A Cyclopaedia of Canadian Biography: Being Chiefly Men of the Time by Rose
1886. In this a monster chorus of over nine hundred voices, accompanied
916 words | Chapter 126
by an orchestra of one hundred skilled musicians, sang Handel’s “Israel
in Egypt” and Gounod’s “Mors et Vita” with a degree of musical splendor
that astonished every auditor. The soloists were of world-wide repute,
being Fraulein Lilli Lehmann, Mrs. E. Aline Osgoode, Mrs. Gertrude
Luther, Miss Agnes Huntington, Mr. Albert L. King, Mr. Max Heinrich, Mr.
D. M. Babcock, Mr. Frederic Archer, Mr. Otto Bendix, Mme. Josephine
Chatterton, Herr Henry Jacobsen, and Mr. Fred Warrington. Two
miscellaneous concerts were also given in which the soloists and
orchestra were assisted by a chorus of over one thousand three hundred
school children, in whose training he was ably assisted by E. W. Schuch
and A. P. Perrin. Mr. Torrington conducted these performances, which
have been unparalleled outside of four or five of the largest American
cities. The support and interest of the public were most gratifying, the
receipts being $13,561.48, yielding a net profit, after all expenses
were paid of $599.19, and entirely obviating the necessity of calling on
the immense guarantee fund of $35,000. In the respect of being
self-sustaining, the festival was unique, this rarely being the case,
even in the largest cities of the United States. The ability of the city
to provide such immense choral forces, and to support such an
undertaking so liberally, may clearly be traced to the confidence placed
in Mr. Torrington by the musical public, and to the great influence
exerted by his unwearied efforts to advance and popularise the cause of
true and pure music in Toronto. Mr. Torrington has laboured assiduously
to organise a permanent orchestra in Toronto, and his efforts have been
crowned with success; an efficient orchestra of sixty instrumentalists
being now one of the chief musical features of the city, and one of its
principal musical educators. Mr. Torrington’s wisdom in introducing the
amateur element into this orchestra is shown by the fact that a
well-balanced band, which is capable of performing oratorio
accompaniments, is now in active life in the city. His labors have
extended to Hamilton, where, as conductor of the Hamilton Philharmonic
Society, he has produced “The Lay of the Bell,” “Messiah,” “Elijah,”
“Hymn of Praise,” “Naaman,” “Rose of Sharon,” “The Three Holy Children,”
and “Samson.” As conductor of the University College Glee Club, he has
produced Mendelssohn’s music to “Antigone,” and Max Bruch’s “Frithjof.”
As a composer, he has produced several church services, hymn tunes,
organ voluntaries, secular choruses and songs. Mr. Torrington was
brought up a member of the Church of England, but has for many years
been connected with the Methodist church as organist. He is a Freemason,
being a life member of Ionic lodge, Toronto, and is a fellow and gold
medallist of the Society of Science, Letters and Art, London, England.
He has also been, for the past five years, director of the musical
department of the Ontario Ladies’ College, Whitby.
* * * * *
=Owens, John=, St. John, New Brunswick, an enterprising ship-builder and
shipowner, but better known in these latter days as a public spirited
and philanthrophic citizen, was born in St. John, New Brunswick, in the
year 1790, and died in his native city in the year 1867. The Owens Art
Institution of St. John is the outcome of his bequest “to be applied by
his executors for the purpose of establishing a gallery, or school of
art, for the instruction of young persons in drawing and other works of
art.” The fact of this institution having been created without any
outside assistance, and of its being operated with the view to be
self-sustaining through voluntary support on its merits alone, warrants
some reference to the circumstances which led up to its present
efficiency as a thoroughly equipped art educational establishment.
Hence, it may be said, the amount left for art purposes proving to be
quite inadequate to effect the object as set forth, led the executors to
believe the testator intended the amount so left to be merely a nucleus,
to be added to by other persons desirous of promoting a love for the
fine arts. From the outset the money was much sought after, but the fund
remained unapplied, in consequence of all propositions for its use being
destitute of the practical and financial accompaniments which the
executors deemed absolutely necessary for the accomplishment of the
object, in accordance with the terms of the will. A church property,
together with a limited endowment fund, formed another bequest, vested
in five trustees and their successors, the clergyman officiating in the
church to be of either the Methodist, Presbyterian, Baptist, Independent
or Episcopal persuasion. By reason of a combination of restrictions and
limitations governing the trust, so much difficulty was experienced in
its administration that a cessation of the church services took place in
the year 1882, with little prospect of their early renewal. In this
state of the two interests it became the opinion of the then sole
surviving executor, Robert Reed, and the trustees of the church estate,
namely, Robert Reed, Francis Jordan, Thomas Jordan, John Hegan, and
Andrew D. Robertson, the latter having succeeded John Duncan, deceased,
who was Mr. Owens’ business partner for about forty years, under the
firm of Owens & Duncan, that if the several trusts were concentrated
upon art, that object which the testator had in view might possibly be
carried out; whereupon they joined in an application to the legislature
to change the trusts, which was done by an act passed in the session of
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