Chapter II: The Last Turn of the Road

The last turn of the road was a long one. It led from Germany to New York, to the World’s Fair in Chicago, to San Francisco, back to New York and to Woodside Park, Philadelphia. The turn was made by Fritz Scheel.

The beginning of the Philadelphia Orchestra was the moment in July, 1899, when Mrs. Innes, wife of Bandmaster Frederic N. Innes, showed some programmes to Dr. Edward I. Keffer and asked whether he had heard Fritz Scheel and his orchestra at Woodside Park. At that moment the man for whom Philadelphia had been waiting was found; and when the place and the man come together the hour has come. Was it chance or was it fate that caused that question to be asked? Who shall determine?

Dr. Keffer speedily went to Woodside Park[9] and was so pleased with what he heard that he recommended his friends to go to hear Scheel’s masterly leading and fine concerts, besides mailing several hundred programmes to the musicians of his acquaintance. He found to his surprise that in one week a Wagner Night, a Beethoven Night and a Symphony Night were included. Many of the listeners were convinced that Scheel was the man to organize an orchestra in Philadelphia. He was competent to do it, he had no permanent position and he saw the opportunity. Mr. John Fasshauer, an active member in Mr. Thunder’s orchestra, succeeded in arranging a meeting of professional musicians, who consented to enter into a liberal agreement as to salaries and services. Still a guarantee fund seemed to be a necessity. The plan proposed was to continue the Friday afternoon concerts, long a feature here, under Fritz Scheel at the Academy of Music. A conference was held at the University Club with Mr. John H. Converse, Mr. George Burnham, Jr., and Mr. Thomas a’Becket. The question of a fund was discussed and Mr. Converse, a trustee of the proposed Permanent Orchestra, suggested that the Women’s Committee for that orchestra should co-operate. This plan did not succeed, however, and the idea of a Friday afternoon series was abandoned.

[9] At this time Willow Grove Park, fifteen miles out of Philadelphia, was the foremost summer musical center.

ALEXANDER VAN RENSSELAER, ESQ.]

Finally, after much effort, terms were agreed to by which Mr. Scheel consented to remain in Philadelphia. He was to conduct three different enterprises during the winter:

1. The Philadelphia Symphony Society, a
well-established amateur orchestra organization (with
weekly rehearsals and three public performances).

2. The Opera Class (an amateur chorus meeting weekly at
Mrs. Alexander J. Cassatt’s house).

3. A week’s series of Popular Concerts during October
at the National Export Exposition at the Commercial
Museum in West Philadelphia.

He was to receive $1000 from each of these associations. He accepted with the provision that at the end of the season he should be given the opportunity to conduct two concerts with an orchestra of professional musicians.

The winter passed and in the early spring Scheel asked to have this part of the contract fulfilled. Like the ogre in the fairy tale, who always claims the beautiful princess, it must have seemed to the men, who had no idea how they were going to keep that promise. Scheel had given this as his only reason for staying, for he wanted a chance to show what he could do with professionals. However, having given their word, a committee was formed consisting of Mr. John H. Ingham, Mr. Oliver Boyce Judson, Dr. Edward I. Keffer, Mr. Edward G. McCollin and Mr. Oscar A. Knipe. Scheel selected his players by visiting the theatres and making notes each evening about the various musicians in the orchestras. At this point his task was easy compared to that of the Executive Committee who were responsible for the financial side of the concerts. Various benefits were contemplated and finally a decision was arrived at through the presence in Philadelphia of Lillie Langtry, who was acting for the benefit of the families of soldiers fallen in the Boer War. Why should not this undertaking be a patriotic one likewise? Why not assist the families of soldiers and sailors fallen and disabled in the Philippines? No sooner said than done. Mrs. Alexander J. Cassatt had a son in the army, and was speedily interested in a plan to raise money for the families of our own men in the service. She embraced the idea with enthusiasm, formed a committee of prominent women and carried the concerts through brilliantly and efficiently. The Executive Committee managed the musical end, and Mrs. Cassatt’s Committee of Women advertised the concerts, procured the support of musical and social organizations, secured the patronesses, and filled the house. The tickets were sold at auction with much profit.

The concerts were advertised as follows:

“Our Soldiers and Sailors.
Academy of Music
Thursday, March 29th and April 5th, 3.30 P. M.

Two Orchestral Concerts under the direction of
Mr. Fritz Scheel will be given for the Relief of
the Families of the Nation’s Heroes killed in the
Philippines.

Soloist for the first concert:
M. VLADIMIR DEPACHMANN

PROGRAMME
WEBER Overture “Euryanthe”
GOLDMARK Symphony, “A Rustic Wedding”
CHOPIN Concerto in F minor
SCHUMANN “Abendlied”
BIZET Scherzo, Suite Roma
LISZT Rhapsodie Ongroise, No. 2

Soloist for second concert:
M. EDOUARD DE RESZKE

Contributions to the Cause may be sent to Mrs. F. A.
Packard, Treasurer, No. 110 S. Eighteenth Street.“

“Our Soldiers and Sailors
On April 5th, at 3.30 P. M.
Second Concert by an Orchestra of Eighty
Philadelphia Musicians

Under the Direction of MR. FRITZ SCHEEL

For the Relief of the Families of men killed in the Philippines.
MR. EDOUARD DE RESZKE, the famous Basso, will sing.”

PROGRAMME
BEETHOVEN Symphony “Eroica”
MEYERBEER Aria, “O Jours Heureux” (from L’Étoile du Nord)
WAGNER Vorspiel, “Lohengrin”
HOFMANN “Im Sonnenschein”
VERDI Aria, “Infelice” (Ernani)
LISZT First Hungarian Rhapsody

“THE PHILIPPINE CONCERTS[10]
MARCH 29, 1900-APRIL 5
UNDER THE PATRONAGE OF
800 PHILADELPHIA MEN AND WOMEN

[10] Programme of March 27th and 28th, 1925.

“Philadelphians generally do not know that The
Philadelphia Orchestra first appeared in this City
of Brotherly Love in disguise, a patriotic one, but
none-the-less, a disguise. Had it tried to stalk boldly
through the city gates, it would have been riddled by
the guns of a critical public which disagreed at every
point when a permanent orchestra was discussed.

“The fact was not made public that these concerts for
the benefit of the families of American soldiers and
sailors fallen in the Philippines were a preliminary
experiment, but on November 16, 1900, as a result of
their success, the first concert of The Philadelphia
Orchestra took place.

“The Committee of Women which launched the concerts,
hardly realized that through their efforts a new era in
Philadelphia music was being inaugurated. The Executive
Committee of men behind the project had such an end in
view, but they preferred to remain unknown.

“The concerts were devoted to a popular benefit. They
were also the means of carrying out with Fritz Scheel,
leader of the amateur Philadelphia Symphony Society, a
contract that he should have a public appearance with
an orchestra of professional musicians.

“The concerts were brilliantly successful and realized
a net profit of $10,252.73. The musicians played at
less than Union rates for thirty-six rehearsals and two
performances, and Mr. Scheel gave his services.

“The attitude of the public during these years is
revealed in the fact that it seemed natural for a group
of women to sponsor concerts for war heroes; but in
1904 it seemed an unheard of innovation that women
should organize to further the interests of a permanent
orchestra.

“Many people who prize The Philadelphia Orchestra
as the greatest treasure we possess, remember only
too well the days when Philadelphia was dependent on
visiting orchestras. Young people today have the good
fortune to live in a town where an orchestra of the
highest artistic standards under a leader of world-wide
reputation is now firmly established. Music lovers and
citizens generally, are grateful to the men and women
of courage, who gave Fritz Scheel his first opportunity
in Philadelphia.”

“COMMITTEE OF WOMEN

Mrs. Alexander J. Cassatt, Chairman; Miss Harriet Buchanan, Secretary; Mrs. Frederick A. Packard, Treasurer; Mrs. C. William Bergner, Mrs. Henry C. Boyer, Mrs. Edward Coles, Mrs. Joseph G. Darlington, Mrs. Frank H. Rosengarten, Mrs. Barclay H. Warburton, Mrs. Charles S. Whelen, Mrs. J. B. Sands, wife of Captain Sands, of the Naval Home; and Miss Meade, daughter of the late General George Gordon Meade.

“EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

MR. JOHN H. INGHAM, of the Melody Club
MR. OLIVER BOYCE JUDSON, of the Operatic Society
MR. EDWARD I. KEFFER, of the Philadelphia Symphony Society
MR. EDWARD G. MCCOLLIN, of the Orpheus Club
MR. OSCAR A. KNIPE

The _Philadelphia Times_, March 30, 1900:

“When Johnny comes marching home again from the
Philippines he will find that the girl he left behind
him has had a place in the hearts of Philadelphia
matrons at least. That interest was evidenced in the
first of the two widely heralded concerts in the
soldiers’ and sailors’ aid, which took place at the
Academy yesterday afternoon. Society turned out bravely
and filled the whole of the auditorium and the balcony,
but there, unfortunately, it stopped, and the upper
part of the house, though the labors of the ladies
interested have been unflagging and strenuous, had
plenty of room.

“Pacing up and down the corridors were privates from
the Arsenal and tars from the Navy Yard. In braided
dress uniforms of brilliant blue, shining helmets and
buttons that glistened like molten gold, the soldiers
stalked to and fro, their belted waists giving pointers
to the masculine followers of the latest fad, and their
shoulders putting to shame the well cottoned ones of
the ‘swells’ standing near. The tars in their flapping
breeches and spreading collars, were a picturesque
element among so many landsmen, and they, too, sold
programmes, and made good salesmen. On the stage guns
were stacked at the sides and colors dipped from the
stacks.”

It is well to reiterate here that the Philadelphia Orchestra is not and never was a continuation of the amateur Philadelphia Symphony Society. Only one member of that organization played at the Philippine Concerts.

These concerts were so successful and so warmly received, that steps were taken to organize a committee to continue concerts by Philadelphia musicians. Later in the spring of 1900, a meeting was called in the Orpheus Club Rooms by Dr. Richard J. Dunglison, President of the Musical Fund Society. Officers of various musical organizations, representatives of the press and prominent men in civic affairs were present. A plan for organization was discussed and the necessity for a Guarantee Fund was emphasized. The same committee of gentlemen was appointed, with the addition of Mr. John C. Sims, as Treasurer. Within four weeks of the second Philippine concert, the first circular announcing the plan for forming a Philadelphia Orchestra was mailed by this Committee:

“A PLAN TO DEVELOP THE ORCHESTRAL
RESOURCES OF PHILADELPHIA

“The plan briefly outlined herein is addressed to all
those people who are interested in good music and have
at heart a desire to propagate musical culture in
Philadelphia.

“Much interest has been aroused by the successful
result attained in the symphony concerts recently given
for the benefit of the sufferers through the Philippine
War. It is thought that these concerts proved the
availability or many of our resident players, and that
the experiment might well be followed by a series of
concerts during the season of 1900-1901, conducted upon
the same general plan.

“The project of a permanent Philadelphia Orchestra is
at present not sufficiently advanced to permit of the
hope that such a body can be organized in time to be
heard next season; therefore, the series of concerts
herein proposed will not conflict with, but will
further that movement, because it will provide the
resident players with a season’s training in symphonic
work and thus enable them better to fill positions
in the permanent orchestra when it shall need their
services.

“The proposed plan embraces a series of about six
evening and possibly two afternoon concerts, to be
given in the Academy of Music, at customary concert
prices. It has been ascertained that each concert with
its rehearsals will cost about $2000, an expense that
will be covered by a sale of two-thirds of the house.

“Hitherto it has been impracticable, when concerts have
been given by local orchestral players, to arrange for
a sufficient number of rehearsals. As a rule it has
been impossible to obtain more than a single rehearsal.
The present scheme contemplates at least five or six
rehearsals for each concert.

“Mr. Scheel’s reputation abroad, where he was a
colleague of von Bülow, Brahms, Joachim, Sarasate,
D’Albert and Wilhelmj, and conductor of orchestras in
Schwerin, Chemnitz and Hamburg, was a guarantee of what
was to have been expected of him here. The professional
musicians of Philadelphia are virtually unanimous in
expressing hearty admiration for his rare ability as
a leader; they acknowledge that his work among them
this winter has been a real stimulus to the advancement
of their art, and they therefore desire to secure the
advantage of his services next season.

“In order to insure the financial success of the
proposed concerts, it has been deemed advisable to
raise a guarantors’ fund of at least $10,000. No
payment of money is asked for at the present time; but
all who are willing to become guarantors are requested
to send in their names and addresses to the Secretary
of the Committee, Mr. John H. Ingham, 505 Chestnut
Street, stating the amount of their subscription,
which, however, shall not be binding until the total
sum of at least $10,000 shall be reached.

“As the Committee wishes particularly to obtain a large
number of subscribers to the fund, it will be glad to
accept contributions of any amount not less than five
dollars.

* * * * *

“Committee:
HENRY WHELEN, JR.
JOHN C. SIMS
EDWARD G. MCCOLLIN
OSCAR A. KNIPE
DR. EDWARD I. KEFFER
OLIVER BOYCE JUDSON
April 30, 1900 JOHN H. INGHAM”

A Guarantee Fund of $15,000 was raised from one hundred and twenty people[11], a difficult task in those days, for an untried plan; and six evening concerts were given during the winter of 1900-1901.

The Committee invited four thousand women to be patronesses, and issued many circulars. It was the personal work, however, that accomplished the result in 1900, and that has continued to accomplish results during twenty-five years. Guarantors and patronesses were accorded the privilege of securing seats, for which there was no demand, in advance.

PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA[12]
MR. FRITZ SCHEEL, _Conductor_
_First Concert_
Friday, November 16th, 1900, at 8.15 P. M.

PROGRAMME
CARL GOLDMARK Overture “In Spring,” Op. 36
LUDWIG VON BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 5, C minor, Op. 67
I. Allegro con brio 2-4
II. Andante con moto 3-8
III. Allegro 3-4
IV. Allegro 4-4
PETER ILITSCH TSCHAIKOWSKY Concerto for Pianoforte No. 1,
B flat minor, Op. 23
I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso 3-4
II. Andantino simplice 6-8
III. Allegro con fuoco 3-4
KARL MARIA VON WEBER “Invitation to the Dance,” Op. 65
Orchestration by Felix Weingartner
RICHARD WAGNER Entry of the Gods in “Walhalla,”
from “Das Rheingold.”

Soloist
MR. OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH

This concert was herald as a musical and social event and the newspapers were highly commendatory and friendly in tone.

[11] See Appendix D.

[12] For remaining programmes see Appendix J.

“ORCHESTRA CONCERTS OPEN AUSPICIOUSLY
“PHILADELPHIA GETTING IN LINE WITH BOSTON, CHICAGO
AND NEW YORK IN HAVING HOME ORGANIZATION.
“OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH,

“The Russian pianist made his Philadelphia début last night.

“The series of concerts by the Philadelphia Orchestra opened under
notably happy auspices in the Academy of Music last evening. The
musical and social interests engaged constituted the occasion an
exceptional one.

“From the results evinced in the performance of the programme
under Mr. Scheel’s direction it must be regarded as well as marking a
distinct period in the musical advancement of the city. Not the least
interesting evidences of general sympathy with the movement to
place Philadelphia in line with Boston, Chicago, and other cities in
the possession of an established orchestra was the fact that Mr.
William Stoll, Jr., and Mr. Henry Gordon Thunder, both identified
with the endeavor to advance this branch of work in the past, figure
in the present movement, the one as a violinist in the organization,
the other as a guarantor.

“The Philadelphia Orchestra, as it exists, is, with slight
exception, what its name purports, engaging practically all the
best orchestral performers in the city. A portion of this material
was under disadvantage, both as to individual training and the
fact that a few men, fulfilling the demands of an orchestra in a
theatre, are mainly required to play as loud as possible, with
corresponding absence of any approach to phrasing.

“Considering these facts and in view of the works accomplished in
last evening’s programme, the results must be regarded as little
short of notable, not only as to the outcome of a training by a man
of exceptional thoroughness in this direction, but in the aspect of
an enthusiastic response on the part of the performers. It is only
in case of entire sympathy, between those engaged that an outcome
corresponding with that demonstrated in the first programme can be
attained.”

“THE ORCHESTRA AT THE ACADEMY
“PHILADELPHIA’S NEW ORGANIZATION UNDER HERR SCHEEL
MAKES ITS DÉBUT
“GABRILOWITSCH THE SOLOIST

“The Young Russian Heard in Tschaikowsky’s Concerto in B. Flat
Minor. A Brilliant Audience Greets Orchestra and Enjoys an
Interesting Program.

“With unequal forces at his command in the orchestral choirs, Herr
Fritz Scheel, by the sheer effect of personality, was able to carry
artistic conviction home to the brilliant audience at the Academy
of Music last evening, when the Philadelphia Orchestra made its
first appeal. By wise choice of program, by the happy selection
of a soloist and by the spirit which pervaded the interpretation
of the numbers read, the leader made a deep impression and the
orchestra, when at its best achieved a decided success. It has
in it the promise of a new era musically, and its work of
last evening is an earnest of better things to come. Certain
readjustments are inevitable. The strings show up finely. There is
high finish and excellent tonal quality in all they do. They are,
indeed, the backbone of the orchestra. The brasses, on the whole,
met the demands of the leader and music, but the horns need as keen
a concern for time as for tone, and while these choirs in no wise
seriously interfered with an adequate realization of the beauty of
the work so interpreted, the same cannot be said for the woodwind
which was not up to the standard in several particulars, though the
bassoons were notably efficient and in fine trim.

“HERR SCHEEL’S GOOD WORK

“All this was, however, to be expected. Every one present who is in
and of the new movement, which started off with such flying colors,
knew the limitations and accepted them in the right spirit. With
this said and understood one can speak enthusiastically of the
really amazing results obtained by Herr Scheel in so short a time.
There were moments when the orchestra played with a brilliancy
and dash and with a finish that was completely satisfying. Herr
Scheel’s dynamic range is extensive, his palette of color is rich
and his contrasts are striking and yet fully in the spirit of the
work. The orchestra was particularly effective in the Goldmark
overture, in the “Entry of the gods into Walhalla” and in the Weber
music. Weingartner, instead of paraphrasing the famous “Invitation
to the Dance” rondo for the ballet, as Berlioz did, has written
what is really a brilliant open-air concert version which taxes
the full orchestra, and which Herr Scheel carried out in splendid
spirit, giving a chance for all the choirs to do their best, the
harp coming in for some crisp work that was very brilliantly done.
All these three highly colored numbers were set off against the
more trying classical demands of the Fifth Symphony. It the reading
it received revealed the individual weaknesses of the orchestra
as now made up, it was at least a revelation of the great advance
the band has made. There was decision and emphasis and grace in
phrasing and a keen discrimination in the shading. If Herr Scheel
had his view of the traditional tempi the final effect was to
reveal the work in its noble proportions and to make every one feel
the true import of this great masterpiece.
“AUDIENCE ENTHUSIASTIC

* * * * *

“The enthusiasm of the audience was most unrestrained and generous.
It was marked at the close of the symphony and fairly overwhelmed
Gabrilowitsch, and this, with the splendid turnout from
top to bottom, was a tribute to the committee and the guarantors
who made the concert possible.”

The first venture having been successfully concluded, business matters were attended to by issuing the first call of the Philadelphia Orchestra to the guarantors, combined with which was the announcement of the formation of The Philadelphia Orchestra Association, on May 17th, 1901, with the following officers and directors:

_President_
ALEXANDER VAN RENSSELAER

_Vice-president_
F. T. SULLY DARLEY

_Secretary_
JOHN H. INGHAM

_Treasurer_
HENRY WHELEN, JR.

_Board of Directors_
A. J. CASSATT C. HARTMAN KUHN
JOHN H. CONVERSE EDWARD G. MCCOLLIN
ECKLEY B. COXE, JR. THOMAS MCKEAN, JR.
F. T. SULLY DARLEY CLEMENT B. NEWBOLD
WILLIAM L. ELKINS JAMES W. PAUL, JR.
MISS MARY K. GIBSON MRS. F. H. ROSENGARTEN
CLEMENT A. GRISCOM EDGAR SCOTT
MRS. A. C. HARRISON SIMON A. STERN
JOHN H. INGHAM MISS ANNE THOMPSON
OLIVER B. JUDSON HENRY WHELEN, JR.
EDWARD I. KEFFER A. VAN RENSSELAER
OSCAR A. KNIPE P. A. B. WIDENER

_Executive Committee_
JOHN H. INGHAM EDWARD G. MCCOLLIN
OLIVER B. JUDSON A. VAN RENSSELAER
EDWARD I. KEFFER HENRY WHELEN, JR.
OSCAR A. KNIPE

Who was the conductor of this new orchestra, who until eighteen months before was unknown in Philadelphia?

Fritz Scheel was born in Lübeck, Germany, in 1852. His father and grandfather were orchestral conductors and his mother was a highly talented singer, from whom he inherited his remarkable memory and fine ear.

Fritz was the oldest of a large family and worked for his own and his family’s support from an early age. He received his education from the city, in return for playing in orchestras and at concerts and operas. As a boy he often had to fill sudden vacancies, and he was also able to play the horn, trumpet, trombone and tuba. He was the principal teacher of his four brothers, all musicians. As his father was a practical musician, Scheel had had from his childhood an intimate experience with the details of orchestral instruments. As a boy he conducted an orchestra of his own formation, giving subscription concerts in nearby towns which were well attended. At fifteen he appeared as a violin soloist.

Scheel’s first appearance as a conductor was when he was the youthful trumpeter in the town band of Chemnitz. Like other municipal bands of Germany, this one furnished the music for all occasions and happened to be playing for the circus. The leader was taken ill, and one of the men was selected as a substitute. When the ring master heard of it, he said, “No, let that boy conduct. It is he who watches the horses’ feet, when they dance, and it is he who sets the time for the music.” Scheel became the leader of the band, and later on was employed by the town as instructor of all the band and orchestral instruments. This experience gave him an expert knowledge of technique, which proved valuable later.

In an interview given during the first season here, Scheel described conducting his first opera, shortly after receiving a life appointment as first violin in the Court Orchestra at Schwerin.

“Do I recall the first performance that I conducted?”
said Mr. Scheel. “Yes, and it was an opera. Meyerbeer’s
‘Robert Le Diable.’ I was exactly nineteen and a half
years old, and a lost orchestra score led to it. I
was the concertmaster then in the Chemnitz Orchestra,
which in summer played for the opera performances
in Bremerhafen at the Court Theatre. The opera of
‘Robert Le Diable’ was announced, and when the morning
of the first rehearsal came it was discovered that
the entire second act of the conductor’s score had
been lost. Herr Pohl, the conductor, a young man of
thirty-three, refused to go on with the opera. It was
too late to think of getting another score in time
for the rehearsals necessary for the performance. The
only way out of it seemed to be the withdrawal of the
opera. Some of the singers, who had noticed the cue
for their phrases that I had given them on the violin,
asked whether I would not conduct. ‘If the conductor
invites me I will,’ I said. When this was repeated to
the conductor he promptly gave the invitation, and it
was a pressing one, for they wished to give the opera
and keep faith with the public. That entire second act
I had to conduct from the first violin part, memory
supplying the rest. The performance went without a
break. That settled my career. Three days later I
conducted Gounod’s ‘Faust,’ and immediately afterward
‘L’Africaine,’ of Meyerbeer, Herr Pohl himself
supplying the harp part on a piano. In the years that
followed many were the performances that I conducted,
including the entire ‘Niebelungen Ring’ of Wagner. But
I never hear a fragment of Meyerbeer’s ‘Robert Le Diable’
without smiling to myself at the recollection of the time
when I conducted the second act from the first violin part.”

After nine years at Schwerin, Scheel went to Chemnitz as Kappelmeister, winning the appointment over thirty-five competitors, as successor to Hans Sitt. There he also played weekly solos and conducted for the most famous virtuosi, such as Hans von Bülow, Sarasate, Wilhelmj and Joachim. He once prepared the orchestra for a Beethoven Concert under Von Bülow’s direction in an hour and a half, the programme being the Leonore Overture No. 3, the Eroica Symphony and a Concerto. The Chemnitz Orchestra was often called to different cities in Saxony, such as Dresden, Leipzig, etc., to play before crowded houses. Scheel was also elected leader of the Sitt Chor Gesangverein, a Chorus of 400 mixed voices. With this Chorus and the excellent City Orchestra he obtained marvelous results, and produced among other great works, Bach’s “Mattheus Passion” and “Trauer Ode”; Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and his Missa Solemnis; Schumann’s “Faust Scenes,” Liszt’s “Christus” and Händel’s “Samson.” The Choral works of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Gade were also performed, as well as many small choruses. In 1885 a Music Festival lasting three days was given to celebrate the two hundredth anniversary of Bach’s birth, and he kept in the vanguard of musical events in Germany.

During this period, Scheel spent four summers in conducting opera at a Russian watering place. Four different operas were given each week, and the repertoire included: “Tannhäuser,” “Lohengrin,” “The Flying Dutchman,” “Rienzi,” “Euryanthe,” “Der Freischütz,” “Faust,” the standard Italian operas of Verdi, Rossini, etc., for which he also trained the chorus.

After nine years at Chemnitz, Scheel was called by von Bülow to Hamburg to drill the orchestra for concerts which he and the pianist alternated in conducting. He was a devoted admirer of von Bülow and the great pianist showed his appreciation in many ways. Years later, after von Bülow had retired, he offered to play at a concert given in honor of Scheel. “I do it once more,” he said, “as gratitude for a true colleague and friend.” He played the piano Concerto in E flat major, by Beethoven, and the Hungarian Fantasie, dedicated to him by his father-in-law, Franz Liszt. This was one year before his death and was his last public appearance as a pianist. Scheel also knew well Brahms, Tschaikowsky and Rubinstein.

In 1892 Dr. Ziegfeld engaged Scheel to go to Chicago the next year and give historical concerts at the World’s Fair. The enterprise failed. He then took an orchestra to the Mid-winter Fair in San Francisco, under the name of the “Vienna Prater Orchestra,” in the winter of 1893. Later he gave daily concerts, and, during two seasons, cycles of Afternoon Symphony Concerts. For a season he was engaged by Oscar Hammerstein and then he became the first leader of the San Francisco Orchestra. He introduced the great classical and modern works to the people of that city, who still speak admiringly of him and remember his success. After five years in San Francisco, Scheel came to Philadelphia, and was discovered at Woodside Park, conducting his “New York Orchestra.” The newspaper criticisms were most flattering.

The following pen picture of Mr. Scheel has been given by a man who played under his leadership and saw him under many conditions.

“A tall man, robust, large-framed, something more than
spare, a little less than stout; a back and broad
shoulders in strikingly good proportion, and a head
poised upon them in easy dignity. The large hands
are full of character, delicately formed, refined,
noticeably plastic and adaptable.

“A dark-brown military moustache and a prominent
nose stand out clearly under a typical, high, German
forehead and coiffure.

“In his brown eyes an infinite variety of expressions
are lurking. From humorous twinkles that are
irresistible, to flashes of fire and scorn that never
miss the mark, they assume new and rapidly fleeting
phases with every phase of music or speech.”

Many stories are told of Fritz Scheel’s early efforts with amateurs and with a group of musicians, strange to him, for in those days the requirements for orchestral players were not the present ones, and there were many obstacles to overcome. His ear was absolutely correct, and he often told the players when tuning was needed. He was on occasion obliged to use mechanical strategies to insure the proper intonation. A close friend of his tells the following anecdotes:

“At the first rehearsal for the Philippine concerts,
one of the numbers contained a difficult trumpet part,
which seemed impossible for the first trumpet player,
to play. Scheel postponed the rehearsal of this number
until the next day, to allow him time to practice, but
next day he could do no better. So the part was given
to the second trumpet very much to the humiliation
of the first player. But though very stern, Scheel
was also very sympathetic with his musicians, and he
realized what the feelings of the man must be. He
therefore addressed the orchestra, in his usual formal
way, and called for the attention of the players. Then
turning to the first trumpet player, he remarked:
‘I have been listening to your playing for the last
two days, and I feel sure it is not your fault that
you could not play that one part in the composition.
I notice that whenever you play a note in which the
middle valve of your instrument is used, you have no
difficulty in playing the part which you were unable
to do before.’ This incident was told by the player,
who took his trumpet to his instrument-maker and had
one-sixteenth of an inch taken off the middle valve;
with the result that he could play parts that he never
could play before. He then remarked, ‘It matters not
what happens between Scheel and me; I will always take
off my hat to him, and say ‘Master’.’

“On another occasion the tympanum was not in tune.
Scheel stopped the orchestra and asked the tympanist to
tune his instrument. When the man started to turn the
keys, Scheel said, ‘No, it is not on that side; it is
on the right-hand side of the drum,’ showing that he,
at the distance of a great many feet, could tell that
the false vibrations were coming from the right side of
the drum.

“At one of the rehearsals the harp player had trouble
with her part. Scheel said, ‘Skip that one chord and
you will only have to change your pedals twice in place
of five times.’

“He also had the peculiar faculty of being able to
get the effect of instruments that were not in the
orchestra by the combination of other instruments that
would give the same tone. The writer remembers very
distinctly Scheel’s using the French horn and the
’cello together to play the third bassoon part.”

This brief account of the first leader of the Philadelphia Orchestra explains why the Executive Committee pinned its faith to Fritz Scheel.

As the beginnings of the orchestra are recorded, how delightful it is to music lovers to know that the Musical Fund Society, itself a bold pioneer eighty years before, sponsored this most daring enterprise of our musical history. Dr. Dunglison, its president, presiding in the Orpheus Rooms on a spring afternoon in 1900, gave the blessing of the first Philadelphia Orchestra to the present Philadelphia Orchestra. Like Brünnhilde, herself shorn of godly powers, sending forth her hero to do great deeds, so the Musical Fund Society, no longer composed of active musicians, sent forth the young orchestra to conquer the musical world. No magic rings, or swords, or helmets were given to aid it in surmounting difficulties. The only magic formulas known to all the people interested were hard work and an invincible spirit.