Evening star., 1940-12-20
Stradivari
Anniversary
Music Heard
Budapest Quartet
Program Stresses
Negro Talent
By ALICE EYERSMAN.

The chamber music concert which,
under the Gertrude Clarke Whit
tall Foundation, is given each year
on December 18, the anniversary OF
the death Of Stradivari, took place
last evening at the Library of Con-
gress instead Of Wednesday. The
preceding night opened the festival
of music celebrating the 18TH ami
versary of the proclamation of the
Constitutions thirteenth amend
ment, and IN order to permit Doro-
thy Maynor, colored soprano, to be
heard, the instrumental concert in
which the famed Stradivari instru-
ments are used was postponed until
last night. The artists were the
Budapest String Quartet, who have
proved themselves unusually skill
full in handling the instruments
which Mrs. Whittall presented to
the Library some years ago.
In keeping with the celebration,
the program was designed to stress
the talent of the Negro race in COM
position in the field of chamber
music. To that end three works
were chosen which in probability
were heard for the first time in this
city. Two of them were by the pic
turesque 18th century composer
LIE Chevalier de Saint Georges, and
the third by Samuel Coleridge -Tay-
lor, English-born composer who has
been closely associated with Amer
ican life. The final number of the
program was Dvorak's String
Quartet in F Major, Op. &c." known
as the American Quartet" from
the well-known Negro melodies
which he incorporated in it.
1t was like stepping into the past
and into the elegance of the French
circles of the middle 18th century
to hear the quartets by the Cheval-
ier de Saint-Georges. Both are
short, consisting of an allegro and
a rondeau, and there is a similarity
of thematic material in the two
works. They are charming and
graceful numbers written in an easy
style and pleasantly melodic, with
a note of irmer character given the
second rondeau in the syncopation
which is its predominating feature.
It is real quartet music of that pc
riod and bears the stamp Of the en-
vironment without any pretentions
to the depth in idea attained by
the Chevalier's famous contemp-
cries.
The quartets Of last evening were
from Saint-Georges' first opus.
which served to establish him in the
musical world as a composer Of dis
tinctive gifts.
From Coleridge- -Taylor's small
output of chamber music was pre-
sented the Quintet IN F Sharp
Minor" for clarinet and string quar-
tet. Gustave Langenus. clarinetist,
joining the members of the Buda-
pest Quartet. This master musician
avoided any personal display Of his
artistry and became one with the
group which has won such a place
of esteem with the patrons of the
Whittall Foundation concerts The
playing of the five artists was su-
perb, with a remarkable unity OF
feeling between them.
The quintet is a brilliant work
with an exceptionally beautiful lar
ghetto. The combination OF the
finely toned instruments and the
smooth. warmly colored playing OF
the artists was given opportunity
for full appreciation in this move
ment. In the other three move
ments is a quantity of material
which the composer has woven to-
gether in closely compact form.
There is an abundance Of melody
and sharply defined rhythms ex-
pertly combined to give bright and
varied effect. With the exception
Of the larghetto, however, it has no
further distinction than that OF
vitality and excellent workmanship