Jean Berger to Speak at Convention

Brickbats and Bouquets Jean Berger To Speak At Convention OR Jean Berger, composer - in - residence ",' An Open Letter to Publishers at the University of Colorado, Bouldel, Colorado, will be guest speaker at the BJi Maurice King discussion-demonstration session, sched uled for 8 :30, Thursday morning, March We congratulate, and commend to 15, at the Chicago Conference. purchasers, those publishers who DO m Mr. Berger joined the University of clude the following helpful features In Colorado music faculty in September, their choral publications: 1961, as associate professor, He was 1. Stapling sheets together. on the music faculty at the University of 2. A voiding loose (single) sheets when Illinois from 1959 to 1961 and for 11 at all possible. (We have before us a years before that he was a faculty mem number with a single sheet and no music ber at Middlebury College in Vermont. on front or back covers I ! ) A noted composer, chiefly of choral 3. Indicating ranges of voice parts. music, Berger's work has been per formed widely in the United States and 4. Indicating sources of texts and mel England. His "Le Sang des Autres" odies (especially the latter, in the case of won first prize in 1937 for choral score arrangements. ) in Zurich, Switzerland. Among his com 5. Providing historical and perform missions have been "Vision of Peace" ance notes. for the Fleet Street Choir, London; "Bra JEAN BERGER 6. Indicating other voicings available zilian Psalm" for the famed Westminster for a particular number. Choir of Princeton, N. ].; and "The performed at Redlands University. Cal 7. Providing approximate performance Prayer of Manesseh" for the Illinois ifornia, by the Vermont State symphony. time, especially for larger works. Wesleyan University A Cappella Choir. Born in Germany in 1909. Berger 8. Indicating measure numbers (usual Other notable choral groups which received the Ph.D. degree in musicology ly in multiples of four, not five, please) have performed his music include the St. from Heidelberg University and later to facilitate rehearsals. Olaf Choir, the Pro Musica Chorus of studied at the University of Vienna. A (Lest we be over-subtle, we also are Boston, and the BBC chorus. pianist and organist. he also studied com making a plea that other publishers could, Among his symphonic works, "Creole position privately in Paris with Louis without lessening their profits, or appear Overture" was given its premiere per Aubert and Pierre Capdevielle. ing to be'imitators, follow suit.) . formance by the Boston "Pops" Orches From 1932 to 1939. Berger was ac Since the price-per-copy is affected by tra with Arthur Fiedler conducting, in tive as an accompanist. coach and choral the number of pages, may we suggest 1949. and his "Short Symphony" was conductor in Paris and toured through some ways in which excessive pages out Europe and the Near East. He spent two years (1939-41) as assistant con might be avoided, thereby holding down such composers as Gershwin. etc. the price without affecting the essential ductor and coach at T eatro Municipal, 2. More SSAA numbers. musIc: Rio de Janeiro, and on the faculty of 3. Reasonable top tenor ranges, es 1. Notate extensive unison passages on the conservatory there. pecially in male editions. one staff. In 1942 he came to the United States 2. Utilize repeats, D. S., etc. (with TO THE DIRECTORS: We sub and served in the U. S. Army. Later he "2nd stanza" for different text), instead mit that the publishers DO want to know spent three years travelling with the USO of durchkomponiert style, when at all what we like and don't like about their to Europe, Africa. Southeast Asia, and possible. products, but seldom if ever do any of the South Pacific. Following the war. 3. Omit a) advertising, b) listing of us take pen in hand to tell them. We with Mrs. Berger, formerly of the Met other numbers, and c) fancy title pages, urge you to do so, even if only on a postal ropolitan Opera ballet, and another cou all of which necessitate extra pages. (We card. Please share with us Jiour most ex ple. all USO veterans, he cooperated in do understand that the above may be 'asperating gripes. and we'll compile them conducting a school of music and dance justified in avoiding a loose, half-sheet, all for all the publishers. although many in Torrington, Conn .• until going to Mid however.) We doubt if anyone objects individual letters are far more effective. dlebury in 1948. to the music starting right on the front Berger has been a U. S. citizen since ~page, . Mr. King,one of our choral review 1943. He is a member of the MacDow Finally, some requests about the mu ers. invites suggestions for additional ell Colony Association. ASCAP. Amer ,ic itself: commendations or criticisms to be sub ican Guild of Organists, and the Ameri 1. More divisi, a cappella arrange mitted to publishers, and asks they be can Musicological Society. .ments of good show tunes and standard sent to him at 21 31 Charter Oak Drive. The Bergers have one son, Jonathon • 'pops, retaining the rich harmonies of T allahassel}, Florida. born May 24. 1953. 9 .l\IAltCH 1962 .

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