The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1923-04-13
MUSIC DEVELOPMENT
in BENNINGTON


The concert in Pennington last
Friday by Reinald Werrenrath, the
noted American baritone, gives rise
to the question, How can small
town support so ambitious an under
taking ?" 1t is an expensive proposit-
ion, to begin with. Werrenrath's man
ager had TO be guaranteed 1000 be-
fore the engagement could be secured
The subsequent incidental expenses
add several hundreds more. The an
swer is,"The Chorus Of the Alumni
The editor requested of Miss lnez
Post, a member of the Alumni an ar
ticfe on the organization. The followa
ing was accordingly written by Miss
Vosseler, the founder and guiding
spirit Of this organization.
The growth of any art to be per-
manent, must be brought about thru
the training of the young. Every
country town has but small oppor-
tunity to accomplish big things ar
tistically, unless a definite plan can
be carried out for the development of
appreciation.
Pennington is making the art Of
music an important factor in its
community life, through systematic
training in its public school, its in
strumental teachers, and "a large
choir school that embraces children
from the five churches of the village.
These children are trained in voice
culture, musical appreciation, sight
reading, ear-trainirg, the playing of
different instruments, chorus and solo
singing. and the aim is to function
music daily in every home. besides
producing what is dignifed, beautiful
and worthy Of its sacred office in the
church
The choir school demands six years
of two and three weekly reheusals
10 earn the AZ credits necessary for
graduation into the senior choirs of
the town. These senior groups are
organized into what is known as The
Chorus Of the Alumni. They spon-
SCR the work of the children's choirs,
and are pledged to support and en-
courage music to their limit in any
community in which they may live.
The town also reioices in a salen,
did concert band, composed of the
working men of Pennington. They
furnish music during the summer in
the park by giving eTeming concerts,
and these concerts are paid for out of
the civic funds During the winter
their concerts are held in halls; and
every festival and parade is made a
Joyous occasion because Of their ser
4s
The Alumni of course furnished
the church music; but their activities
do not stop there. They have presen-
ted Anna Case and Reinald Werren-
rath each in recital at a cost OF
$1,000 apiece during the season. This
spring they are running a Music
Memory Contest for the rural schools
of the county, and will give the con-
test. with fine concert for these
country boys and girls, the first OF
May. They run weekly music col
umns in the three town papers; an
attractive music bulletin board in tho
public library. During the winter
they attend symphony concerts II
New York, taking groups Of boys and
girls with them; they hear goodly
number of operas and encourage
every one to become interested too
and at their monthly meetings pre-
sent delightful programs Of muais
for their members.
The next big events will be the
concert given to the rural children
the Festival Graduation on the 1871
of May, followed by the annual bar.
quet, at which the new class is for
mally received; and the following
week many Of them will attend the
Bach Festival in Bethlehem. Thus
through doing for the community al
home, and hearing much on the out
side, they are steadily enlarging then
vision, and 80 making possible a flu
ture in music which will be an in
ereasing delight to every enc.
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