The Daily Worker Newspaper, April 23, 1927, Page 11

iin = LF GL | A | EO | AO SE: A OE Bey om~M US | Ceo ’ LF A OS |) | «| The Song of the Machine | Playwright Finds Antheil’s Music Based on America, Africa, and Steel By EM JO BASSHE (Author of “Earth” and “Adam Soli- taire,” Director of the New Play- wrights Theatre) On Sunday evening, April 11, an audience of more than 3000 people erowded into Carnegie Hall to take part in the birth or death of a new creative force in American music— George Antheil. This Trenton, N. J. youth has been hibernating in Paris the last few years, and according to reports his concerts have caused riots there and in Budapest. The concert on Sunday night began with a String Quartet in one move- ment with alternating allegro-presto and andante motives. It was excel- lently performed by the Musical Art Quartet; but it failed to prove the composer’s contention that the ton- ality used is new to music or that it ee presented a novel problem in quartet. writing. The Sonata for Violin, Piano and Drum came next with Sas- cha Jacobson at the violin and Mr, Antheil presiding first at the ,piano, then shifting to base drums. It is deseribed by the composer as “a com- posite composition somewhat relative to the Picasso 1918 Cubist period.” Futuristic Tinpan Alley. The piano here is treated percus- sively against the violin which struggles heroically to maintain it- self as a part of the duo. The thema- tic material here is often original, but snatches from such never-to-be-for- gotten tidbits as “Nearer My God To Thee” and “In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree” and others are included. It was satirical, often acrid; as humorous as musi¢ usually permits itself to be. It was here that the audience began to giggle, vemcga 4 of course, that it was laughing w the composer at the futuristic tin pan alley. Just before the end the com- poser abandoned the piano as imade- quate and changed to the base drums, which, like most of the modern com- ers, he finds to be the most satis- tory of the percussion instru- nts. “The “Jazz Symphony,” written in 1925 for Paul Whiteman, is in one movement, and very short; but in the fifteen or so minutes that it played it gave one the feeling that at last here is a composer who has caught the beauty of pure Negro harmony. By discarding the sentimentality that has pervaded the school of music which has attempted to interpret the Negro in terms of music, he created a glori- ous piece of music, unforgettable and astounding. It was a double triumph, or the orchestra composed of the best egro musicians and conducted by ie Ross, performed the work rfectly. ; America, Africa, Steel. The tour de force of the evening, however was the “Ballet Mechani- que.” pany a motion picture by Leger, (shown in New York this winter by the Film Associates) it was never used because the composer was not satisfied with the picture. It was sage in three parts, all allegro. ts motif is America, Africa, and Steel. The usual combination of or- chestral instruments are discarded and | graphic. Originally written to accom-. original intention of the music is lost, since it was written to synchronize with the machine movements in the Leger picture. To those who have heard and seen both creations the music becomes more vital and under- standable. American to the Core. In this composition Antheil discards all the laws of counterpoint, musical accent and cadence and builds up music that is American to the core: crude, bombastic, contra-lyrical. It has the vitality of the mythical pion- eers of the West, its main theme is brazen and keyed in bravura style. It is a tuneful as a shoring engine, as melodious as a concrete mixer, as soothing as a factory whistle, but as important, and as inescapable. If at times it grew monotonous—not only to the stiff-shirts in the orches- tra and the tier boxes, but also to the seventy-five centers in the galleries, —well, millions of workers have to listen to this same theme, to the re- peated argument of these engines all the days of their life. Not only listen but feed, nurse and cajole these monsters so they may keep on play- ing the merry tune over again. They cannot put on their ermine capes and high hats and strut to a waiting limousine. This music is the heart beat of the machine; it is the music of our age; it is realistic, imitative, phono- If it doesn’t “get” you it is because you are saturated with it; if it pounds away and leaves you cold and flat in the end, don’t blame the music, lay your accusations at the door of the progenitors of this age and civilization. Its mission is not to rehabilitate you and “lift up your soul to higher planes.” In fact its charm (if you ask for it—and “music hath charm”) lies obviously in its great lack of it; . The Christian Scientists are never going to adapt this music to their hymns! Audience Is a Show. Next to the music the most im- portant thing at this affair was the audience in the galleries—at times it was more interesting than the music. This time there was no chance for them to sleep. Few kept their seats -—they were on their toes all the time commenting, hissing, applauding, jeering, stamping their feet, shouting imprecations; they were alive! Noth- ing was lost to them. Théy partici- pated every minute, while the dead heads below played with their platinum cuff buttons and sniffed at the perfumed bosoms of their con- cubines; There was certainly some- thing symbolic,in the mass leaning forward like one man and debating whether the song emanating from the stage and filling their ears was not, after all, the bitter, bloodless, unhuman song of the workers. They knew that intellectual analysis and stop watch reasoning will never de- vide this point. The critics next day smashed dozens of typewriters in the rush to condemn the prodigal for daring to go agin the very old men of music. They forgot, however, that once a time a very great critic (his don’t esk!) called their very own Saint Ludwig Beethoven’s music, “Patchwork by a madman.” Joseph Moskowitz, well known eymbalomist, will give his recital this Sunday afternoon at Town Hall. negie Hall was cancelled. Pew oe a ee ee eee “ Powe www wee Polikushka The interpretive ability which en- ables the Moscow Art Theatre play- ers to carry across fine gradations of dramatic meaning to audiences who are often ignorant of their langu- age has enabled them to make a photoplay which borders on great- ness. To express thought through pantomine, to render the human body infinitely expressive, to make hands, feet, eyes and mouth conote failure or confidence or fear, to limn in a thousand shades of emotion without any reinforcement from words—these are the very essence of cinematic art, and these are the things that the Moscow Art Theatre players have done to perfection in their adap- tation of Tolstoi’s “Pelikushka.” This classic in moving pictures a description of which would take vol- umes, will be shown on Saturday, April 23rd at Labor Temple, 14th St. and 2nd Ave., under the auspices of the Photographic Workers’ union and on Sunday, April 24th in the Scholem, Aleichem Auditorium under the aus- pices of the United Council of Work- ing Housewives, Council No. 8 at 1875 Clinton Ave., Bronx. Admis- sion 50 cents. [screen Nébeseneni | The Capitol Theatre beginning today will show a new film titled “Rookies.” Karl Dane, George K. Arthur and Marceline Day play the leading roles. Next week’s picture at Moss’ Broadway Theatre beginning Monday will be “The Brute’. Monte Blue, Leila Hyams and Clyde Cook are featured. On the Screen we me ee me em meee ee ee ee ew eww mmo oe ae | GUORTA FOY One uncupas in the new Kalman Operetta, “The Cireus Princess,” opening at the Winter Gar- den Monday night. ” “Chang,” Paibecnt’s picture of jungle life in Siam will open at the Rivoli Theatre Friday, April 29th. “Old Ironsides” now at the Rivoli, will be moved to the Criterion, re- placing “Beau Geste.” “Variety” with Emil Jannings and Lya de Putti will be shown at the Cameo beginning Sunday. “Secrets of the Soul,” a new im- portation from Germany will be the sereen feature at the Fifth Avenue Playhouse next week. The picture is based on psychoanalysis. Universal will make a screen ver- sion of the European drama “The Five Frankfurters,” which has been popular on the continental stage since 1911, Ernest Lubitsch has been assigned to do the picturization of “Old Heidel- berg”, and will sail for Germany in May, to secure the local cology of old Heidelberg. The Artist in The Theatre (Continued from Page 8) anywhere but in some definite local- ity, and while the new artist has given up the futile attempt to clutter the stage in Belasco-Stanislavsky fashion with non-essential realistic detail, he nevertheless suggests unobstrusively, yet clearly where the action does take place. Legers’ settings for the film “The New Enchantment,” and Rabin- ovitch’s settings for “Lysistrata” are cases in point. 8.—Functional. This is the most important aspect of stake design. It requires that whatever is found on the stage must have a definite function in the play; that all superfluities be rigorously excluded. All the plat- forms, levels, stairs, towers, etc., that one finds arranged horizontally, verti- cally and diagonally on the stage are there to allow an effective distribu- tion of groups, to afford the actors the possibility of free movement, up, down, forward and backward in sever- al directions without impeding the ac- tion of one another, to keep in full view of the audience and at the same time accomplish the maximum of ac- tion in the minimum. of space. Danger of Overcrowding. This aspect carries likewise its dangers. For just as in attempting to turn the stage into a work of art the artist runs the risk of turning it into a museum, just as in trying to indicate faithfully the locals of the play he is likely to become to imitative, so also in trying to give Senctiona! value to his stage settings the artist sometimes overshoots the mark and fill the stage with stairs, platforms and scaffolding that have no ange ye a this is simply to sa all modern stage _ gathering of, 4 esualils is Broadway Briefs } —————— Charles Dillingham, is sending Frederick Lonsdale’s comedy “On Approval,” to the Bronx Opera House for a week’s stay beginning Monday night. Wallace Eddinger, Hugh Wakefield and Violet Kemble Cooper, head the cast. “Katy Did’ @ new comedy will come to the Bronx Play House, Monday May 2. Zola Talma has replaced Kay Strozzi in the cast. of “The Crown Prince” at the Forrest Theatrdé, The winner of the second k’s prize of $500 for the best ttler “The Ladder’ is Helmer 0, Oleson, of 52 Morningside Avenue, a ng probation officer in the court of Gen- eral Sessions, Another eompany of “Broadway” opened Monday night at the Garrick _Theatre in Detroit, “A Night In Spain,” will o: Broadway on Monday May 2, new revue has a book by Harold teridge; music by Jean Schwartz lyrics by Al Byram, Glenn Hunter in “Young W. will be at the Shubert-Riviera Th next week, designers are equal to their task, his best, however, the new arti: the theatre contributes his mig a movement constantly growing strength. And th this movement may appear to be fined to the narrow limits of stage alone, its implications are er than the artist himself is a