Evening Star Newspaper, July 13, 1930, Page 44

BY HELEN HERE is much activity noticé- lin the middle of June. It is said | able this Summer spent in efforts to readjust gn.\'n'li . opera problems. Last week; Otto :Kahn came forward with the announcement of a new move in the-usual plans of the Metro- litan Opera Co. of New York, by | Kloitiaflng suburban' opera for ‘White Plains. The latest unusual plan, oper- | atically speaking,” comes from | Gerthany; a country noted for its | fine . provincial opera houses, as well, as impressive structures .in all the large cities. It is announced that Max Reinhardt, the distin- guished dramatic impresario, has acquired a‘leading interest in the Terra-Film Co., which has signed a contract with Heinz Tietjen, general -director- of .the Berlin | Staedtische Oper. They will have all rights to produce film operas, with the assistance of both the motion picture ‘company and the opera house. The most significant Fart of fhe whole idea, however, ies -in the announcement that these sound film operas will not be shown in the regular motion glcture,houses. but in the opera ouses in the provinces, thus hop- ing to meet the threatened crisis. Should this plan prove success- ful it will certainly, circumscribe considerably the field for young Americans, who have previously sought German as well as Italian and " French small opera houses for their gaining of the necessary experience to build operatic rep- ertoire. Instead of each provin- cial opera house having its- own company, there will be but the one amalgamated company to make the pictures, which will be shown at all the houses. The situation is not unlike that | faced in Washington and other cities by the orchestra men, who find the orchestral music recorded in sound films in this country makes “a theater orchestra in- creasingly- - negligible from the point of view of the motion pic-| ture theater manager. There is| little doubt that the general pub- lic will demand a real orchestra resént in the theater pit in due ime, but until the novelty of the sound film has worn off, the status of the theater orchestra musician is a precarious and unhappy one indeed. These men deserve the thought- ful consideration and backing of their ‘public. The elimination of | theater orchestras means not only | the loss of bread and butter jobs for these musicians and their families, but also means a definite musical -and artistic loss to the public that patronizes those thea- | ters. These orchestras have | layed a more important part’ han many realize in bringing | really good music easily and cas- | ually to the ears of a public largely | musically untrained. T kA ¢ JACK.and the Beanstalk” is an- | nounced as the latest opera | to be in state of preparation.| The libretto is from the pen of that master of facetiousness, John | Erskine, and the score is being repared by Louis Gruenberg. he work is definitely announced for performance under the aus- pices of the Juilliard Foundation next Christmas. There may be considerable dis- sension as to the musical values of many of the present-day op- eras, but certainly no one can say that they are not striking out| into new fields of subjects. Among the varied themes noted recently one finds: “Die Glueck- | liche Hand” of Schoenberg; “Transatlantic, or the People's| Choice,” by Antheil; “The Book of | ! | FETTER. to be a rather lengthy work, with much_ involved mythological de- tail. It is the death of Cassandra, the seeress who foretold all the tragedies of the Trojan Wars and whom nobody believed, which ends the opera. The work is said fo have interesting style, but not very memorable musical content. * ok ¥ X pare festivals of all kinds of music to entice the touring Amer- ican in the Summer rush abroad, it is worthy a moment’s pause to take a glance at another side of the picture. This has to do with the remarkable success of various visiting American musical or- ganizations in Europe. The suc- cess is not' unusual from point of these organizations. It is remark- able, however, in that it is so en- | thusiastically given at a time| when the performances of the American groups abroad are in direct competition with the es- pecially prepared foreign musical events. - Among the more prominent American organizations that have accomplished such tours with fly- ing colors are the Harvard Uni- | versity Glee Club, the Fiske Sing- |ers, the Westminster Choir and, | most recently, the New York Phil- | harmonic-Symphony Orchestra, which, under Toscanini, has re- ceived undiluted praise for per- formances in all the capitals of Europe within the last few weeks. It is perhaps just as well to show these other countries, which have become accustomed, through long years of experience, to send- ing the cream of their operatic and instrumental stars to this country for gold and glory, that there is increasingly real compe- tition produced this side of the Big Pond. The latest endeavor along this line has been the project spon- sored by Ambassador and Mrs. John W. Garrett, who, when they sail for Italy August 1, will take with them the members of the Musical Art Quartet to show the Italians what American groups can do in chamber music per- formances. For the past three years many music lovers who knew Mr. Gar- rett and his wife in social circles in Washington as well as Balti- more, before the former received his appointment last Summer to the ambassadorial post in Rome, enjoyed hearing this quartet in programs given in the music room on the edge of Baltimore. In this room, designed by Leon Bakst, combining Russian color sketches with quaint arched beams in the | design of the coved ceiling, the quartet gave afternoon and eve- ning programs for six weeks each Spring. They presented both modern and old masters in their programs and each event was de- lightfully casual and informal. While in Italy, the quartet will begin its schedule of chamber mu- sic concerts August 13. Dr. Axle Munthe has loaned his home at Anacapri to the Garretts for a series of programs when guests of the Ambassador and his wife will be able to come from Naples and Capri to attend, as well as many notables of Italy's music group. Tenor Wins London Christopher Columbus,” by Mil- haud; “Peter Ibbetson,” by Deems Taylor, and now a fairy story of nursery standards, to be set to music by Mr. Gruenberg. * ok kX 1 SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE'S passing has _aroused world- wide interest and curiosity as to| whether or not this sincere be- liever in spiritualism will be able to send any proof- to his family from the other side of the veil ‘There have been not a few musi- | cians who have had unusual ex- |, !erlences of psychic nature. One | hat was recently brought to pub- | lic attention concerned the com- | poser of the popular opera “Car- | men”—Georges Bizet. It was ap- parently an example of purely | spiritual communication of one! person with another, it was men- | tioned recently in a daily issue of The Star. 5 B Mme. Galli-Marie, the compos- | er's choice for the creator of the | title role in “Carmen,” .was sing- ing that role the night Bizet was stricken with a heart attack, from which he died the following| morning. The date was June 2, 1875, just three months following the premiere. The composer had not gone to the theater on this latest occasion. The prima donna was singing her role, when sud- denly she gasped, grew white and stopped singing for a moment. ‘The audience was disturbed, and another singer on the stage whis- | pered in alarm to}.Mme. Galli- Marie, “What is it?"” 3 She replied, “A shooting pain in my side. It was like the blow of a hammer in my heart.” How- ever, the soprano showed marked control and in a moment resumed her song and finished the act. Once back in her dressing room, surrounded by anxious friends, she had nothing to say about her- self, but exclaimed: “Some mis- fortune has happened: to our Bizet.” She then went on to say: “As the blow seemed to strike my heart, I distinctly saw Bizet's face in front of me. It was for just a second. How pale he was!” The report states further that, at the end of the performance in- quiries were made of the com- r’s household and it was earned that at the time of the prima donna’s experience and, vision, Bizet was stricken by a heart attack. He died the next morning. . ‘Whatever may be the ability of the individual to return to this world from another, certainly it is interesting to note how oper- atic works are brought back to life. Another com r, Hector \Berlioz, was honored when “The 5 jans,” a work older than three- 2 years and ten, was given 4 ‘";remfere performance i Ber- i BENIAMINO GIGLI. ASHINGTON admirers of Beniami- no Gigli, the leading tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Co., who is an- nounced to appear in one of Mrs. Wil- son-Greene's courses afternoon cos certs at Constitution Hall next season, are being thrilled by news from abroad to the effect that Gigli has completely captivated both London and Rome in opera. Gigli, it appears, has duplicated at Covent Garden, in London, the success in debut achieved there lasi Summer by Rosa Ponselle. It was the Italian tenor’s first operatic appearance in Lon- don. He appeared also in “La Traviata’ wl‘t}h‘. lfonsedle. o made premier arance June 25 at the Royal Openwl)ompe e at Rome; singing at a benefit performance in the presence of King Victor Eman- uel and members of the royal family. ‘The performance was that of “Martha” and Giglt an ovation from a house that wds entirely sold out. Gigli is one of five artists who com- {rue the artists’ course. Others in he course are Geraldine Farrar, former prima donna soprano of the Metropoli- tan Opera: Fritz Kreisler, the world- famous violinist; Grace Moore, soprano of the Metropolitan, and Rachmaninoff, the great Russian pianist and composer. o Shadow Box in Film. POLICE shadow box, in which sus- pects are placed on exhibition in hope that thei mlby“ be identified by their victims, n added to the W:ulvmlnl. of the Paramount studios in lywood. ‘The box is a small, brilliantly lighted , set in one end of a large room. John e i \VHILE European countries pre- view of the artistic merits of | of Evergreen, the Garrett estate|N TWO GEORGES OF" AMERICAN BIRTH AND UPBRINGING WHO ARE WRITING UNUSUAL MUSIC TODAY | George Antheil (left), young American of Trenton, N. J.,, and George Geflh":n{ (right), native of New York City, who have won recognition in individual fields of writing music. THERE are a large number of writers of music who live in the United States who are called American com- | posers. Some of them are naturalized citizens, who blithely write music that shows definite influence of their native countries; some of them aré born in this country yet write in the style of the German, Italian or Prench school. But there is a third group which in- cludes writer-born Americans, who are writing really American music. ‘There are two young men who have risen into the spotlight of fame, who may unhesitatingly be termed 100 per cent American com&osen. Many of the music lovers who like only the works of the classic writers of Europe may not like their music, but certainly they can- not say it is un-American. These boys are George Antheil, born in Trenton, J., and George Gershwin, born on New York's East Side. Both young men write in modern vein. Gershwin won marked renown with his remarkable ‘“Rhapsody in Blue.” It has been the one composition that blended the elements that made jazz & success, with a standard of treat- | ment that won a position as a pioneer in the newest movement of classical | music for this work. ~Although his later | “Coneerto in F” and “An American ‘in | Paris” have aroused much discussion, neither has achieved the unique posi tion held by the “Rhapsody in Blue.” | Since the earlier composition was first played by leading symphonic orches- | tras and noted two-plano artists, there have been many works by Mr. Gersh- | win and others attempting to reach the same level in this field, but to date none | has succeeded. It also has been ru- mored that George Gershwin has lately attempted a serious opera, using the song theme of the Jewish dramatic masterpiece, “The Dybbuk,” for his basic | theme. However, an Italian composer | was discovered working on the same idea and with the advantage of having acquired all operatic rights from the r | York, is primarily not traditional. representatives of An-sky in Warsaw. ‘Temporarily, therefore, Mr. has laid aside work on the “Dybbuk.” | music division and got out a lot of piano,, studied them. I studied books of | the United States and his sweetheart, | Gershwin | concertos and took them home and and, of course, the villain is an un-| scrupulous politician who has the taint His latest success has been in the lighter | theory on construction of the concerto |of crooked gains in the ofl fields about field with the musical show, “Strike Up the Band.” He has a contract with the Metropolitan to provide them with an opera and he has indicated that the :heme will be contemporary and Amer- can. Gershwin Is Not Traditional. Mr. Gershwin has been quoted in this connection as saying: “Certainly I'll ot write a traditional score. Because, in the first place, I have no_traditions. Don't talk Indians to me, either, for the Indian is just as much & foreigner to & contemporary American as is a Russian; more of a foreigner, in fact. Where is the sense—that's the way I feel about it, anyway, and I can talk only for myself —in trying to repeat something that Verdi or Wagner have already done in unsurpassable form? I'd rather make my own mistakes, break my own paths.” Everyone who has had any personal contact whatsoever with George Gersh- win must realize that this boy, who, when 13, first got a longed-for piano and began his musical studies with a teacher friend on the East Side of New In an interview with him in Washington the year his “Concerto in FP” had its debut, this fact was brought out rather amusingly. Mr. Gershwin was sitting in one of the very back rows of the National Theater here, The house was dark except for the pale glimmer that surrounds always A stage where Te- | hearsal is in echoing progress. Sammy Lee was putting the chorus girls of Gershwin's “Tip-Toes” through their paces and a few lost souls were drifting aimlessly about. Gershwin was asked |how he went about the writing of a formal concerto when, except for his blue rhapsody, all his musical writing had been in the musical comedy field. He said: “Well, I went to the Public Library's until my head was dizzy. Then T sat down and wrote the one to order of Dr. Damrosch” | It hardly seems likely that such a musical author would be inclined to | write a traditional opera. Other George Has Opera Aims. The other of these all-American com- | posers, another George, is of the sur- name Antheil. He hails from Trenton, |N. J, and it is possible that the | mechanical prowess of this town Is what inspired him to create as his most | talked-of work, a “Ballet Mechanique,” which was orchestrated for many in- struments strange to the ordinary or- chestra. Anvils, airplant propellers, au- | tomobile horns, alarm clocks, police whistles and sirens were among the| everyday équipment added to mechan- | ical planos to perform music that aloused Paris first and Europe gener- the ballet finally | reached Antheil's native shores and was | performed at Carnegie Hall it received | the practically unanimous edict of | “thumbs down.” Antheil went to Ire- {land for a time, and the latest report has it that he is now in Paris, the city that has been most consistently sym- | pathetic to his talent and efforts. He is reported also to have ceased his icon- | |oclastic clamor outside the bounds of any vestige of classical music and to | be writing much more conservatively at this date. Nevertheless, he, like Gersh- win, cannot be called in any way tra- ditional. Antheil's latest efforts are along | operatic lines. He has just this Spring | had an opera called “Transatlantic: or | The People's Choice,” produced in Ber- |lin, where it has aroused much discus- sion. It is supposed to be the story of a candidate for presidential election in | t | things: him, Alfred Einstein, writing from Berlin for a leading New York daily, does not hand Mr. Antheil anything at all for this opera. He says, among other “I do not know whether it is as yet possible at the present stage to ' create wholly without premises or theses | and to fashion music which is absolutely | independent of European models. If & person desires a new form, he ought to! make this new form known and under- | standable. * * * George Antheil is still very young. It is more difficult to comprehend the people who accepted such ware, printed it, and ended by| producing it instead of putting it aside after the first rehearsal.” | On the other hand, this young Amer- | ican has at least received the widest| notice of the press and the most ex-| tensive publicity. What is more signifi cant musically, he has been taken int collaboration by John Erskine, presiden of the Juilliard School of Music in Ne York, to write the operatic score for | Mr. Erskine’s opera libretto, which is} said to be the sequel of his remarkable book, “The Private Life of Helen of | Troy.” It should prove very interesting | to see what Mr. Antheil makes of Helen | musically. These two young Americans in very individual ways have at least made gestures that are national. The even- tual school of American music that may develop some day in this country may be very different frem either of their styles or aims, yet it would seem more than likely that their efforts would have some effect in that development. Pio- neers are at best usually considered wild fanatics by the majority of their cotemporaries. This happened to such | Iater established heroes in various fields as Columbus, Wagner and Marconi. The Musical Fund Society Announces $1.000 Prize 'HE Edward Garrett McCollin Me- morial Committee of the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia announces that the sum of $1,000 has been ap- | propriated as a prize for a composition | for solo string quartet and orchestra. | ‘The competition is n to persons of efther sex and of any nationality. | Any composer may submit more than one_composition. i The contest will close on December 31, 1931, by which time all compositions must be in the custody of the society. | Full score of the composition and the | separate quartet parts must be sent: each score must have written in ink a non de plume on its title page and be accompanied by a sealed envelope in- closing the composer's name and ad- | dress and the non de plume on the | outside. ~Neither the name or the ad-| dress of the composer must appear elsewhere. ‘The compositions will be judged and the prizes awarded by a jury to be chosen by the Musical Fund Society, whose names will be announced within a reasonable time before the close of | the competition. No composition shall be eligible which has been performed in public prior to the award. Scores and parts are sent at the risk of the composer and the society will not be responsible for the safe| return of manuscripts, although every effort will be made to return the un- successful manuscripts to the com- | posers. Full postage for such return must be inclosed in the envelope con- taining the name and address of the composer. At the option of the Musical Fund Society the manuscript of the prize- winning composition shall remain the property of the society for preservation in its archives. The society also retains the right of public performance for the peribd of three months after the date of the award. At the end of this period all rights in the work shall revert to the composer. ‘The society was founded in 1820. It was incorporated for the financial relief of its profession need and for the and diffusion of taste in 3 Among celebrated artists who gave concerts under the auspices of the so- clety were Malibran, Ole Bull, Sivori, Jenny Lind, Adelina Patti, Alban! posers: Bela Bartok, Al- Carlo Jachino and H. ‘Waldo Warner. Colman Seeks Broadway. THI game of hide-and-seek between ‘Wha Hollywood will be ito ©o., American Acclaimed for New ‘‘Violetta” ROSA PONSELLE. Tl-m brilliant dramatic soprano, Amer- ican prima donna of the Metro- politan Grand Opera Co. of New York, who was born of Italian parents in a tiny town of Connecticut, recently had London at her feet when she created her own version of Violetta, the famous “La Donna aux Camellias,” known in opera as “La Traviata,” by Verdl. Covert Garden Opera House was packed to its capacity for the event, with an exceptionally brilliant audience. The next day all the press of London unanimously acclaimed Miss Ponselle's presentation of the role, both vocally and dramatically. Letters received by this department from two Washington managers who were in London for the performance— Mrs. Lawrence Townsend and Mrs. Katie Wilson-Greene—are equally en- thusiastic as to the remarkable success of Ponselle in this role. It is probable that Ponselle will sing the role in this country next season. Russian Basso Makes Opera Debut in Warsaw VAN STESCHENKO, well known bass of the Philadelphia Grand Opera also familiar to Washington ‘audiences, who has been giving several Susst fietformanows {n Burope, Teoeived ce tra of Warsaw and has been re-en- gaged. He will also make several ap- pearances with the Warsaw Ta be- fore returning to the Philadelphia Grand Opera Co. in the Fall. Among the roles which he will sing at Warsaw are his favorites, Mephis- topheles, in “Faust,” and the title role in “Boris Gg:nnnogh‘e‘;mh of which he fortheoming season with the %fle}pm Grand Opera Co, at the Acaderhy of Music. Service Band Dates. ' THE U. S. NAVY BAND. CHUBERT'S overture to ‘“Rosa- munde” and scenes from Wolf- | Ferrari’s “Jewels of the Madonna" will be presented by the United States Navy Band Lieut. Charles Benter, leader, at | the Capitol tomorrow night. Soloists | at this concert will be Musicians Birley | | Gardner, cornet, and Louis Goucher, | xylophone. | _ The concert to be played at Lincoln | | Park Tuesday night opens with the overture “Raymond” (Thomas), and in- | cludes two numbers from Tschaikow: | sky's “Symphonie Pathetique” and ex- cerpts from Victor Herbert's “Sweet- hearts.” Wednesday night at the Navy Yard the band will play the overture to Wag- ner's “Rienzi,” selections from Gounod's opera, “Faust,” and the “March and | Procession of Bacchus,” from Delibes’ “Ballet Sylvia.” Other concerts scheduled for this week are Tuesday and Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Navy Yard and Friday at 2 p.m. at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. | THE SOLDIERS' HOME BAND. The band of the United States Sol- | diers’ Home, John S. M. Zimmermann, | leader, and Anton Pointner, assistant, will give three concerts, as usual—Tues- day, Thursday and Saturday afternoons at 5:30 o'clock in the bandstand. The full programs, which combine light and classical selections, will be published in daily issues of The Star. UNITED STATES MARINE BAND. ‘The schedule of concerts to be given' by the United States Marine Band during the coming week is as follows: Monday, at 8 p.m.—Concert at the Marine Barracks. ‘Tuesday, at 6:30 .—Tuberculosis and Upshug pm Hospital, Fourteent! streets. Wednesday, at 7:30 p.m.—United States Capitol. Thursday, &t 7:30 pm.—Sylvan | ‘Theater, Monument grounds. Detailed programs will be printed in ‘week-day issues of The Star. Buford, Tenn... Gains Fame. POSSIBILITY that a motion picture will make the tiny village of Buford, | Tenn., nearly as famous as Octavus Roy | Cohen made Birmingham, Ala., looms a8 | the result of production of “Anybody's | War,” Moran and Mack’s second Para- | mount_picture. Much of the story action takes place | in Buford, the town's activities being | chronicled in c s and localities. | Buford exists almost exactly as it is rtrayed on the screen, according to gohnln E. Mack, who wrote the original novel from which the film is taken. It is located 65 miles south of Nash- ville in the section known as Middle Tennessee and & population of about a dozen families in a radius of half a mile. | ‘The business district includes one general merchandise store, in the cor- | ner of which is a post office, and a | ksmith shop and nearby a cotton | | NewYork“Friendsof Music” Announce 1930-1 Novelties Tx-ml!z novelties are announced by the Soclety of the Friends of Music in New York City for production next ear, in additon to revivals of works y Beethoven, Mozart and Bach which are new to the soclety's repertoire and probably have not been heard in New York in many years. The programs will include several major works sung pre- viously by the society. Ten concerts will be glven at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday afternoons. Arthur Bodanzky, musical director of the society, will conduct. Walter Wohllebe continues as chorus- master and his chorus will be aug- mented to 160 voices for the larger au- ditorium. The orchestra will be that | of the Metropolitan Opera Co. | The programs are predominantly | choy In only four cases, however, | will an entire concert be taken up by | a single work. | A list of the chief works to be given | during the 1930-1931 season follows, the first section being new, the second | from previous repertoire: “Festival Mass” .. (Pirst time. “Daughter of Jephthi ‘Acht Frauenchore ese r Cul_and Major Mass' ) Kreuzstab. “Ich hatte viel Bekummernis”..... stmas oratorio, Vier Erneste Ges; ujem’ American performances | Pftaner orchestrations). | T eiiieis.ness.. Beethoven Mozart | Bach | John Passion”. Bach | ... .Brahms Cherubini ndelssohn -Mozart Dvorak, “Reaulem'* Other works by Smetana, an st das et K Beethoven, Bach, Handel, Cherubini and Locatelll also will be presented. “I think we have never hed a more interestigg, important and beautiful group of novelties and revivals than these which are being prepared for the coming season,” Mr. Bodanzky is quoted as saying. “The Janacek mass, one of the last things he wrote, is a stirring expression of the Czech national spirit, filled with peasant themes—it really has nothing to do with the church at 1. Musically, it is highly modern, but at the same time melodious and inter- esting in every respect. “Carissimi’s oratorio is well worth re- viving in any case—it has been given in New York only once, by the Schola Cantorum a few years ago—and Cui's thorough re-editing and orchestration give it additional interest and noveity. “The Schumann-Pfitzner ‘Acht Frau- enchore’ is an exquisite thing. PAitaer has taken eight Schumann choruses, written originally for women's voices and piano, orchestrated them, arranged them in a cycle and made for them a beautiful frame—like eight lovely mini- atures mounted within a delicate golden border. Pfitzner is an expert on Schu- mann, one might almost say a wor- shipper, and this cycle is a labor of love " ‘The society gives as the dates of con- certs October 26, November 9 and 23, December 7 and 21, January 18, Feb- ruary 1 and 15, and March 8 and 22. Subscriptions are now being taken at the Priends of Music offices, 10 East Forty-third street. Musi h usigraphs| | FS. HENRY M. WARE, ccntral- to from Greensboro, N. C., will be guest soloist this morning | at the Francis Asbury M. E. | Church South, Sixteenth and Lamont streets northwest. Mrs. Ware will sing as the offertory “Consider the Lilies,” by John Prindle Scott. This singer has recently come to Washington to make her home here, She was contralto soloist for a number of years at the West Market Street M. E. Church Scuth, in Greensboro. Another special vocal number at the service thic morning will be: Duet, “The Beautiful City,” by Wilson: Fannie | Shreve Heartsill, soprano soloist and | director of music, and Esther Hall, con- tralto. | The evening_service will have as | music: Duet, “Forever With the Lord,” | Mrs. Heartsill and William E. Mattingly, | pess soloist of Wallace Memoral | Church; solo, “In Thee, O Lord,” by ‘Woodman, sung by Mr. Mattingly. Amy Albia Bustin, Washington so- orano, was soloist at the Woman's Na- | +jonal Party program Wednesday night She sang a group of songs from Balfe's “Bohemian Girl. Eleanor Virginia Duer, contralto, was again soloist at Grace Episcopal Church. hrifton, Va. last Sunday. She sang “For the Lord Is Mindful of His Own,” irom the oratorio “St. Paul.” The soloist at Concordia Lutheran Church this morning at both German and English services will be Lula Reuss, soprano of the Church of the Atone- | ment She wil! sing “Wle Gross ist des | Allmaecht'gen Guete,” by Brahms, using oth German and English texts, | The chorus choir will have vacation | uring July and August, but rehearsals will be held during the month of July for a choir concert to be given in the all. There will be soloists and ensemble numbers at all'services during the Sum- mer. Last. Sunday solos were rendered by R. J. Volland, tenor, and Esther | Celander, scprano. . Katharine Fowler, young Washington | organist, has returned for a second | Summer of study at the University of Virginia. While there she has been asked, again, to give a series of recitals. She gave the first such program last Thursday night in the McIntyre Amphi- theater. She writes that she finds the playing of the organ out of doors par- ticularly inspiring. The open air spreads the sound so that it does not seem, even to the organist, to be coming from directly in front only. Also the stars and even a full moon over the mountain add considerable atmosphere. Miss Fowler mentions that Sylvia| Lent, the youthful violinist of Wash- ington, who already has won interna tional recognition, gave a recital at th Iuni\'el"s".y ‘Tuesday night of last week, ‘Washington | . Miss Lent, | too, had a moonlit background, which seemed to increase the silver appeal of the tone from her gifted bow. Anne Gibson, planist, presented a recital program at her home Clarendon, Va., recently. Her numbers included: “Sonata Pathetique,” by Beethoven (first movement); “Valcik in D Flat,” by John Mokrejs; “Kamennof Ostrow.” by Rubinstein, and “March of ‘he Dwarfs." by Grieg. Miss Gibson was assisted by Nina Ford Gibson, soprano, who sang several selections. Warren F. Johnson will give an organ recital at the Church of the Pilgrims at 7:30 o'clock this evening. He wil' pl “Sonata in F Minor,” by Franz | Lachner, and “Angelus-Meditation,” by | J. Sebasitan Matthews. Alice Eversman sailed for Europe on the S. S. Carmania the end of June. | Before going to Paris, Miss Eversman | will see the Passion Play at Oberamer- | gau and visit friends in Italy. | Hildegarde ‘Johnson, contralto, while | in Cleveland, Ohio, last week was pre- sented in a recital from radio station WTAM. Her program included the | “Serenata,” by Toselli. i Pelicia Rybier has returned to her studio at No. 2 Dupont circle from a ! visit in New York City, where she was | a guest of Mr. and Mrs. Frederick | Philip Stieff of Baltimore Miss Rybier, | who is doing special hour programs | Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. that are being broadcast by radio station WBAL of Baltimore, 1s to be one of a group of musicians to present concerts next sea- son in a music hall of the new Barbison- | Plaza Hotel which is to be opened to | Clara a "Born Actress.” 'EW actors and actresses are born. Far more are made by training and experience, according to Frank Tuttle, Paramount director. Clara Bow belongs, to the former class, he declares. “Miss Bow acts by instinct, and 99 per cent of the time she is right,” thel director explained recently. ‘“Several years ago, she played an underworld character in one of my first pictures, ‘Grit.’ She was little more than a child, had played one or two small bits and did not know a thing about technique. Nevertheless, she was just as good then, fundamentally, as she is today. “Of course, she has learned a lot since. Her performances are smoother and more polished because of the ex- perience she has had, but from the very | beginning she possessed that indefinable something that made her one of the few natural actresses of my knowledge. “That indefinable something.” inci- dentally, is & well known definition of a well known malady called “It.” Songs Sung Tuesday GEORGE CORNWELL, A YOUNG Washington planist who has been heard in numerous con= cert appearances, and also over the radlo during the past season, is winning increasing recognition as a writer of songs. George Cornwell has written several popular numbers that are being used by local singers more and more frequently. They are “At Dark” “Makin’ Fun ob de Moon" “A Breath of Summertime.” These three songs will be sung in & Cornwell program to be breadcast via Station WMAL at 7:45 o'clock Tuesday evening. Florence Yocum, the young soprano, who was the local winner in the Atwater Kent audition last vear will sing these numbers on this occa- sion. Mr. Cornwell is director of the choir at Calvary Church. Georgetown. He also has written other songs and some plano compositions. “Africa Speaks." HE first all-talking production ‘o come out of the heart of Darke:t and | Africa and which presents territcry never before traveled by the white man, will be brought to the screen by Colum- bia under the titl> of “Africa Speaks." This sound and film record of the 14 months spent in the jungie by the fa- mous Colorado African expedition pre- sents the thrilling adventures and dis- coveries of Paul Hoeffler, the noted Af- rican explorer and big game hunter. It was photographed and recorded by Paul Hoeffler and Walter Futter. For “Africa Speaks.” Hoeffler inaugu- rated the use of fibr gears to silence his camera so that he might obtain close-ups of objects and animals which would be frightened by the click of metal gears. In this manner he obe tained real close-ups and avoided the use of telephoto lens. ‘The picture includes among other startling sequences, a native lion hunt close-ups of the king of beasts in his native haunts, giraffes, and the arrival of the first horde of locusts that have invaded the district in 20 years. It l.svgunnnbeed to be 100 unlike | “Ingagi.’ Musical Studios of Washington BESSIE N. WILD ice_Cuiture. Piano and Harmony 0 6824 5th at. Takoma Park, D. O. Phone Georgia 3233 WALTER T. HOLT Vol Studi Ensemble 1801 Columbia Rd. N.W., Col. 0946 JiAZZf PIANO PLAYING Positively Taught Any Person IN 20 LESSONS SAXOPHONE, n:fNuJo G!lIJJTAR Swideheeliet o gular Muste 718 1ith 8t N.W._ __ Distriet 1218 Albert W. Harned Vocal Studios 1317 New York Avenue Special Summer Course Coaching for Radio Auditions 13 s An Opportunity ma-dopne, will train ' few singers. ly and dramatically, in opera roles jummer in Washington. 'Weekly experience Pupils prepared aiso for church, concert and radio. Only "serious, ambitious girls with good, natural voices accel 5 . Voice trial ;‘ ippointment. Prij vocall ksl Mitzi's New Role. her next talking screen role, Mitsi 8 A Green, 9-year-old actress, will play an important part in Paramount’s “West | | 'fi;; early as 1808 therc wi store in he village. The older inhabitants say | | the railroad was there before the Civil we ‘The Buford family for whom the MEH was named were owners and of the well known Hal horses. of the Law.” “As Emily. ward of Rosita | Moreno, =3¢ Wil carry the juvenile in-| terest with Junior Durkin, stage child | actor, who will be seen as an orphan boy under the care of Richard Arlen, ‘who carries stellar role. a one Met. 2851 INSTITUTE of MUSICAL ART, " Open All Sum Gebest B. Fi c. Pi Otte Torney Simon Voice Pre 831 T8th St MW,