The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-04-24
THE PREMIER EVENING
 OF THE MUSIC FESTIVAL The Treble Clef Club and It's Something About Dbusy and The Blessed Damoze Which Will Be Sung-Letter
 From Mr. Damrosch to Mrs. Fournoy Rivers.
By DOLLY DALRYMPLE.

Less than a week remains before the much-hera1ded music festival will sound the first vibrant notes of its premier evening, and the various music clubs are strenuously at work on their contribu- lions for this important occasion.
 The Treble Clef club will appear on the first evening of the festival, and it will no doubt be of interest to many to know some things about the numbers. the mem bers have prepared. The Brahms setting of the 18th Psalm, s.Lord, How Long Wilt Thou Forget Us" and Lift Up Thine Eyes," from Elijah, Ire more or less familiar to all. While the group of light numbers, Palicot's s'Moths'' and "Mammys Lullaby" are rleasng and very tuneful. But of the De- pussy music little Is known, outside of the realm of musicians-the people who are students of music. Particularly is this true of the "The Blessed Damozel," the Dehussy composition which is the most ambitious number the Treble Clef will sing. Perhaps the best known of the Composers many beautiful exotics is "Peleas ct Melisande," with it's harmon 4 ic hues and half lights, melodic shreds and fragments" as his high priest, MT. Lawrence Gilman, calls them in his book on M Debussy's opera.
 I But of "The Blessed Damozel'-
 In chatting. with Mrs. Flournoy Rivers, the efficient and capable director of the Treble Clef club, a few afternoons ago, I E said:
 "Tell me something about Debussy and his work. I saw Mary Garden in his "Pelleas ct Melsande' at the Manhat- tan opera in New York last winter, and was perfectly mad about his music. It was the most wonderful cast-Perrier and Dufranne being imported from the Paris opera they with Garden were in the orig inal production and Gilibert-in fact the entire cast was French, with the excep- tion of Arimondi, who sang King Golaud and of whom one of the facetious critics said, the morning after the premier per- formance, that the big Italian was the only defect in the otherwise perfect opera, and he played the king like he was afraid all the time some one else would play the ace"
 "'The Blessed Damoze'" " said Mrs. Rivers, lis a lyric poem for women s voices, soprano solo and orchestral &C., compartment adapted from Dante Gabriel Rosetti's weirdly lovely poem. The mus teal setting given by Debussy is exquisite. And by the way, when 1t Is given next Wednesday by the Treble C1ef club, it will be the first time 1t has ever been sung south of New York"
 'I think that is particularly creditable to you and the club and splendid for music lovers who are so anxious to hear and know something of Debussy and his music" I responded.
 .Debussy and Strauss, as you know, are the chiefs of the modern school" said Mrs Rivers" Claude Achille Debussy was born at St. Germain- Lave, France, in 1862, and to my mind is the most inter- esting of the living writer's"
 who In your opinion, is he like?" asked.
 NO one," exclaimed Mrs. Rivers. "He is tres exceptional. tres curieux, tres soli- taire. M. Claude Debussy."
 And what do you think of his music?' I inquired.
 .It is the oldest, lovliest stuff magina- ble. Of remote inexplicable beauty, it haunts one and Is like some evanescent, smulti-colored mist In a day such as ours, when magnitude of plan, and vidid- ness of color and dynamic brilliancy