The Birmingham age-herald., 1921-09-17
Centennial Music Chairman


 progress has been made? How will music and the pageant be connected up and what has been accomplished in organization so far?'
 Mrs. ", J. Adams, president of the community sing, who has been cho- sen as chairman of the music com mittee for the emi-centennial re- peatad the volley of questions I pro pounded to her yesterday after me, and smilingly said:
 gro every question you have asked ] can truthfully answer by saying that if everything else connected with the semi centennial is going as well and as enthusiastically as the music committees work-then the semi i-centennial is an assured success"
 Spoken with Mrs. Adams usual en- thusiasm and splendid cooperation on all matters pertaining to the pub lie welfare and progress of Bir- mingham, her words are significant for none estimates conditions better than she, none knows more accurately how to test the pulse of this com munity in which she has been such splendid asset in everything musical
 
 'In the first place my music com mittee is formed and l may say as an evidence of the interest Birming- ham is showing in the semi-centen- nial, that I invited 19 people to serve on the music committee and 19 people accepted" Mrs. Adams said proudly. Those who will assist in making the music for the semi mi-centennial a go are: Mrs. Louis Saks, Miss Bonnie rd nreSidenf the Woodlawn Music club, Miss Leta Kitts, Miss Hattie Morton. Mrs. Rich ard F. Johnston of the 'All-Star Con certs,' Mrs. Edna Gockel Gussen. di- rector of the Birmingham Conserva- tory of Music, Mir. Houston Davis president of the Music Study club, Mrs. G. H. Hollingsw orth of Bessc- mer, Mir. Leon Cole, Dr, Guy E. Shave ly, president of the Birmingham Southern collegA J. H. Chapman, F. c. CutlA. M. E.. Morris, Dr. c. B. Glenn, Dr. c. A. Brown, Miss Sara Mallam. and I've saved the best for the last-Mr. Gordon Erickson, chair. man of tho pageant committee-is the director of the music for the semi centennial. Isn't that splendid.
 Our pAans are really beautiful Mrs. Adams said. "beginning with the 1ndian-muSc which will be featured; an Indian Lament will be sung under Mir. Erickson's direction by mag nificent male chorus, while the Hymn of Birmingham to be written by Mir. Wallace Rice of Chicago who will write the pageant will be sung to a Mozart air and another song to be written by Mir. Rice and sung by mixed chorus of 500 voices under MT. Erickson's baton, will typify Bir- mingham and her industrial situa- tion. I mean by that, that anvils will be introduced into the chorus-typi- flying the steel and iron products-as well as other things typifying Bir- mingham's vast industrial resources.
 MT. Rice said when he was here last week that when he returned to Chicago he would make a research of the great libraries there on Indian literature, studying the Indian tribes who inhabited old Jones valley--long before 1t was Jones Valley, long bt fore it was Elyton-ages before it was Birmingham-and into his pro- logue' he will introduce the Indian legends which are so beautiful and so full of historical import. The Creek Indians with all of their tributary smaller tribes, such as the Apalachee, Chattos, Mobilians, Naniabas, Tohomes, and Tensaws- with their euphonious names and their beautiful legends will be used by MT. Rice in his prologue beginning way back before time itself was hardly known-and leading up to the birth hour of Birmingham in 1871.
 Mr. Donald Robertson, the noted actor who is to produce the pageant which MT. Rice is to write" Mrs. Adams said, Twill take the leading part in the Indian legend Tuscaloosa and also the part of the Prophet or the .reader-who outlines the epi- sodes
 The connection that you've asked about between the pageant and the music is just this" Mrs Adams con tinued. There will be very little spoken drama; each episode will have musical setting and the great cho- rus Of 500 voices under Mir. Erickson will present the music incidental to each episode.
 MT. Rice has asked for 15O0 peo- pie to take part in the pageant" Mir. Adams said, "and Mir. Erickson wants chorus of 500 from school choir, club and every musical organization While in separate male choruses ana female choruses will be arranged rom the mixed chorus to sing cer- tain music which will be used.
 Graceful, poesy and beautiful mu- sic will be the key notes of the pag- can't Mrs. Adams declared, "and the  Indian atmosphere featured-espec- ially as I said before in the Pro logue' which will be beautiful--car- rying out the pageant idea with it's picturesque and it's Illuminating beauty. The children will be given very prominent part in the pageant ana the music, while the older people of course will have the greater re- sponsibility of both.
 want to say that Birmingham is I marvel when it comes to GO opera tion and enthusiasm Mrs. Adams de- clared, T have never seen anythinp more splendid or more wonderful than the way those ! have approached on the subject Assured me of their hearty cooperation and interest and undoubtedly the semi centennial celebration promises to be one Of the most unique spectacles that inc south has ever seen."
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 CUMMINGS TO LECTURE
 Selma. September 16.-(S (Special.)-