Manitowoc Germans hosted Saengerfest of Eastern Wisconsin in 1897
On June 10, 1897, The Manitowoc Pilot reported the fourth annual Grand Song Festival of German singing societies of Eastern Wisconsin would be held Saturday and Sunday, June 19-20, at the Turner Opera House in Manitowoc.
The Eastern Wisconsin Saengerbund was composed of singing groups from Calumet, Manitowoc, Kewaunee, Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties. Fourteen choral groups and 400 voices were expected to attend, promising to make it one of the largest gatherings held in the city.
German immigrants brought the song-festival, or Saengerfest, tradition to Wisconsin and Manitowoc County during the 19th century. National, state and regional Saengerfests drew hundreds of singers from local Saengerbunds for public concerts attended by thousands of people.
Local committees made preparations to welcome the guests and give them a proper reception. Streets were decorated with garlands of evergreens, flags and arches with electric lamps that were illuminated at night to beautify the city.
Saturday’s Saengerfest began at 3 in the afternoon at Turner Hall, where Mayor Thomas Torrison welcomed the guests and presented them with a floral key to the city. Henry Vits, president of the Concordia Singing Society, Manitowoc’s oldest German singing group formed in 1847, also addressed the large gathering.
More history: Manitowoc shipbuilders crafted the best-known schooner on the Great Lakes and helped launch the shipbuilding industry
German singing societies came from Port Washington, Sheboygan, Plymouth, Brillion, Newton, Kiel, Chilton, Two Rivers, Manitowoc and Kewaunee. Many arrived for the occasion by special trains with half fare rates from Milwaukee, Fond du Lac and Appleton, and on lake excursion boats.
Saturday evening’s grand concert featured instrumental and vocal music. The program opened with the orchestra playing the Grand March from Tannh?user, an opera by Richard Wagner. This was followed by male, mixed and children choruses, soloists (both male and female) and orchestral selections. Musical works included arias, folk songs, opera overtures and romantic classical pieces by mostly German but also Austrian, Swiss, Czech, French and Norwegian composers.
Manitowoc’s three German singing societies (Concordia, Harmonia and Freier Saengerbund) participated, as did other groups from the county (Two Rivers’ Liedertafel, Newton’s Liederkranz and Kiel’s Maennerchor). Neighboring groups from Eastern Wisconsin were also featured. The concert ended with a chorus of 300 voices with orchestra accompaniment, directed by George Urban of the Manitowoc Freier Saengerbund.
Sunday’s activities included a street parade and afternoon picnic at Gerpheide Park (now the site of Froedtert Holy Family Memorial Hospital), which was attended by an estimated 5,000 people. The singing festival concluded with an evening dance at Turner Hall. By 10 p.m., all the special trains and boats had left and “quiet once more reigned” in the city.
More history: Manitowoc’s Henry Baetz: a German immigrant, Union soldier and public servant who was Wisconsin's sixth state treasurer
The Pilot on June 24, 1897, reported Manitowoc’s Saengerfest “was a success in every respect.” Members of the German singing societies spoke kindly of the manner in which they were welcomed and entertained. The song-festival fostered a spirit of Gemütlichkeit (friendliness and good cheer) among the choral groups and the thousands of people attending the weekend event.
The next Grand Song Festival of German singing societies of Eastern Wisconsin was held at Chilton in 1898. Kiel hosted the gathering in 1901.
Bob Fay is a historian and former executive director of the Manitowoc County Historical Society.
This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc Germans hosted Saengerfest of Eastern Wisconsin in 1897
