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8 • The German Citizen •March - April 2024




              ver the years I have  when the Orpheus Singing Society  Greg Witul                 coming     North
              amassed quite the col‐  hosted the Vienna Men's Singing                            American Saenger‐
       Olection of musical pro‐    Association in 1907.           Opa’s Attic                    bund. The singers
     grams from Buffalo related organi‐  The  Wiener  Mannergesang-                              accepted the invita‐
     zations. This should really be of no  Verein was formed in Vienna, Aus‐                     tion but, when the
     surprise considering my uncle Ed‐  tria, by August Schmidt on Oct. 6,                       event was resched‐
     ward was the one time musical di‐  1843. Schmidt, a music writer and                        uled, the members of
     rector of the Bavarian Singers. I just  journalist, had helped organize the                 the  Mannergesang
     finished a book on the Chopin  Vienna Philharmonic and was now                              decided  to  come
     Singing Society, and I love all the old  keen in creating an outlet for the  December and within two years  anyway and for their
     ads found in the back of the  amateur male singers of the city. Af‐  were touring Europe.   own American tour.
     ephemera. But, of all the ones I’ve  ter a few months of practice the men  The true highlight in the Man‐  The locations chosen
     collected one of the most colorful  performed their first concert that  nergesang’s first half century is their  included some of
     and informational is this one from                           debut of “The Blue Danube” in  German-Americas
                                                                  1867. Commissioned by choirmas‐  most influential and
                                                                  ter Johann Herbeck, with music by  densely  populated
                                                                  Johann Strauss II, and words by the  cities,  New  York,
                                                                  Verein’s own Joseph Weyl, the work  Philadelphia, Balti‐
                                                                  failed to connect with the audience  more,  Boston,
                                                                  at its first performance on Feb. 15,  Chicago,  Washing‐
                                                                  1867. Knowing he had something  ton, and Buffalo.
                                                                  special, Strauss removed the univer‐  Arriving in New
                                                                  sally distained lyrics, reworked the  York on May 4, 1907
                                                                  piece for orchestra, and performed  the singers boarded a
                                                                  it at the 1867 Paris World's Fair. This  special  train  and
                                                                  new version of “Danube” received  headed to Washing‐
                                                                  rave reviews and acclaim and be‐  ton after a day of rest. By arrange‐  sang and much of the audience at‐
                                                                  came the timeless classic that is  ment of the Austrian Ambassador,  tended a banquet at the Orpheus’s
                                                                  known today.                   the Mannergesangs received a for‐  clubrooms where the music of the
                                                                     In 1906 the mayor of Indianapo‐  mal welcome from the Washington  exhibition hall was traded for that of
                                                                  lis, Indiana invited the Wiener Man‐  Saengerbund and representatives of  the music hall, with drinking songs,
                                                                  nergesang-Verein for the city’s up‐  the Austrian Embassy. The 450  impromptu ballads, feasting, and
                                                                                                 members of the Vienna Society then  the warm sense of gemutlichkeit.
                                                                                                 toured the capital by carriage until  The next day the 300 members
                                                                                                 arriving at the White House for a  of the Mannergesang took an op‐
                                                                                                 concert in the East Room.     portunity they couldn’t pass up,
                                                                                                   Accompanied    by  Admiral  touring the wonder of Niagara Falls
                                                                                                 William S. Cowles, and his wife  and the attractions of the Cataract
                                                                                                 Bamie Roosevelt-Cowles, President  City. After arriving at the Falls Street
                                                                                                 Teddy Roosevelt and his wife Edith  station, decked out in the colors of
                                                                                                 enjoyed a selection of works per‐  Austria and America, Mayor Dou‐
                                                                                                 formed by the singers. True to his  glass formally welcomed the digni‐
                                                                                                 personality  President  Roosevelt  taries and began the day’s adven‐
                                                                                                 rushed up to the conductor after  ture. They first visited the Niagara
                                                                                                 three songs, exclaiming, “Never, has  gorge by road car then lunched at
                                                                                                 anything like it been heard in Amer‐  the Natural Food Company where
                                                                                                 ica” with great enthusiasm. After a  they were joined by three members
                                                                                                 brief back and forth, the president  of the Ojibwe who explained the
                                                                                                 returned to his seat delighted that  traditions of their tribe and ended
                                                                                                 he was able to elicit an unscheduled  the day at the Nikola Tesla designed
                                                                                                 encore from his special guests.  power plant.
                                                                                                   The Society would leave Wash‐  With the Wiener Mannerge‐
                                                                                                 ington the next day for their tour  sang-Verein returning to Europe the
                                                                                                 and would arrive in Buffalo on May  receipts from the Buffalo show were
                                                                                                 13. Hosted by the Queen City’s Or‐  finally counted and the profits far
                                                                                                 pheus Singing Society the Viennese  exceeded the expenses, to the tune
                                                                                                 singers took the stage of Convention  of $2,550. The Vienna committee of
                                                                                                 Hall that evening. Sitting before  the Buffalo Orpheus chose 16 chari‐
                                                                                                 them were over 1,000 Buffalonians  ties to benefit from the surplus
                                                                                                 and scores of out of town attendees  which included the Lutheran Home
                                                                                                 who paid between $1 and $2.50 to  for the Aged and Infirmed, the Ger‐
                                                                                                 hear the singers whose concerts  man Roman Catholic Orphan Asy‐
                                                                                                 made headlines across the nation.  lum, the Federated Jewish Charities,
                                                                                                   At 8:30 p.m. sharp the program  and the German Hospital.
                                                                                                 began with “Psalm 23” by Schubert  Today the Wiener Mannerge‐
                                                                                                 in both German and English. This  sang-Verein WMGV still exists and
                                                                                                 was   followed  by    Richard  performs across Europe. Their 2024
                                                                                                 Heuberger's  "Der  Spielmann,"  schedule includes appearances at
                                                                                                 Kremser’s “In Winter,” and Schu‐  the Anton Bruckner Festival in May
                                                                                                 bert’s “An die Nachtigall.” In total  as well as their own spring, autumn,
                                                                                                 the singers would perform 14 pieces  and Christmas concerts happening
                                                                                                 to an absolutely enthralled crowd.  in and around Vienna.
                                                                                                 Following the show the Mannerge‐
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