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.