At A Glance
Please note: hours of operation for the Horticulture Center grounds are Monday-Sunday, 9am-5pm
Part of the Museum Without Walls™: AUDIO program
Awarded to the United German Singers of Philadelphia at the 21st National Saengerfest
Haydn was considered the father of symphonic music
Throughout the 19th century, Philadelphia’s German singing societies participated in singing competitions. In 1906, the United German Singers of Philadelphia won the 21st National Saengerfest held in Newark, New Jersey. The grand prize was the bust of Austrian composer Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), which the singing society gave to the City of Philadelphia. The sculpture was installed in West Fairmount Park near the bust of Franz Schubert, which was also won by the singing group then gifted to the City in 1891.
Haydn was considered the father of symphonic music. His masterpiece is the oratorio, The Creation.
RESOURCES:
Voices heard in the program:
David Kim is Concertmaster and solo violinist with the Philadelphia Orchestra. He is a renowned teacher who presents master classes world-wide. Kim also works with youth to cultivate future audiences for classical music.
Hardy von Auenmueller is Chairman of the Board of The German Society of Pennsylvania, founded in 1764 to assist German immigrants. Today the organization furthers the understanding of German and German-American contributions to American history and culture.
Richard N. Juliani is a historian who has studied immigration and ethnic life, with a focus on the Italian American experience. He is the author of The Social Organization of Immigration: The Italians in Philadelphia.
Segment Producer: Jonathan Mitchell
A program of the Association for Public Art (formerly the Fairmount Park Art Association), Museum Without Walls: AUDIO is an innovative and accessible outdoor sculpture audio program for Philadelphia’s preeminent collection of public art.
A “multi-platform” interactive audio experience – available for free by cell phone, mobile app, or on our website – Museum Without Walls: AUDIO offers the unique histories that are not typically expressed on outdoor permanent signage.
Unlike audio tours that have a single authoritative guide or narrator, each speaker featured in Museum Without Walls: AUDIO is an “authentic voice” – someone who is connected to the sculpture by knowledge, experience, or affiliation.
Over 150 unique voices are featured, including artists, educators, scientists, writers, curators, civic leaders, and historians.
This artwork is part of the Around the Horticulture Center tour
