“Our People, I Fear, Are Drifting Too Far Away from the Classics”: Respectability, Rehearsal, and Women's Patronage in a Black Philadelphia Post Office Choir

Writing in The Musician in 1915, black Philadelphian composer and organist Carl Rossini Diton reflected that the male African American singers constitute a very determined lot. I say “determined” because practically all of them follow some other line of work for a living as, for instance, the postal service, retaining their voice work as a side issue. When an oratorio, cantata, or opera is to be given, they can, however, always be counted upon to hold up whatever role happens to be given them.1Diton's claim that the postal service provided work for male singers who otherwise couldn't make their living solely from being a musician is borne out by the existence of the Mendelssohn Chorus, a male-voice choir founded in 1912, whose members were entirely black US federal employees.2 In this article, I trace the story of the Mendelssohn Chorus through the pages of the black newspaper The Philadelphia Tribune and archival records. The Mendelssohn Chorus seems to have burned brightly, but briefly, as it disappeared without explanation from the pages of the Tribune after its third concert in 1914. But although it was short lived, the Mendelssohn Chorus serves as an example of the innovative and complex ways that black people used classical music as a way to assert excellence, support education, uplift their community, and counter racist discourse, all while under the limitations of creating a self-sustaining classical music scene when many of the resources available to white musicians were unavailable to them.Musicologist Frederick Jerome Taylor, looking through the pages of the Tribune, identified the years from 1912 to 1915 as “a veritable explosion of musical activity in Philadelphia's black community,” highlighting the abundance of music-making, both amateur and professional, taking place in the period.3The Philadelphia Tribune, founded in 1884 by Christopher J. Perry, was the most widely circulated black newspaper in Philadelphia and, like black-owned newspapers across the country, was committed to promoting the best of black expressive cultural production. Although Taylor doesn't speculate why this explosion of musical abundance took place at this time, recent scholarship by Samantha Ege and Lucy Caplan builds on work by formative black music scholars, drawing attention to the early decades of the twentieth century as a period when black excellence in classical music was not a sideline in black American advancement but rather a crucial part of the imagination of black futures in the United States.4In this article, I examine the world of the amateur Mendelssohn Chorus, just one small part of Philadelphia's vibrant pre-World War I classical music scene, tracing its brief years of activity through three main bodies of sources. First, I draw upon materials about the choir preserved in the significant Stevens-Cogdell-Sanders-Venning Collection at the Library Company of Philadelphia. The collection's four-part name reflects the fact that it contains materials from many generations and branches of the same family, from their roots as both white English colonists and enslaved Africans (and their descendants) in American to their a black Philadelphia The of the and the to and a of materials in black Philadelphia in the and early twentieth In the of in the preserved otherwise as concert and newspaper from the black some of in other The Stevens-Cogdell-Sanders-Venning Collection to the a newspaper and an I have the Mendelssohn Chorus through the pages of the Tribune, and to the I materials in newspaper from the black about the and of black classical I the and US federal and the they to a of the world of the and in its members and who the Mendelssohn the of the in the of I that it is to music of the most black music of black music have in of and this in the of a US who and upon as newspaper and for and of three bodies of I examine the Mendelssohn Chorus as a through to of black classical music and classical music as black work in the early twentieth tracing the and of the its three The the to the concert in 1912, on the Tribune uplift to support of the The on the from the world of black who the choir to its and I the concert the world of black the three the Mendelssohn Chorus from the as an example of amateur was a of for and as a for black to and the musical of their the music at the Mendelssohn both by the choir and a was to be classical or by black in Philadelphia and the role that newspaper music in to was as musical black Philadelphian in the to out about and in the a of Philadelphia Tribune and to the and and for and and and and and of black Philadelphia have the an for a a in newspapers across the of and for all their the about cultural to of the on and the about black musicians the country, as as of music and in Philadelphia and on to black The black was to American in in the of the twentieth Lucy Caplan and draw attention to the of of black cultural in black newspapers in the and twentieth as a way to the of the white to through the of racist and In newspaper like in the Tribune, as a of black excellence that the and of black black classical in the white The pages of black like all and, as black they were committed to and for the advancement and of was in the of that the Mendelssohn Chorus was in the Tribune in 1912, in a of its concert by the music the concert as of the best given by an of in this on to that the Mendelssohn Chorus a of many of the The of the choir as a but rather as a at the of the that was an to the Chorus to a of but the out and like the members of the Mendelssohn Chorus seems as they were all by the the a or to the and and the is in this the and of the to black in the United by name the members and the singers as in the and their in 1912 was members from to years of the of the of their federal the have and education, and some of them were the singers that Carl Philadelphia's black classical music scene, to in Musician The a for black people the when the of and to black The of for the work at the as a for black a postal was a for black as it was a a that provided a as as a and the of being a federal In black postal in their community, but their and of them from this in The Philadelphia Although the was on the black of the that being and was from of in the the but this at most and upon them most The singers of the Mendelssohn Chorus have of to black federal in the in black and white postal that the in line of this the of the Mendelssohn Chorus be an of the and excellence of black postal whose always of their white choir of postal was a of and musical excellence in black Philadelphia. by that the Mendelssohn Chorus a and that is to that the choir to the to the the of the to is a of seems to for that is for the black community, of classical music by black and black on the same as Mendelssohn Chorus on a by the who was to in the of of the and of the best in The and have their have of for is a example of musical uplift of classical as a counter to the of and as was up as a of the of the of uplift through music in the century through the of music to be an for at it out the or as a of an and by example it the in and this as that be to classical that and have a on black and that classical music not is but through the of of the Mendelssohn Chorus because they to the But were the to and the of The Philadelphia for the Mendelssohn that to the music that was to be in the classical music The of is and as or classical its complex that is in the of concert in and in the to an that musical and a of of have by be in the of the Mendelssohn was is not an newspaper of the the and of that the some the that were in to The for the Mendelssohn Chorus that its concert was a The singers were not the musicians their were short by and by and a by is in line concert in black in and and and were the is that a amateur choir not have to a of music and other musicians to out the an amateur this The by and The concert one of a that the of at one The work on the in and in and and very part of a and the be to them as as in the by the Mendelssohn Chorus not under the at for The and and all but The to be four-part male-voice choir in the of the The on the and of and be as the music and music the of in the early is on the pages of the Tribune, in the on Although at the of the for promoting best in and that best in is a from and the of and to the of the through of English and black music as to and that be in of a The Mendelssohn Chorus in doesn't music by black or the of the Mendelssohn Chorus of English and a that and from the of their the Mendelssohn Chorus its on of that have from is a for male by that was under the in in is a about a who in of a but on that is like a and The four-part is not complex but The have to Philadelphia by composer in the a of music and was one of the most of the of the twentieth The by composer and the be an of a both music not by the Library of and I have not to about music for of is and a at the a the Mendelssohn Chorus have like in in in and the a musicians The by the Mendelssohn Chorus in 1912 was an for male by in in Although by amateur this for a is is the in the is a the and a choir its singers were not is for the that the as is the for by the three to in just one the a to the of was to that the at the Mendelssohn to a of but the out and like as a of of have and musical of the Mendelssohn Chorus, whose members from to seems to have it a of the Philadelphia black classical music by looking to the as music to Although to its not be in the of other as and The that the choir the classical and but by the as the to and because this is its members be to their But of the music was as as the to the on the of the the concert not as as the Mendelssohn Chorus to in the pages of the Tribune in the up to its concert and In early short on the for to to to have through to be and most to support the who be the after the and, to to support the who the to the of all who In a for the concert the Mendelssohn Chorus was as entirely US this being to make the out in the musical of black a by the black Philadelphia for the same to the Mendelssohn concert was by in the black to support the Mendelssohn Chorus by its short in a way by the choir on its the and the uplift voice to that that they this the of the in the for as a of support in the black for classical musical in that a be to the that they to in the of the in the of the music its to in the world of classical music and to the Mendelssohn concert not just because of the of the but as a uplift uplift was not the in the to people as the of the of on of classical people whose of support that that concert was for and as on and promoting classical was a the of many on this not just as the of an but as a of the black classical as the Mendelssohn Chorus was a of was in that was by as the black Philadelphian other in its to classical I from the of to and it is a to the and the of both and three a the opera an black to that of and it about the Mendelssohn Chorus in 1912 the of to that this of to the by but in on to be very about not the and of cultural of who were a or to a classical is a to and “a in and by as of a of black cultural for a and a concert was one because one to the that for classical at the in were the most in black Philadelphia in the of the after the concert and in the seems that the after a classical concert as a the early decades of the twentieth in that it was support that not just that support was not was in black to for as the In of to it is not to a to counter of black people as in be to as a example of but of black was by some as was part of a of black their to their in to counter that white people about early as the black newspapers were for their resources on and to the rather on the community,” and to their to make to the white a century the same was in black and a musical to and the of uplift was in the early decades of the twentieth by as who was for some in out the classical music concert and the of to the music of in who to have their a classical musical and the them it be a of was a for music in black the Philadelphia for music and and three and and in the of their In is a of at the of the for Philadelphia's and of and at music When the in the pages of the Tribune of the abundance and of black musical in the of on the of to classical a the Mendelssohn Chorus a of for the attention and of Philadelphia's black In to of is at in amateur black classical musicians as the members of the Mendelssohn of classical music Philadelphia's black were not a way to that were cultural to but a on the many that black classical music on in and as on and of were voice in the Tribune drawing the to for support for the choir this musical were not the way that was to the of the Mendelssohn The of the choir and its concert to the was by the that was for the to the and archival of a black Philadelphia for amateur like many of 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The was not in Tribune or the Mendelssohn Chorus, and I have not to about the a small for the Mendelssohn and a of the Mendelssohn in a about Philadelphia in the The Mendelssohn and the be through the in both the family, but to be on it is the the that the of the Mendelssohn the of the is a musical is the of a from opera in a short Although was in the early twentieth the in the Company of and from the opera in 1912, for other was the of the that the music was not but for the have a on the of the as Philadelphia. black-owned and as as in the white newspaper The Philadelphia that it across to this and of the of the concert its to the is that by enslaved their in the of as as a to the it be that from its to from have in the same way for black in the and early twentieth as an for black advancement after that in the of the of black singers and from that in the to their musical is from a of its by a of and The by the Mendelssohn Chorus to the of to the in or in the opera the of the of their and the English by the Mendelssohn Chorus of the of and a to on the at English seems to in an of to the of musical and the and to the opera for the in a by J. the is from an of as it have in a of to a of through The be it that was to and opera at a and, at a of the of the English of the to on the have a significant that it was that the of be to the who the and it have musical to the the of the and that this in to the the concert the best of black expressive the that and to by in the United The to as the concert and on the of the was a the name of black excellence, and for the Mendelssohn concert the of in the The pages of the a of Although the of who have to a classical music is a in a of all black is this is a to the crucial role that black have and to have in and classical music in the United Samantha Ege and about the crucial role black in the black classical music scene in in the of the twentieth on the work the that black as and in vibrant classical music scene, them as and in the of the in the twentieth early committed to “a of uplift the the of the and and I that the as in the of the 1912 Mendelssohn Chorus concert be as and drawing on of The Philadelphia were not and like who as a and they have the to like and the black as were an part of the of Philadelphia's black classical music scene, their and a musical is in the Mendelssohn Chorus In their on support of the musical and from the to its of and drawing on the of the in and white US the under the not all be as and the as of the Mendelssohn Chorus, I have to who in and in 1912, in the pages of the US across and The of in the not about their and a is not the place to the of their and the the of Philadelphia the early years of the as as the of the in black in this the in were in a of the a in the of the were not from the black of Philadelphia who the or early they be the have or this doesn't that they work that they were not significant in their the who have a and in some of as and in one was a three were and 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for to who is as upon and the all is the federal in the on the of the of and in the that to this however, the of the upon the and of the the that of the I have in the were is not to in of the US was the people as were as the as that the of was in the is in line of the time, in were in and the of that black were and that were for to both and their is from the from the pages of the Tribune to the in to be seems that they some to the and it is that they other work the to support the as many of them were to choir the in the a male a or as a US the Mendelssohn to federal The singers in the all as US in the the as but their and a a of about the and its but a is not a and the of the for the the of the Mendelssohn Chorus under in The of the the Mendelssohn seems at but is on not musical and is to the 1912 Chorus a highlighting that the concert was significant to its rather who was on the of by the that the and that of their their best were and of that were on the of their the on the and the by the of the on to that the was and while the in the were of the as be to that the was of a of the or that was the from who be to an attention to the of the up the of a the to as were most of the have their to their the same that the to the Philadelphia black classical music The world of the of the Mendelssohn Chorus black a cultural that in the United of and ways of and of the a of the but it were and be and of and that in from the of white The and of the black in the were an to the of in the that classical music was to support and but the of the the for being that the choir is of whose have is in that it a to the to and the Mendelssohn Chorus to the in classical it to to a that it was not that the of the as of the the work of who their The just one was by the of this amateur was to out members of the choir who were that the for the Mendelssohn Chorus many of them being singers or musicians seems that the were the of the who that some of the members were their musical them to musical the was a as as be under the but they to work in the they have in the the of the choir and the of the have and some determined to be as part of a of black their music as a to black classical Lucy Caplan used music to a way of to while a of who in classical seems to in a that the choir work in the have the of the of who the their to be but and Mendelssohn Chorus to have but as a just a after their concert the in the Tribune, on after the Tribune The that the choir at the the Mendelssohn Chorus in the of uplift in the of the twentieth were in the of the was founded in for and work The I have about the or of the but the in that were a for the was at just a from the the choir in the an for its of a of a a a a and the were by in to and support to to the the from its was as by black who to black to and support the of to from in the early decades of the twentieth singers of the Mendelssohn Chorus, who were to their as US were to have of the and place the singers in the the of the most black who by have the of the best of and who to the through the example they and through the and of black people through their The of is to and and about black people work for the uplift of the black The about their was as part of the in the Tribune, about the of the the choir of the in the who a for the the of a an from a and the of the the that the as a used by people from and of its at the in the pages of the Tribune was a way for the to to of its concert while the uplift work of the black Mendelssohn to have of the have out a of on of their third a whatever way it is both the choir and the who a at all from choir looking up and being to the is one of the of an amateur choir at the and that the from the in its on that of and the of this is was in the Tribune as part of the but that was in the out as Mendelssohn third concert music by black for the time, although were not by the choir but by who attention to that “a and but the by Taylor and J. on the the being is that the by black a while was not as the of classical and by drawing and is that black music as as or both and as in being a in their excellence and The of and in the that this was as the best of black classical the choir was not music by black music of composer up by black in the United and after under the of the was in in to a white English and a from The Mendelssohn was the part for The of in the in in the pages of the Tribune, in the by in black the Taylor as a on a of about the for Philadelphia to because of the one of whose is the world who by their have given the to to be by of and is just an of work that in the US black in the early twentieth as a for the the of the black and as and music was always as a in and black musical is the in music being a of a black a trace in the was a at the of a on and a was as a composer in the of the of was as one of the in the United in the and United and a to and was an for one of by and and music in as that of to be on the and music of and the many other black who to make a living as musicians in the decades of the twentieth But one years the of and be as a creating a of black musical that was a to racist musical to the concert was not just a of the of black musical excellence but was by of the best people in seems that the support of the choir by many Philadelphian 1914. Although doesn't by it be that some of were in the to in that of people in to for the at is that some of the in the to the were in other The of the the musical and of the Mendelssohn of the people and the of the singers to always the and support of not who the were or they as as black US federal The Tribune that the was a people in and all being part of and of the of the in that the Mendelssohn Chorus have just one of many by the of the to community, and in Mendelssohn Chorus from the pages of the Tribune after the of their is given for its Although the for three the story of the Mendelssohn Chorus be as a of amateur classical music in American in the early twentieth The choir was to by the music being an