Evening star., 1933-04-16

Edrth 0reGkS up, l1n1e 0TOpS
GDdy,
In 1fo1ps heauen pith its nep
day of endless life.
ASTER has ever been the
H queen of festivals. 1t pro-
claims the triumph of life
- the reason for hope, the
fulfillment of desires. The mu-
sical world again returns to songs
of gladneSS and Spring, with its
budding new life, wakes the poet
and the musicians to another
effort to sing its praise.
The past week has, naturally,
drawn many to listen to music
from a standpoint but rarely
found in the regular concert cur
riculum. The services of Holy
week show that there is a dispo-
sition on the part of most peo-
pie to associate music with mo-
ments of serious reflection and
to find a more complete express
sion of their inmoSt feelings
through its means. 1t is a deep
seated instinct and one to which
the great musicians made ap-
peal from time immemorial.
It is a remarkable fact, however,
that the aspect of Joy and liberia
ton which is the ultimate accom-
plishment of the events of Holy
week has been of so little inSpira-
tion to the great writer's of music
1t is, perhaps, impossible for the
human mind to adequately grasp
the meaning of the redemption
and SO to glorify it in the out
pouring of the one divine ele-
ment with which we are blessed
music. 1t is true, when Christ
rose from the dead it was with
out accompaniment of angel
choirs, but silently and unosten-
tatiously the great benefit to hu-
manity took form. The angel at
TIA tomb sat quietly without harp
or trumpet as he announced, "He
is risen, He is not here" and the
news was carried as quietly to the
waiting apostles. The silence
which surrounded that moment is
readily understandable, but what
1t has meant to the world there
after should have been a source
of constant eXhiliration to the
musical narratorS.
The tragedy which preceded
the resurrection left it's indelible
impression and the thinking mu-
Sician has ever turned to it in
sympathy and understanding.
Pain and suffering are so much
a part of earthly existence that
the human voice could readily
sing its pangs and the great COM
poSer'S brain visualize its express
sion. Human perfdity and in
Justice, and human suffering in
the superlative embodiment which
the past week has held up be-
fore us, has had monuments
raised to it in the imperiShable
accents of music. The story OF
the Passion has been told in mu-
Sical terms from every angle.
OF all those who have at
tempted to record it in harmony,
it was Bach alone who was able
to imbue the telling with vitality
and life fire. Through profound
devotional sensitiveneSs, perhaps,
or the natural shrinking from or
inability to relive the great trag-
edy, the successors of Bach have
produced music in, which the
fundamental vitality has been
lowered and the true reason of
the Passion-that through death
there should be life-consequently
overlooked. With Bach, however,
the Passion was not one OF wall
ing and hopeless tears, but sor-
rowful yet heroic act necessary
that another life could be given
us, and his music throbs and vi
brates with this underlying cur
rent of hope.
Bach's contemporary, Handel,
chose THE Resurrection" as sub
1ect for an ortorio written in Italy
In 17O8. Although his Messiah"
has grown in popularity with each
generation and its majesty i'm
Dresses itself with constantly re-
newed force, his attempt to pic
ture the glory of the resurrection
came to naught and has had no
performance worthy of remem-
bering. Gounod, in the last years
of his life, when his mind turned
more to the mysticism of religion,
composed THE Redemption"
which was produced for the first
time at the Birmingham festival
in England. 1t was received with
out great enthusiasm and has had
but little interest shown in it
since that time. Here again the
composer falls short of an under
standing of the inSpirational
quality OF the subject and proves
that the holding power Of joy is
less strong than that Of sorrow,
and the vision of greater freedom
to be realized through the GER
tainty of continued life less en-
ticing than the contemplation of
earthly suffering.
The promise of Immortality
which the Easter day brings is
but a confirmation of what every
one knows who has music in his
heart. Music is the one gladstone
ingredient in the sorry mixture
which is life and it is there with
a constant message Of hope and
indestructible vitality. For this
reason alone it should be given a
prominent place in the daily rou-
tine that by its means the sense
of Joy could be cultivated, the
mind detached from gloomy con-
temptation and the way to a
knowledge of beauty and art laid
open.
X X
IN spite of the various activities
- which engage his attention,
Mussolini finds time to interest
himself in the musical develop
ment in his country. When the
committee for the organization