The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1924-10-27


could not distinguish an English
ballad from Spanish fandango,
you'd resent It. Yet how many PEG.
pie know the difference between the
music of Peru and that OF Argen-
tina? Buenos Aires has, probably,
the greatest opera in the world with
two big opera companies.
The United States Army Band,
William ]. Stannard, leader, is to
make this possible this winter, by
several concert programs Of South
American music.
The Army Band could, almost
now, give complete program from
every one Of the twenty-one cOun-
tries Of the Pan-Amerlcan Union.
Franklin Adams Aid.
Franklin Adams, counsellor Of the
Pan-Anerican Union here in Wash.
ingtOn, In collaboration with Mr..
Stannard, has made this possible.
Mr.. Adams, himself a musician,
Is intimately acquainted with the
subject, and his enthusiasm and
knowledge have undoubtedly been
the stimulus under which this move
ment has flourished.
The project was undertaken in
a complete library Of music In,
digenous to America in its inclusive
sense, that is, the entire Western
Hemisphere.
For nine months William J. STAN
nard has had a staff busy arranging
and copying the music, with the re-
suit that they possess today the
largest library of such music In
existence.
1t has been a stupendous work.
It is an achievement whose glory
belongs to the United States.
Theodore Bingert must ne re.
membered in this work, for most
Of the arranging Of the music for
full Instrumentation has been done
by him. Much Of the music came
In simple form, though the library
also contains complete band scores
in the very individual ARRANGEMENT
used by South America, which is
unlike our own.
Mr.. Bingert Is a graduate, as
band leader, of the United States
Army Music School here in Wash
ington, William C. White, princi-
pal. He studied violin as a child
and later at the MacMannus Music
School in New York, then going
to the Institute of Musical Art, In
New York, where he studied theory
with Doctor Percy Goetschius and
oral theory with Doctor Franklin
G. Robinson.
His complete knowledge Of all
band instruments he obtained at
the Army Music School, William
j. Stannard being instructor dur
ing hts course there
Pure Native Influence.
First and foremost, Mr.. Adams
tells us. the native music Of South
America is independent of Europe
or Asia. 1t is Latin, Of course;
they are Latin people. But we
have on record that the octave
scale was known in Peru 500 years
before Pythagoras discovered it
for Greece, that is $500 years ago.
Two years ago Franklin Adams
and his wife, who is noted ex-
plorer, went 1000 miles in the
saddle into the interior cities Of
South America.
I'VE found the music in a plain.
tive minor" Mr.. Adams says. THE
Incas of Peru have kept their music
going from ancient times to the
present. so there Is little gap in the
record. Most remarkable compost
tons may be found in Peru, coming
from the interior cities-l00 differ
emit cities. They have been handed
down AS traditions for generations.
1.-THE Incas use a 'Quena,' a ma
tive reed flute, unlike the reed of
Asia, which has double voices, a
soprano and an alto. 'Quechua,
pronounced Sketchua, is their ma
tive tongue
The modern composers, like the
Russians, use their folklore as
foundation for their national music,
so in Peru one finds Vale Riestra,
composer Of an opera 'Ollanta' that
ran for twenty times in Lima.
1.-THE Hymn to the Sun" from
this opera has been published over
here. It is a morning festal song
of sunrise, Of which there are
many in Peruvian music, for the
Sun is Peruvian god. They also
have several hymns to the moon
which are equally beautiful.
1.-TWO waltZes out Of Peru are
known all over South America.
These are 'Melger' and 'Clemencia'
and they are most impressive"
Some Victor Records.
The Victor talking machine has
recorded, in its Buenos Aires labora-
tory, several Of the waltzes from
the ancient Inca. Mr.. Adams loaned
me two of them. They come under
the classification of the "tristes"--
sad historical tales of these op.
pressed people that are as charac-
teristic as the Russian.
They are given with male voices