The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-12-06
WORLD of
NJ USIC
Westminster Chorus Sings
Roy Harris Composition
Reviewed by
CARL SANDS

Reviewed by
CARL SANDS
DOY HARRIS was born in Okla
II homa in 1898. Looks it, acts il
and is proud of it. Considers him
self a man of the people. But an
artist! And an artist, especially If
his field is composing music, has 10
work hard. There is a lot Of labor
involved in writing notes, the right
notes, on paper, getting the muSic
into performance and seeing that
everyone is notified Of the fact, etc.
He knows what labor isl He says
this quite openly.
In fact he said it in a lecture at
the Pierre Degeyter Club last winter
and was, according to creditable re-
ports, rather roughly heckled. His
position was, more or less, that the
composer wrote for societys sake
The heckler's position was, more or
less, I'VE hear you say so, but how
do you prove it? Evidently you
profit from it or how do you live;
but what connection is there be-
tween your music and the class
struggle2"
Briefly, there seemed to be no
answer. That is, until this fall when
Harris cheerfully remarked that
while the Club talked, he did things
for instance, a composition for
unaccompanied chorus, lasting 20
minutes, on a poem of Walt Whit
mans beginning:
A song for Occupations!
In the labor of engines and trades
and the labor of fields find the
developments,
And find the eternal meanings.
There is some truth in what Harris
says. His composition is there. Who
on the music front has anything
like it to show for sheer virtuosity
of choral techniqueP And it was
superbly sung last Tuesday night in
Carnegie Hall, by heart, by about
forty young men and women who
marched onto the stage as to army
maneuvers. The well-dressed audi
ence liked it.
But it is very doubtful whether
the people who occupy themselves
with the Harris occupa
tions will sing it or listen to it. Why
is this?
WHITMAN was a fine ferment in
W his day. There was much in him
land still is for many people,, much
that was disturbing to the rich and
cultivated" He was that disgust
ing old man" to all polite circles
But today, Whitman is the most ad-
mired in polite circles. Does he not
say that the working men of these
states find happiness in themselves
in their work, in the things best
known to them? Notice, please, all
unemployed, all exploited, sweated
cheated, bamboozled workers Of
America-you find happiness ir
things Just as they arel You dol
Oh, if the galleries had risen anc
with one rebel yell shouted 1--WE
don'tp When will Harris learr
that the people he sees doing The
work of this world don't have "occu.
pations" and are not happy" in
them They have JOBS-some Of
them. Does Harris know what d
job is? Does he realize that prac-
tically every job available in Amer
lea has its disease, its own peculiar
crippling, enervating, blasting ruin
alton upon one or another of the
vital functions of one who holds it?
Does he think that this work that
constitutes his answer to the Doggy
terites' questions shows he has any
idea Of what is happening around
him today and was happening all
around the dear old Whitman?
Speed-up, understanding. gang
sterism, pay-cutting, stretchout
hunger, starvation?
Harris is sincere; but he is slow
If he lives long enough he will dis
cover the Communist Manifesto. He
has it in him to be on the left side
of the barbados.
UNUSUALLY, the work shows
III great advance in technique fol
him. He is our foremost conserva'
e-liberal composer. He has beer
studying the choral technique Of the
late gothic and renaissance churcl
music 1890 to 1900. 1t shows il
his work. 1t has cleaned up lot o.
his muddy writing. But still, it i!
on the whole chordal and rather
static music-the melodies dom
impel true contrapuntal texture
They have not enough character
enough cutting edge, enough direc
ton. One feels throughout tina the
composer might, suddenly do some
thing with his technique, nigh
show he is going somewhere. Blu
he never does. The music starts
wobbles, stops, starts again, ramhle
pleasantly, gets a little rough, bu
has no punch.
One section. about where tn
words dealt with the cotton pal
and the stevedo-e's hook, go
started on steady, remorselesS
syncopated rhythm. Something wa
going to happen! But it petere'
out. The technique is doing all
can. But there is little or no con
tent. Music means nothing bu
getting on in the world" TO
Harris. 1t totally lacks the conscious
strength and drive of COPELAND. Blu
then, COPELAND knows where he
goingl
Try writing some revolutionsr
mass songs, Harris. You nigh
make a good one. You have it Il
you. At any rate it would clean 20
up better than you would believe.