Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-03-11
BY DAY THORPE

a commission by the Washing
ton Cathedral to write a large
work for soloists, chorus and
orchestra to commemorate the
50th anniversary of the Ca
thedral.
In its invitation. the Ca
thedral is reported to have
told DR.. Sowerby he could en-
ploy any forces, both instru-
mental and vocal, he desired;
in his acceptance. the COM
poser requested that he be sup
piled a text. His desire to have
his labor start not with the
selection of the words but with
actual music is not unusual in
the case of DR.. Sowerby. I
remember my surprise several
months ago in hearing him say
that he always liked to have
someone else hand him his
plots"
A Pig in a Poke
That a man wants no active
part in choosing what will be
the skeleton and also the mold
Of an important creation is
certainly odd. At least. it
seems so to one who is not an
artist; perhaps DR.. Sowerby
feels relief in knowing that the
text is not his responsibility,
just as a poet finds security
in the structures of terra rima
or sonnet.
Still, in a classic oratorio
or a modern extended choral
work like the Barber Prayers
of Kierkegaard" or the Wal
ton "Belshazzar's Feast" the
layout of the text is a para
mount factor in the style of
the music, and the sound of
the phrases, OF even the sylla-
bles, binds a sensitive musi-
clan to a task for which he
may have no taste, which he
may find repugnant.
DR.. Sowerby has asked for
q pig in a poke He hopes to
find something unique like the
hams of Gadarene, but he may
wind up with a dish as COM
monplace as the five little
porkers of a baby's foot.
Texts Of Alteration
Few subjects in music are
more interesting than the texts
of the Lords song. At one end
Of the gamut. you find evan
gelical hymns and religious
numbers in which the senti-
ment of the words is no less
requisite than the inscription
on a souvenir pillow from
Ocean City, New Jersey, or
Washington, D. c. In a diff
ferent category, you have the
cantatas of Bach, all but five
or six of which are set to words
of unmitigated banality and
no dramatic import whatever,
but which the public accepts
complacently, neither being in
fear that it will be assailed by
heresy, nor yet anticipating
anything Of downright inter-
est.
David and Solomon have of
course left texts for compos-
ers not surpassed by Campion
or Heine; indeed, DR.. Sowerby
could open the Old Testa-
ment at hazard and be sure Of
putting his finger on just the
proper thing, Many 18th CEN
fury oratories and 18th and
18th century motets appear to
have been born no less by
chance, yet it is remarkable
how seldom even the most Pc
destrian arranger was able to
kill the vitality of the words.
Pinpoint anything in the Old
Testament and it springs to
life. Have you ever read all
the "begats" in Genesis in an
anthology of quotations and
noticed how they hold your at
tention. although you would
skip over them in context?
Some Themes Are Tedious
The ordinary of the Mass is
undoubtedly the most satisfac-
tory text for a long religious
work. Its symmetry, the vivid
ness of its expression, and the
rapidity of its central action
will captivate composers for
centuries to come as they
have for centuries past. Other
devotional, as opposed to dra-
matte. sacred texts are in
clined in long works to become
anonymous and, by being
drawn out in musical time, I'M
duly sentimental. DR.. SoWer-
by's own "Canticle of the
Sun" and Samuel BARRIERS
Prayers of Kierkegaard," to
say nothing of the Elgar-New-
man Dream of Gerontius," I
consider horrible examples of
this grievous sin.
The best texts are those like
the Walton-Sitwell "Belshaz-
Ears Feast" in which dra-
matte poetry of the Bible is ar
ranged with great stage skill
and a sure sense of musical
duration and contrast. You
can sing much more success
fully about things happening
than about things being felt.
The emotion comes with the
singing. A chorus that has
rough shedding with devotion
often has plain sailing with
action.
No words of Goethe are more
profound, I think, than his
advice Seek only to confuse
people-to make them happy
is difficult"
X
ERICH ITOR KAHN
"De mortuis. nil nisi bonum"
Is a sniveling phrase which
y1n1lSt have haen devised hv