On November 22, 1868, at 242 South Pearl
Street- the Lokale of John Wass, Albany’s newest Gesängvereine or singing society came into existence as the Eintracht Singing Society. Eintracht had eighteen founding
members. The group strove to cultivate
German song and music becoming the largest and most respected singing society
in Albany. They met every Wednesday
evening at 371 South Pearl Street, known as Andes’ Halle circa 1875 and
later the location became known as Eintracht Halle.
Eintracht also participated in
numerous singing competitions in Albany and in surrounding locales. They won first prize at many music festivals,
including the gala sponsored by the Utica Maenner Chor in July 1874, at
the event promoted by the Schenectady, New York Quartett Club in 1879, and also
at the June 21, 1880 competition of the Troy Maenner Chor held at Troy
Music Hall. The Troy Männerchor welcomed
and escorted the visiting societies to the music hall, and then treated them to
a picnic at Young’s Grove. Professor
Peter Schneider, organist for the Irish Saint Mary’s Church in Albany, was one
of the judges. Eintracht took third prize on August 24, 1880 at the Sängerfest
of the Rondout, New York Social Maenner Chor. Notably, in July 1882 Eintracht took
home a prize at the Thirteenth National Sängerfest in Philadelphia. Before leaving for the Sängerfest, Eintracht
made a short parade through the streets, preceded by the Albany City Band to
the steamboat landing where they embarked.
After the singing competition, Eintracht headed a grand parade of
visiting societies and proceeded to Schuetzenpark in Philadelphia where
judges awarded prizes.
The society
arranged and held a successful Saengerfest in Albany in 1878, and again
on June 25, 1883 with a Grand Sängerfest held in Colling’s Grove. Visiting societies came from Rondout,
Schenectady, Hudson, and Troy. There was
no competition or awards surprisingly but much singing with “the woods
r[i]ng[ing] with the merry shouts as the numerous tales of the Fatherland were
related over beer glasses and pretzels.”[i] Before the affair the Albany Argus
reported- “the event is being looked forward to with much pleasurable
anticipation, and will, no doubt, be one of an extreme social nature.”[ii]
On July 23, 1883, both Eintracht and Cäcilia
traveled to Rondout to attend the festival of its sister society. The Twentieth Anniversary of the Beethoven Männerchor
from New York City brought seventy-five members of Eintracht, the
Rochester Männerchor, and the Utica Männerchor to the metropolis
by train on July 20, 1884. The Albany
Argus detailed the return of the Eintrachts as royally received and
banqueted by sister societies when,
At
7:45, last night, the Eintracht Singing society [sic] returned from
their trip to New York city [sic]. They
were met at the depot by the Mozart society and the Albany Maenner
Quartette, headed by the Albany City band and escorted to Eintracht hall,
on South Pearl street [sic]. …The Mozart
club …and the MaennerQuartette … turned out about fifty members
each. The entire route of march was
illuminated by colored fires, Roman candles and other pyrotechnic display, in
honor of the old and favorite society.
…All three societies then sat down to an elaborate banquet and several
hours were spent in a pleasant manner.[iii]
Eintracht sent seventy-nine singers to Syracuse for
the Seventh Sängerfest of the Central New York Sängerbund in
1913.
Aside from hosting and
participating in singing competitions, Eintracht also held annual summer
picnics complete with parades to the picnic grounds. In 1886, Eintracht had 38 active, 175
passive, and 4 honorary members. Eleven
years later, the group numbered 32 active and 160 passive members. [iv]
[i] Albany Argus, June 26, 1883, 6:2.
[ii] Albany Argus, June 21, 1883, 8:4.
[iii] Albany Argus, July 25, 1884, 8:4.
[iv] Albany Argus, June 23, 1880, 8:4; June 29,
1882, 8:4; July 4, 1884, 8:4. Howell and Tenney, eds., History of the County of Albany, N. Y., pp. 744-745. Albany
Täglicher Herold, Geschichte der
Deutschen in Albany und Troy, pp. 77, 167.
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