Among our first singers were Stephen W. Leach and his wife, Georgiana
Leach. He was an English buffo singer. His wife was a beautiful
soprano singer and was soloist in the Unitarian Church in the days of
the sixties when the church was on Stockton. When the new Starr King
church was built on Geary street, this old church was bought by the
colored Methodist people. Mr. Leach formed a madrigal society in
that year, and we had weekly rehearsals, perfecting ourselves for
concert and other public demonstrations when required. I shall here
give one of our noted programs, given by the most prominent musicians,
both men and women, of our time. The numbers are worthy of historical
notice for the sake of the music and the musicians who took part in
this memorable concert, the first of the series.
Program of
_S.W. LEACH CONCERT_
At Platt's Hall
Monday Evening, Dec. 9th, 1878
1. Part Song. Strike the Lyre Cooke
Mr. Gee and Madrigal Society
2. Song. I Fear No Foe Pinsuti
Walter Campbell
3. Quartette for piano and stringed instruments. Sostenuto
assai, Allegro ma non troppo. Schumann
Miss Alice Schmidt, piano; Mr. Clifford Schmidt, first violin;
Mr. Louis Schmidt, Jr., viola; Mr. Ernest Schmidt, cello.
4. My Queen Blumenthal
Alfred Kelleher
5. Duet. Quanto Amore Donizetti
Mrs. J.E. Tippett and S.W. Leach
6. Let All Obey S.W. Leach
C.W. Dugan
7. Valse Chantée--Rajon de Bonhure Mattiozzi
[Transcriber's Note: Possibly a misspelling of "Raison de Bonheur"]
Mrs. Marriner-Campbell
8. Reading
Daniel O'Connell
9. Part Song. Introduction and Valse S.W. Leach
_Madrigal Society_
10. French Horn Solo
Ernest Schlott
11. Solo
Mrs. J.E. Tippett
12. Violin Concerto. Andante and Finale Mendelssohn
Clifford Schmidt
13. Duet and Chorus. In the Days of Old Lang Syne Neidermeyer
Mrs. Marriner-Campbell and Ben Clark
14. Trio. This Magic Wove Scarf
Mrs. J.M. Pierce, J.E. Tippett, S.W. Leach
15. Madrigal. O by Rivers (words by Shakespeare. Composed
A.D. 1600)
Accompanists, Geo. J. Gee and H.O. Hunt;
conductor, S.W. Leach.
Concert to commence punctually at 8 p.m.