Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, April 05, 1959, Image 88

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Evening star. [volume], April 05, 1959, Page F-4, Image 88
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Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.), 05 April 1959. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. <https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045462/1959-04-05/ed-1/seq-88/>

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RALPH HERBERT
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EUNICE ALBERTS MARIA DI GERLANDO CECELIA WARD
SHAKESPEARE'S FALSTAFF SINGS THE MUSIC OF VERDI
These are six members of the large cast who Shakespearean plays—“ Hie Merry Wives of
will present the first revival of Verdi’s last Windsor” and “Henry IV, Part One. ,y The Opera
opera since its premiere here in 1896. The work Society of Washington will bring the opera to
in three acts and six scenes is based on two Lisner Friday, nert Sunday and April 11.
News OF OPERA
'Falstaff Productions
To Close Season
By DAY THORPE
Star Music Critic
“This is, after all, tlje greatest opera,” said Toscanini,
speaking of Verdi’s “Falstaff,” three performances of which
will close th? season of the Opera Society at Washington this
Friday, next Sunday and Monday a week. You can cavil at
“greatest” when the Word is used critically, but it is very
handy when you are speaking emotionally. I myself agree
with Toscanini, whatever the ~~~
word "greatest” means—Cer- tore,” “Traviata” and “Aida,”
tainly when speaking of Ver- j S difficult to say. Perhaps it
di’s operas. “Otello” is of is because the work is a comic
course as magnificent a work opera, while every genuinely
as “Falstaff” in every way popular operatic work since
that one can designate, but Mozart is tragedy, with the
for me personally “Falstaff" single exception of “Meister
has a greater appeal. It is a singer,” which is Wagner,
matter of temperament—ce- This explanation begs the
teris paribus, the comic muse question, nevertheless. Why
is more nearly divine than do people want to weep with
the tragic, for me at least. their tenors on high C, rather
Why is it that “Falstaff,” than laugh?
universally admired by every Phrage Mnsjc Enchanting
connoisseur, has never won
' a place in the heart of the The usual explanation of
public, a place, at least, as “Falstaff’s less widespread
spacious and enduring as interest is that there are no
those reserved for "Trova- set arias, as in Verdi’s earlier
PROGRAMS OF THF WFFK
TODAY
ITUDENT PROGRAM. FRIDAY MORN
ING MUSIC CLUB, participating
artists: Ellen Gay. Susan Eisele,
Loyd Eskildson. Maria Soukhanov.
Ruth Blythe. Maria Keith. Barbara
McLeon. Lois Everett, Karen Hart
man. Elaine Weissberr, piano; Mary
Ellen Blanchette, violin; Jonathan
Abramowitz cello Cosmos Club.
4 p.m. Music by Bach. Mozart. De
bussy, Chopin. MacDowell. Grieg,
- Bruch, Schubert, Gershwin, Tche
repnin, Kabalevsky and Bea Haim.
- >ATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF TEACH-
ERS OF SINGING. Participating
artists: Therese Yennl. Claire Ever
hard, Doris Cumberland Lawrie, so
prano; Gene Yennl. tenor. Barker
Hall, 4 p.m Mtfsic by Schumann
; Purcell. Massenet, Boito. Puccfni,
Mompou. Granados, Verdi. Boyce.
4 Bernstein, Roesinl, Debussy and
Giordano.
- THE NAVAL ACADEMY ANTIPHONAL
7 CHOIR. Maid C. Gilley, director.
Washington Cathedral. 4 p.m
* Praise Ye the Lord. St Saens; In
Josephs Lovely Garden, Dickinson:
e With a Voice of Singing, Shaw; The
Choral Prayer. Whitin/.
EDWIN PLATH, organ. Washington ,
< Cathedral. 5p m. Erschienen Ist der
herrlich Tag. Pepping; Frisch auf.
gut Gsell. lass rummer gahn. Opus
IN. No 1, Distler: Sonata No. 3.
Hindemith; Homage to Liszt. Brucker;
Wondrous Love. Barber; Chromatic
Study on the Name B-A-C-H Pis
ton; Toccata, Villancico y Fuga,
Glnastera.
Margaret rickerd scharf. or
gan National Presbyterian Church.
4 pm. Chorale in B minor. Franck:
Chorale Prelude. My Heart Is FilM
With Longing. Brahma; O World. I
■ -
? APRIL 1 & 8
VERDI REQUIEM
Lois Marshall Jane Hobson
Rudolf Pstrok Donald Gramm
Howard University Choir
Warner Lawson, Director
• HANSON "Sinfonio Sacrc"
3 BRAHMS “Song of Destiny'
Benefit: Columbia Heights Boys Club
APRIL 14
SPECIAL CONCERT
not included in any serie*
"AN EVENING IN
OLD VIENNA"
PHILADELPHIA
ORCHESTRA
Erics Morini
Benefit: Grand Chapter,
Order of The Eastern Star
I GOOD SEATS AVAILABLE
31.50, $2. 32 50, S 3, S 3 50, $3.73. $3
Symphony Box Office (Campbell'.)
not G St. N.W. NA. 8-7332
« '
nll
!
I
CHARLES ANTHONY
(
Wa
|r
EtWHI |
I
' i
Now Must Leave Thee. Brahms;
Prelude and Fugue in D. Bach;
Hymne d’Actions de Graces, Te
Deum. Langlais; Requlscat in Pace.
Sowerby; Slow Movement. Sonata
No. 1. Hindemith; Suite Medlevale,
Langlais
GETTYSBURG COLLEGE CHOIR. Par
ker q. Wagnild. director. Reforma
tion Lutheran Church, 5 p.m. The 1
Spirit Also Helpeth Us. Bach; Surely
He Hath Borne Our Griefs. Graun:
Mlsericordias Domini. Durante. Our
Father, Gretchaninoff; The Desert
Shall Blossom. Christiansen: Bene
dicamus Domino. Warlock; Alleluia,
arr. Wagner; 67th Psalm. Ives: From
Grief to Glory. Christiansen; Psalm
134. Lockwood; Spring. Grieg; Guid
ing Star Carol, anon.: While Angels !
Sing, anon ; Cry Out and Shout,
Nystedt; Little David Play cn Your
Harp anon ; Joyous Christmas,
anon.; O Come, O Come Emmanuel,
anon. f ,
LINDSEY BERGEN, ten Or; Glenn Ca
row, organ. Foundry Church. 5 p.m.
And God Created Man. from The
Creation. Haydn; In Native Worth,
from The Creation, Haydn: Ye
People Rend Your Hearts, from Eli
. Jah. Mendelssohn; If With All Your i
Hearts, from Elijah. Mtndelssuhn
Then Shall the Righteous Siune
Forth, from Elijah. Mendelssohn;
MezziSb. Handel; ShS* ’v »Ue“ Shal'l 1
Be Exalted, from The Meaalah Han
del: Thy Rebuke Hath Bzolt-n 8.,
Heart, from The Messiah, Handel;
Behold and See t There Be Any
Sorrow, from The Messiah. Handel,
He Was Cut OS Out of the Land of
the Living, from The Messiah. Han
del; But Thou Didst Not Leav» Hia
Soul In Heli, from The Messiah.
Handel: How Many Hired Servants,
from The Prodigal Son. Sullivan;
The Ninety and Nine. Sankey; Wore
You There, anon.; Sometimes 1 ktel
Like a Motherless Child, anon.; The
. Holy City. Adams; Are Marla Schu
bert: The Lords Prayer, Malojte
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY ORCHESTRA.
George Steiner, conductor,. Christ
Congrezatlenal Charch Sealer Choir,
I Alfred Neamann. director. Christ
I Congregational Church. Silver Spring.
8 p m. Fugue from The Musical Of
fering. Bach: Overture to Theodora.
Handel; Sheep May Safely Graze.
Bach-Walton; Toward the Unknown
Region. Vaughan Willlama
VASCO BARBOSA, violin; Grail Bar.
b—a, piano. National Gallery. 8
pm Devil’s Trill Sonata. Tartlnl;
Sonata. Lekeu: Scherzo In C minor, .
Brahms. Rondo. Mozart; Deep River. 1
err Heifetz: Romania Andaluza.
Saiazate. Navarra. Sarasate. Ro
mance. Barbosa; Roumanian Folk I
Dances, Bertok.
ROBERT F OEHREN. organ. Bethesda
: Methodist Church. 8 p.m. Prelude I
and Fugue in D minor. Mendelssohn: ■
Vivace from Trio Sonata No. 2.|
Bach. Organ Chorale. O Ood Be
Merciful. Bach: Fantasia and Fugue 1
In G minor. Bach; Cantablie. :
Franck: Fantasia Noehren; Fugue |
In C sharp minor. Honegger: Piece 1
Modale No 1. Langlais; Impromptu.
Vlerne; Arioso. Sowerb,: Para- ■
Phrase-Carillon, Tournemire.
I OPERA FESTIVAL. Catholic Univer
sity, 8.30 P.m. The Decorator. I
Woollen-Oetleln: Dolcedo. Meyers-1
Rover: The Cage. Jones-Brady; The;
Juggler. Graves-Lustberg.
’LEONTYNE PRICE, soprano. Constltu- ,
tlon Hall. 3 p m Sonimi del. Han- '
del: Scena ed aria: C’hlo ml tcordl
di te. Mogart: Four Songs of Hugo
Wolf: Three Poems of Baudelaire.
Debussy: Four poems of James
Joyce, Barber; Cantat Sacra, a
Sacred Liturgy. John Carter (first;
Washington performance). ,
TOMORROW
OPERA FESTIVAL. Catholic Univer
sity. 8:30 p.m. Repeating yesterday i
program.
REBECCA SPAATZ. piano Phillips J
Gallery. 8;3<« pm. Partita No 4
in D. Est ch , Suite No. 4, Ekalkottas;
Pa&saraglia, Skalkottas; Moment
Musical in A flat. Opus 94. No 6.
Schubert: Impromptu in F minor
Opus 142. No 4. Schubert; Sonata
No. 3 Hindemith. h
TUESDAY
UNIVERSITY CF MARYLAND SYM
PHONIC BAND. Hash Henderson,
director. Ritchie Coliseum. Univer
sity of Maryland. 8 p.m Overture
I to The Marriage of Figaro. Mozart;
? ,
works. Besides being really
not true—there are several
scenes for a single singer that
are arias in everything but
name—the explanation is not
convincing, since the num
bers in the Puccini operas
that have laid the world at
their feet are not loved as
complete units but for little
cliihactic phrases of two or
three bars. “Falstaff” is full
of the same, as delicious, as
refined, as memorable as
anything in music.
In the entire world ot art,
at least in those precincts
and confines with which I am
acquainted, there is no other
phenomenon comparable to
that of “Falstaff”—the mas
terpiece of an old man with a
lifetime of successful operas
behind him, all marked by
the characteristics of a per
sonal style, a masterpiece
which stakes out new terri
tory unequaled in subtlety,
orchestration, dramatic
point. In all Verdi’s earlier
operas there is no presenti
ment of what is to happen in
“Falstaff,” except to a cer
tain extent in “Otello.” The
point is not that Verdi sur
passed “Traviata” in his last
years, for “Traviata” is su
preme in its manner. “Fal-
Marche Hongrolse, Berlioz; Clarinet!
Concertino. Opus 26. Weber: Diver
timento for Band. Perslchettl: Pre
lude to Act 3. Lohengrin. Wagner:
Break Forth, O Beauteous Heavenly
Light. Schop: The God Who Gave Us
Life. Thompson: Tubby the Tuba.
Klelnsinger; Rhapsody. Jericho,
Gould.
WASHINGTON CIVIC SYMPHONY OR
CHESTRA. Nleholas Pappas, con
ductor. Soloist: John Leban. violin.
Roosevelt Auditorium, 8:311 p.m.
Chorale-Prelude. We All Believe In
One God. Bach-Stokowski: Violin
Concerto No. 4 In D, K 218,
Mozart; Suite. Handel-Harty: Pavane
pour une Infante Defuncte, Ravel:
Soirees Musicales. Britten.
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
Howard Mitchell, conductor. Assist
ing artists: Howard University Choir)
Lola Marshall, soprano: Jane Hobson,
contralto; Rudolf Petrak. tenor;
Donald Gramm, bass Constitution
Hall. 8:30 pm Symphony No. 5
iSlnfonla Saera). Hanson: Song of
Destiny. Brahms: Requiem. Verdi.
WEDNESDAY
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA.
Howard Mitchell, conductor. Con
stitution Hall. 8:30 p.m. Repeating
Tuesday’s program.
STRING AND BRASS ENSEMBLE. So
ls’ Raper. French horn.
Catholic University. 8:3o p.m. Quin
tet in E fiat. K. 407. Mozart:
Adagio and Allegro. Braunllch; Mu
sic for Brass Instruments. Dahl:
Voluntary on 100th Psalm Tune.
Purcell.
PAUL OLEFBKY. cello. Elibu Root
Auditorium. Carnegie Institution.
B:3p p.m. Sonata. Onus SO. Roger:
Suite No. 2. Bach; Sonata. OpUl 8.
Kodaly.
THURSDAY
UNITED STATES MARINE BAND. Al
bert Schoeooer, conductor. Soloists:
Fredrle Erdman, cornet; William
Jones. baritone. Department of
Commerce Auditorium. 8:15 pm
Knightsbridge March from London
Suite. Coates: Introduction to Act 3.
Lohengrin, Wagner; Suite ol Old
American Dances. Bennett: Finale
from Concerto in E minor. Mendels
sohn: Carnaval Romain Overture.
Berlioz: Chimes of Liberty, Goldman;
The Beautiful Blue Danube. Strauss:
La Danza. Rossini: Cappriccio Ital
ian. Tchaikovsky
BUDAPEST STRING QUARTET. As
sisting artist: Mitchell Lurie, clari
net. Library of Congress. 8:30 p.m.
Clarinet Quintet. K 581. Mozart:
Quartet In C minor. Opus 18. No. 4,
Beethoven Clarinet Quintet, Opus
146. Reger.
FRIDAY
BUDAPEST STRING QUARTET Li
brary of Congress. B:3n pm. Re-
Mating Thursday’s program
FRIDAY MORNING MUSIC CLUB. As
sisting artists: Firday Marzlng Mu
ale Club Choral Ensemble. Maiuue
rite Feeler. director: Mary Young.
Ann Elmuulal. France, Woodbury
Stone, violins: Thea Cooper, cello:
Healer Smither, piano. Cosmos Club.
11:30 am Trio. Opus 2» D’lndv:
other music by Bach, Mozart. Spross.
Emery. Elgar.
OPERA SOCIETY OF WASHINGTON.
Participating artists: National Sym
phony Orchestra. Paul Callaway,
conductor: Cast: Alberts. Allen. An
tiwar. Casa. Cuenod. di Gerland. di
Gluseope. Herbert. Trehv. Ward. Lls
ner Auditorium. 8 pm Falstafi,
Verdi
FAIRFAX HIGH SCHOOL BAND. Phil
Fuller, director. Fairfax H. S. Audi
torium. s p m Music by J. Strauss.
Tchaikovsky. C. Williams, and others.
SATURDAY
AMERICAN UNIVERSITY ORCHES
TRA. i.evree Steiner, conductor So
loist Leroy Petersen, violin Clell
denen Hail 8.30 o nt. Annunciation
of Spring. Boone: Concerto No 5 In
A, K 219. Mozart; Symphony No. 5
in B minor. Tubin
WILLIAM WEBER oboe and English
horn: Melvin Bernstein, piano. Phil
lip Alvares, clarinet John Tartaglla.
viola. Catholic University. 3 p.m.
Oboe sonata in B flat. Handell Suite
for oboe, clarinet and viola. Thomp
son; Adagio for English born. 3 vio
lins. eello. Mozart; sonata for Eng
lish born and plane. Gordon Jacobs
K . .Re
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staff” does not improve on
early Verdi, it is sometihng
entirely original.
Sources of Libretto
Those who want to know
what “Falstaff” is about be
fore they go to the opera can
buy a libretto at the office of
the Opera Society, or they
can get much the same story,
even better told, in “The
Merry Wives of Windsor.”
Boito used the Shakespeare
play as the basis of his piece,
with some of the more dra
matic moments of the first
part of “Henry IV.” The
“honor” soliloquy is there,
and although it is pruned of
much of Shakespeare’s irony,
it is particularly delightful to
those who know lago’s "Cre
do” in “Otello,” since it is
clearly a musical counter
part of it. Also, I feel cer
tain that some of Nanetta’s
phrases are musical parodies
of Desdemona. It is
to great admirers of Verdi, 4
among whom I count myself,
for we don’t ordinarily think
of the man as a subtle sati
rist.
Ralph Herbert of the Met
ropolitan is singing the title
role. He has wanted to sing
Falstaff all his life, for, as
he points out, Falstaff and
the buffo role in “The Bar-
I tered Bride” are the only two
1 first-rate buffa parts for bar
itone. Mr. Herbert has made
his reputation in Leporello.
> and Figaro, but he feels that
; neither part is ideally suited
to his particular voice. Fal
staff lies typically above
middle C. going up to high
i G, and that is where Mr.
! Herbert likes to be.
• Others who have not sung
in previous productions of
the Opera Society are En-
[ rico di Giuseppe, Maria df-
Gerlando, Cecelia Ward, Mil-
■ dred Allen and Charles An
s thony. Return engagements
are being made by Hugues
Cuenod, who sang in "Orfeo”
and “The Rake’s Progress,”
\ Robert Trehy, in “Le Nozze
di Figaro,” Lee Cass in
‘ “Fidelio,” “Ariadne” and
: “Orfeo,” and Eunice Alberts
- in “The Old Maid and the
• Thief."
t Nathaniel Merrill, who di
rected “Ariadne” is in charge
. of the show; Bob O’Hearn
designed the sets; Jim War
ing of Catholic University is
, technical director, Molly
Holden is stage manager and
' Paul Callaway is conductor.
■ The National Symphony Or
. chestra will be in the pit and
; territory adjacent thereto.
By the way, evening per
: formances of. “Falstaff,” and
also both performances of
the Metropolitan later in
April, will start at 8 p.m.
Latecomers to “Falstaff” will
not be seated until the end
of the first scene. The Sun
day matinee has a 5:30 p.m.
curtain.
*♦ * *
At a luncheon given by the
Brazilian Ambassador last
Wednesday for Heitor Villa-
Lobos, the composer engaged
in an excited one-way con
versation with Henry Ray
mond of the U. P. It sounded
interesting, but the Portu
guese language left me be
hind. Mr. Raymond trans
lated for me. v
“I asked him what he
I thought of the Russian bal
let.” he reported, “and Villa-
Lobos replied ‘lt’s good, but
the American ballets are bet
ter. I think on the whole
; American ballet is the best I
II know of.’ Then I asked him I
! if he thought there was any
1 body of connoisseurs in
Brazil who would believe that
’! North America had a ballet |
■ comparable to the Russian.
•I ‘Who knows it here in !
' America?’ he replied.” *
I THE SUNDAY STAR
WoiAlnftM, D. C.
Swdsy, April 5, 1959
RECORDS g
Flagstad
Os 30s
On Discs
By JAMES G. DEANE
■tar Record Critic .->*,
Technological advances like
stereo can increase musical
{Measure but they cannot
supply personality. Flagstad
is Flagstad, and that fact is
worth more than a dozen or
a thousand patents.
If there is any doubt about
it, there are means at hand
to dispel it One’s recollection
ranges without difficulty over
the grooves that have docu
mented the essence of that
majestic voice since it first
vibrated through the vast
ness of the Metropolitan
Opera House in the winter of
1934-5, but it Is reinforced by
a disc bearing proof positive.
Arrayed on one side are the
“Dich, teure Halle," Elisa
beth’s prayer, Elsa’s dream
and Bruennhilde’s battle cry
sequence which the debutante
Flagstad, then under 40.
recorded with Hans Lange
only a few months after
ward, as well as the “Du bist
der Lenz” and “Euch lueften,
die. mein £lagen” engraved
in Philadelphia (or Camden?)
with Onnandy almost pre
cisely two years later. This is
Wagner which, though Flag
stad herself miraculously still
is recording Wagner today in
far more suitable dimensions,
is unlikely to be surpassed.
On the overside are the
Beethoven “Ah! PerMo,” the
“Abscheulicher” aria from
Fidelio and “Ozean, du Unge
heuer” from Weber’s Oberon,
also recorded in 1937 with
the Philadelphians, and on
this evidence one can believe
Francis Robinson’s remark
that Beethoven’s disfavored
operatic efforts hold for Mme.
Flagstad a special fascina
tion, for the supercharge is
fully apparent.
The London Walkuere re
cordings and Alceste already
available (and without doubt
a stereo Rheingold scheduled
to come) are indispensable
acquisitions, but the Camden
collection at 31.98 is a phe
nomenal bargain, undimin
ished by being “mono.”
. * ♦ * ♦
KILTS AND ROSES
• Out of sheer perverseness
I want to cite two other new
Camden monophonic bar
gains. One is a discful of
songs sung for the acoustical
horn, and in a few cases, the
microphone at various times
from 1911 to 1930 by the late
John McCormack.
For some reason the years
since the great Irish tenor’s
death seem fewer than nearly
14 (also the number of songs
on this disc); perhaps it is.
the imprint of his music
making. In any event, this
numerically modest sampling
from the 580-odd recordings
made in the long and
Singularly lyrical McCormack
career* will stir cherished
memories for some and bring
a revelation to a younger
generation regarding the art
of bel canto.
“Somewhere a Voice is
Calling,” “The Rose of Tra
lee,” “When Irish Eyes are
Smiling” and “ I Hear You
Calling Me,” to name -only
the most favored, hardly can
have sounded forth more
appealingly, before or since.
The second disc bargain
relates to a vocal figure
equally beloved of an elder
generation, the famous kilted
and tartaned Sir Harry Lau-
SIR HARRY LAUDER
Heard on Record
der. I cannot fix the year of
the irresistible Scotsmans
last “farewell” American tour,
but it is doubtful if many
who are old enough to have
ben in grammar school at
that relatively recent date
are unaware of “Roamin’ in
the Gloamin’,” the bra brecht
moonlecht necht or the rest
of the Lauder trademarks,
which were and are still, as
the fun qf hearing the disc
proves, a delightful foil to the
normal human tendency to
ward boring pomposity.
A recent disc proclaiming
a content of “songs of Harry
Lauder” also proves that in
Lauder matters only the ori
ginal really counts. That is
what is heard in full meas
ure on Camden.
*a * *
MORE SONG
Recent and noted :
“Es, es, es und es.” “Zu
Lauterbach” and other Ger
man folksongs sung by the
Albert Greiner chorus of
Augsburg (Vox). Repertory
akin to Vanguard’s Gennap
university songs, but without
I orchestra. Pleasant singing.
No texts.
“Dry Bones.” “Steal Away,”
1 “Deep River” and other
F-4
•W w : << Brw" w fIK jSg JU t
W' | ■
’ If '•! -tL.
MR 'jstefewwY r B ’’M W’
AT THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART— “Entrance Hall Metropolitan
Museum of Art” on Fourteenth street, New York City, in the 1870 s, •
painted by Frank Waller; loaned to “The American Muie” exhibition
by the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
ART NEWS Os D. C. AREA
American Muse Show
At Corcoran Gallery
By FLORENCE S. BERRYMAN
Star Art Critic
“The American Muse” was opened Friday evening at the
Corcoran Gallery of Art, with a brilliant ball which has
been reported and described in The Star’s society pages.
The exhibition, composed of 132 paintings and other works
by American artists from the 18th century to the present,
presents parallel trends in art And literature, as each painting
is accompanied by a quota- ~
tion.
For a century there have
been (to oversimplify mat
ters) two schools of thought
on the way to look at a
painting. One is to view It
for itself alone, disregarding
all aspects except the direct
visual ones of color, form,
composition, etc. The other
is to see painting in relation
to its whole time, political,
economic, social, cultural.
The latter seems to me
infinitely more rewarding
and illuminating. Correlating
painting with one other facet
of its contemporary milieu
enriches the beholder’s un
derstanding many times over.
It is surprising that it has
not been done mora often.
The earliest book with which
I am acquainted, that does
this, is Taine’s “History of
English Literature.” pub
lished nearly a century ago.
His occasional parallels are
casually interpolated, but are
1 nonetheless perceptive.
Six Centuries of Art
During World War II the
American Federation of Arts
circulated an exhibition of
large color facsimiles of old
master paintings of six cen
turies, from Van Eyck to
Picasso, which I had the
fascinating project of cor
relating with literature.
But “The American Muse”
is more detailed and compli
cated. dealing with one coun
try during a century and a
half. Actually, there are one
17th century and few 18th
century works, with quota
tions from the same periods;
but the great majority are
19th and 20th century paint
ings and literary quotations.
Most of the artists are well
established in the history of
American art. And among
the many writers quoted are
such giants as Emerson,
Thoreau, Bryant, Melville and i
Whitman,
The parallels are of two
kinds. In a few instances
the paintings (or photo
graphs, of which there is a
small number) are based
upon specific writings, and
when the illustrators actually
caught the inner spirit of the
written work, these are very
successful, e. g„ Charles De
muth’s watercolors for Henry
James’ “The Turn of the
Screw.”
Environmental Sameness
The second type, (repre
sented by the greater part of
the show), is the truer or
more profound parallel be
cause painting and writing
grew out of the same physical
and intellectual environment,
with no actual or conscious
connection between artist and
writer; indeed, some of them
are decades apart
Opening the exhibition in
the second floor galleries is
a prologue, a quotation from
Thomas Jefferson, which says .
in part, “I am an enthusiast
on the subject of the arts...
an enthusiasm of which I am
not ashamed, as its object is
to improve the taste of my
countrymen, to increase their
reputation, to reconcile to
them the respect of the world,
and procure them its praise.” i
The exhibition is in six j
parts, with subdivisions. It is
beautifully summarized in a
brochure ($1.25) which re
produces more than a quarter
of the paintings, some in
colors, and other works on
view, accompanied by their
quotations, and absorbing
1 text by Henri Dorra, assist
ant director of the Corcoran
Gallery of Art. who with Her
mann Warner Williams, di
rector, planned the exhibi
tion. There is also an en-
I thusiastte introduction by
Perry Miller of Harvard's
' English faculty.
Experience Cult
The first trend is “The Cult
of Experience," which "domi
nates much of the cultural
“Aframerican religious songs” ■
sung by Roland Hayes, tenor |
I (Vanguard). The singer’s il
years tell hardly at all in this
affecting collection. The 8
I usual name for the music is (■
spirituals. Reginald Board- (I
man is the able keyboard j
collaborator.
output of America." (John
Singleton Copley to Charles
Sheeler.) It has two paths,
observation and actions, and
“factual realism is preva
lent."
The second trend is “Faith
in Nature," as a “symbol of
the spirit,” and as a "symbol
of energy and growth.” The
Hudson River School plays a
large role among the artists,
with a number of 20th cen
tury expressionist and ab
stract painters.
Third trend, "Explorers,
Wanderers and Exiles,” in
cludes artists and writers who
“lived outside the mainstream
of American life,” in the
American wilderness or as
expatriates abroad.
Fourth, “The Haunted
Mind” begins with ( the “fire
and brimstone” theology of
early New Englandtetergymen
(Cotton Mather and Jona
than Edwards); continues
with "romantic anxiety,” su
perbly represented by Albert
Ryder and Washington Irv
ing, and comes to the pres
ent "inner eye” with Morris
Graves, De Kooning and
Hultberg, and T. S. Eliot as
examples.
Social Protest
Fifth, “Social Protest” has
endeavored to arouse the
complacent public since the
17th century, fighting pov
erty, intolerance and mate
rialism. Except for a collec
tion of slum photographs of
the 1880 s by Jacob Riis, the*
paintings are all 20th cen
tury, admirably paired with
much older writings, which
are as valid today as they
were a century ago and
earlier.
The final section, “Creat
ing a Living Tradition” "il
lustrates certain expressions
of the American character in
the lives of the people.” As
one would expect, there are
more subdivisions here than
in any other section.
Stephen Vincent Benet’s
verse to the American Muse
is the appropriate epilogue to
this superb show; the verse
concludes "You (the Muse)
are as various as your land.”
“The American Muse” is a
theme exhibition of the best
type: Informative, illuminat
ing, thought-provoking and
entertaining. It will be open
through May 17, six weeks
from today. (Open Tues
day through Friday 10. Sat
urday 9 to 4:30; Sunday 2 to
5; closed Monday.)
Baders' 20th
Franz and Antonia Bader
came to Washington 20
years ago (last month) after
a dramatic flight from Vien
na. Austria, where Mr. Bader
was director of a long-estab
lished art gallery. He joined
the staff of the Whyte Book
shop and Gallery here, and
several years ago, opened his
own bookshop and art gal
lery, the latter given over
largely to the exhibition of
work by Washington area
artists.
They gave Mr. and Mrs.
Bader a reception on March
21, which was reported in
The Star the next day (page
A-22) and presented them
with a large book containing
an original painting or draw
ing by each artist. On March
23 the Baders had their own
celebration with hundreds
of guests, to preview an ex
hibition of more than 20
paintings and large drawings
done especially for this an
niversary show by as many
artists, who regularly exhibit
at the Bader Gallery.
This exhibition (to remain
through April 13) has the
wide range of techniques and
approaches that Mr. Bader
offers so successfully to
Washington art lovers. For
those who prefer realism,
factual or poetic, there are i
Margaret Appich's lovely t
EXH IB IT ION ~
») Pointings and Drawings »
April srh-Moy 2nd ah
{(! Preview—Sunday, April 5, K
2-7 PM.
( MARVIN CHERNEY
(ffcapdol Art Gollnry, 30* V* St, N.W. B,
P
NEW OPENINGS
"OM« HUNDRED TEABS AGO.** Cor
coran Collection. The Coreoran
Gallery ot Art. Currant through
May 17.
CONTEMPOBABT GLASS AND TEX
TILES BY LVCBECIA MOYANO DE
MUNIZ. Natural History Building.
Constitution avenue at Tenth street
N.W. Current through April 1».
ETCHINGS BY KEIKO MINAMI.
Hiratsuka Nippon Gallery, :U44 N
street N.W. Current through
April 18.
BBCEMT PAINTINGS BY BOTH
GALOON. I. P. A. Galleries. -’SJ.'I
Connecticut avenue N.W. Tuesday
through April 2&.
PAINTINGS BY MARVIN CHEBNEY.
Capitol Art Gallery. .‘)<I8 Ninth
street N.W. Today through May 2.
M C A^TErS EN,C T*hi
Arts Club. 2017 I street N.W. To
day through April 24.
ELEVENTH ANNUAL SHOW OF THE
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVER
SITY CLUB. University Library.
2023 G street N.W. Today through
April 10.
ABT SHOW BY EMPLOYES OF THE
NAVY BUREAU OF AERONAUTICS.
Lobby ot main Navy building.
Eighteenth street and Constitution
avenue N.W. Today through Apr!! 17.
PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE BY
MAXINE AND JAMES CABLE. The
Studio Gallery. 814 Prince 'street.
Alexandria. Today through May 3.
PAINTINGS BY HUMBERT HOWARD.
Hoitard University Gallery ot Art.
Current through April 27.
"OPERA IN WASHINGTON." costume
and scenery designs and production
sketches Dunont Theater Gallery.
i:i32Connectlcut avenue N.W. Cur
rent through April 30.
warm moonlit “Dunes.” John
Gemand's sunny “Light
house.” Prentiss Taylor’s
snowscape "Winter light
ning,” and Sarah Baker’s
“Rehearsal” of a string quar
tet.
Those who admire abstract
painting will find character
istic works by Helen Rennie,
William Walton, Jacob
Kainen and others, and in
between, Herman Marti's
strong wharf scene, Mitchell
Jamieson’s patterned “Corn
field in Snow,” Pietro Laz
zarl’s large outline portrait
of a man, and many others.
(Open daily and Saturday 9
to 6.)
Mexican Artists
Two one-man shows by
young Mexican artists at the
Pan American Union through
next Sunday are the first by
each in the United States.
Both are young: Alberto
.Gironella is 30 this year;
’v’Joaquin Chinas is 6 years
older. Both are self taught.
Gironella of Mexico City is
prominent in the group that
has achieved recognition in
the past decade. A follower
of the Spanish school, he
paints macabre, fantastic sub
jects in a broad, roughly real
istic manner. Among his 20
oils are several trios compris
ing metamorphoses. Goya’s
portrait of Queen Maria Luisa
is turned into an owl: one of
Velasquez’s Jester-dwarfs be
comes a dog, gironella also
shows several paintings of a
“dance of death” type.
Joaquin Chinas’ 20 large
black and white drawings,
crayon or charcoal, are pre
sented through the interest
of Hon. Bob Wilson of Cali
fornia, who saw and liked
the young Mexican’s work in
an exhibition in San Diego.
The drawings are beautifully
rendered, and all depict heads
of Mexican people, twice life
size or larger. • They are
strong, realistic,^and have a
feeling of serenity.
Art Lectures
Naum Gabo will begin this
afternoon at 4 at the National
Gallery of Art, the eighth
annual series (6 consecutive
Sundays) of the A. W. Mellon
lectures in the fine arts. His
subject is "A Sculptor’s View
of the Fine Arts.’* Tuesday
at 8:30 p.m. John A. Pope,
assistant director of the Freer
Gallery, will give in its audi
torium. Twelfth street and
Jefferson drive S f W., a lecture
on "Hinduism and Buddhism
at Angkor.” Both the above
are free to the public.
Next Thursday at 8:40 p.m.
at the Corcoran Gallery Perry
Miller of Harvard University
will give* the first of a series
of lectures in conjunction
with “The American Muse ’’
For members of the Gallery
Association.
COMPLETE SELECTIONS
Far the Artltli. Craftsmen.
Ceramisto. HabbyiiU and Leath
er Craftsmen.
Comt m m 4
ARTS & CRAFTS
SUPPLY CO.
•34 New TMt Aw. N.W.
WK.
i.. -4 „ ~,,a
HrtistsM
r
MUTH
1332 N.Y. AVI N.W. ST IHD I
I«V MUIR fltiV
• 4

Evening star. [volume], April 05, 1959, Page F-4, Image 88
About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Evening star. [volume], April 05, 1959, Page F-4, Image 88 About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

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Evening star. [volume], April 05, 1959, Page F-4, Image 88
About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972