Phonograph Monthly Review, Vol. 5, No. 2 (1930-11)

44 The Phonograph Monthly Review tious rites known as “voodooism.” I was about to ignore these countries when, quite by acci- dent, I came upon the record of a lovely Haitian meringue named Vacances —“Holidays,” by Lu- dovic Lamothe, played by the International Or- chestra; and I felt that I must pass the number on to you: Victor 81857. The meringue is a folk dance in syncopated 2/4 time; and this com- position has a very interesting and varied melo- dy, embodying a bass solo in one part by one of the instruments. On the other side of the disk is a raise lente by the same composer, Valse aux Etoiles —“Waltz to the Stars.” Another merinque, by Occide Jeanty, is Maria (Victor 46156), coupled with an unusual and stirring military march, “1804.” A Ti Na’ Ma (Columbia 3801-X) illustrates the Dominican meringue; it is backed up with Las Mujures —“The Women,” a gua- racha, also from Santo Domingo. One of the most eminent of Caribbean compos- ers is Justin Elie, born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1883. He started his musical education at the age of 6, and completed it at the Paris Conserv- atory. Although he has written a number of compositions, there are now no recordings avail- able, although I treasure an old Columbia “Novel- ty” record (E-7072), containing on one side the “Princess Dance” from Scenes Vaudauesques; and on the other side “Dance No. 4” from Danses Tropicales, played by a Haitian orchestra under the direction of the composer. African rhythms, exotic melodies, jungle drums—here indeed is weird music. VENEZUELA: There is said to be consider- able variety to Venezuelan music, as it originates from three distinct sources: The cities, which give it the Spanish flavor; the lonely prairies, which give the element of sadness; and the coast regions, inhabited largely by Negroes and half- breeds, which are responsible for the African rhythms. There are not many recordings avail- able, however, to illustrate this variety. Never- theless, we have a recording of a joropo, a little song of the olden time, Cuatriboleao (Victor 46176), a somewhat monotonous melody, but in- teresting in that one of the instruments employed is the cuarto, a small guitar-shaped instrument with four strings, played tremolo style. The other side of the disk has a decided Spanish fla- vor—a paso doble patterned after the Andalusian dance by that name: Princesa de Stamboul -— “Princess of Stamboul.” Another joropo, per- haps a little more characteristic in rhythm, is played as an instrumental selection by a typical Venezuelan orchestra on Victor 81862: El Dis- loque —“The Dislocation.” On the reverse side is a bambuco, a dance popular in the northern part of the continent: Angel de Mis Suenos — “Angel of My Dreams,” originating in the State of Tachira, and expressing the element of sad- ness. Venezuela also has the waltz, but not a la Strauss. Note how different from the waltz with which we are familiar is Sol Radiante — “Radiant Sun” (Victor 46178). (The conclusion of Mr. Marsh’s article will ap- pear in the next issue.) PHONOGRAPHIC ECHOES Activities of Two P. M. R. Reviewers Mr. Nicolas Slonimsky, whose reviews have been a fea- ture of recent issues of The Phonograph Monthly Review, has recently been engaged by the University Extension sec- tion of the Massachusetts Department of Education to give a series of eight lectures at the Boston Public Library on Modem Music and Modern Musicians. Mr. Slonimsky’s tech- nical equipment is sauced by a lively wit, and his talks on contemporary music are as stimulating as they are authori- tative. One of the features of his introductory lecture was an imaginary speech delivered at Stravinsky’s Centennial in 1980—an amusing and thought-provoking glimpse into the future when the erstwhile terrifying modernist has grown into a classic and gravely accepted without question by the ortho- dox. The synopsis of the course contains some apt musical characterizations: Russians Without Russia, the Germanic Brain-Workers, Jazz or Yatzt?, Respighi’s Vacuous Splendor, Hilarity and Nonchalance in the Music of Arthur Bliss and Lord Berners, The Yankee Revolutionists, Henry Cowell— the Incendiary, etc., etc. Phonophiles living in the vicinity of Boston should find the course very much worth-while look- ing up; further details may be secured at the Boston Library. In the October issue of the American Mercury Mr. Slonim- sky has a highly interesting little article on the subject of Absolute Pitch, in which he explodes some of the fantastic legends that have grown up around this faculty, and gives a clearer notion of what the ability to think in absolute pitch means to the professional musician. Incidently he contends that even the most gifted ears cannot identify more than four discordant notes, simultaneously struck. Combinations of two and three dissonant notes are easy for such “clairaud- ients” as Erich Korngold, Alfredo Casella, Jesus Maria San- roma, Joseph Achron, and others. “The first casualties an- nounced themselves with the addition of a gratingly disson- ant fourth note. Still the majority of guesses were correct. The fifth note—maliciously disagreeable with the rest of the chord—got them all. The jarring interference and the ‘beats’ to which it gave rise must have formed a physiologically in- surmountable obstacle to the correct perception of the tones.” Mr. Richardson Brown, whose article on Heinrich Schlusnus appeared in September P. M. R. and who reviews operatic and lieder records in these pages, has now a well-established record-review column in the Musical Leader, “Phonography, Inc.”, that Has succeeded in arousing a great deal of interest among the readers of this informative musical weekly (edited by Florence French, and published in Chicago). Mr. Brown’s column covers current record releases, chatty notes on record- ing personalities, and comment on the latest developments in the phonograph world and phono-musical press.