The FROHSINN SINGING SOCIETY was the first German music club in Cleveland. Its work brought national attention to the city. The Frohsinn was begun in 1848 by German immigrants led by a man named Heber. The society's rehearsals, informal at best, were held from time to time in Seifert's Casino. Gottlieb Votteler assumed direction of the group in 1849 after several of its founders, including Heber, left for the California gold fields. The Frohsinn attended the first national exchange festival (Saengerfest) in Cincinnati in June of that year, where the society received high praise. Heber returned in late 1849 to resume his position as director. His use of members of the Frohsinn and others to organize the mixed chorus section in the Freimaenner Band, however, forced the dissolution of the Frohsinn Singing Society in 1850.
Alexander, Heywood J. It Must Be Heard (1981).