New-York tribune., 1914-11-29
MUSICAL ART SOCIETY
Notable Programme for An
nual Christmas Concert.

The twenty second hNrudl Nlilstunao
concert of the Musical Art Society, Dr.
Frank Damrosch director, Will take
place in Carnegie Hall Tuesday even
inc. December Is. at $3.50 o'clock. The
hold that a capells singing has on the
music lovers Of the East is indicated
bv the fact that regular subscribers TO
the concerts OF the Musical Art So
cietv come from Boston, Providence,
Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washing
ton. The out-of-town subscription this
wear is unusually large. Prior TO the
concert, the choir, numbering seventy
voices, will have twenty rehearsals. AS
this style of music requires great deli
cacy of execution, purity OF intonation
and capacity for intelligent interpre-
tation. DR.. Damrosch has as members
of this choir many OF the best pro-
fessional singers of greater New York:
The Musical Art Society, recognized
as the most artistic and important
choral organization in this country, was
founded in 1898. It's purposes and
ideals set forth at that time by Dr..
Frank Damrosch were as follows:
AT the outset of the undertaking
which the Musical Art Society OF New
York has set itself, | beg leave TO ad-
dress 20 its patrons a few words which
may serve 20 explain its objects more
fully than has hitherto been possible,
in the hope of thus enlisting the sym
pathy and encouragement Of all those
who may be interested in the higher
forms of choral culture.
81 am we'll aware that there are IN
this country many excellent choirs
whose aim il is to bring before their
audiences the most pleasing and ef-
fective choral compositions. The larger
Of these societies devote themselves al
most exclusively TO oratorios and other
large works, accompanied by orchestra;
the smaller are generally of a semi
social character, selecting their pro-
grammes chiefly with the view Of enter
tanning their auditors with light and
easily comprehended part-songs and
cantatas.
Through the efforts Of both these
classes Americans have become ac-
duainted with most OF the standard
oratorios, cantatas and part-songs Of
light order. But there is another
class Of vocal composition which is at
least as beautiful as any of those men
toned, though perhaps its beauties do
not lie so near the surface, and are
therefore, not so easily brought out
and understood. II is for the purpose
of bringing this class before the musi-
cal public that the Musical Art Society
has been formed, with the full con-
sciousness that IL has set itself diff
cult task, but one which, if its efforts
are successful, will amply repay all
the labor and sacrifice that have been
expended in its behalf
"The works Of Palestrins and his
school, of Bach and the more modern
masters of capella music, are not
only difficult on account of their contra
puntal intricacies, but require such
deicacy of execution, purity of intona-
tion and capacity for intelligent inter
probation that it was recognized at the
start that il would be almost impossi-
Bile TO rely upon amateurs for this kind
of work. In England and Germany IL
is easy TO gather i'm any large city
sufficient number of we'll trained anna
teur musicians for such purposes, as
witness the Henry Leslie Choir, Of Lon
don. or the Berlin 'SingAkademie.
But music is not yet so widely Guilt
vstcd in America. Good voices are
plentiful, but good readers are scarce,
and the majority of our population
have not yet heard enough good music
to enable them always TO enter intelli-
gently into the spirit and meaning Of
its higher forms.
at was therefore decided TO invite
the cooperation Of the professional
singers Of New York, and with them TO
organize a chorus which should ulti-
mately develop into a model for similar
amateur societies, and perhaps form
the nucleus round which the best ANA
teurs might be grouped for more ex-
tensive work.
'I know full we'll that, even with the
best vocal material and the most ear
nest work, il is impossible to achieve
perfection in this department Of artistic
activity at once, for only by the most
careful blending of what must neces-
sarily be heterogeneous material can
the best results be obtained; but
have begun the task with much hope
and encouragement, lnasmuch as the
artists who have Joined the society
have evinced the greatest zeal and in
terest in the work, and have applied
themselves TO il with true artistic de-
vction.
81 now appeal TO music lovers to en-
courage US, even if at first we fall be-
low the expectation that our high aims
may have raised.
"Our programmes may not be popu-
ldIt Dul kANg oHOA4N oRPNch W eAi
lovers of good music; our work may
not be perfect, but it will be done with
a zeal that will promise better things
in the future. Our aim shall be 70
work for an ideal standard of choral
singing, which we hope ultimately TO
reach by means of earnest work and
your generous sympathy and support"
In speaking Of the coming concert DR..
Frank DamrOsch said:
"In arranging the programme for the
Christmas concert Of the Musical Art
Society | have tried TO Gull some of the
gems of all the programmes OF the last
twenty-one years activity of the So
ciety and TO add some novelties Of un-
usual interest.
"The 'Salve Regina is one OF t.e
most exquisite expressions OF Palestri-
mas genius Il is written for three sep
arate choirs. which appear at first indi-
yldua!ly, then two cholrs in comblna-