Possibilities in the Ordinary Commtmity. — The signs on the horizon point to the re sponsibility for the development of community music being in the hands of city governments; though, as yet its progress has been due mainly to private enthusiasm and enterprise. In a num ber of communities professional musicians dur ing prolonged visits unite the amateur talent of a neighborhood, and with a few imported players produce worthy musical festivals. The results at Meriden, N. H., in the Pageant of 1913, under the musical direction of Mr. Arthur Farwell, and in similar performances of the kind elsewhere, illustrate how well the folk of small country places may be inspired by an oc casion to play music of a high grade most acceptably. (See PAGEANTS and COLLEGE DRA stAncs). And the possession of an excellent band or orchestra has proved a possibility for the most unpromising of communities. Most of the great orchestras in large cities are main tained through a guarantee fund by subscribing citizens on a private basis. In one State a bill has recently been passed for the support of a State orchestra that will have a complete and iegular circuit. In a number of places through out the country music, concerts and lectures for adults are part of thc educational system. One community extends musical instruction to all who are willing to embrace the offer. In New York, Boston, Rochester and in La Porte, Ind., a special official has been appointed to super vise the city music. In New York three munic ipal concerts began in the spring of 1910 on a new untried basis under the administration of Mayor Gaynor. There were bands in about 30 of the 150 parks in the city on one evening of the week during summer. Sometimes bands performed on all recreation piers every evening for a season, and sometimes only on three evenings, with afternoon folk-dancing for the children on the piers. In Central Park the crowds were enormous; and at Tottenville, S. I., the farmers and others gathered round in their wagons to listen to the worlds' master pieces played by an excellent local band that for the first time in 20 years had joined the pro fessional ranks. In many other centres through out the country bands and orchestras are en gaged by the authorities to give free concerts to the people in summer and even in winter. In the State of Wisconsin, any city, town or village is now authorized and empowered to conduct public concerts in parks (to be paid for out of the park funds) and in various kinds of auditoriums (to be paid for in any way that the board, town council or other stated official may determine).
Citizens as Performers.— The highest spiritual point in community music would ap pear to have been reached in the extension of a welcome to everybody, trained and untrained, to sing in chorus. The wisest heads in the movement rule that in every healthy com munity there should be opportunity for all people to sing as.much as they wish, and that at least one combined function might be held, of an informal sort, and almost without direc tion. The success that has already attended the carrying out of this principle has been ex traordinary. The supervisor of music in the Minneapolis city schools reports that in Anoka, with a population of 3,0(N), everybody was invited, everything was donated, and oVer 2,000 more than the whole population of the town arrived to sing 'Home, Sweet Home,"Come Thou Almighty King,"Suwanee River,' etc.
Recently in Minneapolis Park, at a free concert with a chorus of children, no less than 15,000 people attended. But perhaps the most remark able expression of this kind is found in the Community Chorus movement, an offshoot of the Music School Settlement of New Yorlc, that in a very short space of time has taken whole communities by storm. It is essentially demo cratic and includes all who would meet together for the joy of singing, without voice trials and without dues. Hundreds of community choruses have been formed, and reports of organization and inquiries are entering from every State in the Union. New York, Buffalo and the Oranges (N. J.) have community choruses of over 1,500. Kansas has over 30 community choruses, with the University of Kansas in support of the movement; Wisconsin is carrying out the community music idea in the broadest fashion and has a leader in the University of Wisconsin. Newspapers in New York and everywhere are devoting full col umns to accounts of the movement and its af fairs. In New York the Community Chorus has sung every week since its organization, 9 Jan. 1916. During the summer seasons its "sings* were held every Sunday afternoon in Central Park with thousands present. It gave the memorable °Song and Light* festival in Central Park, 13-14 Sept. 1916, with over 50,000 citizens taldng part; and the effect was so overwhelming that its repetition was peremp torily detnanded for the following evening. On 26 Dec. 1916 before an audience of 10,000 Handel's (Messiah' was given with 1,000 voices (80 per cent of the performers never having heard the work before beginning rehearsals) ; and in the Hippodrome, 29 April 1917, an audi ence of 4,500 joined eagerly in the community singing under Mr. Barnhart's direction and responded enthusiastically to the inspiring ad dresses of Mr. John C. Freund, editor of Musical America, and the Hon. Cabot Ward, park commissioner of the city of New York; this performance like all the rest of the chorus being free to the public in every sense. Another spirited organization on somewhat similar but graded and slightly exclusive lines is the Peo ple's Choral Union of New York, with from 600 to 1,200 members creditably performing the great oratorios and large choral works, organ ized by Dr. Frank Damrosch. The "Frank Damrosch of Boston* is Mr. Samuel W. Cole, who, as early as 1897, conducted free choral classes for the people of Boston. In Chicago the "musical evenings,* instituted by Mr. Arnold Dresden of Chicago University, and promoted by the Women's Trade Union League, gained the hearty co-operation of the park commissioners and have proved eminently successful.
Beyond the large choral clubs there are the smaller organizations; such as the Frauenchor and Maennerchor of the German communities in the United States, and the various types of choirs in the communities of Wales and other countries. The enormous extent of musical activity possible in a community is indicated by the numerous competitive musical festivals of Europe. Blackpool, England, for example, has such a festival with about 5,000 competitors from all over England entering 64 types of contests, including choruses of 60 voices and all variations of fewer numbers for men or women or both men and women, down to solo.