Newspaper Page Text
CAMPUS MIRROR
Christmas Carol Concert
The seventeenth annual Christmas
Carol Concert was presented in Sisters
Chapel on December 10 and 11, 1943,
hy the Atlanta-Morehouse-Spelman Chor
us and the Spelman and Morehouse Glee
Clubs. The chorus and the Morehouse
Glee Club were directed by Kemper llar-
reld, the Spelman glee club by Willis
L. James.
The program featured Negro Christ
mas folk songs. Two of the arrangements,
by Mr. James of the Spelman faculty,
have been published by G. Schirmer in
New York, Oh, Po’ Little Jesus and
Roun’ de Glory Manger. Mr. Harreld
arranged three carols for the Morehouse
quartet in traditional Negro harmonies.
They were The New-Born Baby, Christ
mas Song of the Negro Fishermen;
There’s a Baby in Bethlehem; and The
Keys of Bethlehem.
A descriptive organ composition,
March of the Magi Kings, by Dubois, was
rendered by Mr. Harreld at the beginning
of the program. It describes the journey
of the Wise Men to find Jesus. A high
sustained note represents the star and
the bass depicts the tread of the camels.
The most elaborate and one of the
most unique numbers on the program
was Yuletide, the combination of two
Spanish carols arranged by Deems Tay
lor. Another feature was the use of
rhythm instruments—castanets, finger
cymbals and a tambourine—in the Carol
of the Christmas Presents, an Andalus
ian song arranged by Fred Erickson.
In keeping with all the themes of to
day that are global in spirit, the carols
were international in their scope. The
Spelman College Glee Club sang Alsa
tian, German, and Welsh numbers; the
Chorus sang songs that were of French,
Swedish, English, Ukrainian, Spanish,
Slovak, Andalusian, Polish, and German
origin.
Each evening at eight, during the or
gan number, two robed girls lighted the
candles on the stage and in the windows
of Sisters Chapel. The prelude was fol
lowed by the majestic entrance of the
chorus members who marched from the
vestibule of the chapel to their seats on
the platform. The program continued
with Good Evening by Kelley; Lo, How
a Rose E’er Blooming, Praetorius; Ding-
Dong! Merrily on High, arranged by
Charles Wood; Upon My Lap My
Sov’reign Sits, Peerson; Carol of the
Bells, arranged by Peter Wilhousky;
Las Pascuas, arranged by Deems Tay
lor; The Holly and The Ivy, traditional
English; Come Ye All With Great Re
joicing, Slovak.
The Spelman College Glee Club sang
While By My Sheep, arranged by Elin
Jorgensen; Slumber, My Dove, arranged
by J. A. Fitzgerald; and Deck The Hall.
Hale Woodruff
The Spelman College Community was
delighted to have Mr. Hale Woodruff
back on the campus for a few days in
November.
Mr. Woodruff, who is a member of the
faculty at Spelman, is now on a leave
of absence to study in New York City.
His works have received recognition from
many critics and lovers of art from coast
to coast. He is steadily opening the
minds of students to the necessity of art
in one’s life.
Mr. Woodruff has an unassuming man
ner, and is indeed modest. During his
short visit to Atlanta, he spoke in chapel
one bright morning, on the esthetic de
velopment of the Negro. He mentioned
some of the great artists in the various
fields, such as Paul Robeson, Marian
Anderson, and Margaret Walker.
For the past two years, Mr. Woodruff
has successfully conducted an annual ex
hibition of works of Negro artists. He
will be back in the spring of 1944 to carry
on the project as usual. These exhibits
have been extremely inspiring and in
formative to the people that have been
able to attend.
Guests At the Concert
Among the many guests at the Atlan-
ta-Morehouse-Spelman Christmas Carol
Concert were the Emory University stu
dents on Friday, December 10, and the
one hundred and fifty soldiers from
Camp Sibert, near Gadsden, Alabama, on
Saturday, December 11.
The huge audience each night was
highly pleased with the singing. A spark
of the Christmas spirit had been lighted
in each heart present. The chorus con
tinued its spread of Christmas joy when
it went on Sunday, December 12, to the
Lawson General Hospital to sing for sick
and wounded soldiers. The members of
the chorus, however, enjoyed the visit as
much as the patients of the hospital en
joyed having them.
Song of the Christmas Presents, ar
ranged by F. Erickson; Mary’s Lullaby,
arranged by Carl Mueller; Stille Nacht,
German, were sung by the chorus and fol
lowed by Carol of the Sheep Bells, ar
ranged by Kountz, Glory To That New
born King, arranged by J. W. Work, by
the Morehouse College Glee Club. The
Chorus again sang Gently Rests The
Saviour, arranged by H. P. Hopkins;
Joseph, Dearest Joseph Mine, Robert
Franz; and Oh. Po" Little Jesus, arranged
by W. L. James.
The Morehouse College quartet sang
the three numbers arranged by Kemper
Harreld. Roun’ De Glory Manger, ar
ranged by W. L. James. Go Tell It
on the Mountain ended the program.
Robert Prentiss Daniel Speaks
At Spelman
Dr. Robert Prentiss Daniel was the
speaker at Vesper services on the last
Sunday in November. His talk was based
on the text, “Ye are the salt of the
earth.” Salt, according to Dr. Daniel,
has always been a necessity of life. To
be designated as salt, therefore, suggests
a privilege and a responsibility.
The properties of salt significant to us
are: (1) Its power to counteract unwhole
some elements; (2 ) its preservative quali
ties; (3) its abiding value; (4) its
buoyancy. As the salt of the earth, one’s
presence among men should command
respect. One’s influence should preserve
abiding values and standards. Thus, a
man “not worth his salt” is of little use.
College students should go forth as lead
ers in the community and should be the
channels of buoyancy and hope for less
fortunate ones.
Insipidness in individuals is very tragic.
Often during the course of his college
career one weakens in his convictions
rather than lose the favor of the crowd.
That person has lost his savor. He is
then no longer concerned with the Divine
Power. Therefore, life’s greatest danger
is that of becoming insipid. When a per
son loses his savor he is a mind without
a soul. Nevertheless, through the Saviour
lost savor may be restored.
The Harreld String Quartet
On the morning of December 2, 1943,
the Harreld String Quartet made its first
performance of the season in Sisters
Chapel. Mr. Harreld, founder of the
quartet, prefaced the program by intro
ducing the instruments to the audience.
He explained that the four instruments
were comparable to the voices of a
chorus.
The quartet began its program with a
Dvorak Sonata in F major, first move
ment. This was followed by Drink to Me
Only With Thine Eyes, English Folk,
arranged by Pochon; The Mill, a con
trasting delightful number by Raff, and
the Spirit of the Eighteenth Century by
Pochon.
The members of the quartet are Mr.
Harreld. first violin; Mr. James, second
violin; Clarence Render, of Washington
High School, viola, and Madeline Pat
terson, ’cello.
The Chorus members marched back to
the vestibule of Sisters Chapel to the
strains of Hark! The Herald Angels
Sing, and there sang the AMEN.