Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music - Opus Yearbook (Indianapolis, IN)

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BACK -STAGE DELICACIES (cooked up by a member of the orchestra) RECIPE Ingredients: Select approximately eighty-five young luitsicians of varied talent and tem- perament with all the Vim, Vigor and Vitality they possess. Add a little sweetness — we may not have sugar, but we still have the Jordan coeds — . Perhaps a dash of spice would go well — one of Stouder ' s corny jokes?? Ah-h-h, no, I th!nk not — let ' s leave the spice out — a little corn from Smitty ' s coruet might do. If you need a utensil for measuring the quantities of these ingredients, try Weimer ' s peck ' ' horn. Now roll these ingredients out on a snare drum, pour into Leyenberger ' s ' cello and beat well. Place in Detroy ' s kettle drum and allow to set for a period of eight or nine months. If it doesn ' t set well, throw in Schiller ' s bull fiddle. This might

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December 11, was not begun until the latter part of November. The highly cred- itable and well-accepted performance of the orchestra on that night left us proud in the conviction that our orchestra under the constant guidance of Dr. Sevitzky and his assistant, Leon Zawisza, will continue to strive toward those standards of achievement which, from the standpoint of performance, label it as highly pro- fessional. Early in the second semester the orchestra again had occasion to take part in a celebration, this time, the local observance of the President ' s Birthday Ball held in the Butler Fieldhouse on January thirtieth. Following this appearance. Dr. Se- vitzky and the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra were on tour in the middle west and in the eastern states. Consequently the members of the Conservatory Or- chestra had a much needed rest. Upon the return of Dr. Sevitzky, work was begun on the program to be pre- sented as the final performance during the Third Festival of American Music. This concert, given at the Murat Theatre on the ninth of May, proved to be per- haps the most successful concert of the year. A large audience attended and the hearty response indicated their approval of all that had been achieved by the or- chestra during the endless hours spent in intensive and exacting rehearsals. Among the highlights of the evening were Marie Zorn ' s brilliant interpretation of Edward MacDowell ' s Concerto No. 2 for pianoforte and orchestra, and the performance by orchestra and chorus of The Peace Pipe, a cantata for mixed chorus, baritone solo and orchestra, composed by Frederick S. Converse. The baritone solo was sung by Earl Albertson, whose talent as a soloist immediately won recognition. Other numbers included on the concert were Henry Fiadley ' s Overture, In Bohemias; MacDowell ' s Sea Pieces, orchestrated by Lionel Barrymore at the re- quest of Mr. Sevitzky, and two compositions by John Alden Carpenter, Song of Faith and Song of Freedom. The string orchestra concluded the year ' s activities with its appearance on June fifth at commencement exercises. Dr. Sevitzky conducting.

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provide a better bass than would Leyenberger ' s ' cello. If you want it to rise, throw in a leading tone. Slice with a sharp trombone and serve on a hot platter. Curious to know the results of this sort of a mixture?? — Then read on, dear reader, read on, for herein is presented the most choice tidbits which enter into the behind-the-scenes life of an orchestra member. DO YOU REMEMBER: Why you play this way, isn ' t it? — and Don ' t stop soon! (via F.S.) Th three B ' s in music — Bach, Beethoven, and Sowerby (Sour-bee) ? (via Pacini) . The mystery concerning the scanty attendance at sectional rehearsals during the first few days of spring. A very ticklish horn player furnished the solution — said, Mr. Z., it must be love! (via Jeanie G. — hmmmm, Y look who ' s talking!) Incidentally, Gail W. was appointed chief caretaker of J. G. — via Mr. Z! The question as to when Jim Noble and Jackie Mitchell would be giving their joint recital — and we don ' t mean on tuba and piano. (Vi-a, yes! what about this, J.M. and J.N.?) The conductor who in trying to explain to the violins just how he wanted a tremolo played said, just put your head down and then wiggle! The difficult program at the Butler Fieldhouse in conjunction with the President ' s Birthday Ball? The difficult part about it was sitting there for four hours. Tschaikowsky now has a theme song — No one ever works here but Father. (via Pacini). And do you remember the night Jim Noble became overly enthusiastic, be- cause at last, the orchestra was to rehearse a number which included a part for tuba in the orchestration? We started playing and Jim began counting out the rest measures — 7-2-3-4, 2-2-3-4, 3-2-3-4, and so on into the night. The orches- tra played on, making crescendos and diminuendos, playing whole notes, half notes, blue notes, sour notes, and above it all could be heard the voice of deter- mination counting, 95-2-3-4, 96-2-3-4, 97-2-3-4! And now only four more measures until time for the double fortissimo at the end of the first movement — two measures to go — Jim was set for the kdl — one measure, and now — LET ' EM HAVE IT!! BAROOOM! A thunderous volley came from the lower extremities of the tuba. It was a wonderful fortissimo — well controlled, full, and resonant, but alas! Why all the laughter? Why the quizzical over the spectacles look from the maestro? — In the excitement of the moment Jim hadn ' t noticed that the orchestra had stopped playing a measure before his entrance and his sfz had exploded right in the mid- dle of Sevitzky ' s lecture to the strings on the art of playing pianissimo.