USA > Ohio > Hamilton County > Cincinnati > A centennial history of Christ Church, Cincinnati, 1817-1917 > Part 8
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The next speaker was Miss M. S. Grider, for years a prominent woman worker in the parish of Christ Church, and afterwards one of the Epis- copal Bishop's staff in Alaska. Her gracious and inspiring address concluded with the words : "May the women of Christ Church take courage and go forward in the future with a greater zeal and vision than they have had ever in the past."
The last speech of the occasion was by the Rev. John F. Herget, pastor of the Ninth Street Bap- tist Church, who had recently been made chap- lain of the First Regiment of Ohio Volunteer In- fantry. In closing his remarks, he said: "We are gathered here to-night with happy hearts, with
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GROWTH OF THE FREE CHURCH
bright faces, as we look at the past, as we think of the present, as we guess about the future; and across the waters at the present time there lies a dark shadow over every heart, and every home, and every face. I have said to myself, 'Is it possible that one year hence that same shadow will lie across every heart, and every home, and every face in all our land? Yes, it is possible, it would seem so.' And that reminds me of the fact that the situation which is presented to us in the present struggle in which the whole world is involved will offer to the Churches of the Lord Jesus Christ the largest opportunity they have ever had for ministry in all the history of the world, to heal the wounds that have been made, to replace international distress and hatred with international confidence and brotherliness and love; and God grant that in this hour of crisis in the world's history this Church and all the other Churches may be girded with divine strength and power to face the issues which lie before us, to do the work of our Master in the rebuilding and in the reconstruction of all human society that must necessarily follow the issue of the pres- ent conflict."
Under the auspices of the Men's Club and the Girls' Friendly Society, for the members and their friends, a reception and dance was held in the parish house on Tuesday evening, with brief in- formal speeches of congratulation and encourage- ment by Rev. W. H. Poole and Miss Geraldine Gordon, Boston, Massachusetts.
Wednesday was also a gala day, devoted mainly to the Parish Boatride on the steamer Island Queen, about twelve hundred persons tak-
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THE HISTORY OF CHRIST CHURCH
ing the excursion to Coney Island, and to Fern- bank Dam and return.
On Thursday morning, Ascension Day services were conducted in the church, the rector deliver- ing the sermon.
In the evening the Century Club of Christ Church gave a banquet at the Hotel Gibson, on which occasion Mr. Edward Colston was toast- master, and memorable addresses were delivered by Mr. Edward Worthington, Rev. Charles Frederic Goss, Dr. W. S. Rainsford, and Rev. F. H. Nelson. The occasion was a very notable one and all the proceedings were reported by a stenographer and are preserved in typewritten copy, deposited in the archives of the Church.
Friday, May 18, dawned a bright and lovely spring day, and at 9 o'clock A. M. a goodly con- course of grateful worshipers partook of the Holy Communion in the sanctuary endeared to them by a thousand hallowed associations. When the hour for celebrating the festival service for the hundredth anniversary of the founding of the Church arrived, a large congregation occupied the pews, and the rector, assisted by numerous visiting clergy reverently conducted the intro- ductory ceremonies of Scripture reading and prayers. At this solemn and impressive service, as on other occasions of divine worship during the centennial celebration, sacred music of the most appropriate character was rendered by the ex- cellent choir of the Church, under the leadership of the choirmaster, Edward W. Glover, and with the masterly support of the organist, Mr. Yoakley. The anniversary sermon, the comprehensive sub- ject of which was "The Continuity of the Church,"
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CHRIST CHURCH CHAPEL
GROWTH OF THE FREE CHURCH
an eloquent discourse, was preached by Rt. Rev. Boyd Vincent, D. D., Bishop of Southern Ohio, from the text, "Here we have no continuing city; but we seek one to come," Hebrews 13: 14, a discourse which held the absorbed attention of every listener from the first syllable to the last and left a profound and lasting impression on the congregation.
After the singing of the Recessional Hymn the audience filed out of the church, and many found their way by a side passage to an area near the rear of the edifice, where they witnessed the lay- ing of the cornerstone of a chapel to be erected on property purchased by Mrs. Mary M. Emery and presented to Christ Church. The ceremony of laying the cornerstone was conducted by the rector.
Such improvements as this chapel, which will be a noble structure of its kind, especially in its interior decorative effects, the scheme being of the English Gothic style of architecture, appeal- ing to the more exalted religious aspirations and to the corresponding principles of sacred art, nat- urally induces meditation upon her past history and the spiritual aims of the expanding Church Society, and causes speculation concerning its fu- ture development. While Christ Church seems never to have confined its theory or its Christian practice within the severe limits of sectarian defi- nition, yet the essential motives and convictions of the men and women of "light and leading" who have given this institution its distinctive character, have often been announced from its pulpit and are vitally operative in the thinking and conduct of its members.
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Perhaps an approximation to the working creed of this modern, down-town Episcopal Church of to-day may be gathered from the pages of a booklet recently issued with the approval of its clergy and under the auspices of a committee authorized by the Vestry of Christ Church. From this little book (copyrighted in 1917) a few pas- sages may here be quoted as a fitting conclusion to this chapter :
1
"Christ Church, for one hundred years an equal sharer in the community life of Cincinnati, realizes the increasing responsibilities of institu- tions to men in daily life, and seeks to align its great past with forward-looking men, to the end that the future may place upon it increasing op- portunities for helpfulness."
"Christ Church stands for the Higher Good. It is intolerant only of intolerance. It is a foe to compromise. It believes in the indomitable soul. It strives for righteousness. It acknowl- edges its debt as its brother's keeper. The for- tieth chapter of Isaiah is to Christ Church a clar- ion call to duty which it will not shirk-'Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people, saith your God.' "
"Christ Church believes that effort is achieve- ment; that he who does the utmost that he can will sometimes do more; that spiritual fidelity is for many an ultimate fact in our modern life; that a high comradeship with one's self and one's fellows is possible amid the somberness of daily toil. Christ Church is working with hand, heart, and mind to make these truths plain."
"To foster the Spirit of Man among men; to give the emphasis of the under statement ; to pave
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the way for intellectual honesty; to help the un- derstanding heart and the courageous soul; to provide a breathing place and a wider reach for aspiration amid the storm and stress of mental and physical To-day-
Christ Church Stands. Accept its hospitality."
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VI Music in Christ Church
1 IN a Vestry meeting held on the evening of February 16, 1819, a subscription was started for the purpose of buying an organ for the use of the recently formed Episcopal Society of Christ Church, then worshiping in a Baptist meeting- house located on West Sixth Street. A suitable instrument was promptly procured, doubtless much to the gratification of the voluntary choristers, whose performance, according to the published re- port of their pastor, Rev. Samuel Johnston, was very creditable to themselves and the congrega- tion. The first organist was Mrs. Adams.
That Cincinnati, in a comparatively early period in her history, fostered musical societies of ambi- tious aspiration, and that these were encouraged by the Episcopal people, may be inferred from an interesting episode in the relations of Christ Church with one of the secular organizations to which allusion has been made. In the year 1822 a communication written by Mr. Thomas L. Paine in behalf of the Haydn Society of the city of Cin- cinnati, addressed to a committee consisting of Mr. John P. Foote and others, these proposals : "The Haydn Society will place their organ in the Episcopal Church and give the use of it to the Church on Sundays and other days of service on condition of being allowed the use of the gallery of the church for their meetings for improvement
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MUSIC IN CHRIST CHURCH
and the whole church for their oratorios, during one year from the time that may be agreed upon ;- they will also, at their own expense, make such al- terations as may be necessary in the orchestra of the church, under the direction of the Vestry. They are further willing to take the organ at present in the church and put it in a place of safety, and re- turn it in as good condition as it is at present, pro- vided they are allowed to use or rent said organ during the time of the agreement." A committee from the Vestry reported that they were of the opinion it would be conducive to the interest of the Church that the plans proposed should be accepted.
On August 2, 1823, Mr. Luman Watson was al- lowed, as a balance on the purchase price of the church organ, the sum of $133.33, with interest from October 4, 1820. Later it was determined that Mr. Foote and Mr. Doane be a committee to confer with Luman Watson and the Haydn So- ciety on the disposition to be made of the organ belonging to the church and to do whatever might be necessary in relation to the same.
It is not surprising that in our fathers' days of enforced economy, well-nigh a century ago, when a rector's salary ran as low as five hundred dollars, the services of a competent organist or choir leader could be secured by a church for a very small com- pensation. In those self-sacrificing years when the young men and women of Christ Church were giving their personal energies gratis to the main- tenance of a reliable choir, the organist, Mr. James H. Baker, offered his services at a salary of fifty dollars a twelvemonth. Early in 1829, another professional musician, Mr. Dury, performed the duties which the position demanded at the stip-
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THE HISTORY OF CHRIST CHURCH
ulated charge of one dollar a Sunday. The next year, for the sum of one hundred and fifty dollars, Mr. and Mrs. Nixon gave their joint musical services to the choir, he as organist and she as singer. In June, 1832, Mr. Aydelott then being rector, Mr. Nash was appointed organist and di- rector of music, and such seems to have been his efficiency that he held the position for about four years. With him a contract was made to have the organ repaired at an expense not to exceed fifty dollars. He must have been held in social and professional regard by the Vestry, for he was granted the privilege of using the church edifice for a public concert.
A committee consisting of Mr. Roff and Mr. Richards was entrusted with the duty of making, from time to time, such arrangements as they deemed necessary to secure good church music. The same gentlemen, together with Mr. Cope, were authorized to dispose of the old organ and to contract with Mr. Corry, of Philadelphia, for a new instrument. This organ was to be constructed in keeping with the architecture of the new church, on Fourth Street, then approaching completion. It was decided on November 26, 1834, that it was expedient to have a concert of sacred music in the new church as soon as that was ready for occu- pancy, the proceeds to be applied toward paying for the organ. Accordingly on March 7, 1835, the committee on music reported that they had re- quested the "Beethoven Society" to give a concert "for the benefit of the organ," and that said so- ciety had cheerfully agreed to the request. The net proceeds of the concert given by the "Bee- thoven Society," presumably a notable artistic
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event, amounted to one hundred and seventy- seven dollars.
Mr. Nash resigned his position as organist in 1835 and was succeeded by Mr. J. Butler.
It was noteworthy that at the very beginning of his illustrious rectorate, the Rev. John T. Brooke manifested a lively interest in the musical affairs of the church. To his order the treasurer was authorized to pay a sum, not exceeding $400 a year, for defraying expenses of music. At a special meeting of the Vestry, the statement was made that the rector had informed the Vestry that arrangement had been made by the organization of a voluntary choir by which the music and organ- ist for the church were furnished free of expense and that the sum of $300 theretofore considered an appropriation for that purpose was now saved.
In 1852, the first year of the clerical adminis- tration of Rev. Dudley A. Tyng, Mr. Elihu Locke was employed to officiate as conductor of music for two successive quarters, and paid at the rate of $600 per annum, he agreeing to engage and pay his assistants and organist. Mr. Locke, a gentle- man of energy and integrity, was destined to exert a considerable influence upon musical enterprise and culture in Cincinnati.
But slight reference is made to the music in the records of the Wardens and Vestry of Christ Church during the twelve years dating from 1853 to 1865, including the period of the rectorship of Mr. Tyng, Mr. Butler, and Mr. Goddard, and a large part of the term of Mr. McCarty, though there are many evidences that Mr. McCarty had a deep appreciation of music as a religious force.
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Experience had probably impressed upon the minds of serious observers the desirability, both for sacred and for esthetic reasons, of enforcing stricter regulations in the management and dis- cipline of the choir in order to bring it into full understanding and complete harmony with the spiritual purposes of the rector. Working toward this end, the Vestry, on February II, 1865, took action by resolving :
"That whoever be employed as conductor of the choir in Christ Church be required to subscribe to the following conditions :
"Ist-That he be personally responsible to the rector and music committee for the good order, propriety, and reverent behavior of the choir dur- ing divine service.
"2d-That he introduce no person into the choir who may not meet with the joint approval of the rector and the music committee.
"3d-That he shall implicitly comply with such orders as the rector may deem it necessary to give, in accordance with the Rubrical Regulations em- bodied in the Book of Common Prayer, which reads as follows: 'It shall be the duty of every minister, with such assistance as he can obtain from persons skilled in music, to give orders concern- ing the tunes to be sung at any time in his church, etc.'
"4th-That no extra expense for books, re- pairs, etc., be incurred, except upon the joint ap- proval of the rector and music committee.
"5th-That the chorus be always punctually present at the morning and evening service on Sun- days and on such holy days and extra occasions as the rector may consider requisite,"
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MUSIC IN CHRIST CHURCH
Thirty years of use since it was first placed in the new church had impaired the excellent organ built by the Philadelphia firm to such a degree, that, in 1866, subscriptions were solicited for the purpose of procuring a new instrument of the most approved modern construction. Thorough information was obtained by visiting several of the leading organ-building establishments in the East, and finally a contract was closed with Messrs E. and G. G. Hooker, of Boston, who agreed to fur- nish such an up-to-date organ as the committee demanded, at a cost of $8,850. When this was delivered in the summer of 1867, a testimonial letter, drafted by Mr. A. H. McGuffey, assured the makers of the instrument that the recipients of it were "much pleased and entirely satisfied with the organ built for them."
In celebration of an event so important in the history of the choir as the dedication of a new or- gan, an "organ concert" was publicly given, but we are not told who were the musicians that had parts in the program. About this time, however, the music committee appointed a new organist, Mr. James C. Vincent, and decreed that at the begin- ning of the ensuing year a new choir should be chosen. Much responsibility for wisely utilizing the services of a new organist and an untried set of singers must have devolved upon the recently in- stalled rector, Rev. Wm. A. Snively.
A peculiar social and personal significance at- tached to the incident that in the autumn of 1868 the Vestry received a communication from the widow of the late rector of the parish, Mrs. Lou- isa C. McCarty, stating that a proposition from a number of her friends had been made to her that
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THE HISTORY OF CHRIST CHURCH
she should give a grand organ concert in Cincin- nati, and asking permission to occupy the church and to make use of its organ. After a full discus- sion of the request the following resolution, offered by Mr. McGuffey, was decided upon : "Resolved, That this Vestry strongly disapproves of the use of the church edifice for any purpose except the worship of Almighty God. Nevertheless, in view of the application now before us being from the widow of our late beloved rector we grant her the use of the church for one concert, subject to such restrictions, as to the time and character of the music, as may be imposed by the rector of the church."
The resignation of Mr. Vincent as organist was accepted in March, 1869 ; and the music committee was authorized to procure both an organist and a choir at a cost of not to exceed $1,500 per year, at as early a date as was practicable. Mr. Henry J. Smith, a New Englander, was engaged as or- ganist and general director of music, and after a comparatively brief but very acceptable period of service he resigned his position in Christ Church and returned to his former home in March, 1872. The complimentary resolutions with which the Vestry honored him on his departure from Cin- cinnati were remarkably cordial, declaring that Mr. Smith was not only an artist of great skill, but a true gentleman, and that he carried with him to his new field of labor in Boston the best wishes of his Western friends for his continued success. The locally distinguished musician, Henry G. Andrés, was chosen organist of Christ Church in 1873, and continued to hold the position for six years. Mr. Charles J. Coleman was organist from
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MUSIC IN CHRIST CHURCH
188 1 to 1889, Mr. Edward Magrath in 1889, Mr. J. Hartwell Cabell from 1890 to 1894, since when, up to the present, the responsible position has been filled very ably by Mr. John Yoakley. At the date of Mr. Yoakley's coming, Mr. Louis Ehr- gott, accomplished as a master of vocal art and as a scholarly musician in general, became director of the choir, an office which he retained for thirteen years. After Mr. Ehrgott's resignation, the func- tion of choirmaster was performed for a short period by Mr. Adolph Hahn, then by Dr. W. H. O. McGehee until 1912, when the important duties of leader were undertaken by that experienced and skillful musician Mr. Edwin W. Glover, who, at the time of this writing, still has charge of the choir and of the artistic responsibilities relating thereto.
The remodeling and partial rebuilding of the church, which was completed in the summer of 1891, in the early part of the incumbency of Dr. Gibson, had a stimulating and encouraging effect upon all the energies and activities of the organi- zation for specific religious work, whether in the communion service, the worship of preaching and prayer, the Sunday school's various labors, or other vital forms of Christian endeavor that give interest and efficacy to parish meetings. Especially did the influence of the improved surroundings immediately work beneficial results in the quality and appreciation of the music. This was recog- nized by the report of the Vestry and Wardens for 1892, in which it is noted that "during the past few months a small chorus had been added to the regular quartette, and we think that the choir, as now constituted, adds materially to the effective rendering of all music requisite to our Sunday serv-
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ices." A report issued two years subsequently re- marks that the "chorus choir vested meets with the decided approval of the Wardens and Vestry, and they recommend that it be continued at its present standard of excellence." The rector, in his pref- ace to the Year Book for 1895 says: "The stand- ard of music, heretofore an experiment, has been accepted by the Vestry and congregation. It is now as high as anywhere in the country."
With the adoption of a new system of financial management, and the occupancy of the parish house by the organizations devoted to special forms of social and religious activity, fresh energy was infused into the choir and into all persons and forces pertaining to the methods and ideals of the musical development of Christ Church. From year to year the standard was raised as regards the rendering, whether vocal or instrumental, of the selections assigned for a given service, and as regards the quality of the composition itself. A more exacting taste was cultivated, guided by the critical judgment of thoroughly competent choir leaders and an accomplished organist, who worked together as scholarly musicians, in sympathetic co- operation. Throughout the city, and indeed in distant places, the choir won a reputation and was often spoken of with admiration. Well-known master works of Brahms, Beethoven, Mozart, Handel, Haydn, Mendelssohn, and other classic composers were frequently presented, and almost every oratorio, anthem, offertory, requiem, and ac- companiment for the communion service, of high merit, was occasionally rendered by singers, all of whom are well trained and many of them distin- guished.
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The choirmaster, Mr. Edwin W. Glover, men- tioned in his report for 1915 that in his selection of new music he made it his aim to choose music, "first, of the best type, and second, purely devo- tional in its character."
One of the most important and memorable events in the history of the parish was the pres- entation by Mrs. Thomas J. Emery, in April, 1913, of a magnificent organ constructed by the Casavant Bros. The instrument is thus described by Mr. John Yoakley, the organist of Christ Church: "It contains three manuals of keys, twenty-nine hundred pipes, a pedal board of twenty-two notes, twenty-two couplers, twenty combination pistons, two swell pedals, and a cres- cendo pedal, the organ being divided and placed at the right and left of the chancel. The console or key-board is placed directly in front of the de- cani choir, the action being electro-pneumatic. The instrument contains registers remarkably voiced, and among the registers the following have been commented upon, viz. : the Vox Humana, Vox Celeste, Gamba, Aeoline, Stopped Diapason, Oboe, Cor Anglais ; and lastly, the open Diapason in the great organ is very distinctive as to breadth of tone."
The bestowal of so excellent a Church organ upon Christ Church proved a musical benison to Cincinnati, for owing to the liberal policy of the Vestry, the clergy, and the congregation, all lovers of sacred music, irrespective of denominational affiliation, were welcomed to the church to partici- pate in the exalted pleasure of hearing
"The pealing anthem swell the note of praise."
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THE HISTORY OF CHRIST CHURCH
Many of the leading local organists of the city gave recitals testing the wonderful powers of the new instrument, and, under the auspices of the Southern Ohio Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the celebrated English organist, Mr. Edwin H. Lemare, rendering a varied program, at a concert, demonstrated the transcendent qual- ities of the instrument when touched by the hand of a master.
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APPENDIX
LIST OF Rectors, Wardens, Vestrymen, and Officials OF
The Episcopal Society of Christ Church
COMPILED FROM THE RECORDS OF THE CHURCH BY
Wm. Lytle Foster
As shown in Book No. I of the records of Christ Church, the Rev. Philander Chase, former Rector of Christ Church, Hart- ford, Connecticut, preached and performed divine service, ac- cording to the Liturgy of the Protestant Episcopal Church, on May 18, 1817, in the town of Cincinnati. The following is copied from the records:
"Immediately after service he explained his views in coming into the State of Ohio and the success which had attended his labors in collecting and organizing churches to the glory of God and the good of human souls.
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