Evening star., 1952-12-21
News of Music

Conductors and recital art
lists do not always show a sense
of timeliness. The season OF
Christmas is here but no SYM
phony orchestra, and only a
few soloists, have included num-
berS commemorating the spirit
of the feast on their programs.
It is true that not many works
of large dimension have been
written under the stimulus Of
the sacred story. yet those
existing should find a place in
concert halls at this appropri-
ate season. It has been left to
choirs, choral groups, and oc-
caSionally a soloist, to keep up
the ancient traditions.
The National Symphony pro-
grammed no Christmas number
for its concert Wednesday. Yet
there are orchestral works on
this subject other than those
heard frequently in the past.
Both Philip James Overture
in the Olden Style on French
Noels" and Manfredini's Con
certo per la Notte di Natalie"
were played so many years ago
that a revival would not Se
amiss. One of the most elabo-
rate composition is Christmas"
by Jaromir Weinberger, a
composer known here princi-
pally through excerpts from his
opera "Schwanda," and his
Czech Rhapsody"
There is also Hans Pfitzner's
"ChriSt-Elflein" Overture, a
work written first as a Christ
mas fantasy and later changed
to an operetta. Musical por-
tions from operas on the same
theme, as Goldmark's "The
Cricket on the Hearth" or Rut-
land Boughton's fine "Bethle-
hem" would also provide the
atmosphere. There remains al
ways the unsurpassed Pastoral
Symphony" from Handels
Messiah" and the "Hirten-
Musk" from Bach's Christ
mas Oratorio."
Festival in Song Ordered
It is more fitting, perhaps.
that Christmas be celebrated
principally in song. It was thus
ordered by Clement, the head of
the church in the first century
A. D. When the feast of Christ
mas was instituted by Teles-
phorus, Bishop of Rome, in the
year 129, he ordered: I'm the
Holy Night of Nativity they do
celebrate and solemnly sing the
Angels Hymn" the Gloria in
excelsis Deo." An unbroken
chain has been formed from
those early Christian days to the
present by means of carols and
hymns, and forged stronger by
the limited number of great art
works left to posterity. The
centuries have been linked and
peoples all over the world bound
together through the music of
Christmastide. Today, many of
the tunes sung by the Crusaders
and Conquistadores are still
heard as also the beloved
Christmas songs of every land.
While painters and sculptors
found inspiration in the events
connected with Christ's birth.
for centuries, only handful Of
composers have chosen to write
on this subject. They spent their
efforts on works that could be
performed the year round and fl
nancial need may have deter
mined their decision. Several.
however, combined instruments
and voice for impressive and
moving effects. A century be-
fore Bach, Heinrich Schuetz
wrote a Christmas Oratorio";
a similar designation was given
to one by Alessandro Scarlatti,
while Pergolesi chose La Natl
vita" as a title for his. Only ex-
cerptS from Berlioz' THE Child
hood of Christ" are heard al
though Saint-Saens' Christmas
Oratorio" is having more and
more Of vogue.
Many Works Dedicated
American composers have con-
tributed more prolifically to the
cantata literature beginning
with Chadwick's Noel" and
Parker's "The Holy Child" and