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WINNETKA TALK January 21, 1928 Music News and Events STRESS NATIVE WORKS IN NEXT MUSIC WEEK "American Music That Ameri- cans Should Know," Keynote of Committee's Campaign Recognition of American composers through a widespread performance of their music will be a feature of National Music Week on May 6-12 next. This phase of the celebration, which has always been an essential part of it, is being stressed this year more than ever before by the National Music Week committee. For instance, in order to assist the local groups in the choice of native compositions, it is compiling a list of "American Mu- sic That Americans Should Know." That list is a composite one and is based upon opinions collected by the committee from leading musical edu- cators, critics, musical artists ond con- ductors. The list may be obtained in pamphlet form upon request to the National Music Week committee, 45 West 45th St., New York City. In indicating their preferences as to the particular works, the musical authorities were asked to mention numbers in certain classes of composi- tion such as orchestral numbers, solo instrumental compositions, concert songs, operatic excerpts, choral works | and folk songs. Serves Double Purpose This bibliography of American mu- sic serves a double purpose--as a list from which performers may select numbers for their programs and as one that may be utilized for listening purposes in music appreciation work and in the music memory contest. For the latter use, the list includes an- notations as to whether the number is recorded for the phonograph or the reproducing piano--these mechanical aids being invaluable in carrying on the contest. The committee will also endeavor to supply, upon request, in- formation as to where explanatory. program notes on any particular one of the compositions may be obtained. Another list of American works for the music memory contest is that com- piled by the General Federation of Women's clubs and to be had from its music chairman, Mrs. Eugene B. Law- son, Nowata, Okla. - In addition to a concentration upon the numbers in its special list, the committee is suggesting that in cer- tain towns a feature of the Music Week be programs of compositions by musicians of that community or of that section or state. Study Church Music A special field of American music being explored as a part of the Music Week is that of our native church music. The committee is recommend- ing that services of American music be offered by the churches on May 6, the opening day of Music Week. These programs are to be either by individual churches or, preferably, in the form of a union service. For such occasions the committee has issued an annotated list of "Hymns Composed by Americans," which it also distrib- utes upon request. Another sugges- tion made by the committee is that each church utilize, in préparation for Music Week, certain of the unfamiliar but beautiful hymns in its hymnal, and that a summing up of such enlarging of the congregations' repertoire of hymns be made at some service during Music Week. A focusing of attention upon our own national songs in community and home singing is also to be a feature of the coming Music Week. For this Muzio Thrills at Hearing Song of Tiny Pickaninnies Claudia Muzio, world famous so- prano of the Chicago Civic Opera company, whose song recital on Sun- day, January 29, will open the series of Uptown Civic matinees at the Aragon ballroom, Chicago, knows probably as many roles and songs with "punch" as any artist who ever lived. But Miss Muzio confesses that re- cently she formed part of the audience at the rendition of a song which, al- though it is not a recital favorite, went straighter to the hearts of the listen- ers than many an aria delivered with all the skill that a trained voice could give. While motoring over a country road near the outskirts of Chicago recently Miss Muzio spied four diminutive colored children. Wishing to take their photo, she had her auto stopped, and alighted with her camera. "Wouldn't you like to have your picture taken?" she asked the young- sters. "Sho'ly ma'am, but we ain't got no money," replied one, shyly. "Well, I'll give you some money, and you can pay me for photograph- ing you," she said, giving them each a twenty-five cent piece. When the picture was taken, and when a companion had snapped her with the little group, one of the pick- aninnies timidly offered her his quar- ter in payment. "Oh keep the money," laughed the singer, "I was only fooling about pay- ment. But if you really want to give me something suppose you sing a song for me. Will you?" There was a laugh from the motor party--quickly checked by Miss Muzio as the little darkies put their heads together. But the desire 'to laugh died quickly when there poured from the small quartet, with an earnestness that dimmed the eyes of the listeners-- "Count yo' blessin's, count them "one by one, "Count vo' many blessin's, see what Gawd has done. "Count yo' blessin's, Count yo' many blessin's, "And it will surprise yo' what the Lawd has done." With tears streaming down her cheeks the great singer, who had so many times poured out her own soul in song to wrapt audiences in the greatest auditoriums on earth, heard the old hymn through to the end. standing in the country road. And the little darkies went pattering away, each with a quarter clenched tightly in a little fist, and all blissfully unaware that they had sung before one who had herself sung before kings. HEAR MUSIC PROGRAM The Junior Music club of New Trier High school met Monday, January 16. This was the fourth meeting of the club this school vear. A program was given by Alice Walton, piano; Helen Gerlach, violin; Anne Sherwin, piano; Thomas Johansen, piano; Bernice Augdahl. violin; and Marion Bent. piano. The next meeting of the club will be held in February. purpose a compilation of such songs has alreadv been made jointly by a number of community song leaders. composers and supervisors of school music. This list of twenty songs is given with descriptive notes in the pamphlet, "Stories of America's Sones," to be obtained, without charge, from the National Music Week committee. | Symphony Soloist Gitta Gradova, brilliant pianist, will be the artist with the Little Sym- phony Orchestra of Chicago at its concert to be given in New Trier au- ditorium Monday evening, February 6. Miss Gradova is a native of Chicago and has secured all her musical train- ing in this country. She is hailed by critics as one of the foremost pianists of the era. She will be remembered by north shore music lovers for her performance in Winnetka a few years ago when she dedicated the piano in the Jane Kuppenheimer Memorial hall of the Skokie school. Opera Structure Marvel of Beauty and Utility Building plans for the Chicago opera, now practically completed by Graham, Anderson, Probst & White, provide for: 1. A permanent home for the Chi- cago Civic Opera company, to be ready for the opening of the opera season in the fall of 1929. 2. A 42-story revenue producing "tower" building to help support civic opera and eventually provide endowment of a musically educa- tional Foundation for the city of Chicago. The architectural design represents an interesting, not to say unique, adaptation of the "monumental" char- acter associated with the great opera houses of the world, combined with the commercial revenue-producing necessities of the Chicago situation. The building will occupy the entire block bounded by Wacker drive (formerly Market street) Madison and Washington streets and the Chicago river. The north half of this site was acquired for the purpose more than a year ago. Acquisition of the re- mainder was completed by transfer of the south half of the block from W. V. Kelley to Samuel Insull, as an- nounced some days ago. The main body of the structure will be 21 stories, rising 270 feet from the ground level. It will have a frontage of 400 feet on Wacker drive, 190 feet on Madison street and 150 feet on Washington street. The additional 21 stories of central "tower"--base dimensions 240 feet by 70 feet--will rise to a height of 550 feet above the street level. GRADOVA, PIANIST, TO PLAY WITH SYMPHONY Hailed by Leading Critics Throughout Country as an Art- ist of Great Distinction Gitta Gradova, pianist, will be the soloist with the Little Symphony Or- chestra of Chicago in its concert at New Trier auditorium Monday evening, February 6. She is the third of a group of distinguished musicians who are appearing with the orchestra in this season's programs under sponsor- ship of the New Trier Orchestral as- sociation. She will be remembered as having been the artist to dedicate the piano in Jane Kuppenheimer Memorial hall, Winnetka, a few years ago. Miss Gradova was born in Chicago of Russian parentage. Her training has been American throughout. Her teacher is Djane Lavoie-Herz of Chicago, a disciple of Scriabin, with whom she has been studying for the last eight years. "Musical Personality" Olga Samaroff, distinguished pianist and critic, has termed Gradova "a real musical personality and a distinguished one. Gradova is forging ahead in a career which promises to be a brilliant one. She has every quality to make it so, including the external of a charm- ing stage presence free from all ec-: centricity or mannerism. She is musical, sensitive and poetic. She also com- mands fire and brilliance, a technical equipment equal to all demands upon it and a great sureness both in inten- tion and execution." Irving Weil of the New York Eve- ning Journal says of Gradova: "She has indeed developed into a superb artist, one who has pretty much all the resources of the piano at her command and who employs them to re-create the letter and the spirit of music." Olin Dowes writes in the New York Times: "Miss Gradova has finished tech- nique, a tone singing or brilliant as the case might be, and unforced; she showed admirable dynamic adjustments, taste, and a musician's grasp of the relations of piano and orchestra. The tempi were well chosen and properly elastic; there was a constant variety of color, and well calculated preparation of cli- max. Romantic feeling never became mawkish or sentimental. Quoting from The Nation: "Fore- most woman pianist now before the public." _ Christian Science Monitor: "Gradova is one of the best pianists of the day." "Rapturously Applauded" New York Herald-Tribune: "A pianist of superb vitality and power . a magistral performance : rapturously applauded. Miss Gradova was re-engaged this season by the New York Philharmonic and will also appear with the Chicago Symphony, the St. Louis Symphony, the Philadelphia orchestra, and numer- ous other orchestral bodies. A LOFTY TRIBUTE The fifth concert of the Winnetka Music club Artist-Recital series will bring Giovanni Martinelli, tenor, to the New Trier auditorium. A magni- ficent tribute is paid this illustrious artist in a recent bulletin issued by the club bearing this terse statement: "We venture to present this popular idol of the Metropolitan and Ravinia operas without further comment."