CHAPTER VI

THE DEATH OF FRITZ SCHEEL

But while the Board of Directors was in a continuous state of anxiety about the expenses; and the guarantors were being kept up to the mark; and the three Women’s Committees then in existence were straining every nerve to help; and the orchestra was constantly improving through the untiring efforts of the conductor, all was not well with Fritz Scheel. In looking back over his term of leadership of the Philadelphia Orchestra, his friends realize now that his illness began at least one year, and perhaps more, before the final breakdown came. He became irascible with his players, erratic in conduct, and his good judgment in matters musical seemed to forsake him. During the first months of 1907 his programmes had to be constantly supervised to guard against excessive severity; and on one occasion he had to be restrained from playing five symphonies at one concert.

The first knowledge the public had that he was in a peculiar mental condition was at a concert of the Eurydice Chorus, held in Horticultural Hall on February 6, 1907. He had been much upset by the death of a violinist in the orchestra, who disappeared and was found drowned. During the concert he asked the audience to rise and then played a funeral march in memory of this man. He constantly talked to the audience and to the singers. It was immediately seen that he was not responsible for his actions, and a specialist was consulted. He was taken to Atlantic City for a week, but did not improve.

The news of Scheel’s illness brought forth universal expressions of regret, as witness the following:

March 3, 1907. “FRITZ SCHEEL”

“Fritz Scheel’s illness is not only a personal tragedy; it is a public calamity. The fine orchestra which he has created for Philadelphia, and into which he has poured to exhaustion his own nervous energy, remains the pliant instrument he made it, ready to the hand of whatever master may be found to carry on his work, if he should not return to it. But the orchestra has been so peculiarly the expression of Scheel’s artistic personality, that his withdrawal at the end of what had been a most prosperous and buoyant season leaves the great constituency built up for it in these seven years with a sense of bereavement and depression.

“Mr. Scheel is a remarkable instance of a concentrated musical temperament, that views all life and thought through its own medium alone. In the years that he has spent in Philadelphia, he has been scarcely known beyond the immediate circle of the orchestra and the musical societies that he has directed.”

* * * * *

“It is not enough to refer to the wide field of modern music that he has made familiar to us, through his lucid presentation of the works of the French, the Russian and other Continental composers, including the most recent Germans, such as Strauss, whose recondite music he read with a clearness and significance that the composer himself failed to convey. Scheel’s peculiar insight is still more expressed in that fact that he has made Brahms a popular composer in Philadelphia, and he has triumphantly shown that the great ‘classics’ are not antiquated, but that real musical thought may speak to modern ears as well through ancient as through modern forms, if felt and interpreted with modern understanding.”

* * * * *

“The orchestra, of course, goes on, and the best present hope is that Scheel may be restored to health before another season. No doubt another conductor will be found if this hope should fail, but he will necessarily be different and there is no one now known in this country whom with an equally broad musical outlook, could be counted upon to make all the work of the orchestra so unfailingly and often surprisingly interesting as Scheel has done. Such artists as he are rare in any time or place, and it is to the honor of Philadelphia that he has received not only from the few, but from the many, some measure of the appreciation that is his due.”

_Public Ledger_, February 10, 1907

“... Scheel’s collapse, however, came as a shock to everyone connected with the orchestra, and yet they all realized that he could not endure for a much longer time. For three weeks he had been unable to sleep.

“Never a moment of freedom did he allow himself. In Odd Fellows’ Temple each morning he rehearsed one group of players, in the afternoon another group and in the evening the entire orchestra. At his meals he arranged the sugar bowl so that it would keep the score of some symphony or other in an upright position where he could study while eating.

“In Harrisburg, only three weeks ago, Scheel had the grip, and when the business manager, Charles Augustus Davis, went to see him, he found the leader lying in bed with water bags over his heart and a score in front of his eyes. All this time Scheel was also attending to his work as leader of the Eurydice and the Orpheus Clubs, rehearsing and leading at concerts.”

* * * * *

“LOOKS HAGGARD”

“Mr. Scheel was seen by the _Public Ledger_ correspondent as he returned to his hotel after a swift stroll down the boardwalk with his physician. He looked haggard and spoke in an excited, almost hysterical tone.

“‘Please tell my friends in Philadelphia that I am not a sick man,’ and greeted the newspaperman effusively. ‘All this talk about my mental condition is absurd. I needed a rest, that was all, and the directors very kindly allowed me to come to the seashore. I will be all right in a few days, won’t I, doctor?’

“The concluding sentence was directed to Doctor Goodman in a tone of pitiful appeal. Dr. Goodman nodded good-naturedly, as he does to all the proposals and plans that the sick musician unfolds in his illusions, when he talks about purchasing several beach play-houses for great music festivals.”

After conducting a last concert in Reading, Scheel was taken to a sanitarium where he died of paresis on March 13th, 1907.

One of his last hallucinations was to write letters to prominent musicians in Europe, offering them large sums to come to Philadelphia and teach in a conservatory that he was about to found. During his stay at the sanitarium he organized the nurses and orderlies into a chorus and made them sing part songs, grouped about his bed. This was a unique occurrence in the conduct of sanitariums, and he was soon much beloved by the attendants, whose tears at his funeral bore witness to their feeling for him.

“Fritz Scheel, Fighter,” would have been a good name for the first leader of the Philadelphia Orchestra. His death was generally attributed to overwork, but modern psychologists insist that no man ever came to his death by work. It was the strain of conquering, handicapped by the financial condition of the Association, that killed Scheel—conquering first his musicians, then the musical public, then the opposition to a Philadelphia Orchestra, and last the general apathy, most difficult foe of all to subdue. If he had not been a fighter, the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Philadelphia Orchestra would still be several years ahead.

_Philadelphia Inquirer_, March 14, 1907:

“SCHEEL, MARTYR TO ORCHESTRA HE CREATED, IS DEAD. CONDUCTOR KNOWN THROUGHOUT THIS COUNTRY AND EUROPE SUCCUMBS TO PNEUMONIA

“Fritz Scheel, conductor and creator of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who during the seven years which he headed that organization won the affection of local music lovers as no other musician ever gained it, died shortly before one o’clock yesterday afternoon in Dr. Francis X. Dercum’s sanatorium, at 1929 Wallace Street. Double pneumonia was the direct cause of his death.

“There is little doubt that the real cause of the sudden end of the brilliant career of Mr. Scheel was his devotion to the orchestra, of which he was the conductor, for had it not been for the nervous and physical breakdown of a month ago, brought on by overwork, his ordinarily sturdy constitution in all probability would have shaken off the pneumonia which conquered him in his weakened condition.

“During the month before his nervous breakdown, Scheel, encouraged by the artistic and financial success which was attending the season’s performances, redoubled his efforts to make the remaining concerts even outshine in brilliancy and attendance the preceding ones.

“There is no doubt that he would have succeeded, for he had not only imbued both the musicians in the orchestra with his zeal, but had also wrought the music lovers of Philadelphia up to a high pitch of enthusiasm.”

_Philadelphia Press_, Thursday, March 14, 1907:

“MAGIC OF SCHEEL’S BATON STILLED BY LEADER’S DEATH”

“Double pneumonia ends life of gifted musician who brought the Philadelphia Orchestra to a high plane of excellence.

“Philadelphia music lovers suffered perhaps the severest loss in the city’s musical history yesterday, when Fritz Scheel, director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, succumbed to double pneumonia.”

* * * * *

“The news was received with sorrow among rich and poor alike, among those who were regular subscribers to the season of symphony concerts, as well as among those, who loving music, waited patiently in line for the doors to the family circle and amphitheatre of the Academy of Music to open, to hear the diverse program which it was Scheel’s wont to perform.

“The maestro had made a brave fight for his life, his vitality, according to his physicians, having been remarkable.”

* * * * *

“Mr. Scheel added to the technical equipment, which is the natural product of German life and training, a poetic temperament and a broad outlook on matters musical, which not only gave great vivacity and variety to his programmes, but which made for such insight in the matter of the meaning of any given composition, as to produce the most illuminating and inspiring results.

“A course of seven seasons under his baton was, therefore, not only pleasurable in the highest sense of the meaning of the word, but instructive and educational to a marked degree, the entertainment however, marked, being as it were, incidental to a greater purpose of not only creating, but of satisfying the desire for the higher things in the most glorious of arts. In this sphere of endeavor Mr. Scheel’s singleness of purpose was well known. His devotion to musical ideals was manifest in everything he did, and his concentration on what he considered his lifework was of so energetic and absorbing a character as to make serious inroads on his health and strength. His death places the musical world peculiarly in his debt, since he arrived in Philadelphia at a critical period in our musical history and met the situation admirably.

“It is natural that those interested in music should feel a personal loss, but there is also a larger loss, in that every city must conserve those influences which keep the fire burning for the finer things of life. Hence, although those who are not of the musical world may not so realize it, they are also the losers through the passing of so striking a personality, for nothing is more certain than that any community does not live for or by bread alone, and it is a hopeful sign when any city is the scene of activities which include men and movements that look beyond mere material comforts.

“It is fortunate that at this juncture Philadelphia has a large group of self-sacrificing citizens who realize this. Mr. Scheel had his reward in life in their support and appreciation, and the best tribute to him, now that he is dead, will be that the good work will go on on the lines laid down by him, so that what he stood for shall not be lost, and the vantage ground attained to be held in all certainty.”

Funeral services for Fritz Scheel were held on March 16th in the Lutheran Church of the Holy Communion, on Chestnut Street above Twenty-first. The immense gathering was a tribute to the conductor and a proof of his personal, as well as musical, popularity in Philadelphia.

The list of honorary pall-bearers was a long one and included representatives from almost every branch of musical activity in Philadelphia:

Executive Committee of the Orchestra: Mr. Thomas McKean, Mr. Henry Whelen, Jr., Mr. Richard Y. Cook, Mr. John H. Ingham, Mr. Andrew Wheeler, Jr., Dr. Edward I. Keffer, Mr. Edward G. McCollin, Mr. A. J. D. Dixon.

Orchestra Guarantors: Mr. F. T. S. Darley, Mr. S. Decatur Smith, Mr. Richard S. Brock, Mr. John H. Converse.

Business Office: Mr. Chas. A. Davis, Mr. Horace Churchman.

Orchestra Members: Mr. Thaddeus Rich, Mr. Anton Horner, Mr. Jan Koert, Mr. C. Stanley Mackey.

Philadelphia Symphony Society: Mr. Charles A. Braun, Mr. J. H. Michener, Jr., Mr. Joseph M. Mitcheson.

Orpheus Club: Mr. Charles W. Baily, Mr. Arthur L. Church.

Eurydice Club: Mr. Louis F. Benson, Mr. F. H. Rosengarten.

Mendelssohn Club: Dr. W. W. Gilchrist.

Choral Society: Mr. Henry Gordon Thunder.

University of Pennsylvania: Dr. Hugh A. Clarke.

Philadelphia Press: Dr. A. C. Lambdin, Mr. Max Heinrici, Mr. George Rogers, Dr. Martin Darkow.

Philadelphia Musicians: Mr. Philip H. Geopp, Mr. Maurice Leefson, Mr. Richard Zeckwer, Mr. Wassili Leps.

Personal Friends: Dr. Victor Leser, Dr. John H. Musser.

Besides these, the Board of Directors of the Association and the Women’s Committees for the Philadelphia Orchestra attended in two large groups.

Although the orchestra had disbanded for the summer enough of the musicians were still in Philadelphia to play the slow movement of the Eroica symphony as the cortège entered the church. The Orpheus Club sang “The Long Day Closes,” by Arthur Sullivan, and “Holy Peace,” by Abt. At the grave the horn quartette of the orchestra played Mozart’s “Ave Verum.” His baton and the score of the Ninth Symphony were buried with him.

Telegrams and messages of sympathy poured into the offices of the Association from musicians in all parts of the country and from foreign artists, sojourning here.

A special meeting of the Board of Directors was held on March 14th, 1907, and this resolution adopted:

“The untimely death of Fritz Scheel has deprived this Association of the services of a Conductor, who, by his genius and devotion to his art, has successfully forwarded our efforts to establish an orchestra that is a credit to Philadelphia and to the contributors whom we represent.

“Artistic both by temperament and inheritance, the devotion to his profession by which this community has profited so much has been indirectly responsible for the untimely ending of his career. Had he been less insistent upon the full performance of every detail involved in a complete and conscientious fulfillment of his duties, the great drain upon his powers that left him without sufficient vitality to withstand the attack of his last illness, might have been avoided.

“If it be for us to write his epitaph, we would place devotion to his art as his most prominent trait of character, and loyalty to his orchestra and to our Association as its closest companion.

“In many respects the Philadelphia Orchestra stands as a monument to his work and memory, for he must long be remembered as its first, and for seven years its only Conductor.”

Scheel’s devotion to Beethoven was well known, and if he had been told to arrange his last concert no doubt he would have chosen a Beethoven programme. Was it more than coincidence that the following programme was his last?

BEETHOVEN PROGRAMME February 7 and 8, 1907 DR. OTTO NEITZEL, _Pianist_

QUARTET MARIE KUNKEL-ZIMMERMAN, _Soprano_ EMILY STUART KELLOGG, _Contralto_ NICHOLAS DOUTY, _Tenor_ FREDERIC MARTIN, _Bass_

THE MENDELSSOHN CLUB (Through the courtesy of Dr. W. W. Gilchrist, Director)

LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)

1. Phantasie for Piano, Orchestra and Chorus, Op. 80 Adagio _Piano_ Finale Allegro Allegro molto Adagio ma non troppo Marcia assai vivace _Piano and Orchestra_ Allegretto ma non troppo Presto _Piano, Orchestra and Chorus_

Prefatory Remarks by Dr. Otto Neitzel

2. Quartet from “Fidelio” (“Mir ist’s so wunderbar”) For Two Sopranos, Tenor and Bass

3. Symphony No. 9, in D Minor (Choral), Op. 125 Finale on Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” For Soli, Chorus and Orchestra Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso Molto vivace Adagio molto e cantabile Allegro assai _Quartet and Chorus_

Prefatory Remarks by Dr. Otto Neitzel

The predicament of the Board of Directors during Scheel’s illness and after his death can hardly be described. Apart from the feeling of personal loss, the Association was pledged to give a series of concerts in Philadelphia and elsewhere. All the best conductors in America were engaged in mid-season and the best European ones, if available, were to be had only at impossible prices.

The concerts of February 7th and 8th during the first week of his illness were conducted by August Rodemann, the assistant conductor and first flutist; and Dr. Otto Neitzel, who was included in the programme as lecturer, directed the Ninth Symphony. The remaining ones were led in an atmosphere of sadness and apprehension by Leandro Campanari.

THE SCHEEL MEMORIAL TABLET

Immediately after the death of Fritz Scheel the Women’s Committee proposed to raise a fund for a memorial to him to be placed in the lobby of the Academy of Music. A committee was appointed with Mrs. Wm. W. Arnett as Chairman. The circular printed below was sent out, to which there was an immediate and generous response.

FRITZ SCHEEL MEMORIAL FUND

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE WOMEN’S COMMITTEE FOR THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

“The Women’s Committee for the Philadelphia Orchestra has decided to erect in the Academy of Music a life-sized bronze bas-relief portrait of the late Fritz Scheel, three-quarters length figure, at a cost of $5000; $2000 of which has already been contributed. This memorial will have great value as a work of art, as it will be executed by Mr. Charles Grafly, of Philadelphia, the eminent American sculptor. It will also be a lasting and visible monument to the first conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, who was beloved by the musical public not only of Philadelphia, but of other neighboring cities. It is right and fitting that so great a man, representing so great an organization, should have an adequate monument in our historic Academy of Music.

“The music-loving public is asked to help erect this monument to Mr. Scheel, and all lovers of Art who have the interest of the great enterprise of their city at heart, will wish to have their part in this Memorial.

“Messrs. Drexel & Co., Fifth and Chestnut Streets, have kindly consented to receive contributions to the ‘Fritz Scheel Memorial Fund,’ as also have Heppe & Son, 1115 Chestnut Street, and Theodore Presser, 1712 Chestnut Street. Contributions may also be sent to the office of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, Room 1313, Pennsylvania Building, Fifteenth and Chestnut Streets, or to Mrs. Alfred Reginald Allen, Treasurer, 111 South Twenty-first Street, Philadelphia. Contributions of any amount, large and small, are solicited.

“It is important that all contributions be made by June 1st in order that the bronze may be completed before the termination of the next Orchestra season.”

* * * * *

Mr. Charles Grafly had taken a death mask of Scheel and produced a fine work of art and a most excellent likeness of the man. The setting was designed by Mr. Edgar V. Seeler. The Tablet cost six thousand dollars, and enough money was raised in addition to purchase a lot in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, and to place on Scheel’s grave a suitable tomb-stone and some shrubbery. Perpetual care was arranged for, a great satisfaction to Miss Scheel and to all his friends and admirers. For many years the Women’s Committee has placed a wreath on the memorial tablet on the anniversary of Scheel’s death, thus keeping alive the memory of the man and what he did for music here.

One year after Scheel’s death a memorial meeting was held at the Academy of Music at which time the tablet was unveiled.

PROGRAMME OF CEREMONIES

“FRITZ SCHEEL MEMORIAL “ACADEMY OF MUSIC WEDNESDAY, MARCH ELEVENTH NINETEEN HUNDRED AND EIGHT AT THREE O’CLOCK”

“FRITZ SCHEEL “A TRIBUTE “By Florence Earle Coates

“He gave his life to Music—gave— For love, not hire—himself denying; His body rests, o’er wearied, in the grave, But Music lives and gives him life undying.

“In the deep silence, may he hear Such harmonies as he could wake, And O, may some faint accents reach his ear From the great City’s heart that sorrows for his sake!”

“IN MEMORIAM “By Harrison S. Morris

“Broken in twain the ordered sum of years, The baton fallen, the chords forever stilled; Vanished the master, mourned of human tears, Enduring what to Art his spirit willed.

“The hand that swept the strings Like unto dust shall be; The stricken chords vibrate Eternally.”

“PROGRAM

“IN MEMORIAM “FRITZ SCHEEL “BORN LÜBECK, 1852; DIED PHILADELPHIA, 1907”

* * * * *

“RICHARD WAGNER—VORSPIEL, “PARSIFAL” “ADDRESS “MR. OWEN WISTER “RICHARD STRAUSS, TONE POEM, OPUS 28, “TOD UND VERKLÄRUNG, “(Death and Transfiguration).”

* * * * *

“UNVEIL MEMORIAL TO FRITZ SCHEEL”

GREAT THRONG AT ACADEMY OF MUSIC TO PARTICIPATE IN HONOR OF FIRST CONDUCTOR OF PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

“One of the greatest tributes ever paid to a musician in this city was the Fritz Scheel memorial celebration at the Academy of Music yesterday afternoon. It was a tribute to a man who was much beloved for the years of hard work he had done in bringing the Philadelphia Orchestra to its present perfection, as well as a tribute to his own personality, which won for him hosts of very warm admirers here.”

“GREAT CROWD GATHERED”

“The memorial services at the Academy yesterday, modest and impressive as they were, were remarkable for the vast crowd that assembled to honor the master. Long before the doors were opened, hundreds of people had gathered at each of the entrances, which were rapidly increased to thousands and when admission was finally gained, it was only a short time before every bit of available space was taken, with sufficient people on the outside to fill the place twice over.

“That the Academy was filled to capacity was announced at the different entrances by attachés of the Academy, and although hundreds turned away disappointed, an equal number of them remained during the entire hour of the memorial services, and to repay them for their patience, they were finally allowed admission, not to get a chance to hear any of the ceremonies, but to view the handsome tablet.

“The tablet was unveiled while the audience listened to the brief but impressive address of Mr. Owen Wister.”

* * * * *

“MRS. ROOSEVELT SENT A WREATH”

“Encircling the tablet was a festooning of laurel sent by the Women’s Committee, and underneath a large wreath of beautiful white roses sent by Mrs. Roosevelt.

“Mr. Wister’s address was a brief but eloquent effort. After a few introductory remarks, he said among other things:

“‘Great poems survive the poets who wrote them; great pictures and statues survive their creators, as symphonies survive the masters who composed them. In all these arts the work of genius lives on, while the brain where it was born goes to dust. Not so is it with another sort of artist, the interpreter. He who interprets—the actor, the singer, the player—be he never so great, be he Garrick, or Mario or Paganini, still must he perish with the generation that heard him, and sometimes he does not even leave a name.

“‘The lot of the orchestral conductor is the same, for he belongs to the class of interpreters, with the Garricks, the Marios, the Paganinis. No matter what magic comes from the baton that he waves, once that baton is laid down, the magic is dead.’

“REVIEWED MR. SCHEEL’S WORK”

“Mr. Wister then went on to sketch briefly the work of Mr. Scheel from the time he came to this country and of his residence in Philadelphia for nine years, beginning with the conducting of the Amateur Symphony Orchestra and including the years he was at the head of the Philadelphia Orchestra. He said:

“‘Arduous were the pioneer steps, but between each one lie many struggles, many examples of generosity, of munificent giving on the part of private citizens; some gave their time and some their purse and some both. Without their persmission (for they would refuse it), let the names of the pioneers be mentioned:

“‘Mrs. A. J. Cassatt and that hardworking committee of four: Messrs. Edward Keffer, Edward McCollin, John Ingham, Oliver Judson. Let us remember next the boundless generosity of Alexander Van Rensselaer and Thomas McKean, who poured their thousands out like a royal gift; nor let us ever forget Miss Anne Thomson and Miss Mary Gibson; to let any of these names go in silence today, would be to fail in due appreciation. And for Henry Whelen, his untiring devotion of time and purse, let a special word of remembrance be said.’

“‘But for the loyal help of all these we might not be here—nor should we, if, in a dark hour, when masculine endurance gave out, feminine energy had not stepped in.’

“Mr. Wister then followed with a eulogy of Mr. Scheel, the ‘artist’ as well as Mr. Scheel the ‘man.’ In conclusion he said:

“‘So did his work end. Many must be sitting here today who well remember those years when Theodore Thomas played to a mere handful of listeners in this house; when tickets were given away by the dozen and the fifty, in order that there might not be a desert of empty seats.

“‘But it was not a barren field that Theodore Thomas sowed the seed in. He made it ready for the Boston Orchestra, and thus at length arrived the man and the hour for a Philadelphia Orchestra. We have grown to understand the great value of such music, not only the pleasure it gives, but its educational and civilizing importance; and, although now and again some benighted voice is raised against systematic musical instruction in our schools, the day of the municipal savage draws to its close!

“‘Older governments assist symphonic art, liberally subsidizing it; but in our Republic it is proper for the citizens to take this upon themselves, and all over the country they are beginning to do so. But Philadelphia’s progress since the days of Theodore Thomas is the most extraordinary of all, and her citizens will see that it goes on.

“‘And so Fritz Scheel passes from this desk into bronze, where the artist has caught his look with admirable and living skill; the very look he had so often when he turned half round the moment before he raised his baton. At this desk now stands his eminent successor, worthy to perfect the work so worthily, so loyally begun. At future concerts when we come in we shall see Fritz Scheel looking down from his bronze, and imagine upon his face a look of serenity and approval.’

“Mr. Wister was heartily congratulated for his address, and the ladies of the committee in charge of the memorial celebration received many favorable comments as to the admirable way in which they had carried out their work, not only in the collecting of the money, but in providing such a fitting tribute to the late conductor.”

* * * * *

_Evening Bulletin_, March 11, 1908:

“THE MEMORIAL TABLET”

* * * * *

“The seats in the parquet circle, with the exception of the boxes, had been reserved for the subscribers to the Fritz Scheel Memorial Fund, and the Guarantors for the Philadelphia Orchestra.

“The balcony and family circle were for the regular ticket holders of both series of concerts, while tickets for the amphitheatre had been distributed to the music students of the various musical conservatories.

“Proscenium Box No. 2 had been reserved for Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Dallas Dixon, Miss Margaret Scheel, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Van Rensselaer, Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wheeler, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Newbold, Dr. and Mrs. Edward I. Keffer and Miss F. A. Wister.

“Proscenium Box No. 3 for Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McKean, Mr. John H. Ingham, Mr. Clement B. Newbold, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Scott, Mr. E. T. Stotesbury, and Miss Anne Thomson, representing the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Orchestra Association.

“Proscenium Box No. 4 had been allotted to the following ladies representing the Honorary Vice-Presidents of the Women’s Committee for the Philadelphia Orchestra: Mrs. George F. Baer, Mrs. Alexander W. Biddle, Mrs. John Cadwalader, Mrs. Charles B. Coxe, Miss Mary K. Gibson, Mrs. Clement A. Griscom, Mrs. Austin S. Heckscher, Mrs. C. E. Ingersoll, Mrs. Frank H. Rosengarten, Mrs. Cornelius Stevenson, Mrs. Theodore Voorhees and Mrs. L. C. Vandergrift and Mrs. Oscar R. Jackson of Wilmington, Del.

“The parquet circle and balcony boxes were reserved for the officers of the Women’s Committee for the Philadelphia Orchestra and their guests. The list of Philadelphia guests included the following: Mr. and Mrs. John E. Reyburn, Mr. and Mrs. Edward H. Coates, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Grafly, Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Zantzinger, Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Borie, Mr. and Mrs. Edgar V. Seeler, Mr. and Mrs. Harrison S. Morris, Mr. John Luther Long, Mrs. Owen Wister, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. H. B. Fine, of Princeton, N. J., Miss Alice Nevin, Lancaster, Pa., Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Martin, of Harrisburg, Pa.

“The following ladies had charge of the memorial services: Mrs. W. W. Arnett, chairman; Mrs. A. J. Dixon, Mrs. H. E. Yarnall, Mrs. Thomas S. Harrison, Miss Anne Thomson, Miss Nina Lea, Mrs. F. H. Rosengarten, Mrs. George Widener, Mrs. John B. Miles and Mrs. W. L. McLean.

THE FUTURE

The Board of Directors immediately began to look for a successor to Fritz Scheel. Various proposals were made, among them one to Franz Kneisel, who was forced to decline by a storm of protest from his New York admirers. At the Annual Meeting held May 14, 1907, this announcement was made:

“Though the association has sustained a great loss in the death of Mr. Scheel, who labored with untiring zeal, achieving successful results in bringing our orchestra to a high plane of musicianship, the public may be assured that his place will be worthily filled. At the present moment, however, the Executive Committee is compelled to face a question of some embarrassment in selecting the successor to the late Mr. Scheel. Fortunately, your committee is in receipt of applications that include many of the representative conductors in the world of music, and, in consequence of this wealth of material from which to select a conductor, the question of arriving at a decision is rendered somewhat puzzling. The public may rest assured, however, that a conclusion may be speedily reached, and a conductor named who will meet with the approval of all.”

THE MUSICAL RECORD

1900-1907

Fritz Scheel’s musical achievements were outstanding, considering that he was organizing a new orchestra under difficulties, both artistic and financial. The list of important works presented by him is of interest, for besides the compositions of European composers, he also brought forward those of American and Philadelphia musicians.

1900-01: Edward A. MacDowell: Concerto for Piano.

1901-02: Dvorak: “Heldenlied.”[23]

1902-03: Beethoven Cycle, including Ninth Symphony with Chorus; Mozart, Aria for Contralto piano and orchestra. Martinus’ Van Gelder[24] Symphony, A major (dedicated to Mr. Scheel).

1903-04: Beethoven: Ninth Symphony; Jan Sibelius, Swan of Tuonela;[25] Frank G. Cauffman,[26] “Salammbo;” Camille W. Zeckwer,[27] Concerto for piano and orchestra (composer at the piano).

1904-05: Vincent d’Indy, Second Symphony, B flat.[28]

1905-06: Mozart Programme: One Hundred and Fiftieth Anniversary of the Birth of Mozart. January 26-27, 1906.

Soloist: Mme. Charlotte Maconda, Soprano

1. Symphony, G minor 2. Recitative and Aria from “The Marriage of Figaro” 3. A Short Serenade (Eine kleine Nachtmusik) for two violins, viola, violoncello and bass 4. Aria from “The Magic Flute” 5. Overture to “The Magic Flute”

* * * * *

Wassili Leps;[29] “Andon” (poem by John Luther Long[30]). 1906-07: Beethoven: Ninth Symphony.

Scheel possessed a fine music library, which was an asset to an orchestra just starting out in an almost penniless condition. It contained standard orchestral scores of symphonies, overtures, violin and piano solos with orchestra, as well as music suitable for popular concerts, operatic selections, and smaller orchestral works. He was never handicapped on account of the lack of music for besides this the Association was constantly purchasing what was needed. In addition to first performances in America, there were constant novelties at the concerts and the artistic standard was high from the outset. A glance over the programmes shows that while on occasion minor works were presented which are now not generally played, the works of the great masters predominated. In this way the taste of the audience was trained and for this education Philadelphia owes to Fritz Scheel much of its ability to appreciate and enjoy music today.

[23] First performance in America.

[24] Philadelphian.

[25] First performance in America.

[26] Philadelphian.

[27] First performance in America.

[28] Philadelphian.

[29] Philadelphian.

[30] Philadelphian.

[Illustration: SCHEEL MEMORIAL TABLET]

A TRIBUTE

“The man who really made The Philadelphia Orchestra from a musical standpoint is Fritz Scheel. I never knew him personally, but he must have had very high musical ideals. They are evident in everything he did. Also, he must have had a wonderful faculty for choosing the highest type of artists for the orchestra; he set a standard then which has been difficult to live up to musically. Such artists as Rich, Horner, and Schwar (to mention only a few of the many who are still remaining in The Philadelphia Orchestra from Fritz Scheel’s time) are absolutely in the first rank for their instrument, not only in America but in the whole world. It was Scheel’s vision that laid such a wonderful foundation for this orchestra; that was very difficult, but in most cases I feel that we have at last succeeded; but we never can sufficiently recognize the debt we owe to Fritz Scheel; the good work he did and the influence of his ideals seem to live on forever. LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI.”

## PART II

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