Evening star., 1946-06-03
By Alice Eversmon

Katherine DobbS Hansel sue
ceeded 5 in bringing into her song
recital yesterday afternoon in the
Phillips Gallery all the elements
needed to stamp it as outstanding.
. The charmiltg soprano has beau
tiful voice Under excellent control,
the program was a choice one of
unfamiliar numbers, which she i'm
pressed upon her listeners with her
well-designed Interpretation. and
she was sustained in her artistic
presentation by the fine accompani-
ment of Theodore Schaefer.
AS a singer Mrs. Hansel combines
splendid gifts with an alert and
analytical attitude both musically
and emotionally inspired. The
sweet quality of her lyric voice has
its own appeal particularly in soft
passages where its purity is kept
intact with rare skill. That she can
sustain pianissimo high note with
as much ease as in the lower register
speaks of the quality of her train
ing and it was only when drama
VIZ C11CCl Wd0 CdllCQ 1Ol GlldG t1o
melloWness suffered.
81, Individual songs of Joseph Marx
have found their way into many
programs but seldom has a num-
Der of them been heard at one time.
Mrs. Hansel selected five, Hat dich
die Llebe beruehrt," "Regenlied,"
Der Ton" "Waldseligkeit" and
'Nocturne" giving the best oppor-
tunity for judging the Viennese
composers style. Although SYM
pathetic to the modern idiom, he
, definitely carries on the spirit of
q Brahms, Wolf and Strauss in the
matching of musical terms with the
q meaning of the texts. He has a
deft touch and warmth of feeling
and polished craftsmanship in
supplying the vocal line with a rich
and individual accompaniment.
+ In many respects, Mrs. Hansel's
singing was best in these works
for she conveyed every infection
, the music contained to just the
right degree. The expressiveness of
her voice was also more responsive
and her excellent diction showed
= her thorough understanding of the
nuances of the words.
Four songs by Mary Howe. white
Snow" "Elegy," Fair Annet," and
20 Porsperina," demonstrated from
another angle her special flare for
song writing. In terse phrases she
created vivid pictures as powerfully
effective as those in her more suave
style. The continuousness and the
soft beauty of falling snow were
depicted in the first number in the
richly modulated piano background
against which the voice carried a
serene obligato. In its well sculp-
=, tured form this song and "Elegy''
were the most distinctive.
>. The groups by American compos-
ers continued with Ernst Bacon's
lovely "Is There Such Thing as
Day." David Diamonds compact but
impressive Music When Soft Voices
Die" and "On Death" and David
Van Vactors lyric How Can I Sing
Iight-Souled and Fancy Free" ano
II Know a Maiden Fair" Two con-
trasting works by Eric Bovet, in
French, brought acclaim to the COM
poser, who was in the audience. His
lie Regard de la fol- is especially
striking in its devotional character
and Tout l'ete," lighter number
written in the same refined and easy
style. A large audience was enthusi-
astic in its appreciation of Mrs
Hansel's presentation of the inter-
esting program which opened with
"LAnnuncio" from Licinio Refice's
opera Cecilia"
Celebrate Anniversary ga
Of Musical Director.
In the Mount Vernon Place
Methodist Church, the 25th ami
versary of R. Deane Shure as direc-
tor of music in the church was
celebrated with a special musical
program. Guests of honor were DR.
Clarence Dickinson of the School OF
Sacred Music, Union Theological
Seminary IN New York, and DR.. T
Tertius Noble, organist of st
Thomas Cathedral, New York. The
church was filled to capacity with
many, unable to find seats, standing
along the sides and overf1owing into
the outside hall.
The program was made up eXclu-