Evening star., 1960-10-30
NEWS or MUSIC
AIIonbrook Mixes
Geometry and Music

study harpsichord with
Rugiero Gerlin. It was there
he met his future wife, an
italian actress. After his
marriage he returned to the
United States to become q
faculty member Of st. Johns
College in Annapolis. teach
his wife English and keep his
young son bilingual.
Stream Of Compositions
At st. Johns Allanbrook
Is involved not only with
music, but. in line with the
practice Of that remarkable
institution where all the fac
ulty is expected to teach and
learn a variety Of subjects,
also with Euclid. Aquinas and
witty Aristotle. Nevertheless,
he finds time to compose,
and a long list Of pieces have
come from his pen during the
past eight years. Some have
been heard in Washington
two string quartets, piano
variations In E. three hymns,
Elizabethan songs written
for Nell Tangeman. and per-
haps other works. There Is
also q violin concerto writ
ten for Robert Gerle, an
opera, ETHAN Frome," and
an opera a-in-progress Might
mare Abbey" based on the
novel Of Thomas Love Pea
cock. Among the best con-
temporary works for harpsi-
chord are the sonataS and the
concerto Allanbrook wrote for
Ralph Kirkpatrick.
Allanbrook is q fastidious
musician. for whom the in-
Election Of q turn Of phrase,
the import Of an harmonic
progression are Of prime in
terest. His style is delicate
rather than robust, introspec-
tive rather than dramatic.
His interest in music other
than his own is catholic, and
is q more characteristic facet
Of his personality than is
often the case with the Gre
ative musician. Being q mu-
sician he Is Of course a SUI
perlative cook. loves children
and either cats Of dogs, ]
forget which.
CULTURE DEFINITION
At the big National Cul-
tural Center dinner last sum-
mer. ! met DIR. Stanley ].
Sarnoff, who is chief Of the
department Of cardiovascular
physiology at the National
Heart Institute, and who, hike
me, Is fascinated by precise
definition. Definition must
include and exclude; If it
also illuminates. It is art.
The subject that evening
was culture" as anyone
could tell who cooked an ear
toward the speakers at the
head table.
Not at the head table, DR..
Sarnofi, preparatory to def
milton, assembled the facts.
Culture is progress, progress
Is the acquisition of luxury,
luxury the augmented oppor-
tunity for effort, one major
influence Of culture in our
society is the example of
excellence which it affords"
Neither he nor I can shape
these relevant facts into a
definition Of culture, but re-
Gently DR.. Sarnof has writ
ten q letter which I think is
quite successful in describing
the aura Of culture. When
we are affected by the
achievement Of the airplane,
or Of q great violinist, says
DR.. Sarnoff. we are elated
that all this excellence is
solely for our pleasure.
q. But not really. It
would be quite enough, were
1t 80. but I am inclined to
attribute the virility and the
importance Of culture in the
development Of society to
something more than the bare
privilege and pleasure Of be-
holding 1t. The simple fact
Of excellence when we are
brought near to it seems to
work Its way into our aware
ness and, encouraged by the
knowledge Of its existence,
somehow augmentS our own
efforts. / am certain, beyond
any reasonable doubt, that
when I begin an experiment