The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1940-01-20
STAGEDOOR
Dramatic Reviews
and Comment
By ROBERT {. HAYDEN
HAZEL HARRISON


ences for the first time. Friday
January 10. at Masonic Temple. She
will play the works OF Chopin, List
and others.
Music critics say that Miss Har-
rison's playing is on the same radi-
ant plane of achievement as Marian
Anderson's singing. She is reputed
to possess a great fund OF spiritual
lity and flawless technique. That
she is a performer OF considerable
artistic stature is evidenced by the
fact that she has appeared as sololst
with the Berlin, Minneapolis, ana
Boston symphony orchestras and
has given concerts in New York,
Philadelphia, and other cities before
large audiences. At present she is
an instructor in the music depart
ment OF Howard university.
An interesting sidelight on Miss
Harrison is given by Robert L. No
Ian, accompanist for the Eva Jessye
choir. Mr.. Nolan met Miss Harrison
when he was a student at Howard
and says she used TO get up al three
in the morning and practice until
seven. Her teaching schedule was
so heavy that she hadn't any other
time for practice.
Yet, Miss Harrison, for all her fine
artistry, seems never to nave gotten
the big opportunity that should have
come to her She has concertlzed
extensively in the east, the south
and in Europe, but TO most people
her name is but vaguely. If at all,
known This seems TO be the fate
OF present-day Negro instrumental
lists. While they do reach a great
many people, few, if any ever gam
reputation comparable 70 that. say.
of Paul Robson, Roland Hoyes, or
Marian Anderson, albeit they are
just as fine artists,
There Is a reason for this. and it
lies outside the musician. Like
most of the worlds ills it is eco
nomic. Entrepreneurs and booking
agents, quick to exploit Negro sing
ers, are reluctant TO promote inStru-
mentalists on any large scale. Why
this should be the case, we cannot
say with any degree Of posltlveness.
We personally think il may be due
perhaps to belief that the white
public, which after all supports our
leading artists, prefers singers be-
cause subconsciously white Ameri-
ca associates Negroes with singing
to the exclusion of every other me-
dun OF musical expression.
or course there have been few
exceptions. There was Blind Tom,
for instance, who played 10 vast in
ternational audiences during the
nineteenth and for part OF the
twentieth century. But Blind Tom
was a phenomenon. curto. His blind
ness, his ability to play the most
difficult composition after once
T. .-, .-.,-,...
nearing !" MS niu'Ilai ''i i,.i,'
at a time when the talented Ne
gro was popularity considered rara
avis all had tremendous box office
value.
Affairs are indeed in a sorry state
wnen gee d 'is's my "a - p',
! So -,-.,' e,iia'n III 81 H., Iii
Ieia'iEeiy sii'aIi 49, '',-. ~ 80
maleiy 'niS SIN Vi oiil'I,l'S ,,1 '"o1'
eoi''e nome ~ .s ioos' upO" W. ana :
Oh Nesloes tnelii9 . - "" W. - az .
peopie "iio .''i'io' 60 - " = -
indifferent ~ s'VGi,'t,iS.'tiie''' It"
any i'eiu' III d wo' ~ va. W 80
taxes 'he pi ose pa'.i " Ge- 90
ISM we mus e''.Oui aee ''I- ~, stp
port lliidileiaiiy as lai % pose''II :,
all 'le, Nhliesa,eu iil''i'te''' 'oi,' "
Ut cui'u'e anu pios'es s ni,u W. W.
must pay pa' W uiai ,ieeu W q. :, ~
stFuss'e u any no. ~" .s..,.o
oldch' 70 ieae' '''e 1ies' u aoi NY ~ N
iiiei' u ''ii,0s' - = -
cl'fno Against s'io's nus "a au
Versl'y III 'i'e ease VI '''e Us =
arusS uhe >" uss'e toi a
'hreauod'e eNis'e''ee W. oI.e,' ~.
a'es MS eie"'lVe poMei0' a'lu IN, ~,
inc hd' u'e c souis "a" Wv,
eepno'hlc Ccdsd' us uue ,e at.N a. 81 . ~
ne ''ine nave e''ous" 'eI' III INT
goo q art ..-,-
buV ioF'uhdteiy mere are peoFie
VINO fedfize an t'''s anu " u - -
win support ior our ID 'is's' oueN
person Is Neiile "S''s' Who %
Tresehl'hG MISS mar isD''' we aie
sure ''a' Nai ia'' n' ,'' s0l' > 'I "
cess III De'io'' i'is''' "'Ve &c" "
leIreu lor several Seds''iS ''au nv
MISS "d''S orNusm, nel neie w ,il
she dld' MISS "'''s Is "oi Ai i
toward an annual concert series
using her own tunas' showing lalln
where others oouoI "heh 'he MS
tory OF Negro music IN 'hls sta'e Is
/ N'llten, we are sure tley VIII nave