College News, 1922-11-28, Vol. 09, No. 09

              4
The
Cotivri.hl, \'Ui. Iiy fin Coixtor News
ews
VOLUML   IX.      No    9
BRYN MAWR, PA., TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28.  1922
Price 10 Cents
SCENE FROM "COUNTESS CATHLEEN"
PALESTR1NA CHOIR SINGS
IN FIRST MONDAY CONCERT
Choral Music from Tenth Century
to Cesar Frank Illustrated
The   Palestrina   Choir   of    Philadelphia
gave the first of the Monday evening con-
'certs in Taylor Hall, last ni(�ht, upon the
"Development of Music." Mr. Montani,
conductor of the choir, gave a shefrt talk,
followed hy singing of the choir.
Mr. Montani began with an historical
sketch of the development of Choral Music
and a descriptive analysis of the works to
be performed. He then led the singing
of the, Palestrina Choir of Philadelphia,
of eighty voices. Mr. Nicola A. Montani
is a composer as well as a conductor. The
idea of the recital was to illustrate church
music from the tenth century, using the old
organum and descant, singing the Gregorian
Chant in antiphonal style according to the
traditional custom of the Cathi lie Church,
through the sixteenth century, the high-tide
of polyphonic music, with examples from
the productions of Palestrina and Arcadelt,
up to the modern Italian,'Russian and Bel-
gian schools .with illustrations from Casi-
miri, Tschaikowsky and Cesar I'ranck. An
orgajt accompaniment was, of e"oiirsc, im-
possible, hut the Cesar Franck was accom-
panied hy Mr. Albert J.'Doorier at the
piano. The choir itself /wore their cus-
tomary Palestrina colics, and looked very
impressive standing on the platform espe-
cially constructed for them. Mr. Weber
sang a solo from one of the Russian folk
songs, the purity, variety of expression ami
volume of his voice being Of a piece with
the general excellence of the recital.
BRYN   MAWR  WILL  SEND  HOCKEY
PLAYERS TO TOURNAMENT
Ten Bryn Mawr hockey players will
probably try out for the All United States
Team at the tournament to be held during
Thanksgiving vacation, at the Philadelphia
Cricket Club.
Four of these will be sure to compete:
E. Page.'23, E. Tuttle '24, M. Buchanan "24
and E. Harris '26. The- other entries that
are uncertain, are: V. Corse '23, M.
Adams '23, V. Brokaw '23, E. Pierson '24.
M. Faries '24, and M. Gardner '26. The
individual tryouts will be held on Saturday
morning, December 2., Thursday and Fri-
day, the Inter-City teams will play off the
preliminaries,   the   finals  coming .Saturday
An All United States Team will be
chosen during the tournament by a com-
mittee appointed by the Executive Board
of United States Field Hockey Associatiqn.
The Association has l>een invited to send a
team to England this winter and the ques-
tion of doing so will be decided at a meet-
ing of  the Association on December 1.
"COUNTESS CATHLEEN," LYRICAL IRISH PlAY
GIVEN BY SOPHOMORES TO SENIORS SATURDAY
t                                             �
Etheline Hinkley and Helen Grayson  Divide Honors in Principal Parts;
Countess at Best in Love Scene, Oona Consistently Good  �
in Gesture and Make-up
SETTING OF SECOND SCENE AND MUSIC PRAISED
[Specially Contributed by Dr. ILlen Sard]
The cuphomore class presented Williarr
Butler Yeats's lyrical drama, The Countess
Cathleen, in the Gymnasium on Saturdav
�vening. November 25, in honor of the
Class of 1923,
The production, which was coached by
Miss Frances Fuller, could not be entire!)
a finished performance, since'three weeks
of the time allotted had been spent upon
tin- rehearsal of' another play relinquished
on 'account of difficulties with the copy-
right. Though' a trifle rough, yet in the
ntcrpretation of two or three of the major
vi.-on.. of the drama, and in the excellent
business of several minor ones, in the set
ting of the second scene, and in the charm-
ing incidental music, it was distinctly
interesting.
The play itself is a difficult blend of
allegory and folk-tafe in irregular blank
,erse. with the supernatural never made
jnite so credible as Mr. Yeats succeeds in
making it in The Land of Hear ft Desire,
for example. Though often1 produced, and
not infrequently by amateurs, this drama
lias from the first shown structural weak
ih sses which have led the author to fre-.
qtient revisions. The original version as
given at the Irish Literary Theatre in 1W9,
lacked the love scene between the Countess
and Aleel. which was added with great
advantage before the play was brought to
America. Again in 1911 Mr. Yeats, in an
effort to adapt the play for performance at
spirits), and gives time for the setting of
the rcar^ stage for the final scene. It
seemed, however, on Saturday night, that
the problem of scene-shifting was compli-
cated and not accelerated by an act which
added little to the effect Of the whole. In
deed to ihc present reviewer, the grotesque
walk of the merchants introduced an 'in-
congruous element of farce not implied by
the stage directions, "The two Merchants
follow silently."
The Steward, likewise, though inter-
preted by Miss Chisolm with amusing
vigor, was essentially a pompous Shake-
spearean servitor, and not at all out of
Yeats. These attempts to secure comic re-
lief or contrast appeared a violation of the
unity of tone, the subdued and wistful
mood in which the poet had conceived his
dramatic legend of a world in which the
trohble of the poor is but "a harsh and
radishy sauce" for the meat of the rich,
a world ''� which simple folk sell for bread
and gold that little vapoury tiling men call
a soul, a world in which the emissaries of
the Master of all Merchants appearin urt-
earlhly power and splendor to wring profit
from the world's need, a world in which.
tn quop; the dramatist's own words, "the
Countess Cathleen is simply a soul or hu-
man spirit which perpetually makes the sac-
rifice she made) which perpetually gives
itself into captivity for the service of good
causes, and in the end  wins peace, because
ATHLETIC MEETING VOTES
FOR OUTSIDE BASKETBALL
Soccer and Walking Wanted forEx-
ercie in Winter�Council Decides
the   Abbey Theatre,  rewrote the first- two lev cry high motive  is  in  substance peace."
scenes almost completely, with considerable      In   the   interpretation., 61   the   principal
gain in coherence. At this time also he
wrote the form of the final scene per-
formed Saturday night to take the place
(if the original version which called for
an assemblage of the heavenly hosts dis-
covered o^thc mountain-side by the kneel-
ing peasants in the'half light of vision.
The substitution for this of the scene with
the single angelic visitant was admittedly
a concession to the technical limitations'of
the Abbey stage. Even this simpler end-
ing, however, if it is to keep anything of
the .original poetic quality and illusion, must
be played in that half light of vision in
which the natural and the supernatural
meet
A somewhat long performance might
have been shortened by the omission of
the fourth act, a short scene on the front
stage which presumably draws together the
strands of the story (peasants, demons, and
characters, honors seem divided between
Miss Hinkley's Aleel and Miss Graysrfn's
portrayal of the First Merchant. Occa-
sional indistinctness e.f enunciationtblurted
Miss-Hinkley's lines, but in voice quality.
In a certain .freedom of action, anel in
power to work up with, swift intensity at
such points as the scene with the merchants
in the final act, she showed fitness for the
part quite asiele from the charm e>f her
singing and her appearance.
As the First Merchant, Miss Grayson did
good, sustained acting at several points.
She held the stage through long declama-
tory speeches, and even when silent made
her diabolical presence unforgettable. Her
acting, however, was somewhat over-done
at times, with too constant movements of
occult significance.
Miss   Tinker   made   a   girlish   Countess
CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
Beginning with the election of K. .Kaht,
"23, as college cheer leader, the Athletic
Association passed motions yesterday re-'
garding basketball games, I}. M.'s fe>r ten-
nis' anel basket-ball, and took senses of. the
meeting em walking anel soccer as exercise.
The question of whether tennis should be
permitted on Sunday was likewise dis-
cussed.
Since some of the opposing teams in
basket-ball come from a long way, we must
pay quite a*large ameiunt ixjt their trans-
portation. The question was raised whethci
a girls' rule game was worth the depletion
of the treasury, which was already a little
meagre' localise' of the $197 paid out foi
Varsity's new trousers, but a motion was
unanimously Mated that these games bt
continued.                   �
It was then discussed whether soccer lie
Counted as a winter spor). It used to be
making an inter-hall game of the social
hockey variety, but. because of sudden and
inclement weather changes, its practice died
nut. Counting only as unorganized exer-
ci.se. it would allow sennething in the open
bride if chilly, rather than a lackadaisical
indoor sport. The decision of this question
is ne>t in the power of the Athletic Asso-
ciation, but a sense of the meeting was
passed in favor of it for use in the Council
meeting before which it is to be' brought.
Whether swimming anel apparatus lie inv
c ON list i n o\ PAGE 6 �
CHRISTMAS PARTIES COME THIS
YEAR  ON   DECEMBER  20
In the usual tradition, Christmas parties
will be given in all the halls on the eve of
the vacation.
This is an evening, illuminated both by
the pleasure qf the moment and the antici-
pation of the morrow's relief, anel no mat-
ter what entertainment is produced it i->
received with the meist enthusiastic ac-
claim. iKach hall will give its customary,
skit or traditional cerememy, and all will
later meet in Pembroke elining room, te> be
audience for a sheirt play given by the
Freshmen, anel then tei the dance at the
fancy-dress ball. Last war "A Very Naked
Boy" was most uniquely staged, and the
dance culminated in high spirits with the
awarding of the dancing prizes to E. Dona-
hue '22 and E. Pearson '24.
Marion Holt has been made a member of
the Senior Reception Committee in the
place of Harriet Scribner. who resigned
on account of work.