Seven Hills High School - Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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Music of Early Cincinnati Among the middle-western cities, Cincinnati has always been foremost in the field of music. The first music of Cincinnati was produced, in 1795, by a band of French and German players at Fort Washington. The Commander, General Wilkinson, hired this band to play there with the hope of bringing a little gayety into the dismal life at the fort. This same band played the marches for a July Fourth parade. At this time, a noted Scotchman, Thomas Kennedy, was entertaining the people with his violin. Mr. Kennedy, one of the earliest musicians in Losantiville, delighted all with his gay Scotch tunes. Later he moved across the river to a town which bore his name, Kennedy's Ferry. It is noxLthe city of Covington. In the year 1808 great strides were being made in the progress of our early music. The first organ was built by Reverend Adam Hurdus in the early nineteenth century. Already many residents had acquired pianos. Unfor- tunately there was at this time only one piano tuner, who combined his tun- ing with piano instruction. By 1815 Societies were organized. The first was the Harmonical Society, which furnished music during the intermission of performances in the thea- tres. This society also organized the first citizenas brass band. The follow- ing year the HSL Cecilian Society was founded. It was the first society of any real significance but few facts are known concerning it. We do know, however, from Greveis 46History of Cincinnatiu that it was 'cdevoted to the delightful strains of the piano and the improvement and practice of its fair votaries in the cwitching powers of song'.,' The Episcopal Singing Society now began to meet at Christ Church. Also the Haydn Society was formed of singers selected from different societies in the city. The pioneer period of early music in Cincinnati came to an end about 1820. Much music was used to celebrate Lafayette's visit to Cincinnati. Joseph Tossa was asked to conduct the orchestra while Lafayette remained here. Mr. Tossa, a Mexican, had recently returned from the Paris Conservatory. He was acclaimed by music-lovers everywhere and upheld high standards in his selections for the concerts. The Eclectic Academy of 1834 concentrated on bettering the tastes of the people and on securing more religious music. This academy had a twenty-four piece orchestra and an extremely able leader in the Swedish Victor Williams. During the Civil War, Mr. Williams did much for the extension of musical instruction in the public schools. He presented the first oratorio to Cincinnati in old Melodeon Hall. In 1864, after the Eclectic Academy and Haydn Society disappeared, a new society Wham, 193 9 i931

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ward into two districts. A 4'Board of Trustees and Visitorsw was formed to regulate the school hours, the courses, and the teachers' salaries. The board decided that the people should be taxed in order to pay the school expenses. This board remained until 1878 when uThe Board of Education was sub- stituted as the official title. About 1820, there was the beginning of our very excellent system of education. Our present schools have progressed greatly since the stuffy little red school house with its oaken benches, the scanty dozen well-thumbed books, the willow Whips in the rack and the uneducated master. Our modern schools offer a great variety of subjects. A few of these are Foreign languages, English, sciences, mathematics, history and current events, manual training and art. Besides the schools for the healthy boys and girls there are special schools for the blind, the deaf, the crippled and other problem children. In 1847 the first high school was established in the basement of a church on Walnut street. There were ninety-seven attendants. Three years later Woodward and Hughes were started, which was the beginning of our very fine high schools. ln 1930 the Trustees and Visitors had a meeting and drew up the fol- lowing rules: 1. The scholars must all keep their hands, faces and clothes clean. 2. They must not stop to play or loiter on the way, coming to or going from school. 3. While in school they must obey their teachers and the rules of the school. 4. They must make no unnecessary noise. 5. Must attend closely to their studies. 6. Must not study aloud. 7. Must not talk or Whisper to each other. 8. Must not leave their seats without permission. 9. Must always speak the truth. 10. Must not quarrel or injure each other. 11. Must not use profane or indecent language. 12. Must be polite and respectful at all times to every one. These rules can be applied to the schools of today as well as to those of one hundred years ago. BETTY ALLEN, Eighth Grade WL wrong, 193 Q l92l

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was founded. From Leonie C. Frank's book uMusical Life in Early Cincin- nati, we find that: uThe legitimate successor of these two societies was the brilliant, proud Gllarmonic Society of Cincinnatif under direction of Mr. Carl Barns. This fine organization had a humble beginning back in 1800, with a small choral school and later with a chorus of two hundred and fifty members. The credit for this progress, writes Miss Frank, must not go entirely to the Cincinnatians, but to the Germans. HQuietly but impressively they had been exerting an immense influence over the musical character of the city. From early days they had fostered music in the home, church and societies. It was part of their lifef, At last a professional orchestra was hired, putting an end to all amateur ones. The first one lasted but a short time and was fol- lowed in 1872 by the MCincinnati Orchestraf, one having forty instruments. The beginnings of the May Festivals were in 1864. Music Hall was espe- cially built for these Festivals. They originated from several societies com- bining as one. The first May Festival was successfully performed in 1873 with Theodore Thomas as conductor. Mr. Thomas did a great deal to make the Festivals successful. 1-le will long be remembered for his distinguished work. Through the Festivals Cincinnati gained great distinction and fame. Later two other fine institutions were developed: The College of Music and the Conservatory of Music. Little did the early founders know that these musical institutions would still be playing in 1939 an important part in the musical knowledge of Cincinnati. Since the time of the small band at the fort, Cincinnati has constantly progressed in musical culture. This back- ground was developed by outstanding personalities who gave all their talent and enthusiasm to this task. Those men and women made Cincinnati what it is today, a leading city in the musical activities of the United States. MARTHA ANN GOODYEAR, 1941 Four Le'Hers My, what a bleak, raw day! I leaned back in the arm chair and thought, if I could only be in Florida with a hot sun beating down, how glorious it would feel. Florida? Oh yes, Father wanted me to get those Florida let- ters out and look through them. I arose from my chair and got out an old box of family letters. Most of the letters were over a hundred years old. They varied from love letters to business letters. There was one group that contained a correspondence between my great- Wt atm, 1939 l94l