‘To Musical Comrades’ from The People (S.L.P.). Vol. 7 No. 45. February 6, 1898.

To all musically inclined party members and sympathizers in the city of New York:

Some time ago the well known Russian composer. Platon Brounoff, donated to the National Executive Committee the music of twenty-one labor songs, to be published in an album. In. order to raise the necessary funds for the publication it was decided to give a Labor Festival, consisting of solo and chorus parts of the labor songs. Every one must be familiar with the important role played by music in all popular movements, especially in revolutionary ones. Where is the Socialist whose heart does not jump, whose eyes do not flash and whose step does not quicken at the sound of the “Marsaillaise” The revolutionary movement in this country is very poor in songs. This gap is to be filled by the compositions of Platon Brounoff.

In order to achieve this object we have decided to organize an English-speaking Choral Society, to consist of members of the party and sympathizers. The object of this society will be to cultivate the vocal faculties of its members and to organize an English chorus of workingmen and working women. This society, besides singing labor songs, will with time take up other vocal compositions. The first effort of this society will be to prepare for the Labor Festival the songs that are to be published in the album. Platon Brounoff has kindly offered to give gratuitous instruction to all members of the society at its meetings. He also promises to teach all the rudiments of the vocal art so as to enable the society in time to produce cantatas and other works of a higher grade. The first meeting of the society for the purpose of organization will take place this Sunday afternoon at 2 p. m.. at the studio of Platon Brounoff, at 29 8th street (St. Mark’s place), second floor front. All Comrades and sympathizers possessing a good voice and a knowledge of the English language are urgently requested to attend, especially members of Domrosch and other singing societies.

New York Labor News Company was the publishing house of the Socialist Labor Party and their paper The People. The People was the official paper of the Socialist Labor Party of America (SLP), established in New York City in 1891 as a weekly. The New York SLP, and The People, were dominated Daniel De Leon and his supporters, the dominant ideological leader of the SLP from the 1890s until the time of his death. The People became a daily in 1900. It’s first editor was the French socialist Lucien Sanial who was quickly replaced by De Leon who held the position until his death in 1914. Morris Hillquit and Henry Slobodin, future leaders of the Socialist Party of America were writers before their split from the SLP in 1899. For a while there were two SLPs and two Peoples, requiring a legal case to determine ownership. Eventual the anti-De Leonist produced what would become the New York Call and became the Social Democratic, later Socialist, Party. The De Leonist The People continued publishing until 2008.

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