Evening star., 1937-01-02

UlldC SCdlQS dS ledueI VI d poN
side by side, the announcement OF t.
biennial convention of the Music Club
and the life story of an artist from
the Far East, who will give concert
of the songs of her people tomorrow
evening at the Press Club. The con-
trast between the organized work for
musical progress done by the feder-
alton which aims to assist young
artists to recognition, and the strug-
gle of gifted young woman and how
she was helped to success by another
organization is striking and thought
provoking, besides instructive.
The two stories not only stress the
up-to-date. progressive spirit Of our
modern musical interests as exempli-
fed by the National Federation of Mu-
sic Clubs, but, in the story Of Bracilah
Zfrar, shows us the age-old power Of
talent. nlatured through suffering. to
win through to worldwide recogni-
ton. The personal history of Brachah
Zfirah, who, with her husband Nachum
Nardi, will give program OF oriental
music tomorrow makes interesting
reading.
"T>HE story of Brachah zfirahs life
- might make an 'Alger' romance
When she was year old she was lett
conpletely orphaned and altogether
without relatives in strange city. Her
parents had brought her from their
home in Yemen to Jerusalem, and
within a short time passed away IN
abiect poverty. She had been born IN
1911 50 that her early years were
clouded by the hunger, poverty ana
unsettled conditions the Great war
brought with it. She belonged to the
poorest section of Palestinian JeWry-
Yemenites who brought nothing with
them from their medieval ghetto in
Southern Arabia and had to do the
worst paid and most difficult work
available in Palestine. Brachah was
O housemaid at the age of 9.
Rescued from that early misery,
educated and set on her feet by an
institution supported and controlled
by Zionist group in far-of coun-
try. Brachah was one of the first
orphan girls sent to the Children's Vii
lase at Meier Shfeyeh, the model
chldrens community and school con-
Quoted by the Junior Hadassah. the
young wofnen's Zionist organization
Of America.
"This school has always stressed
education for labor, particularly farm
ing. but that first year was spent, not
on farming. but on removing the
stones from the ground to make farm
ing possible thereafter. The years
that followed were happy, though Diff
ficult. Music was a very important
element In the curriculum. ami the
children even put on plays and
sketches, some of which they them
selves had composed. In these two
aspects of village life Brachah shone
particularly.
when she graduated in 1925, the
Junior Hadassah's Advisory Commit
tee in Palestine helped her to study
dramatics for which she seemed SO
fitted. She worked as an apprentice
student in the Palestinian Theater
headed by the first Hebrew actor in
Palestine, Gressin. Ambitious to go
farther, on the strength of her own
earnings and the help of the Advisory
Committee, she went to Berlin in 1927
and studied. most successfully. with
Max Reinhardt.
I'm Berlin she met Palestinian
from a very different world, Rus
sian-born artist with an exceptionally
fine Western training in piano and
musical composition. Nachum Nardi
had come to Palestine after the World
War and immersed himself in studying
the remnants Of Oriental Hebrew
music, and in the idea Of writing
genuine Palestinian music which
would be modern and yet Oriental.
In Brachah he found the Oriental
singer and Interpreter of his dreams.
Acting was now subordinate to music
in her. and he made the little
Yemenite girl an extraordinary mu-
sical artist. Since 1927, as husband
and wife, as parents of a 5-year-old
child who is a 'wunderkind' COM
bining the musical gifts of both, as
mposer-accompaniSt and singer in
terpreter. they worked together with
increasing success. Brachah's rendi-
ton OF Nardi's original music or
adaptations are the high point of
Palestinian musical life and one of
the unquestionably great contributions
Of Palestine to world art"
THE National Federation of Music
Clubs makes the following an
nouncement of its convention plans:
AN almost unprecedented number
OF applications for places on the pro-
gram Of the biennial convention of
the National Federation Of Music
Clubs. TO be held In Louisville KY,
April % to 90. has been reported here
By Mrs. John Alexander Jardine Of
Fargo N. Oak. national president.
mot only Is the number of applica-
lions equivalent TO the largest We have
ever had, but the geographical distri-
button Is much more widespread. indi-
eating gratifying increase In interest
In music in many sections Of the coun-
try" she said
After conferring with distinguished
American artists relative 10 their ap-
pearance at the twentieth biennial
and American Music Festival. Mrs.
Jardine not only announced program
OF superlatiye brilliance, but also
phophesied an attendance Of more
than 5000. and said that on the basis
OF early registrations the figure might
even mount TO 5000 or 10000. She
added that Mrs. H. Carroll Day Of Al
bert Lee, MINI, chairman Of the BIZ
ennial program, had already assigned
places on the program TO choral and
Instrumental groups from 20 States.
Indeed We have had so many offer
ings that we have been obliged TO
start Our American Music Festival on
Friday morning. April %. instead OF
Friday evening as originally planned
she said. Even 70, we have been un-
able TO accept all the applications az