New-York tribune., 1920-06-06

promotion OF artistic righteousness
their refining and uplifting influence
upon the communities which are trib-
utary to them and which enjoy their
minstrations, the delightful fraterni-
cation of devotees to the art, amateur
as we'll as professional, which they
bring about, their perpetpation of
choral musc-a form which is all but
moribund in the large cities through
out the land-and the encouragement
which they offer to composers, in hap
pier days international, of late years
Of necessity national-all these things
have been described and lauded in the
reports of earlier meetings.
Tribute to Horatio Parker
This year there was an additional
element whose fundamentally mourn
full aspect was chastened and made
radiant with comfort and cheer by the
splendor of the musical offering. The
second evening was devoted to SER
vice in memory of Horatio Parker, an
u
County Choral Union, whose activities
in it's behalf covered many years and
filled some of the most resplendent
pages of it's history. The memorial SER
vices were purely musical, unalloyed
by ceremony or oratory. The music
of "Hora Novissima," DIR. Parker's fin
est achievement in the field of compost
tion and, as we believe, the most COM
manding and enduring work which
American genius has yet produced, was
performed. And on the performance
strength and loveliness rested like q
benediction. No doubt the occasion
brought with it sort Of Pentecostal
inspiration. DR.. Arthur Mees, who con-
Quoted, seemed to feel it; Florence
Hinkle, Merle Alcock, Orville Harold
and Clarence Whitehill, who sang the
solos, seemed to be under its spell; it
fired the tongues of the 425 choristers
of the union and possessed the seventy
five fine orchestral musicians, chosen
from the Philharmonic Society and
Metropolitan Opera Company, whom Mr.
Henry P. Schmitt had selected and
brought from New York. We have
heard many performances of the work
in many places since the first given by
the Church Choral Union nearly thirty
years ago, but none quite so uniformly
admirable as this. 1t was noble ttib-
ute to noble man and musician, one
who as composer and teacher strove
persistently and consistently to put
props under musical culture in Amer
lea which might endure and withstand
the buffetings of false taste and fleet
ing and variable aesthetic doctrine.
The Purposes of the Festival
The fundamental purpose of Mr.. and
Mrs. Stoeckel in the founding and
maintenance of the festivals was to pro-
mote appreciation of good music in the
communities of Litchfield County by the
presentation of it through fine artists
as we'll as the best of all means, which
is to encourage them to make it for
themselves. In addition to this method
for long time they have given per-
formances every year to one or more
new compositions, which the composers
are invited to conduct, for which they
are recompensed and the property rights
in which they are permitted to retain.
Until the coming of the war foreign
composers received the same considcra
T, tion as native and so we had first per-
formances of works by Coleridge Taylor
Max Bruch, Jean Sibelus, Percy
Granger and Sir Charles Villiers Stan
ford. Before the coming Of Mr.. Cole
ridge Taylor and after that Of the com
position (Which he could not bring in
person. of Sir Charles Stanford, the
composers who contributed novelties to
the Norfolk festivals were Americans
and Of these the first was the man whose
memory was honored on Wednesday
night. For the festival of 1908 Dr.
Parker wrote a choral ballad entitled
king CORN the Grim; for 1911 a
"Collegiate Overture" built on some of
the students songs of Yale University; :;
in 1918, "The Dream of Mary" a sort
of mystical cantata for solos, chorus
and orchestra. In 1911 his oratorio "Hora
Novissima" had performance, the ex-
cellence Of which deeply impressed. Even
when he was not represented on the
program he frequently was in attend
ance at the festivals, guest, like all
the composers, who become honorary
members of the union by virtue Of their
contributions. To pay tribute to his
| memory Governor Holcomb attended the
service on Wednesday, being greeted on
his entrance into the hall (the "Music
Shed" as it is called), which is idyllical-
iy situated in the park surrounding the
Stocckel homestead, by thrilling per
formance of "The Star-Spangled Ban.
ner." His visit was marred by a painful
accident As he was driving through
the park the horses took fright and ran
up the steep side Of the roadway. The
carriage was overturned and the Gov
ernor suffered slight injury-a cut
on his hand. His, companions were also
hurt. Mrs. Burpee was severely cut
across the forehead by broken glass.
but fortunately the injuries were not
serious.
Other American composers who have
brought compositions out at the festi-
'aIs are George W. Chadwick. Henry
YSaA Lac Gsksl