Evening star., 1932-04-10
National Symphony
Taken Over by New
Local Management
c. c. Cappel Heads Local Symphonic Group.
American Society of the Ancient Instruments
,. to Play In Recital Here
By E. de S. Melcher.

/ founder of this society and his
associates are doing unique and
commendable work in attempting
to revive forgotten art" This
society, which has been founded
by Ben Stad, has its home at
Valley Forge in the Washington
Memorial Chapel. 1t Is a group
of five. Mr.. w. Shaffer Jack, pro-
fessor of Romance languages at
the University of Pennsylvania,
has written about it as follows
lin the Philadelphia Forum Mag
azine) In a sense it constitutes
small orchestra, for it's proper
tionS are far ampler than those
Of the string quartet On the
other hand, however, it must not
be confused with the small SYM
phony orchestra, or the SYM
phonietta. 1t is simply the small
brother of the full orchestra. The
ancient instrument group is apart.
1t lacks the brass, the woodWindS
the percussion, and yet, as will be
seen, under certain forms it in
cludes them all, only transformed
and rebalanced.
There are four stringed inStru-
ments. The quinton, as its name
would seem to imply, has five
strings. 1t takes somewhat the
place of the first violin in the en-
semble. i. The viole d'amour has
II strings, 7 speaking chords and
7 lying beneath to build the har-
monies from those played. !.
The bass side of the ensemble is
made up of two: The viole de
gambia with its six strings and
the basse de viole with four"
Added to these instruments Is the
harpischord, which Prof. Jack
calls "the ensemble OF the en-
semble." ..... >...
This is the group which will
appear in a recital at the Folger
Library. Already it has given
several highly successful concerts
in its home chapel in Philadel-
phia. Works by Bach, Teleman,
Cupis de Camarge, Perilhon,
Mouret and others (outside OF
Bach comparatively unknown
composers Of another day, have
been played, it is said, with ex-
traordinary brilliance. The mem
bers of this group include, in addi-
ton to the director, Ben Stad,
10 Brodo, Josef Smit, Maurice
Stad and Flora Stad. It is their
work, says Prof. Jack, ito re-cre-
ate these old, forgotten glories,
and to bind them to a present
patriotic spirit of beauty, to give
them to America"
IT seems that, perhaps, even the
Zoo will have a hand in this
years musical undertakings. Ru-
NOR has it that when Alfredo Sal
maggi presents his open-air pro-
duction Of Aida" on the night
Of June S, certain gates of the
Zoo will be thrown wide open and
through these portals will emerge
the necessary army of camels and
other four-footed beasts. Mr. Sal
maggi, Of course, knows his beasts,
Just as he knows his Aida" since
he has staged similar ventures at
the Polo Grounds in New York,
in Havana, Montreal and other
prosperous cities And so, it is
said, that even II the Zoo Is un-
willing to allow its incumbents to
participate in this musical fiesta,
the maestro knows where else to
find these kindly animals-and
that there is no question but that
they will appear in joyful Coop
Grafton with many eminent sing
ers CMartinelli is a possibility at
the moment), who are being
sounded out as to their willing
ness to sing in the Grifhth
Stadium.