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)