May 2-8, 2021
Music – An Adventure for Life
National Music Week has as its objective “to create an understanding and appreciation of the value of music in the home, the community, the nation, and the world.” National Music Week is sponsored by the National Federation of Music Clubs (NFMC).
Why Celebrate National Music Week?
A National Music Week observance gives us an opportunity to focus the attention of all Americans on music as a dynamic means of communication between people and a satisfying channel of personal expression. Music, more than ever a national need, can serve as a great force for maintaining peace and harmony among peoples. In the words of National Music Week’s founder, Mr. Charles M. Tremaine:
“Music Week is, to some extent, different from all other special ‘weeks.’ It is a ‘drive’ for music by the friends of music, but it also the occasion for participation in and receiving of pleasure, thus making it independent of any propelling force from behind. It gathers its momentum as it goes along from the enjoyment it brings. Its strength comes from the universal, yet sometimes unconscious human need for music, and participation ranges all the way from the elaborate concert and pageant to the simple home musicale with a place on the program sometimes even for the five-finger exercise beginner. Music, permeating the atmosphere, enters many new places where it is welcome.”
Music is one of the most sublime of human pursuits, and is subscribed to by all races and creeds. Its use promotes understanding, friendliness and sympathy among all people. Through music, the composer expresses a variety of moods; the listener experiences a mystical awareness that transports him from the cares and troubles that beset humanity. Music is the language of all peoples. Whether used nationally or internationally, music is a great force in creating peace and harmony.
How Did National Music Week Begin?
National Music Week was first observed in 1924, with 452 cities and towns participating. Previously there had been sporadic observances – a Music Week in Dallas, Texas, 1919; a Music Week in New York in 1920, with the late Otto Kahn as Chairman and such musical figures as Arthur Bodansky, then a conductor at the Metropolitan Opera, and Dr. Walter Damrosch, conductor of the New York Symphony Orchestra, serving on the committee. The Federation’s connection with Music Week began at that time with Mrs. Julian Edwards, then president of the NFMC, serving on the committee. Mrs. John F. Lyons, the president of the NFMC in 1924, served on the first National Music Week Committee. The catalyst who brought his dream into reality was Charles M. Tremaine, who headed the National Bureau for the Advancement of Music. From 1924 to 1947, he formulated the program, carried out the executive work, and made Music Week internationally famous. From 1947 to 1957, the National Recreation Association was the sponsor.
Bartlesville Musical Research Society has participated in National Music Week several times in previous years. Newspaper articles and local radio stations publicized musical activities in area schools, churches, and in the community. Musical presentations have also been performed at Washington Park Mall during National Music Week.
— extracted from NFMC website
“Music’s the medicine of the mind.” – John A. Logan
Musical Research Society 