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CHICAGO GUITAR Published by THE CHICAGO GUITAR SOCIETY in the interests of the classic guitar.
Vol. 1 No. 5
DYER-BENNET, BREAM cancel;
SEGOVIA stays
The five guitar or folksong concerts scheduled for March have been narrowed to three with the cancelation of the Richard DyerBennet and Julian Bream recitals. Segovia, Marais & Miranda, and Theodore Bikel remain.
Dyer- Bennet, the artful folk singer who was instructed on the guitar by Rey de la Torre, was to have appeared March 3 in the Civic Theatre. Bream, the British guitarist and lutenist, was scheduled for a March 24 recital in the Civic Theatre.
Segovia will appear at 3:30 p. m. Sunday, March 31 in Orchestra Hall. The preceding evening, Saturday, March 30 at 8:30 p. m. folksinger Theodore Bikel will appear at McCormick Place .
Those polished balladeers, Josef Marais and Miranda, will give two concerts Saturday, March 23, under Roosevelt university's Folk Music series. A young people's matinee will be held at 2 p. m., followed by an evening appearance at 8:30 o'clock. Both concerts will be held in the Studebaker theater.
andres segovia
22 E. Van Buren St., Chicago 5, Ill.
SECOND CITY recital by RICHARD PICK set APRIL 1
Richard Pick will give a classic guitar recital April 1 at Second City under the Monday night chamber music series at the theater cabaret, 1842 N. Wells st.
The program will be held at 8:30 p. m. Coffee, drinks, and sandwiches are available before the program and during intermission. Admission is $2 or $1.50 for students. Members and friends of the Chicago Guitar Society will be admitted at the student rate. For reservations call DE 7-3992.
Richard Pick and Helene Alter appeared Feb. 18 in the series inaugurated Jan. 21. The program included a short recital by Mr. Pick who also accompanied Mrs. Alter, soprano, in a group of traditional songs.
On March 4 a one piano-four hands concert will be given by Edward Gordon, assistant manager of the Grant Park Symphony orchestra, and Janice Harbison. On March 11 the Chicago Concert Singers, directed
A letter from Hibbard A. Perry, president of the Guitar Guild, Prov-: idence, Rhode Island, informs that the guild was formed in 1947 and has met monthly except during the summer for the past 15 years. A program followed by informal group playing is the custom at each meeting.
The guild's January program included traditional folk songs with guitar accompaniment, solo performance of works by Sor and Papas; and duet performance of works by Cimarosa, Purcell, and Scarlatti. Highlight of the February meeting was Sonata for violin and guitar by Fillippo Gragnani played by Thomas Greene, guitar, and Francis DiOrio, violin, member of the Rhode Island
Continued on Page 3
March, 1963
by Thomas Peck, Grant Park chorus director, will give a program of Renaissance and traditional folk music.
David Basch, French horn player, and member of the Chicago Woodwind Quintet, has organized the chamber music series which is being taped by WFMT FM station. Mr. Basch, who has performed with Grant Park, Chicago Symphony, and the Lyric Opera Orchestras, said the series will include three solo recitals by first chair men of the Chicago Symphony orchestra.
Prior to the Feb. 18 program Mrs. Alter was interviewed by Byron Belt of Chicago Concerts on his Tuesday evening program "An Adventure in Music" over FM station WNIB. The interview ranged from the upcoming performance to the state of fine arts in Chicago today. During the program a portion of the tape of the Chicago Guitar Society's November program in the Chicago Public Library was played.
Society to Hold March 3 Program
The Chicago Guitar society's March meeting and program will be held Sunday, March 3 in Room 500 of the Fine Arts building, 410 S. Michigan avenue.
A meeting for members will be held at 3 p. m. Refreshments will be served at 4 o'clock and a program given at4:30o'clock. Non-members are invited for the refreshment period and the program. A $1 donation will be requested.
On the program will be duet performance of a group of Bach selections, Guitar solos of works by Bach, Richard Pick, Tarrega, and Villa-Lobos, and a quartet performing selections by Beethoven, Milan, and Purcell with a voice accompaniment on the latter.
page 2 CHICAGO GUITAR
PROGRAM NOTES A Composer in Chief
England's Henry Purcell has been described as composer in chief to church, court, stage, and chamber. When he died in 1695 at the age of 36 he was hailed as "one of the most Celebrated Masters of the Science of Musick in the Kingdom, and scarce Inferiour to any in Europe."
This 17th century man of genius was an incredibly prolific composer. As of 1942 the collected edition of his works numbered 26 volumes with more to come. His activity is remarkable when it is considered that most of his work was done in the last 15 years of his short life.
Although not much is known of Purcell the man, and in many instances the facts of his life and work are obscure, it appears that he was born in the summer or autumn of 1659. This was when the Commonwealth, a period marked by the rigid suppression of church and theater music, was drawing to a close.
It is supposed that Purcell's musician father, Thomas, found the Commonwealth a lean period. But upon the advent of the Restoration, Thomas Purcell secured a position as tenor in the reconstituted choir of the Chapel Royal atWhitehall and sang at the 1661 coronation of Charles II which restored the monarchy. Thomas Purcell had a distinguished career in the royal service until his death in 1682. He held such posts as musician for the lute, viol, and voice; composer for the violins; and groom of the robes.
Following his father's tradition, Henry Purcell spent his entire life in the service of the king and the church. Henry Purcell's church and court "jobs," if we may call them that, were as follows:
At 10 years of age one of 12 choirboys at the Chapel Royal; at 14 apprenticed to the keeper of the king's instruments whose job was "keeper, maker, mender, repayer and tuner of the regalls, organs, virginalls, flutes and recorders and all other kind of wind instruments whatsoever"; at 15 organ tuner at
Westminster Abbey; at 18 appointed composer for the king's violins; at 20 appointed organist at Westminster Abbey; at 23 he becomes one of three organists of the Chapel Royal; at 24 appointed keeper of the king's instruments; at 26 appointed harpsichord player in the king's private music; at 30 again appointed to the king's private music. These appointments took place during the reigns of Charles II, James II, and William III and Mary.
Henry Purcell turned out a prodigious amount of music in these posts and yet managed also to write all manner of music for the stage. J. A. Westrup in his book, "Purcell," says, "It might be thought odd at the present day that a cathedral organist should provide music for theatrical entertainments, many of which were in questionable taste. But the 17th century did not recognize any water-tight compartments for the musician's art; the whole
THE CHICAGO GUITAR SOCIETY SUNDAY, MARCH 3 at 4:30 P.M.
world was his to conquer." Among Purcell's considerable
output of church music are the anthems "My Heart Is Inditing," composed for the coronation of James II, and "Thou Knowest, Lord, the Secrets of our Hearts, " composed for Queen Mary's funeral service.
As a composer for the court Purcell was charged, among other duties, with writing odes and welcome songs for kings and queens and assorted royalty. In those days when a king went away for a while he got welcomed back in style, most often with insipid and excessive sentiments (his absence was Autumn, his presence was Spring) to which Purcell was required to set the music.
Among Purcell's works were hymn, psalms, canons, music for church services, sacred songs, secular songs, and a number , of instrumental works. Among his
Continued on Page 4
FINE ARTS BUILDING ROOM 500
PROGRAM
I
Regina Martinez Richard Pick
Prelude in E Minor) Prelude in E ) Prelude in A )
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johann Sebastian Bach
Gavotte )
II
John Hunt
Prelude and Sarabande . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Johann Sebastian Bach Pastorale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Richard Pick Recuerdos de la Alhambra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Francisco Tarrega Prelude No. 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Heitor Villa-Lobos
III
Ferdinand Pirnat Amado Canchola Richard Pick Martin Studier
Helene Alter Coloratura Soprano
Dido's Lament from the opera Dido and Aeneas . . . . . . . . . . . . Henry Purcell Three Pavanes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Luis Milan Minuet in G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ludwig van Beethoven
Continued from Page 1
Philharmonic orchestra. Mr. Greene is vice president of the guild.
Sophocles Papas of the Washington (D. C.) Guitar Society presented two of his students in guitar recitals last winter. Larry Snitzler appeared in a Nov. 26 program of works by Milan, Bach, RameauSegovia, Sor, and Villa-Lobos. Lawrence Johnson appeared in a December concert and performed works by Milan, Murcia, Sor, Guiliani, Mendelsohn, Franco, Rodrigo, and Villa-Lobos.
In Chicago Angel Diezhandino, flamenco guitarist, gave a recital in the Little Theatre of McCormick Place Jan. 20. Diezhandino often appears at the Gitano Club, 357 N. State st. , where flamenco guitar and dancin g hold forth.
A clarifyin g letter comes from Mrs. Vahdah Olcott Bickford of the American Guitar Society in Los Angeles that the society is the first organized in the United States (founded 1923) and the oldest continuin g society in the world having pursued its activities without interruption. In an item in the November issue of Chica go Guitar we indicated we were unsure of the society's status.
The Fretted Instrument Guild of America will hold its 6th national convention June 27 thru 29 in the Barbizon Plaza hotel, New York City . Al Alcaro, guild president, is manager of the convention. Reservations should be addressed to him at 1 E. Fordham rd., Bronx 68, New York.
The Chicago Guitar Society invites new members. Membership applications are available at the door during our programs or by writing to society headquarters , 22 E. Van Buren St., Chicago 5, Ill.
If your address is incorrect, if we have misspelled your name, please notify us so we may correct our mailing list.
CHICAGO GUITAR
de SOUNDING oft BOARD A
a string of moods
Sometimes at the end of a particularly full day, it is interesting to review the variety of moods and temperaments encountered in the stream of the day's activities. On those occasional days when enough awareness and objectivity are maintained to capture the fleeting moods, subtle expressions and small but significant gestures, there is material enough over which to reflect.
"Life," wrote Emerson, "is a train of moods like a string of beads and as we pass through them they prove to be many-colored lenses which paint the world their own hue, and each shows only what lies in its focus."
Were it always necessary to consider the fine irritability and niceties of each individual's background encountered each day, it would demand being so delicately balanced, so sensitively poised to be constantly walking on the most fragile eggs.
Perhaps the best part of common civility and getting along with our companions is to spare them from our least desirable moods. "So you've had a bad day, or year, or childhood--who hasn't?" Yet there are those whose resentments, moods and temperaments are inflicted on any likely hapless victim, thereby thwarting any hope of communication, understanding and cooperation.
page 3
by RICHARD PICK
' However, the right mood and temperament are so vital to the successful accomplishment of most any task, certainly in the performance of a musical composition. Perhaps the most distinctive quality or mark of a true artist is his way of recreating the mood and temperament inherent in the composer's work. Then must follow his ability to project the hues and colors of the musical moods on the background of his audience.
But there must be some cooperation, some effort made on the part of the artist or listener to match or at least try to meet these projected moods, or the communication is lost.
Yet, although the desire to communicate is so strong in us, rarely is this happy condition realized. Perhaps some extenuating circumstances, a flaw of temperament, some defect in the understanding, a subtle reluctance, some weak considerations, a preening vanity or some cautious self-concern, an introverted obstinacy still prevents our companion from grasping the moment in its warmest and tenderest flow of thought, prevents the fullest realization of the lofty emotion, thwarts the poetic words and the sincerest acts, reducing them thus to fumbles and frustrations.
CHICAGO GUITAR is the official publication of the Chicago Guitar Society, a non-profit organization devoted to the classic guitar.
Suzanne Avery is editor. Mrs. Regina Martinez is president of the society. Richard Pick is chairman of the board.
Inquiries and material for CHICAGO GUITAR should be directed to society headquarters at 22 E. Van Buren St. , Chicago 5, Illinois.
page 4 CHICAGO GUITAR
NOTES Continued from Pa ge 2
most endearing and popular son gs are the familiar "I Attempt from Love's Sickness to Fly," from the opera " TheindianQueen" and "What Shall I Do to Show how much I love Her?," from the opera "Dioclesian," Purcell's first lar ge scale work for the professional stage.
Dido and Aeneas
The opera Dido and Aeneas was composed for school performance and was initially conceived as a chamber opera for amateurs. There are many who consider this opera a masterpiece. The libretto was supplied by Nahum Tate, a poet and dramatist of the period. The story is based on the fourth book of Virgil's "Aeneid ," and is as follows : Aeneas, fleeing from ruined Troy and bound for Latium, is driven by a storm into Carthage where the widowed Dido is queen. They fall in love but the Gods forbid their union . Aeneas sails away to Italy and Dido dies of her own hand. In the opera the end is modified to make Dido a victim of a broken heart. The opera was performed
at Mr. Josias Priest's Boarding School at Chelsey, by Young Gentlewomen , so Tate's original published libretto says. The performance was probably in 1689 or 1690. Dido's Lament , or "When I Am Laid in Earth" has "justly come to be regarded as one of the great things in music, " says Westrup. Continuing, he says, "Here Purcell rises within narrow limits to monumental grandeur. The brief aria has a Miltonic dignity . .. " Helene Alter will sin g the lament accompanied by a guitar .:i.uartet.
References
"Purcell , " by J. A. Westrup, Pellegrini and Cudahy Inc., New York, 1949; "Henry Purcell, " Essays on his Music, eidted by Imogen Holst , Oxford University Press , London, 1959; "Purcell," by William H. Cummin gs, Sampson Low, Marston & Company, London, 1903.
It should be noted that I have relied almost solel y on Westrup' s book as a reference for this discussion of Purcell, it bein g the most author-
itative at hand to this wr iter. Not only is the book impressively annotated but it dispels with scholarship several apparently erroneous conceptions (some of them put forth in Cumming' s book) of Purcell's life and work. The reader is referred to Appendix E of Westrup' s book and Chapter 3 of Holst's book relative to this. It also is worth mentioning that the date of Purcell's composing of Dido and Aeneas is in doubt. Cummin gs says ascribin g the opera, as is usually done, to Purcell's 17th year is "a complete mistake" and says Purcell was 22 when he wrote the music ; Westrup says he was 30. As for ourselves we' re stickin g with Mr . Westrup until told differently.
We say one more word of Westrup' s book for the interested. It contains the following append ices: a calendar of pertinent dates and events in Purcell's personal and musical life with a correspondin g listing of contemporary musici an s for each period; a complete catalo g of Purcell's works, includin g a separate listing of solo songs in the plays and operas ; a listin g with individual identifyin g descriptions of personalities important to Purcell and his time; a bibliography; a clarifyin g discussion of Purcell's family ori gins .
Music and Performers
Richard Pick transcribed the Purcell , Milan , and Beethoven selections the quartet will perform ; the Bach selec tions to be play ed by Richard Pick and Re gina Martinez were arranged by Alexander Bellow and published by the Spanish Music Center , New York.
Mrs. Regina Martinez is president of the Chicago Guitar Society. John Hunt, sin ger and guitarist , has had solo dates at the Small World in Old Town, the Italian Village in the Loop, currently a member of the Joe Eich Singers (three guys and a gal) that has done commercials, club and convention dates, backed Tony Bennett , and recently appeared at the Shamrock Hotel in Houston, Texas. Helene Alter has performed on WTTW, with Chica go a rea music groups, and recently added Second City's Monday night chamber music
series to her cre dit s . Ferdinand Pirnat is an eng ine er for ITT Kellog g. Amado Ca nchola is head of the printin g dep a r tment of Internation al Miner als and Chemicals Corporation . Dr. Ma rtin Studier is a nucl ear che mis t on the staff of Argonne Natio nal La bor atory.
SPRING DINNER
The Chicago Guitar Societ y will hold a dinne r for members and fri ends in the spring. Details of this even t will be announced in lat er is s ue s of CHICAGO GUITAR.
At the society's October meet ing Mr s. Re gina Martinez, presiden t, appointed the following committe es fo r th e 1962-63 season:
Hous e Committee: Lee Roy Bour land, Lemont, chairman ; Jon Pino, Mort on Grove; Irving Wilkins , Midlothian ; Charles Howell, Skokie .
Membersh ip and Hospitality Committee : F erd inand Pirnat, Chicago , chairman ; Mr s . Gr eta Bresler, Gay Giordan, Dr . Isi dro P erez, Ernest Martin, and George Gifford, all of Chica go, and Dr . Mart in Studier of Downers Grove.
Publicity Commi ttee : Miss Suzanne Avery and Mr s. Greta Bresler , both of Chic a go.