Evening star., 1953-05-18
News Of Music
By Alice Eversmon

Washington composers are
fortunate to have Richard Bales
and the National Gallery Or
chestra to give hearing to their
new works. Last nights concert
of the current American Music
Festival in the National Gallery
of Art was composed entirely
of works by members of the
Washington Composers Club
written especially for this oc-
casion. The incentive supplied
by assurance of public per-
formance under sympathetic di-
rection has made the club a
vital factor in local musical life.
The major works on the pro-
gram, in matters of length and
ideas, Mary Howe's axiom" and
Emerson Meyers Symphony No.
l." were played as the opening
and closing numbers.
Cites Handling Of Color.
Mrs. Howe's Axiom" is free
passacaglia with fugue. It is by
far her most notable orchestral
work with a remarkable hand
ling of color and a fine sense of
style. The latter is of the cool,
classic order, although her sub
lect matter is much more de-
manding than that usually
found in a passacaglia. 1t be-
gins in mysterious vein with
soulful conversations between
the woodwind forming intervals
in the stately tempo of the
strings.
Striking effects are achieved
by the contrasting voices OF the
woodwind, by the harp, celeste.
and, in conclusion, the bells. The
work is overly long, however, and
in the center, the skillful con-
trapuntal writing of the first
part gives way to trite turns
that slacken the flow Of the
ideas.
Symphony" Composers Best.
Mr.. Meyers has exceeded any
thing he has previously written
in his "Syphony for Small Or
chestra," his first in this form
The surenesS of his writing car
ries the thread clearly through
the three joined movements, and
there is power in his idea as well
as in his style. A dramatic be-
ginning has almost brutal i'm
pact before it expands into g
steady, broad, and firmly knit
line. The short Largo has 9
haunting quality quickly dis
PEELED by the Allegro scherzande
where dissonances add rather
than detract from its real Scherzc
style. Mr.. Meyers has said
good deal in the symphony with
no extraneous material but with
direct, economic means.
Vernon Kirkpatrick. English
horn, Sylvia Meyer, harp, anc
Walter Howe, timpani, carried
the themes in r. Deane Shure'S
impressionistic chesapeake
suite and the combination O.
these three instruments gave al
unusual effect. The works sub
divisions are entitled white
Heron" Gull in the Path of th'
Moon," and Lighted Ships.
There is delicate imagery in Mr
Shure's suite. written with tht
descriptive feeling and charm
so characteristic Of his style.
Likes Tone Poem.
The tone poem for orchestra
"U. S. A." by LaSalle Spie
should become popular th'
breadth of the land. For. MI
Spier has woven together will
great deftness music typical o
different sections and from tn
earliest period to the present
He made use of a "Flathead In
dian Song from Montana" AM
Hymn Tune. Hamburg from
New Harmonica Sacra" to illus
trate the early settlement times
but the nine remaining section
are his own. The merging o
these various kinds of music, o
thoroughly indigenous style, int
symphonic poem has beer
achieved with smoothneSS an
logic.
The greatest contrast on tn
program was offered by William
Graves sturdy March for Small
Orchestra" and Dorothy Radd'
Emery's ingratiating "Orienta
Moods" The latter, inspired b.
9Th and 9th century AID. Chi
nese poets, translates into tn
contemporary musical idiom tn
fragrance and fancy of orienta
romanticism. Mr.. Graves Shor
March" is so in rhythm only
for It's complexity is symphoni
in proportions.
The orchestra played thes
works excellently under MI
Bales discerning direction. TIL
composers were all present ant
each was called to the stage t.