Evening star., 1926-12-12

grams pldnHCu lOi eh>
tional Capital. After the successful
production of the Tschaikowski
opera, "Pique Dame" by the wash
inston Opera Co., for which every,
body from Mr.. Albion, general
director, down to the smallest chorus
girl or boy deserves individual
praise. After all this operate glory,
Washington is landing with both
feet into the midst of ambitious
Christmas carol programs. On all
sides one hears talk of carols. Sev-
eral of the churches already in this
page are printing their programs, to
be given as early as services TO-DAY
or next Sunday-the Sunday pre-
eeding Christmas. They seem TO
have applied the post Office slogan
of Mail early" to the dispatching OF
the Christmas music.
***
TO-DAY the Mount Hoiyoke Glce
L Club gives some unusual examples
of caroH in a special service this
evening at the Church of the Epiph-
anv. Friday evening those famous
eolored singers from Hampton !nsti-
tute under the leadership OF the
well-known composer. Nathamei
Dett, will include a group OF DIS
tinctive and little-heard carols on
their program at the Library of Con
rress. The same night the Yale Un'..
Versity Glee Club will offer choral
numbers in conjunction with the
banjo club of the same institution OF
learning.
Last week at a special sacred con-
, cert on patronai feast at Cathoiic
University the Schola Cantorum. the
University Glee Club. DR.. Leo Beh-
rendt,. director. St. Patrick's choir:
Miss Jennie Glennan. director, and
John r. Monroe's Dawson Glee Club
offered beautiful music by Vittoria,
Palestrina. Gounod. Praetorius, Bull
lard, Dubois. Grieg. Arcadelt. Bach
and Mozart 1t is inspiring to hnd
that local singers are interested IN
studying and developing programs OF
this fine music. which sets the very
highest of ideals.
In this connection it seems most
appropriate to mention that at q
meeting of the interdenominational
committee which was in charge OF
the recent concert of the Dayton
Westminster Choir. held at a lunch
con at the City Club last Monday,
plans were laid to create a perma-
nent city-wide musical organization,
with the purpose of improving the
music in general and church music
in particular. 1t was decided to ap-
point committee of Is to undertake
this work.
Among the organizations whose
representatives were present at the
conference were the Washington
Federation of Churches. the Feder-
alton of Women's Clubs, the FEEDER
alton of Music Clubs, the Y. w. {.
A. and the public schools. Reports
by members of the Dayton West.
minister Choir Committee indicated
that the recent concert was an out
standing success.
DROBABLY the oldest carol--that
! is, the first ever sung-was that
which the shepherds sang when they
saw the wonderful star that hung IN
the night sky above Bethlehem. 1t
must have been a spontaneous dox.
ology sort of song, with q note OF
exultation and excited amazement IN
It. And ever since then carols have
been sung in every Christian country
in the world. 1t is said that the t1rst
authorization for collection of such
carols to be made was issued to
Thomas Tysdaie in 1862 in England:
The Puritans forbade the use OF
carols when they were in power, but
back the Joyous Yuletide music came
when, with the Restoration, there
appeared a book entitled The New
Carols for the Merry Time of Christ
mas, to Sundry Pleasant Tunes.
Great composers have not neg
1ected the obvious opportunities of
this Christmas theme to develop
beautiful compositions. Probably the
most famous of all such efforts is
the Christmas oratorio written by
George Frederic Handel in l74z--
"The Messiah" This year a special
chorus gotten together as early as
last summer for preliminary rehears-
ais under r. Deane Shure, Washing
ton choir director and composer, will
sing "The Messiah" on December Il.
Then, in February, this chorus will
give a program of six-part spirituals.
Both concerts will be presented in
the Mount Vernon Place M. <.
Church South.
DR. FRANKLIN ADAMS, coun-
- selor of the Pan-American Union.
has had news to the effect that s.
bands throughout Latin America
have asked for copies of the compost
tion known as THE Washington Eve
ming Star March" written by Capt
Stannard of the Army Band. Mr.
Adams SAYS. in part:
1--WE receive word every now and
then from someone who speaks OF
this composition. Only today there
came a letter from the editor of the
Brazilian American, in which he
says that the conductor of the big
military police band in Rio de Janeiro
is delighted with "The Washington
Evening Star March and has been
playing it constantly
>CYLVIA LENT, the charming lit
~ tie violin artist who is native
of Washington and will give re.
cital here Tuesday, played in joint
recital with Louis Cornell. young
American pianist. in Buffalo last
Tuesday, and her work received
splendid comment from all the crit
ics. They said: