The Music Box

Everybody that plays in the Harvard Band, from the 11-year-old mascot to the last old grad, has a good time. They also all play well. When they play such excellent arrangements as they did last night, the result cannot help but be a success. Various medleys by Leroy Anderson furnished most of the program, as Director Malcolm Holmes resurrected his early "Tercentenaria," added the necessary amount of Ivy League standbys, and finished with a sparkling new medley of Radcliffe numbers.

Departures from the strictly local fare were satisfying; Holst's "Suite for Band" gave Holmes a chance to show the individual excellence of his players, as tubas, trombones, trumpets and horns in turn carried the theme of the first movement, while the sole trumpet of Robert Hermann stood out brilliantly in the restrained Intermezzo which gave way to full volume and brilliance for the final March. Hermann showed his excellent tone and tongue control in threading his way through the delicate phrasing of Morton Gould's "Pavanne."

The expertness of Holmes' direction and the intricacy of Anderson's arranging became more apparent in the near-perfect acoustic conditions of Symphony Hall than in the buffeting of a Stadium breeze. Beautifully shaded contrasts, a clarinet section which sounded as a single instrument, tremendously impressive weight of tuba and trombone: all these were clearly delineated in the Hall.

A change of scene was healthy also for the Choral Society, which showed considerable improvement over its first performance some weeks ago in Sanders. Ruth Abbot's arrangements of two Kentucky folksongs, "The Water-Cresses" and Hi Ho the Preacher Man," were sung with delicacy and grace. Cynthia Sweeney's solo in the former showed confidence and excellent control of her nice soprano.

Less successful was "On The Plains, Fairy Trains," which suffered from almost non-existent diction, and Schubert's "Valses Nobles," where sloppy entrances spoiled an otherwise well-sung piece. Bach's "Happy Lovers," victim of an uninspired performance in Sanders, again suffered from a lack of spirit until the final bars. The last selection, a medley of 'Cliffe songs, proved the comedy fare of the evening, as several hitherto unsung gems brought down the house.

The joint appeal of the concert must rest on an impressionistic, rather than a strictly critical basis: The Choral at its best was light, gay, swift-moving; the Band maintained the joyous excellence which has become its peculiar property.