Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-03-06

Eleftherios Eleftherakis,. viola; Doro.
thea Jump. cello. At the Library Of
IN c. Haydn: Unseeompanied Con-
csrto IN G. No. 3. for. organ. soier:
Three Church Sonatas for organ, No.
81; No. us. in c. * $50. Mozart:
Partita for violin. viola and organ
1I94D. Piston: sonata No. for
organ O931). Hindemith: Organ
Concerto No. 10. IN b minor. Handel.
Bach was great musician.
and many discoveries may be
attributed to him. but it may
safely be asserted that he did
not find the Lost Chord, for he
was never seated alone at the
organ. There was always a
choir-boy or admirer nearby to
pump the bellows to provide
wind for the pipes. The organs
of Bach's time were among the
most beautiful ever made, but
students of the instruments be-
lieve that they could never have
been absolutely true in pitch
because Of the fluctuation of the
W4AIO PIcSSuT6.
We have heard in Washington
during the past few months
three organs built in an attempt
to combine present day mechan-
lcal knowledge with the musical
ideal behind the 18th century
organ. Having little sympathy
with the agglutinated noise of
18th and early 10th century
organs. the Aeolian Skinner Co..
the Schlicker Organ Co., and
others. are making organs mod
ern in regards to wind pressure
and action. but with clear.
bright, well-deflned tones, and
balanced and distinctive stops.
The new organ at the Washing
ton Cathedral is one of these.
the portative organ heard re-
Gently at Dumbarton Oaks is
another.
Last night the widely-known
vlrtuoso, E. Power Biggs, gave a
recital at the Library of Congress
on a third. this one just COM
pleted by the Schlicker Organ
Co. of Buffalo.
mis- too is portative. or
portable, organ. 1t is small
enough to be slowed in a trailer
behind Mr.. Biggs' automobile.
Installed on the stage at the
Library, its pipes occupied a
space perhaps 8 feet high and
II feet wide. the large pipes en-
closed in a rejecting shell in
the rear, and the pretty small
ones out front like curios in q
whatnot. There are two manu-
ais and (unlike the Aeolian
Skinner heard at Dumbarton
Oaks) a pedal board.
1t was an instrument obvious
ly to the taste Of the large audi
ence present, and it was GER
ta1nly to my taste, too. You
could hear all the music going
on. Scales were crisp and clear.
and apparently every stop had
the rare characteristic of being
well defined throughout it's
whole register. The actual
sounds, of course. were varied,
but all stops had a marvellous.
almost touchable, speaking quail
lty. Mr.. Biggs referred to this
initial accent as "chiff." a word
new to me, but a good one.
The heart of the program was
three OF Mozart's church sonatas.
really miniature organ con-
certos. They were played with
a brilliance and intimacy it
would be hard to surpass. The
liveliness and the rhythmic
capabilities of the new organ
were a delight. The organist
seemed a part Of the proceed
ings. not like player in a large
church who presses the keys and
after a lapse of time listens to
a reflection of the music he has
made.
The Mozart pieces were ac-
companied by two fiddles and a
cello, a group that seemed much
too thin for the music. Each
part could well have been dou-
bled or tripled. The Haydn and
Handel Accomplishments, to
which a viola was added, suffered
from the same feeling, of sparsity.
Mr.. Biggs played the Piston
partita on the Library organ. AS
the work was commissioned by
the Coolidge Foundation, it is