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

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SAMUEL CARR President of the Board of Trustees Co vEStjom Wit espectfuUp JBebteate Htysi Xolume

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New President Conservatory Trustees R. SAMUEL CARR, whom his fellow-trustees of the New England Conservatory of Music have unanimouslv chosen to the presidency, succeeding the late Mr. Eben D. Jordan, has for now about twenty years past been known to them as one of the ablest and most judicious of counselors. Coming upon the board during the critical period from which the school began to emerge soon after Mr. Chadwick assumed the directorship, Mr. Carr at once made an impression of business acumen and alert understanding of the needs and aims of the musical pro- fession. He was sympathetic with every effort to improve the financial position of the Conservatory; at the same time every undertaking that meant raising the standard of instruction met with his cordial support. So valuable has his service been that after the loss of last summer he was imme- diately thought of as the ideal successor of the far-sighted and philanthropic man who had just passed on. Born in one of the substantial old houses on Bunker Hill, Charlestown, in 1848, of good New England ancestry on both sides of the family, Mr. Carr re- ceived conventional education in the Bunker Hill Grammar School and, the parents having later moved out to a suburban home, in the Newton High School. Both the father and mother were musically inclined, and the boy quite markedly so, for at fifteen he was chosen organist of the West Newton Congregational Church. Thus began a weekly service as organist and musical director in several churches which, with only a few weeks ' intermission, was continuous for forty years. In 1884 Mr. Carr was elected to the position of organist and director of music at the historic Old South Church, in Copley Square, to the manifold duties of which he gave his best attention until 1904. He then resigned from active service. Mr. Carr is still chairman of the music committee at the Old South, and, by vote of the church, honorary musical director and organist. He has composed and arranged various hymns and anthems. He is an honorary member of the New England Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Starting at the age of eighteen as a bank clerk, he early made a reputation for integrity, seriousness of purpose, insight and constructive imagination. In 1883 he became the private secretary of Frederick L. Ames, with whom he was closely associated down to the latter ' s death in 1893. Upon the passing of Governor Oliver Ames, in 1895, Mr. Carr became one of the executors and trustees of the estate. He is a director in several corporations. He has been concerned in important railroad reorganizations. His personal predilection for music has kept him constantly in touch with developments in a profession which, had he so chosen, he might presumably have followed with conspicuous success. He has followed music, however, not merely in the spirit of getting personal enjoyment from it, but in that of doing his part to give pleasure to others, for, as he says, as one grows older, one realizes more and more that the lasting satisfactions of life come from service to others. Page four

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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