Evening star., 1928-04-22

are proving as varied and
colorful as the kinds of
weather the National Cap
ttal has experienced since April
fools day let loose cold winds and
whips of rain, which have been
playing hide and seek with the
more normal Spring sunshine.
The second half OF the month
opened last Sunday with the
roman composers program. 1t
~saS followed by several excellent
and different" benefit concerts.
The week was brought to a bril-
liant climax With the four operas
presented by the Metropolitan
Opera Co.
The current week likewise has
q surprise feature" for its finale
It is quite the antitheSiS of grand
opera. The annual chamber
music festival presented under
the auspices of the Elizabeth
Sprague Coolidge Foundation in
the auditorium of the Library of
Congress will be held Friday,
Saturday and next Sunday.
Originally Mrs. Coolidge held
this series of programs in her
Temple Of Music in the Berk-
ShireS, where the simplicity of the
surroundings and the quaint
charm of the unpretentiouS build
ingS in the setting of mountain
calm and silence won admiration.
There will be one more such feSti-
val in the original setting in the
BeTkShireS next Fall
A momentouS decision affecting
musical progress was reached
when Mrs. Coolidge obtained per-
mission by special arrangement to
donate of her great wealth to the
establishment of the Chamber
Music Auditorium that bears her
name, in the Library of Congress.
Located on Government ground.
invitation programs are offered
TO special audiences, sometimes
drawn from congressional circles.
sometimes from local music lovers.
sometimes from music center
groups elsewhere who may be in
Washington. At other times it is
open TO the general public.
To have such hall under Gov
ernment supervision, where only
AAAS GA9A IA AAAAG4A6AA GA SASlc "a H4E~
Sented in programs that revive
rare ancient chamber music and
premiereS may be given of new
musical compositions, is an inSpir-
alton that might foreShadow the
development. in time, of an art or
culture department by the Gov
eminent.
In the Fall of 1925 the first Cool
idge Chamber Music Festival was
presented IN the Library of Con-
greSs. The list of those invited
comprised music critics, authori-
ties, patrons and musicians from
all over the country. and even
from abroad With the limited
capacity of 51l seats, IL has not
been possible, in the new home
for these concerts, TO extend the
invitations much beyond the orig
tnal limitations, but the numper
Is always more than doubled from
the overflow waiting list" Carl
.Engel, chief Of the music division.
who Is generally in charge Of these
events, announces that this year
the response from musicians and
patrons of music has shown that
an unusually large number intend
TO come this year. Therefore, the
margin of tickets available for To-
cal applicants is rather Scant, be-
yond a proportionate part given
District of Columbia musicians
according to the general allot-
Inents TO the country. 1t is al
ways the aim of Mr. Engel and his
department to spread the joys OF
these concerts over as much ter
ritory as possible. and so some
musicians are invited TO one pre-
gram in the series. and others 20
a different program. The con-
6enSed programs Of events for
this, the third Festival Of Cham
Der Music presented since the feS-
tivals were brought TO Washing
ton, are listed elsewhere
WHEN the woman composers
w were in Washington a week
ago for their special program in
conjunction with the League Of
American Pen Women, there were
several features of marked inter-
est. But few Of the actual musical
compositions presented perhaps
carried quite the conviction cf
fundamental values and inspiring
vision that lie behind our steady
progress musically. as one woman
composer suggested in a well
worded address at the authors
breakfast a week ago YESTERDAY
Cena Eranscombe, Mrs. Tenney as
she lis known in private life, a
charming and wide-awake Ameri-
can woman. was the speaker. She
won the leagues prize for 1929
with her dramatic choral WORK
The Pilgrims Of Destiny" eX-
cerpts from which were admirably
presented Sunday. Today. in New
York, another work, similar In
type. but built on Canadian
rather than Pilgrim history and
musical themes. viii be given III
premiere performance. It is called
THE Bells 0f Circumstance.
In her address last week, Gens
Eranscombe outlined as the foul
arguments for a basis for national
creative music for the United
States ~ European style oi