New-York tribune., 1922-12-21
.SchOIa Chorus
In Agreeable
Performance
First Appearance of Season,
"A Christmas Concert,
Brings Forth Varied Pro-
gram of Unusual Pieces
SchindIerAdaplaliOnSung
Numbers Include Airs and
ChoraIs From Russian,
Spanish, Dutch and Basque

Wbatever else the Schola Cantorum
NAV be. il Is always intcrestingi ~
hearers never risk boredom from too
FREQUENT hearing Of overfomilia'
works. and there was no lack Of novel
ties or Of interest at it's FIRST concert
Of the season, announced as Christ
mas concert" yesterday evening a'
Carnegie Hall. where Kurt sehindler
produced numbers ranging from Rus,
alan TO Dutch, Spanish Catalonian ana
/ Basque.
The quality Of the performance
varied 20 some extent, with the latter
part. in general. better than the
former: the chorus seemed to take
three or four numbers 10 fnd itself,
to attain a thorough unity, expression
and quality Of tone. but, these things
once attained, its performance was
good; not. Of course, with the abb
solute purity OF tone, the exact re-
qponsc 10 the conductors beat found
I'm such an. organization as the Toronto
Choir. for instance, but very credit
able when the limitations OF training
and rehearsal are considered. a seven
tccnth-ccntury Dutch anthem, By Jan
Picters Sweclinck, opened tho program,
richly polyphonic, sung. 10 seemed.
with some roughncss Of tone, as was
the case TO some extent in the follow
ING sixteenth-contury Spanish num-
ber. % magnum mysterium," By
Thomas Victoria. although tho soft.
sustained notes Of the opening pass
age were we'll sung.
"'TBixt the Ok and tho Grey ASS
Such passages were the best part in
this half Of the concert, and came out
we'll in the quaint carol, "Allons'
Cag, Gay, Gay Bergeres" Of Guillaume
C0stclcy, while increasing smoothness
of tone was % be noticed IN the "NOol
WALTON" and Ga more familiar number
hero). the old French carol. Entire 10
boeuf q Tame gris." There seemed,
however, some heaviness and lack OF
precision. although there was less OF
this. In the two Cataionian carols. AT
Midnight and THE Three Kings," By
Antoni Perez Moya and Luis Romeu,
one with an effective (while nasa)
imitation OF bells. and the other alter
mating chorus and a soprano solo with
an accompanying hum, sung by Lillian
Gustafsou. Her high notes we're good,
her lower ones less effective. but her
best singing was IN the humorous
Basque number by Benaola, "Neska
Iarra."
"Cnptant" or "Alms for the Christ
Child" by the Catalonian composer,
Antoui Nicolau. was the principal and
most difficult number Of the evening.
for which the Schola added q boy choir
from the Calvary Episcopal Church.
IN its way. IL seemed TO be a master
piece OF polyphonlc construction and
OF dramatic effect, although 10 was
practically impossible 20 gain any
thing like a detailed idea Of the inter.
weaving OF its various parts from a
single hearing. though there was no
mistnkirg IFS expressive power and
the quality Of the music. Il was diff
cult, complicated work for the chorus,
which gave this "Christmas Legend" a
very creditable performance, bringing
out the changes Of feeling. now hope
ful, now mornful, although the boys
choir had o rather cloudy tone and was
not always audible against tho others.
GrctchaninoGs "Ai-du-du," settings
Of five Russian children's songs. WAS