Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-05-10

What the Committee Of Women Has
Done to Help the Orchestra and
to Foster a Love Of Music
In This City
by SARAH ID, LOWRlE


city. was the formation and the setting to
work Of the committee of women that acts
as nm auxiliary body to the orchestra
directorate.
l always make 1t a point to go to the
yearly meeting Of the Woman's Committee
of the Philadelphia Orchestra to hear the
reports, of the officers, above all to hear
Miss, Frances Wister's very able summary
way il Is quite perfect both as to technique
as statement. and as to the impression it
, Is nicely calculated to make. As chairman
of that Woman's Committee she has given
her fellow members and the city gift Of
great intrinsic worth in both leadership and
example.
The women under that leadership started
'ars osdsS anG be c Grsae m
CITY that was anything but musical.
Naturally if the city had been musical the
| orcheStra-already great one ten years
| ago-would have created its own audience,
! but ii took something more than music to
accomplish that here The concerts had
first to be made fashionable and then popu-
lar. Eventually those who subscribed be-
| cause it was fashionable became converts to
| turned what had been merely fashionable
into what was triumphantly popular.
Nov, many persons who began by going
~ to the Friday concerts because they
| were the vogue have forgotten all about
that side of their original motive and at
! some Inconvenience go to the Saturday eve
n:ng concerts because they believe them to
| be the best.
This clearly musical reason for being
| subscribers is due TO the power of good music
over intelligent minds during Il course of
! years. and not to any Woman's Committee
! but to the far sighted perseverance of the
| Womans Committee in gathering the first
audiences the audience of today owes a
| great debt.
The guarantors could have put up the
money, and the leader and other musicians
| could have done their greatest, and the man
| asement could have been just as efficient,
but in the end everything depended on the
| Kind of audience which was gathered to
listen and on It's responsibility in the matter
| Of subscriptions.
There were two or three innovations in
management of that. original propaganda
that may have Just happened" but which
were "'cvrrly made use of by Miss Wister
and her officials. Onc was the dividing
under social sets. Tn" making of Wrst
Philadelphia. Of Germantown. or Chester
County and other outlying suburbs respon-
siblc through sub committees of their own
really recognized very salient chnractor-
isic Of this aggIom"ration Of scparat"
localities that still bears the name Of the
first Philadelphia.
Philadelphia is Il collection Of towns and
Villages that have been absorbed into a city,
but they have kept their individuality and
work better for the city when that indi-
viduality is recognized Germantown is
not the sam" as West Philadelphia. nor is
Southwark the same rs Kcnsngton in view
point or III type OF appreciation. The people
Of th" original little town are still of the
original town, though they have scattered
all over tn" city from Chestnut Hill to
l.anSdownc aAd the Iiirard Estate 10 Tor
r">daI". for when Il call comes TO Straiyhtcn
up the fences Of the old town and renew
its Sid"wnlkS and turbish up its landmarks
II l. they VINO are the ones to come in from
Wherever they are to do il. We think OF
th"m as the only really public spirited
people OF the city, but actually they care for
IN" Old landmarks because they were family
landmarks, just as Il Darby man might be
stirred by something out Darby way more
than WAat was being done down Oh Front
street.
MIELl. the Womcn's Orchestra Commit
w tee felt this nstinctivcly. or sized it up
shrcwdly, do not know which. and acted
on It. Consequently they worked on the
local pride OF th" various towns absorbed
with the main town with very successful
results
Then. too. they made personal atmos-
pherc for the orchestra leader and the other
musicians They saw to it that biographi-
raily those men who gave those concerts
W"r" entities: persons who not only played
but lived II as much interest had been
aroused in he public for the men who taught
in the university rs for the men who
the chap who rushcS in with tho music,
ph!lad"lpha would have greater uni
Vcr>!ty.
And the olncr unique tn.ng the committee
accomplished was 10 bring the coming gem
Grafton into touch with the music Of the
orchestra hr I'll" setting ii has given the
chldr"n'S concerts.
OF COURSE, all this was not accom-.
" plishcd by tho mere flourish of cp,lu.
tf .,,;,ri i,.,1
nor even By tn" Clearly defined ideals Of the
chairman: II has taken very careful and
ski!hul and persistent folow-up work during
all of the ten years.
Just in tn" matter Of seating thc hiy
waiting list OF concert guorS that now wish
I" be regular subscribers, An ordinary
business management can sell season tickets
and single tickets for n>Ubsrribed seats.
put no business management of the mascu-
line sort could buth"r with selling nort
tim" subscriptions. or manipulate tho seats
10 b" left vacanI for Il night or an afternoon
50 that Il lrohI"ma,ral waiting list Of pos
Sibi" buyers could l." accommodated
Rut this i III" very thing tho Womau's
'oAhnItic" under the very abl" management
OF or" "i as cAairm"n-Mrs William
Arn"it ~- actually ncc"mplishcs. Before
every concert tickets are turned in to her
t" b" resmld I" buyers who are ON tho com
mittcc : lists as probable buyers. And bcr
c"lnmItte" S""s 10 it also that persons wish
ing 10 subscribe for atcrnatc concerts or q
"'''N VI .uo"H''rlN lHFOughodt the season are
paired on "i,l others who wish par, time
tickets. Tickets 70 bo given away also nrc
taken care Of. and approcintivn rccipicnts
locked up ana notified. j. is very great
task and on" requiring spirit and devotion
I" muSIr-n v"ritabl" labor Of love. And
It's successful manipulation is an integral
part Of the success Of the conccrts far
musicians do not ljk" 10 play to nmrt,
."atS, no matter If they have been bald
70" It, ''''
'TONAtD the raising "f the cudowIrcnt
fund for IA" or"h"Stra-a Il fund ,hnt Is
now nppr"ciab!y nearing So 600 600 49, thr
Women $ COMMITTEE" did their cngrr bclt.
Their own subscription toward tn" fund ms
commi'tcr has been raised in !, vnrinty
Of WAYS; on" "f III" late successful ventures
was thmt of the opera dances. which were
managed n subscription dances and sun.