Mr. Hill on Musical Club Concert

The fifth annual concert of the Harvard Musical Club was given last evening in the Fogg Lecture Room before an appreciative audience of good size. The program included a Symphonic Study for violin, violoncello and piano by E. Royce '07, played by Messrs. Demolins, Poore and Clapp; two movements from Quintet in C minor by P. G. Clapp '09, performed by the Pierian Sodality String Quartet and the composer; Mr. F. R. Hancock '11 sang a group of songs comprising "The Song of a Dream," by A. W. Locke '05, "Love Song from the Greek," by C. B. Roepper '10, and "The Wind," by T. Lynes '10. In addition, C. D. Clifton '12 played the Chopin Ballade in G minor op. 23, and P. G. Clapp '09 brought the concert to a conclusion with Beethoven's pianoforte sonata op. 53. The main purpose of the concert being to bring to a hearing compositions by students in the Musical Department, or by recent graduates, it is unnecessary to consider at length the qualities of the works presented; but some slight comment upon general traits manifested may be appropriate.

Mr. Royce's Symphonic Study showed high aims, an elevated style of some complexity, many episodes of compelling beauty, but as a whole it seems as if the composer had set himself a difficult problem to maintain the thread of continuity without the aid of a closer adherence to conventional form. In substance, however, this work is so interesting as to demand another hearing before attempting a more authoritative opinion. In the first movement of Mr. Clapp's quintet we feel at once the solidity and breadth of structure, although the treatment of the strings is occasionally at variance with traditional quintet style. The themes, striking in themselves, are well adapted to extended treatment, and the effect of this movement is one of strength and sustained power. The adagio seems at a first hearing more rhapsodic, although there are episodes of beauty and imaginative power.- Mr. Hancock possesses an agreeable voice, carefully cultivated; his enunciation is particularly distinct. He entered well into the spirit of each song in his group. Mr. Locke's "Song of a Dream" exhibited a sustained lyric mood, with an admirably varied accompaniment. Mr. Roepper called into service an ultra-modern harmonic style, which made his song the most noticeably individual of the group, in delicate delineation and poetic suggestion. Mr. Lynes's "The Wind" was undeniably graphic, and the forceful accompaniment added much to the treatment of the song itself. The accompaniments were admirably played by Messrs. Lynes and Roepper. Mr. Clifton's performance of the Chopin Ballade rose to a very high pitch of excellence, although one might have wished occasionally for more of the virtuoso dash. Yet the clearness of his phrasing, and his appreciation of the poetic contents was undeniable. The Beethoven Sonata at the end came somewhat in the nature of an anticlimax, although it would perhaps have been difficult to place it elsewhere. All in all an exceedingly interesting concert and one which thoroughly maintained the standards of the club.