The Music Box

Widener's 30 steps again demonstrated their sole raison d'etre yesterday evening as they formed the stage for the first of the two annual Harvard Glee Club Yard Concerts. While the Club is, by and large, repeating lighter works sung throughout the regular indoor season, the birds, transient aircraft, and other outdoor effects lend a new sound to the music that is all to the good.

Not reviewed before were Hassler's Cantate Domino, a clean-cut, buoyant piece of beautiful harmonies, and Nanino's Diffusa est Gratia, a lovely tapestry of sound. Both were served up very nicely. The other, now-familiar selections by Carter, Thomson, Purcell, and Handed do not suffer from a lack of wooden or plastic concert hall confines.

A long overdue word of praise must be accorded to the Club's accompanists. At no time this year has their playing been mere accompaniment. Although the piauists failed to keep up with the combined audience and Glee Club in the post-concert singing of college songs, no one seemed to mind. And the squirrels were treated to the first atonal, syncopated version of Harvardiana on record.