The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-05
NlEW CHORAL COMPOSITION.
GABRIEL PJERNE's "CRUSADE OF
The CHILDREN"

A Musical Legend eundo on q Touching
Episode In Medieval HistOry-TwO
Hunrtred Public school Children sing
IN me Chorus win BcautifuI Erect.
The spirit Of the crusade swept Europe
with an irrestihle food Of militant eigion.
Not only men. but evep children were over
whelmed by IL. II Is not mere legend, but
historic fact that armies OF children did
set out TO find Jerusalem. They knew not
why, they knew not how. They went
blindly. believing I'm the Lord and having
such faith 40 only children can have. That
such q beautiful and touching theme should
have been chosen for o musical setting IL
not wonderful. for despite the superficial
current Of insrtistio perversion there are
still composers who believe that beauty
is not 10 be sought in a = oral dung heap
nor eloquence in an emotional sewer.
That one OF these composers should be
a Frenchman 70 by no o amazing
as It may seem, for French composers never
find it difficult to dwell in palaces Of the
imagination set astride the narrow boun-
Diary between the sensuous and the sensual.
When they are not writing love songs OF
the earthiest character they are singing
h~alleujahs in eostatic and sentimental
measures. Like Gounod, il is either a
Faust" or Q Redemption for them.
Subjects may vary. but their emotions are
always the same.
Gabriel PiernA's Crusade Of the Infants
which was produced last night at Carnegie
Hail by the oratorie Society, won the Paris
prize In the Composition Of 100000 and
was frst produced at the Theatre du Chatelet
in 1906. On that occasion 200 children from
the public schools OF Paris sang the neces-
sary choral parts. TIE conductor was
Edousrd Colonne. Last night in addition to
tie soloists and the chorus OF the o rator1o
Society Frank DamTosch had 200 children
from the public schools of his city, aud
INV one who does not believe hat there is
a quality in these lively eprigs Of American
life TO bring tears TO the eyes should have
heard some Of their singing.
Perne's oompositionais called a musical
Legend That, OF course, admits OF free
construction and relieves the work of all
need Of 10 lowing any established form.
II may be classed as q o~anuata-a good
children's choruses and orchestra. There
are two principal characters, AIlys and
Aldin, tho latter a blind toy, who leads
the crusade. h subsidiary sole parts
are a mot her, All old sailor, a voice from
on high and a solo quartet also representing
celestial voices. The adult chorus stands
for fathers and mothers, angels and sailors
The children stand for themselves, the little
crusaders. There is also a tenor narrator,
who is used quite freely. sometimes to ex-
plain the action of til" story and again TO
make comments on the scene or the situs-
ton.
The story tells US how the children are
called by celestial voices TO seek Jerusalem,
how their parents beseech them not . go,
how Alan leads them forth. how they come
to the sea and embark OF ships, are over
taken by a tempest and lost. But then
the voice from on high chants, Suffer
little children to come unto Me- and the
b~eavsnIy choir peals forth the triumphant
proclamation that Children who we're
dead have risen again"
There il admirable material III all this
for musical treatment. MIR. Pierne has
gotten a very serious and scholarly score,
Intensely modern in style. dramatic and
burlesdue in places n at times almost
theatrio But IL is a much more chaste
and thoughtful treatment Of the subject
than the general tendency OF French mas
ters to sensuous sweetness and glowing
sentiment would lead us to suspect. In.
deed 80 anxious has the composer been
at times to avoid mere sweetness that he
has run to the opposite extreme and be-
come labored and dry.
But the heavy passages in his score are