Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-27
AS ONE WOMAN SEES IT
University Starts New Musical
Club. and the Consequences Are
Bound to BE of Benefit
TO the City
BY SARAH ID. LOWRlT

7 RECEIVED in this mornings mail the
notice of new club. ! do not know
~" psychology Of it. but ! always respond
with interest to a now club. and | never
seem to lose an interest in an old club.
This is n musical club connected with the
University of Pennsylvania, q sort Of glee
or choral union.
=. 1t is supposed to do for music what the
Mask and Wig has done for amateur the.
atrlcals in the college.
They have chosen the choir master of st.
l.uk"'S and Epiphany, Dr.. Alexander Mat
thcws. as the musical director. with Mr..
Kirhnrd Weaver as orchestral lender. Mr..
William Moore is In" president of the club.
and Mr.. George Nitzsche signs himself
manager.
The idea seems to be to give glee concerts
OF tho old type and to give more ambitious
choral concerts Of classic music, working
toward omcthng as ambitious perhaps az
the Eothlchcm choir.
Tho social f'utureS that have always &C.
conNnnicd giro club ConrertS--patronesses
dcbutnntcs and dar"o--nrc TO he kept on
the new program: there nre to he concert
tours and there are to be musical contests;
there are to bc prizes for original compost.
tions, and TO finance the movement and es-
tablish the club in adequate headquarters
and Hubsidize the concerts there is to be
group Of associate members.
TT HAS businesslike look. this revamp-
and planning concerts for subscribers long
in advance. IF the work Is good and tho
programs are well DEVISED II should hc
worth while to belong 70, and very worth
while for the University to encourage.
ANYTHING tia. will add 70 the musical
education OF the coming generation is bound
materially to benefit both singers and audi
cnrcs. For IN spite of the community sing
ing and the public school music and the work
of the teachers !. directors. and IN spite
10 n
tho Philadelphia Orchestra and the opera
organizations and the big choral sorirties
ana m" ''rpheus, not 20 speak Of thn private
singing teachers, We do not sing enough AMI
"" do not ns a norNlnCc appreciate good
singing enough. and we do not know the
great masterpieces.
OF course. England ard Wales and Ger.
many and Austria and tho South Of Fvanre
arc away ahead Of us in the appreciation of
songs: And in this country there are places
like Norwich Conn. Ike Wilkes Barre and
Scranton and like Rochester, y. y. whore
IN" whole matter OF music on Il great scale
70" the populncr aud in some cases by the
popuiacr is WORKED out either by q music
school rs in Rochester, or by 'uuScal
festival occurring yearly. rs in Norwich. or
by coutcStnG choru.rs. Ms in Wilkes- Barre
AMI Scranton, or by oralOrins, as in Beth
lchcm,
MIE SUPPORT the greatest orchestra in
w Amcrica and perhaps in the world nni
crowd any concert thnt orchestra will give.
bat wo ourselves. Ns nativ" rhiladclNhiNns.
are rn' musical hy N2tur" or by odu"a'iUn.
All of Naples turns ont on the festival when
the years song is chosen MS the DONulnr
street song Of tn" wear. but it has never
occurred TO us 70 care for oven . popular
street song enough 70 crown its composer
and make I'll" dnv of itS choice Il galn nrcn-
sion. In fact. We ar" Iathor afraid to hear
any view music from q street song to .
symnEonv because. rot knowing I'll" tunes.
W" fear "a find it dali or odd or difficult or
merely noise.
We do not road rnns;r. new or old. ~ the
Wo,sh and the G"rmaN* do 80 TINT until we
have the tWn" by heart cannot Cct the
hang "f al the ,"untiS IN . comuosi'ion very
satisfactorily. We wuuld. most of US, as
SOON r'''ul Of studying tMn Turkish language
as studying tn" scores Of the compositions
botnr" Wa ar" 10 near 'hom.
had an opposite nciahhor once who WAS
aid 70 rc&d music aS ON" W0lI' read a book.
Inst FoN plea 0f hearing thr sounds ~
t'r uiad. Evcry ~" admired her for :
H'd wurdorcd how ,lln could. 81" was Just
an ordinary. "ommoIul&ro lady living across
re street. nut II PROFESSIONAL musician. IN
G"rmnMv She worll +" on" Of thousands %
Aurh; here she WAS inrrcdiblo When She
died h"r bcwildrred family did not know
what to do with h"r musical library. They
had not an ncqEaintan"c who could SIT and
think musir in that silent style.
1
co,orod boys and :irls 30 sing in TUNE
aud 70 sing parts wlirh they improvso as
they 20 along not just third below bur
very close harmon that would he discorI
except for thcir instructive Knowledge Of lust
how near they can come to fine note carry
ing tho tune without spelling its value
Thov arc. OF course. What "" coll naturally
musical. and the songs that thcy like and
that they comros" or aHsimiIat" and change
ir'o "African mclodieS' o. SHjritua~ "r
81,
cnUs" th"T come 50 easily. It is real tom
ncralrnut coming OUt in musical phrases
Hero and there among the boys and girls
Of ono own HcQnaIrtHnccS ono comes across
family where that kind Of musical nptin.Gn
= nqturnl. and whore without being aNIo
TO read A single note the memory can ~ rry
and tho mind can harmonic tunes and fit
them TO oShr-trHl instruments as well aa 70
tho piano or voice.
Tn such naturally musical persons, oven
though they arc ignorant Of most Of tho
! good music that has been composed, 10 think
musirally is as great q pleasure as any
amusement lif" holds. They not only hear
the tunes TINT tho majority Of us hear and
like they hear sounds above md below nnd
through the tuncs th9t enrich them. com.
ulca1c ard complement them.
II is moro than iy,t another pleasure in
tfrir lives II Is another interest, a real out.
let for thoir ScnSo of beauty
ON summer nights, II among a crowd of
Young people there are one or two who
have this easy kna"h of playing by orr on
| anv handy instrument. or Of taking part IN
the singing. either AhOV" or below the tune,
vou have right away n great treasure troyo
| for entertainment that is as lasting as 1t is
| harmless.
| CITE Clubs and the music that they
! VI made familiar accomplished that for this
country away back IN tho seventies. Moody
and Sankey. with their gospel hymns, were
! r-ent uatrOns # nart singing and Of general