(Otto Lob, in an article about Singing Festivals, quotes from the "Festival Paper" (Fest Zeitung) of the last Singing Festival in Cincinnati, May 1870).

"These great national festivals, as the Constitution expressly states, shall serve to raise and ennoble German life in the United States. Only in a second, anyway, do they have musical importance, their main function is that the German nation in them shows itself to the other nationalities as a united, impressive entity, worthy of respect."

This was their function, we would rather say, because the necessity which years ago forced the Germans to unite against the Americans (as a collective name), no longer exists. The Germans have gained through their intelligence, and, still more, through the political events of last year, a high social position...

Unfortunately, the Singing Festivals of past years have been little more than mass meetings, where the Singers' Banner played the role of the tavern sign. The 2boastful name of "Singing Festival" became an ironical designation, because most of the participants could not sing...The recitals of the last years have shown clearly enough, that the German choir singing in America stands on a surprisingly low level, and that the Singing Societies are anything but places dedicated to the cult of singing.

It is a sad duty to have to say this, but we do not stand alone with our viewpoint, the men with the greatest insight in the East and West agree...In the better Societies of almost all the big cities, new talents have been recently sought, directors have been changed, better order has been insisted upon - in short it is instinctively felt that things can't continue as heretofore. The teachers see, that the Societies must be something quite different from what they have been, only singers can become members of a Singing Society (we mean, of course, the choir) then the transformation should be easy enough. May the Federal Board in St. Louis better understand its task and better execute it, than has been the case in past years, so that Germandom may win honor with the next Singing Festival, and not shame!...