Evening star., 1955-09-04
By DAY THORPE

0S Df1 4AASASA -
Music activity in Washington
has come to almost q complete
halt. The public performance
Of music. that is to say. Music
In the home In this city is far
from being all electronic and
hi-fi-during the summer there
are great number Of amateur
string quartets and madrigal
groups that meet in scores Of
homes every night Of the week.
Public performers, however,
are generally speaking on vaca-
ton.
In q fortnight or so the fall
season will begin. and by the
middle Of November we viii
have on the average Of three
concerts or recitals q day from
which to choose, If we find our
selves with an appetite for
music. 1t may be that there is
no other city in the United
States. with the exception OF
New York. that offers 50 great
a variety of good music. That
most of it is free to the public
lalthough expensive to some
one) is fact the advantages
and disadvantages of which
need not be discussed now.
1t may be interesting simply
to present generalized cata-
log. noting that with the excep-
tion Of the two big concert Sc
ries Of the Hayes Bureau and
the Snow Bureau, there Is sell
dom an admission charge.
Even the audience at the con-
certs OF the National Symphony
attends for approximately half
the cost Of production.
Three Chamber Music Groups
OF the many chamber music
organizations, three are pre-
eminent. The weekly concerts
at the Library of Congress, en-
dowed by the Coolidge and
Whitall foundations and by one
or two lesser groups, have as q
backbone the Budapest Quar-
tet. which for more than q
quarter Of a century has been
considered the standard of the
form. Many other first rate
quartets are heard at the Lii
brary, and there are OCCASION
ally wind groups and singers.
1t is only rarely that soloists
appear at the Library.
Although held in a Govern
ment building. the Library
concerts are in no way spon-
sored or paid for by the Gov
ernment. I was surprised to
hear one of the leading mu-
sicians of Washington, q man
who has been here for a num-
Der Of years. recently speak
with considerable bitterness
OF the discrimination shown
by the Government in limiting
the Library concerts to a GER
tain category OF performers.
He was unaware that these are
privately sponsored concerts.
Dumbarton Oaks Music
The Friends Of Music at
Dumbarton Oaks give six or
eight chamber music recitals
q year. at which the audience
is limited to members Of the
society. These concerts are
varied in nature, but are gen.
orally of the highest artistic
quality. Under the supervision
OF John Thacher. the Dunn
barton Oaks concerts seldom
feature string quarters or the
other smaller groups for which
the Library is noted. The
chamber orchestra is the nor
NAL medium of entertainment,
with often operate perform
ances and recitals by we'll
known American and Euro
pean artists.
The weekly Sunday and
Monday recitals at the Phillips
Gallery have no distinguishing
features insofar as type OF mu-
sic is concerned. but in quality
they have become one of the
finest regular offerings in
town. Instrumental and vocal
soloists, chamber ensembles,
and from time to time lecture
recitals are arranged by Ell
myra Bier. music director Of
the gallery.
Other Groups Contribute
There are smaller series
given at American University,