Butte County
Biographies
S. MAXWELL SYPHER
S. MAXWELL SYPHER.--Chico has
reason to be proud of the place she holds in the musical circles of Northern
California, credit for which is largely due to S. Maxwell Sypher, who for the past eleven years has endeavored, by
teaching and by orchestral work and recitals, to raise the musical standards of
the community to the high position now attained. In this work he has been ably
assisted by his gifted wife, whose fine dramatic soprano voice has been heard
in concert in all the principal cities of Northern California.
The early education of Mr. Sypher was obtained in the public and private schools of
his native city, Philadelphia, Pa. His musical talent soon became apparent, and
he began the study of music at a very early age, so that when only eight years
old he read music at sight. He was soon master of the piano, and at the age of
eighteen was studying both piano and pipe organ with Prof. Minton Pine. Finally
deciding to enter business life, Mr. Sypher gave up
his musical studies for a while; and it was not until the year 1907, at which
time he settled in Chico, that he took up music as a profession. Here he has
met with very great success, teaching the year round at his studio on Third
Street, his pupils making rapid progress because of the thoroughness of his
teaching methods. Soon after his arrival in Chico Mr. Sypher
saw opportunities to advance the local musical interests, which he has been
tireless in promoting. In 1910 he organized and became the leader of the
Majestic Orchestra of Chico, which is composed of ten members, all expert
musicians, the first of its kind in Northern California.
During Sarah Bernhardt’s engagement in Chico, in 1913, she highly praised the
music of this organization, and made the remark, “I will always remember Chico
by its splendid orchestra.” The orchestra, under the direction of Mr. Sypher, has played in concert in Sacramento and other
Northern California cities.
In addition to his other interests, Mr. Sypher is musical director of the three theaters of Chico,
supervising the music for all of them. Being an accomplished player of both
pipe organ and piano, he has been accompanist for musicals in many cities and
towns in Northern California. During the season of 1915, Mr. Sypher was organist at the new First Presbyterian Church of
Oakland, which contains one of the finest pipe organs in the state.
Mrs. Sypher,
before her marriage, was Miss Rose M. Kelly, a native of Chicago, Ill. She
studied voice under Madame Johnston Bischoff, of the Sherwood School of Music,
Chicago, and after coming to California studied with Madame Isabel Marks, of
San Francisco, formerly a teacher in the Boston Musical Institute, of Boston,
Mass. Mrs. Sypher was soloist in the St. Bernardo
Catholic Church of Chicago, while living in that city; and after coming to
Chico she was soloist of St. John’s Baptist Church.
Transcribed by Marie Hassard
25 October 2008.
Source:
"History of Butte County, Cal.," by George C. Mansfield, Pages
1047-1048, Historic
Record Co, Los Angeles, CA, 1918.
© 2008 Marie Hassard.
Golden Nugget Library's
Butte County Biographies