Evening star., 1933-04-02
TOT so many years ago in
l this country the study of
VI music was undertaken only

ceSSiVe concentration Oh muSl
marked cne either as an oddit
or a genius and, in either case
placing the student in a class b
himself and slightly ostracize,
from the everyday interests of tn
majority. Since that time, no
too far distant to be remembers,
by many, however, an enormou
change in ideas has come abou
and a remarkably quick an,
abundant growth in the opposit4
direction has taken place. In fact
from that day when serious at
tention to music was a rarity, tn,
progression has been so great tina
the country is faced with a surf
of good musicians and an eve,
diminishing outlet for their tai
ents.
The rate at which propaganda
for the study of music has de-
veloped has far outdiStanced lik;
development in opportunities fol
the musicians after they have
spent many years in perfectine
themselves. For the very few who
are Superendowed or of eXcep-
tional originality, there will al
ways be a place created, but fol
the average talent the field OF
usefulness or even of enjoyment
Is limited. Most musical posts
are monopolized by specialists
who concentrate the public'S at
tention on a particular angle OF
their talent.
The desire to solve this problem
of overproduction has led to the
organization a year ago of the
American Choral and Festival
Alliance. The alliance has en-
listed the interest and co-opera-
tion of Is symphony orchestra
conductors, 81 college music de-
partmentS, II university extension
divisions, several hundred choral
leaders, eminent educators of
England, Germany, Wales, Scot
land and Canada and is in active
relations with the Music Teachers
National Association, the Ameri-
can Guild of OrganiSts and others.
Branches have been established in
27 sections of the country.
In the survey which the alli-
ance has made of the musical
conditions of the country, the i'm
menSe machinery which has been
developed for the production of
musicians has been discovered to
be of overwhelming magnitude
The teaching of music by indi-
vidualS, Conservatives, schools
and colleges has turned out a
great quantity of good musicians
with no prospect of putting their
knowledge to use. AS far as the
teachers and schools are con-
cerned the matter seems to finish
with the completion of study. To
the solving of what to do with this
heretofore wasted talent will be
directed the energies of this new
organization.
To this end, it is planned to
form community musical alli-
ances or city planning boards
whose objective will be to seek out
and assimilate the young talent
into the life of the community by
a cooperative effort to develop
series of musical events for their
participation. There is to be
something in the nature of a re-
ceiving and distributing agency
which will work together with all
social and civic societies to select,
examine and place the skilled
musician ready for occupational,
artistic or social participation.
The development of music-plan-
ming boards will enable each COM
munity and State to take care of
its musical output.
One of the simplest solutions to
this problem, and the first which
the alliance has adopted, is the
formation of choral societies and
festivals. For this purpose a
Choral Research Council is al
ready searching out and making
available the usable choral mate
rial of this country and Europe.
Supervised by DR.. Carleton
Sprague Smith of The New York
Public Library and sponsored by
several important musical foun-
dationS, this division of the enter
prise is discovering undreamed-of of
material for future use. The idea
of series of annual festivals is
the outgrowth of the success of
the National Thanksgiving Song
Festival, which has been tried
out in several of the largest cities.
In New England already plans
are maturing for an all-New Eng
land Festival, which will take in
the oratorio and major choral So
cieties throughout New England.
New York Is arranging a Choral
Alliance concert to be held at
Madison Square Garden and
Cleveland, Akron, Pittsburgh and
Omaha have already announced
choral festivals.
This l. - c1cr-lcuS step for
ward in the way of constructive
help in our musical problems and
argues we'll for the future OF music
in this country and above all Tor
fixing the attention on the quality
and quantity of talent which is at
hand to use for future profit and
An exemplihcation of the fine
work to be accomplished by
choral groups will be heard at the
annual Lenten concert of the A
Capella Choir of the First Con-
gregational Church, which will
take place tomorrow at the May
flower Hotel. Always sponsored
by distinguished patrons, the
choir will have the privilege thi!
year Of having Mrs. Franklin
Roosevelt as guest of honor
Under the able direction of Rub!
Smith Stahl this yearly concer
has grown to be one of the out
standing events of local muslca
life.
The choir is composed of 81
members who donate their Serv