Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-26
Chamber Music Festival
At Library Ended Last Night.
TT0Y C,6 NR.l-t~.I Gtnrere

HOLES Madrigal Singers, DR..
- Hugo Hole, conductor, gave
the closing program Of the three
day chamber music festival In the
Library of Congress last evening.
DR.. HOLE and his 10 singers came
from Germany to give the concert
last evening, and were enthusiastic
cally received by the audience
which filled the auditorium. They
sing without accompaniment, though
there were several numbers with
piano, are careful Of the pitch and
have colorful tone and good enun-
citation. The shading in their work
Is particularly remarkable, the
graduation even reaching the single
tone. The amount of volume for
the forte passages was astonishing
after very delicate pianissimo.
The program chosen for last eve
ning's concert gave interesting con-
trastS between the German, Italian
and Netherland part songs Of the
sixteenth century and the present.
day madrigalS and chamber
choruses. In addition the compost
tons gave ample opportunity for the
singers TO show their versatility, for
the German songs were not all of
demanded coloratura ability. Two
Mozart songs for soprano. tenor and
bass were particularly delightful and
the singers were recalled and gave
an encore IN which they sang beau
tifully the legato as well as the
staccato.
The last numbers were from the
pens Of Felix Petyrek, Hermann
Reuter-, Arnold Schonberg and Bella
Bartok, all members Of the modern
school. The six women sang the
two songs from "Des Knaben Wun-
derhorn," by Petyrek, in which the
intervals are difficult to sing yet
were done exceptionally well. The
Schonberg number, "Friede auf
Erden, Opus 49," was less offensive
to the lovers Of the classics than
much Of the music by this composer.
1t was sung by the mixed chorus
with dramatic intensity and they
made the most Of the several eli
makes. Following the four Slovak
folk songs for mixed voices and
piano, arranged by Bartok, and
which made Q fitting close to an In
teresting concert, DR.. Hole and the
singers were recalled many times
and responded to three encores, two
lOlk SOklBS ALIO OAIC Acot GA OA0 0CL
man part song. For the second en-
core one of the contraltos joined DR..
Hole at the piano, playing four
hand accompaniment.
The singers are Hedwig CantZ,
GeItrud Dreher and Maria Geiger,
sopranos: Margaret Kramer, Eliza
Keller and Else Sihler, contraltoS;
Anton Knoll and Hermann Ziel-
lesch, tenors, and Hans Hager and
Max Mrakitsch, BASES. DR.. Hole
has trained this group to sing with
precision In attack, and their voices
blend well, the hImming Of the men
resembling stringed instruments.
The concert was q fitting close TO
the NTH annual festival of the Eliz-
abeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation.
K. 3.
Broaa String Quartet Gives
Fourth Program Of Festival.
THE last Of the instrumental pro-
grams, and fourth In the series
Of f1ve events, offered In the Library
of Congress Festival Of Chamber
Music, was presented In the Eliza
beth Sprague Coolidge Auditorium
Yesterday morning. This was the
only program devoted entirely to
that outstanding form OF chamber
music-works written for string
quartet. Also, this program featured
as its central number a string
quartet written expressly for Mrs.
Coolidge's competition and dedicated
to her It was the fiftieth work by
Serge Prokof1eff, one Of the younger
Russians, written last year, and
given its first performance In public
yesterday. AS Is usual at these fes-
rivals In the Library. critics and lead
ing musicians, as well as distinguished
patrons and lovers of music, led by
Mrs. z. s. Coolidge, the founder,
filled the auditorium to capacity.
This exceptionally critical audience
warmly applauded at the conclusion
Of the new work.
The Prokofief work and also
quartets by Schubert and Beethoven,
were played by the Brosa String
Quartet of London. This group had
its initial program IN America at
the festival Of chamber music
sponsored by Mrs. Coolidge in
Chicago last Fall and made their
debut in Washington in a program
In October. The members are
Antonio Brosa and David Wise,
violins; Leonard Rubens, viola, and
. Anthony PM, violoncello.
They have been organized only
two or three years, according to re-
port, and their playing shows the
lack Of complete coordination and