| Show m 0 O r H n BI 0 iI How the Leading Alto Took to Court a- a aa aHer a Her Troubles With Her Fellow Singers I Y t I Singers in a New York Church I r I i Choir and Made a Jury Declare Her HerBoth Both Botha a Real Artist and a Perfect L P j 7 I 1 Lady t g tP P 1 J rt i r rrt V As the singers singer r f stood food silent and the rumbling of the ors or- organ or choirmaster 1 gan died away the choirmaster Rang fl n 6 his baton noisily to the the floor clapped his f hands overhill over hill hie ears earll and twisted J his features feature into an ex- ex ex expression v i s premon of 4 r intense an- an anger angel ger an-ger ands s gel ger and disgust c Ave 1 4 Peace Pea perfect peace pe at a B this dark world of 01 surf suit 5 TM The blood of Je Jer Je r i iT MIE HE men and women of the choir THE T of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church Churchin Churchin in New York had gone just thIS far in the famous hymn when they were called to a sudden halt right in the middle ofa of a word by the loud pounding of the cho choirmasters choirmaster's asters aster's baton on his musIc stand Both the interruption and what followed were anything but like the per peace which the verses of the hymn so impressively picture f As the singers stood s silent ent and the rumbling of the Organ died away the choirmaster John Cushing flung hIS baton angrily to the floor clipped clapped his hands over his ears and twisted his fea- fea features features fea features tures into an expression of intense anger and disgust Quite evidently he was not pleased with the singing of Peace per per- perfect perfect perfect peace It was a minute or two before he got control of himself enough to give any hint of just how bow his musical soul had been wounded just what fault of tone or tempo had driven en dm en him to this tempera temperamental mental display of feeling Miss Gaynor he shouted at the top of his lus voice Are you singing at all night tonight to I am unable to hear you The attractive young woman whom he addressed was Miss Winifred Ga Gaynor Ganora nor a niece of the late William Wilham J Gaynor former Mayor of New York She was a newcomer to the choir having been en- en engaged engaged en engaged as the leading alto only last May Now Miss Gaynor was not accustomed o being talked to like that Her rich contralto voice has been trained under some of the best teachers both in this country and abroad and never before had bad she heard anything but praise and admiration for the way she handled it The same fighting spirit that made old Mayor Gaynor such uch a memorable figure In public life rose within her lIer eyes flashed her cheeks blazed at the thought that Mr Cushing should have ha havet othe ha t the audacity to lay on her talented self the whole burden of his dissatISfaction With his old choir I am singing as loudly as I think I should she replied And the way she emphasized the word should made It as plain as anything that she thought the choirmasters choirmaster's musical judgment was well well not so good Now it was Mr Cushing's turn to be flabbergasted He tie was not in the habit of having his singers talk back to him hID himIn In the face of his frequent severe criticisms they usually were abashed rather than defiant Ue lIe bit his lip hp wondering how bow he could best teach this saucy litlo a lesson But before he could decide how to meet thin unprecedented situation Miss Gay Gay- Gaynor's Gays Gaynor's nors nor's rising indignation was bO boiling boding over ver verin in a flow of still angrier words SAnd And any way vay she cried there isn't any harmony in this choir The I sopranos arc are their notes and the altos alias alto ate xo II I flat fiat and the mens men's men er erl l 3 a a w t ryr 5 n f v km t a F Fb Fk b k f John Cushing dishing the choirmaster who lost the suit Miss Gaynor brought against him v voices voices are arc no good at all They sound like a n bunch of cats I Mr Cushing listened like a man too stunned with surprise to speak MIss Gaynor's fellow singers gasped theIr amazement They were used to hearing the choirmaster tell them how poorly they sang but to have ha one of their own number do it and actually call caU them a bunch of cats well cats well that was the pose live tive limit Only Mrs Kinyon one of the sopranos could smother her resentment enough to tomake tomake tomake make hervay her way vay to Miss Gaynor's side and try to quiet the young womans woman's anger Mr Cushing is a perfectly lovely ely man and a brilliant musician whispered Il Mrs rs Kinyon on but he is nel nervous nelous ous and high strung You must use diplomacy with him hum as I do Right then and there the soprano lost the reputation as peacemaker which sho had gained gamed in m previous rows in m the choir What she said made only Miss Gaynor's wrath blaze up mar more hotly hoUy than ever Mr Cushing is no gentleman she cried in lD tones the choirmaster could hardly have missed if t he had been blocks away aay ay Use diplomacy with sucha such a creature Not for a minute To ii- ii h with Mr Cushing Miss Gaynor later denied having sug aug suggested any such unpleasant destination for the choirmaster but in court the theother theother theother other day several of the choir singers swore that this was exactly what she said They recalled in great detail on the witness stand how astounded they had been at the use of such language to their revered conductor and conductor and right m in mchurch church too There was no more rehearsing that evening All thoughts of Peace per per- per per- perfect peace peate had vanished before this clash o of artistic temperaments Miss Gaynor flounced out of the tho J N church alone None of the tenors or basses i jl offered to escort f her home The TheU m rest of the sing sing- singers sing t ers remained to to i t get their breath and offer their B m mI I condolences to H toI Mr and I tell him bum what the t they h e y thought of such behavior II IIi i on the part of oft t the leader of the altos tf The next day I dl y emissaries emissaries- fromI from I Mr Cushing and the other church authorities authorities authon- authon ties called on MIss Gaynor and suggested that she Im- Im Immediately immediately im immediately mediately resign from the choir But Butto Butto Butto to their dismay she refused to do any any- anything anything anything thing of the kind The church could no not allow this If Muss MIss Gaynor were permitted to continue singing the rest of the choir and Mr Cushing would quit So the vestry sent her a note formally dismissing her for her dIsobedIence and inability to read her music properly The indignation Winifred Gaynor had felt and shown when Mr Cushing had shouted his criticism of her singing was wasas wasas wasas as nothing to what followed the reading of this letter She did not mind the charge of disobedience but the reflection reflection reflection tion on her musical ab that ability ability that that was qUite unendurable The idea Idu that she could not read prop prop- properly properly properly erly the simple music of the church service she ice ice she a young woman who studied years for years at the English Royal Academy whose rendition o of difficult grand opera and whose arias wins wms the highest praise artistry is commended by no less an au- au authority authority au authority than Mana the famous composer Miss Gaynor's artistic soul writhed under the indignity that she felt had been thrust upon her If It there was as a law in the land she determined that Holy Trinity Church should be made to suffer for this gross insult to her musical abili abili- abilities abili- abili abilities abilities ties And she was as ea eager er to be revenged on that lunch bunch of cats in m the choir as she was upon its leader and the mems mem mem- members members bers of the church vestry It was her fellow singers jealousy of her talent she suspected th that t had Inspired the ridiculous lous loua and cruet cruel charges on which she was being kicked out as one would kick out a dishonest servant So the hateful letter in her hand she hurried off to tell her troubles to a lawyer The lawyer told her that the best way for her to get a 11 public vindication would be to sue the church for the salary It would have had to p pay y her for the re- re remainder re remainder of her year i car if it had no not nob broken the contract To this Miss Mi s Gaynor final final- finally finally finally ly agreed although she that she care a hoot about the money Ioney m- m in involved but only wanted her ber musical mu cal self set right in the eyes of the world Suit was duly brought and tie tre case came up for trial the other day in the tho New York Municipal Court Court before Judge Murray and a jury A very ely li affair the trial proved and it showed that choir singers can be just as temperamental and as spitefully jealous of one another as any grand opera prima donnas Miss Gaynor was the first Witness called by her attorney As she walked briskly to the witness stand she flashed a disdainful look at the group of singers from the Holy Trinity choir who ho had rallied to the defense of Mr Cushing and were waiting wailing the opportunity to tea tea- tes q that the former leading alto was a II trouble maker In her hand Miss Gaynor carried earned a roll of sheet music musIc- n She had come to court prepared to render for the judge and Jur jury a repertory of songs to prove how fine her voice is and what good good cause it gave the less Ll capable and well ell trained singers of the choir to be jealous of her Her attorney however had feared that hat Judge Murray might object to his courtroom transformed into a con con- concert concert cert hall and so Miss Gaynor had to be bec c content with intoning her answers on the witness stand in order to show oft off as muchas much as possible the pure gold of her contralto voice rrt cl ar rolling tones that resounded pleasantly through the courtroom the little singer described her engagement by the church to sing for one year She vehemently denied that she had ever criticized Mr Cushing Gushing or her fellow sing sing- singers singers else to ers in public or done anything cause trouble It is true she admItted that she had offered Mr Cushing out of the wealth of h her her r musical experience sug sug- suggestions suggestions for improving the choir but she insisted that she had bad done this only With the kindest of intentions Then Mr Cushing took the stand for forthe forthe forthe the defense seeming somewhat preoccuPied preoccupied preoccupied pied and very nervous He was asked on cros examination cross if he had not thought Miss Gaynor's voice remarkably beautiful when he first engaged her Yes Mr replied MIss Gaynor has a fine voice but her artistic technique fa failed ed to come up to the promise prom prom- promise ise of her voice But you managed to get along very well with her singing for a whole seven months Yes was the reply but bin the strain at last became too much for the nerves of the other singers and myself After Mr Cushing had told his story various vanous members of the choir were called to support his criticism of Miss Miss Gaynor's musical ability and prove her a dis disturbing element in m the choir Mrs Kinyon a matronly soprano tes tea testified that she had been sitting directly behind Miss Gaynor on the night of the final clash dash Miss Gaynor might have been singing she said but it was not loud enough to count in the general effect That was the time when she del de denounced the choir for singing off ofT the key wasn't IU it the lawyer for tor th the the church asked Yes I And how was the choir singing on that o occasion caSlon Mrs Kinyon Beautifully Had Miss Gaynor at any time reflect reflect- reflected reflected reflected ed upon Mr Cushing's character r and his ability as a choirmaster Yes she bhe told me that he was no gen gen- gentleman gentleman and did not know how bow to do hIS work And what else did she say in is refer refer- reference reference reference ence to him T Here Hera Mr Mrs Mrs Kinyon became beame very un- un uncomfortable uncomfortable un uncomfortable comfortable Her face mantled with blushes and she begged to be spared the embarrassment of repeating the shocking words Miss Gaynor had used At last she lowered her voice to a whisper bare bare- barely barely ly loud enough for the judge and jury to hear and named the not at allchurch all church church- churchly churchly church ly ly place to which she swore Miss Gaynor had consigned the choir leader Mrs Mn Kinyon was followed to the stand standby standby standby by Miss Mus Ann an alto and other members of the choir They all aU testified that Miss Gaynor had spoken in the most disparaging terms of Mr Cushing's per per- personal per per- personal and professional qualities There was they all agreed no ground for her criticisms of him He was an altogether delightful man a para paragon of courtesy U t J f Cf- Cf c J 1 i j ft it t 1 1 t w a h Sr 1 s 1 IJ I 9 n na r a bk I I s s v w M 12 a Miss Miss Winifred Gaynor niece niece of the late Mayor Mayor Gaynor rehearsing 4 r rpt pt one of the songs she was anxious to sing in court but j did not get the chance to r 4 K Kand rf and professional s efficiency and a aleader v vs x i ay x leader u under n d e r whom It was a pleasure and anda a s h t privilege to Y w 0 Y r wm tos r R In cross ex MIs M i ito s S Fan lor MIss ar art t y r r Gaynor's attar attar- attorney e ney tried to establish the t h e i fact fact that MIss Missa a 1 had been r J f J Jeager t C t eager to stIr ai 1 1 up ill feeling against the lead lead- I J mg alto because Holy Trinity Episcopal Church New York the scene of she hoped to get the jealous choir 9 quarrel that boiled over into court her place At last the evidence was all an in and the the jury retired to deliberate on boss Gaynor's musical abilities and whether she or done an thing during her seven months in the choir that would justify the tho church in breaking its con con- contract contract con contract tract with her The jurymen were out less than ten minutes and when hen they filed back into the courtroom it was wIth the verdict that Miss Gaynor wa was in m no noay noway noway way ay responsible for the tho disturbance of the choll choirs choir's peace or for causing it to sing any less angelically than it should and that she she was entitled to collect from the church the salary for the remaining five months of her contract Of courle coude course Miss Gaynor was WIlS jubilant She thanked her lucky stars th that t she had had enough of the tho spunk for which Mayor Gaynor Garnor w was s fam famous us to go into 1 T court and prove the the falsity of the charges that but an ac- ac accomplished ac accomplished musical artist anda and a very sweet young woman But the spunky spunk little contralto says she is not yet through with those cats of the tho choir who w o she believes made all I this trouble forber simply because they were ere jealous of her her- superior talent When she she makes h hers but on the con con- concert concert con concert cert stage as she expects to in the near future she is is going to tAJ send Mrs Kinyon Miss Mr Gushing Cushing and anil andall all the tho thorest rest complimentary cOl tickets 1 I That will be a very satisfying way of getting even with th the singers whose spiteful ul jealousies sho sho believes believes cost her hera hera er II a good good lob job and and put pot tier her for tOl a time In avery a II avery very p be before or tbs tho th public public public- I t i l A J |
