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ANN ARBOR, MICHIGAN,
62nd
Choral'
Union Series
Opens Oct. 23
..
l
Sink Predicts!
Fine Season;
Te
Critics Hail Horowitz Return
After Five Years In Europe
Will Wield Baton During Concert Series
For
Support
Music Society Head Sees
A Successful Program
As Ticket Sales Rise
General Sale Opens
8:30 A.M. Tomorrow
Dr. Charles A. Sink, president of
the University Musical Society, yes-
terday expressed pleasure at the en-
thusiastic reception that has greeted
the 1940 Choral Union Series, and
predicted that all the artists and in-
strumental ensembles will face capac-
ity crowds.
Dr. Sink also issued a written
statement thanking "a loyal and re-
sponsive public" for its consistent
support and cooperation without
which, "the efforts of the Society
would have been fruitless."
Response to "one of the finest series
in our history" has been so great, Dr.
Sink declared, that the Society's of-
fices have been literally swamped
with orders from all over the Middle
West for season tickets.
Dr. Sink was unwilling to predict
record attendance figures, but all in-
The University Musical Society
is particularly happy in present-
ing this season's Choral Union
Series. For Sxty-Two years with-
out a break, through wars, depres-
sions and recessions, the Society
has each year }presented to the
rhusic-lOving public a wide variety
of choke musical offerings. This
season the series of ten concerts
is; evenly divided between en-
semble groups and recitals. Three
leading orchestras, a representa-
tive string quartet, and a choral
group will be heard; while two
eminent pianists, two renowned
singers, and one outstanding vio-
linist, will appear in recitals. This
annoucement of the year's musi-
cal activities has already attract-
ed the enthusiastic comment of
musical authorities throughout the
land, as we as that of music-lov-
ers who may be able to attend.
The Society is grateful to a loyal
and responsive public, which, dur-
ing all these years, has so consist-
ently supported its offerings.
Without this splendid cooperation
on the part of students, faculty,
and citizens of the community, the
efforts of the Society would have
been fruitless. The Society hopes
to continue to merit this support in
all its future endeavors.
(Signed) Charles A. Sink,
Pres. University Musical Society
dications thus far are for one of the.
most successful seasons in local musi-
cal history. With the general sale
still one day off, a great many of the
choice seats in all prices have been
"gobbled up" by Choral Union Old-
Faithfuls. But, Dr. Sink emphasized,
many good seats for single concerts
and for the entire series of ten may
be obtained during the over-the-
counter sale which begins at 8:30 a.m.
tomorrow in the Society's offices in
Burton Memorial Tower.
PHastro ead
Of Orchestra
StringGroup
Michel Piastro, concertmaster of
the Philharmonic has held his high
position since 1931. He is the first of
the first violins who sits nearest the
podium, the liaison between the con-
ductor and orchestra. Head of the
strings and responsible for his men's,
attack and discipline, he is the solo
virtuoso who must, if necessary, be
ready to take over the baton.
Since the night that Horowitz was
introduced to this country in a fabu-
lous debut preceded by rumors from
Europe of a second Liszt, second Ru-
benstein and even by one confused
newspaperman, of a second Paginini
-the pianist has held a unique place
in the musical life of his country, a
place which even his recent long ab-
sence was unable to shake or alter.
His return last year after an ab-
sence of four and. a half years was
the signal for wild rejoicing on the
parts of the critics and the public
VLADIMIR HOROWITZ
from coast to coast. The tour cul-
minated in an unparalleled perform-
ance of the Brahms B-flat major
Concerto under the direction' of Tos-
canni Toscanini in Carnegie Hall in
May, ,1940, a performance which was
later recorded. His 1940-41 tour was
sold out as soon as it was announced.
According to the testimony of his
friends, Horowitz, who is now 36
years old, is a simple, natural person
without affectation who has-traveled
a long way from the very young man
that loved loud ties, luxurious ward-
robes and elaborate- automobiles.
He was brought up in the midst of
a highly musical Russian family.
They did not noticehis musical pre-
cocity until, at the age of nine, he
began of his own accord to learn by
OSaw
Philharmonic
First Concert
Tyler Was U.S. President
When Orchestra Made
AppearanceIn 1842
The Philharmonic Society of New
York gave its first concert on Dec.
7, 1842, in a concert hall on Lower
Broadway in New York City, then a
city of less than 400,000 people. At
that time John Tyler was resident
of the United States and Victoria1
was queen of England. Ludwig vanl
Beethoven had been dead fifteen
years and Johannes Brahms was not
yet ten years old. Franz Liszt, Rich-
ard Wagner and Giussepe Verdi were
at the height of their musical careers.
Honorary membership in the Phil-
harmonic Symphony Society is an
honor that is infrequently bestowed.
The first two honorary members were
two famous violinists of a century
ago--Henri Vieuxtemps, a Belgi;,
and Ole Bull, a Norwegian, who were
elected in 1842, the first year of the
Society's existence.
Ludwig Spohr and Richard Wag-
ner, composers, received honorary
memberships as did Felix Mendels-
sohn, Franz Liszt, Joseph Joachim
Raff, Anton Rubinstein, Anton
Dvorak and many others.
Jenny Lind, HenriettarSontag and
Marietta Alboni were among the
singers so honored during the nine-
teenth century. Edwin Booth, son
of the famous John Wilkes Booth,
who appeared occasionally as reader
with the Philharmonic was also elect-
ed.
Tschaikowsky Concerto
heart piano compositions by Grieg,
Rachmaninoff, etc., In another year
he had memorized the piano scoring
of Wagner's "Tannhauser," "Lohen-
gren" and "Parsifal" and was start-
ing confidently on the gigantic Ring
cycle. By this time his parents real-
ized that here was no ordinary gift
and they sent him to the Kiev Con-
servatory.
At the age of 17 he made his debut,
and despite the troubled times (it
was during the early 20's) he gave
nine concerts in rapid succession.
In 1925 he emerged from Russia and
never returned to his native land.
He made his European debut in Ber-
uin in 1926 and overnight became a
sensation. He made his American
debut in January of 1928.
Chopin, Liszt, Beethoven and
Brahms are his favorite composers
Unlike Liszt and Paerewski, who
practiced like fiends in their early
years. Horxo . -n p- izccs a max-
imum of four hours a day. It is
literally true that he has not prac-
ticed an exercise or scale sincc he
was 15 becau.s2 he says he finds it
all in the music itself.
Enesco Plays
Triple Role
As Musician
Is Violinist and Conductor
Besides Being Author
Of ManyCompositions
One of the greatest contemporary
musicians, Mr. Georges Enesco is re-
vered not only as a composer of tre-
mendous ability, but also as a virtu-
oso violinist of remarkable achieve-
ment, and a conductor of truly mas-
terly insight. Nor does his musician-
ship end there, for he is also an ac-
complished pianist and 'cellist.
The creating of music receives a
great part of Enesco's time and en-
ergy. A man of utmost simplicity,
he makes annual concert tours inter-
spersed with sojourns in the rustic
peace of his Roumanian farm where
he composes for as much as twelve
hours a day. Sometimes he prefers
to retreat to his quiet apartment in
the Rue de Clichy in Paris to put
down on paper the themes and har-
monies which are the very core of
his being.
"Melodic ideas come into my head,
years, sometimes, before I utilize
them," he said about his method of
composing. "Yet in that time my
method of treating them may be very
different from what it would have
been at their conception. Still I can
always put an old idea to account."
He composes very slowly, he reveals,
because he believes that to be the
best way. "If you work slowly and
carefully, even if you do not achieve
great results, you at least achieve
sincere ones."
Three
Six
In
Symphony4
Soloists To
Ten-Concert'
Groups,
Appear
Series
Batons for the 62nd annual Choral Union Series will be in the hands
of the above four gentlemen. John Barbirolli, upper left, will lead the
New York Philharmonic-Symphony in an international airing, Sunday
Nov. 24, in Hill Auditorium; Dr. Serge Koussevitzsky, upper right, will
bring back the Boston Symphony for a concert appearance on Dec. 11;
Dimitri Mitropoulos, lower left, will lead the Minneapolis Symphony
in its first local appearance on Jan. 28, and Serge Jaroff will lead his
32 "Singing Giants of the Steppes," the Don Cossack Chorus in the
Nov. 18 concert.
Choral Union Series Had Start
As Church Choir Presentation
M arian Anderson
Will Be Feature
Of First Program
Sixty-two years is a long enough'
time for most people to forget that
an institution like the Choral Union,
Concert Series ever had a beginning,
especially a humble one. But the re-
cent reorganization of the University
Musical Society, sponsor of the ser-
ies, into a unit physically separated
from the School of Music with which
it had been closely affiliated for
many years, makes it apparent that
the Choral Union was not always
simply rolling along.
Insofar as one man can be point-
ed out as the guiding genius of the
early Choral Union movement, it
was Henry Simmons Frieze, _who, in
1879, founded the University Musi-
cal Society and served as its first
president. Dr. Frieze had come to
the University in 1854 as Professor
in the Latin department. A man of
broad culture, amateur musician of
recognized ability, he made his home
and the church choirs that he direct-
ed the centers of the musical life
of town and University for 25 years.
Under his guidance and with the co-
operation of other distinguished citi-
zens, the University Musical Society
was organized and incorporated for
the purpose of "bridging the music
of the community with that of the
University." Provision was made for
the development of the Choral Union
Chorus, and Concert Series, the Uni-
versity Symphony Orchestra and the
School of Music.
At first, the Choral Union was
made up of singers from the choirs
of the Congregational, Methodist,
Presbyterian and Episcopal churches,
and for a short time it was known
as the Messiah Club, limiting its ef-
forts to the singing of choruses from
Handel's oratoria. Then its sphere
was extended to include general chor-
al works, other singers - including
students-were admitted, and the
name of the group was changed to
its present form.
Its first concert was given in the
Congregational Church, the second in
the Methodist; and the third in the
Presbyterian Church, all for the bene-
fit of the respective ladies' societies.
Even in that limited world.
Heavy Ticket Sale
Foretells Sellouts
The attention of the musical world
will turn again to Ann Arbor at 8:30
p.m., Oct. 23, when Marian Ander-
son, Negro contralto, steps onto the
stage of Hill Auditorium to give the
first concert in the 62nd annual Chor-
al Union series.
Acclaimed already by many ob-
servers as "the finest in Choral Un-
ion history, the series will bring to{
Michigan musicgoers four instru-
mental and vocal artists, three sym-
phony orchestras, one string ensem-
ble and one vocal ensemble. From
Oct. 23 to March 4 ten concerts
featuring these artists will be given:
Miss Anderson, Rudolph Serkin,
pianist; Don Cossack Chorus, Serge
Jaroff, Conductor; New York Phil-
harmonic-Symphony Orchestra, John
Barbirolli, Conductor; Richard Bo-
nelli, baritone; Boston Symphony Or-
chestra, Serge Koussevitsky, Con-
ductor; Vladimir Horowitz, pianist;
Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra,1
Dimitri Mitropoulous, Conductor;
Budapest String Quartet; Georges
Enesco, violinist. -
Indicative of the vast and immedi-
ate appeal of the ten-concert pro-c
gram has been the almost unprece-
dented demand for season tickets,
leading to early predictions that ev-
ery concert will be sold out. Over-
the-counter sale for single and all
available season tickets will begin
at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow in the Univer-
sity Musical Society's offices in the
Burton Memorial Tower.
Miss Anderson, who opens the
series, will be making her fourth ap-
pearance in Ann Arbor. Hailed un-
animously upon her concert debut
by critics as one of the finest singers
of all time, she has rapidly acquired
an appreciative public. In Hill Audi-f
torium alone she holds the record of3
17 curtain-calls following her first
recital there.
Rudolph Serkin, Euro-American
piano virtuoso, will present the sec-
ond concert of the season here Nov. 7.
First presented to Ann Arbor audi-
ences at the 1938 may Festival series,
Mr. Serkin started his career in this
country but six years ago in a joint
appearance with Adolph Busch at the
Coolidge Festival in Washington. The
following year, he made his Ameri-
can debut as soloist with the New
York Philharmonic Symphony under'
the baton of Arturo Tosanini in
Carnegie Hall.
Born In Czecholslovakia
Born in Czechoslovakia of Russian
parents, Mr. Serkin studied in Vienna
and at the age of 12 made his debut
as guest artist with the Vienna Sym-
phony.
The famed Don Cossack Chorus
under the direction of Serge Jaroff,
frequent visitors to Ann Arbor, will
return Nov. 18 to present their reper-
toire of precision singing colored
by the Russian Steppes.
Hill Auditorium will become the
focal point of an international broad-
cast on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 24,
when the oldest American symphony
orchestra, the New York Philhar-
monic under its youngest conductor,
John Barbirolli, returns once again
to Ann Arbor.
Now in its ninety-ninth year, the
Philharmonic was for 20 years the
only symphany in America, when it
laid the foundation for the develop-
ment of musical taste in New York.
Singer and operatic star Richard
Bonelli will return to the stage of
Hill Auditorium Dec. 3 for the first
time since the 1939 May Festival
season.
Featured artist with the Metropoli-
tan Opera Company, Mr. Bonelli has
also appeared as guest artist with
the San Francisco and Cleveland
Marian Anderson .. Wed., Oct 23
Rudolph Serkin .. Thurs., Nov. 7
Don Cossack Chorus Mon., Nov. 18
Serge Jaroff, Conductor
New York Philharmonic-Symph.
John Barbirolli, Con., Sun., Nov. 24
Richard Bonelli .... Tues., Dec. 3
Boston Symphony
Orchestra ........ Wed., Dec. 11
Serge Koussevitsky, Conductor
Vladimir Horowitz Wed., Jan. 15
Minneapolis
Symphony ........ Tues. Jan. 28
Dimitri Mitropoulos, Conductor
Budapest
String Quartet .... Thurs., Feb 20
Georges Enesco . ... Tues., Mar. 4
Quariet Called
Finest Of Kind
By N. Y. Critic
Praise Given To Budapest
Group For Its Balance
And BeautyOf Tone
Two years ago, a New York news-
paper critic was willing to write that
"if there is a finer string foursome
in existence than the Budapest String
Quartet, it has not made itself known
on this side .of the Atlantic." So far
as is known, that critic has not yet
changed his position.
Rather he has re-enforced it by
writing that "here is a quartet un-
rivalled for balance and blending of
suave, soulful and immaculately pure
tone, which achieves unity of effect
that could hardly be bettered, and
brings a poetry and understanding to
its interpretations unmatched by any
other organization of the kind today.
For beauty of sound richness of the
imagination and absolutely satisfying
exposition of the content of the works
attempted this amazing group could
unhesitatingly be said to stand in a
class by itself."
Objects of this encomium are four
men: Josef Roisman, first violinist;
Alexander Schneider, second violinist;
Boris Kroyt, violinist, and Mischa
Schneider, violoncellist. This group
has given nearly 1,000 concerts
throughout Europe. They have been
heard in Australia, Africa, and the
Dutch Indies, and have made eight
tours crisscrossing the United States.
All musicians of outstanding per-
sonal quality, they have dedicated
themselves, nevertheless, to the ex-
clusive playing of quartets. Their aim
in life is to perform with utmose per-
fection all of these works of the class-
ics and of modern literature. Their
repertoire embraces quartet literature
from the Mannheim School to the ex-
treme modernistic composers.
Few were able to' dispute that the
ensemble provides "a musical evening
of rare distinction, calculate to re-
joice the hearts of all who revel in
art that is truely great."
Gave First U. S.
Concert In 1931
The Budapest String Quartet was
heard for the first time in America
in 1931 and has played over one
thousand concerts during the last
ten years, a record which is rare
among chamber musie organizations.
The four artists who comprise this
ensemble play some of the finest in-
struments of old Italian make. The
first violin is a Petrus Guanerius;
the viola a Grancino; the 'cello a J.
B. Gudagnini; and the second violin
a Sanctus Seraphin.
Always following their American
tour they appear in Paris, then they
play a series of Victor Records in
England. Four years ago they played
four concerts in one, week in Paris
Don Cossack Chorus Was Founded
--.-"
In Army Camp Near Constantinople
411-
The 34 singing giants of the Steppes
who will come here are the original
Don Cossack Chorus that was found-
ed in a military camp near Con-
stantinople about 20 years ago.
Descendants of the race of Stenka
Raziri, greatest hero of the centuries
old Cossacks, they have travelled
more than a million miles to sing
more {than 4,000 concerts in almost
every corner of the earth.
Singing folk tunes, Cossack soldier
songs and liturgies dating back a
thousand years, the group is now in
their eleventh season in America, pro-
duct of, diminutive Serge Jaroff's
enterprise.His choirmaster training
fashioned a brilliant ensemble out
of a horde of bedraggled, homesick
prisoners. Leading them in song
music with the choirmaster of the
neighborhood church.
Born in the valley of Russia's his-
toric Don River, young Serge
showed a marked aptitude for music.
After he had learned all the local
choirmaster could teach him, young
Jaroff was sent to the Imperial Chor-
al School in St. Petersburg where
his talent was brought to the atten-
tion of the Grand Duchess Marie
whose protege he became.
He held a lieutenant's commission
during the World War in the machine
gun corps. When the war was over
he fought with the White forces and
was interned by the Soviets. At the
camp of Lemos he groomed the home-
sick Cossacks for 15 months until
there emerged a brilliant chorus of
34 whose fame spread outside the
tardy for rehearsal. This they as-
sert is due not only to the complicat-
ed system of fines levied against
rule-breakers, but to the strong com-
munity of interest and love of their
work.,
Few changes have occurred in the
membership of this organization.
From the original thirty-four death
took three; another has been resting
at a Lausanne sanatorium since 1934.
In 1926 during its first Australian
tour four choristers purchased farms
and settled there with their families.
Hollywood lure took its toll of another
member and two years ago one of
the singers was invited to direct the
Brooklyn School of Music. From
these emergency replacements, Con-
ductor Jaroff drew on a list of Cos-
sacks singers born in the Don River
Valley and who measured up to the