Evening star., 1954-06-27
News of Music

If there are those who be-
lieve the obvious nonsense
that O music critic should al
ways go to q recital free OF
any preconceived ideas about
the music and the performer
he is to hear. I say to them
that whatever ! may later re-
port about the singing OF Iso-
bel Baillie is of much less i'm
portance than my present an
nouncement that she will sing
this afternoon at the Wash
ington Cathedral, and that
she is one of the most versa
tile and musical singers now
before the public. Those who
do not know the name Of 1So-
bel Baillie and those who do
not know she is in town are
thus forewarned before it Is
too late.
Miss Baillie will sing two
great religious works by Pur-
cell and Mozart, the latter the
solo cantata. one Of the last
half-dozen works Of the COM
poser, which Mozart wrote for
the Freemasons at the time
he was composing die Eau
berflote." Mozart himself had
Joined the Freemasons seven
years before in 1784, and COM
parison of the dozen works
directly inspired by the society
with those he wrote for the
Catholic Church is no less
fascinating than any Of the
other principle aspects Of his
limitless genius.
Admitted All
The history of Freemasonry
stretches back into the distant
times of myth and allegory.
It is said that the society was
born among the stone workers
employed by Solomon to build
his temple, and though little
is definitely known Of it until
the eighteenth century. it is
possible that as late as the
ninth century its membership
was made up of practicing
masons. The identity Of the
brotherhood was formally es-
tablished in 1717. One Off
cial definition is as follows:
"Freemasonry is the activity
of closely united men who,
employing symbolical forms
borrowed principally from the
mason's trade and from achi-
lecture, work for the welfare
of mankind, striving morally
to ennoble themselves and
others, and thereby to bring
about a universal league OF
mankind. which they aspire
to exhibit even now on a
small scale"
The FreemaSonS admitted to
membership men of all nation
alities and creedS-MoslemS,
Buddhists and Parsees as we'll
as Christians. AS F'reemaSonry
grew in strength it began to
incur the enmity both of civil
authorities and of the church.
State and church have schooled
themselves in a necessary mu-
tual tolerance, but each looks
with suspicion on a new organi-
xation which tries to invoke the
loyalty of mankind. In 1736
Catholics were forbidden by
Pope Clement VIII, under pen
atty of communication in
Cured ipso facto, to enter Ma
sonic societies.
CoIIed Selves Cotholic
Even though there are pas
sages in his letters which may
be indications of religious un-
certainty in Mozart's later life
his wholehearted participation
in Freemasonry. even in the
face of the interdiction Of the
church, cannot be held as evil
dence that he considered him.
self any less a Catholic. While
it is true that there were emil
nent free-thinkers, such al
Goethe, George Washington
and Thomas Jefferson in the
brotherhood, it is also true
that there were men OF un'
questionable devoutness whit
called themselves both Cath
oaic and FreemaSon. Haydn wa
one. and the composers father
Leopold Mozart is an outStand
ing example.
Until Mozart left SalzburI
for Vienna, he was in TIT
employ of the Archbishop O