Chapter I: The Coming of Leopold Stokowski

The summer of 1912 brought the Board of Directors, for the second time in five years, face to face with the problem of securing a conductor. Again the place was waiting for the man, but under far different conditions from those in the summer of 1899, when Fritz Scheel was found at Woodside Park. Philadelphia had a good orchestra, a growing audience tended carefully by the four Women’s Committees, and a Guarantee Fund in a more or less satisfactory condition. It was an opportunity. The Board of Directors looked around the field again. They had heard of a young man, Leopold Stokowski, recently conductor of the Cincinnati Orchestra, and heard well of him. Mr. Andrew Wheeler knew him and suggested approaching him. He was then in Europe, so he was cabled to, and accepted the position.

The first concerts under Mr. Stokowski took place on October 11th and 12th, 1912, with the following programme, which inaugurated the third period of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and one which has been a story of constant artistic development, until now this orchestra ranks with the great orchestras of the world.

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION
(INCORPORATED)
MAINTAINING
THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
(Founded 1900)
LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI, _Conductor_
FIRST PAIR OF SYMPHONY CONCERTS
Friday afternoon at 3.00 Saturday Evening at 8.15
October 11th and 12th, 1912

PROGRAMME

1. LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Overture, “Leonore No. 3”
(1770-1827)
2. JOHANNES BRAHMS Symphony No. 1, in C minor, Op. 68
(1833-1897)

I. Un poco sostenuto; Allegro (6/8)
II. Andante sostenuto (3/4)
III. Un poco allegretto e grazioso (2/4)
IV. Adagio-piu andante; Allegro non troppo,
ma con brio (4/4)

3. MICHAEL IPPOLITOW-IWANOW “Sketches from the Caucasus”
(1859- )

I. In the Mountain Pass
II. The Mountain Village
III. March of the Sirdar
(First Time at These Concerts)

4. RICHARD WAGNER Overture “Tannhäuser”
(1813-1883)

_Public Ledger_, October 12th, 1912.

“NEW CONDUCTOR OF PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
TENDERED OVATION IN ACADEMY

“Leopold Stokowski made his début yesterday afternoon
at the Academy as conductor of the Philadelphia
Orchestra, in the opening concert of its thirteenth
season. Every seat was taken and the extra chairs
had been placed within the orchestra rail. There was
much enthusiasm, manifesting itself at the beginning
in prolonged applause as Stokowski came forward
with bowed head, evidently pondering the content of
his musical message. Those who went forth to see a
hirsute eccentricity were disappointed. They beheld
a surprisingly boyish and thoroughly business-like
figure, who was sure of himself, yet free from conceit,
who dispensed with the score by virtue of an infallible
memory, and held his men and his audience from first
note to last firmly in his grasp.

“Mr. Stokowski has known the players, and they have
known him, for only four days of actual rehearsal, and
it was not to be expected that the organization at the
outset would manifest the homogeneity to be expected
later. Yet in this brief time the new leader has been
surprisingly successful in welding the several choirs
into a single coherent entity. They played yesterday
with a unity of purpose—particularly among the first
violins—not usually attained until mid-winter. They
brought out the full value of the lights and shadows.
The climaxes were duly accentuated, the pianissimos
with the utmost delicacy and refinement were contrasted
with the full throated polyphony.

“METHODS OF CONDUCTOR

“Mr. Stokowski’s conducting is after the order of
Nikisch, whom he frankly admires. He does not tear a
passion to tatters. He holds his thunders and the winds
of Aeolus in a leash. His gestures are graphic, the arcs
and parabolas he describes tell of a kind of
geometrical translation going on in his mind, whereby
he visualizes the confluent rhythms in outward action.
At impassioned moments his movements have the freedom
of a violinist’s bow arm; at other instants he
brings his fists against his shoulders with vehement
concentration, or his uplifted eloquent left hand
pleads with some suppressed choir to come forward and
assert itself in power. There is, from first to last,
no languor or slackened moment; he directs with a fine
vigor and intensity that mounts to ecstasy yet does not
lose its balance or forget its sane and ordered method.

* * * * *

“TRIBUTE PRESENTED”

“At the close of the symphony a laurel wreath was laid
on the dais ere Mr. Stokowski found his way to the
footlights in response to the tumultuous applause. The
wreath was so large that he stood in it while he called
upon his musicians to rise, himself applauding their
efforts and modestly disavowing his leonine share of
the credit.”

It soon became apparent that Philadelphia had something very unusual in Leopold Stokowski. He was young, but rarely gifted, and he dedicated himself to reaching a high artistic goal for the Philadelphia Orchestra. His plans were of a daring character and at times almost took away the breath of the Board of Directors; for instance, when the idea of giving Mahler’s Eighth Symphony was presented and Mr. Stokowski announced that it would cost $14,000. There was much discussion, as the Board was convinced that this performance would be unpopular and not a success from a financial point of view. However, the desire to have the name of the orchestra connected with productions of an unusual nature and to keep ahead of the times musically, won the day, and it was decided in 1915 to produce this gigantic choral work in March 1916.

The story of this production is dramatic from the moment that Leopold Stokowski, after having secured the rights for the first American performance, escaped from Munich in August, 1914, with the score in a handbag, all he had time to pack. Mr. Stokowski was at that time still a British subject, having only taken out his first papers for American citizenship.

Having secured the consent of the Board of Directors to produce this symphony, this announcement was issued.

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI, _Conductor_

First Performances of the Mahler Eighth Symphony
Academy of Music, Philadelphia
Thursday Evening—Friday Afternoon—Saturday Evening
March 2, 3, 4, 1916
Metropolitan Opera House, New York
Sunday Evening, April 9, 1916

With Orchestral and Choral Forces of Over One Thousand
and the Following Soloists:

FLORENCE HINKLE, Soprano
INEZ BARBOUR, Soprano
SUSANNA DERCUM, Contralto
REINALD WERRENRATH, Baritone
ADELAIDE FISCHER, Soprano
MARGARET KEYES, Contralto
LAMBERT MURPHY, Tenor
CLARENCE WHITEHILL, Basso

First Chorus—The Philadelphia Orchestra Chorus, 400
Children’s Chorus, 150

Second Chorus—Philadelphia Choral Society, Mendelssohn Club
and the Fortnightly Club, 400

“The Philadelphia Orchestra Association takes pleasure
in announcing three performances in Philadelphia of
Gustav Mahler’s Eighth Symphony and, under the auspices
of the Society of Friends of Music, one performance in
New York. The first Philadelphia performance is the
first presentation of this work in America, and is
given under an exclusive contract with the publishers.
Although other famous organizations had approached
the Universal-Edition in Vienna, to the Philadelphia
Orchestra fell the honor and artistic responsibility of
presenting this work for the first time to the American
public. The production of the work, requiring three
choruses aggregating 950 voices, an orchestra of 110,
and 8 soloists, entails a cost for the Philadelphia
performances alone of approximately $15,000.”

* * * * *

“The New York performance owes its possibility to the
public spirit and generosity of the Society of Friends
of Music, and will be given with the complete forces
employed in Philadelphia. This single production will
cost approximately $12,000.

“Owing to the great magnitude of the work and the great
demand which it makes on the musical forces employed,
it is extremely doubtful whether it can receive many
performances in America. Two years have been spent
in preparation in order that the rendition of the
work might realize the ideals of the composer. That
the value of the work is appreciated is shown by the
fact that orders for seats have been received from
all over the eastern and middle western sections of
this country. The Friday and Saturday performances in
Philadelphia are sold out and many mail orders have
been received for Thursday night. An early application
for seats should be made.

“PRICES OF TICKETS FOR THE FIRST PERFORMANCE AT THE
ACADEMY OF MUSIC, THURSDAY EVENING, MARCH 2, AT 8.15

Parquet and Balcony Box Seats $3.00
Parquet and Parquet Circle, first two Rows in Balcony 2.50
Remainder of Balcony and first two Rows in Family Circle 2.00
Third and Fourth Rows, Family Circle 1.50
Remainder of Family Circle 1.00
Amphitheatre, First Two Rows 1.00
Amphitheatre (Unreserved) .50

* * * * *

(The Friday Afternoon and Saturday Evening performances being
already sold out, no orders can be taken for these two concerts.)

ARTHUR JUDSON, _Manager_ LOUIS A. MATTSON, _Asst. Manager_”

Work with the two choruses which sang in German and in Latin began in October, 1915. Hitherto the orchestra had had no chorus of its own, but was obliged to depend on the good will of Philadelphia choral organizations to co-operate in producing choral works. Now for the first time the name “Philadelphia Orchestra Chorus” appeared, and, as the first chorus of 400 members, was trained by Mr. Stokowski. The second chorus of 400 voices was rehearsed by Mr. Henry Gordon Thunder.

The requirements were severe as to personnel and rehearsals. The spring was occupied in the selection of voices. When rehearsals began in October, men and women were rehearsed separately until January. After that they had weekly rehearsals together. Singers who were inattentive or who skipped rehearsals were not retained, and towards the end everybody was over-worked and wrought up to a pitch of excitement.

NINETEENTH PROGRAMME

Friday, March 3rd, at 3.00 Saturday, March 4th, at 8.15

THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA
LEOPOLD STOKOWSKI, _Conductor_

PROGRAMME
Symphony No. 8 GUSTAV MAHLER
(1860-1911)