[Harp-L] 3500 Harmonica Players in Philadelphia



3,500 Harmonica Players
in Philadelphia Contest
presented by the Evening Ledger.
The Washington School from Moore, Pa.,
won first prize in the outside of the city contest,
with the Glen Mills School for Boys,
second; and the Old York Road Rotary Club
Harmonica Band third.
Fred Smith, a negro boy, was awarded a
complete wardrobe donated by Strawbridge &
Clothier for the most deserving boy. He never
Sixth Annual Event in Quaker City Demonstrates Remarkable missed a rehearsal although he walks miles to
practice.
The smallest harmonicist in Philadelphia next
held the center of the stage when Kenneth
Goodrich, age four, was presented. Mr. Hoxie
whispered into the ear of the diminutive virtuoso
who promptly produced a shiny harmonica
and proceeded to play to the immense
delight of the audience. He was presented with
a bright red scooter by Gimbel Bros, for his
efforts. While he was on the stage, another
youngster of about the same age and size, the
mascot of the visiting Baltimore Harmonica
Musical Capabilities of Instrument Before Packed Audience
in the Immense Baptist Temple
BAPTIST TEMPLE, Philadelphia, Pa., May 4.âThirty-five hundred youthful harmonica
players convinced an audience of several thousand Philadelphians, who filled every section
and the aisles of this immense temple of worship last night, that the harmonica is a musical
instrument of the finest possibilities.
The occasion was Philadelphia's sixth annual harmonica contest held as the culmination of
Hoys' Week. As a preliminary to the finals the audience was treated to the greatest demonstration
of harmonica music in history. The
entire gamut of human- emotions was touched
when choir after choir of youthful harmonica
voices followed each other in rapid succession
in a three-hour procession over the vast stage,
from the pathetic group of hopelessly crippled
boys and girls from the Widener ' School,
whose soulful playing of difficult arias brought
thunderous applause, to the magnificent rendition
of the "Poet and Peasant," overture by
the famous Philadelphia Harmonica Band with
its trim blue uniforms and its trained musicianship.
Albert D. Hoxie, internationally renowned
for his years of harmonica work with Philadelphia's
youngsters and worshiped as an ideal
by thousands of children and others now grown
to manhood, held the baton through the entire
program, which began with the singing of
"America" by the entire audience, doubly impressive
because every harmonica in the house
chimed in.
While the many hundreds of young harmonica
players, resplendent in gay uniforms
and effervescent with youthful spirit, were being
seated in orderly arrangement, Harry Kerr
gave a short organ recital, after which Mr.
Hoxie introduced the champions of the past
five years: James Tyson, Frank Kane, George
Woerner, Jr., Morris Passon and Warren
Smith, Jr., and the girl champions of the past
ihree years: Dorothy Ruth, Etta Silas and
Esther Black and Ruth Acker, the present
reigning queen who recently won the 1928 contest.
Then came an event which literally stunned
the audience. Led by a snappy young orchestra
who had the military manner of a West Point
graduate, the battalion of uniformed members
of the globe trotting Philadelphia Harmonica
Band filed into place on the platform. The
leader called his ranks to attention, saluted
smartly, and turned his band over to Albert N.
Hoxie. Hoxie rapped twice with his baton and
silence descended over the audience. The band
then proceeded to achieve almost the impossible,
sweeping through the intricacies of the
"Poet and Peasant" overture, with musicianship,
gliding through its difficult chromatic runs
Things Seen at the Philadelphia Contest
1. Harmonica Window of Strawbridge & Clothier. 2. Kay Kraus, winner of Boys' Section.
of Girls' Section. 4. Widener School Harmonica Band.
3. Ruth Aker, winner
Band, scrambled onto the stage and embraced
the Philadelphia favorite. The pair then proceeded
to play "America" as a harmonica duet.
The championship contestants next proceeded
to hold forth. The judges were Mr.
Hoxie, Mrs. Lena Blanche Jones and Fred
Sonnen. The competitors who had survived
a series of eliminations included a dozen of
Philadelphia's best harmonica players, and the
event was won by Ray Kraus, seventeen, who
played Mendelssohn's "Spring Song," followed
by a jazzy rendition of "Turkey in the Straw."
Second prize went to Eddie Hohlfeld, who
played "My Blue Heaven."
The bands that entered the group contest
from Philadelphia included the following: The
Crosson School, the Kirkbridge School, the
Southern Home for Friendless Children, the
Antlers Harmonica Band, the Presbyterian
{Continued on page 15)
without a single false note, and bringing the
audience to its feet at the conclusion with an
enthusiastic outburst of thunderous applause.
No high-salaried symphony orchestra or military
band ever did a finer job on this beautiful
overture.
With this musical appetizer over, Mr. Hoxie,
assisted by Fred Sonnen, then went into the
regular program, starting with the group contests
which included eighteen bands averaging
about thirty members each, from Philadelphia,
and fifteen more bands from outside of Philadelphia
limits. First prize in this group went
to the Widener Memorial School, while second
prize went to the Claghorn School which won
first prize last year. Third prize was awarded
to Uncle Wit's Harmonica Band, led by Uncle
Wit of radio station WIP Gimbel Brothers,
Philadelphia.
These bands received silver trophy cups
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And I can hardly get students today.
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