julliard

[pianistimo]

by andrea olmstead

augustus d. julliard - born at sea april 19, 1836 - to jean nicolas julliard (a shoemaker) and anna (burlette) julliard.  huguenots who were escaping religious persecution.  it was a three month voyage from france to america back then - so during that voyage, he was born aboard ship.

the family emigrated to ohio to work in dry goods and periodically made buying trips to new york.  augustus settled in ny and created the augustus d. julliard company which distributed textiles:  wool, silk, and cotton from the atlantic mills in providence, ri; the standard silk co in philly, new jersey; and cotton mills in georgia, north carolina; and from the ny mills corporation.  textile merchants back then became rich because they provided engine power (sails) for the great clipper ships.

in 1877 he married helen marcelus cossitt.  they built a house at 16 east 57th street in the 1870's and another house 11 west 57th street in 1905.  they had no children.  but, augustus was really 'into' opera.  he would regularly attend met performances and witnessed the booing of salome in 1907 - because it generated so much controversy.  when he learned that the met needed a storehouse, julliard personally set out to find a property.  but before construction could start, julliard died, and the met never got it's storehouse. 

'julliard's name became associated with a landmark supreme court case (julliard vs. greenman).  greenman owed julliard $5,100; to test the law he did not pay in gold but in two notes of us paper money, which julliard refused to accept.  the case tested the right of the government to issue paper money in time of peace and to give it legal-tender status.  the court was expected to rule with julliard...to everyone's surprise, however, julliard lost in a revolutionary eight-to-one decision, a victory for inflationists that pierced the states' rights constitutional theory.

 

[pianistimo]

ok.  augustus will set up a corporation known as the julliard musical foundation.  the two main beneficiaries were his nephew, fredrick, and the yet-to-be created foundation.  frederick julliard inherited 3 million outright along with the 11 west 57th house, another house --estate in tuxedo, ny - and its cars, as well as all jewels, personal effects, and julliard's box at the met.

frederick julliard was the 'son of augustus's brother, charles frederick julliard.  frederick was born in 1867 and graduated from the university of california in 1891.  he entered his uncle's textile manufacturing fim and lived with his uncle, eventually 'remaining in the house for thirty years.  the childless julliards treated frederick as if he were their own son.'

[pianistimo]

in a nutshell, the JMF (julliard musical foundation) trustees were named in the will as:  frederick julliard, james n. wallace, and charles h. sabin.  but at age 55, mr. wallace was at the doctors office and suddenly dropped dead.  a heart attack victim.  so, then george w. davison took his place.

frederick julliard picked eugene a. noble for the role of president.  he had never met augustus julliard - but frederick liked him.  he was not a philanthropist, nor a performer, nor a music educator.  he was a 55 year old methodist preacher preaching in schenactady, ny.  he had studied at wesleyan university and had been in the same fraternity as one of the trustees:  george davison. 

'the years 1920-21-22 passed without any discernible action on the part of noble or the foundation.  no money was paid to support a musical or concert organization.  in december 1922 - noble announced that students had been chosen for free musical education --although no names or numbers of students were given. 

in february 1923 the foundation was finally 'ready for applicants.'  incidentally, the ny times reported, it was disclosed that for the time being only those of american birth or citizenship will be eligible to the benefits of the foundation.'  this requirement was found nowhere in julliard's will, but the press never again raised the issue.  noble dictated another condition:  'the purpose of the foundation is to render a social service through music , and applications will be primarily investigated to determine the fitness of individual students to co-operate in such a service.' awards were given for one year at a time, and the maximum amount was $1000. worth of instruction.  the money went directly to the teachers, not to the students.

well, this book goes on forever.  it is a might one-sided - but an interesting read of history. 

in september 1924 noble 'revealed the names of the examining board who were to decide which of the many applicants would be admitted.  they were author henry h. bellamann, critics richard aldrich and lawrence gilman, conductor of the american orchestral society chalmers clifton, composer and associate conductor of the ny philharmonic henry hadley, composer charles m loeffler, and pianist ernest schelling. 

the first piano teachers on board:  ernest hutcheson, josef lhevinne, olga samaroff, erno von dohnanyi. the julliard graduate school had several yearsof too many teachers for the number of students. olga samaroff's first students included: eugene list, rosalyn tureck, william kappel, alexis weissenberg, and vincent persichetti.

[allchopin]

Pianistimo:

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[pianistimo]

i never use capital letters.  except for God.  it's just a quirk i have.  (speeds the typing process).

[allchopin]

i never use capital letters.  except for God.  it's just a quirk i have.  (speeds the typing process).

Although capitals wouldn't hurt, it's not the capitals I'm concerned about.

[pianistimo]

pray tell, what ARE you concerned about?

[sevencircles]

Dave Bryan from Bon Jovi actually went to Julliard (before Bon Jovi)

Most people here are propably much better then him so I guess that it proves that money is the most important factor if you wanna go there.

[allchopin]

It must be the Juilliard Syndrome of leaving out the first 'i' in the name .  Maybe Augustus and Jean should have changed their names right away and save us all the trouble.

[pianistimo]

oops.  what a bad speller am i.  Juilliard.  sorry!

this book says that ernest hutcheson, in 1933, then new dean - stated that his original plan for the juilliard school was for music not to be taught as a cultural subject, a business, or a means of self-expression, but as an art. 

during that time a conductor who taught at the school, albert stoessel (a protege of walter damrosch) was the string orchestra's conductor.  at that time - jgs also produced operas (as the elder juilliard liked them so much) - and the first opera hansel and gretel was performed dec 1929 at the rented heckscher theatre on fifth avenue and 104th street.  'the next year stoessel conducted julius caesar at the american women's association club...'

anyways, starting out small -  they switched to standard opera repertoire @ 1937.   stoessel reverted to mozart and puccini as soon as he had the opportunity. 

it's just interesting to read little things about the history of juilliard.

the recent reader's digest had an article about the quintuplets (browns) that all decided to go for piano degrees.  i've been looking for that article and can't find it just now.