Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-24
NJ u S &c
BIZ HELEN FETTER.

- I'M M Elk, with its white tent
of sunshine and wandering
bands of gypsy breezes. is wei
established in Washington
These tourist sons of nature have in
trenched themselves before the shut
tered eyes Of official buildings. Nut
sic is casual, pleasant and far from
high-brow in this National Capital oil
the United States of America. Else
where, however, the world over
seems hustling and teeming with am
bilious musical performances previ-
ously unequaled in number. variety
or briiliance at this time of year.
The music pages of the Far West
Coast print long columns about the
successful programs. especially those
given III the famed Bowl of Holly
wood, where any discords i'll the lives
OF motion picture stars may be Off
set by harmoneS of orchestral va
riety.
From the Middle West--notably
St. Louis and Chicago-two kinds of
operate entertainment provide more
columns of many newspaper pages
with interesting material In the
Missouri city the light operas Rose
Marie" and Song of the Flame"
have had phenomenal successes,
breaking attendance and financial
records. In the Windy City's nearby
outdoor opera center-Ravinia Park
standard yet familiar grand operas,
with frst-rank singers of world re-
nown. are doing equally good bust
ness from materialistic as well as
artistic point of view.
In New York the we'll established
stadium concerts are thriving excel
1ently. An outstanding feature OF
the programs given recently was the
first New York performance OF "Fliv-
yer Ten Million" strictly American
work, based in theme upon recog-'
nized institution" i'll American life
and written by the American COM
poser, Frederick Shepherd Converse.
AS Lawrence Gilman, leading. mu-
sic critic of New York, remarked Just
prior Ito that performance:
"Since that heart-warming oeea-
sion three years ago when Mr.. Ar
thur Honegger. the first composer to
set a locomotive to music, declared
that he had always loved engines as
passionately as other men love horses
or women, it has been foregone
conclusion that some composer would
set a Ford sedan or Hudson super.
six TO music. We have had to wait
until 1927. for our symphonic motor
car, but it has come at last. The
audience at the Lewisehn Stadium
will have the privilege Of witnessing
the first local road test Of Mr.. Fred
ericks S. Converse's "Flivver Ten Mil
lion" with Mr.. van .Hoogstraten at
the wheel and the Philharmonic Or
chestra furnishing the motive power.
1t is, indeed, modern music that
takes its inspira alton and theme from
an advertising slogan for a mechan-
ical conveyance. Mr., Converse has
admitted. that this slogan, The ten
millionth Ford is now serving its
owner" offered the inspiration for
his work, and he further designates
this particular labor from his musical
pen as "a Joyous epic and fantasy for
the orchestra" Returning to the
slogan, above quoted, Mfr. Converse
is quoted as having said:
This remarkable statement seemed
to me TO be, worthy of celebration
in music. What other product OF
this. age, has. SO .entwined itself
around the lives of ONE people?. The
marvel of its success seemed tar to
outshine the wonders of Aladd1n's
lamp or the golden touch of Midas.
Here was epic poetry, right at handi
and as thought OF il It seemed that
the things about US are more vital
to us than anything else. The
ancients had their 4ScylIa and Charyb-
dis. we have our semaphore and
traffic cop, all equally perilous to
pass And 7 believe that the moon
shines as tenderly on the roadside
in Westwood {Mass.) as eyer it did
on the.4banks of.-the- :Enphrates-
Hearing and adniri1g (Honegger 81
Pacific 1921 said to myself, I, too,
must try something of this kind for
the 'flivver.'
II set about it purely for my
amusement, and. not too seriously;
for he who wishes TO express Afi1erl-
can life or experience must. include
the saving grace of humor. ! won
dered what Mark Twain would have
done with such theme if he had
been a musician. The piece turned
out to be quite frankly program
music, and this is the story as it
came to me:
pawn in Detroit" Chanticleer announces
the dawn-the city, stirs-sunrise; g..
Tho call to Labor" sells-dissans 1ac-
march 81 the roilers."
The Din OF the Builders" Fugal factory
' .sThe Birth of the HERO, From the well
ter The h so BE
mtg lay SsSt 81 .hs Sosdsds America
The coilisien;' A9ssfsas Tragedy"
and sSsRen On wy Win
spirit Of America.
The only comment that VIE feel
can be made al, this distance at this
time regarding "Flivver Ten Million"
is speculation as to whether or not
this musicalized auto will develop
any fiat tires n.taken on the road. .
CPEAKlNG. of orchestras and
~ orchestral music, it is not ask
ing a great strain of. the Summer
mental capacity to. turn to the sub
ject of an orchestral leader. The
one in mind is musician who has
not been heard in Washington for
several seasons, having made his last
appearance here with the. Boston
Symphony Orchestra prior to the
reign of Mr.. Koussevitzky. Pierre
Monteux, who will conduct two per-
formances of the Philadelphia Sym
phony Orchestra in Washington next
season, will come. here. not only to
the general welcome of musicians