Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-06-27
AMERICAN COMPOSERS
HAVE A FIELD DAY
Compositions Of Three PhiIadeI-
phians Well Received at Will
low Grove Festival

The drenChing downpour which began
yesterday morning and continued vir
tuaIly all day had naturally a most de-
pressing effect upon the attendance at
Composers Day at Willow Grove Park.
Nevertheless it was a significant day in
American music, for the small number
of persons who attended heard an in
teresting set of native compositions, and
the group should be repeated at some
time in the near future when the
weather permits larger number of
people to hear the works.
OF the six American composers whose
names We're on the program. three are
Philadelphians. Ralph Kinder. Harry
Alexander Matthews and DR.. Herbert
!. Tily. The other three are New
Workers. being Victor Herbert, Henry
Hadley and William Arms Fisher.
Other American names on the program
were Frank Van der Stuecken. who, in
spite of his name. was born in Texas;
V. Kolar, a member of Mr.. Herbert 5
orchestra. who will become assistant
conductor of the Detroit Orchestra next
year, and John Skilton. whose Indian
Dances were given the first hearing in
Philadelphia this year by our own or,
chestra. These. with the exception of
Mr.. Kolar, were not present.
First Time This Season
OF the compositions of the three
Philadelphians. only that of Mr..
Kinder was new, in the sense of not
having been heard before this season.
The setting of Kiplings "ReceSSional
| by Mr.. Matthews and Doctor Tily's fine
"Te Deum" having been produced both
at the concert of the Strawbridge d
Clothier Chorus at the Academy OF
Music and at the Diocesan Victory
Festival week or two ago. Both OF
these excellent compositions were given
fine productions yesterday, the chorus
singing the parts. now more tamlIlar
to them by reason of several per
| formances, with more authority and
certainty, and the orchestra playing with
admirable restraint. Mr.. Kinder 5 com =
position "Oh. Let the Nations he
fGlad" is in rather strict church style,
with good melodic invention and part
writing, although he does not take ad-
vantage of the full possibilities of the
orchestra in the accompaniment.
Herbert's Work
OF the New York composers, Mr..
Herbert was represented by several
works. all of which have been heard
here before except two short orchestral
numbers, Indian Summer and
Dance of the Fairies" Both are in
Mr.. Herbert's usual tuneful and grace
full style, and, of course, orcheStrated
with great skill and knowledge of values.
The principal novelty of the day was
Henry Hadley's The New Earth for
chorus solo voices and orchestra. 1t
is the first time that it has been pro-
duced, and, Mr.. Hadley told the writer.
the first time that he has heard the
work. 1t is an elaborate setting OF the
poem of Louise Ayres Garrett, and is
a beautiful and significant work. Mr..
Hadley's setting of the poem carries
out admirably the spirit of the poem
in every detail, and the solo voices
and chorus are used with tremendous
effect. The harmony is conservative
from the standpoint of modernism, y
but the work is Enthusiastically modern
in thought and in feeling. In all it is
very acceptable contribution to
American music literature. The scor-
ing is full, but at no time, overpower-
ing, and great care has been used in
the selection of the proper instru-
mentation to show off both the solo
voices and the chorus to the best ad-
vantage. Mr.. Hadley in the work has
never lost sight of the fact that he
was writing a vocal and not an orches-
trail composition.
Credit to Chorus
The Strawbridge & Clothier Chorus
again covered itself with glory, giving
the varied and difficult numbers with
a precision and skill that reflects much
credit both upon themselves and upon
Doctor Tily, who has brought them to
could be secured. They were Inez Bar
bour, who in private life is Mrs. Henry
Hadley, soprano; Clara Yocum Joyce,
contralto; Nicholas Douty, tenor, and
Horace Hood, baritone. In addition
DR.. Howard s. Zulich sang the tenor
solo in Mr.. Matthews's work aud John
Owens in the composition of Mr.. Kin
der. All did well, especially Mr.. Douty,
VI 4 4. & N