Program of
S.W. LEACH CONCERT
At Platt's Hall
Monday Evening, Dec. 9th, 1878
| 1. Part Song. Strike the Lyre Mr. Gee and Madrigal Society | Cooke |
| 2. Song. I Fear No Foe Walter Campbell | Pinsuti |
| 3. Quartette for piano and stringed instruments. Sostenuto assai, Allegro ma non troppo. Miss Alice Schmidt, piano; Mr. Clifford Schmidt, first violin; Mr. Louis Schmidt, Jr., viola; Mr. Ernest Schmidt, cello. | Schumann |
| 4. My Queen Alfred Kelleher | Blumenthal |
| 5. Duet. Quanto Amore Mrs. J.E. Tippett and S.W. Leach | Donizetti |
| 6. Let All Obey C.W. Dugan | S.W. Leach |
| 7. Valse Chantée—Rajon de Bonhure Mrs. Marriner-Campbell | Mattiozzi |
| 8. Reading Daniel O'Connell | |
| 9. Part Song. Introduction and Valse Madrigal Society | S.W. Leach |
| 10. French Horn Solo Ernest Schlott | |
| 11. Solo Mrs. J.E. Tippett | |
| 12. Violin Concerto. Andante and Finale Clifford Schmidt | Mendelssohn |
| 13. Duet and Chorus. In the Days of Old Lang Syne Mrs. Marriner-Campbell and Ben Clark | Neidermeyer |
| 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.
MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY
Conductor—S.W. Leach.
Sopranos—Mrs. Marriner-Campbell, Mrs. J.E. Tippett, Mrs.
J.M. Pierce, Mrs. Sarah Little.
Altos—Mrs. M.R. Blake, Miss E. Beutler, Miss Ida Beutler,
Mrs. Chisolm.
Tenors—J.E. Tippett, Ben Clark, J. Webber.
Bassos—Walter C. Campbell, C.W. Dugan, Will B. Edwards.
Pianist—Geo. J. Gee.
For years we served the public, winning fresh laurels yearly and adding to our repertoire of madrigals and songs worthy the aspirations of any competent and conscientious singers. Every number was a gem of the music writer's art. Good music never grows old, and songs like these should claim the student's attention in place of the common everyday songs that cater to a lower taste or create a laugh. They lower the standard of the singer. There are many comic songs that will bring the wholesome laugh and be welcomed by an appreciative audience. The singer makes the song as she builds her own character. It is the understanding of the writer's meaning, of the sentiment he has tried to embody, which shows the intelligent and artistic singer. Happy indeed is the singer if his success follows the rendering of his songs. This is the way our reputations are made. Is it not a great happiness to the singer and the listener that the tones come pure and limpid from the long-cherished instrument that still answers to the beautiful strains of the Last Rose of Summer or Safe in the Arms of Jesus? Can any one conceive the devotion with which a singer nurses the beautiful gift which is above rubies—a priceless gem—only to be made more beautiful when it returns to the God who gave it, and made more beautiful by the knowledge that he has done what is possible with the talent entrusted to him, and unconsciously made the gift more suitable to join the Everlasting Choir, Eternal in the Heavens, to join in the congregation of saints who had found the harmony of the Lost Chord, and to make the heavens ring with the melody of the last strain, Only in heaven I shall hear that grand Amen?
It is a fact that in writing my memoirs I felt a little reluctant at first to write all about myself and my work, but I have come to the conclusion that it is not vanity on my part to report history, and certainly I have left no stone unturned to hunt out real facts and occurrences from my letters, programs, diaries and other papers. As I have been first in many things, perhaps it may be interesting to know who sang the Lost Chord the first time in California, a song so widely known and sung by so many singers. In the year 1878, while Mrs. Louisa Marriner was in London on one of her yearly visits, in her generous kindness she sent me the Lost Chord and also Sullivan's Let Me Dream Again, two new compositions which, she said, were just written for me. During this year Calvary Literary society gave an evening of song for the Ladies' Relief society, and among the numbers of the programme was the Lost Chord, with piano and organ accompaniment. Mrs. Henry Norton was soprano; Mrs. M.R. Blake, contralto; C.L. Gage, bass; J. de S. Bettincourt, tenor; C. Howland, second tenor; E. McD. Johnston, bass; Miss F.A. Dillaye, organist; H.M. Bosworth, organ and piano, and Prof. Theo. Herzog, violin. It was on this occasion that I sang the song of the Lost Chord, with organ and piano.
Sometimes in recounting incidents in our lives we often wonder how they began, as, in this instance, "I wonder who sang the Lost Chord first on this coast?" In this article you have the answer.