New-York tribune. [volume], July 26, 1903, Page 3, Image 17

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MUSIC IN TRINITY CHURCH.
FIRST ORGANS IN AMERICA-HOW THE PRINCE OF
WALES HELPED TO INTRODUCE SVRPLICES
THE ORGANIST OF THE PRESENT.
Tfce beelnninss at an appropriate and ornate
musical service in the churches of New-York may
be *fix<*i te tba sake of convenicr.ee at the date
■roes Tnr.ity Church received its first organ. For
fnrty years tb« worshippers at the church, still ac
rn r ,. .p(3 c o being in th ? diocese of the Bishop of
l.cy:<ir.i. sarsg 'he metrical versions of the Psalms
without orpan accompaniment and. presumably.
without hanaanxi certainly without instruction of
_ k^;j* The first orgati came, in 3741. and It in
' -tcs "to * rorr^rtior of soTie faulty history and a
trjfltaf contribution to the book*. F. L. Ritter.
«-bOM book on 'Musi.- in America" ought never to
* "nentienrd without :: warning, says that the
r '* Trinity Church was probably the first one
i AEJ«ri" a •' rtlP record is clear of at least two
Mt arcane, and a careful examination would pro! -
°Mv« !^ nd t!i " ]iit " Kin gs i hapel, in Boston, had
m organ, tfce PJf' °f Thomas Brattle, as early as
irinlty Chinch. Newport, was presented with
r'v crp2 r - *& B'-kop Berkeley in 3733. This I— 1 1 »
j^r.t waf used in the church until IM4. when it
f2JEe {o Brooklyn. It now stands in St. Mary's
Church. PortsmoßthJ R. 1- Henry M. Brooks, in
Mf delightful »-ompilatio!i of notices entitled
-n;den Time Music." says thai the Oral organ built
jjq jCew-England was made by Thomas Johnston for
Christ Churc h. Hoston. about 3752. But Hood, in
t)!= "History' of Music in New-England." tells of an
organ ir-a^e by an amateur builder named Edward
Bromfield, ir.. in 174 J. BromAeM was a young man.
b. graduate of Harvard <"olle;-». who took his de
rr*e r.t M. A. in 1745, and died the rext year, aged
twenty-three, while working on the organ. It
!,ai two banks of keys, and was to have had 1.200
I'peF It is possible that the organ which the
vestry at Trinity Church ordered in 173*.. and which
t.-ss set up in 1741. was the first organ built in
America, though I should hesitate to say bo.
There may have been organs in some of the South
ern churches, and the art of organ building may
have com© ever with some of the first Moravians.
The builder of Trinity** first organ died among the
Moravians at Bethlehem. Perm., in 1762. He called
himself John Clemm, but his name was Johann
Gottlob Klemm. He was borri In Dresden In 1690.
J»arr.ed his trade with Andreas Silbermann (a
lirotlser of the greater Gottfried, who made the
r:anofortes which "Old Bach" played for Frederick
the Oreat>. and came to America In 1736. and lived
in Philadelphia, New-York and Bethlehem. He
was a resident of Philadelphia when he built Trin
ity's organ, and it is more than likely that he had
association o" some sort with Gustavus Hessel, a
descendant of one of the Swedes who had settled
under IXiBuM or Printz at Tinicum on Dela
ware. This Hcs«el was also an organ builder, and
made the organ for the Moravian church at Bethle
hem in 174 c.
However. Trinity, having planned for an organ,
turned her attention to the betterment of the sing
ing within her walls, and did it in the approved
English manner. From the middle to the end of
tbe eighteenth century charity children were re
lied upon to provide the best that there was in the
v.aj; of parochial music, and they and others were
Instructed by travelling teachers. One of the evi
dences of the goodness and wisdom of Addlson's
squire. Sir Roger de Coverley, was that he en
gaged an itinerant music master to teach his village
folk the ppalm tune*. For a hundred years after
172".' the children of the charity school had more or
Ma to do with the music of Trinity Church, which
b'gan to shake off the dreary shackles of droning:
psalmody with the coming of William Tuckey from
England to officiate as clerk alternately at Trinity
and St. George's Chapel, recently built. Tuckey
had been a vicar choral in his native town, and
wap evidently more of a musician in a. general
sense than the majority of his professional breth
ren. '•>- came to New-York probably toward the
md of 1752. At any rate, his appointment was
<iatei January 1. T.'»3, and it seems probable that he
was engaged for the vestry in England. He was
the second Englishman imported by the church,
the organist whom he found installed. Thomas Har
rison, having been brought over In 1744. English
organists were the rule, which had few exceptions
until the present incumbent took office. A new
organ, set up in \"M. also came from England.
Tuckey was a man of great energy. He composed
and published music, taught singing and gave con
certs. He w?_s clerk of the parish only four years,
but his connection with the music of the church
and its chapels lasted much longer. He composed
anthems for the charity sermons and taught them
:•• the charity children, brought out some of his
own musi? at the funeral services held for George
II in Trinity, and when the new organ was in
augurated in 17C4 he seems to have been ready to
bring forward an original setting of the "Te
Ijeum." At least, a. subscription had been raised to
enable him to teach "ladies and gentlemen" a "Te
I'eum" which he "guaranteed" to be "as good a
piece of music ac any of the common 'Te Deums'
sur.g in any cathedral church In England." On
January S, 1770, this same Tuckey gave a concert
for his own benefit, et which he performed sixteen
numbers from Handel's "Messiah." which he re
lated, on October 3 of the tun« year in Trinity
Church at a special service and sermon on behalf
of the corporation for the relief of the widows and
clergymen of the Church of England in America.
The performance was a noteworthy achievement:
It took place a little less than Twenty-eight years
a Her the original production of the "work under
Handera direction in the New Music Hall in Fish
■mcie-st.; Dublin (April 13. 1742); it was only eleven
years after Handel's death (April 13. 1359); It was
more tnaa fourteen years before the great Handel
< omrnemoration in Westminster Abbey, on which
occasion King George 111. by a wave of his hand,
commanded a repetition of the ••Hallelujah" and
•Amen" choruses (May 29 and Jun<; 5. 1784): it was
,v.« jtj years before Mozart wrote the additional
acoltopanftpentate at the request o: Baron yon
i i?" e s' L° r i h< ; J?« rfn rmance of the oratorio in the
hall of the Hofbiiiliothek. in Vienna (March 1789)
itwai Dearly Kxty-mne years earlier than the first
EfISS^SSS , the oratorio by the Handel and
Jiocn fcociety of Boston (Christmas. ISIS), and
,lU, t ?,, >ftar ? H-* or VV h * custom of an annual per
u-I? f"t™*?,rJi T » he £•?££ in the Christmastide
* -oVli m?v , iV the 9? dUaß Society of London
Kret.bill. ' C Sn N>w - Y ork," by H. E.
Trickery sefrr.s afro to have clhr.ina.ted the girt*
<■- the Charity School from the choir and thus
early took a step toward the present regime. The
,*riod of the American Revolution was a troubl
. TOOM one for Trinity Parish. Rather than omit
the prescribed prayers for the King of England, the
church was closed. Then Trinity was burned and
iot j-leven years services were held in the chapels
c^ Si. George ar.d St. Paul. When a new edifice
WW ready tor occupation in ITM the Church of
England Q America had made way for the. Protest
wtf Episcopal Church in the United States of
America. The chapter is an Interesting one and
m-y be read elsewhere. It tribute, nothing to
•be development of the musical service, as may
-Z '' Jr ' a^ l " ed - Of the vlc; 6fc itudes through
wfafch music passed there Is no record. Dr. A H.
NT // h ° " Pent a lons time ln Preparing a
fcMow of music lv Trinity from the beginning to
KSt and to whom I am Indebted for a great deal
of he.p in this study, could find no records of tin-
,, t °:3: 3 f hlng ffiusic P"«: 1840. in i» the
-oming of Dr. Edward Hodges, destined to be of
SLSfe^SS upbuilding of Trinity's music.
SS S^™ l^ •**««• the P-rtßh church
un.. the chapelb. It was ordered by the vestry that
SiESTtirS* ? tStablißhed and place- al^o
-o. jj. established for £ youn « e ° r
month later the sum of
Zee
nbteed rZ
■-..m
m hie American
ramo* of XWn
■ar. He l^san
rd -Si^ ■'■'■ St J ' hn ■ ° hßpe1 ' W*J for the
tor:: cown v .
<oZa "th ? *' aS buUdta X- At St. John's he
faSLISi ° T mUSlcal or canization which had
•-Ffciotabie vogue in the principal churches of the
- J.J down to twenty years or less ago. The choir
was a double quartet of adults who were hidden
i*hlnd velvet curuins. There were no boys until
JVU. and no surplices till much later.
I-or seven years, while Trinity Church was In
, .oeees of construction. Dr. Hodges labored In St
John s Chapel, but under his Impulse effort* were
c-gua looking' toward the eventual installation of
n» full choral furvtre He knew then what so
»ac; vi*ani.-ts in X-w-Vork do not seem to have
learned even yet. that a condition precedent to boy
choristers worthy of the name Is a choir school.
in IMS. at his instance, doubtless, measure, were
taken by the vestry of Trinity Parish to establish
such a school. The Charity School had changed its
name and was now the New- York Protestant Epis
copal Public School, and as such it exists to-day.
tor its scholars the vestry founded sixteen musl
cal scholarships, with stipends of from J2O to W.
the holders to receive a general education, with
instruction two days every week in music. In a
century «nd a half the mode of service at Trinity
had got out of the parochial into the mixed stage
It was now to be directed toward the cathedral.
The new edifice was consecrated at the Feast of
tbe Ascension. UK. Unhappily the new organ,
this time again one of American manufacture, was
incomplete, and the music was not all that had
been hoped for. The foundation for the choir school
had not produced a choir of boys: the choir was a
mixed one of twenty-six men. women and boys.
The trebles were women; th. altos one woman, one
boy and two men; tenors and bass, men. of course.
There were also "four small boye," whose share in
the music is not specified. The "Te Deum." "Ben
edic Anima." responses at the Decalogue. "Gloria
Patrl." and opening anthem. "The Lord Is !n His
Holy Temple" were all new compositions by Dr.
Hodges, the "Sanctus" and "Gloria in Excels!*"
old ones. Boyce*S anthem, "I Have Surely Built
Thee an House." was also sung. Hodge*, notes
concerning the musical doing? in the parish during
the next dozen years, as reviewed by Dr. Mesaltcr,
record the beginning of the struggle for a complete
service which he did not live to see finished. Relics
of centuries of tradition, reinvigorated by the spirit
of antagonism to ritualism stirred up by the Ox
ford movement, put a clog upon his efforts which
he could not shake off. When he attempted to
embellish the musical portion of the service there
were parishioners ready to rise up with their com
plaints of too much music and too much science.
In 1851 Dr. Hodges founded the Church Choral So
ciety, with Trinity choir as a nucleus. On April 13.
1852, this society as an experiment sang the first
choral service in Trinity Church. It lived two
years. After the fourth service of the society a
worshipper wrote a letter to the "Courier" news
paper that it was his daily practice to go to the
church to Bay his prayers, but on this day. March
17, 1553. he "could not say them on account of
the musical innovations." In 1857. while the organ
was repairing, a harmonium was placed In the
chancel and nothing sung for six weeks but metri
cal psalms. "One of the clergy was heard to re
mark that it was 'the best music he ever heard in
Trinity Parish.' " Dr. Hodges was working val
iantly, but the odd. were against him. In 1847 a
proposition was made to the vestry to put the boys
of the choir In the chancel, but it was promptly
vetoed. In that direction lay Popery. Women
were still strongly intrenched in the choir. At
Bishop Wainwrighfs funeral in 1854 the trebles and
altos were equally divided between women and
boys; .Jhe choir which sang at the dedication of
Trinity Chapel in 185r> contained four adults in each '
voice and nine boys.
Dr. Hodges became disabled by paralysis in Sep
tember. 1858, and the vestry gave him leave of
absence for six months and appointed Henry Ste
phen Cutler to perform his duties. At the end of
the period the leave was extended a year, and he
went on a visit to his English home. He oame
back to New- York in May, 1860, but was unable to
resume his duties, and. though he remained nomi
nally organist of Trinity Church till ISC3, when he
resigned and went back to his native Bristol, Cut
ler was responsible for the music of the church
from October, 1858, on. Dr. Hodges died In 1567. He
was one of the original members of the New-York
Philharmonic Society, and a man of excellent ar
tistic parts and strong- character. He had worked
for twenty years to attain three things— a boy
choir, choral mode rtf service and the use of the
Anglican chant in the Psalms; and he had to re
tire without seeing the "full consummation of any
one of these strivings, but he had prepared the
ground for his successor, who unexpectedly and
fortuitously found his most potent ally in the pres
ent occupant of the throne of Great Britain.
Henry Stephen Cutler, who succeeded Dr. Hodges
&6 organist of Trinity, was born in Boston in 1825.
He was a pupil of A. V. Hayter In his native city,
but in 1544 went to Germany, where he studied at
Frankfort, and afterward to England, where he
became interested In cathedral music. On his re
turn to Boston he became organist of Grace Church
and in 1852 of the Church of the Advent, where he
organized a choir of boys end men and carried out
his notions of a choral service. Called to Trlnltj
Church to relieve Dr. Hodges, he Immediately set
the springs in njotion which the ritualistic party
in the church had carefully prepared and kept
oiled for action. The choir. which still
sat in the organ gallery, consisted of two
women, ten boys and seven men. The women,
Miss Eager and Mrs. Hutchings. were the last
of their sex to sing in Trinity choir. There now
began a systematic and strategic movement hav
ing for its aim all the things for which Dr. Hodges
had been striving, and a little more. The Tribune
has printed the story before, hut Dr. Messiter's
manuscript, based on the notes of Dr. Cutler, pro
vides a few dates and establishes a sequence of
incidents which previous recitals have lacked.
The first step was to get the choir into the
chancel. One Sunday afternoon in March, ISO?, the
two solo boys, Henry Eyre Browne and W. J. Rob-
John (both of whom became prominent church
musicians in later life, the latter under the name
of Caryl Florio) sans: two duets after the regular
service In front of the chancel. Thirty or forty
worshippers, who. it is fair to presume, were in the
secret, remained to hear. On the next Sunday
after service the entire choir left the organ gal
lery and, grouped in front of the chancel, sang an
anthem. There they occupied places at the Ash
Wednesday service, but on the following Sunday
discreetly fell back to the organ gallery. On the
afternoon of that Sunday, however. Dr. Cutler took
the choir into the chancel for rehearsal after the
service. On the next Wednesday the service music
was sung In the chancel for the first time, and the.
position was continued at the weekday services til!
Easter Sunday, when the. attacking party, fortified
now by choir seats and desks, made the occupa
tion of the chancel permanent. For a while
the men singers were discreetly plu«ed ln front of
the boys, but after a few weeks the regular posi
tions were established. A few words on the musi
cal part of the service, which from an artistic
point of view must have- suffered from the change
in the location of the choir, and I shall reach the
surplice question, which now assumed an im
portance which it never had seemed to have before,
though never quite out of the minds of th» High
Church party. On Easter Day. 2*9. the choir.
ensconced in the chancel after its weeks of manoeu
vring chanted the psalms for the first t<me. Then
the ministers gradually took to Intoning, carefully
adhering to low tones so as not unduly to startle
the conservatives in the congregation. This was
looked upon as a gain for the ritualists, naturally,
but the music, as such, soon began to fall into
what must have been a woful state. The organ,
separated by the length of the large church from
the choir, could furnish no adequate support to
the voices, and the deviations from pitch on the
part of the singers were distressful. But the eyes
of those who were working for a choral service.
with all Its accessories, were so fixed on the boys
in the Chancel that little attention was paid to
the outrages committed by them on the ears..
After a while a harmonium was Installed in the
chancel to help keep the boys true In pitch, but
four years were permitted to elapse before a chan
cel organ was provided.
The chance! position achieved, the next step
was to get the singers vested. The choir now
numbered twenty-sopranos, all boy*, ten; altos,
three; tenors, three, and basses, four. After the
Easter Sunday service General Dix preferred a re
nuest that the choir be robed on all occasions of
choral service. The time was not ripe, and the
rector declined to accede to the request. In De
cember the vestry were again celled on to take
action on the question of choristers' vestments, and
again the anti-robers triumphed. A few weeks
later Mr. King made a gift to the church of fifteen
surplices for the use of the choir— a timely gift, as
It turned out. There is a story that at a Lenten
service in Wai the choir was— I say surrepti
tiously?—slipped into the garments, or. rather. the
garments were slipped over the singers. Whether
the story is true or not I cannot say; but another
application was soon made that the vestments on
hand be used.
The opposition wan ("till strong, and the rector re
fused his consent. On Wednesday, ln Holy Week.
U:e singers" assembled' in the- clergy" reom and
NEW- YORK DAILY TRIBUNE. SUNDAY, JULY 26. 1903.
walked in procession into the chancel. The orderly
custom was maintained soon after, though the
term "processional" was carefully eschewed for
several Tears more. Enters the unconscious but
efficient ally and coadjutor of the surplice party,
his royal highness the Prince of Wales, .it pres
ent the King of England. It was the occasion of
his American visit under the name of Baron Ren
frew. He had signified his intention to attend
divine service iri Triniiv Church on the nineteenth
Sunday after Trinity, which in IS6« fell on October
14. Representations that tho spectacle of chancel
choristers clad in miscellaneous roundabouts would
offend his royal highness* sense of propriety
proved effective, and it was determined to bring
out the vestments. Then, for proposes of re
hearsal (the garments were long, "very like night
gowns," as one of the "old boys" explained to the
writer twenty-five yc-ars later, "and we were
afralf! v.o would stumble in them"), they were
"tried on" on the Sunday iicfere the momentous
visit of th- Prince. All wont well, and Trinity's
choir has been vested ever since. For the sake of
the historical record I give the programme of the
service and the names of the ."infers:
Venite and Psalms for the Day Chants
Te l>ciim and Btn'edictaa Cutler
Anthem. "O Lnr-J, Our Governor" Marcello
Hymn, "Refore Jehovah's Awful Throne" (Verses 1.
4 and 5).
After the sermon. Gloria in Exe«Ms
" 1; THE CHOIR.
Trebles — Miron Ware}, S. Howard. C. H. Ackermann.
G. Ward. Powell. Henry E-re Rrotvne. James Lit
tle, W. B. Osilvfe, K. Camp, II W Collins
Alto.-— A. R. Walsh.: F. C. Maeder. 'lark.
Tencr«-v;. J. Robji.hn. S. Mayer Chase.
Bassos— W. Hill. — V.-oorlman. - White. H.
CongJon. Dr. Cuilmette. Hall.
Dr. Guilmitte. who was specially engaged for
th- occasion, was an admired concert slnsrer.
Wkiii the second lesson was reading two reports
were heard, and a musket hall fell in one of the
pews without hurtine any one. There was much
a'f to whether the shots were acci
■'• a hostile demonstration; the facts in
re never learned. At the memorial ser
vice to President Lincoln, on April 19, IStw, four
boys, or" whom two. at least, won fame in later
years, sang the opening sentences, "I am the
Resurrection and the Life," as the choir passed
from the vestry to the chancel. Their names
were Tcodt. Coker. Ehrlich and Grandin. Cutler,
who was afterward made a Doctor of Music
honoris causa by Columbia College, having car
ried Dr. Hodges's aims for a vested choir and a
choral service to accomplishment, now put an end
to his usefulness to Trinity Church by undertak
ing concerts in various cities with the choir, to
the ignoring of his duties. On May 1, 1860, he went
away, leaving matters in the hands of an assistant
without an adequate choir. On June 30 the vestry
terminated his engagement "for absence without
leave." Subsequently he was organist at St. Al
ban's. Holy Trinity and Christ Church, this city,
and St. Paul's, Troy. He then went to Boston, re
tired from active work and died at Swampscott on
December 5, 1902.
Between his incumbency and the memorable one
of Dr. Arthur H. Messiter, which lasted thirty-one
years, and the results of which are still fresh In
the memory of the lovers of church music in New-
York, came the brief regime of W. A. M. Diller,
the son of a Brooklyn clergyman. He died in ISSO.
and Dr. Messiter says of him that from his
twelfth year until the year of his death he never
passed a Sunday, without playing the service at
some church with which he was connected. He
was organist of Trinity for one year, and was
succeeded by Dr. Messiter on June 11, 1866.
Dr. Messiter was born in 1834 at From* 1 Selwood,
Somersetshire, England, and began the study of
music at seventeen. To this end he was articled
to Charles MeKorkell. of Northampton, a pupil of
Moschelcs, Ho afterward took a short course of
pianoforte lessons from Joseph DBrflel, an Aus
trian musician whose playing of Beethoven had
interested him. and studied ping with Signor
Arrlgotti. He came to America in 18S3. sang for a
short time as a volunteer in Trinity choir, then
went to Philadelphia as organist of St. Mark's
Church. After a term of teaching at a female
college in Poultney, VI . he was successively or
ganist at St. Paul's, Calvary Chapel and St.
James' the Loss, in Philadelphia. He came to
New-York in the early part of 1866. Dr. Messiter
describes xhe condition of things at Trinity when
he began his duties in effect as follows: The choir
number^! twenty-one i — twelve trebles, four
altos, two tenors, three bassos. The principal
features of the service were the solos of the first
alto. Cullen P. Grandln. Loose surplices of the
cathedral pattern were worn without cassocks.
The mode of service was choral, but there were no
processionals or offertory anthems. No hymnal
with tunes had yet been adopted, the choir singing
from manuscript copies. The metrical Psalm selec
tions were from a revised edition Of Tate and
Brady. There waa no choir library: each previous
organist had provided his own music and taken it
away with him on u-olntr out of office. Procession
als seem to have been instituted by him at once,
and within the first year offertory anthems, cas
socks and cottas were introduced. For the greater
part of the year, also, there was a daily choral
service with the aid of a supplementary choir of
boys from the parish school. The Psalms were
chanted. Nothing difficult was attempted, but the
experiment failed. In 1870, on Ascension Day. a
day on which the services at Trinity are always
elaborate, it being the anniversary of the conse
cration if the church, an orchestra, conducted by
John P. Morgan, associate organist, was employed,
and the use of a band at each of the five prin
cipal festivals was a custom for seven years. This
resume must suffice as a history of Trinity's music ;
during the thirty-one years in which it remained i
under Dr. Messiter's care. It might be extended,
profitably and interestingly, were I to attempt to
trace the careers of some of the many church
musicians, organists as well as singers, who have
come from the ranks of the five hundred or more
boys who have enjoyed his instruction. He found
hia successor in one of his own boy singers and
pupils. For the rest let the following list of sing
ers, organists and leaders suffice:
Theodore Tosdt, G. W. Raebum. F. Hallo:k,
John Finger. James Reed. A Livingston. F. W.
Thursch. Emil Haberkorn. John Bishop, Victor
Baier. R. Zingsheim, J. Plckslay, J. L. Irvine.
Morris Kellr r, K. W. Terry, Henry Leidel. H. Ber
nard Coombe, James H. Ward. Paul Stucke. War
rep R. Hetlden, Charles Baier. Henry L "Case,
Oscar Schmitt, James S. Hedden. W. J. Caulfleld.
Charles Honig. H. 8. Quick. W. B. Denham, H.
O. Irvine, Frank Fruttchey, S. Richardson. H. T.
N. Yon dt-r Heide, Harry ReiUy. Howard W.
Knapp, Julius Baier, Albert Ford. Charles Belling.
Frank Carland. Arthur L. Brown. Howard Long.
John Goodrige, Howard M. Jaffray. G. S. Trim
ble. H. B. Neesen. B. H. Old. Frank W. Riker.
F W. Glanzmann, H. 6. Carland. R. G. Simpson.
Eugene C. Knapp, J. Harold Knapp.
The present organist of Trinity Church, an ex
choir boy, and for thirteen years before hi» ap
pointment Dr. Alesalter's assistant. Is Victor Baier.
In the beginning of the year 1597 the vestry ln
formed Dr. Messiter. who was growing baxrf. or .
hearing, that his services were to end at the
close of the festival season: later. July 1 was
fixed on as the date. Mr. Baler became his suc
cessor. He v.:is musically a product of Trinity
and a native of New-York, where he -was born in
1861. He entered Trinity choir in 1572 a* treble
chorister, and from 1874 to 1876 sang solos.' Mean
while he studied organ playing, pianoforte, har
mony and i composition with Dr. Messiter. and In
1579 became organist and choirmaster of St. 'Paul's
Church. Jersey City. The next year he went to
St. Mark's, where he organized tho rat boy choir
in Hudson County. In 1M he became instructor
of music in the public schools of Jersey City and
superintendent of music in Hasbrouck Institute.
He devoted some attention to the Schubert Glee
Club, of Jersey City, remaining conductor of the
society, which he had organized, from I?SS to 1301.
In IS3I he was appointed assistant organist of
Trinity Church. In tho interim he had remained
librarian of the choir and had assisted Dr. Messiter
in minor services, so that "his association with the
musical services of Trinity extends back to his en
trance into the choir in UR2, a period of thirty-one
years. I'm;, rl Baier. who ia now in Europe on
one of the visits which he has made annually for
many years. the cho'r consists of thirty-eight
members— twenty trebles.' six altos (four boys and
two men), five tenors and seven bassos. Their
names are as follows:
Trebles— Honry n. Phc^ix. Carle; \V. Heszon, Charles
C. iletz. Gerald E. Burlelgh. Henry K. Cudmore. Fred
erick G. Ste-.vart. Edward V. Oaess. William R. John
stone. Ali^rt E. Chall^nper, E. Everett Gardir.er. Gilbert
U Stradley. p.^re Hoffman. Arthur P. A. Wltte. Richard
J. Schutt. John Clarence llurleig-h. Kuirene W, Rollins'
Grorge G. Stuekhart, W. Raymond Lewis. ■• n i M.
Stevens, Aib;rt Kennedy.
Altos— Edward L. S.-lp. Percy D. W. Williams. Robert
1,. Howard. Alfred Germond, Frederi-k Rycroft. George
V. Ryall
Tenors— U. Parker, Howard W. Knanp F.
1. 'Jr --n. David M. Doreram F. 1... dark.-on
Bosses— C. H. MlcWendorf. P. B. Ttionaa Nelson D.
Eterlmsr. George 9. Anderson. John C. Gillies. Victor W.
Mori. Charles llackie.
The treble and alto boys are from ten to sixteen
years old. and rehearsals are held for them dally
except on Wednesdays and Saturdays. They are
expected to attend the day school connected with
the church. An elementary class, which meets
every Wednesday, is composed of boys who desire
to enter the choir. As a rule these boys must
not be younger than eight nor older than eleven
years, though exceptions are made in favor of
boys who come with a knowledge of music. They
THE CHOIR OF TRINITY CHTRCH.
receive Instruction individually in reading, music
and the use of the voice, and when sufficiently ad
vanced are admitted to a junior class, whence they
are drafted, as vacancies occur, into the regnlar
choir. For twenty years Jersey City and Hobo
ken have furnished th*> majority of the choir boys
of Trinity, a fact which Is partly explained by
the large German tlt-mcnt in the population of
Rutherford. N. J.. Hackensa?k, X. J.,
and Sparkill, N. T., have also furnished a qu^ta
for some years.
Trinity's service every Sunday is the full cathe
dral service as given in St. Paul's. London, save
on the first Sunday of each month and on the
great festivals— Christmas, Easter, Ascension Day,
VICTOR BAIER.
Choirmaster of Trinity Church.
Whitsunday and Trinity Sunday. On the first Sun
day and on the3e • .-rivals only, the communion
service Is sung with introit and offertorium, and
then usually a mass by one of the great masters.
In Trinity's repertory- of these masses are Mo
zart's first, second and seventh; Haydn's first.
third, sixth, seventh and sixteenth: Schubert's In
C. G. F. B flat, E flat and A flat; Weber's in E flat;
Hummel', in D. B Bat and E flat; Beethoven's
in C; Guflmanfs in E flat. Saint-Saer.s*? in D.
Gounod's y.- c .-...-.. and Sacre Cceur; Silas's
in C, anil others by Widor, Durand and contem
porary composers. These have been adapted to
the English text by Dr. Ms— tter and Mr. Baier.
On the other Sundays the cathedral form of ser
vice is followed, and the English school is ex
tensively drawn upon, both new and old. The
Te Deums. anthems and services come from Pur
cell, Croft. Attwood. Walmisley, Ouseley. Tye,
Tallis. Bacnby. Sullivan. Stainer, Stanford. Selby,
Gadsby. Martin, etc: the anthems by Arcadelt.
Palestrir.a. Croce, Righini. Handel. Spohr and
Haydn re used a grtut deal and Mr. Baler has
manifested a commendable desire not to neglect
the American composers, men like. Parker, Chad
wick and Hadley having frequent representation.
Since the introduction of the chancel organ two
organists have been regularly employed at Trinity,
one to play the large organ in th« organ loft and
one to accompany the chancel choir. Men of emi
nence like John P. Morgan. J. H. Cornell and
Henry Carter have occupied the subordinate po
sition, and they for a number of years bore the
title of associate organist. This title was abol
ished in Dr. Messiter's regime. The assistant or
ganist at present is Robert J. Winterbottom.
H. E. K.
STUDIO NOTES.
M Elfert-Florio. a vocal instructor, of Berlin,
has lately arrived trom Kurope, and has estab
lished a stodio for both sexes at No. 635 Flfth-ave.,
where he will give instruction in singing, by the
best Italian method, to professionals and others.
COOL.
From The Washington Star.
"The trouble with father," said the gilded youth.
"Is that he has no idea of the value of money."
"You don't mean to imply that fa« la a spend
thrift?"
"Not at all. But he puts his money away, and
doesn't appear to have any appreciation of all th*
things he might buy with it."
THEATRICAL INCIDENTS AND NEWS NOTES.
BCSV TIME FOR MIDSUMMER ,ITTK.I(TI()\S AXD
COMING PLAVS—ADE O.V THE BOWERY.
Midsummer finds all the city attractions, together
with the various alluring diversions at the nearby
beaches, in a flourishing condition. Those com
pelled to remain in town have- flocked to the roof
gardens in goodly numbers and the inside per
formances have by no means been neglected. AH
amusement concerns report bis business. New
f'-atures are promised for the coming week, and
the perpetuation of novelty that characterizes
New-York will not be lacking.
There are many summer visitors in the city and
they seem to devote a great part of their time to
the entertainments offered. Many of them are
spending their vacations here, having, instead of
going to mountain resorts or watering places,
selected New-York as the spot for their recreation.
And they have not guessed wrong, for here is
everything under :h- sun. and much shelter
from it.
While but few theatres are open, theatrical peo
pie are by no means Idle. Playhouses are. being
renovated. i>lnys read and rehearsals for fall pro
ductions are beginning. Trains from the country
and nearly every steamer from abroad bring Thes
pians ready and anxious fcr the fall amusement
campaign. These are studying thtir parts and
consulting with eostumers. Many early rehearsals
nave been called for a number of big productions
that require mu'h preparation and are promised
for the coming- season. On the whole th is a
busy time.
Henry M. Blossom, so the story goes, accepted
George Ade's invitation to "do"* the Bowery a
few nights ago. Ade knows the Bowery, so doe.-?
Blossom — now.
"You're the author of a book whose hero would
be at home among sports," said Ade. severely, "and
you should be able to describe from actual ob
servation the kind of thing you talk about so
glibly in 'Checkers.' "
"I am in your hands. " answered Blossom, meek
ly.
They got back to the civilization of upper Broad
way at 5 o'clock the next morning. Ade had to
borrow a nickel of Blossom to get home with.
Ade doe? riot s.iy much about the trij
som, between chnckles, say. he wouiil hV.
liown the Bowery again some time l
feeling p-><'.!. h»> found it so much likr- Chicago
be was ahir- ta hold his own quite wi
"His own"' groans Ad*-. "H* held his own, and
mint-, ur:'! .-very one else's. If Checkers is only
half as wise as hU author, there will
in any town they play next season .ifter th
out of New-Tork.
Sir Thomas Lipton went behind the scenes at
the Manhatten Beach Theatre last week, and was
kissed by the prtma donna of "The Sultan of Sulu."
A day or two ago he went on the stage to see his
friend, D'Orsay. between the acts of "The Earl of
Pawtucket." *
•'Glad to see you. Sir Thossas. Wlar didn't you
come before?** said FXOrsay cord
"I'll t'-ll you. y Bur Thomas,
a? he due 'the Earl of Pawtucket playfully in the
ribs. "There „r> no chorus ciris n-r pi •
in this conv.iy. That is why. Understand?"
D'Orsay und< rstood.
"The Wizard of Oz" meets with the same suc
cess at the Maje°tic Theatre. II has the merit of
enticing within the doors of Messrs. Stair & Wil
bur's playhouse persons who are not satisfied with
one visit to "The Wizard of Oz." but who wish to
enjoy its delights agahi and again. There are few
entertainments of the class of "The Wizard of
Oz" that it seems possible for any human being 1 to
sit through twice over. The U^ r .th performance at
the Majestic on August 3 will be the occasion for
the distribution of timely and suitable- souvenirs.
This time the management nave chosen telescopic
silver drinking cups, in which the friends and well
wishers of "The Wizard of <>z" may drink to that
potentate's long hr" and prosperous reign.
"The Earl of Pawtucket*' will enjoy the distinc
tion of a run in three Broadway theatres in one
year. Opening at the Madison Square Theatre last
spring, it ran there for some weeks, then to the
Manhattan, where it will celebrate its 2U>th per
formance August 5, and in September it will go to
the Princess, to remain Indefinitely, possibly Into
the hot weather of .-■;. It is one of the remark
able facts of the present summer season that "The
Earl of Pawtu bo the management states,
has not bad a single losing week since the sum
mer season set in. Extensive preparations ax»
being made for the celebration of the :im>th per
formance. It is the first legitimate comedy for a
long time to remain throughout the summer sea
son in a New- York theatre.
The entertainers in the Sam S. Shuoert and
Nixon & Zimmerman company, "The Runaways."
headed by Miss Fay Teinpleton. keep the fun ai.d
tunefulness of the production at concert pitch all
the time. it is comfortable in the Casino, wher«j
the thermometer shows the handsome auditorium
to be cooler than it is outdoors in the summer
months, in addition to Miss, Templeton th*r»j are
other clever funmakers in Arthur Dunn. \ander
Clark. William Gould, Charles E>ox. Sol Solomon
ana Mi«s l,ottie Ueaiey; mere are sing in Alias
Amelia Stone. Miss Mabel Carrier, Van Ken.sselaer
Wheeler and William Wolff; the dancers are the
pretty Hengler sisters and the D'Arville sisters.
Walter Stanton, jr., the lively jockeys, the dainty
dancing daisies, tfle attractive comic opera qutens
and the six stately widows of King Goulash II are
others.
"A Chinese Honeymoon," which holds last tea
son's record for continued run n New- York, will
again De seen and heard in this city in the en
gagement at the Manhattan Beach Theatre, begin
ning to-morrow night and Ustin< for two weeks.
The company that will present this musical com
edy this time 13 one that Is new to this city, al
though it appeared for ten weeks in B<->ston and
playtd three engagements in Philadelphia. It was
organized last winter to till the demand for "A
Chinese Honeymoon" from outside cities. After its
engagement at Manhattan Beach this company will
make a tour of me country from coast to coast.
John B. Henshaw. Toby Claude and May Ten
Broeck replace Thomas Q. Seabrooke. Katie Barry
and Mrs. Annie Yeamans. and Stella Tracey and
Christine Hudson will appear in the two leading
female roles of Mrs. Pineapple and Princess 800
Soo. W. H. Clarke. Edward dark, Edmund Law
rence and Charles Prince fill out the balance of th«
cast an the male side, and Mlls Katharine Call
and Miss Kitty Parks will be seen as the two cut»
little tea girls in attendance upon Princess Soo 800.
Mies Call Is the "Chinese Honeymoon" girl who
rode a race In Barnum & Bailey's circus against
the women Jockey riders of the circus, and Miss
Parks achieved distinction in Atlantic City last
week by entering a cage of lions In the Bostock
show, coming out unhurt-
George W. L<ederer promisee something in the
way of a distinct novelty for his Crystal Gardens
atop of the New-York Theatre for to-morrow even-
Ing, when G«orge V. Hobarf s skit on the yacht
race., entitled "Lifting tb» Cup." will go ©a. The
travesty will take the place on the prosjrasa.se
heretofore occaalsd bjr-The Press ffcraae/' JMr.
Hobarts burlesque. 'The Darnne; at th« Oeilery
Goda." hu scored a snersss Eaaam Osrae as*
Juale UoCree will bead the cast "New-Turk For
"7,; rx N>w-York Sta to sons, written by Nicholas
Kiddle, with music by B*n M. Jrrome. has been
giv^n a sp,vla! settirs. and will b* sun« by Emma
Carus.
Frank McKee's plans ft>r tri» early part of the
coming theatrical mason include at pnwent OTily
the appearance on Broadway ««f Arthur Byron.
Mary Mann^rins; ar.»: Amcii.i Ringham. His flm
«>ff»>nnr will t*> "Major Andie." Clyde Fitch's re
nantlc Colonial drunw. in which Arthur Byron
oltj "? a.Xa .X - * ftrs tL Wc-AT-ince as a star ln this
city at the Savoy Tluatr.-. Novfmher Id. The play
Is based on the c^r^er ol ihe heroi.- youns EnslV."
man who Kav» his life for ils country's sake a*
truly as did Nathan Mai?. Mis* Mannertae's s>-a
™ wiu hfßin with th.- new year at the Oamck
Theatre, and wj'.l continue for five months. Thrw.
and possibly four, plays will he presented. In the
tnree months before she comes to New- York Mis*
■ .i"i nn ? w:il a PPear in the other Uirse cities, and
will try the thr»e new ptaya which now ara betns
»■»««'" i°r her. Tho tirst one presented In all
probabi.jty will be "Judith." a modem *raotlonAl
drama, by Ramsay Morris. It will be fallowed by
an original m.xlern play by Lro Dietru-hsteln. irs
Uptter vein than "Judith." and later by a costunv
play based upon a little known historical entaod-.
by Justin HuntSv McCarthy. An interesting feat-
Ul !m V* Miss M'nnorins's New-York er.eueemeni
=•: 1- " er nr?:t appearance in this country tn a
SshaK^spt-ariur. role. The closing weeks of her en
gagement will be devoted to a spf^ial Siialje
spearlan production.
Miss Amelia Binshsm's tour, which will alee ts
under the direction of Mr McKee. will b» almost
a continuous one. She is at present r>*»ytng ir
California: from .here she will travel through th«>
northwest and will not close her present tour until
almost Ump for the beginning of her ensagern«nt in
Chicago In September.
Kirk ' La Shell*'* two "Arizona" eomrasles *ss>
tir.ue to do such large business In cities -siae ©:
New- York that they will be allowed to carry oa
their tour all summer.
St. Nicholas Gardens will reopen to-morrow even-
Ing under the management of William F. Dougher
ty, former business manager of Koster & Blal'!".
Mr. Ltousherty has a three year lease on the prop
erty, and will make a great many changes. "The
~» e t Has been secured for the opening
week, along with a large vaudeville bill. Th*
grarden will be kept open until the middle of Sep
tember when it wilt be cloned for four weeks, and
reopened on or about October 2» as the St. Nicholas
wffirSSSri? -feffi? oa lh3 same plan " the
a» th^
Johr. C. Fisher announces the following engage
ments for the cast of "A Princess of Kensington."
the latest comic op-ra success from the Savoy
Theatre. London, by Basil Hood and Edward Ger
man. which will be produced at the Broadway
Theatre on Monday. August 31: James T. Power?
Richie Uns. Wili:am Steven?. Stanley H. Ford"
?? a n c^ S - lv *' n ' J " hn T »- V l"r. Fred Huntlev. Jit*-
Cecil Engelhard. Dora de Fillipoe. Amelia *Fi*l i-
Lillie Burcham and Estelle Ward
Another temptm.? summer bill has been arrange 1
by Mr. Keith for his Union Square Theatre. Thua
he aitonis the opportunity to be amused, and at
the same time to keep cool. The bill include
Smith and Bryan, the comedians"- Lor
ton and the Lawrence Si.ster*: Kern. Welch ami
m grotesque m-rubatio work; the Pan-*
Broth. • acrobats; Cbartea il. Ernest, raonologist :
iii^e and Cady. German comedians; the Meredith
bisters, in character duet?, and other*
The Terrace Garden Opera ...... an at
tractive programme for the ninth week of the sea
son at its verdant home, in East Fifty-el?hth-st.
The managers have provided a double hill. mad«
up of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Trial by Jury" an«i
Mascagni's masterpiece. "Cavalleria ' Rusticana."
for the weekday performances, and an up-to-dat"
revival of "linafore " for the Sunday niifht concert.
For the Sunday night concert, the performanc»
will be complete, and sung in yachting costume.
Kirk La Sh«lle has received word from Augustus
Thomas that In conjunction with a we!! known
French dramatist Mr. Thomas is now at work re
arranging "The Earl of Pawtucket" for a French
production. Many details have already been ar
ranged, ar.d Mr. Thom:is states that the. play wi!'
be produced in the r rench capital within a tw
month".
Last week marked the. record for the season at
the Paradise Roof Garden, where a number of
charges will be made in the programme for las
ensuing week. "Asia." the mysterious f.oatirte
woman, still heads the hill. A n»w feature It
Victor's Royal Venetian l!nn«! of forty pieces, and
Edith Helena, ■with violin imitations. Another now
act is Agnes Mahr. th- eceentnc dancer.
Beginning Monday. Ju!v 27, there wili be sj each
afternoon trip of the steamer General Slocum.
leaving for Rockaway Beach, a vaudeville and
musical entertainment. The boat leaves "We^t
Twenty-Mcondrst. at !:£ p. 111. and the Battery al
2.CZ p. m.. returning from Rockaway at 4:li and 6:15
p. nr>.
The Fourteenth Street Theatre opens on Monday.
August 17. Broadhur.-t & Ctir-i** at trnt time wltl
launch a new «tar. Xat M. TVIIIs. in a musical
comedy called "A Son of R^?t," m which fifty
people will appear.
Proctor's Twenty-third-st. house wiil have large
bill this week. The programme will be. headed by
Mrs. Ocell Williams and company in a vaudeville
absurdidty. "B!<j Sister's Beau." "The Watermelon
Trust," composed or several singing and dancing
mmedian.s, will be an added feature. Reed's acro
batic Boston bull terriers: Leslie Brothers, musical
comedians; Russell and O'Connell. Irish comedians;
Ltnore and St. Claire, comedians: Chinese Johnnie
Leech, character impersonator, and twenty other
new acts will complete the snow.
Proctor's Fifth Avenue Theatre will hsv« as an
offering "Lord Chumley." which was produced th»
early pan of last season at this hous^. Th-s cast
will include Wallace Er3kin« in tho title* role and
Miss Beatrice Morcan as Eleanor. The vaudevilla
will contain the Chameroy Brothers, comed7 acro
bats; Edith Richards, musican: Harry A. Brown,
caricaturist: Reata Curtis, violinist; Quaatrelli.
comedian dancer, and others.
At Proctor's On*»-hi.ndred-and-twenty-flf th-st.
Theatre "The Old Coat." a comedy by hailaffj
Townsend. originally acted at the Bijou Theatre
several seasons ag">. will bf th« attraction.
At Proctor's Fifty-eighth-st. Theatre this weele
a production of "My Sweetheart." under the »tag« ■
management of R. A. Roberts and John R. Rogers
will be the attraction.
The usual 2 p. m. concert will b« given at all
these places.
Pope Leo XIII lying In state has Just b**m atßAssl
to the groups in th* Central Hall of the Edaa
Musee.
The plans of Rich & Harris for the eomlnsj
theatrical year Include several ventures early 1-.
the season. Their first offering will b« L/*-»
Dietrichsteln's new fare*. "Vivian's Papas/*
which will open the season at tho Garrlck Theatre
on August 17. The chief roles will be in the hands
of John C. Rice and Thomas A. Wise. The cen
tral figure of th» farce will be a typical New-
York show girl, and this rol« will be taken br
Miss Hattie Williams, late leading woman of th«
Rogtrs Brothers' company, who will appear
through the court e-sy of Charles Frohman. to wnoia
she Is under contract.
On September 7 Rich and Harris will present
Andrew Mack at tho Fourteenth Street Theatre tr»
an elaborate revival of liouricault's Iri3h drama.
"Arrah na Pogue." Mr. Maclc will remain a Rich
and Harris star until the first of next December.
After eight weeks at the Fourteenth Street Th<*
atr<» he will give "Arrah na Pogue." for two weeks
in Boston. He win then pads under the manage
ment of Charles Frohman. and will open at th<»
Park Theatre on December 1. in "Lady MoPy," the*
Wilson Barrett play.
Musical.
ARTISTIC StNOLVG.
No n*oess!ry cf travelling abroad.
M. EL.FKRT-FLOIUO.
A 35 Sta ay.. between 44th &3d 45th sis.
First U&o* of th~ Soil*, in M.:.i: and c;h»r Kur^pwaa
theatres; the leading vocal Instructor of Berlin: ja*t
arrived from Europe: will «cc«rpt pupils and p off
«k-cal» to teach tho«« enjy w&o ar» <lt?»trou3 o* !- 4 rr.:nj
ART OF SINGING.
according the best lut'.ian m>thot: .-:■:•- of npera ia
all modern lasfuaces: concert asd church. My met Sod
U highly inior»»J by Fr*u <"<■•. mm U~a>,r->- an] pro
(•Mor Kr.:»ae. of Rayreutti.
THE GKAND CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC
Dr. EX Eb«rriarJ President. »>?» WEST «r» STHSST.
i Bet wean Ci'uems Avenue and (>n:.-3l ?' ; rk >
Th-j only musical school that is *ir.poir<er«*l by act of
I^PKi.^lmtur*' to confer th« regular university degrees*.
Thorough instruction in all brao-n»i>. from the rst ke
glnnln* to th« ni|i«« artistic perfection.
Op«n daily until S V. 11 . excent WwiEesUaya and Sat
urday* it P. M.) Open ail ■niaiT Moderate terasa
ant F niIFFT teacher or singino.
A(\L L. UVI i If Boom * 30 Eaat 234-«t.
LILLIE MACHIN SZgrssr-
Certificated papa ttf vseswjesSsi.
PRICE-COTTLE CONSERVATORY,
Z. 106 7TM AVK..--COR. U»TH ST.. N. Tf.
DAILY CLASS
Pupils attending tl>* class) r«c*<T« an hoar mod a half
Qu«:caJ lastructlun B\'EKT I>AY.
Call or writ* for circular.
MISS M. KCB'TXEB. T**eaer «f Zither. •ssaja, *aae
dt!ia mad Ptaae: tSMtonsk method. at) East Be-A
.
rraOl FRANK LEA SHORT DRAMATIC STHOOU Car-
J. n*ri« Halt Nor T -v ClasMsi bets*; ■r^xr.-z-^. 5--...1
tor circular.
3