Evening star., 1928-05-20
NJ u SIC
BY HELEN FETTER.

or entertainment so unlver-
sally popular as festival
\ 1t has been so during the
ages. The Tower of Babel may
have confused mems tongues, but
the idea of festivals was already
well established as an institution
ia human entertainment plans,
The earliest festival celebrations
were hung on the preteXt Of the
Victorious return of barbaric war-
riors. Pagan religious rites as
Sumed festival proportions GEN.
turieS B. c. Human appreciation
of the return Of the sunshine and
flowers of Spring has been made a
festival occasion throughout the
world by various people. What
ever the cause, the most approved
form of celebration nearly always
resulted in a festival.
In America the term festival has
been more reluctantly applied 70
entertainments until wiCnin The
past decade. AT the present time.
however, the poor word is getting
almost worn out. There are about
as many festivals to the square
inch of amusement or educational
advertising space as there are ap-
plicantS for reasonable terms for
secondhand autos in the Spring-
time. The term is becoming the
battered toy of glib publicity eX-
pertS. washington has already
staggered under q towering load
this wear of So-called festivals -
not TO mention the rest OF the
country and the world at large.
There have been opera festivals OF
varied proportions, a chamber
music festival. a string quartet
series of three programs oeSlg-
mated as one Of several Schubert
memorial festivals, a 'one-night
sacred music festival" etc. until
even the usual modest student re-
cital is making the festival gcS-
ture, using the term as q glitter
ing banner to replace the more
restrained and dignified Series
of ProgramS"-theu usual term.
So much for the continuous and
varied District of Columbia feSti-
,vals. AS for festivals at large
they seem almost endless, as the
iiSt lengthens daily before the
balging eyes Of the would-be
Summer tourist. There is open
air opera planned for a locality
that is amusingly near the home
of that more careless, happy-go-
lucky pleasure child, Coney Island.
Ravinia Park, the pretentiouS
opera auditorium not far from
Chicago, that boasts a heavenly
chandelier with patterns newly
designed each night in the twin
King facets of the stars, is offer
ing alluring programs TO those
who would enjoy their Summer
pleasures with all the comforts or
the American a. m. j. home at
tachments. Still farther across
the buZzing reaches Of the con-
vention cities Of Kansas and
Texas. out as far as the West
Coast. where men have mined
their money and the movies have
made many faces famous, grand
opera and orchestral concerts on
a massive scale are planned for
this Summer. The Hollywood Bowl
has an ambitious orchestral pro-
gram outlined and San Francisco
and Los Angeles are putting their
heads and pocketbookS together
10 have opera performances daz-
ziing with famous artists and nIie
productions. From one coast TO
the other this Summer music fes-
tivaI is the paSs-term for the
Z. S. A.
But this is far from all Of the
festival story. To the north OF rs
this week, In Quebec and Montreal,
the second annual Canadian Folk
Song and Handicraft Festival VIII
be held from Thursday through
Monday Of next week. Consider
ably later-the last week in July
the Northwest viii feature music
of the North American Indian at
Banff, and on the Far West Coast
a second new festival viii be de-
voted to sea music at Vancouver.
British Columbia, In the early
Pail. Another Canadian Song and
Handicraft Festival viii be held in
Winnipeg IN June, when a feature
will be tie singing Of folk tunes
from their native lands and a dis
play Of their native handiw0rk by
representatives Of all immigrant
races from Northern Europe. Ano,
again at BaYff. IN September. the
Scottish Music Festival will be
given. Who says North America
Is unmuSicai?
nROBABLY the only reason that
I Central and South America DO
not Join IN this world wide en-
thusiaSm over Summer festivals Is
that, due TO the natural habits OF
the Equator, those countries have
Summer when the rest Of the
world has Winter, and vice versa
Thus, while Europe and America
are keeping the opera artists and
guest conductors actively engaged.
with no time for vacations in the
rapidly multiplying Summer festi~
walls, South American cities and
towns are freshly opening their
big seasons Of Winter music
Their programs, too, read with
dazzling lists Of Who's Who III
Music" but theirs is the authentic
season" for professionals, while
3n Europe and America the young
folks Of many occupations are
Teyeiing in forming the back
ground in these festivals for the
"guegt SoioiEts and directors"
- -
IT was really Europe that re-
j Y!talized and started on It's In
ereaEingly wide path the snow
ball of music festivals now exist