184 New Yoek at the "Woeld's Columbian Exposition. 



It was known that the National board had such a committee, and as the 

 State board had endeavored to follow the lines marked ont by the lady 

 managers, it seemed advisable to estabKsh a committee on music. 

 Before the meeting Mr. Tliaeher requested that the women's board 

 should not confine itself to statistics about women in music, but should 

 obtain all the data possible about musical societies and organizations, 

 without regard to the sex of members. Miss Eoosevelt was appointed 

 chairman of the committee. She said it. would not be jjossible for her 

 to undertake the work as she was already chairman of two committees, 

 but she would endeavor to form a sub-committee. Miss Charlotte 

 Arnold, whose love and knowledge of music eminently fitted her for 

 the work, kindly consented to accept the chairmanship, and, with the 

 consent of the board, formed an advisory committee of men. Miss 

 Arnold gave her entire time to the work as her task demanded. The 

 following interesting extract is made from Miss Arnold's report : 



" The attempt of your committee has been to record the work of 

 musical societies and organizations, vocal, instrumental, educational and 

 in churches, giving also the names of resident musicians" throughout the 

 State, and a chronological list of the performances of opera in New 

 York city, and of distinguished foreign artists, whose visits have done 

 much to raise our standards and attest, our appreciation of the best 

 examples of the art. 



" Although musical knowledge was very crude and limited in Amer- 

 ica two hundred years ago, the desire for music existed strongly among 

 the Dutch and English settlers on Manhattan Island, and its gratifica- 

 tion and growth were not impeded by puritanical prejudice. The tra- 

 dition of concert gardens goes back to the early days of the settlement, 

 when there was one at Corlear's Hook, whose name was derived from 

 "Van Corlear, the principal trumpeter of the fort at New Amsterdam. 

 Castle Clinton was ceded to the city, and became Castle Garden in 

 response to the demand for a promenade with music for the use of the 

 public. Duriug the seventeenth century choirmasters came from 

 England, singing societies for rendering church music were formed, 

 and in 1690 music was first printed in the colonies. In 1753, "William 

 Tuckey, a schoolmaster of New York, taught singing to the children 

 of his district. In 1Y66 he was paid by the trustees of Trinity for 

 performing the music at the opening of St. Paul's Chapel. He con- 

 ducted the first performance of the overture and sixteen other num- 

 bers of the" Messiah' in Trinity Church, in October, 1770. Oratorio 

 performances were given at St. Paul's and Vauxhall Garden, and 

 orchestras were gradually formed, thougli many instruments were 

 wanting until operatic performances were regularly given. 



"From these beginnings, imperfectly suggested, have developed the 

 musical conditions of to-day, which are only partly represented by 

 the accompanying report. 



'^In regard to amateur work, it should perhaps be said the principal 

 societies of the city have been founded by amateurs. Amateur asso- 

 ciations have always existed, and of late years so many have been 

 formed that it is not possible to enumerate them. They are most 

 varied as to numbers and scope of work, continually disbanding and 



