Evening star., 1938-05-01
Series Ends
with Music
OF America
Coolidge Quartet
Gives Three
Noted Works.
BY ALICE EVERSMAN.


The tour of the musical world which
: the Coolidge Quartet has made in the
concerts given during the past two
weeks at the Library of Congress con-
; cluded yesterday with program Of
American music. 1t featured the
."Music for Four Stringed Instru-
ments," by Charles Martin Loeffler,
composed in 1917; posthumous work
.of Charles Critics, Two Sketches for
sString Quartet" and Quartet No. 4
lin Minor" by George Whitefield
Chadwick, written in 1895
+; Although Loefler was of Alsatian
.origin. his musical development was
most marked after he took up resi-
.dence in the United States and it was
!: in his quiet retreat in Massachusetts,
/. that he found the full expression of
Ibis genius which contributed so great
fly to the progress of American music.
: In the work which he had so simply
designated Music for Four Stringed
instruments" is engraven the stamp
.of his particular trend Of musical
+: thought in its purest form. It is
'contemplative music, never fully reach
ling out to those who would hear it,
:but occupied with the delicate images
(which the composer found within
ihimself.
In the three movements, it is the
:second, definitely named Easter Sum-
day" around which evolves the basic
idea. Idealistic in conception and
with thread Of religious motive run
:ning through it, the nobility Of line
:and the purity of its form is excep-
:tional. The first and third move
.ments, though somewhat lighter in
:character, are a frame for the beau
:tiful idea incorporated in the middle
movement. The work is dedicated to
:Victor Chapman, VINO died during the
:World War.
|: Indian themes are the inspiration
:of Critics sketches and he has used
San Indian call for the first slow num-
;ber and gay dance for the second.
.Confining these free and natural
smusical expressions to the more cul-
Stivated form Of chamber music, he has
:succeeded in creating a poignant
.harmonization of rare beauty. Par
.ticularly lovely was the employment
:of the muted strings in the final meas
cures Of the Lento. For the Allegro, the
fthematic material is less genuine and
sapproximates more a folk tune treat
:ment. Critics received his earlier
.training in this country, completing
ut with study in Berlin. His compost
.tions have been performed mostly in
sAmerica, the sketches being first
splayed by the Flonzaleys in 1918.
!: Chadwick's Quartet forms strong
:contrast to the preceding numbers
:both by its character and its content.
Vigorous in style and speaking with
fan unrestrained freedom, 1t has little
sof the introspective in the thought or
Storm. 1t also is more American in
sintent, for the composer has drawn
Jon the nostalgia Of the Negro and the
ssimple melodies of earlier days and
:woven them together with healthy
;power In the Andantino semplice
land the Giocoso, he has produced
1.-TWO extremes of sentiment which are
$50 definite and rounded out in idea
sas to form q remarkable balance to
leach other.
9 Lie HeuOcIS Oh tHt NOoAose <udI.
stet, William Kroll and Nicoli Bere-
szowsky, violins; Nicolas Moldavan,
:viola, and Victor Gottlieb, cello, gave
% highly finished performance of each
:number Of yesterdays program. In
sthis series of concerts Just concluded,
"a program was devoted to works of
svarious countries, and, by their fidelity
ito style and broadness of understand
fling in the interpretations of these di-
:verse programs. the members Of the
squartet have demonstrated again the
:wide scope and depth Of their
, SArtiStry