Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-30
NJ u S &c
BY HELEN FETTER.

a sands. of years preceding
present human records, peopie
have: evolved from elementary
stages into present~day conditions
of living, and always, along with
each step, music has been an arr
recognized by the leaders. Bar
,barianS appointed tom-tom beat
,ers. PharoahS had. harpiSts. The
early Britons had their bardS; the
Latins their troubadours; the
TeutonS, meisterSingers, etc. To-
day the money Kings of America
have their private organistS and
patronize string quartets and SYM
phony orchestras. -.
Music has always had its
patrons. Particularly has that
purest form of the art-chamber
music - been dependent upon
private patronage. AS early as
the time of Louis XIV there was
his "Maitre de la MuSique de "a
Chambre de. Roy" Haydn, per-
fector of. the string quartet form
of chamber music. devoted So
wears of his composition talents
exclusively to the production and
presentation of chamber music
for the famous house OF Ester
f1azv. There, have been other
patrons of music down through
the years. Never has there been
a greater one than the American
woman, Mrs, Frederick ,ShurtclltF
Coolidge elizabeth Sprague Cool
idget. who has established the
most significant Of: all chamber
music endeavors in this country.
Last week, in the simple audi
torium she built to house the tirSf
of her world-famous Berkshire.
chamber music festivals on South
Mountain. Mrs. Coolidge gathered
together representative musicians,
music, patrons. and writer's from
all over the country to hear, the
five programs celebrating the
tenth anniversary OF the nrst
Berkshire events. -.
Composers of eight nationalitleS
were represented on these pro-
grams, with the one American
composer honored by a place on,
the first program. David Stanley
Smith. born in Toledo, Ohio. and
unsteady educated in this eoun-
try under Horatio Parker. with
two years, later, OF. study abroad,
was represented by his Sonata
in A. Minor, Opus ST. written for
violin and piano. 1t is a highly
creuitable and n1uSicianiy piece OF
writing, with second and thlrd
movements that linger persistent
IL in the memory. This was not
Prof. Smiths first appearance
in a Berkshire. festival. Seven
years ago his Quartet in c. Opus
as" was performed in the temple
of music on South Mountain.
Prof Smith has been dean OF the
School of, Music at Yale University
since 1920 The. United States
could hardly be represented by q
more truly native" composer.
Prof. Smiths sonata was the
first of seven compositions in the
festival to be dedicated to Mrs.
Coolidge. one :, Or more OF SUCH
compositions being given on each
program. Such dedicatlons are
hut indications in a small degree
of the deep love and appreciation
felt for this American woman by
musicians all over the world. For
she has not confined her generous
efforts to musicians Of any one
country. Her most conspicuous
effort il is true, is the establish
ment of the Chamber Music AUDI
forum in the Library Of Congress
in the National Capital OF her
own country, the United states OF
America. But the more humble
temple Of r7nSic on South Noun
tain, in the Berkshires, was Mrs.
Coolidges initial experimental
laboratory. She also has present
ed a festival of music on the West
Coast, on the estate of Frank J.
Frost, retired mining man, who is
personally so interested in cham
Der music that he is learning the
viola Che already knows the vio-
linz. so as to organize a string
quartet wherever he may be. Mr..
Frost, by the way. is BRINGING MS
family tosWashington to live this
Winter and hopes to have a string
quartet, together to- play in his
home here many evenings.
Abroad Mrs. Coolidge also is
known in the practical role of
benefactor, presenting festival
programs in Vienna and many
other places at different times.
The composers listed on the
five programs in the recent Pitts
field decade anniversary series in
cluded: American, David Stanley
Smith; British, Frank Bridge;
Czechoslovakian, Martinu; Bavar-
ian. Max Roger; italian, Malipicro
and Respighi; German, Beethoven
and Brahms; Austrian, Mozart,
Haydn, Schubert and Schoenbers:
Spanish, Manuel de Falla, Carlos
Salzedo, Huarte, and, as arrang-
ers of folk songs of different
Spanish provinces, Benedito and
Inzeng.
THE dominant event of the en7
i tire festival last week was the
program Friday morning, when
the Roth String Quartet of Buda-
pest, Hungary, made its Initial
American appearance. 1t is a
marvellous organization and won
most enthusiastic demonstrations
of appreciation from that gather-
ing of musical connoisseurS. The
quartet already has been booked
for a tour of the United States. It
may interest Washingtonians to
know that an appearance next
month in this city has been
among the first engagements al
ranged. a... 49,.
The Roth Quartet is composed
IF Fcri Roth, first violin; Jeno