The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-09
Le Monde Musicale

| singers ana one or Birmin Sndu $ IuOSb
 efficient musical promoters, it would be superfluous to add more compli- ments to the already long list bestowed upon this most charming of women,
 but it is not superfluous to say that 1 none has ever grown up with Birming-
 hams musical activities who has added
 more to it's crown of musical jewels
 than Miss Mallam, who has always
 sponsored the best, the highest, and the
 most worth while musical ideals. With the whole world intent. it would seem upon music and music's influence
 for enobling and uplifting things. Miss
 Mallams opinion regarding Birming-
 hams place in the sum in "Le Monde
 Musicale counts. and when she was
 talking with me the other day about
 musical affairs, among other things she
 said:
 The rapid growth and interest in
 music in Birmingham in the past few years is shown by the splendid audi l ences which have greeted the artists l who have appeared here this season 1 This has been brought about by many things; the instruction of music in the | public schools teaches the children an
 appreciation of good music; the com
 munity sings are trying to educate as well as amuse and interest the masses | of the people; the feature numbers of their programmes are usually standard | music, while the songs for everybody" are the popular song hits of the day. and you know every one loves to sing, whether they can do so or not, and this gives people an opportunity to do that without anyone paying particular at tention to them, and everybody loves to express himself in this way
 'Choruses are another feature in the. development of music in Birmingham, said Miss Mallam "as is evidenced by the many different ones being found all over the city. The peoples chorus (and 1 it's name implies just what it is) hopes to combine all the choruses in the city
 and have an organization that Birming
 ham will be as proud of some day as Minneapolis is of it's symphony orches- tra. It's initial performance, which was given to a capacity audience at the Highlands Presbyterian Church not long ago by a chorus of eighty voices, was a pretty good starter, don't you think, and shows that the people want music.
 Last summer, while I was away on my vacation a few congenial spirits l musically this may seem strange, but 1 is nevertheless true), met at Cable hall and elected officers for the organiza- tion.i On my return l found I had been elected first vice president When I asked why this honor had been thrust upon me. and what the office entailed. was told WORK! When the object of the organization was explained to me was willing to do the work necessary | to organize a large chorus. You see, up to this time we had no singers, only officers r. F. Moore, Harry Culver, D. U Williams, Will Franklin, pr B. F.. | Richardson, Mrs ". J. Adams and my l sel fcalled up personally every one we thought would be interested, some of them being the best singers in Bir- 1 mingham and our first meeting had an attendance of sixty-five, later growing | to 100. Mir Forrest Dabney Carr. at | that time a newcomer to Birmingham, lhut who has since identified himself I closely with musical affairs here, of fered his services gratis, as director, IS l did Mrs. l.. J. Davids and Miss Minnie | McNeill as accompanists, in order to get the chorus started on a singing 1 basis. We felt sure if this could be \ done and a good concert given the 1 financial part would take care of itself
 later. The singing of The Gate of Life I has proven that our hopes were well | founded, for it showed the chorus was ! such good foundation to build upon i that a number of public spirited men and women propose to put it on firm
 financial basis by private subscription. 1 for they want to see Birmingham sue cessful artistically as we'll as commer- cially."
 1 We hope to make the chorus of such | large and splendid proportions that when we get the auditorium we will be able to give a festival with chorus of at least 800 voices and more if possible
 maybe 1000. You know there is noth- | ing like hitching your wagon to a star. even if you do not quite reach it. l am jvery proud to have been one of the
 founders of this organization, and be- 1 lieve all our plans are going to ma ] terialize."
 The Music Study Club has certainly | helped Birmingham musically by bring ing so many splendid artists to the people here" said Miss Mallam. Each year the class of artists grows better until now thespublic demands the best. Up to the past year they have been the only ones to do that sort of work, but as Birmingham grows they must ex- pect to share honors in this great work, | and already the all-star concerts have l come into prominence. sponsored by Mrs. Richard F. Johnston and Mrs. Or 1 line A. Shipman. The initial concert with that great artist, Frieda Hem- l pei was such success and drew such a splendid audience that it shows Bir- mingham wants the best and is willing
 to pay for it. The other concerts in this series, Margaret Romaine, prima donna soprano of the Metropolitan | opera, and Angelo Cortese, premier Ital- ian harpist, on Monday evening, April 12, and Rosa Ponselle, the Italian American Metropolitan opera prima Idonna, in May, will be great attractions which the public will hear and eagerly |anticipates with genuine interest and | pleasure"
 The Birmingham people should give | every support to these progressive women in their undertaking. for it will mean much for the aesthetic side of our city, and we have now grown old enough to cultivate that phase of our civic life"
 1 Personally, I try to get every one of my pupils to go to every concert that lis given, even those other than singers, for nothing helps to educate one mu- sically so much as hearing good music and having a standard to follow. I re- member when a short while back one of my friends had heard very lovely classic programme. She said to me at her next lesson: You know, I enjoyed l every note of that concert. but to tell you the truth. if I had heard it two years ago it would have bored me to lextinction.' I think in that two years she had heard everything good that had been here and that was the result.
 It was gratifying to me to learn that Ao1 uoo1 q |