The Washington times., 1926-10-09
MUSIC
by JESSIE MacBRIDE
BELGIAN MUSIC BY
RARE BELGIAN QUARTET

A day full Of music, with two
rare and important programs of the
second day Of the Library of Con.
gress Festival of Chamber Music,
was yesterday.
A day with Coolidge" memories.
The First Lady of the Land was
present in the afternoon. Mrs.
Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, Lady
BountifuP' to the National Capital
in music, donor OF these famous
national festivals, was brought to
Mrs. president" Coolidge by Ii
brarian Putnam of the Library Of
Congress. for social greeting.
The gift of the Coolidge Founda-
ton to the Library of Congress is
increasingly important to our ma
tional art. Again the distinguished
audience, of leading artists and pa
irons of art, gave ovations to the
gifted artists assembled through
Mrs. Coolidge's bounty.
Friday forenoon brought us the
PRO Arte" String Quartet, Of
Brussels, an incompatible assem-
"A.
Halleux, G. Provost and r. Mas.
E. Robert Schmitz, eminent French
pianist, played the one 'premiere"
on the program with NJ. Onnous>
first violinist Of the quartet. 1t
was Huybrecht's Sonata" winner
| this year of the Elizabeth Sprague
Coolidge prize.
Belgians all, composers and the
,~@t 80 ink
exquisitely. The morning program
Franck, the latter styled French
composer. though he was born
in Liege.
A peerless string quartet Is the
PRO Arte.' / feel for the mo-
ment as though 1 had never heard
anything so exquisite, so trans
lucent, so fine in musical Inca
ments. yet so complete whole.
1t was elegance that was ro-
nance, atmosphere. drama intensi-
fled to emotion, so that the vital
thing gave life to the exquisite
beauty OF intellect and magma
ton.
The Jongen Quartet Is exquisite
music. 1t is exquisite writing for
the instruments that brought out
an ensemble beauty that was
breathless at times. as in the lyric
second theme of the Scherzo. Here
is viola passage, taken up by the
other instruments, that brings tone
color beyond description, vox
humane of the strings. There is
Berceuse. his ''molta cantabile, :"
with rhythmic reach after note
in an exquisite andantino that
again has an individual use of the
instruments. and when they ring
out temple bells by the victims, or
mute the cello in harmonics, it be-
comes just something to dream
about and to remember.
Huybrechts. pupil OF Jongen, Is
the contention" on the program.
His is an ultra modern spirit. What
forward reach brought him the
prize Of the year? His Sonata. for
hin and piano, holds ''lento" Of
exotic hue that casts a definite and
pervasive spell. He has foreshad-
owed 1t with humor, grotesquerie in
dissonance and all the abhorrent
things to the ear attuned to mere
melody.
Into his slow movement the
piano evokes sounds almost out OF
the silence, that persist and will
not let one go. Here, in the new
language OF tone. Huybrechts has
captured new sounds, has brought
an indeterminate time element that
seems to change from five to six,
to four-to the listener who has
not seen the score. His dissonance,
his lure OF the violin, one big
crescendo of exaltation. suffice to
show a spirit. that still casts its
music In mixed thought. but that
terminates spirit. And both artists
gave 1t tone beauty and force that
paints in modern musical pigments.
The Cesar Franck Quartet in ID
was a gorgeous finale. A single
phrase. beneath these hands, took
wings and scared into beauty. 1t
! Was gorgeous in orchestral vita lily.