Mixtures.
At the sixteenth public service of the American Guild of Organists, held in St. Bartholomew’s Church, New York City, in December, Mr. Clarence Eddy played the prelude and Mr. Richard Henry Warren played the service. The program included a Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (sung a capella) of Palestrina; “How Lovely is Thy Dwelling Place,” from “A German Requiem,” by Brahms; “God is My Song,” of Beethoven; and the Toccata in F of Bach.
Mr. Norman McLeod, for twenty-three years organist of the First Baptist Church, Boston, died very suddenly December 16th. He complained, at the close of the morning service, of not feeling well, and died about 4 o’clock.
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Mons. Alexandre Guilmant, for so many years organist of Trinity Church, Paris, has resigned. For several years the relations between the Curé and the organist have been strained, and at last ended in the organist’s resigning. Mons. Ch. Quef has been appointed to the position.
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A dead frog was found in a church-organ in Georgia. It is supposed that the creature was frightened to death by a choir-rehearsal.—Musical Record.
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A short time since the Church of the Advent, Boston, celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of Mr. S. B. Whitney’s connection with the church as organist and choirmaster. The music for both the morning and evening services was selected from the compositions of Mr. Whitney. Five years ago the twenty-fifth aniversary (sic) was celebrated in a like manner, and the choir and clergy presented Mr. Whitney with a silver loving-cup, and the corporation of the church presented him with a silk purse containing $500 in gold.
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We understand that Mr. Edwin Lemare has accepted the position of organist at Carnegie Hall, Pittsburgh. As Mr. Lemare was giving a series of organ concerts in this country at the time of the death of Mr. Archer, the late organist of Carnegie Hall, he was offered the position, and we understand that he has accepted it.
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Why are organists sometimes called tramps?
Answer.—Because they are ped(a)lers.
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It is a well-known fact that cats are fond of pipe-organs. The writer well remembers a choir-rehearsal in a certain church which has a two-manual organ with tracker action. In the midst of the rehearsal one of the pedal notes began to sound of its own accord, and nothing that the organist could do would stop it. As a last resort, he entered the organ to investigate, when he found that a large black cat had crawled under the pedal-trackers, had lain down, and was quietly enjoying the music, utterly oblivious of the annoyance to the organist. When the cat was removed he purred, and quietly walked down the aisle as if he were a pew-owner.
Some years ago a cat got into an organ in Staffordshire, England, and, not liking the style of the music, tore around in a lively manner, broke a number of trackers, and did other damage, besides getting into such a position that part of the organ had to be taken to pieces before his tomship could be extricated. It cost the church several hundred dollars to repair the damage.
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Organists who think that they are underpaid for their services may obtain a few crumbs of comfort from the following list of duties of an organist and choirmaster in a church in Birmingham, England:
He must conduct the musical part of the two services on Sundays.
Conduct a children’s service one Sunday each month.
Service every Wednesday evening.
Two services on Christmas Day.
Extra services on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday (two every day [except Saturday] in Holy Week), and Ascension Day.
Two rehearsals each week, with the care of all music, manuscripts, etc., used by the choir. Keep a register of the attendance at all services and rehearsals, and superintend the conduct of the boys at all services.
The princely stipend for all this is $100 per year, payable quarterly.
