New England Conservatory of Music - Neume Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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EBEN D. JORDAN 3fn JHemortam

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Our late President, Mr. Eben D. Jordan By G. W. CHADWICK N THE death of our late President, Mr. Eben D. Jordan, the New England Conservatory lost its staunchest and most loyal supporter, and one of its best friends. His interest in the Con- servatory, even during the more exciting developments of the Boston Opera Company, never diminished. It was one of his most ardent desires to make use of the facilities afforded by the Boston Opera House for the advantage of the Conservatory. It was not his fault that this was not possible to a greater extent. As it was, there were several young singers from our school who were launched on a successful career at the Boston Opera House, and quite a number of our orchestra players became members of the Opera Orchestra. To those who knew him intimately, Mr. Jordan showed a kindly and generous nature, from which many struggling students and musicians have profited. And although he sometimes was not recompensed with gratitude, it never seemed to embitter him or cause him to regret his generous impulses. He was a man of singular modesty. To be obliged to speak in public caused him a good deal of worry; but when he did so his words were simple and direct, and very much to the point. Mr. Jordan ' s benefactions to the Conservatory were not only many and liberal, but wise and timely. The lot on which the Conservatory building stands was bonded by Mr. Jordan for the Conservatory some time before we were in a position to begin the erection of the building. When work was finally begun, the land had increased very much in value, of which we of course got the benefit. In his gift of Jordan Hall to the Conservatory, he builded better than he knew, for this place has become a mecca for all the artists of the country. They have made it known far and wide as remarkable for sound. To our stu- dents who make their public appearances there, it is a continual joy and inspi- ration. Foreseeing that we should eventually need room for expansion, his next gift was the adjacent lot, which has also increased much in value since we came into possession of it. In his last gift he bequeathed us a sufficient sum to pay our remaining indebtedness. This final munificent gift is the keystone of the arch for which we have been laying the stone and mortar, and sometimes carrying the hod, for the last fifteen years. It is now complete, and, as I believe, per- manent. In Jordan Hall, on Friday evening, November 24, 1916, a special concert by the Conservatory Chorus and Orchestra was given in honor of Mr. Jordan ' s memory, with an address by our former President, Hon. Richard H. Dana. Page six

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The Founding and Early History of the JJeto Cnglanb Conserbatorp of ifflusiie - — i By F. ADDISON PORTER HEN we pursue our studies in an institution, well established, flourishing, with a world-wide reputation, how much we are apt to accept unthinkingly as simply a part of the existing order of things, without, perhaps, a single reflection as to the painful efforts and heroic perseverance to which were due the original establishment of such an institution and the initial impetus to- ward its ever-increasing growth and success. No school or institution of any kind consists merely of the building it occupies or of the equipment at its command at any one time or period; rather, the school itself represents day by day the sum total of human endeavor expended in its behalf and in furthering the highest principles for which it stands. Just as the present high standing of our Conservatory is due to the splendid endeavor and achievement for the past twenty years, of our present director, Mr. George W. Chadwick, and his collaborators, so was the structure of the real school as they found it a result of the efforts previously expended, not only arduous in themselves, but, in the begining, put forth against the opposition of public opinion and with no existing capital save a whole-hearted enthusiasm. This school first existed in a man ' s mind, and that man was Eben Tourjee. At the time when he conceived the idea of a conservatory, there was no oppor- tunity in this country for class instruction in music at any school where art was placed on the same footing as other studies. The circumstances and ambitions in which the New England Conservatory had its origin may best be described in the words of Dr. Tourjee himself when, in a report dated 1883, he said, For thirty years it has been the aim and effort of my life to found and equip an in- stitution which should bring within the reach of the many the priceless benefits of a first-class musical education, that these in turn might become missionaries for its universal diffusion. The struggle through which I had to pass and the difficulties which I had to overcome in obtaining even the fragmentary education in music which this country could then afford me led me to this determination; and, keeping this object before me, I have, by every means in my power, labored both in season and out of season for the accomplishment of that purpose. Under God, my success has been beyond my expectation. When I began the study of music, there were no music-schools and few teachers of eminence, and these Page eight