea of a festival of
men and women singers at which
music Of a higher order than that CT
the specifically German festivals should
be performed and from which the Gle
lncnt Of conviviality should be ban
ished. This element had so completely
dominated the German festivals that
their artistic side had become prac-
t;cally negligible. | remember the meet
- = a. NicNS'dTu M AO'f, a. HHitH 4
made the acquaintance of Carl Berg
mann, who was the conductor. The or
chcstra was that of the New York
Philharmonic Society, and Bergmann.
who was anything but disposed against
beer drinking, had brought his mu-
seal ideals with him. He tried hard
10 rally the singers around his ar
tistic standard, but failed m~iscrably.
At the rehcarsals of the mass chorus
he found himself with about 300
singers instead Of the 5000 which he
had expected. and his disappointment
/ vas pitiful to behold. I sat out the
last concert with him, at which. after
the Introductory orchestral piece. he
had nothing TO do but listen to the
! competitive singing Of the various So
c~ictics, and during our visits to the
stupcndous bar which filed the space
under the mammoth stage he poured
forth hts disgust and anger at the
} character which the affair had as
{ aumcd. Largely through his influence
. and the effect Of the Cincinnati fcsti-
vals Of 1873 and 1875 a change was
: wrought in the constitution Of the bpnd,
3 and ~ the next meetings in Louisville
! in 1877 and Cincinnati in 1879 women
took part in the singing, and orator!os
were admitted TO the scheme Of music.
Ir 1881 Dr.. Leopold Damrosch gave
the festival at the 18th Regiment Ar
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