The Euterpean Club facts for kids
The Euterpean Club is the oldest music club for women in Fort Worth, Texas. It's also one of the oldest in the entire state! Started in 1896, the club's main goal was to help women work hard and love "Good Music." The club joined the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs in 1901. Later, in 1923, it became a founding member of the Woman's Club of Fort Worth.
Contents
History of the Club
How the Club Started
The Euterpean Club began thanks to Wilber M. Derthick. He was a music expert, writer, and critic from Chicago. In the late 1800s, Wilber and his wife, May, sent people out to create local music clubs. These clubs were called Derthick Music-Literary Clubs. They used a special learning plan with flashcards to teach about music history, music theory, and famous musicians.
By 1895, Derthick said he had started over 200 such clubs. The Fort Worth club was one of many in Texas. Texas actually had more than 400 active music clubs, which was more than any other U.S. state! The Derthick Club of Fort Worth had its first meeting in 1896 at the home of Ida Jane Saunders. Later meetings were held at different members' homes.
Becoming the Euterpean Club
In 1898, the club decided to become independent from the Derthick system. They changed their name to the Euterpean Club. This name came from Euterpe, who was the Greek muse of music and poetry. The club stopped using the Derthick learning plan but kept the same members. They met every two weeks at members' homes, the Academy of Music, St. Paul's Methodist Church, and the Metropolitan Hotel.
In 1900, the Euterpean Club joined Fort Worth's City Federation. The next year, it became a delegate to the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs. In 1910, the Juvenile Euterpean Club was started. This was a club for both boys and girls, and it was the first music club for children in Texas!
The Euterpean Club often held contests for new musical compositions. This led to a book in 1912 called Texas Composers. During World War I, the club helped soldiers at Camp Bowie. They served lunches, organized weekly concerts at the local YWCA, and performed weekly organ concerts for soldiers at the First Christian Church.
In 1922, the club started broadcasting performances on the local radio station, WBAP. They also created the Junior Euterpean Club for boys and girls aged 8–14. In 1923, the club helped start the Woman's Club of Fort Worth. They celebrated their 25th anniversary with a performance that over 1200 people watched. They also formed a chamber music group. This group, led by Brooks Morris, later became the start of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.
In 1926, the club held two special concerts. In these concerts, many pianos played the same classical pieces together. One concert had 12 pianos, and another had 20 pianos! These concerts were led by Carl Venth, who was the dean of Texas Woman's College (now Texas Wesleyan University). Carl Venth also directed the Euterpean Club's choir in 1930 and 1931.
The club organized programs for the Texas state centennial celebration. These programs featured Texas composers like Radie Britain, David Guion, William J. Marsh, Oscar J. Fox, and Carl Venth. In 1939, they held a special memorial program for Anna Shelton, who founded the Woman's Club of Fort Worth. They also hosted the statewide meeting of the Texas Federation of Music Clubs.
During World War II, the club's programs featured performers from military bases like the Fort Worth Army Airfield and Camp Wolters. Members volunteered for the USO, helped recruit for the WAC, worked at hospitals, sold war bonds, and gave a piano to the Fort Worth Army Airfield.
In 1959, the club started a scholarship fund. Since then, they have given a scholarship every year to a local college or university student studying music.
The Euterpean Club is still an active club today, working under The Woman's Club of Fort Worth. They plan programs that include performances and studies in different music areas like strings, dance, opera, jazz, American Music, and sacred music. They continue to give an annual scholarship to a local college music student. The club has saved many of its historical items, books, and records. They share these items in displays at special events, like their Founder's Day Program on January 19, 2022. At this event, the City of Fort Worth recognized their 125th Anniversary. Also, their historian, Nancy Dobbs, received an award for her work in preserving their history on March 2, 2022.
Famous Members
- Actress and dancer Ginger Rogers was a member of the Juvenile Euterpean Club.
- Hallie Samuel Bewley, known as the "mother of art" in the Texas women's club movement.
- Ida Jane Saunders, a well-known local women's club leader.
- Honorary members included opera singer Helen Fouts Cahoon, composer Carl Venth, women's club figures Anna Shelton and Etta Newby, and Star-Telegram music critic E. Clyde Whitlock.
Notable Performers
- Merle Alcock
- Olive Kline
- Samuel S. Losh
- Flonzaley Quartet
- Florence Macbeth
- José Mojica
- Lambert Murphy
- Elly Ney
- E. Robert Schmitz
- Oscar Seagle
- Bernard U. Taylor
- Stuart Walker Portmanteau Theatre
- Reinald Werrenrath
First Performances
Several important musical works were performed for the very first time at Euterpean Club events:
- The White Enchantment by Charles Wakefield Cadman
- The Black Knight by Edward Elgar
- Hora Novissima by Horatio Parker
- The King's Henchman by Deems Taylor with words by Edna St. Vincent Millay
- The first full performance of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's series of songs, The Song of Hiawatha
More Information
- Euterpean Club yearbooks (1928–2020) are in the Fort Worth Public Library Archives.
- The Texas Composers book is in the Fort Worth Public Library Digital Archives.
