New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-04-12
TWO NEW CANTATAS
AT A SPRING CONCERT
The Columbia University Chorus
in Carnegie Hall.
BY II. T.. kREHBIEL.

Two csntatas had their first perform
ance in New York at the annual spring
concert Of the Columbia University
Chorus in Carnegie Hall last night
They were "The Peace Pipe" words
from Longfellow's "Hiawatha.' music
by Frederick S. Converse. and "The
Black Knight" words by INLAND. trans
lated by Longfellow. music by Edward
Elgar. The former is a new compost
ton. and, for aught we know to the
contrary. may have had its first per
Torrance on this occasion, which seemed
interesting enough for the composer
TO draw him from his home, near Bos-
ton. TO hear II.
The portion of Longfellow's poem
with which II deals is that which tells
how Gitche Mantle fashioned pipe OF
red stone. marked out the course OF a
river. called together the arriors OF
all the nations on its banks with the
signal of Pukwana, admonished them
to wash the war paint from their
bodies in the waters of the river and
eniov his endowment in peace; and,
finally, how his advice was accepted.
The text is good musical material, and,
though Mr.. Converse has been no more
successful than his predecessors m
overcoming the monotony Of the old
Finnish meter, he has turned II INTO
smoothly flowing choruses, with some
excellent dramatic effects. The choral
writing. and also the orchestral, IS
good: nothing is wasted; everything
sounds well. even Mr.. Converse's eX-
cursions into the field of dissonant mar
mony.
Perhaps its most striking feature
certainly its most interesting was
It's use of a fundamental phrase OF
Indian music. II is not necessary 10
attempt TO identify it with any single
aboriginal song, for it is characteristic
of pretty mach everything that mas
been taken from the red mans musical
storohouse, which is singularly poor IN
molcdic material. The composer has
Given the sermon of Gitche Mantle 70
a solo BARITONE. Mr.. Hnshaw was
expected to sing this, but his illness
prevented, and Mr.. Edgar. filled his
place very acceptably indeed.
Sir Edward Cigars composition IS an
old one, dating back TO 1893. when 1t
was first performed by Worcester
choir. Later it had performances at
Wolverhampton and Birmingham and
then rapidly made the round Of the
English cities in which such music Is
cultivated. Uhland's poem. Der
ychwarze Ritter" is OF grim and
gloomy content, and describes how
Death, in black armor, entered the
lists at a Pentecostal tournament. over
threw the kings son and at the festlyI-
ties took away the lives OF both OF the
children Of the royal feast giYer
When Elgar composed the work he
called II symphony with chorus a
designation which had greater justitica-
ton than that BY which Mailer
wished his work performed last
SUNDAY TO be known. THE Black
Knight" in the moods and also the
style of its large divisions, discloses
the contrasts found in the symphonic
form. the description OF the tourna-
ment and the banquet being charac-
terized by dance rhythm Ike
scherzo. the opening being an energetic
allegro, the entrance of the BLACK
knight. bringing in the ominous gloom
with a slow movement and the male
having a broad sweep, though weight
Of woe falls upon its concluding
measures. There is much admirable
oescriptive music in il. 10 which the
orchestra adds much life and color
the latter Oriental and chivalresque IN
the tournament and banquet portions.
Mr.. Hall conducted and his choir sang
with fine precision. nice expression
and gratifying quality Of tone, espe-
cially in the American work. In Sir
Edwards cantata the performance went
10 nieces toward the close apparently
because OF the Indebtedness OF MI
Halrs beat.