Evening star., 1923-02-25
ContaM Praised.

A FEATURE of the last day of the
"A laymen's Lenten services at
Keith's Theater. the Saturday before
Easter. will be the presentation by a
choir OF one hundred voices OF The
Atonement." an Easter cantata, COM
posed by f. Deane. Shure. director of
music of the Mount Vernon Place
Methodist Church South. These serv-
ices are held each week day at noon.
Mr.. Shure will direct the perform
ance. The solos duet and quartet
will be sung by the following: Miss
McGill keefer, contralto: ". A. NC
Coy, first tenor; 3. L Goodyear, sec
ond tenor; ]. Benton Wood. baritone.
and Howard P. Bailey, bass. Mrs
Frank A. Frost. organist of the
church, VIII play the instrumental
music.
The words Of The Atonement"
were written by Rossel Edward
Mitchell, also Washington man. The
Joint work Of Mr. Shure and Mr.
to a demand for something new in
appropriate Easter music. It has been
given at the Mount Vernon Church,
but March 81 will mark It's first pres
entation elsewhere. The cantata will
also be given at the church Good Fri
day night 1t has been recently pub
lished.
The male quartet of Mount Vernon
church has supplied music for the
first OF the Lenten services at
The Musical Courier has offered
some interesting comments on, this
cantata, published in. the Issue of
January 25:.. 1t states: "R. Deane
Shure certainly knows -his~-business,
writing With facility, now.-ii the
modern. almost flturfstic- style. then
In straightforward classical fashion,
anon In almost folk=tunes style. but
always effectively The work is for
the usual mixed charus. with solos
for soprano, alto, tenor and bass. the
verse being by Rossel Edward Mitch.
ell. It Is Mr. Shure's 10lst work. One
finds his name in Who's Who in Mu-
sic, the. work naming him as now
thirty eight years Of age, SON of An
amateur conductor. educated in Ober-
lin, then under Draeseke, In Ger
many: some years in Texas and prize
winner with his chorus at a southern
eisteddfod. The work describes the
triumphal entry into Jerusalem of
Jesus, the. lament of Peter depicting
his denial. the great Messianic propl1-
ecy Of Isaiah, the brutal treatment
Of the Savtcr by. the Romans. the
crucifxion, darkness which spread
~
and rending of the temple veil Mary
Masdalene's .grisf sis pictured: the
sorrow of the disciples, suddenly and
joyfully .dissipated by the appear
ance OF angels, who proclaim, the
good news, The Lord is psen.' Then
comes the appearance Of the risen
Lord by the. Sea of Galilee and the
reconciliation OF Peter. The finale
includes the great commission to all
who believe. GO into all the world
and make disciples 10.
THE use of initiation, short fugat-
tos, highly commendable four-part
writing. proper observance of mu-
sical form, descriptive music through
out, with recitatives which really say
something, a unison soldiers chorus
(tenors and basses), with the. march
to tho tomb. somber in color, in four
part harmony; also fine duet for
soprano and tenor: .contralto solo Of
distinguished merit, depicting Mary's
sorrow: great contrast in voice and
instrumental parts; a. very graceful
barcarolle; duet for tenor and bass
and a rousing final chorus, with high
Fs and G. at the end-all, these are
but small features of the work of
eighty pages. octayo."