Evening star., 1935-02-03

"A Negro Parade. .Stringfield
A NEGRO PARADE" by
- n Struggled, Is naturally
II not just the music Of
1 \ Negro parade, but the
spirit and mood which 1t
evokes; and I quote the composers
description of what is by way OF
short symphonic poerl:
From the direction OF Potter's
Field cNigger Town) comes the sound
of beating drums. Louder and louder
it grows. People-black and white
alike-turn their heads and listen TO
the approaching procession. A memo
rable event in the little Southern VII
lage Is about to take place. Little
Negro boys and girls are seen running
greefully along the sidelines Of the
gayly- dressed drum and bugle corps OF
a Negro American Legion Post. Men
and women In working clothes mingle
in the spectacle. 1t is their day. The
strutting drum and bugle corps passes
in review, sounding barbaric rhythm
of proud hearts. The sound Of drums
grows fainter and fainter, with
nuances rising and falling in waves
to a perfect calm.
"The Negroes have had their seldom
granted right Of way. With an ad-
mission of racial subservience, they
retrace their steps, singing con-
verted hymn, Let Jesus Lead You and
the White Folks Feed You and
whistling characteristic labor tunes
Grave s.,..,s.,''''.''. 'FuTCeII
GRAVE" by Purcell, from his
~ opera, "Dido and Aeneas," con-
sists of an introduction and the music
to when ! Am Laid in Earth, Let
Ny Wrongs Create No Trouble In
Thy Breast" which is based on a
recurring theme in the bass, COM
monty called "PaSsacaglia," or
"Chaconne."
In no similar work that ! know
of has this bass, which never changes,
been repeated with such unchanging
insistence, nor could the melody IN
the higher parts be treated with more
freedom of inspiration than in this
particular case. 1t is an amazing in
stance Of masterful treatment Of such
an inspiration in severely classic
form to which the lovely text has
inspired the composer.
Brahms Haydn Variations"
THE variations on a chorale oy
= Haydn were written by Brahms
Immediately prior to his great &C
Minor Symphony" This mears that
they belong to the composers ma
ture style. He had always, with the
real modesty Of genius, considered
himself not yet ripe enough to essay
q symphony, which Is, OF course, the
supreme test of any composer. And
in the variations he seems to have,
once more. wanted to try his powers
before embarking on the still larger
venture. And what powers they were!
Every one of the eight variations is
q gem, and the finale is sort of
'Passacaglia," the same as in the
preceding Purcell, which brings the
lovely work to splendid conclusion.
Every one Of the variations has a
different mood-contemplati viva
cious, tranquil, excited, gay, gracious
and mysterious, each in turn might be
entitled. And every mood is felt and
translated to perfection into lovely
music. No wonder it was received
with enthusiasm by the musicians of
the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
when Brahms first tried them out,
and that this reception gave him the
courage to tackle" what Is probably
his greatest work-the &C Minor
Symphony"
Concerto for Violin and
orchestra" ..............Ma .Malipiero
Viola Mitchell.
MISS MITCHELL. young violinst,
A who has already had great sue
cess In Europe, has disdained to at
tempt an easy success in one of the
we'll known parade pieces" of the
violin literature. Instead, she has
chosen a novelty which the Italian
composer, Malipiero, wrote for her
in 1884. She was engaged to give this
concerto, the worlds premiere, and
played it this season for the first
time in America with the Boston Sym
phony. The work is in the composers
most uncompromising mood, and will
give our audience a real taste of acid
modernism. It will be a first per-
formance In Washington.
"Carneval Overture. ...... .Dvorak
MO NATION has music more in
the blood than the Bohemians.
No social gathering is complete with