The third soirée of Mason and Thomas had the following program:
| Quartet, C Major, No. 2 | Cherubini |
| Piano Trio, D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 | Beethoven |
| Quartet, A Major, Op. 41, No. 3 | Schumann |
A program as interesting and fresh to-day as thirty-eight years ago. The weather was very cold,—below zero,—and during the largo of the trio the gas gave out. We continued playing for some time, but finally had to stop. The "Geister" [the composition here referred to is called by the Germans the "Geister Trio">[ did not assist us! Do you remember the fact?
Es ist schon lange her.
Theodore Thomas.
KARL KLAUSER, MUSICAL DIRECTOR AT MISS PORTER'S SCHOOL
THROUGH Mosenthal our quartet became acquainted with Mr. Karl Klauser, who was an active and enthusiastic musician of thorough education, and who has accomplished a great deal of useful work both as a compiler and teacher of classic and modern compositions. Mr. Klauser is a native of St. Petersburg, born of German parents; he came to New York in 1850, and was engaged as musical director in Miss Porter's famous school for young ladies in 1855, a post which he filled with credit and ability for many years. He was enthusiastically fond of chamber-music, and frequently attended the rehearsals of our quartet; and it was through him that we were induced to give recitals in Farmington six months after our beginning in New York. On Thursday, June 26, 1856, our program was as follows:
| String Quartet in E flat, No. 4 | Mozart |
| Trio, Piano, Violin, and Violoncello, G Minor, Op. 15, No. 2 | Rubinstein |
| Variations from Quartet No. 5 | Beethoven |
| Also solos for pianoforte and for violoncello. | |
On the following day another recital was given, with an entire change of program.
At that time one of the undergraduates of the school was a young girl who is now the wife of a distinguished lawyer of New York, and is herself prominent in good works. Not long ago I received from her the following very agreeable letter about the early Farmington days: