One day I said in jest to August Fries,“ You ’ll do nothing till I am a member of the Mendelssohn Quintette Club.” Shortly after, one of the gentlemen, Mr. Greuner, removed to Lowell, and I was invited to take his place. Then Mr. Gierlow resigned, and Francis Riha, the former leader of the Steyermark Orchestra, took his place and thus became the second violin. We played very much together and got into fine trim.

Mr. Bigelow, who was our fatherly friend, and remained such all through life, suggested that we should prepare to give concerts, and make that a part of our life-work. The question of a name naturally came up. Mendelssohn was on the top of the musical wave at that time, and, as we had practised his quintette, Opus 18, till we could venture to play it in public, it was determined to call our party, The Mendelssohn Quintette Club of Boston. We gave our first concert by invitation, in Jonas Chickering’s piano rooms, then on Washington Street, nearly opposite the Adams House.