Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-04-07
ARLY next month the United
Il States Army Band win sail
for sunny Spain, carrying

lea, to present before Old World
audiences. The band will play
these programs as a feature of
the great exposition to be held in
Seville.
This plan, along with the re-
Gently heard concert at the Pan
American Union Building last
Tuesday, again bangles the QueS-
ton of Just what is real Ameri-
ican muSic?" before the minds of
those interested in musical anceS-
try and indigenous qualities.
Almost any composer who lives
in the United States and has
music published and performed
has been called an American COM
poser. Many of the So-called
leading American composers"
were not born in this country, al
though most of them have be-
come naturalized citizens.
Many native melodies-Indian,
Negro, pioneer and other folk ma
terial-are developed in so thor
-oughly European a fashion that
they do not seem American COM
positions, even though the COM
poser may be an Ernest Bloch or
a Charles Martin Loeffler instead
of an Anton Dvorak.
There is probably no one who
would hesitate q moment in &C
claiming Stephen Collins Foster
as a completely American COM
poser, both from the point OF view
of his real nationality and the
originality of his compositions,
melodically and as songs totally
different from European songs.
Charles Critics is another COM
pletely American composer. There
are others whose national claims
might be made in varying degrees.
Certainly George Gershwin is
thoroughly American. His "Rhap-
Sody in Blue" is distinctly an
American product. A real United
States school of music writing is
still to be evolved completely, al
though there are moderniStS, such
as Aaron COPELAND and Henry
Cowell, the first of whom is eX-
perimenting with actual musical
harmonic and diSSonant combi-
nations, whereas the latter is en-
-phaSizing more the possibilities
for developing multiple new eff
fectS with the instrument on
which the music is to be per-
formed.
It does not seem likely that jazz
will be the finally accepted form
for American music that is un-
touched by European styles and
construction. However, it would
seem quite plausible that the
period of mass production OF jazz
compositions, of which the GerSh-
win rhapsody stands as a tower
ing headliner. should quite def
nitely contribute an element.
which, when absorbed and refined
by combination with other must
cal material. may help to form
the backbone Of native school
of music writing.
X \ X
THIS same distinction as to
i which is real United States
and which is European clothed
American music might just as
easily apply to Latin American
music. Surely many of the popular
South American waltzeS owe their
style directly to Vienna. Spain, and
even France and Germany have
inspired the composers of many
of the lighter types of Latin
American composition. Yet when
the real native music is played
on the same program with music
whose themes have been clothed
with European style Of writing
the difference is as marked as
that of the proverbial day and
night. Moreover, an audience Is
quick to grasp this fact. The
quality of the applause instantly
becomes more enthusiastic and
alert. This was never more no
ticeable than when, on Tuesday,
the orchestra played "Yaqui
Dance" by Alvarado Of Mexico.
There was no mistaking the bar
barrie authority of this work, the
simple melody being appropriate
ly given a setting that featured
the using of such instruments as
would most closely resemble in
sound the crude native instru-
ments which first were used to
present this melody with its in
creaSingly speedy rhythms and
ominouS undertone.
Also on that occasion, the play
ing of compositions written with
that very tricky tempo called the
"pasillo," by native artists, the
Colombia Trio, upon native in
struments, gave entirely fresh
meaning to the individuality OF
this tempo. Like the cato, and
the jarabe, the pasillo is a dis
tinctive Latin American dance
rhythm, which, when combined
with native folk melodic material
and performed by natives be-
comes an understandable addi-
ton to music, owing nothing to
Europe of its innate qualities.
Naturally, the influence OF Span
ish coloniSts will be found in the
developing of a school OF music
in practically every Latin Ameri-
can country. To United States
citizens, however, the compositions
on the programs given under the
AUSPICES Of the Pan-American
Union, which have won the most
interest and enthusiastic atten-
ton, have been those which pre-
sented aboriginal material in
original styles and tempos. The
cay, Ay, Ay," a Chilean folk song,
is practically as much a popular
hit this year as the Song OF the
Volga Boatman,r the Russian folk
song, was a couple of seasons ago.
OF the dozen Lecuona compost
tions on Tuesdays program the
most unusual and memorable was
the "Canto del Siboney" (song OF
4 tNnAA tia