New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-04-21
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Music and Prizes at the Pitts
burgh EiSteddfOd.
NATIONAL HYMNS TO ORDER
A Drufdical Gorsedd for Amer
ica-Horseplay at the
Opera.

I'm International festival a Welsh Els
teddfod OF extraordinary scope. is TO be
/ held IN Pittsburgh i'm the first week Of
July OF this year. There are to be COM
| petitions IN various departments Of art,
but the chief interest will centre. doubt
less. in the choral contest. in which choirs
/ from all over the United States and also
from Europe will take part and at the
close all of the competing choirs will be
united in festival performance of Sir
Edward Cigars king Olaf" The grand
I prize of the meeting will he $500 for the
best choir numbering not less than 100
! nor more than $50 voices In this COM
petition there will also be a second prize
of $1,000 and a third prize Of 500, besides
a gold medal To the conductor Of the sue
cessful body other choral competitions
will be between chors of mems voices Of
! not less than & nor more than 90. i'm
/ which the first prize will he 81 900 and the
second $500. and between choirs Of
women's voices numbering not less than
10 nor more than 50. for prizes of $500
and 500. The total sum Of the prizes 10
he awarded for musical performances
alone IS $500 The prizes are to be award
/ cd by board Of adiudicators composed
OF u. Vaughan Thomas. Mus. Doc, Of
| Swansea. Wales; Daniel Protherce. Mus.
| Doc. of Chicago and II. T.. Krehbel, of
| New York. In the literary department
prizes will he awarded for the best poem
! i'm four classes lone Eneish), for the best
essays on three subjects. one Of which may
| be in English or Welsh; the best novel
| English or Welsh. founded on incidents
in the life Of Welsh pioneer in America,
and three prizes for the best. second best
and third best short story in English. TO
be called AN Eisteddfod Romance"
At the many Welsh festivals Of this
character which have been held in the
United States one Of the most pict-
uresque features has been the "Chairing
OF the Bard" This will follow. as usual
no doubt at the close Of the poetical con-
test; but "A new feature of the meeting
will be the institution Of a Bardic Cir
/ Gle. or Gorsedd. an Institution Of great
antiquity 'The plan 10 organize an
American auxiliary" says the prospectus
/ issued by tho Eisteddfod Association,
received the sanction OF the annual con-
vocation in Wrexham last September. In
order to have the American branch es-
tablshed according to the rites and Gus
/ toms of the parent organization in Great
| Britain. Dyfd. the Archdruid Of the or
der. was delegated to attend the Pitts
burch Eisteddfod 10 conduct this unique
| portion of an interesting procedure. The
Archdrud will be assisted by the lead
| ing Bards and Literati from among the
| American Welsh. well as by those In
| cluded III large delegation of noted
| Drulds from Wales that Will accompany
| him TO America
| Not only are our enthusiastic Welsh
men in Pittsburgh going TO introduce
relics of ancient Druidical institutions
into the United states. they are going TO
/ try also TO give us n national anthem \
prze of $50 has been set apart for the
hest anthem words and music, which
/ shall be submitted. The words are TO De
English. of course and, for some reason
which II would be idle 10 speculate about
| il is prescribed that the anthem IS 10
consist Of four six-ine stanzas. 1.-TWO or
more persons" says the announcement
/ ARE permitted 20 collaborate on boih
words and music. This contest closes on
! April 20. and all compositions must reach
the secretary on or before that date.
Four adiudicatoIs are TO sit in Judgment
nm tho labors Of our would-bc national
poets and composers. If they succeed III
discovering a hymn which meets the re-
quirements Of national anthem ana
a.
their Judgment is approved by even Wlde'
not TO say general. adoption OF their
choice. they will have done what mas
seldom been done in the history of the
world. II cannot be said of national
anthems as il is Of folksongs. mat the!
are born. not made. for nearly all the
| national HYMNS OF the world are the
products of trained musicians. The Of
fetal anthem OF Rumania IL an eNcep-
ton. and il can scarcely be said To sig
mfg. America has a very excellent hymn
NJ which il knows next TO nothing, which
II ACQUIRED when IT annexed Hawaii It's
words were written by King kalakaua
and its music by H. Berger. royal
bandsman and evidently German. 1t
is of the type TO which the national
anthems of Great Britain. Russia ana
Austria belong. The model is That set by
Good Save the King" which has been
adopted by SaXony and is used through
out Germany. and which holds its own
a. MY Country. 'Tis OF Thee in spite
of the criticisms which have been
broueht against the poem from literary
and patriotic point Of view and against
.be music because Of its origin. But eX-
nerienre has shown that no critical OBJ
! ier,ions can prevail against a hymn Which
the people have taken To their hearts.
English musicians (Sir Edward Elgar
among them and literary men have
abused Coz Save the King time out OF
mind charging also (Which showed their
iqnorance) that IL was of German origin
vet # will not down. I'm the operetta his
| Evcellency" which Gilbert wrote for Dr.
COR after his quarrel with Sullivan. he
hod his fling AT the literary idiosyncra-
clos of The hymn. one of the characters
,be Prince Regent. explains To another
,,bv even "A real prince is not 10 be en-
,.iod He can't show his nose out or
! doors without an accompaniment OF ma
! ,to,aI anthem. which circumstance, says
,,a prince Regent. lis enough to make
No., turn revolutionist and cry aloud for
his oun downfall" And then he sings.
Ill. tbe Banbury Lady whom every one
| knows . a.. ,,.t ,,,e,. ha
He's cursed with its music wherever ne
r,ds% oss' It's words nut imperfectIy
"a he devil himself couldn't scan