Evening star., 1931-12-27
BY f. de S. MELCHER.


~ DON Father Washington's celebration
will be upon U.s. Throughout the land
in verse, in prose, in musical exuber-
ances will be intoned various rhapso-
dies on the gentleman who plucked
us from the mother country and plant
ed us firmly on our own two feet. And since
George Washington's time is almost here. as
a gentle reminder come several books from
the music division of the Bcentennial Com
mittee which soon will be launched on
waiting public.
Two of these will be prominently displayed
on every patriotic piano in the country be-
fore the coming year is out. One, mostly OF
reading matter, is called The Music of George
Washington's Time" and is written by John
Tasker Howard, the man who has tabulated
to such advantage all the good (and the neo-
good) music that was ever produced in this
country; and the other an interesting collec-
ton of Revolutionary" music, with an intro
duction by Carl Engel of Library Of Con-
gress. And while neither of these are over
exciting as far as musical con ent is concerned,
they are splendid reference books of the sort
OF music that was being heard and played dur
ing. the lifetime of Mr. WashnGton-some OF
which may very well have been rendered by
Miss Nelly Gusts on her clavichord in her
room which looked out on the rolling lawn
of Mount Vernon.
While notations on these TOPICS which have
been so carefully worked out by their tabu-
lators, are not necessary it does seem as though
this is the right moment to remind the musical
public Just what was President WaShingtonS
position as far as music was concerned and
how he felt about it. No more succinct view
of this can be given than Mr.. Washlngton's
own letter (printed in Mr.. Engel's introduc-
tom to Francis Hopkinson after the latter
had sent him a copy of song dedicated
to him.
The letter follows Gt written at Mount
Vernon, February 5, 1880:
"Dedr Sir:
I'VE are told of the amazing powers OF
Musick in ancient times; but the stories OF
its effects are so surprising that iUe are not
obliged to believe them, unless they had been
founded upon better authority than Poetic
assertion-tor the Poets OF old (,phateDer
they may do in these days. tCere strangely
addicted to the/ nlarUellouS,-dnd il be-
fore doubted the truth OF the.r relations NTH
respect to the po1Ders OF MuSick am no,o
fully continced OF their tdlcity-because
toould not, for the honor OF my Country,
aHo,o that ,ue are left by the cnc:entS at an
immedSurdble distance in cverything-dnd II
IheJ cOtIQ SOOIH Lfle JeTOclIy OJ Uud OedStS-
could drdlD the trees & the stones after them
and could euen charm the polCers OF He'll
by their Musick, / am sure that your pro-
ductions mould haze had at least vtrtue
enough in them (icithout the aid of poce or
irStrument) to soften the Ice of the Deld-
& Potomac-and in that case yon
should hare had an earlier acknowledgment
OF your favor of the 1st OF December Which
came to hand but last Saturday.
81 readily admit the force OF your dis
tinction bet,0een a thing done and a thing
to be done'-and as do not belieue that
pou ,DouId do a pery bad thing indeed
must euen make virtue OF necessity, and
defend your performance, il necessary, to
the last effort OF my musical abilities
But my deir Sir, il you had any doubts
about the reception lChich your 1Dork ,oould
meet Uith-or had the smallest reason to
think that you should need any assistance
, to defend it-you haze not acted uith your
usual good judgment in the choice OF
Coadjutor;-tor, should the tide OF prejudice
not fo,U in tdpor of it land so udrious are
the tastes, opinions & Dhims OF men, that
eDen the sanction OF Divinity does not en-
sure unipersdl concurrence) uhat, alas! can
do to support it?-I can neither sing one
of the songs, nor raise a single note on any
instrument to conuince the unbelieUing.-
But haze, ho1Uever one argument ,Dhich
,UiH weuail 1cith persons of true taste lat
least in America)-I can tell them that it
is the production of Mr.. HopkinSon.
with the compliments OF Mrs. Washing
ton added to mine, for you G. yours
II an-Dedr Sir
"Your most O6edt and
"Dery Hble SerUdnt
"GO. WASHINGTON"