ROMAN CATHOLIC, EPISCOPAL, AND JEWISH MUSIC. J.H. DOHRMANN. THE BIANCHI'S
URING my ten years' engagement at St. Patrick's Church, on Mission street, San Francisco, we gave many masses and also arranged concerts which would prove of great value to the singers of today who have aspirations for better music than the frivolous songs and bad style of singing which is in vogue. The masses that we sang were written by the best masters. Our organist and director was educated in Europe and received the best musical education and understood the standard which should be upheld. We were familiar with all of Mozart's masses, requiems and vespers. The Twelfth was the most frequently sung if grand, joyful music was required. The Requiem Brevis, a gem of church music, was given on the most solemn service. All Saints' Day generally claimed that number. The Fifth Mass was the one chosen when we dedicated the magnificent $10,000 organ, June 20, 1869, which was bought with the money received from the grand concerts which were given from time to time by the regular choir and chorus of thirty voices with orchestra and visiting soloists of high repute, if they happened to be in the city at the time of giving.
I am more than grateful that I can place within these pages a fine photograph of this magnificent organ, a reminder of the once beautiful and grand instrument which was destroyed and burned until there was not a souvenir left to tell the story of the great and grand music that it pealed forth so many years, and of the work of the beautiful voices that once sang the praises and the power of the grandest music ever written by a galaxy of writers who are no longer with us. Of Haydn's sixteen masses we usually sang from one to eight, these being the most used, and No. 16 B Flat mass was often chosen. His Vespers No. 1 was sung many times. We generally used Weber's masses—one written in E flat and one in the key of G. They were the most familiar of his masses. One of the most difficult masses we sang was written by I.J. Paine of Boston. It was the first mass and required artists to give the proper importance to this magnificent mass. Rossini's Solenelle was given on the solemn occasion of the death of Pius IX. It was rendered for the first time in California October 31st, by sixteen solo voices, thirty-five in the chorus and the regular choir, full orchestra and organ. The following was the programme for the requiem mass Solenelle sung by the soloists and assisted by the chorus and orchestra and organ; Introit, Dies Iræ, Lacrimosa, Benedictus, Agnus Dei, Lux Aeterna were all from Cherubini's compositions; offertory, Dominus from Verdi, Libera from Palestrina:
Mrs. Brandel, soprano
Signora Bianchi, mezzo-soprano
Mrs. M.R. Blake, mezzo-contralto
Signor Bianchi, tenor
Signor Meize, tenor
Mr. Stockmyer, bass
Mr. Yarndley, bass
J.H. Dohrmann, organist
Orchestra 30 pieces.
With a crowded church and the altars draped in black, with the rest of the gifted singers on that occasion, will candelabras that were all burning, with many priests upon the altar, and the other accessories, the scene was notable. Time never can erase the picture as it comes back in memory. The wonderful music, in which I took part, with the rest of the gifted singers on that occasion, will never be forgotten.
Later, as years rolled on and the old singers retired, we had other artists who were the singers in this choir:
Mrs. Urig, soprano
Mrs. Young, soprano
Mrs. Taylor, soprano
Signora Bianchi, mezzo-soprano
Mrs. Herman, mezzo-soprano
Mrs. M.R. Blake, contralto
Miss Ella Steele, contralto
Mr. Buch, bass
Mr. Schnable, bass
We had also the masses of Lambillotte, the one in D being the most familiar. There was Peter's Mass in E flat. His smaller masses were complete. Mercadanti, four-voice mass, also one for three voices; W.A. Leonard's mass in B flat, four voices; Millard's masses complete; Farmer's masses, one in G, one in B flat; Schubert's five masses and vespers, 2d, 3d and 4th; Beethoven's two masses, the one in C being the most difficult. There was another written in D. Schubert's 2d, 3d and 4th masses were sung frequently. The grand mass of John Sebastian Bach, written in B minor, was sung by our choir for the first time in San Francisco, April 17, 1869. No one who is a singer can be blamed for being justly proud in rendering this music with the following artists:
Miss Brandel, soprano
Signora Bianchi, mezzo-soprano
Mrs. M.R. Blake, contralto
Signor Bianchi, tenor
F. Shoenstein, bass
Only the solemnity of the sanctuary refrained the people from giving the proper appreciation in applause when we sang this grand mass which was rendered by this splendid choir and directed by our beloved organist, the dean of that magnificent instrument (of which we were so proud) for we were the principal workers in the cause for obtaining the money for it. We then had the happiness to sing each week and listen to its beautiful notes. Our happiness was complete.
In 1874, July 5th, we sang for the first time Roeder's heavy mass. We often sang Concone's three-voice mass, Verdi's mass and Dominus, Palestrina's Libera, Paolo Giorza, and Regina Coeli. The choir library was complete with all kinds of masses, small and large. Many of them we sang. Some of them were very old and written in manuscript. I remember the professor gave me at rehearsal a celebrated old heavy German mass (No. H Messe von Rader) in manuscript and my part was the counter-tenor. Imagine my consternation when he placed it in my hand. I could always make an alto to any tune, so I just looked at it blindly and made my harmony as it fitted and did not disturb the harmony of the music. After rehearsal he came to me and said, "You did very well at faking, but if you will go up two notes and fall an octave you will get your part." That was enough for me. On my way home I bought some music paper and immediately set to work to get the mass ready for Sunday. This was Tuesday. By Friday the task was complete and I gave my work to my son George and asked him to look it over and see if I was all right. There was not a correction to be made, and I went to mass as proud as could be and sang the service through. After the service the professor came to my music stand and quietly took my fine copy and put in into the bookcase and that was the last I ever saw of my week's work. He said it was very nice of me to make such a good copy; it would be ready for the next singer who could not sing the manuscript. While I was disappointed, he was pleased that I had been clever enough to get out of the trap he had set for me, for he well knew I had never seen that music before.
Besides a splendid supply of masses, there were vesper services, Gregorian chants, Ave Marias, Veni Creator, solos, Mozart's Ave Vernum, requiems from various writers, Stabat Mater by Rossini; Franz Liszt's O Salutaris; Bach's Tantum Ergo; Salutaris, Carlo Bassini; contralto solos from Rossini's Solenelle; O Salutaris, Agnus Dei, Quae Te Christi by Millett; duet soprano and mezzo, Agnus Dei, Geo. Bizet; Lascia ch'io pianga, Handel; Raff's Cavatina for contralto; Millard's Ave Marias numbering 7 and No. 1, Salutaris; Mozart's 16th mass.
All these beautiful masses and songs, duets and solos were familiar to me, and I had opportunity to sing them with the grandest singers of the day. I also sang many times at St. Mary's Cathedral, California and Dupont streets, (Bishop Alemany); St. Ignatius, when the college and church was on Market street, where the Emporium now stands; Vallejo Street Catholic Church, Mission Dolores, Notre Dame French Church, Alois Lejeal, organist, Bush street. One special Candlemas Day the St. Ignatius Church was so crowded I had to be carried by two strong men who pushed their way through the jam of worshipers. We sang Mozart's Twelfth Mass that day. The organist was one of the brothers of the college. I think I sang requiems in every Catholic church in San Francisco at that time. It seemed to be my share in life to sing for the dead of all creeds and kinds. If I attempted to give an account of requiems alone I could publish a book of good size. I have also taken part in the musical service at the funerals of the great men of California, like Ralston, Hopkins, Captain Metzger, Thos. Breeze, J.B. Painter, Colonel Larkin.
In 1874 I lived on Post and Powell streets. Trinity Church was at that corner and many people who were strangers were taken to the mortuary chapel. One sad funeral occurred there on June 18, 1887, of Abner Lincoln Blake, a grandson of Major-General Lincoln of revolutionary fame. He was ex-deputy of the custom house in Port Townsend and was on his way to Washington, with papers of importance, to give evidence against certain men who were in government service. He was followed by some of their hirelings all the way on his journey and, arriving at Chicago, he was sand-bagged, but the villains were not quick enough to get his valise. They were frightened by the appearance of some one coming, and the victim was taken to the hospital. When the chief of police discovered who he was he did all he could to save the valuable evidence and notified the authorities at Washington. Everything was done to save his life, but he lapsed into unconsciousness for a week and died. He was brought to San Francisco, where a large family awaited his coming. It was one of the saddest funerals I ever witnessed or attempted to sing for. He had been cut down in the prime of life doing his duty for his country.
After leaving San Francisco in 1886 I sang in the Episcopal church in San Bernardino, and after eight months of service was engaged the remainder of the time in the Catholic church, Father Stockman. While there, I had a full repertoire of masses, old and some new to me. No matter where one goes, the church must have the best singing, and to my surprise I found the musical library was filled with masses, many of which we had in St. Patrick's:
Mozart's 12th, Haydn's 6th in B flat, Mercadanti's three-voice mass, Haydn's 3d in D, Haydn's 8th mass, Haydn's 16th in B flat, Mozart's mass in C No. 1, Haydn's in C No 2, Farmer's Mass in G, Mozart's No. 7, Peter's Mass in E flat, Mozart's Vespers in C Dur.
The requiem for Good Friday, April 25th, was sung from the quartette books used in the choir. We sang Buchler's vespers (the Memoria) and masses, Borduse mass, Werner's mass, Concone's mass and Gregorian chants. Before leaving San Bernardino choir for the closing masses, November 20th, requiem was sung, Father Koenig and Father Stockman officiating. On December 8th the Second requiem was sung from the quartette books. On December 22, 1888, we sang Borduse mass for the last time before returning to San Francisco.
I cannot give any information upon the music of the synagogue, although I sang six years there. The music is all manuscript and the cantors of the different schules all have their own services and nothing else is used, but they are very chary of their services, as they call them. I believe during my time we had six different ones, with their accompanying hymns, responses and chants, all in the Hebrew language. We had high days and holidays, which were very impressive and solemn, and the music was very beautiful and delightful to sing, even if we could not understand the meaning of the Hebrew. When the words of one service had been conquered, the others were easy to sing—like the Latin in the masses. The Episcopal service, which is as familiar as all the others to me, has the same Te Deums, hymns and chants, choruses and quartette, litany and vespers, services, glorias and sacred cantatas. There is extra music for Christmas festivals and appropriate music for Lenten seasons and joyful songs for Easter, processional and recessional hymns written for this service by well-known men. The orthodox services are not so elaborate—an opening anthem, hymns, offertories selected from the many available churchly compositions written by Dudley Buck, Adam, Mason, Ambrose and other English and American writers of our time and before our time. I have a wonderfully fine collection of such songs that I have used all these years and have successfully sung. My sixteen years' service in Calvary gave me opportunity to collect the best songs to use for the church. We used the church and home collection, Mosenthal's collection, Mendelssohn's Hymn of Praise, cantata of O for the Wings of a Dove, Te Deums by the best composers of sacred songs and anthems, oratorios, Moses in Egypt, David, Samson, Creation, Elijah, St. Paul, Messiah (by Handel), Stabat Mater (by Rossini), Daughter of Jarius, God, Thou Art Great (by L. Spohr), Baumbach collection of sacred music, Easter and Christmas music written by the well-known writers of the times.
Leaving the sacred work, I have also a grand collection of other works that I have sung in my musical life—Racine's Athalie, The Erl King's Daughter (by Miles W. Gade), First Walpurgis Night. Esther formed one of the epochs of my time, given in Platt's hall, on Montgomery street, by Mr. William Badger, for the benefit of the Episcopal Sabbath schools of the city in 1874; Queen, Madam Anna Bishop, soprano; King, Walter Campbell; Haman, Vernon Lincoln; Haman's wife, Mrs. M.R. Blake, contralto. The chorus was composed of members of the Handel and Haydn Society. The old hall was filled to overflowing and the singers at their best, and certainly success crowned every number. The enthusiasm of the audience knew no bounds and we were crowned with honors from the beginning to the end. If ever there was a happy man, it was William Badger, the piano dealer and Sunday school children's friend. We were all paid the highest salaries and still the benefit was a grand financial success for the Sunday schools. Should I attempt to give all the different amusements and entertainments of every kind during my life of song, it would require a book of many hundred pages. It is my intention to speak of the most important musical and dramatic performances and epochs of my life, as I have had a part in all these demonstrations and met all kinds of artists. It will in a measure, I hope, be an incentive for those who are musically inclined to pursue with energy, enthusiasm and faithful work the delightful task which music brings to us like other lines of education. You will find there is no "royal road to learning." The highest attainments can only be gained by careful, conscientious and intelligent study in the different departments undertaken. Students must remember, "those who go slowly go safely, and those who go safely go far."
