The Clef Club was an entertainment venue, society, and

labour union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

for

African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

musicians in

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater ...

, achieving its largest success in the 1910s. Incorporated by James Reese Europe, it was a combination musicians' hangout, fraternity club, labour exchange, and concert hall, across the street from Marshall's Hotel.

History

Conception

The Clef Club was founded by James Reese Europe and his associates on April 11, 1910. The intention behind the creation of the Clef Club was to create an organization that allowed and offered

Black American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

musicians opportunities - similar to other labour unions like the

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...

at the time that was only offered to white musicians - to connect with potential employers and higher paying jobs. During early April 1910 at the Marshall Hotel - a hot spot for black musicians to meet and trade information - Jimmy Marshall, the owner of said hotel, told those musicians to find a spot for themselves. Thus James Reese Europe and other Marshall Hotel regulars formed what is now known as the Clef Club. In February 1912 the club came out with a preamble:

"''We, the members of said organization, have established, organized, and incorporated the Clef Club of the City of New York, in order to inculcate the science of vocal and instrumental music, technique, and execution of vocal and instrumental music, and to promote good fellowship and social intercourse.''"

Soon after the clubs conception on April 28, 1910, Lester Walton released an article on the ''New York Age'' exclaiming that membership of the organization had reached upwards of 135.

Historical significance

Reception

The initial reception from black musicians in New York was positive. However, There were many problems that

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and his associates had to face. The first included raising money in order to rent out office space for conducting their operations. Annual picnic and dance events that combine games, sports,

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. The term originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist enter ...

acts, as well as food - such as those hosted by the C.V.B.A. (Coloured Vaudeville Benevolent Association) - had been shown to produce a high

return on investment Return on investment (ROI) or return on costs (ROC) is the ratio between net income (over a period) and investment (costs resulting from an investment of some resources at a point in time). A high ROI means the investment's gains compare favorab ...

, thus James Reese Europe and his contemporaries believed that a similar gathering including performances by Clef Club members could work. From this proposal came the novel idea, at the time, to have "a

symphony A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, most often for orchestra. Although the term has had many meanings from its origins in the ancient Greek era, by the late 18th century the word had taken on the meaning c ...

-sized concert orchestra composed entirely of black musicians." on May 27, 1910 the Clef Club's “Musical Melange and Dance-fest” would take place and would also be the first time that the Clef Club Orchestra would perform. Reviews of their performance were strikingly positive. Critics claimed that the players showed the capability of African American musician's ability to "playing music as it is written".

Clef Club today

Unfortunately, the Clef Club no longer exists in New York. There is however the Philadelphia Clef Club of Jazz and Performing Arts located at the corner of South Broad Street and Fitzwater Street.

Clef Club Orchestra

The Clef Club Orchestra, as previously stated, arose from the initial fundraising event for club office space and club activities. The orchestra was conducted by James Reese Europe, co-conducted by William H. Tyres, and included upwards of 125 musicians consisting of a wide variety of instruments. Among the instruments included the normal orchestral instruments of

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

s, basses, and the normal wind and brass instruments, but also included

mandolin A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a Chordophone, stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally Plucked string instrument, plucked with a plectrum, pick. It most commonly has four Course (music), courses of doubled St ...

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

ukulele The ukulele ( ; ); also called a uke (informally), is a member of the lute (ancient guitar) family of instruments. The ukulele is of Portuguese origin and was popularized in Hawaii. The tone and volume of the instrument vary with size and con ...

s, and a large

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

. The orchestra included “thirty strummers- ten each of

s and a rare

harp guitar The harp guitar is a guitar-based stringed instrument generally defined as a "guitar, in any of its accepted forms, with any number of additional unstopped strings that can accommodate individual plucking." The word "harp" is used in reference to ...

, and

s.” The orchestra was also frequently joined by a men's chorus, eight different pianists, and various soloists.

Performance at Carnegie Hall

The Clef Club orchestra performed in 1912 - 1915 on the stage of

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

in New York City. This concert stands as a crowning achievement for both the orchestra as well as

, while also being one of the most difficult challenges for this all

band. The initial proposal came from critic and journalist Lester Walton as he stated that the Clef Club Orchestra is "well qualified to give a symphony concert at Carnegie Hall or Mendelssohn Hall, and before a critical audience" within the ''

New York Age ''The New York Age'' was an American weekly newspaper established in 1887 in New York City. It was widely considered one of the most prominent African-American newspapers of its time.

'', November 16, 1911. However, the idea of performing at

started to manifest when David Mannes and James Reese Europe discussed a benefit concert for the Music Settlement School in Harlem. Mannes, a white American violinist, conductor, and community organizer, argued to

that having the Clef Club Orchestra perform at a venue like Carnegie Hall would advance the Harlem School by demonstrating that black musicians could hold a dignified concert.{{Cite book , last=Martin , first=George Whitney , url=https://archive.org/details/damroschdynastya0000mart , title=The Damrosch dynasty : America's first family of music , date=1983 , publisher=Boston : Houghton Mifflin , others=Internet Archive , isbn=978-0-395-34408-8 The concert itself included the 125 piece orchestra conducted by

, a large chorus of 150 voices specially trained by Will Marion Cook, as well as a smaller 40 piece choir conducted by organist Paul C. Bohlen. Additionally there were performances by baritone Harry T. Burleigh, pianist and composer J. Rosamond John, and the Versatile Entertainers' Quintet amongst others. Selections from the orchestra included: "Clef Club March," by Europe; "On Bended Knee," by Henry T. Burleigh; "Silhouettes, Dancing Shadows," and "Maori-Samoan Dance," by Tyers; "Benefactors' March," by Europe; "Tout a Vous," waltz, by Tyers; "West Virginia Dance," by Wm. H. Vodery; and "Deep River," by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. This performance - the first of many - resulting in raising $5,000 for the Music Settlement School in Harlem simply because the performance was so well received. Even more conservative music critics and papers such as the ''

Musical America ''Musical America'' is the oldest American magazine on classical music, first appearing in 1898 in print and in 1999 online magazine, online, at musicalamerica.com. It is published by Performing Arts Resources, LLC, of East Windsor, New Jersey. ...

'' chose to praise their work, while still managing to condescendingly praise their performers by for instance stating that their accomplishments were a result of "that spirit of exuberance and freedom of fancy that mark the natures of these natural-born musicians."

Notable members

* Joe Jordan, Bandleader * Ford Dabney, Bandleader * Egbert Thompson, Bandleader * Arthur “Happy” Rhone, Bandleader * Tom Bethel, Vocalist *

Henry Creamer Henry Sterling Creamer (June 21, 1879 – October 14, 1930) was a popular song lyricist and theater producer. He was born in Richmond, Virginia, and died in New York. He co-wrote many popular songs in the years from 1900 to 1929, often collaborat ...

, Vocalist * George Walker, Jr., Vocalist * Clarence Williams, Pianist * Irving “Kid Sneeze” Williams, Pianist * John Europe (Jim's older brother), Pianist

References

Music venues in Manhattan 1910 establishments in New York City Buildings and structures in Harlem 20th century in Harlem Music of Harlem