A BRIEF HISTORY

When Claudia L’Engle married Charles Adams and came to Jacksonville, she was
twenty five years old and a trained musician from the Peabody Institute. She
might have thought “As a newcomer to Jacksonville, how can I meet people? Can I
find some women and see if they might want to study and to make music?” And
from that seed, sown in 1890, the Friday Musicale came into being.

In January of 1890, Claudia Adams gathered eleven musical friends at her home
for weekly afternoons of musical study: three years later they were meeting
at a music studio where the informal gatherings became a formal club with
officers and by-laws and called itself “Ladies Friday Musicale”, with stated objectives:
• to advance the interests and to promote the culture
of the musical art in Jacksonville and,
• the mutual improvement of its members.

The annual dues were $2.00 however, performance at the weekly meetings was
compulsory and if you did not perform you were fined twenty five cents ! Members
still perform for one another but no fines ! The first public performance
took place in 1896 for St. Luke’s Hospital.

Friday Musicale became a member of the National Federation of Musical Clubs
and the National Music Teachers’ Association and presented its first oratorio
in conjunction with the Apollo Choral which was composed of men.

But then came the disastrous fire of 1901 and Friday Musicale’s meeting place
went up in smoke along with the rest of downtown Jacksonville. In 1902 a new
home was found in a studio at the Masonic Building. It was in 1902 that the
first, and continuing, association with the music of Frederick Delius took
place. From that point in time, Friday Musicale became known by bringing to
Jacksonville first rate musicians such as Nellie Melba, Walter Damrosch, Alma Gluck,
Rosa Ponselle, the Ruth St. Denise Dancers, Fritz Kreisler, Sergei
Rachmaninoff and Jan Paderewski, to name a few.

In the recent past Friday Musicale’s chorus performed a concert in the East
Room of the White House during the Musicale’s Centennial Year, and in the year
2000 ten members were selected to participate in a national choir that
performed in New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

In its early years, the organization began working with the youth in
Jacksonville, providing programs by and for children. This interest in children exists
today and is highlighted by recitals and the annual awarding of scholarships.
During the years following World War I, Victor Talking Machines were
purchased for music in the public schools. A Junior department was organized with an
orchestra, chorus and leaders.

It was in 1924 that the organization became “Friday Musicale” recognizing
the contributions of men. Friday Musicale now has about 300 active members and
is managed by volunteers. Concert seasons begin in October and run through May.
All concerts are open to the public and are free of charge. First Friday
concerts begin at 11:00 AM and often feature a visiting artist. Third Friday
concerts feature local musicians who assist the members in furthering their
knowledge and appreciation of music and musical instruments. These meetings begin at
11:30 AM after a short business meeting. Several Friday evening concerts are
also provided throughout the season for the benefit and convenience of working
members and the general public. A “Southern hospitality” reception is
provided for all concert attendees.

In 1929, the Friday Musicale purchased a building on Oak Street which lost
its gymnasium-like appearance after many renovations and fund raisers to become
a showplace for the Jacksonville musical community, sporting two grand pianos.
But alas, in 1995 the building and its contents were destroyed by yet another
fire. Gone were the two pianos and the precious art work and the
irreplaceable antique furniture and music. So out came the members in full force and in
three years they built from scratch a new Friday Musicale, with its hardwood
floors, crystal chandeliers, curtained stage, majestic columned portico and two
magnificent Steinway grand pianos.

The new auditorium, in addition to being used for Friday Musicale’s concerts
programs is also available for private recitals, wedding receptions and
seminars. So after more than one hundred years Friday Musicale continues to fulfill
its original mission of bringing the finest classical music to the First Coast
community and adding to its heritage of musical excellence.