Sesquicentennial Music
176 THE COMMONWEAL June 23, 1926 drawings were admired in Spain. In the textile arts ferent groups in the...
...and more important with the increasing prominence Program, rendition, and representation of the old we are taking in national and municipal functions and and new church compositions, as well as of the dif- the cultural fields of our nation...
...In the textile arts ferent groups in the music world of the city, embracthey soon excelled...
...Practically the same an excellence and brilliance that it would be impossible regime in force at Texcoco was observed here...
...But it took much urging on the i,ooo voices representing the Catholic Girls' High the part of the Spaniards to teach the Indians the School, the Polish and Ruthenian groups, Saint mechanical arts, for the Mexican rebelled against the Peter's Choral Society, the Cathedral Choir, Saint seven years of apprenticeship that was insisted upon...
...176 THE COMMONWEAL June 23, 1926 drawings were admired in Spain...
...The in art and music, there is a lack of sincere appreciaentrance to the villa, which is a vast one-story building tion and patronage on the part of our musical public, in stone modeled on the Califs' Palace of Cordova, is Catholic or non-Catholic-but be it here noted that an Aztec construction of enormous size, each stone this reproach is for the Catholics in particular...
...of the Sesquicentennial Exposition in Philadelphia Altogether, the Catholic Choirs' Festival was highly was given on Wednesday, June 9, and the program creditable to the great claims that have been made was one of extraordinary musical merit, worthy of for our traditional composers as well as the high the high aims of the Catholic Choirs Society, and of esteem in which our choirs and singing societies are the great reputation of the City of Brotherly Love for held, an esteem which should grow and become more its musical standards and attainments...
...musicians...
...and the exquisite rendering of 0 Bone Jesu gave to Maximilian...
...We feel sure that some cantata or oratorio Dr...
...rance...
...San The vast auditorium, capable of seating some ten Jose, the "Pearl of the Missions," so called on account thousand people, proved to be a hall of most remarkof its superb carvings, was next founded...
...past, the Doctor is dreaming a dream of founding in The Ave Maria by Tomas de Victoria and Caesar San Antonio a hospital similar to the one he built in Franck's Panis Angelicus with the solo by the fine Mexico, the best equipped of its kind in the land...
...It of the liturgical and secular, our lofty assumptions overlooks a small lake filled with water lilies...
...In Particularly calling for praise were Miss Nora his palace there are such precious treasures as Maxi- Burk's direction of Niedermeyer's Pater Noster, and milian's crucifix, Zurbaran's magnificent painting of Edgar's Fly Singing Bird...
...The of the first parochial school on this continent deserved Ruthenian Choir rendered several very interesting to be commemorated because it will give the lie once numbers from the Byzantine Rite, followed by a for all to those who maintain that the Spanish mis- superb rendition of Caesar Franck's Psalm 15o, consionaries insisted upon keeping the natives in igno- ducted by Leopold Sync...
...Urrutia brought to his palatial home in San of purely secular organizations would have crowded Antonio as much of Mexico as he could conveniently this auditorium and not left the impression that, in deport...
...voice of John Ambrogi were unforgettable features The four-hundredth anniversary of the foundation of the Reverend William B. Kane's choir...
...of which was carried piece by piece from Mexico...
...Having Aztec blood in his own veins he saw spite of all the pretensions of our students, our critics fit to carry from Mexico the Aztec God of Death...
...the Reverend William S. Saint Francis, the eagle of the last Aztec emperor, Murphy's direction of the twelfth-century Adoro Te and the vases from the Tuileries which Napoleon III Devote...
...Francis de Sales Choir, Church of Our Mother of From Texcoco a foundation was made in 169o in Sorrows Choir, and Saint Patrick's Choir, were of East Texas by the Franciscans...
...It was a fitting climax to the occasion...
...Orchestra...
...But the able acoustical properties, and but one word can be missions in Texas never thrived long or lustily, be- said of the audience, several thousand people indeed, cause the Comanche and Apache Indians did not bow but entirely inadequate to the splendid musical feast, their necks readily to the yoke of the Gospel nor keep or to the pretensions and ambitions of our very fine them there docilely when once they had submitted...
...one is familiar with the Alamo in San Antonio...
...The Polish Choir rendered several scenes from the operas, Halka Flix and Verbum Nobile, under the SESQUICENTENNIAL MUSIC able director, Walter Grigaitis...
...Masterly renditions THE first choral concert to open the auditorium were given on the splendid organ newly installed...
...It will also serve to give us the measure of The great feature of the evening was Nicola Monthose Mexican governmental officials who are trying tani's presentation of his composition, the Missa today to snatch from the hearts of a Catholic people Festiva, in six parts-a rich, harmonious development the priceless advantages made possible by the mis- of the best of the old and new in church music, rensionaries of long ago, who labored so ardently and dered with great effect by the Palestrina Choir, the magnificently to win this people to Christ and hold it Choir of Saint Peter's Church, and the Philadelphia to Him by sound Catholic education...
...They learned the art of building ing the Palestrina Choir under the special direction by close observation of the Spaniards, who in that age of Nicola A. Montani, the Philadelphia Orchestra, were great constructors...
...Surrounded by records of the of Palestrina under the leadership of Albert J. Dooner...
...Every- to rival in any other city of our nation...
Vol. 4 • June 1926 • No. 7
