Memoirs of Theodore Thomas (Hardcover)

MEMO IBS OF THEODOKE THOMAS BY ROSE FAY THOMAS Author of Our Mountain Garden Illustrated NEW YOBK MOFFAT, YABD AND COMPANY 1911 Copyright, 1911, by MOFFAT, YAED AND COMPANY All Eights Reserved Published October, 1911 Cfyeobore Cfyonws TO CHARLES NORMAN FAY THE BEST AND TRUEST FRIEND OF THEODORE THOMAS AND THE CHIEF PROMOTER OF HIS ART PREFACE IN writing the following chronicle of the life and art work of my husband, Theodore Thomas, I have endeavored to confine my own part of the narra tive to a simple relation of the sequence of events in his career, and to occasional touches such as might reveal something of the deeper and more intimate side of his nature which was known only to those who shared his home. In describing his achievements I have used, as far as possible, the words of others chiefly of eminent professional critics or musicians, who personally attended the great musical events under his leadership and wrote the articles I have quoted, while the impres sion created by them was still fresh and vivid in their minds. Mr. Thomas never conducted a concert in Europe, or sought to advertise himself or his work there in any way. Nevertheless, he was regarded by the foremost European musicians as their peer, and his letter files contain personal expressions of gratitude and honor from the contemporary com posers and executant artists of every land in which the art of music holds an honored place. At the request of my publishers, and others, I have in serted a number of these letters, as adding to the general interest of the book, and showing the importance which even the greatest foreign vii viii PREFACE composers attach to the performance of their works in America. In conclusionlet me say that it has been my faithful endeavor to make this record correct in every detail, but Mr. Thomas preserved very few letters or papers except those of a purely business character and the letters from musicians, above mentioned. For the first thirty years of his life even these are almost wholly lacking, and had he not, fortunately, written a short auto biographical sketch as an introduction to a work edited and collaborated by Mr. George P. Upton in 1905, which included a volume of Ms concert programmes, I should have had to leave the record of these formative years of his career almost a blank. This sketch, however, enabled me to place such additional material as I have been able to collect from other sources in its proper sequence. As for the rest, it has been no easy matter to piece together from pro grammes and prospectuses, from the scrap-books of friends, from old magazine articles and musical encyclopedias, and from a hundred other nonde script sources the continuous narrative of his life. If, therefore, some inaccuracies have crept in, despite my earnest care, and the six years of research I have devoted to the work, I must crave indulgence because of the great difficulty of the task. ROSE FAY THOMAS, October 11, 1910. Theodore Thomas, a Musical Autobiography, Edited by Qtorge P. Upton. A. C McClurg Co., publishers. CONTENTS PAGE PREFACE Y ii CHAPTER I 18351860 CHILDHOOD HIS FIRST VIOLIN PLAYS BEFORE THE KING EMIGRATES TO AMERICA 1845 PLAYS IN THE ENGLISH THEATER ORCHESTRA PLAYS IN A MARINE BAND FIRST CONCERT TOUR RE TURNS TO NEW YORK AND JOINS THE GERMAN THEATER ORCHESTRA BECOMES A MEMBER OF THE ITALIAN OPERA COMPANY UNDER ECKERT 1851 MEMBER OF JULLIENS ORCHESTRAELECTED MEMBER OF THE NEW YORK PHIL HARMONIC SOCIETY 1854 MEMBER OF THE MASON-THOMAS QUARTETTE 1855 FIRST TWO VISITS TO CHICAGO, 1855 AND 1859 .....