The Birmingham age-herald., 1917-01-30
The Barrere Ensemble

of the Pipes of Pan. As Kinling said of the banjo, "The grandeur of my grandeur was the Tyre" So we may say of the flute that its remote an- cestor was the reed that the sylvan god gathered from the river bed and with which he called bird and beast, nyad and dryad to his side, with r.- frain which seems to sound the call of Mrs. Browning's poem echoes
 Sweet, sweet, sweet oh Pan,
 Piercing sweet by the river"
 But not every flute player can sound the Pipe of Pan and make us hear and see the woodland gathering And not everyone has realized that in the for
 est chorus are deeper tones which too can find a voice, and intermingling reproduce the wild sweetness in all it's phases.
 George Barrere, the great master flautists of the day. has built foun- dation of sound under his silver pipe by assembling group of wind in struments, oboes, clarinets, horns and
 bassoons that have all the softness and witchery of the nature chorus in their tone. It is a fairy-like chorus the bird calls, the water voices, the wind in the trees, the croon and hum of the forest and field. It almost seems as if the sound must come from delft and dexterous little hobgoblins and elves instead of nine correct looking gentlemen ir evening dress
 The Barrere ensemble, as this lit- tie pastoral band is called. has n
 the highest indorsement from cd Est to coast. the season of 1914-15 having given to 1t the most extensive trans continental tour ever arranged for a chamber music organization.
 Novel and unique to a degree it is yet an educational movement of ex- traordinary value, in that 1t opens up a Knowledge not only of these all too
 neglected instruments, but of the splendid and prolific literature which
 exists for them, singly and in com
 bination with one another This liter ature fell into disuse with the growth and expansion of the orchestra but much that is finest in the writings of the classic masters was written for just such combinations as the Barrere ensemble. During modern times it is principally the French who have de- voted themselves to the furtherance of the wind instruments and to the composing for them it Is, however significant to note the growing in- terest felt by composers in this coun- try. They are coming to a realiza- ton of the possibilities presented by MT. Barrere and his gathering of wind instrument virtuosi. and two seasons ago MT. Barrere was enabled for the first time to present an "all American programme in New York, which, after 1 the manner of all such ventures, was | met by the doubtful attitude adopted | by the proverbial gentlemen from Mis- | souri who had to be shown It is | all the more conclusive that the New York Evening Post should have sum- | marked the concert as follows: MT Barrere's experiment with present-day composers was courageous and found | its only possible Justification in sue cess; the performance was admirable | throughout. Altogether Mir. Barrer's l experiment was a revelation of mu- sical progress and warranted the en- l thusiasm displayed by .le usual large ! audience"
 l The concert which the Barrere en. 1 semble will give in Birmingham is announced for tomorrow night under l the local auspices of the Music Study | club at the Jefferson theatre.