Evening star., 1927-04-24

sudden dropping of the Summer heat
veil the middle of last week and the
lengthiness and volume both Of the
chamber music programs of the Bee
thovcn festival at the Library OF
Congress and of the four grand
operas squeezed into two hectic eve
nings and doublc-bill matinee, not
to mention having the d. A. X. and
about a thousand Of th. annual high
school visitors deluge the National
Capital. the residents Of this fair city
are glad of temporary respite this
week. Also, though few high
lights loom in May, especially about
the middle Of the month, nothing
nearly so alarming in proportions as
the brilliance of the week Just past
has arisen above the publicity horl-
zon at this writing. Quantity may
prove an oppressive as well as an
impressive quality.
x
NNE unusual recital that was listed
" for tomorrow afternoon, the
lecture recital 10 have been given
by Mrs. Edward MacDowell at the
Library of Congress. has had TO be
Cancelled at the last moment. This
is due to Mrs. MaCDowells sudden
illness. She is in Chicago, where
she went to attend the biennial Of
the National Federation of Music
i'll with pleurisy This frail lady,
whose famous husband. Edward
MacDoweli, was the inspiration for
the stupendous task which she set
herself at his death and has contin-
ued increasingly since then, III spite
Of illness from accidents. exposure,
etc, is one of the real heroineS of
America today
1t was her purpose to tell OF the
Mcdowell Colony and also present
some Of her husbands works before
an invited audience here tomorrow.
I AS she cannot be here. it is the
humble desire of the writer of this
Column to at least devote this space
to All attempt to describe the vital
work Mrs. MacDowell is doing. her
original inspiration and its necessi-
ties fer practical, lasting solution.
Mr., MacDowell's is one of the few
names of distinctly American COM
posers that have won world wide
recognition TO be placed in the list
of classic composers. Not only are
his more difficult works, such as
the sonatsS, played all over the world
by leading professional pianists, but
his simpler works are we'll beloved
by the amateurs, and the students
in many lands dance to or play on
violin or piano, or even sing, his
''To Wild Rose" This work was
Mr.. MacDowell's &C Sharp Minor
Prelude" in point of view of its SUI
preme popularity. 1t is very anus
ing to reflect on the little anecdote
that Mrs. Mcdowell tells of how
she fished this composition out of
her husbands waste basket after a
morning Of hard work. He scorned
her rescuing the work, but she in
sisted upon its, being given a trial.
Probably his name is known by this
composition in places that have
never heard Of any other Of his
works. -
A LTHOUGH Mrs. MacDowell has
IA become widely known for her
sympathetic interpretations of her
husbands piano works, giving recit
ais all over the country every year,
there are many American people
who do not get the bigger signif
cance of this really great work on
her part. She is not only perpetual
ing the memory and keeping green
recollections of her husbands genius
as a composer, but. more than that,
she is doing a practical good for the
Young artists of America by raising
a fund at these concerts TO maintain
the MacDowell Colony, at Peterboro,
n H A fund of 100000 is really
essential as solid working basis for
this colony. AS it is, all the royalties
from MacDoweil's compositions. all
the money raised by Mrs MacDow-
ellis recitals, funds raised by Mac
Dowell clubs all over the country and
individual donations are turned into
the necessary expenses 10 keep the
work going from year to year
Many people think that this coll
ony is just place for those inter
ested in music 10 get together for
a good tipe. Far from i'll This
colony is established for the express
purpose Of helping all Americans
with real talent in artistic lines to
an opportunity for seclusion to work
out some specific piece of creative
work without financial worries tag
ging al the back of their minds every
minute. As Mrs MacDoweli puts
il, "A workshop with wonderland
thrown in, for creative workers in
the seven arts" Painters, sculptors,
poets, dramatists and noveIists, as
web as composers, are eligible 10 a
few weeks at the colony with a
studio in which TO do concentrated
work regular hours of living and
simple pleasures derived chiefly from
the inspiration of contacts with
others just as eager TO accomplish
something worthwhile as them
selves, as the inducements to seek
admittance at the MacDowell Coll
ony Always the list of applicants
IS several times as long as the list
OF possible admissions during a sea-
son, with only % studios to house
them as workshops.
There are 900 acres of rolling
country woodland in the colony
: Over this land, in hollows of wooded
blu Of perched among pine trees that
fringe a vista into the real noun
tains that guard that section Of the
North country, are the 90 studios, OF
varying simplicity in design and con
taining very modest fittings for the
creative workman. These studios
are all donated by individuals OF
music clubs. The most imposing and
the only stone structure is the Alex.
ander studio, a replica Of the Swis,
chalet where Alexander. the sculptor