THE DIAPASON AN INTERNATIONAL MONTHLY DEVOTED TO THE ORGAN AND l'HE INTERESTS OF ORGANISTS Sixty-third Year, No.9 - lVilolt: No. 755 AUGUST, 1972 Subscriptions $4.00 a year - 40 cents G copy Convention 1972 ('onnntlon d,nllure ,I,neUe by Donald WIIUq. June 18-24 Over 900 members of the: A.C.O. mentalists_ They are well disciplined. ton wad," totally inappropriate for the good stylistic registrations in spite of journeyed (0 "The Dig n" in mid-June they know the music well, thc), sing music, and the air conditioning system :all of his attempts to treat it kindly. (0 auend the organiution's biennial with ven"e and eXcitement, and Mr_ provided loud background accompani. We hope that it was just an "0(£ day" marathon of conCcr1.5 and r~tals. COIl1 - Bergt's approach to the music is an ment that W;ls annoying. for Mr. Holloway (or that it was per­ manly Cliled a com'cntian. And Da1l3.!l energetic one. Stylistially. howe\'cr. one The Schola CantorlllU of Fort 'Vorth haps an "0(( day" for I1S as a listener). rewardet.l them wilb :l generally fine can qUC5tion the approach further. is a larger group. made up of amateur Anton HeWer was the first of the program of c,'clllS, (riendly hospitality. Modem professional singers arc usually singers. and was without the benefit of European fe:tturw redtalists on .he a plush .md first-rate (and therefore trained in late 191h amI 20th century instruments. Bev. R. Henson, the con­ progmm. Playing the large Caruth tfaU \'cry cxpensi\'c) hC3dquartcrs hotel. and operatic style. There(ore vibr.ato is nn ductor of the group, aims at a "whiler" Aeolian-Skinner organ, he producw lypically hot weather (or June in Texas. integral part of the \'Dcal Instrument, and more delicate sound than the Kan­ what for us was the dullest program The Dallas committee headed by Paul all the time_ The cffeCL of such a vibra­ lorei. and this might be successful were we have heard him play in years_ It was Lindsley Thomas must have done their to is to negate the usc of tremolandi, the singers able to provide enough in­ reserved in all ways, had none of the homework well. (or all arrangements in Italian Daroque music - the useful tensity to the vocal production in order freedom o( rhythm and melodic line for tJlC convention seemed to go well. ornament of ule period is applied to to define the pitch and imprO\"c the which we have heard him do so well. c\'ents happened on schedule, :md trans­ all of the music rather than as an ex­ sometimes weak intonation. All of the and all o( the works came alit some· port:ltion was both abundant and effi­ pressive device in places where the pas­ performances lacked intensity. and COll­ what stodgy and dull. We had the ciently organized. The program com­ sion of the LeXt could all for il. As a veyed a weak tonal impression. It w:as feeling that he was uncomfortable with miUee headed by Robert Anderson also matter of (act, modern operatic vocal very difficult to understand the words, the instrument iLscIf. and that he was did their work well. for they managed technique simply obliterates 311 of the and we found little variety o( stylistic less than excited by having to play it. to smash a dauling arr:ay of recitals ornamental devices such as changes of approach £rom piece 10 piece. Certail.lly, His recital failed, even in the Reger into the weck and still provide variety color, timbre, rhythmiC alter-nious, and there was none of the cnergelic exClIc· piece. to produce the excitement for to the proceedings without scheduling coloraturas which would be usu31 ill ment produced by the Kantorei. which he IS world· renowned as a red­ things as tight as we ha\'e seen in othcr the music of SchUtz and his contelll­ The programs: talist. com entions. Since the program was porarics. Without this, the main ex· The Americm Kantorei, Robert Dougla!! ltIanhall of Boston won the made up almost cntirety or concerts, pressive qualitl o( the music (conveying Bergt. conductor.• 'rogram A: Intrada nation:al organ playing competilion nn)' rc:\'icw of the oou\'ention must o( the passion 0 the words) is lost. and from Partita (or 5 and 6 Instruments. which preceded the oon\'cntion. His re· tu..'ccssity be a rC\'iew of lJu_"SC perform­ much of the music becomes dull. We Melchior Fr.anck; MoteLS for 2 Choirs - cital for the convention failed to tell nnces. were unable to underst3nd most of the I am the Resurrection and the Life, us even one reason why he should be words. Furlhecmore. the music o( Lift Up Your Heads. Motet for Treble selected as winner. Containing a '''In· Choral Performances SchulZ and his contemporariL"S is large­ Voices - Heute ist Christus tier Herr piing of all kinds of organ literature Two major choral groups each pro­ ly wrillen out in s1..t'let;ll lonn, Icaving gcboren, Sacred Song (or 2 Tenors and from Bach 10 Peloquin, he attempted \'idcd the convention Wilh two separate much improvisatory ornamcntation to Bass - Frenet euch des Herren, Schlitz; to play everything in the style o( Virgil programs. The American Kantorei of the performer. These impro\'isatory or· Singet (risch und wohlgcmut, Distlcr; Fox. For us, this was a disaster, not 51. Louis, under the direction of Robert naments were common IR the J>C:riod, MotelS - Sinqet dem Herrn ein nenes because we don't like the style itself. Bergt, centered on the worla of Hein­ and it would have been unthmkable Lied, Der Geist hurt unscre Schwach­ but because Mr. Fox does it beller. We rich Sdl£itz and his contemporaries. (or a performer to lea\te them out - heit auf, Bach. Program B: Also h3t see no reason why an),one should want They also performed all but one o( the the composer expected this of the per­ Gott die 'Velt gelicbt. Psalm 100 (for to copy such an individualistic approach motel! by J. S. Bach. Since the scrond former. The pomt here is that after 2 choirs). Es steh Gou auf. Ocr Hcrr to the music; it simply hrings one into perfonmmce b)' the Kantorei was pre­ one has heard ten of SchUu's t3<1enccs ist mein Liebt, Dcutsches Magnificat, direct comparison with the one emu­ ceded by a (caturc leclUre o( the con­ (which are frequent) without any or­ SchUtz: l\[ote15 - Komm JCsu kOllnn. lated in tenos of how successful the \'entioll, and since the lecture had to naments (:t.S most of tbem were done Lobet den Herrn. Bach. show was. Mr. Marshall was decidedly do somewhat with the music being per­ by the American Rantorei) , one tires Schola Cantorum of Fort Worth, Bev. inferior to Mr. Fox. and we would formed by the Kantorei, we must con­ of hearing the $lmc chordal cadcnce R. Henson. oonductor. Program A : Six suggest that he would be far better of( sider the lectures in this context. Ori­ progression O\'er and over 3gain. In Chansons on Original Poems of Rilkc, to arrive at his own style. Bellcr yct. it ginally, Paul Henry Lang, the eminent facl. it becomes irrit3ling and it is Hindemith; Three Chansons, Debuss)'; might help to study the music 3 bit musicologist was sCheduled (0 be the probably the chief reason that so many Three Chansons, Ra\'el; Stabat Mater, stylistically. There were many mista.kes main speaker. Due (0 iUncs, he w:t.S not people think that thc music of Schlitz Poulenc. Program B: Adoramus teo Via­ in obvious places, wrong notes cropped able to he at the cOIl\'cntion. and his 15 dull. Things impro\'ed a bit for the dana; Crucifixus, Lotti; Sanctus and ur in the slowest of tempi, and some place was taken by Dr. Michael Collins, mwic by Bach, but a certain hea\'iness Hosanna, A. Gabrieli; Eceo Mormorar. a UIC music was of a decidedly in­ musicologist and specialist in baroque of rhyulm, and a stylistic approach Monteverdi; 0 Salutaris, Ro"ini; Glori .. ferior quality (0 be programmed at :a performance pr.actice5 and faculty mem­ which dri\tes the music with a great (rom Mass in F. Pergolcsi; Es Die Est national convention. It must now be ber of North Tex:l5 StoUe Unn·crsily. energy resulted in a loss of elegance Trophei, A. Scarlatt.i. obvious to the reader that this reviewer Denton. His first lecture had to do and expression. We admire the compe· and Mr. Marshall are on complctely op· with Schutz and the halian Style." ;lntl tence and verve o( this grouP. and we Orpn R.ecitals posite poles of musical .. nd IITtiSlic his concise prescntation of the stylistic certainly admire Mr. Be'll for his dl"LI­ Clyde Holloway substituted for thinking and opinion. troaits (or "salient fe;lllucs') o( the ieation and hard work m pUlliug an Fred Tulan. who was unable to play due Luigi Ferdinanda Tagliavini played Italian Baroque music o( SchOlZ'S per­ essentially good professional group to­ to sudden iIIncss. Mr. Holloway stepped what, for 115. was the first really superb iod (as well as the second lecture on gelher 10 perform this music_ Style. into the slot on 24 hour notice. Perhaps recital of the convention. Playing the "Building a Uaroque Pedorm:mcc") howe\'er, is the main problem hcre mu­ it was this short notice combined with new Aeolian-Skinner organ dcslgned by was packed with thoughts and mate­ sically.