Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-14
NJ i S &c
BY HELEN FETTER.

$4,000 annually. Please page Paul
Whiteman and Ted Lewis, lsham
Jones, Jan CARRIER, etc.
The story has still another under
current OF interest. In any COM
muni,y attempting to establish a
symphonic orcheStra-suchc cities as
New York. Philadelphia, etc, except
edit is necessary to begin with at
least a percentage OF the members
of such an orchestra drawn from
among those who have to earn their
daily bread at present playing IN
motion picture orchcstras. There are
seasoned musicians who shake their
heads aud claim such "hack-work
dulls even the most talented tor
playing of the caliber required III
symphony orchestra. There Is
certainly truth in such remarks. Any
newspaper writer knows that steady
grind of writing i'll set grooves for
routine work dulls the vocabulary
and endangers ones capacity for
literary work. On the other hand,
how many great writers have at one
time or another gone through just
such periods of what in the journal
istic world are called "potboilers"!
To return to the orchestral prob
lem. it is interesting in this con-
nection to quote what the fine
orchestral conductor William van
Hoogstraten has TO say on this very
subject, in a recent interview pub
lished in a New York newspaper. Mr..
van Hoogstraten speaks from the
actual experience OF one who has
built up a fine symphonic organiza-
ton in the Western city Portland,
Greg. He says. i'll part:
1T is wonderful to witness dem
onstration Of the way new center
opens itself to almost any form of
art. The spirit and the intellect are
there. All that is lacking is the ira
dition. The history of the Portland
Symphony is expressive of the high
idealism which is still one Of its
pr.dominating characteristics.
Fifteen years ago a group OF
local teachers and players in theater
orchestras and vaudeville banded
together for the sake of performing
better music, and this group forms
the nucleus of the present orchestra.
For several years they played and
rehearsed without pay and solely for
the love of the work, first one and
then another member of the group
serving as conductor. Later it was
decided to reorganize the orchestra
on a more professional basis and
other leaders were engaged. The
men i'll the orchestra must still re-
tain their commercial positions out
side. as it has not yet been found
possible to put them on a weekly
salary basis. They are paid only
for rehearsals and concert appear
ances. The manager of the orchestra.
Mrs. NJ. Donald Spencer. always has
donated her services. The directing
board is most helpful and the organ
ization justly enjoys the hearty
of the citizens of Portland.
incidentally. it is more nearly all
than any other regularly
organized symphonic body in the
When the subject of Washington
Symphony Orchestra is brought up.
there are always many who inuie-
diately point to the outside leading
orchestras of the country that come
to the National Capital 10 give pro-
grams. In that connection It IS
worthy of moments pause 60 con-
slider that whereas the Philadelphia
Symphony Orchestra will still give
its FIVE concerts here next season.
the New York Symphony is not
listed to appear at all, the New
York Philharmonic Orchestra gives
but three concerts, and the Boston
Symphony Orchestra ration for
has been cut down to
only one instead of two appearances.
due to conflict in dates which makes
a second concert impossible.
One other fact. Local talented
children who are working earnestly
i'll the we'll planned grade, junior high
and high school orchestras of
Washington have no outlet before
them for their talents, however good
they may prove TO be, except in
motion picture thcater orchestras
The same thing is true all over the
country. Increasing numbers of chill
dren are receiving musical education
that is practical, and yet the SYM
phony orchestras of the country are
few in numbers and even the best
of them struggling under inadequate
support for existence
TO pick up again, for last moment,
\ "the melodic line" it is interest
ing to read in the Columbia Phono-
graph Co.'S latest announcement
about the Schubert celebration
prizes. that "the immediate purpose
of this contest for an ending for
Schubert's Unfinished Symphony
is to encourage a return to melody,
and to introduce the Schubert MASTER
piece, through popular interest, to
the millions who have never heard
it," The announcement goes on to
say that though other great COM
positions have been completed after
the composers death-Mozart's
Requiem, Weber's Sketches the
operas Boris Godounov' and
'Turandot,' the offerers of this con-
test scarcely hope to find a new
Schubert among the competitors for
the prize"