Evening star., 1932-11-13

Uub IIlClI WUI n u1lulS WI U6u.
The MacDowell Colony at Peter
borough is the result. To these
peaceful surroundings Mrs. H. H.
A. Beach has often retired to
carry out several commissions
that were given her. Winter
Watts wrote there for the Prix de
Rome which he won in 1928 and
Louis Gutenberg was able to carry
away the Signale Prize in 1912
and the Flagler Prize in 1921 with
the compositions he composed
there. Mary Howe of Washington
has also availed herself of this
ideal atmosphere for composing.
FROM another section of the
country, where a different life
and traditions have offered an
almost entirely unexplored field
for musical research. comes Lamar
Stringfield who will conduct the
National Symphony Orchestra
today in a suite of his own COM
posing and three other works of
living American composers. Mr..
Springfield, who occupies the chair
of folk music research at the Uni
verSity of North Carolina, has
found another source of a truly
national music and in the noun
tains of North Carolina, where the
white people keep intact the melo-
dies handed down from generation
to generation, he has come upon
priceless folk lore of pure Anglo
Saxon origin. The University of
North Carolina has established
department for the study and
preservation Of these old melo-
dies and, in order to have the un-
tutored mountain people aid in
this search, folk festivals have
been arranged at which the
mountain f1ddlers gather and
fiddle the old tunes that have
been the music of their particu-
lar section of the country. All
Of this is conducted in the most
informal way with the musicians
encouraged to sing the old bal
lads, dance or play on fiddle or
banjo their unSophiSticated music.
These treasures are ZealouSly
gathered and brought to the
Laboratory" of the Institute of
Folk Music where the original at
mosphere and inspiration is
sought out, the basic themes ex-
tracted from any modern adorn-
ment they may have received. and
carefully catalogued for any COM
poser seeking folk tune inSpira-
ton.
In this laboratory, which is a
distinct department of the insti-
tute, the musical talent in which
this portion of the country
aboundS, has an opportunity to
experiment and try out its ability
and eventually find itself, and
this intimate guiding and encour-
agement of new ideas has brought |
astonishing results. Original COM
posing is most desired and any
simple. but good musical theme Is
arranged for public performance.
at the Laboratory concert" On
the second of the laboratory con-
certS was heard the "Moronique
Danse," by Herbert Hazelman, a
freshman at the university, who
composed 1t a year ago. Mr..
Stringfield will also conduct his
suite From the Southern Noun
tains," which received the Pulitzer
Prize in 1928 and which has been
played in all parts of the coun-
try with great success. There will
also be heard the American Jazz
Fantasy" by Michael GuSikoff,
with the composer as guest solo,
iSt. Although he has named his
composition a jazz fantasy, CIV
ing the idea that it is entirely
fashioned on the rhythmS and
harmonieS that are a speciality of
Jazz, he has in reality adhered to
the old classic concerto form and
only in the last movement given
a real jazz flavor.
In this concerto is seen again
the proof that Jazz as Jazz alone
is not our national dress, but that
the musical feeling of a real art
iSt touches the same sources from
which the classics had their
being.
THAT our musical problems are
receiving serious conSidera-
ton from another quarter will be
demonstrated at the meeting of
the Music Teachers National AS
sociation of the United States to
be held in Washington this year.
This association whose object is
the improvement In the standard
Of teaching, is trying to eradicate
the false practices that have af-
fected musical instruction and
have been a serious drawback to
our musical advancement. The
whole subject of music teaching
is a difficult one to influence as
it cannot be governed as can
school teaching. However, this
getting together of teachers to
discuss and discover new ideas is
bound to bring a refreshing slim
uluS to the wearisome business of
inStructing others and keep the
teachers themselves from Sacrific-
ing their ideals in order to seek
the easiest way out of their diff
culties.