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WILMETTE LIFE February 7, 1930 Music News and Events Announce Purposes of Chicago's Civic Choral Organization The Chicago Civic Choral society, with Harry C. Huxhold as president and Ambrose \Vyrick, as director-general, and with headquarters in the Congre ss hotel, comes forth this week with an announcement of its purposes as folJows: "To encourage and develop the art of choral singing in all its branches, for in universal song there is universal harmony. The individual can gain more real benefit and pleasurable profit through the personal production of a bit of music in his or her own being, than by merely constituting one listener to the great music of others. ' "There are now, literally, thousands of talented, ambitious and deserving young singers, especially in America, that will spend millions of dollars for instruction and preparation for a musical career, and yet, that will never have a chance to be heard unless such organizations as these are created. "There are thousands of our Citizens desiring a means whereby they may express their inner-urge who, though they do not desire to be professional singers or musicians, still long for the opportunity of association with and the partaking of the joys of singing. "There is no scheme of private instruction or other angles to the organization of these societies, the opportunity of proving their ability is open to all. No partiality will i)e shown, and all solo artist s for the concerts presented by the societies shall be chosen by secret committee from the membership of the choral society at each rehearsal. Soloists will be paid for each solo performance. They 5hall be chosen strictly upon the record of singing ability , personality, and the co-operative spirit shown in rehearsal attendance. "There will be thirt\·-two rehearsals each year, and three- major concerts each year in each district where there is a sectional organization. "The choruses will be trained in the ~inging of oratorio, grand opera, light opera, comic opera, sacred music, musical comedy, community singing and folk-lore. "Make America musical and Chicago the musical center of Americ_a. "We welcome singers and students of singing. Your teacher and your method of singing will be respected. We have no desire to conduct a school of music." With Civic Opera on Tour H O\\.ARD Preston, celebrated operatic baritone, who has been associated with the Chicago Civic Opera company for several seasons, is accompanying the company as leading baritone on its eight weeks' tour of the principal cities of the United States. Mr. Preston will be heard in the leading baritone roles in operas including "Fedelio," "Der Rosencavalier," "Lohengrin," and "La ] ongleur de 1\otre Dame." The first appearance of the company on tour will be in Boston. ~fr. Preston left hi s home in v\'ilmette last Saturday to be in the Eastern city in time for the inaugural presentation early this week. Mr. Preston, in addition to his operatic a p p e a r a n c ~ s, has achieved a wide populanty as a concert and radio artist. He ~s a favorite with European audiences before whom he has appeared rt::peatedly a_s a principal with ope ra compames. He w~s recently guest artist _ a t the. dedication of a great racho tatton at Hartford. Conn. lected a hymn to close the Sunday evening proadcast-"Now the day is over" -and it has been used ever since for that purpose. Miss Garden thinks a hymn once in a while is a tonic, but that all music from every country should be heard over the radio, because the radio should be first, last and always educational. Mr. Sousa points out that an evening composed entirely of hymns would get very tiresome. A well selected program of melodic worth is the best for everybody. Charles M. Schwab is inclined to agree with Judge Robinson about the character of entertainment the radio audience wants. He believes the people generally favored the homely melodies in preference to jazz or too much music of a highly classical nature. Deems Taylor states his views by merely asking if the rat!io audience would prefer "Brighten the Corner Where You Are" to the Philadelphia orchestra, the New·· York Philharmonic orchestra, the Nation~} Opera company, and organizations of such high character. · Rosa Raisa "certainly agrees with ] udge Robinson that the radio audience would rather hear an old fashioned hymn or good old music than the jazzy music broadcast at present." People's Symphony in ·Fifth Concert Sunday, February 16 The Chicago People's Symphony orchestra, P. Matrinus Paulsen, conductor is to present the fifth concert of the' 1929-30 season at Steven's Eighth C:treet theater, Sunday afternoon, Feb~uary 16, at 2:45 o'cloc.k.. Soloists this Sunday will be Mae \t\:'tll~ams, sopran.o; Virginia I. Knapp, ptamst, and AlJce Guernsey, violinist. · The program will be as follows: 0verture "Der Frischutz" ... .. .. ·. Weber Aria El~a's Dream (Lohengrin) "Einsam in truben Tage" .... Wagner Invitation to Dance . . . ..... . .... . Weber Co ncerto for Plano, A minor, Op. 54 . ... Schumann · ·.Atiei~~ ·~i'f~i~~~~ · · · · · · · · · · Andantino grazioso Allegro vivace INTERMISSION Symphony, No. 6, B minor, . "Pa thetique" Tschatkowsky Adagio-Allegro rna non troppoAndante Allegro con grazia Allegro molto vivace Finale Adagio LamentoRo Violin and Orchestra, "Havanai!';e" ... .. . ... St. saens M~~~h· -~i · th~ ·Eo yards · .... Halvorsen · Good Old Hymns Claim Favor With Radio Fans As long as radio programs are being broadcast, and as long as people are human beings, there will be differences about the types of programs listeners want. Recently Judge Ira E. Robinson,_ chariman of the Federal Radio commission, made a statement that 90 percent of the people of this country are provincial, and that the majority of people prefer to hear hymns to anything else. The New York Times published some of the viewpoints of such eminent pea-· pJe as A. Atwater Kent, · Mary Garden, John Philip Sousa, and others. Mr. Kent says: "The old hymns which ~ave stood the test of time have a distinct place in American music and will live always." Four years ago he se- TWO-PIANO RECITAL Myra Hess and Harold Bauer will present a two-piano recital at the Studebaker theater Sunday afternoon, February 9, at 3 :30 o'clock under the direction of Bertha Ott, Inc. CHAGNON IN RECITAL Lucia Chagnon, soprano, will be heard in recital Sunday afternoon, February 9, at 3 :30 o'clock in the Playhouse. Bertha Ott, Inc., is sponsoring the program. Madame Frances At~a, the pn~1a donna who has been wtth the Mett o· 22 , rs pohtan Opera company for . ) ea ' has decided to devot.e her servtces exclusively to the rad10. She bade ~he Metropolitan Opera house !are;vell 1-:~.st tnonth and told why she wtlt smg o:rer ~he radio fr<?m now on in an arttcle ~~. a recent tssue of the New York 1tmes. "It is the old law of supply and d.enand all over again," she is quoted as saying. Broadcasting has practir.~Uy sounded the death knell for anythmg tike an extend.ed concert tour for opera singers, she contends, by bringing iato thou.sands of ho!lles wtthout cost .the mustcal masterptces of golden votr.es that people formerly filled the oper.a ~ouses to h.ear. :'When people "~n stt m comfort m thetr homes and hear the great works of the masters suryg by those they love to hear, and "!'1thout anY: mor~ trouble than by turnmg on thetr rad10 setsl. natur~lly the de~and. !or these ope:as. and smgers, espect~lly 11! the provmctal opera house, tast d!sappears. "And the same rule applies to the artist," she goes on to say. "With two o.r three concerts a ,:week scheduledJ a smger need not hes~tate to arrang~ a concert tour but w1tl.1 only a d.o zen concerts arranged dm:t!lg the co'-!rse of a se~son, t~~ propos1tton loses tts =tttracttveness, s.he says. S~e hastens. to asure the pubhc that s~e ts not "saymg goodbye, but ~u revOir, for . I am merely embracmg a new medmm of expression that brings far greater reward to the heart and to the purse, and entertainment to a far greater audience." Madame Aida asserts that she will rot miss an audience when she sings A Ida Explains Her . f Sf age D eser/tOn 0 for Field of Ra~io Threshold Player Will over the radio nor applause. She fe-:.ls the applause recived through letters a few days after a radio broadcast is much more stimulating than applau se that swept to her over the footlights. And she feels she is reaching a larg er audience, helping more people to love and. understand opera. . It was Madame Aida who fir st brought the music of the Puccini operas to the radio, although it required the payment of large royaltie s t0 the house of Recordi, the music publishers holding the copyrights on the Puccini scores. Have Role in League Drama Th Ch' D 1 T e tcago rama eague ournament players are presenting "Children of the Moon," a modern play by ~ rartin Flavin, Monday evening, February 17, at 8:30 o'clock, at the Goodman Memorial theater. The play is by a Chicago playwright, whose play, "Criminal Code," is spoken of by the New York Times as a likely candidate for the Pulitzer prize. The players were chosen from the groups who participated in the three drama le:.:tgue Little Theater tournaments. The director Whitford Kane was in the original 'cast of the Ne~ York production of "Children of the Moon." He is assisted by Floyd Mayberry, director of the Bell Telephone players. Mrs. Josephine Miller of Glencoe has the important role of Laura Atherton in the play. She has had much experience with the Threshold Players of Glencoe, and with the North Shore Theater guild. The rest of the cast is made up of Harry Pierson of the Barnum Players, as the judge· Minah WilIiams of the Uptown Pl~yers as Madame Atherton; Helen Walton of the Playwright's club as Jane Atherton; Howard Cox of the Bell Telephone Play~rs as Dr. Wetheroe; Donald Briggs of the Rogers Park Players as Major Barrister; Donald Proctor of the Wheaton Players as the butler; and James Baxter of the Carjon Players as Walter Higgs. · PRESENTS KEDROFF QUARTET The famous Kedroff quartet will appear in recital at the Civic theater Sunday afternoon, February 9, at 3 o'clock, under the direction of Bertha Ott, Inc. ... .