SUNtAi, SEPTEMEt 28, 1947
Westminster Choir To Sing
Here in First Postwar Tour
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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Westminster Choir,
a distin-
guished concert group of 40 voices
will appear here Nov. 24 in Hill
Auditorium during its first trans-
continental tour since the war.
The choir is famed for its rich
choral music. Its repertoire in-
cludes the works of contemporary
Musician Is
Member of Big
Bassoon Clan
The Cincinnati Symphony Or-
chestra boasts a representative of
"Thie World's Largest Bassoon
Family," as part of its personnel.
Leo Reines, who takes turns on
the basoon and contra-bassoon in
the orchestra, has four brothers
and three nephews who are also
bassoonists. Each of them is serv-
ing, or has served with the great-
est orchestras in the country.
The father, Morris Reines, was
for many years with Walter Dam-
rosch in the New York Symphony
Orchestra. 'A brother, Philip, is
bassoonist with the New York
Philharmonic. Another brother,
Abe, who was formerly bassoonist
with the Cleveland Symphony Or-
chestra, has been the bassoonist
in the Symphony Orchestra of the
National Broadcasting Company.
Not only the bassoonist, but
other members of this orchestra
have interesting stories. Many of
them play on instruments of great
value.
Otto Brasch, violist, has a Tes-
tore viola, made in 1745, that for-
merly was owned by the late Eu-
gene Ysaye, the great Belgian
virtuoso.
Fritz Bruch owns a very un-
usual 'cello. The back and sides
of the instrument were made by
Stradivarius and the front by
Jean Baptist Guadanini, another
famous violin maker. Bruch con-
cludes that the two valuable in-
struments must have been dam-
aged and the 'front of one and the
back of the other reassembled.
The instrument at one time be-
longed to Hausmann, 'cellist of
the famous Joachim Quartet of
the era of Brahms and Wagner.
The viola of Herman Goehlich,
assistant principal of the viola
section, was made in 1715 by the
Venetian violin maker, Franciscus
Gobetti. It is known as the "Ti-
tian Viola" because of its rich
coloring.
, composers, spirituals, Indian and
American folk songs, the master-
pieces of Bach, Beethoven and
Brahms, as well as the traditional
beauty of church music.
Volunteer Choir
Frst organized to serve as the
volunteer choir of the Westmin-
ster Presbyterian Church of Day-
ton, 0., the group has retained
its original name although it is
no longer a church choir but the
professional touring unit of West-
minster Choir College.
The college, which is located in
Princeton, N. J., is a non-sectar-
ian musical college founded by
Dr. John Finley Williamson, who
is also founder and conductor of
the choir.
In contrast to the present high-
ly trained personnel of the group,
chosen annually from the student
body of the college, the members
of the first choir were business
men and women and housewives
who devoted their leisure hours to
singing under the direction of Dr.
Williamson, then minister of
music at the Westminster Church.
Fame Grows
As the fame of this group's
choraltsinging spread it was called
upon to sing at an increasing
number of meetings and gather-
ings, and in 1921 undertook its
first tour. To provide training
that would meet his high stand-
ards, Dr. Williamson founded the
Westminster Choir College.
Believed to be the only school
of its kind in the world, its stu-
dents have come from all reli-
gions, and every part of the Unit-
ed States. Admittance is based
solely on qualifications of voice,
musicianship and physical stam-
ina.
National Tours
Since its initial tour, the West-
minster Choir has sung through-
out the United States and Can-
ada and made two European tours
that have included England, Scot-
land, France, Austria, Norway,
Jugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, Hun-
gary and Russia.
In the past six years the choir
has made 86 orchestral appear-
ances with major symphony or-
chestras including the Philadel-
phia Orchestra, New York Phil-
harmonic, NBC Symphony and
the Rochester Philharmonic.
Motion pictures have contribut-
ed in popularizing the work of
the choir. At the request of Walt
Disney the group participated in
the filming of "Fantasia."
BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA--Under Serge Koussevitzky, the orchestra will present a
concert Dec. 8, as part of the Sixty-Ninth Annual Choral Union Series..
MYRA HESS CONCERT:
English Pianist Will Present
Program Here in January
Acknowledged as one of the
foremost pianists of the day,
Myra Hess will appear in concert
here Jan. 10.
The English pianist has won
recognition by the depth of her
interpretations rather than by her
In 1936 her services to music in
England and abroad were recog-
nized by the late King George V,
who made her Commander of the
Order of the British Empire, a
distinction never before awarded
an instrumentalist.
Miss Hess made her American
debut in New York in 1922. Her
tours became an annual event un-
til they were interrupted by the
war.
She considers it "a joy to play
to American audiences. So many
people on both sides of the Atlan-
tic think that the bulk of the
concert-going public only likes so-
called popular music and that suc-
cess can only be won by playing
programs which make a quick ap-
peal, but my experience is en-
tirely to the contrary," she said.
People Want Classics
Miss Hess feels that the great
music classics are most appreciat-
ed and enjoyed everywhere. "It is
we artists who train the public,
they trust us and we owe it to
them to respect that trust.
"I love America, the breadth
of the country, geographically and
in its infinite variety of people.
Everywhere I go, in places large
and small, I find a nucleus of
culture that knows and loves the
great classics. The spontaneity of
the audiences and their freshness
of outlook is of the greatest in-
spiration to a performer"
The first program of the Boston'
Symphony Orchestra, dated Octo-
ber 22, 1881, is still preserved by
the orchestra. Included in the
program were works by Beetho-
ven, Gluck, Haydn, Schubert,
Bruch and Weber. Soloist at the
concert was Annie Louise Cary.
Society Backs
Building Fund
Hill Auditorium, where all the
concerts will be presented, was
constructed from funds be-
queathed to the University by the
late Arthur Hill.
Ignace Jan Paderewski pro-
nounced it "the finest music hall
in the world." For many years it
was so regarded.
At the present time, however,
the auditorium can no longer ade-
quately serve its original purpose.
The University Musical Society is
asking that "other public-spirited
citizens . . . would . . . like to pro-
vide funds for a new auditorium,
equipped in all respects to meet
present-day needs."
Backgrounds
Of Orchestral
'Homes' Vary
Symphony orchestras appearing
in Ann Arbor in the Choral Union
and Extra Concert series have as
their "homes" many interesting
and unique buildings.
The Minneapolis Symphony Or-
chestra is located on the campus
of the University of Minnesota in
the Northrop Memorial Audito-
rium.
From the modern orchestra'
shell, the orchestra plays to an
audience largely composed of Uni
versity of Minnesota students who
receive special rates because of
the proximity of the orchestra.
The Boston Symphony's famed
Orchestra Hall had a counterpart
in the former home of the Min-
neapolis Symphony which was
patterned on the same lines.The
orchestra performed there for 25
years until they moved to their
permanent home on the Minne-
sota campus.
Other interesting "homes" in-
clude the Chicago Symphony's
Orchestra Hall, erected by popular
subscription to which over 8,500
persons contributed, Cincinnati's
Music Hall which houses complex
recording machinery and a large
record library as well as the or-
chestra, and the Cleveland Or-
chestra's Severance Hall, dedi-
cated in 1931.
Set Svanholm, Swedish tenor of
the Metropolitan Opera Company
will make his first Ann Arbor ap-
pearance at 8:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at
Hill Auditorium.
He made his American debut as
Lohengrin with the San Francisco
Opera in Sept., 1946 and his Met-I
ropolitan Opera debut as Siegfried?
later in the same year.
Although already widely known
as a Wagnerian tenor. SvanholmI
has also sung in Verdi's "Aida"
and "Othello" and "Pagliacci,"
"Trovatore" and "Carmen."
Educated at Sweden's Royal
Conservatory, Svanholm sang
with the Royal Opera, taught at
the Conservatory and was choir
director of a church near the
opera house.
Concert Tours
He has sung in many European
cities including an appearance in
Vienna with the noted Bruno
Walter and a concert at the Wag-
ner shrine at Bayreuth.
In the United States, Svanholm
has appeared with orchestras and
in concerts in Los Angeles and
Dallas, and was heard in joint
concerts with Regina Resnik, of
the Metropolitan, in Havana,
Cuba.
Favorite Role
Although not superstitious,
Svanholm likes "Lohengrin" in
which he made his American de-
but and makes a practice of eating
an apple after every performance.
He consumed a dozen apples in
Metropolitan dressing rooms after
four Tristans, three Siegfrieds,
two Aidas, one Meistersinger, one
Walkure and one Parsifal.
His concert here will mark the
fourth in the 1947-48 Choral Un-
ion concert series.
WAGNERIAN EXPERT:
Swedish Tenor Will Appear
Here in Choral Union Series
SET SVANHOLM
I . f
NEEDED-A LARGER AUDITORIUM
MYRA HESS
superb technique alone. Her pure
musicianship, expressed through a
personality which charms her au-
diences by its selflessness, exem-
plifies true art.
Debuit With Beecham
Miss Hess was born in England
and made her debut at an or-
chestra concert with Sir Thomas
Beecham. The debut aroused such
enthusiasm that she was at once
engaged by the leading orchestras.
Since her debut, her career has
been a succession of triumphs.
was iconstructed
HILL A U D I T OR I U M
from funds be-
queathed to the University by the late Arthur Hill,
a loyal and generous son of Michigan, more than
thirty-five yearsago. Ignace Jan Paderewski pro-
nounced it "the finest music hall in the world." For
a long time it was so regarded. With the passage of
years, however, the auditorium has long since lost this
distinction. With the growth of the University and
the widespread advance in musical culture and appre-
ciation, it no longer adequately serves its original
purpose.
The University Musical Society hopes, and be-
lieves, that there are other public-spirited citizens who
would like to provide funds for a NEW AUDITOR-
IUM, equipped in all respects to meet present-day
needs.
Such a building with increased capacity would
make possible the presentation of musical programs
of greater magnitude, including grand opera in its
best tradition. It would serve as an outstanding edu-
cational and cultural factor, and would also bring to
the University many alumni, interested friends, and
the public in general who are desirous of hearing the
best programs under favorable conditions. .J
ARS LONGA VITA BREVIS
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Second Annual'
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1947-48
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Patrice Munsel, Soprano
October 18
Alexander Brailowsky, Pianist
March 10
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George Szell, Conductor
The Cleveland Orchestra -
November 9
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PATRICE MUNSEL, Soprano
October 18
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CLEVELAND ORCHESTRA, George Szell, Conductor
- .November 9
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