Soprano--Mrs. Marriner-Campbell, Mrs. W.C. Little, Mrs.
Lizzie P. Howell, Mrs. J.M. Pierce, Mrs. Douglas Saunders,
Miss Mary E. Wadsworth, Mrs. R.A. Van Brunt, Mrs. Ella Segar
Lamphere, Miss Lita Farrar, Mrs. Urig, Mrs. M.P. Waldron,
Miss Annie Ribbons, Mrs. Martin Schultz, Miss Flora McKinney
(Napa), Mrs. John P. Morgan, Mrs. Clara McCheney, Mrs. H.E.
Willy, Mrs. May Banta.
Altos--Mrs. Blake-Alverson, Mrs. T.M. Clement, Mrs. J.F.
Cooper (Sacramento), Mrs. Carter (Sacramento), Mrs. Geo. W.
Drew (Sacramento), Mrs. Snow (Sacramento), Miss Ida Beutler,
Miss Emma Beutler, Mrs. Wm. Fletcher, Miss Belle Thomas,
Mrs. Chas. King, Mrs. S. Rightmire, Mrs. Withrow, Mrs.
Chisholm, Miss Kate Stone, Miss Millar, Mrs. Ella
Steele-Brown and Mrs. Adelaide Reuter.
Tenors--Ben Clark, John Trehune, D.P. Hughes, Harry Gates,
Samuel D. Mayer, Geo. W. Jackson, W.N. Otey, E.C. Masten,
Dr. Geo. H. Powers, J.E. Tippett, Dr. A.M. Wilder, C.L.
Crabtree, Wash. Elliott, J.L. Skinner (Sacramento), Robt.
Burns (Arcata) and W.E. Price.
Bass--J.W. Yarndley, J.E. Blake, Wm. P. Edwards, Jr., R.
Jansen, Chas. Dugan, D.W.C. Nesfield, G. Nathanson, G.
Mancusi, Phillip Jones, Charles E. Holbrook, E. Pique,
Walter C. Campbell, Carl Formes, W.H. Kinross and Jacob
Stadfeldt.
In addition to our many fine singers, the committee secured from the
East as director the well-known and popular leader, Carl Zerrahn.
Negotiations were made with the most celebrated singers of the East,
and among those to come were: Myron W. Whitney, bass; Miss Anna
Drasdil, contralto; Mrs. Helen Ames Billings, soprano; Mrs. Clark,
soprano, and Mr. Fessenden, tenor. With the assistance of these
strangers and local artists that could be depended upon for solo work,
everything looked auspicious for the festival. Rehearsals began
immediately. Our parts were assigned to us. For the first concert the
bouquet of artists sang Spirit Immortal (Verdi), and sextette, Chi Mi
Frena (Donizetti); second concert, Sleepers, Awake (Mendelssohn), male
chorus; The Soldier's Farewell; Anvil Chorus, full orchestra, anvils,
artillery, etc.; third concert, Inflammatus, Mrs. Marriner, soloist,
bouquet of artists and grand chorus; Spirit Immortal repeated; Chi Mi
Frena repeated; America, Hallelujah Chorus; Star Spangled Banner.
The solos of chorus numbers were sung by our local soloists. While the
Eastern singers were excellent, they found out that in California
there were also artists to be respected, as did the distinguished
leader, Carl Zerrahn, when he began the rehearsals. He had nothing but
the highest praise for the fine musicians he found in this section.
Before this great gathering of singers and people came to an end,
there was still another concert as a farewell tribute to the
strangers. It took place in the Grand Opera house and proved to be a
grand finale to this successful musical undertaking. Every seat in the
opera house was taken. The soloists were at their best; the choruses
grand and inspiring and full of animation. The orchestral numbers were
all new. The bouquet of artists sang their concerted passage from
Lucia even better than on the former occasions.
Besides these concerts there was also a promenade concert at the
Pavilion for the numerous visitors from the interior cities and 2,000
availed themselves of the opportunity. There was also an afternoon
concert by 3,000 children under the baton of Prof. Mansfeldt, and on
Monday night the sacred concert with portions of Elijah and the choice
numbers of the previous concerts was successfully given, and the
musical festival of 1878 passed into history.
Since the chorus played so prominent a part in this festival season,
it would be well to add also a tribute of thanks to these singers of
the city and interior delegations who came at the call of the
director, Sumner Bugbee, in splendid numbers, showing that all the
cities of the state made music a prominent factor. The number of
singers who took part in the first day's performance was 1,800. The
following were the places from which the choruses were drawn, with the
number from each, together with the names of directors:
Bouquet of artists (50), Carl Zerrahn, director; Handel and
Haydn society (453), J.P. Morgan, director; George Gee's
class (100); Jackson's Glee club (165), G.W. Jackson,
director; Apollo Glee club (95), Martin Schultz, director;
Sacramento (60), J. McNiell and Chas. Winters, directors;
San Rafael (24), R.M. Bosworth, director; Oakland Harmonic
(165), J.P. Morgan, director; Oakland Orpheus (80), J.W.
McDougall, director; Oakland High School (81), H.J. Todd,
director; Healdsburg and Santa Rosa (41); San Jose (60),
Z.M. Parvin, director; Gilroy (12), Prof. Johnson, director;
Merced (2), San Juan (2), Eureka (24), J. Hetherington,
director; Rocklin (4), Salinas (24), W.J. McCoy, director;
Diamond Springs (26), M.R. Griffiths, director; Woodland
(24), C.E. Pinkham, director; Suisun (18), D.R. Stockman,
director; Stockton (26), E.W. Elliott, director; Portland
(17), Prof. Morse, director; Soquel (14), T.S. Tartton,
director; Modesto (21), W.H. Franzini, director; Sonoma (3),
Santa Barbara (7), G.H. Young, director; San Diego (17),
E.D. Blackner, director; San Buena Ventura (9), Max
Eiderline, director; Vacaville (15), Theo. Ritzner,
director; Nevada City (10), Visalia (8), Prof. Hirsch,
director; Oregon (22), and many individual singers of no
society.
[Illustration:
John P. Morgan
Oakland
Carl Zerrahn
Boston
Rudolf Herold
San Francisco