Evening star., 1935-11-28
Joyous Program Given
By Mexican Orchestra
Latin American Music Played With impress
sive Spontaneity Before Distinguished
Audience
Audience.
by ALICE EVERSMAN.


TN THE noble Hall Of the Americas
at the Pan-American Union where
the United States service bands
u so often have played the music OF
Latin America, there gathered last
evening the most picturesque group OF
musicians that ever has visited the
Capital The OrQuesta Tipica de
Policia de Mexico, under the direction
Of Maestro Miguel Lerdo de Tejada, an
organization of 10 men, brought Joy to
the hearts of their countrymen and
stirred the blood Of their American
neiRhbors in one Of the most colorful
concerts presented in that beautiful
auditorium.
The trim uniforms Of the service
bands were replaced by rich Mexican
costumes, elaborately embroidered and
the huge sombreros adorned with sill
yer so much more romantic than the
conventional headgear of the general
public. There was a riot Of color
everywhere, In the scarfs knotted
about the throats of the players, in
the "SarapeS" thrown carelessly over
the shoulder and in the draperies
scattered about amongst the inStru-
ments. Against this background sat
the musicians, dark of visage with
mobile features and flashing eyes.
Across their knees lay the guitars and
saltarios, native instruments whose
tonal color was to merge with the
marimba, the violin, the double BASES
and the horns that form the ensemble.
Playing Effective.
The musicians waited with that
patience and immobility only acquired
in land of sunshine until the arrival
OF suave and elegant Maestro de Tejada
announced the beginning of the con-
cert. With lift Of the eyebrows and
slight but telling indications of his
graceful hands he led his men into
the stirring strains of his own compo-
sition, Marcia Patriotica." With the
opening measures there arose rich,
melodious sound, harmony and rhythm
combined, in which no instrumental
medium was discernable, but which
became music of the most effective
kind.
The men of the orchestra played
without the printed page before them,
but with their eyes fixed on their con-
ductor. No mere setting down of notes
were needed, for they played from
their hearts and with their entire
being. The old man with the huge
guitar and the skilful and fleet players
Of the saltario surely had little use for
musical script, for this was the music
they had known from infancy and
played at every fiesta or in the twilight
hours when the days work was done.
Incredibly swift in their movement
over the strings and united as one
man in their feeling for effects, they
threw themselves into the swing of
the music with complete abandon.
And the effects that we're produced:
Here beautiful purring pianissimo, a
melodious whisper from somewhere
and then a rising crescendo that grew
in might and volume with uniform
exactness and infinite understanding
of spacing into glorious quantity Of
sound that held Secreted the mechani-
cal means by which it was achieved.
This was music Not the kind that
came from studied violin tone and
matching Of cello or woodwinds, but
music of the universe, grand and noble
and heart touching.
This is what the distinguished audi