New England towns, as choir director and or-
ganist and the director of choral societies. In
1887, he came west to Saginaw, Michigan, to take
charge of a choir and three choral organizations,
but the climate affected his health, so the fol-
lowing winter was spent in Nashville, Tennessee,
where he was choir leader and vocal instructor
in a large young ladies' seminary. He was the
organizer and promoter of the most successful
musical festival ever held in Nashville, in the
year 1889. In the fall of that year he took charge
of the chorus and orchestra of the Mozart Society
of Richmond. Virginia, and during the two years
he remained there, was prominent and active in
the musical progress of the city, arranging semi-
monthly concerts and managing two large and
successful musical festivals. In 1891 he came
to this city and purchased the Northwestern Con-
servatory of Music and assumed its direction.
For fifteen years he successfully managed the
school, the annual attendance having increased
from one hundred and thirty in 1891, to more
than five hundred pupils. In the summer of 1906
he disposed of his interests in the conservatory.
While in Minneapolis he has also held positions
as organist and choir master of Westminister
Presbyterian, Gethsemane Episcopal and the
First Congregational churches, and in other ways
has been active and influential in the promotion
of music in the Northwest. Mr. Marshall be-
came a member of the Immanuel Baptist Church
of Newton, Massachusetts, when a boy, and still
retains the membership. He was married in 1891
to Miss Marion Howard of Waterville, Maine,
and they have one daughter.

OBERHOFFER, Emil Johann, a leading mu
sician of the northwest, was born near Munich.
Bavaria, in 1867. His father was a successful or-
ganist, composer and conductor in the Bavarian
provinces. His mother also came of a musical
family and a brother as well as two sisters were
musicians. Emil very early showed musical tal-
ent and when a child of ten years could play the
organ and violin with wonderful ability and taste.
He had at this time, beside the strict surveillance
of his father, the' most helpful instruction of
Cyril Kistler, since renowned as the composer of
a number of operas. During a six years' course
at a literary college following, Mr. Oberhoffer
continued his musical studies under the best pri-
vate teachers obtainable, in pianoforte, organ,
violin, voice, and in an excellent school and




EMU, nr,EKIIOI'-FKK.

church orchestra not only became acquainted
with all orchestral instruments, but had ample
opportunity to try out his talent as conductor,
which was thus early recognized. About this
time he also took a thorough course of theoret-
ical studies under the Rheinberger regime. Spe-
cializing as a pianist he later spent some time in
Paris with the famous technique expert Isadore
Phillip. After the completion of his studies he
came to New York but remained there only a
short time, leaving the musical directorship of
a prominent college to establish himself in the
west. He first came to St. Paul where he soon
attained a prominent position as a teacher, lectur-
er, concert giver and conductor. In 1897 he
spent seven months in Europe in study and ob-
servation and in the fall of the same year was
called to the position of conductor of the Apollo
Club of JNIinneapolis. At the same time the
Schubert Choral Association and Schubert or-
chestra were formed in St. Paul under his direc-
tion. In 1901 Mr. Oberhoffer became conductor
of the Minneapolis Philharmonic Club which
soon attained a leading position among the choral
societies of the country. The necessities of the
development of musical life and culture in the
city soon brought .-iljoiit the suggestion from
.Mr. Oberhoffer that an orchestra be formed
.â– iiid with the assistance and support of the lead-
ing men of Minneapolis the i\linneapolis Sym-



120



A 11AI.1-' CF.NTURY OF MINNEAPOLIS




1 I.UUIO.NCI': Iv I'AKKS.

phony Orclustr.i was cst:ililislu-d in igo.i and has
since been the- ninsl prdniinent nnisical nrganiza-
tion in the northwest. 'l"he plienomenal snc-
cess of the club and orcliestra under Mr. Obcr-
hoffer's direction has led to the engagement of
his services for a term of years and the practical
perpetuation of the musical jn'ogress which has
already made Minneapolis the center of nnisic.il
education in the Northwest and given lier a
reputation for musical culture ijuite unprecedent-
ed in the cast. Besides his activities as conduc-
t"r. .\Ir. Oberhofl'er finds time for a group of
advanced pupils in pianoforte-playing; he lias
been organist and director of the music at llie
Church of tlle IvciUemer fi>r the past few years
and holds tiie chair of imi'-ic at the slate uni-
versity.

PARKS. I'lorence Estclle, b.irn in Olii..,
Trumbull eoniily. is a descendant of a long line
of musical ancestors, particularly on tlu' side of
her father, llenry Clay Peck, who came of old
colonial stock, his mother's f.itlu-r having been
Abram Crawley, a major in tin- Kevcdutionary
war and one of those who engaged in the "lioston
Tea Party." The mother of Mrs. Parks was El-
len E. (Sanford) Peck, a descendant of Nathaniel
Greene and who enjoyed the distinction of having
been one of the early teachers of President .Mc-
Kinley. Mrs. Parks gave evidence at an early



age of marked musical talent, being capable of

singing at sight difficult compositions at the age
of four — the system then in use being numerals
written upon the staff instead of notes. System-
atic instruction for her musical education began
wlien she was six years old, her studies embrac-
ing piano, theory of music, harmony, counter-
point composition for both organ and voice. Mrs.
Parks received voice training from the best in-
structors in Chicago and New York and various
cities of Europe, and has enjoyed wide experi-
ence in oratorio, concert and church singing.
l'"or the past fifteen years Mrs. Parks has been
a resident of Minneapolis and actively engaged in
the musical life of the city. During these years
Mrs. Parks bas devoted her time and study prin-
cipally to the "art of teaching." Her wide ex-
perience as a student and singer has given her
a kniiwledge and comprehension of the many
variiMis iiictlii>ds which, blended with lier indi-
vi(hial ability, renders her most et'hcient as a
\ Ileal instructor. For the past twelve years Mrs.
I'aiks has bad full direction of the music in St.
Charles Church, l-'nr se\eral years she was in
charge of the vocal department of Stanley Hall
anil at different times was instructor in Mac-
alester College and the Johnson School of Music.
Mrs. Parks has been an active member of the
Thursday Musical since its beginning, and at dif-
ferent times bas been a member of the executive
board and program committee. She is now di-
rector of the Students Quartettes and Choral
dull ami her work with them is most successful.

PATTEN, Willard. was born at Milford.
Maine, on May 26, 185.5. His father. fJaniel Hall
Patten, a building contractor, was of Irish des-
cent, who had been before takin.g up bis con-
tracting work, an unprofessional musician, choir
master, violinist and vocalist of considerable tal-
ent, and from whom Mr. Patten inherited his ar-
tistic instincts. His mother was Elizabeth Jones,
born in Canada but of Welsh descent. Mr. Pat-
ten resided in Bangor, Me., during his early life,
and because of a weakness of the lungs when
about sixteen years old he look up calisthenics
and voice culture. He left high school before
completing his course to take private lessons in
English literature and music. I lis musical work
included notation, lluory. thoroughbass and
musical analysis .and later he studied ensemble
training and the ,art nf conductin.g, the latter
niuUr Carl Zerrahn nf the Handel and Haydn So-
ciety of Boston, lie tluii began bis musical ca-
reer, teachin.g, ci â– iiiliictiiig musical conventions,
and composing, producing his first operetta in
i8S[. Through Dr. Elien Tourgee, the director
of the New England Conserv.atory. he was offered
a position in that institution, but declined, and
came west in 188,3, est;ilili>liiiig himself in Minne-
apolis as a solo singer ami te.icher of voice cul-
ture. In rSSg he produced the opera. La Fianza,
with pronounced success; and afterwards several



MUSIC AND THEATERS



121



short pieces. He continued his studies and in
1S96, after spending more than a year in the se-
lection and arrangement of the text, composition,
and score, he completed his oratorio, Isaiah, and
on January 27. 1897, it was given its initial per-
formance at the Metropolitan theater, before an
audience that included all the musicians and
music lovers of the two cities and the northwest.
This achieved remarkable success and established
-Mr. Patten's reputation as a musician. The fol-
lowing year he was appointed conductor of the
re-organized Philharmonic Club, a position he
held for three years, resigning to devote his at-
tention to further composition. He has since
ciimpletcd two large choral works based upon
hi.-^torical data, the first entitled "Star of Empire"
and the second "Foot-Stones of a Nation." He
is at present brin.ging to completion a cantata in
modern form on the subject of the Resurrection.
Mr. Patten is actively interested in musical edu-
cational movements and has recently been in-
strumental in establishing twelve singing schools,
each under the care of a competent musician, and
his connection with the general advancement of
music quite as much as his personal successes
.-sliow the influence his work has had upon the
nnisical progress of the northwest. Many of his
compositions, among them his oratorio Isaiah,
have obtained wide popularity for their triK-
merit and become better known each year, but
Mr. I'atten is too serious in his art to seek com-




WILLARD PATTEN.



mon-place applause, seeking rather to earn tlie
commendation of his peers, in which he has fully
accomplished his aims. Mr. Patten was married
in 1875 to Miss Alesta Virginia Hebberd, in Ban-
gor, Maine. They have had one daughter, Ruth
Elizabeth, who died in 1901.

WILLIAMS, James Austin, one of the prom-
inent concert tenors and voice instructors of
Minneapolis, is a native of England and is by
birth the descendant of an old established Welsh
family, which is traced back among the inhabi-
tants of Wales for more than four centuries.
From these ancestors was descended Enoch
Williams who located at Mitcheldean, Gloucester-
shire, England, and there established a stone
business, which developed into a flourishing and
extensive enterprise. He was married to Augusta
Parry, and his son, J. .Austin, was born at
Mitcheldean, England, on April 19. 1876. Six
years later the family left England to come to
America and located at Stonewall. Manitoba, Can-
ada. There J. Austin, received his education, at-
tending the public schools and after completing
his academic studies began the study of music
and the training of his voice. Fur a time Pro-
fessor Dore of London, England, was located at
Winnipe,g, Canada, and Mr. Williams continued
Ills vocal studies under his instruction, and for a
time his vocal training was directed by Professor
Chambers, also of London. In 1905 he was a
pupil of Professor M. ?>. de Bnr of New York, and
,it intervals during the last eight years has studied
uilli a number of the foremost teachers and
inusici.uTi in the Twin Cities. .At the present
llnir, in ailditimi to his tcachintr and concert
work. Mr. Williams is reccivinL; furtlier train-
iiig- uniler the supervision of I)r. Rliys-IIerber*,
the well known composer of this city and now
llic org.-mist at the Hennepin Avenue Methodist
Churcli. Since moving to Minneapolis a few
rears ago i\Ir. Williams has taken an active part
in the nnisical affairs of the city and is nov.'
idintiricd with several of the more important
musii-.il organizations. For one yenr he was
the (lircclor of the choir of Fowler Methodist
Church nnd at the present time liohls the same
piisiiii.M with tlie De 1^ Salle choir, hor three
years he has had the direction of the Boys'
Clee Clnli of tlie Central Hi.gh School and under
his charge that organization has achieved a cred-
il.iblo local rcnutation. He was a member of
tlie .Apollo Club for se\-eral vears and now is a
member and one of the board of directors of the
Philharmonic Chib. Air. Williams has been ex-
tensively connected with vocal church music snd
has done tenor solo and choir work in ten of
the larger churches of the citv and is now in
his fourth year as tenor of the choir at the
Church of the Redeemer. In addition to this
work he is active in concert and recital work and
takes a general interest in the promotion and
support of measures that tend to the musical
development of Minneapolis,



122



A HALK CENTURY OF MINNEAPOLIS




ANNA K. SCIKIE-NUKNU.

SCIIOEN-RENE, Anna Eugenic, is a native
of Prussian Poland. Her father was al one time
secretary of agriculture and forestry of the im-
perial province of Alsace-Eorraine, Germany,
and an officer of the Guards. ;\t liis death the
Emperor William, who was his close friend,
promised to care for his eight children and
through his kindness Fraulein Schocn-Renc was
enabled to prepare for the profession of a singer
in grand opera, which was her absorbing ambi-
tion. She graduated from the Royal Academy of
Mu'-ic in Berlin, receiving half the prize offered
by the Mendelssohn family to the most promising
student and devoted it to the coniph-tion of her
musical education in Italy. .She studied with
l'"rancesco I.amperti, Sen. of Mil.in in \iiice cul
ture, and with Madame Viardot and M.iestro
Garcia in Paris, making her debut in I'.erlin luidcr
the auspices of Princess Friedrich Carl, of Prus-
sia. She was engaged to sing at the Royal Ojiera
I louse of Saxe-Altenburg through the Puke of
that Duchy, and soon became a musical favorite,
mteting many famous musicians and composers,
as Brahms. Rubcnstein and t.iszt. With marked
ability she played the leading roles in "Ooii
Juan," "Daughter of the Regiment," "Carmen."
"Eaust," and other operas. After singing suc-



cessfully in the great European musical centers,
Fraulein Schoen-Rene came to this country and
has for some years made her home with her
sister, Marie Schoen, in Minneapolis. For some
time she was instructor in the University of Min-
nesota and was the founder and musical director
iif the University Choral Union, which has done
splendid work. F'raulein Anna Eugenie Schoen-
Rene has taken a prominent part in the promo-
tion of musical culture in Minneapolis. She is
a member of the Union des Arts et des Sciences,
of Paris, France, and a member of the "Deutsche
Buchnen genossenschaft," of Berlin. Fraulein
Schoen-Rene has been earnestly besought by
many of her friends to return to the operatic
stage, as her health has been greatly improved
in Minnesota.

WOODRUEI'', Henry Seymour, the son of
Henry and Lucy A. (Rollo) Woodruff', was born
at Cortland. Cortland county. New York. His
lather was. though a merchant, a man of musical
taste and on bis mother's side be was connected
with a family of musicians. His mother was,
during her early life, an instructor on the piano
.and tier grandfather was a musical conductor.
Mr. Woodrufif began his education at the State
Normal School at Cortland and studied music in
Syracuse. When he was fifteen years of age he
served as organist in the First Baptist Church of
Cortland and later went to Cincinnati to study
for si.x years under Henry G. Andres, Herman
.'\ucr, Bush h'rdey and Louis Ehrgott. For the
most of this time he was organist of St. Paul's
M. E. Church of Cincinnati. During this period
be was also active in organ recital work. In
1886 he came to Minneapolis to till a six weeks
engagement as solo organist at the first Exposi-
tion .111(1 was so impressed by the opportunities
o| tin city that he decided to locate here. Short-
ly after the close of the Exposition Mr. Wood-
ruff received an appointment as organist of the
b'irst I'.aptiNt Chiireli. tlu-ii just completed, and
served in that e.ap.ieity lor six years, during four
of wliieli he al>o aeticl as elioir m;istcr. About
tliis time lie opeiuil a studii> and gave instruc-
tion ill piano, ])ipe organ, ami \oice culture.
L'lion llie loimding of the Apidlo Club in 1SS7
he w.is .ippiiinled diri-elor for llicir first two sca-
soii^ .and for three viars held .1 like position with
the I'liillianiioiiie Clii'i. AK.aiii in 1902 he bc-
I'.Miie iiiiisie.al eoiiduelor of the .\pollo Club anil
has held the position since that time. i\Ir. Wood-
ruff has given many organ recitals and done much
concert work in Minneapolis, .St. Paul and other
cities of the northwest. In iS(),i he served as
organist at the Cbinili of the Kedeenier, but
.afterw.ards returned to the hirst I'.aptist t'linrch
In i,Si)7 lie stiiilied in I'.iris with Delle Sedie, the
celebrated voice teacher and upon bis return ac-
cepted the position of organist and choir master



MUSIC AND THEATERS



123



of the Westminster Presbyterian Church, with
wliich he is still connected. Mr. Woodruff was
married in iSgg to Miss Corice Colburn, one of
the younger artists of this city.

ZOCH, Herman, son of Carl Frederick, and
Augusta Kunau Zoch, was born in Thcerkeutc,
Prussia. He is descended from a l.imled family,
his paternal grandfather, a distinguished otficer
in the war of 1813, having held an estate in
Silesia. Carl Frederick Zoch was the director of
the estates of the Polish Count Dzieduszicki, and
on one of these estates in the province of Posen
his son Herman was born. He began his edu-
cation with a private tutor, later studying in the
state gymnasium at Halle, Saxony, and then
graduating from the Thomas gymnasium at
Leipsic. His musical career which his native
al)ility gave promise of being so brilliant com-
menced in the Royal Conservatory of Music at
Leipsic, where he studied the piano under Carl
Reinecke, Jadassohn and Coccius, the first two
being his instructors in counterpoint and compo-
sition. He finished a six-year course in three
years receiving at his graduation the first prize
in piano playing. He studied for several months
in Paris, and then for two years was in Munich
where he associated with the leading musicians
of the day and performed for Joseph Rheinberger
that famous composer's piano concerto, op. 94,
which he later introduced at concerts in Berlin
and Leipsic. He toured through the principal
cities of Germany, Leipsic, Berlin, Munich, Vi-
enna, Gotha and others, and gave a series of piano
recitals that added much to his rapidly increasing
reputation as an artist and pianist. I^e left Ger-
many in 1883 to come to America and a year later
located in Minneapolis where he has been en-
gaged as a teacher of piano and in concert ami
recital work. Since 1889 he has made three con-
cert tours and has given piano recitals in Bos-
ton, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Syracuse, St. Louis,
Indianapolis, Louisville, Cincinnati, and played at
the Music Teachers' National Convention at
Cleveland in 1892. During the time he has re-
sided in Minneapolis he has given some four
score recitals, not including recitals in St. Paul,
Duluth and those of his eastern trips; among
which have been three Beethoven evenings, com-



prised of the last five sonatas of that master, Bee-
thoven's Emperor-Concerto in E Flat with Or-
chestra twice, four Brahms evenings, one Schu-
bert evening, and in the fall of 1906 he gave in
one evening the forty-eight "Songs without
Words" by Mendelssohn. Mr. Zoch has won an
enviable reputation as an instructor of the piano
and is recognized as a performer of great merit.
His programs, on which appear such names as
Beethoven, Schuman, Chopin, Brahms, Liszt,
Rheinberger, Rubinstein, Handel, Henselt,
Joseffy, Jensen, Raff, Tausig, Scarlatti, Heller,
Wagner, Reinecke and others, reveal his wonder-
ful repertoire, and give some insight into the con-
tinuous labor at his art that has given Mr. Zoch
a place in the front rank of present day musicians.




iii:i;m.\.\,\ zoru.



CHAPTER XI.



ART, ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING



A



S in must wL-stern cities — or new cities
in any land — IMinneapolis gave tardy
-recognition to things artistic. Utility
was the first consideration in the young
city and during all her earlier years the
strife for gain shut out thought of the
beautiful. However the city was often visit-
ed by artists attracted by the picturesque
location and surroundings. As early as 1848
Henry Lewis, an artist of some reputation in
those days, visited St. Anthony and made
sketches of the falls, and afterwards execut-
ed a number of paintings, some of which are
still in existence in Minneapolis. Another
early visitor was Frank B. Mayer, who was
]jresent at the Indian treaty of Traverse des
Sioux in 1851, and afterwards made a paint-
ing which hangs in the Minnesota State
Historical Society's galler}'. Capt. Seth
Eastman, whose water color sketch is un-
doubtedly the earliest painting of the Falls
in existence, was commandant at the Fort
in 1841 and was employed by the govern-
ment in the fifties to make sketches illus-
trating Indian life and customs.

In the nature of things it was Inanv years
before it was possible for an artist to estab-
lish himself permanently in the city, and it
was not until 1883 when the .Minneapolis
Society of Fine Arts was organized, that art
began tn ha\-e a definitely appointed place
in the city's life. Tlu' formation of the
society was largely dne to the efforts of
Dr. W. W. Folweil, then president of the
university, who with twenty-four others,
were the charter nieiidiers. I'or several
years the society only Iield anntial ex-
hibitions but in 1886 the School of Pint- Arts
was opened under the direction of l)uugl;is
Volk who brought to the imdertaking
at Minneapolis a high order of ability, and
whose early work gave abundant promise



of his later distinction as an artist. For
several years the school occupied temporary
quarters. Upon the completion of the pub-
lic library in 1889 the school occupied rooms
in the building and has since remained
there, gradually increasing its student body
and occupying more space from year to
year. Mr. Volk was succeeded in 1893 by
Robert Koehler who has since remained in
charge of the school with continued success.
This school maintains classes in antique art,
still life, portrait painting, water colors, and
departments for decorative design, handi-
crafts and architecture. There are now
about two hundred students. -Annual ex-
hibitions have lieen maintained and for
some years exhibitions of art photography
have been held occasionally.

In iSijS the Chalk and Chisel club was
formed. The name was afterwards changed
to the Arts and Crafts Society and the or-
ganization has the honor of being the oldest
of the arts and crafts societies of the coun-
try. Its purpose includes the development
of all the lines of art work and bi-annual
exhiliitions are held. .\mong its active
members is Miss Mary Moulton Cheney,
who is president in igo8.

The great interest in the rc\-i\;d of art
in handicraft made possible the institu-
tion (if the Handicraft (Inild which has
dexeloped rajiidly and in four years occu-
pied a building erected especially for its
use. It has taken a most cfiicient part in
the de\elopnient of .artistic taste in the city.
ISesides maintaining and conducting a
school of design in which there is instruc-
tion in pottery making, metal work, leather
work, book-binding, wood work, wood carv-
ing, wood block printing, water color and
other arts, the guild maintains permanent
exhibition and sales rooms. In the building



ART, ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING



125



is a beautiful assembly hall and the Guild
is to a large extent the center of aesthetic
activity in Minneapolis. Its organization
and rapid progress is largely due to tlic
work of Misses M. Emma Roberts and Flor-
ence Wales, president and secretary, res-
pectively. Miss Roberts had been for some
years supervisor of drawing in the public
schools of the city and is responsible for
the excellent progress which has been made
in the schools notwithstanding man}- ob-
stacles. Miss Wales had been a teacher of
art in the Central high school and is an ac-
complished artist in water color.

Another artistic influence is that of the
Craftshouse where the art work of Mr. John
S. Bradstreet finds expression. Air. I'.rad-
street has long been identified with the art