The Washington times., 1925-03-24
DIXIE ARTISTS
SCORE IN
RECITAL
Second Spring Festival Con-
cert introduces Folk Singers.
Edwin Hughes Novelties
BY JESSIE MacBRIDE.

The second concert In the Spring
Festival of all-American artists,
given at the Mayflower under Mrs.
David Allen Campbell, presented
seven soloists last evening in the
attractive ballroom OF this hotel,
with a program Of Artists from
Dixieland."
One little lady, Media Hewitt
Stevens of Kentucky, quite cap
tured honors with a series Of
original old Negro melodies and
plantation songs Miss Stevens
brings something new, refreshing
and musical in her sketches. Her
little Introductory remarks, her
charming, quaint costume, her
grace Of manner, all combine to
make these Shouts and moans
something different and worthwhile.
Her voice is rich, in true vocal
timbre. She can use 1t in inEita;
tions while still retaining its musl-
cal quality that admits her to the
concert stage as singer as well as
entertainer.
Pianistic Touch Is Modern.
Edwin Hughes, pianist, plunged
into a program of olden things with
some most interesting and daring
novelties of modernism for the
piano. He gave two experimental
things in dissonance and rhythm,
about which the current music
thought is much concerned. Tides
of Manaunaun" by Henry Cowall
uses the flat of the hand or the
full forearm in tone clusters"
that strangely enough have a law
of their own and that brings this
nebulous impression through" He
gave some ingenious arrange
ments of American folk dances, the
most interesting being the Rain
Dance" of the Zuni Indian, by
Putnam. But only in his encore,
MacDowelPs Shadow Dance" did
one find the pianistic art coming
through the oddities. For Edwin
Hughes is master Of pure and
transparent beauty in playing.
Grace Lamar, meZzo soprano, did
a. double service in presenting q
song by her accompanist, Mildred
Koib SchuIze Life is Today" that
had to be repeated. Mrs. Schulze,
q Washington composer, has chosen
! the Omar text and given 1t an
atmospheric and interesting setting
that is also original. At the piano.
Mrs. Schulze impressed by her de-
! lightful playing. Miss Lamar dis
played her rich mellow voice to
fine advantage in Coin Home
from the New World Symphony OF
Dvorak, and in the Respighi
! "Nebbie."
Interesting Creole Songs.
A dramatic soprano of Mississippi,
Vivienne De Veau, sang some Creole
songs. with deep sympathy of tone
in II Took My Mothers Heart" Of
Turner Layton, and in the "Voi 20
/ Sapete" from the opera "Cavalleria
Rusticana" one heard the true tone
color of this aria most faithfully
caught in temperament and quail
ity. With the mellowness held into
/ the upper register, here is a voice
that may register effectively the
warm toned music Of the Latin.
Katherine Riggs, washington
harpist, gave delightfully."- The
Fountain" of RaVel, her tone being
fulsome and her technique suaVe
and most musical. Miss Riggs is
a charming picture at the harp,
quite visualizing the spirit Of The
/ Romance" of Hasselman which
she played with breadth OF style.
J Jerdone Bradford, contralto, and
Fanny Washington in songs of
Virginia, completed the list OF
| soloists. Bess Hagimer, as ac-
companist for most of the artists.
was artistic and played with nice
values and understanding. The
next concert Of the series viii be,
April s.