248:, a southern-New Jersey suburb with a population of approximately 3,000. Hackenberger soon joined the Haddon Heights Womanâs Club, which was divided into various departments that would suit each memberâs interests and/or level of social engagement. Hackenberger was an active participant, performing regularly at club meetings and social events. Her pursuits during this period correspond with the larger post-war club movementâs shift from the goal of self-development to an emphasis on civic reform. As her participation in club activities expanded, music began to take a secondary role to her growing commitment to her communityâs economic and social welfare as chair of the Legislative, Civics, and Welfare Departments. In recognition of her contributions to the Haddon Heights Womanâs Club, members unanimously elected Hackenberger a trustee on 10 April 1931.
229:
amateur arts association of the Early
Progressive Era. In addition to performing for their colleagues during monthly meetings, the clubâs members contributed to the communityâs cultural life by presenting a series of public concerts each season. Although no longer a paid professional musicianâas in the years prior to her marriage when she toured in the lyceumâthese activities enabled Hackenberger to continue to appear before a public audience on a regular basis. As one of the clubâs most dynamic members, Hackenberger quickly attained status, succeeding its founder as president, until the demands of her husbandâs career precluded her from taking office.
355:'Christmas Song,' 'Grand Fantasie,' 'Dreaming,' 'Afterwards,' 'In Old Madrid,' and 'Palm Branches'âmostly slow-paced and comparatively simple numbers." Although Mecklem was long thought to be the first saxophone soloist to make a phonograph record, "Edward A. Lefebre recorded for Edison, or one of its subsidiaries, some time in 1889, making him the first." Mecklem still retains the distinction of being the first female saxophonist to record and likely the first female instrumental soloist as well. "It is not known if Edison ever released any of Mecklemâs recordings for sale to the public."
99:
humorists, as well as dramatic readings, impersonations, concerts, magic acts, and other âlighterâ fare.â The
Mecklems entered "the lyceum field when musicians first began to appear on its programs on a regular basis." The Mecklems were billed as a saxophone-harp duo. Henry Clay accompanied Bessie on her featured selections in addition to performing his own harp solos. They frequently shared their programs with various dramatic readers or humorists. Other musical soloists, chamber groups, or vocal ensembles were sometimes included. The duo was managed by Alonzo Foster's Star Lyceum Bureau.
82:
241:âthat contributed to the war effort during World War I. These activities, along with the domestic responsibilities her husband continued to expect of her, did not leave much time for performing on the saxophone. During her time in Washington, Hackenberger was able to perform just a few times each year in benefit concerts, a lyceum course, church services, fraternal society meetings, community events, and assemblies or individual classes of students at her childrenâs schools.
176:, and the Brooklyn Oxford Club. These engagements were nearly equal in number to their lyceum appearances. Social and fraternal organizations provided diversity to the types of performances the Mecklems presented, filled in open dates during tours, and increased their bookings overall." In addition to their work for fraternal organizations, the Mecklems performed during holiday observances and for labor groups. Civic groups that heard the Mecklems included the
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On 23 April 23, 1892, Bessie
Mecklem "produced twelve Edison wax cylinders of saxophone solos with piano accompaniment. . . . The titles rendered, probably several times each, were 'Ave Maria,' 'Sweet Lullaby Waltz,' 'EugeniaâWaltz Song,' 'Nightingale Song,' 'Easter Song,' 'Loveâs Old Sweet Song,'
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After her marriage in 1900, the music Mrs. B. L. Hackenberger performed on the programs of the East Orange, New Jersey, Tuesday
Musical Club focused more on transcriptions of serious compositions from the cultivated tradition rather than the popular and light classical numbers programmed during the
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In early 1895, the
Mecklems participated in two tours with the highly regarded Veteran Corps Band of Baltimore. A January Southern Tour took them through Virginia (to Richmond, Norfolk, with a return engagement to Richmond, then Lynchburg and Roanoke), then on to Pittsburgh and New York City. Their
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The
Mecklems donated their services for a number of church benefits. A month after their May 1893 performance with Sissieretta Jones at Strong Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn, they once again appeared with the Black Patti Concert Company. On June 6, they participated in a concert at the Lee Avenue
232:
The
Hackenbergers moved from East Orange to Philadelphia (1904), Baltimore (1910), and Washington, DC (1911) as Bert Hackenberger's career advanced. Bessie did not join a womenâs club during this time as the familyâs means were modest and she was raising young children. She began to participate in
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and two other New York theaters. Nearly $ 7,000 was raised. Benefit concerts were often lengthy affairs and featured numerous contributors; before a packed house at the Met that evening, Bessie
Mecklem appeared sixteenth on a program of eighteen different acts. In addition to benefits organized in
110:
stated,"The duets by Miss Bessie
Mecklem and her father, introducing the saxophone and harp, were of peculiar interest to the audience, the two instruments in conjunction being a genuine novelty. The young lady showed much ability and Mr. Mecklemâs harmonious work on the harp was splendidly done."
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and lyceum. Although she did not embrace the evolving musical trends of the 1920sâwhich featured the saxophoneâs growing prominence in syncopated dance music and jazzâher continued adherence to a cultivated, more genteel repertoire provided continuity to the music most closely associated with the
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spoke on âThe Drink
Customs Around the World.â A second engagement, on 21 February 1892, at the Grand Opera House Hall, Twenty-third Street and Eighth Avenue, featured the young Baptist orator Reverend E. S. Halloway. Holloway, pastor of the West Thirty-third Street Church, spoke on the Parkhurst
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found, "The saxaphone solos of Miss Bessie Mecklem were artistically performed, and her 'Then Youâll Remember Me,' completely captured the audience. Miss Mecklem is an accomplished soloist, and her number received several encores." In late February-early March 1896, the band swung through Ohio,
132:
As part of its programming, the YMCA sponsored lecture and entertainment courses similar to those of the lyceum. Because the audience for YMCA lecture courses comprised mostly young men, as opposed to a more heterogeneous composition in the lyceum, these events tended to have a more consistently
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At different periods of her married life, Bessie Mecklem Hackenberger participated in both the music-centered and general-purpose women's club formats. From 1902-1904, Hackeberger was a member of The East Orange, New Jersey, Tuesday Musical Club. The Tuesday Musical Club exemplified the womenâs
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The Mecklems occasionally appeared with Fosterâs New York Stars during the 1891-92 season. From 1892 through 1894, the Mecklems and elocutionist Florence Russell performed as the New York Ideal Trio, sometimes billed as the New York Ideal Concert Company. On 19 May 1892, the New York Ideal Trio
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Lyceum tours comprised the mainstay of Bessie and H. C. Mecklem's performing itinerary. A lyceum âcourseâ consisted of a series of monthly programs for which audience members purchased a seasonâs subscription. Lyceum programs combined education and entertainment functions, offering âlectures by
188:
Benefit concerts for various charitable causes, large and small, were an integral part of the Mecklemsâ performance schedule. Some of these engagements took place in very prestigious venues. On 22 May 1890, the Mecklems participated in a joint benefit for the Babiesâ Ward of the Post Graduate
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occurred. By contrast, in the venues where the Mecklems performed there existed a greater âfluidity and routine intersection between popular and elite culture.â Lyceum and YMCA entertainments, benefit and band concerts still employed the traditional practice of mixing musical genres and of
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Centennial Day service at Chickering Hall in New York in April 1889. They appeared twice at events sponsored by the New York Temperance Union. On 1 February 1891, âa rare and delightful musical programmeâ was offered at Masonic Temple in New York City. After the musical selections, Citizen
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in South Brooklyn, assisted by humorist Fred Emerson Brooks. The Mecklemsâ performances as part of the Black Patti Concert Company were notable in that they resulted in a racially mixed program of performers, a rare situation at the time. The companyâs featured performer, soprano
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programming an eclectic assortment of works from the cultivated and vernacular traditions. Bessie Mecklemâs performing repertoire generally reflected the range of American popular tastes: popular songs, operatic selections (with or without variations), dances (like the
34:
bands. During the 1890s, when female woodwind and brass players were uncommon, she performed extensively throughout the northeastern United States with her father, harpist Henry Clay Mecklem (1841â1915). The pair appeared in a wide variety of venues popular during the
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Congregational Church, Brooklyn, to benefit the churchâs Sunday School. The Mecklems joined the Black Patti Concert Company a third time on June 13, at the Emory M. E. Church in Jersey City, New Jersey. Both June performances featured humorist James S. Burdett.
219:
that Bessie âplayed a saxophone solo at Central Park, N. Y., concert with Rogersâ Seventh Regiment Band, July 27 and August 3. On the 27th, her solo received a double encore. Miss Mecklem is the first lady who has ever played before a Park audience."
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Membership in fraternal societies was widespread during the late 1800s, with an estimated participation of as many as one third of American adult males by 1920. Henry Clay Mecklem was among the first members of Longfellow Council, No. 675, of the
337:
lyceum and YMCA concerts of her teenage years. Her performances in Haddon Heights, New Jersey, during the 1920s returned to a reliance on light classics and sentimental songs, closest to the repertoire favored by saxophonists who worked in
124:, one of the nineteenth centuryâs most celebrated opera stars. The Mecklems paired with Walter Pelham, âa distinguished English humorist, poet and mimic elocutionist,â for a tour of lecture courses in western New York during November 1894.
323:, which she performed on 2 July 1891 at the convention of the New York State Teachersâ Musical Association, held in Utica, New York. Mecklem and many other Gilded-Age musicians frequently programmed Jean FaurĂŠâs (1830-1914)
180:. The Mecklems also performed at events held by musical societies such as the Richmond, Virginia, Mozart Musicale; the St. Cecelia Society of Hudson, New York; and the Beethoven Choral Society of Newark, New Jersey.
136:
H. C. Mecklem was a supporter of the Temperance movement. Five of the Mecklemsâ documented performances were associated with anti-alcohol institutions or organizations. One of their earliest engagements included the
407:
388:
273:), original compositions, and sacred music. Her most frequently performed numbers were sentimental ballads, such as Henry Trotère (1855-1912) and lyricist Clifton Binghamâs (1859-1913) song
194:
support of a colleague who had fallen ill or experienced financial difficulties, performers often staged events to pay tribute to fellow artists who were completing extended engagements.
315:(1858-1947) Quartet âThe Resurrection,â featuring Lefebre and Mecklem on alto saxophone, with piano and organ accompaniment. Another notable sacred song in Mecklem's repertoire was
71:
on 23 April 1892. After her marriage in 1900 to Bertram Lyon Hackenberger (1871â1932), she ceased playing professionally, but continued to perform as an active participant in the
112:
120:(1869-1933), became one of the most famous black musicians in America after the Civil War. Jones was known as the âBlack Pattiâ for comparisons of her singing to that of
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160:, East Orange, New Jersey. Consequently, "the Mecklems frequently performed for fraternal orders, such as the Royal Arcanum, Order of Tonti, Fraternal Mystic Circle,
949:
944:
48:
190:
68:
742:
Haddon Heights Woman's Club Secretary Book (1929-1936). Haddon Heights Historical Society Archives, Haddon Heights, NJ Public Library, p. 64.
173:
117:
389:"America's 'Young Lady Saxophonist' of the Gilded Age: The Performances, Critical Reception, and Repertoire of Bessie Mecklem"
644:"For Infants and Actors: Benefits at Four Theatres for Babies' Wards and Actors' Fund Beds at the Post-Graduate Hospital".
22:(19 April 1876 â 5 June 1942) was one of the earliest American-born saxophone soloists. In her teens, she was a student of
133:
moralistic, or motivational, emphasis. YMCA engagements made up the largest portion of the Mecklemsâ documented bookings.
307:, Mecklem occasionally performed original compositions for saxophone. E. A. Lefebreâs Grand Easter Concert, given at the
103:
shared the program with five other performers in a concert presented at Torontoâs Broadway Tabernacle. A review from the
897:
853:
Smith, Clay (August 1922). "What the Modern Chautauqua is Doing for Music of All Kinds Everywhere in Our Country".
245:
169:
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138:
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75:
300:, follows the nineteenth-century trend of basing a popular song in English upon well-known operatic aria.
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return to Baltimore was followed by a concert in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The reviewer of the
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296:
31:
23:
261:
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The Mecklems were engaged as part of the Black Patti Concert Company on 10 May 1893, at the
868:
Walsh, Jim (1981). "Pioneer Recording Artists: Rudy Wiedoeft and Other Saxophone Players".
72:
56:
52:
40:
27:
542:"Entertainments This Winter: A Course of Splendid Entertainments Secured for Caledonia".
598:
From Mutual Aid to the Welfare State: Fraternal Societies and Social Services, 1890-1967
928:
157:
121:
514:
Women in Music: An Anthology of Source Readings from the Middle Ages to the Present
60:
730:
The Torchbearers: Women and Their Amateur Arts Associations in America, 1890â1930
325:
287:
281:
275:
374:
Edward A. Lefebre, (1835â1911): Preeminent Saxophonist of the Nineteenth Century
304:
165:
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26:(1835â1911), pre-eminent saxophonist of the nineteenth century and soloist with
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36:
343:
257:
234:
488:"Review from The (Toronto) Empire, quoted in 'The New York Ideal Trio,'".
429:. States [East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press. p. 41.
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Hospital and for the Actorsâ Fund, which took place concurrently at the
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were either vocalists or piano accompanists (Allen Koenigsberg (1987).
427:
The Lyceum and Public Culture in the Nineteenth-Century United States
600:. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press. pp. 1â3.
516:(rev. ed.). Boston: Northeastern University Press. p. 135.
756:. Cambridge, MA and London: Harvard University Press. p. 146.
270:
266:
718:
Bertram, Jr (1901â1976), Ruth (1903â1993), and Samuel (1914â2012)
527:
Miller, Betsy G. (MayâJune 2001). "Two Early Lady Saxophonists".
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Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, with a final stop in Philadelphia.
754:
Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America
44:
615:. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: Everts & Peck. p. 827.
80:
895:
The other women listed in Edison engineer Theo Wangemannâs
732:. Bloomington, IN: University of Indiana Press. p. 32.
151:
Fraternal societies, labor organizations, and civic groups
771:. Westport, CT: Westport, CT: Greenwood Press. p. 8.
244:
In 1922, the Hackenbergers moved from Washington, DC, to
256:
During the Gilded Age an increasing separation between
838:"Second Day's Session: Of the State Music Teachers".
408:"The First Solo Saxophone Recording Reconsidered"
376:. D.M.A. dissertation: Manhattan School of Music.
613:History of Essex and Hudson Counties, New Jersey
63:; and amusement parks. Mecklem recorded twelve
387:Smialek, Thomas; Logrande, L.A. (2013â2014).
8:
781:: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
344:instrumentâs origins and early societal role
55:, labor organizations, and civic groups;
473:"Broadway Tabernacle Concert To-night".
364:
774:
279:or Charles Albert Whiteâs (1832-1892)
767:Ogasapian, John; Orr, N, Kee (2007).
7:
174:Daughters of the American Revolution
704:"Platform: New York and Brooklyn".
215:In 1895, H. C. Mecklem reported to
950:20th-century American saxophonists
223:
14:
909:2nd ed. Brooklyn, NY: APM Press).
898:First Book of Phonograph Records
512:Neuls-Bates, Carol, ed. (1996).
311:on 6 April 1890, concluded with
945:American classical saxophonists
634:Smialek & Logrande, p. 104.
625:Smialek & Logrande, p. 102.
585:. February 20, 1892. p. 6.
502:Smialek & Logrande, p. 113.
492:. February 15, 1893. p. 1.
305:arrangements and transcriptions
611:Shaw, William H., ed. (1884).
556:Smialek & Logrande, p. 99.
490:Titusville (PA) Morning Herald
463:Smialek & Logrande, p. 96.
439:Smialek & Logrande, p. 96.
89:Professional performing career
1:
693:. January 9, 1895. p. 2.
406:Smialek, Thomas (2013â2014).
372:Noyes, James Russell (2000).
752:Levine, Lawrence W. (1988).
309:Academy of Music in Brooklyn
818:. April 6, 1890. p. 9.
648:. May 23, 1890. p. 10.
303:In addition to programming
139:American Temperance Unionâs
113:Strong Place Baptist Church
51:organizations; meetings of
20:Bessie Mecklem Hackenberger
971:
795:Ogasapian and Orr, p. 134.
663:. June 3, 1893. p. 2.
477:. May 19, 1892. p. 2.
233:organizationsâsuch as the
224:Women's club participation
170:Grand Army of the Republic
59:; solos with professional
708:. August 1895. p. 7.
544:Caledonia (NY) Advertiser
728:Blair, Karen J. (1994).
596:Beito, David T. (2000).
350:Edison recording session
191:Metropolitan Opera House
172:, Farragut Association,
65:wax phonograph cylinders
903:Edison Cylinder Records
870:The Saxophone Symposium
769:Music of the Gilded Age
678:. June 1893. p. 5.
566:"Religious Notices" ".
425:Ray, Angela G. (2005).
412:The Saxophone Symposium
393:The Saxophone Symposium
292:Michael William Balfeâs
288:Then Youâll Remember Me
209:Norfolk (Va.) Virginian
202:Band concerts and tours
840:Utica (NY) Daily Press
828:Noyes, pp. 79-80, 239.
691:Norfolk (VA) Virginian
449:"Star Lyceum Bureau".
85:
659:"The Black Patti" ".
252:Performing repertoire
84:
76:women's club movement
313:Harry Rowe Shelleyâs
144:George Francis Train
16:American saxophonist
570:. January 31, 1891.
178:New York Press Club
128:YMCA and temperance
69:Edison Laboratories
53:fraternal societies
546:. October 4, 1894.
294:(1808-1870) opera
239:Ladies Aid Society
86:
529:Saxophone Journal
321:Jules Demersseman
297:The Bohemian Girl
118:Sissieretta Jones
24:Edward A. Lefebre
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940:1942 deaths
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166:Odd Fellows
929:Categories
907:1889-1912,
359:References
339:Chautauqua
282:Marguerite
258:cultivated
162:Freemasons
61:wind bands
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955:Clubwomen
855:The Etude
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326:The Palms
235:Red Cross
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