- Theodore Thomas (conductor)
Theodore Thomas (
October 11 ,1835 –January 4 ,1905 ) was an Americanviolin ist and conductor of German birth. He is considered the first renowned American orchestral conductor, and the founder and first music director of theChicago Symphony Orchestra .Thomas was born in
Esens ,Germany . His father Johann was the town "Stadtpfeifer" (bandleader) who also arranged music for state occasions. Thomas showed interest in the violin at an early age, and by age ten, he was practically the breadwinner of the family, performing at weddings, balls, and even in taverns. By 1845, Johann Thomas and his family, convinced there was a better life for a respected musician in America, packed their belongings and made the six-week journey toNew York City . Thomas soon became a regular member of several pit orchestras, including the Park, the Bowery, and the Niblo. By the time he was fifteen years old, he set off on his own, touring the United States performing violin recitals. During this time Thomas served as his own manager, ticket sales, and press agent. Thomas returned to New York in 1850 where he began his studies conducting withKarl Eckert andLouis Antoine Jullien . In 1854 at the age of nineteen he was invited to play with the Philharmonic Society's orchestra and later joined forces with American pianistWilliam Mason to form the Mason-Thomas concerts. This venture lasted nearly thirteen years until his founding of the Theodore Thomas Orchestra in 1862. In 1864, Thomas began a series of summer concerts with his orchestra, first in New York City, and later inPhiladelphia ,Cincinnati ,Saint Louis ,Milwaukee , and eventuallyChicago . The orchestra toured regularly and received consistent critical and popular acclaim, despite persistent financial setbacks. One such setback occurred onOctober 9 ,1871 , when he and his orchestra arrived in Chicago for a new concert series where they learned large portions of the city were destroyed by fire the night before, including theCrosby Opera House where he was to perform. The orchestra was ultimately dissolved in 1888. Thomas was also music director of theNew York Philharmonic in 1877-78 and from 1879 to 1891, as well as the musical director of the short-livedAmerican Opera Company in New York in 1886. Thomas always received an enthusiastic welcome in Chicago. In 1889,Charles Norman Fay , a Chicago businessman and devoted supporter of the Theodore Thomas Orchestra, encountered Thomas in New York and inquired whether he Would come to Chicago if he was given a permanent orchestra. Thomas's legendary reply was, "I would go tohell if they gave me a permanent orchestra." OnDecember 17 ,1890 , the first meeting for incorporation of the Orchestral Association, organized by Fay, was held at theChicago Club . Less than one year later on October 16 and 17, 1891, the first concerts of the Chicago Orchestra, led by Thomas, were given at theAuditorium Theatre . The concert includedRichard Wagner 's "Faust" Overture,Tchaikovsky 's Piano Concerto No. 1 withRafael Joseffy , Beethoven's Symphony No 5, andAntonin Dvořák 's "Hussite" Overture. During his tenure, Thomas introduced several new works to his Chicago audiences, including the United States premieres of works ofAnton Bruckner , Dvořák,Edward Elgar ,Alexander Glazunov ,Edvard Grieg ,Jules Massenet ,Bedřich Smetana , Tchaikovsky, and his personal friendRichard Strauss who became the orchestra's first guest conductor, appearing with his wifePauline de Ahna in April 1904 at Thomas's invitation. Thomas, who was never completely satisfied with theAuditorium Theatre (finding it far too cavernous and nearly impossible to sell over 3,000 tickets twice weekly), fully realized his dream of a permanent home, whenOrchestra Hall , designed by the Chicago architectDaniel H. Burnham , was completed. Thomas led the dedicatory concert onDecember 14 ,1904 . He would only lead two weeks of subscription concerts in the new hall, after contractinginfluenza during rehearsals for the dedicatory concert. Though he continued with his customary vigor, he conducted his beloved Chicago Orchestra for the last time on Christmas Eve 1904 and died ofpneumonia onJanuary 4 ,1905 .References
Further reading
*cite book|last=Thomas|first=Theodore|coauthors=George Putnam Upton|date=1905|publisher=A.C. McClurg & Co|title=Theodore Thomas, a Musical Autobiography
url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KWnMlOfdrZ4C&printsec=frontcover&dq=theodore+thomas+musical+autobiography+upton&ei=0r03R7DrGozkiQHb4pD7AQ
location=Chicago|oclc=932580[Category:Naturalized citizens of the United States]
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