he San Francisco
Philharmonic society and rendered such important works as Elijah, St.
Paulus, by Mendelssohn, Mass Requiem, by Mozart, The Desert, by
Felician David, etc., etc. He also organized the famous San Francisco
Harmonie, a singing society for male voices. He was organist at St.
Mary's Cathedral and the First Unitarian Church for over twenty years
and Temple Emanuel for twenty-five years. He had full charge of the
great musical festival in 1870, given by Camilla Urso in aid of the
Mercantile Library fund and conducted at the second festival given by
Sumner Bugbee in conjunction with Carl Zerrahn of Boston. He conducted
all the earlier Italian opera seasons given by Bianchi at the old
Metropolitan, Maguire's opera house. In 1874 he organized his Symphony
orchestra and continued his concerts without financial backing up to
the time of his illness, producing the standard symphonic works of the
old masters and also those of the more modern composers, such as
Schuman, Rubinstein, Raff, Brahms and St. Saens.

J.H. DOHRMANN

Mr. Dohrmann, a native of Hesse, Germany, took his first piano lesson
when but six years old. At the age of eleven years he had made such
remarkable progress that his parents sent him to a seminary at Homburg
to further develop his musical talent and other studies. Dr. Wilhelm
Volekmar, an eminent organist, pianist and accomplished musician, was
the head of the musical department. Under his tuition he became a
brilliant pianist and a good organist. He was an indefatigable
student, not only in music but also languages--the foundations of
which were laid there. After remaining a few years there, his parents
decided to emigrate to America and came to San Francisco, where a son
had preceded them in 1854.

Dohrmann went to school there to perfect his knowledge of the English
language, and continued his studies in music, harmony, theory and
instrumentation for some time, under the guidance of Prof. R. Herold,
and later alone, when compelled to live in the country on account of
failing health.

In 1857 he located in Sacramento, where he remained one year, then
went to San Jose, where he was successful as a teacher, also as
director of singing societies. However, being ambitious to associate
with better musicians, and to be in a greater field for music, in 1861
he came to San Francisco. There he soon became a favorite with the
musicians as a pianist. In 1862 he made his advent as pianist in a
thea