Sixty Years of California SongAlverson, Margaret Blake
History
Sixty Years of California Song
Alverson, Margaret Blake
Music -- California -- History and criticism
On returning to Oakland I received the right hand of fellowship from
Horace A. Redfield, who visited me in my studio, and his wife, Addie
Lowell Redfield and her sister Mrs. Gussie Lowell Garthwaite. Through
these friends it became known that I had come to this city to reside.
At that time Mr. Redfield was prominent as an impresario, a musical
critic and the writer of the Lyre and Song column in the Oakland
Enquirer. Through my singing in church choirs and public concerts I
later made permanent friends of many of the good people of Oakland who
encouraged music of the highest order in their homes. Mrs. Gutterson,
Mrs. John L. Howard, Mrs. Emma Shafter-Howard were among the earlier
friends and later in East Oakland Mr. and Mrs. W.S. Goodfellow, who
are thoroughly musical. He possessed a fine tenor voice while his wife
was a splendid musician and pianist. It was my good fortune to gain
their friendship while I served the Church of the Advent for eight
months, they being members of that diocese. During the life of Stephen
W. Leach, Mr. Goodfellow formed the Glee Club of friends who were well
known singers and players. S.W. Leach was director of this club. It
was Mr. Goodfellow's recreation from his much worry and work in his
profession. Mr. and Mrs. William Angus, Mr. George Collins, wife and
two daughters, Mr. and Mrs. Klose and Miss Augusta Klose were the
friends who were among the musical people of the club. It was in 1896
I began singing in the choir and in looking around for the leader for
the club I was accepted as soloist and leader. I was reluctant to do
this, as I well knew the ability of Mr. Leach, having belonged to his
Madrigal club long years before in San Francisco, but my good fortune
lay in knowing how to sing these English, Scotch and Welsh madrigals
and airs, many of them so familiar to me. For nearly three years we
enjoyed the advantage of the club and the carefully selected musical
library which Mr. Goodfellow possessed and placed at our convenience.
It was a delightful gathering of congenial friends and gave restful
pleasure to our good host and charming hostess who made it possible
for us all to benefit by their generous hospitality. These delightful
weekly gatherings were only discontinued when Mr. Goodfellow was
obliged to rest from his labor and travel for a year. Our last meeting
occurred February 2, 1900, when he and his wife left for their tour of
the world. During their absence changes had taken place among the
families. It has been my good fortune to meet prominent men and women
in the different cities where I have lived who devoted time and money
to promote the best music in their home cities. By their generosity
many worthy aspirants have received encouragement to greater
advancement in their chosen career who perhaps would not have had
opportunity to be known or heard otherwise.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
REPERTOIRE AND OTHER DATA. MUSICIANS AND SINGERS OF THE LAST CENTURY
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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