Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-15

Two hundred years ago lohah''
Sebastian Bach. descendant of long
line OF notedly musical ancestors
when he became master OF the
chapel OF Prince Leopold of .Anhal'
Coethen. had real opportunities tor
directing and writing chamber music
| Today a Nation that, until recently
has been too busy just growing up
and playing in enchantment with the
glittering toys OF commercial prog
rcss to take music at all seriously
is arriving. as a Nation. AT similar
position to Mr.. Bach's at that time
In other words. the United States
of America is finally becoming adj
iustcd to state OF being where It
doesn't have TO keep its nose to the
grindstone OF merely making Nv
ing. but, in all classes, S developing
time Tor the luxury OF real leisure.
Along with this luxury comes the
renewed opportunity Tor chamber
music.
A LOCAL group that is alert TO
"A the revival OF interest IN cham
her music, the Music Section OF the
Twentieth Century Club OF this city.
! had a very interesting morning pro
gram under the guidance OF Mrs.
Duff Lewis, last week. For the
musical illustrations OF her talk. =
quartet OF local musicians played
/ first one OF the II string quartet
OF Francis Joseph Haydn. who, al
though called the father OF the
string quartet and even OF the SYM
phonv, really did not originate either
! form. but gave them much III de-
! veloping each of the two forms. In
TACT, Mr.. Haydns string quartets
are still models in this respect. Then
/ the four players OF the local group
gave movement from string
quartet by Frank Bridge. British
| modernist. and one from a quartet
written by one OF the players. Miss
! Maud e.. Sewail. who has long been
a leading figure in local music cir
! cles. both as musician and as a music
critic.
THE Flonzaleys' in their program
l. Thursday night. will play a
/ string quartet by Woligang ANA
deus Mozart. one of the most re-
markabIe geniuscs that the world has
ever known. whose compositions are
distinguished especially by the care
! full polish and finish OF painstak,ng
work. as well as inspiring contents.
Mozart dedicated six popular string
quartets TO Haydn.
Then Brahms provides the Flon-
valleys. that institution OF chamber
music interpreters. with the second
selection. The third OF the famous
three Bs-Bach. Beethoven and
Brahms-this composer was gifted
writer in practically all forms oi
musical writing. The final selection
OF the evening will he quartet by
Dohnanyi. the famous Hungarian
pianist and composer
4 very clever summing up OF The
high lights in the career OF thi, re-
nIsrkable organization has been COM
piled. which states as follows:
1T is first the old masters OF the
eighteenth century who apparently
dominate the programs OF the Flon-
zalcy Quartet In those DAYS the
members OF the quartet used To visit
the libraries OF London. Paris.
Wa shington. in search OF old manu-
scripts and rare books. As result
OF these piGrima2es. unknown or
hali-forgotten works by composers
such as Boccherini. Leciair Lame
Giuseppe Sanmartini. William Royee
1.-THE old musicolo2ist). Friedman.
Bach. etc. were presented 10 the
public These were works of rare
elegance. Of aristocratic style. I'M
bued with the spirit Of ella ssicism.
pure in their outlines. simple in their
melodic brightness. The Flonzaleys
liked them and played them often.
During the season OF loO8-o
Dohnany's Quartet and Hugo Volts
works were introduced. Then came
Debussy and Ravel. Debussy had
already won his way into the affee-
tIon Of the amateurs Not 50 kayei.
who was still considered intricate.
battling. cerebral. The Sneiseis had
PLAYED his quartet little earlier.
with the result. as told By one OF
the members. that the next morning
delu2e OF minatory letters from
subscribers flooded them. threaten.
ing 10 desert their concerts
In the Spring OF 1913 Mr.. Retti
went 10 Germany 10 visit Arnold
Schoenber2. that true anzrch OF art.
and the following Fall his apoczlyp-
tic Quartet in ID Minor which had
provoked such stormy demonstrz-
lions IN Vienna f'he police had to
intervene and IN Dire sden, was pro-
du9rd in Europe and here.
"Ot other more recent presentz
iions~-Darius N,Ihaud. Emanuel
Moor (whoss prelude and 'Fugue
were especially written for the rlon-
z@leysJ. the Stravinski piece fplsy<d
from manuscript. the mastery
quartet 81 Ernest Bloch, Paul Rous-
sells unfinished work. Alberto No
guards Quartet Rozario Scalero's
'FrammentI is hardly necessary
~ speak al length. az the impress
SONS are still fresh in the memory
oi musicians.
AS for American musie-in the
Spring oi 1917. the Flonzzieys. under
the auspices II the Friends II Music.
saYe the first official concert en-.
tfeiy dedicated 10 American cham
her music compositions ever orga.
nized. and their record during the
Ias. ie" years shows list IL works
which speaks for tseif~Templeion
Strongs The Village Music Master
string trio dedicated 10 the Flon-
laltys' Dznisl Gregory Mason's
lniermezzo' (NSJ: DAVID Stanley
smiths Second Quartet Samuel
GARDENERS 'hndante' Ofom his string
HnarteD; Victor EoIan's Second
| Quartet. Charles T. Critics Two
| Piecfs. Charles Martin Lorffler's
Music Tor -Four StsinQed Insiru.
mfnis, written IN memory of Victor
/ Chapman. American ayisfos IN the
! service al tTauTf~~'z ua.xt.x.ts.a .