Evening star., 1925-06-14
Rambler Gives Some Musical History
of
Early DaysW Names Famous WereM Local..

Henry enlisted in the Marine Band,
November 20, 1896, when Francuilli
was the leader, and with IS months
more service will be able to retire.
William and John Repetti, who played
in band and orchestra, are dead. There
were several daughters. ida Repetti
married DIR. T. V. Ward; Mime mar
ried Walter English and Kate mar
ried Michael Gallagher.
7 WAS thinking of some of the
old music masters and musical
families of southeast Washington and
to me came the names of Sousa.
Esputa, Repetti, Luca. Biondi, Gut
mond, Antonio Pons, Francis Scala,
Henry Fries, Louis Schneider. Bap-
tista, Tregina, Marco, Viner, Michael
Stanisci, Henry Stopsack and Charles
and John Prosperi.
Charles Prosperi during the SOS
and sos lived in square 903 between
Seventh, Eighth, + and G streets
southeast, the same square in which
lived Antonio and Elizabeth Trink-
haus Sousa, father and mother Of
John Philip Sousa, Francis and John
Esputa lived in the same square
I believe that Charles Prospect and
John Prospect We're brothers. | did
not go for information l wanted to
the Prospect family. because l learned
that there were sickness and sadness
in the home of John Prosperi'S widow.
l believe there are few old Wash
| ingtonians but who remember Pros
| peri'S Orchestra, just as they remem-
ber John Pistorio's Orchestra, the or
chestra of the Donch boyS-Charles,
Henry and John-and Weber's Orches-
ira. l forget whether it was Louis
Weber or Will Weber who conducted
Weber's Orchestra, but | believe /.
was Louis. Each lived in Southeast
! Washington Louis at 727 Seventh
street and Will at 524 Tenth street.
| John Prosperi-John Francis Pros.
peri was his full name-lfved for
many years on Tenth street southeast,
and for a long time at 4O3 Tenth. He
was born in Washington January .,
| 1840, died March 3, 1928. SO years old,
and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
| His father was Francis Prospect, who
was born in Florence, Italy, and mar
ried Christina Mcleod Of Newburgh,
y. Y.
| John Francis prosperi had three
daughters 1 remember, and two
| daughters whose names have slipped
my memory. The three were Annie,
Asphasia and Elizabeth, and they were
among the early telephone girls of
| Washington.
aFar back in the COS you may have
| InOURnt II WOulO De an adventure TO
| talk through a telephone; perhaps you
asked yourTriends where there was a
| drug store in which you could find the
new-fangled machine. Perhaps you
walked half mile and found one.
I Then you asked the druggist. How do
you make the thing work." You
turned the crank on the outside of the
box, and the bell rang. The voice you
heard was probably that of Annie or
Asphasia or Lizzie Prospect.
Y \
IN making notes Of old musicians
and music teachers the Rambler
! has divided his list in southeast,
northeast, southwest and northwest,
and names of musicians of Southeast
Washington who We're playing for you
| two generations ago follow: August
and Charles Naecker, 80 Tenth
| street; Ludwig Naecker, 723 Seventh:
Lewis Naecker, 500 Tenth; Alwine
Ockert. 500 Fourth; Joseph Oliveri.
654 l: Benjamin r. Packard, 531
Sixth; Frederick Patzschke. 51S
| Ninth; Salvatore Petrola, 1907 E;
Vincent Petrola, sic Ninth; Philip f.
Phillips, 703 B: Francis w. Lusby,
709 D; Lemuel E. Lusby. 1922 G; Ed
ward McIntire, 1884 l; Cora c. Nc
Lean, AZ Monroe street, Anacostia
Fulton B. Karr, 402 Monroe street,
Anacostia; Julia NJ. Maedel. 506 D:
Gustav and Henry Schuldt. 603 Penn