The Phoenix index., 1940-01-13
Josephine Harred Tops In Musical Review Of Year
La Anderson
Comes In For
Share Of Spot
By ORRIN CLAYTON
SUTHEN, ii

our artistic ranks not much OF
the new has appeared before us
Rather it has been that they
who Were novices have climbed
rung by rung toward the val
halla at the top of flames ladder
This is most encouraging in times
Vihan retrenchment in artlstlc
circles is the order of the day
In the ranks of the National
Association of Negro Musicians
significant change has taken place
in the election of the dynamic
musician from Pittsburgh, MIS-
Mary Cardwell Dawson, as presi-
dent of the organization. Mrs
Dawson is known throughout the
country for her interest in the
musical life of the city OF Pitts
burgh and of the country in gen
eral. Many a young musician has
Mrs. Dawson to thank for his
debut in favorable musical sur
rounding.
ANDERSON TOPS
Topping our list as of last year,
and repeating her previous per-
formance Of the year before the
number one> concert artist of the
country is the great Marian An
derson. on concert stage and
ever the ai' La Anderson is queen
&c oil nj
especial interest in the career of
Miss Anderson since in the youth
Of the organization, and in its
financial heyday, a scholarship of
$400, was given the budding con-
tralto Today conditions are re-
versed and Miss Anderson is now
affluent and the Association. well,
an interest more than platonic
would be appreciated.
Toward the closing days of the
summer rumOr came from the East
that a new voice would soon SOUND
forth across the boards. Dorothy
Maynor, formerly of Hampton,
Va, made a successful New York
debut which predicted much for
her after further polishing. She
has our best wishes. Roland Hayes
peer Of tenors; softer, more vel
vety than ever still holds his own.
Catherine Van Buren,, after an in
spring appearance at the Boston
convention was retained by the
Fisk Department of Music as vo-
cal instructor
Among pianists the outstanding
success of the year was perhaps
/ enjoyed by the young and bril-
liant Albanian, Josephine Har-
reid. The yours which this young
! lady engaged upon have taken
, her from coast to coast, before
audiences white and colored, and
have nothing but the highest
praise Her appearance at the
Boston convention was the high
light of the Artists concert The
veteran top-notch pianist, Hazel
H@rriSon, retained her place
among the inspired artists of the
keyboard Mr.. William Allen spent
the year in study with the Dutch
genius, Egon Petri, in Poland. If
others who have been mentioned
before are diSregarded here it is
because the work of teaching has
less glamour and far-reaching eff
feet at the moment than the work
of the concert specialist.
TWO ORGANIsTS
Two more organists have won
the rank of Association of the
American Guild of OrganissS.
They are T. Curtis Mayo, new
working on his masters at Ober-
lin, and Julius Carroll of Wash
ington, D. c.. David Carroll
and his Johnson c. Smith singers
added greatly to their reputation
in the past year and the Hall
johnson choir has been given in
creasingly important assignment
in their cinema connections. Our
composers are happily busy-Dett,
a piano suite In the Tropics;
Dawsons putting his "Ansioso" in
the hands of both Allen and Har-
rison; Mrs. Price, an organ suite
fcc Organist Suthern; the stand
ard composers, White Burleigil, Di-
ton, MargetSon are having wor-
thy numbers published yearly, and
this one no exception.
The one established concert
bureau-The Musical Artists Bu-
reau-Gladys Hirst Edwards mana
ger, has ten outstanding personah-
ties in the world of music to be
presented. This work is gathering
impetus And so the year has
rolled around. Next year will
see new faces, other changes; to
them we wish the greatest possi-
bic success.
In late issue of one of our
palpers We found this headline:
Marian Anderson and Chick
Webb outstanding entertainment
values for 1899" Think of it.
There is no basis for a compari-
son. One element is purely en-
tertainment value; it has no status
as an intellectual pursuit and ap-
peals to rather elemental emo
tions. That is the requisite of the
swing orchestra.