Woman of the Century/Sara Hershey Eddy

SARA HERSHEY EDDY. EDDY, Mrs. Sara Hershey, musical educator, born in Lancaster county, Pa She is a daughter of the late Benjamin and Elizabeth Hershey. She received her education and early musical training in Philadelphia, where she sang in a church choir for several years. Bad training resulted in the ruin of her voice, and she turned her attention to the piano. In 1867 she went to Berlin, Germany, where she studied harmony, counterpoint, score-reading and piano-playing with Professor Stern, singing with Miss Jenny Mayer, declamation with Professor Schwartz, elocution and stage deportment with Berndahl, and, afterward, piano with Kullak and singing with Gustav Engel and Gotfried Weiss. She became familiar with the German language and literature, and after three years in Berlin she went to Milan, Italy, where for eighteen months she took vocal lessons with Gerli and the older Lamperti. There she learned the Italian language. She then went to London, England, where she studied oratorio and English singing with Madame Sainton-Dolby. She returned to the United States in October, 1871, and remained eighteen months in New York City, teaching private pupils and singing in concerts and churches She was called to Pittsburgh, Pa., as a teacher in the vocal department of the Female College. In 1873 she was placed in control of that department. In 1875 she went to Chicago and founded the Hershey School of Musical Art with W. S. B. Mathews. Clarence Eddy afterwards became the general musical director of the school, which was very successful. In July, 1879, Miss Hershey and Mr Eddy were married. In 1885 the duties of the school became too exacting, and Mr. and Mrs. Eddy withdrew from it and became the instructors of private classes. Mrs. Eddy has been a prominent member of the Music Teachers' National Association. In 1887 she was elected to the board of examiners in the vocal department of the American College of Musicians. She has contributed a number of valuable articles to musical journals.