CHORAL UNION
SUPPLEMENT

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SECTION
TWO



ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN, SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1937


Choral Concerts
Giving City Fame
As Music Cente'

0* _____ _____

Present Concerts Far Cry
From Barber Shop
Quartet Contests
By ELIZABETH R. BRINKMAN
The Choral Union as Michigan
students know it today is one of this
country's foremost choral societies
and brings to Ann Arbor a series of
concerts during the year and a May
Festival such as are seldom heard
outside of the large musical centers
Now under the auspices of the
University School of Musicand com-
posed chiefly of students, it is a far
cry from its unauspicious beginning
in the days when State Street was a
dirt road and Michigan's only musical
entertainment was the barbershop
quartet and the church choirs-in
1879, to be exact-four of the church
choirs, those of the Methodist, Con-
gregational, Presbyterian and Episco-
pal churches banded together under
the fairly pretentious name of the
Choral Union.
Met For Own Pleasure
They met for their own pleasure
and began to give concerts in the va-
rious churches. Their membership
record was not impressive, but evi-
dently their musical skill was, for the
University took notice of them, and
offered University Hall for the con-
certs.
With their new and comparatively
impressive surroundings, they began
to attempt more elaborate choral ar-
rangements, with their own mem-
bers as soloists Perhaps some of the
remeniscences you have heard from
the old grads on their musical prow-
ess had their origin in* these early
solos. Our budding little organiza-
tion, however, was not long content
with its town (and occasionally stu-
dent) soloists, and began to get even
fancier notions.
Branched Out In 1894
The group -began. to branch out
more and more until, in 1894, they
did an unprecedented thing, and in-
vited the Boston Festival Orchestra
to come and accompany them. The
custom had been growing of having
the last concert of the season the
most elaborate one, for which the
members had all season to practice,
and this big concert, usually held in
May, occasionally attracted out-of-
town guests and was' the highlight
of the musical season. The early
management was evidently as canny,
as any modern musical impressario,
and after thinking over the group's1
budget decided that as long as they]
were paying traveling expenses for9
so large an organization as the Bos-j
ton Festival Orchestra, they might asI
well get their money's worth, so they
invited them for two days.
At this first May Festival, they had
a Friday evening, Saturday afternoon,
(Continued on Page 3)

Jacts 76iction
By William Lichtenwanger
If, as Hans van Bulow quipped, "tenor is a disease," then it is a
disease which sometimes has a curious effect upon members of the
so-called fairer sex-especially if the tenor be as young and handsome
as Richard Crooks. On one occasion this noted Metropolitan singer was
giving a recital in a small southern town. The program being brought
to a most successful conclusion, Mr. Crooks was set upon back-stage by
Mrs. Percival Stacy-Arrowwood, president of the town's Amalgamated
Women's Clubs and director of the Tuesday Afternoon Choral Society
and Sewing Circle. Wringing the soloist's hand with breathless ardor,,
Mrs. Stacy-Arrowwood trilled:
"Oh, Mr. Tibbett, it was just to-o-oo marvelous!"
Kreisler Turns Soldier
A musical ear may be a requisite part of a violinist's make-up, but it
isn't of much use when the violinist turns soldier. So says Fritz Kreisler
in his Four Weeks in the Trenches, an account of his service as an officer
in the Austrian army during the early days of the World War.
According to Kreisler, there was only once when his musical ear
proved to be of value during his service. That instance occurred on the
Russo-Austrian front, when he was sent out as a reconnoitering party
of one to determine and map the location of the Russian artillery. Know-
ing that a rising shell makes a sound of a different pitch from that of
one which is falling, Kreisler was able to locate the acme of the arc
described by each shell, and from that to calculate with almost perfect
accuracy the position of the firing gun. -

Choral Union Concerts
Will Be Opened Oct. 27
By Sergei Rachmaninoff


Series Has Been Sponsored By School Of
Music Q9 Years; Draws World's Greatest
Musicians To Ann Arbor
Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian violinist, leads off the Choral Union
concerts this season which begin Oct. 27 in Hill Auditorium and include
six soloists and four major ensemble groups.
Choral Union concerts are a tradition of long standing at Michigan.
Begun in 1879, nurtured and preserved by its sponsors-the School of
Music-down through 59 years until today it prides itself on drawing to
Ann Arbor the cream of the music world's talent. This year again the
concert roster promises to uphold its distinguished reputation.
It is not alone as a piano virtuoso that Mr. Rachmaninoff is distinguished.
A composer of note, he has written several symphonies, three operas, much
chamber music and a variety of songs and vocal choruses. As a .conductor
he spent long terms with the noted Moscow Private Opera and the
Moscow Symphony Orchestra. He was once offered the conductorship
of the Boston Symphony.
RACHMANINOFF TO BE FOLLOWED BY CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA
Following Mr. Rachmaninoff comes the Cleveland Orchestra, which
will appear Nov. 9. In 16 years of travelling, the last two under the direction
of Artur Rodzinski, this group has played 693 concerts on tour, visited 24
states as well as Canada and Cuba.
Richard Crooks, tenor of the Metropolitan Opera Company, will make
his appearance Nov. 9, in the third of the series. A veteran of opera,
"concert and radio Mr. Crooks is a

CHARLES A. SINK- " ... Grateful
acknowledgement is made ... "
President Sink Says
The University Musical Society
takes pride in presenting this com-
prehensive series of concerts at the
beginning of the University's sec-
ond century in Ann Arbor. Its
long career of successes has been
due to the continued support of a
cultured and loyal public. This
cordial and appreciative coopera-
tion has ever spurred the Society
to greater efforts. Grateful ack-
nowledgment is made to the mu-
sic-loving public at this time, with
full confidence that the culture
and progress so auspiciously pro-
vided in the past will attain even
greater proportions during the
coming century. Similar ack-
nowledgement is made to the stu-
dents, faculty, and officers of the
University, and to the press, for
their gracious and sympathetic
cooperation at all times.
CHARLES A. SINK,
President.
Kreisler Will Play
1711 Stradivarius
On his present tour Fritz Kreisler
is playing his 1711 Stradivarius, one
pf five prized instruments. He uses
a different one on each tour.
"This violin," he relates, "was stol-
en in Spain by an English sailor dur-
ing the Napoleonic wars. He sold it
to the keeper of a public house in
England. The saloonkeeper played
it a little and eventually sold it to a
musician. It has since changed hands
several times."
Kreisler confided that he has fre-
quently received requests to play
"Pop Goes the Weasel."
"But," he added with a smile, "I
have never played it.

Fritz Kreisler's career as a soldier,
came to a painful end when the erst-
while violinist came in contact with
a bursting shell, one which was more
belligerent than musical. His single
wound, however, hardly seems worth
mentioning when one hears the story
concerning the father of Gina Cigna,
new Metropolitan satellite. Monsieur
Cigna was a general in the French
Army, and although generals are
popularly supposed never to get close
enough to the front to get hurt, Gen-
eral Cigna became mixed up with
some shrapnel and received 125 sep-
arate wounds-enough for all the
generals in the whole French army.
Public Has Improved
Perhaps, after all, musical condi-
tions in America have improved some
since the 'eighties,' when the Boston
Symphony Orchestra was organized1
and inaugurated its practice of mak-
ing western tours. Next Dec. 8,
while on its annual tour, the Boston
will play here a concert of the highest
type, before a packed house of more
than 5,000 people.
But it was not always so with the
Orchestra's concerts in "foreign"
lands. In 1889 the Boston Symphony
arrived for a concert at a flag-stop in
central New York. The Orchestra's
manager hunted up the local booking
agent ,and was immediately asked:
"When do you parade?"
"Parade?" querried the puzzled
manager.
"Sure," returned the agent, "Don't
your troupe always parade before the
show? You won't do no business
without it."
And the local impiressario was
right. They didn't.
Programs Never Pleased
The Boston Symphony in those
days had other troubles, too. The
choice of programs never seemed to
please any of the people all of the
time, or all of the people any of the
time. Nowdays Conductor Serge
Koussevitzky presents programs of
great variety, including a good

amount of American music as well
as Russian, French and German.
But the first conductor of the Or-
chestra was Sir George Henschel,
and Sir George's programs were no-
toriously barren of works by native-
American composers. The Boston
public, however, got the idea it want-
ed American music, and thus ex-
pressed itself with no little vehem-
ence and tenacity. So Louis C. El-
son, a Boston critip, undertook to
defend the un-Americanism of Sir
George's programs, and the explan-
ation he gave was simple and unan-
swerable. Said Mr. Elson:
"If all the symphonic composers of
America were to hold a mass meeting,
they could be lodged in one double
room in any country hotel!"
Triple Threat Men
All the "triple-threat men arent of!
the kind running around loose these
Saturday afternoons. Georges En-
esco has won international reputa-
tions in three separate departments
of Musical activity: violin-playing,
conducting and composing.
In America, however, it was not
until his first visit here, last season,
that Enescos fame as a conductor or
as a violinist caught up with his
reputation as a composer, which had
already been established here for a
number of years. His work as guest
conductor of the New York Philhar-
monic made such an impression that
he was reengaged for a month again
this year. As ?a violinist he was
hailed as the "find" which Europe
discovered many years ago.
Speaking Of Violinists
Speaking of violinists, every great
player of the king of instruments has
his private collection of violins, old
and new. Fritz Kreisler has a num-
ber of fine instruments, but his fa-
vorites are one made by Stradivarius,
one by Gagliano, and two by Guar-
nerius. Asked as to his favorite of
these four, Mr. Kreisler once said:
"The ones I love best are those
made by Guarnerius and Stradivar-
(Continued on Page 4.1

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF--" . .
Asked if he considered the tasterofI
his audience in drawing up his pro-
grams, he said, 'No, I think only of my
own taste' . . . tall, austere, dignified,
aristocratic in bearing, he makes a
commanding figure on the concert
platform.
Rachmaninoff
Has 4 Pianos
Always On Tap
Tuner Checks Instrunents
Before Every Concert
As Pitch Varies
Four pianos go along when Sergei
Rachmaninoff starts on one of his
lengthy American tours. This does
not mean that all four are sent to
every city. They are kept in differ-
ent sections of the country so that
when the pianist makes a long jump
there will be no danger of his being
caught short without the right piano
when the concert time arrives.
William Hupfer, the tuner, always
travels with him. His duties are to
check up on the piano before every
concert.
In beween times the piano tuner
reads detective stories, sees movies
and sleeps. At every concert he sits
in the wings. Mr. Hupfer tells of
riding to the concert hall in Toronto
with Rachmaninoff who turned to
him suddenly and exclaimed:
"God save the King."
Not knowing just what to make of
this solicitous exclamation he kept
still, but Rachmaninoff continued.
"Tell me how the tune goes. I had
forgotten it must always be played
(Continued on Page 3)

Language Was,
Trial For Gina
On First Trip
Strictly English Speaking
Hotel Proves Nemesis
For Italian Star
When Gina Cigna stepped off the
S. S. Rex on to American soil for
the first time last season she did not
know a word of English. Nor was
her Italian husband of the slightest
bit of help to her in this respect.
It wasn't so bad so far as her Met-
ropolitan activities were concerned.
In that cosmopolitan institution prob-
ably less English is spoken backstage
than any other language. But by
some strange chance the new soprano
was installed in a small West Side
hotel where the help was strictly
tongue-tied.
"It was terrible," said the prima
donna with an eloquent gesture. "We
nearly starved. The hotel did not
have bells to push when you wanted
something. You were supposed to
pick up the telephone and ask for
it. And how could we ask when we
knew no English? The telephone
operator would just get discouraged
and disconnect when we began to
talk. My husband usually had to
get dressed and go out to the elevator
and with his hands make the man
(Continued on Page 3)

native of New York where he began
his career as a church singer. He
has been heard previously in Ann
Arbor on several occasions at the
May Festivals and with symphony
;orchestras but this will mark his in-
itial appearance in a song recital.
Fritz Kreisler Fourth
Featuring the fourth of the Choral
Union concerts Nov. 29 will be Fritz
Kreisler. Mr. Kreisler is another
artist of diverse abilities and apti-
tudes. He plays the violin and piano
with equal facility, he is a painter
of ability, having studied at the fa-
mous atelier of Julien, in Paris, he
once renounced his violin career en-
tirely and planned to become a phys-
ician, he handles Latin and Greek
fluently and is one of the few "boy
wonders" who fulfilled early predic-
tions made of his destiny.
On Dec. 8 the Boston Symphony
orchestra under the direction of Ser-
gei Koussevitzky comes to Hill Ay-
ditorium for its seventh consecutive
annual visit. This organization, now
more than half a century old, has
been presided over by conductors
of world renown. For more than a
dozen years Dr. Koussevitzky has
been its leader.
11-Year-Old Genius
Immediately following the close' of
the Christmas recess will come Ruth
Slenczynski, 11-year-old genius of
the piano who has toured the cities
of two continents since her New York
debut three years ago.
A Finnish Chorus from the Univer-
sity of Helsinki under the conductor-
ship of Martti Turunen will make
its appearance Jan. 18.
In the Spring of 1935 the chorus
(Continued on Page 21


Profiles And Artists Who Are Scheduled To Appear Here In '37-38 Choi

'al Series


Rachmaninoff Is
Exile Of Russia's
Ancient Regime
The full name is Sergei Vassilievich
Rachmaninoff. Rated one of the
greatest living Russian composers he
is also a noted conductor as well as a
pianist.
Tall, austere, dignified, aristocratic
in bearing, he makes a commanding
figure on the concert platform.
Crashing dissonances and modernistic
music might be expected from those
steely fingers and powerful biceps.
Insead come delicacy, great emotional
feeling, heart-searching tone. "Music
must reveal the emotions of the
heart," says Rachmaninoff. He makes
it do that.
Born in the province of Novorod,
Russia, 1873, Rachmaninoff showed
talent at the age of four. Entered the
St. Petersburg Conservatory at nine,
transferred to the Moscow Conserva-
tory at twelve and there composed his
first opera, the prize-winning "Aleko."
His first concert tour revealed him as
a pianist of amazing gifts.
Invited to London to conduct one
of his own symphonies at a concert
of the Philharmonic Society his nat-
ional reputation was transformed
overnight into internaional fame.
Revolution forced him out of his na-

the composer of "Rachmaninoff's C-
sharp Minor Prelude."
Asked if he considered the taste
of his audience in drawing up his
programs he said,
"No, I think only of my own taste."
Fritz Kreisler
Fritz Kreisler, living refutation of
the theory that child prodigies rarely
fulfill their early promise in maturity.
Interest in the violin began with him
almost with speech.
At seven he appeared in concert in
Vienna and entered the Vienna Con-

once gave up his violin entirely and
planned to become a physician-he
is a voracious reader and travels with
a small library-he haunts book auc-
tions with the hope of picking up
15th century manuscripts-he is mar-
ried to an American woman, and
ideally. She was Harriet Lies, and
he met her on shipboard-he always
gets to a concert half an hour be-
forehand in order to warm up his
violin.
Has never kept an audience wait-
ing-gives himself a complete rest
from all violin playing for five months
during the summer, says it improves
his playing-was fourteen when he
made his first professional tour in
America - composed an operetta
which had a long run on Broadway
-"Appleblossoms."
Richard Crooks
Thirty-seven curtain calls was the
number this New Jerseyite received
for his debut with the Metropolitan
Opera on February 25, 1933 in Mas-
senet's "Manon."
Born in Trenton, Crooks first sang
from the concert platform *at ten.
Although he was under age when
Uncle Sam entered the war, New
York's leading boy church soloist
signed up immediately in the 626th
Aero Squadron. Resumed his musical
career in New York and was engaged!

on the Russian front until seriously
wounded and invalided home.
First adventures in music were
choral work, then came the oppor-
tunity to try conducting at the Lwow
Opera. Warsaw called and he was
engaged to conduct all operas. Here
began a grind to keep ahead of his
job. Studying night and day, hidden
in a corner listening to every re-
hearsal of the other conductors, Rod-
zinski built the background of his re-
markable ability to read and memor-
ize a score.
Five years in Warsaw and Leopold
Stokowski found him. Three years
as associate director of the Philadel-
phia followed, then director of the
Los Angeles Philharmonic and finally
the Cleveland assignment.
A glutton for punishment himself,
his players have learned to take it
too. Nineteen orchestra rehearsals on
the opera, Tristan and Isolde, as well
as the regular schedule of preparing
and playing the weekly symphony
programs is proof of the martinet
in him.
Gina Signa
French-Italian ancestry and a
name rivalling that of her semi-
compatriot, Simone Simon (pro-
nounced Seemoan Seemoan) were
the gift of the fates to Gina Cigna
(pronounced Geena Seenya). A con-

nas were just adjusting themselves
to a young piano virtuoso when she
changed again and took up voice,
chiefly by listening to victrola records
and going to concerts.
A visit to Milan ended in an intro-
duction to Gotham's Toscanini and
the maestro listened to portions of
"Norma" and "Barber of Seville."
Impressed, he enjoined her to study
the leading soprano roles in "Trova-
tore," "Aida" and "La Traviata."
She did. A year later a two year
contract at La Scala was hers. Around
the world in 1931, back to La Scala

Ruth Slenczynski
First Put Through
Paces At Age 3
Resident of this universe scarcely
more than a decade, she is already a
woman of the world. With a name
worse than a Notre Dame football
player's this square-jawed, dimpled
genius has blazed a path of victory
across two continents. Aside from
her music, though, life has been com-
mon enough.
Put through her paces at the age
of three by her violinist father she
made her first public appearance at
four, amazed Berlin at six and at
eight Gotham opened its blase eyes to
a superlative performance.
Considered a curiosity at first she
has now won a place in the music
hall of fame for her ability alone.
Critics admire her unerring sense of
rythmn and poetry on the keys.
At the age of two she refused to
eat without aupiano, slept badly and
lost weight until the pater saved
enough to buy an upright. Seven
weeks after the purchase Ruth was
playing Bach's "Two-Part Interven-
tions."
Marnhe sacros the nlatform life

RICHARD CROOKS-"
seven curtain calls ..."

. Thirty-

tured on a prominent radio program
for the past five years a countrywide
radio poll has voted him the favorite
classical tenor on the air.
Artur Rodzinski
Artur Rodzinski, L.L.D. from the
University of Vienna: filial respect
caused the study of law but music

FRITZ KREISLER-" ... And I had;
the greatet amomt of trouble toI