Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-06-19
NJ u S &c
BY HELEN FETTER.

/ American boys. 1t is suggested that
the song include the historic assoc
Citations of the school. its American
ideals and its international outlook.
Illustrated booklets and data de-
scribing the school will be sent COM
petitors on request. Address in
Quiries to Thomas {. Burton, head
master. ~ C1aremont avenue, New
York City.
Among the suggestions offered in
these data are emphasized the follow
ing especially:
an writing the words and music
bear in mind that the song will be
sung by Americans i'll foreign land.
Bear in mind that Europe is in the
throes of reconstruction after BIT
ter war, and that the military spirit
is not very popular there just now.
Further, that there is a strong stu
dent movement all over Europe that
is determined to make the awakened
popular consciousness a democratic
consciousness, and that dozen new
republics have sprung into being
since the three or four powerful
monarchies have fallen. No such
change has taken place in Europe
in thousand years as occurred dur
ing the past ten. Americans come
back as it were, to Europe must
help stir this feeling to life. All our
culture has for years patterned itself
after European culture. with Euro
peans leading the way for us. Now
it is for Americans to lead the Eu-
ropeans and to take Our place in Eu-
rope as the Lafayettes. the Koscius-
kos, the Tom Paines did in America.
Therefore. the school song must en-
body something of the thought of
Lord Jeffrey Amherst in France.
with the new world-consciousness as
its motivating force, and broader
world knowledge as its AIM"
CHORAL music from all nations
~ seems headed for America. 1t
began with the famous Ukrainian
Chorus, then there followed Russian
choirs, the Orpheus Choir of Glas-
gov. Scotland: Gregorian music
groups from Italy and others. New
est, comes the statement that the
Florentine Choir is to be brought
to America, sailing from Italy Sep
TENDER IS, following farewell con-
certs in Florence. Genoa, Bologna,
Parma and Naples. Most inter-
esting is the mention that the
conductor of this choir is Sandro
Beuelli. brother of the renowned
playwright, Sem Benelli. author of the |
operas "L'Amore del IRE Rel" and
La Cena dele Beffe." The choir will
open its tour in New York, October
3, and tour for 10 weeks in the United
States and Canada. The playwright,
Sem Benelli, says of the Florentine
Polyphonic Choir:
Il firmly believe that the Floren-
tine Polyphonic Choir, conducted by
my brother, is one of the most
suspicious signs of the great intel !
lectual reawakening of the new Italy, |
the Italy, which l, as poet, have al
ways conceived as an expression of
grace and harmony. The choral art
is strictly Italian it is the symbol
of our collective harmony made up
of co-ordinated Municipalities and
not of equalized personalities. We
have in Italian the word "cantoria"
(singing gallery. which is the plat
form, the pulpit so to speak. not of
the clergy, but of the people. Our
stupendous singing galleries have
been sculptured by Donatello and
modelled by Luca della Robbia, both
sacred artists.
My brother is true master and
philosopher in this, that he has al
ways drawn the voices for his
schools from among the common
people, who preserve their natural
energies intact.
He has worked indefatigably. 1t
is now IS years that he has been
striving to teach our people how to
sing in the olden style the choral
compositions which our foremost
composers of the past have written
Tor the people, and he has found
that in our race the founts of music
are inexhaustible. Oftentimes he has
built up excellent choirs with peo-
pie who had not the least notion of
music. During the period that Italy
was flirting with the reds and drift
ing toward bolshevism my brothers
choirs were the only harmonious
voices which could be heard.
MY brother had developed a love
for music while singing as boy in
the choir of Santa Maria Del Fiore.
IN Florence. AS a youth he had a
wonderful soprano voice, and when
he used to sing, especially at the
Christmas mass, in the Duomo of
Firenze, the people thronged to hear
him. In song he found his destiny.
and for many years, fighting against
great odds. he has striven for the
revival of Italian choral s;nn;nnO