Vandergrift High School - Spectator Yearbook (Vandergrift, PA)

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THE SPECTATOR 31 the downfall of a great many people in the present day, but which cannot last. Occasionally we get hold of a fairly good, sentimental piece of jazz. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Well, it isn’t, for there are some beautiful compositions— which are spoiled by the words Some people have great ambitions regarding music; then something happens, perhaps not quite to their liking, and they denounce music and everything pertaining to it, much to their later grief. On the other hand, those who really do care for, and appreciate music, usually have no opportunities to enter the musical field. If you have an opportunity to enter the realm of music, take it. You may have talent, but it takes hard work, and lots of it, to be successful. You will never regret the study of music, for music will afford you many pleasant hours, educational hours, in fact, perhaps hours that you would spend in doing something not quite so profitable. In this brief composition, I have tried to show you of what classical and jazz music is composed, but, if I say nothing else, remember always, that opportunity comes only a few times, and in music, perhaps only once, so, if such an opportunity is offered you, take it, and do your best with it. —Virginia Brookhart, ’24. THE LIFE OF FRANCIS SCOTT KEY Francis Scott Key was born in Fredrick county, Maryland, and was educated at Saint John’s College in Annapolis. Beginning the practice of law in Fredrick in 1801, he rose to the position of District Attorney of the District of Columbia. He wrote a number of poems and in 1857 they were collected and published. He also was the author of our national song “The Star Spangled Banner.” After the burning of Washington, D. C., by the British soldiers, in August, 1814, Dr. William Beaues of Upper Marlborough, Maryland, threw three British refugees into jail, and for this he was arrested by an English regiment and taken as a captive aboard a warship in Chesapeake Bay. John S. Skinner of Washington, and Key, then an attorney in the District of Columbia, were granted permission by Secretary of State, James Monroe, to intercede for the doctor, and these two boarded the vessel just as it was preparing to bombard Fort McHenry, the chief protection of Baltimore. The British soldiers agreed to release Beaues, but refused to allow the two Americans to leave the vessel until after the battle, lest they should tell the plans to the patriots on land. On Tuesday, September 13, 1814 the bombardment began, continuing that day and almost all night. To Key and his companions it seemed impossible that the fort could survive the attack, as its guns were small and its defenders were few. All night they walked the deck in anguish, and even when dawn came could not discover the outcome because of haze and smoke. Suddenly, at seven o’clock, a rift in the mist showed for a moment the flag gleaming over the walls. Thrilled by the sight of the American flag still floating over the fort Key wrote a greater part of a poem on the back of an unfinished letter and completed it that night in a Baltimore hotel. The next morning the poem was printed on hand bills and during that day Key’s brother-in-law suggested that it be set to an old England drinking tune, “Anacreon in Heaven”, which was already familiar to Americans as the air for a political song entitled “Adams and Liberty.” A few days later it was first sung by Fermand Durang, an actor, at Baltimore. The composition immediately became popular, was played at the Battle of New Orleans, and is now played each evening at flag lowering in every American fort and garrison and on every American battleship throughout the world. The United States government keeps a flag floating always over Key’s grave at Fredrick, Maryland, while on the other side of the continent a great statue in memory of him, the gift of James Lick, looks out upon the Pacific from Golden Gate Park, San Francisco. On September 13, 1914, the city of Baltimore celebrated with an appropriate program the hundredth anniversary of the writing of this National Song. —Mary Kuhns, ’24.

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30 THE SPECTATOR President ................. Malcolm George Librarian Alfretta Myers Secretary.................... Carl Ferguson MUSIC MEMORY CONTEST A music memory contest is being given this year in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8. The students participating will be required to become familiar with thirty compositions by standard composers. They must be able to recognize the name of the composition, state name of the composer and his nationality and give a few salient facts concerning composer and composition. Records of the thirty pieces have been provided, and the pupils hear one or more daily. GLEE Director—Miss Ferrell President....................Virginia King Secretary................Beulah Burkhart Librarian............................Hulda Cooper Pianist .................... Pauline Bolar The Glee Club has a membership of eighty-three girls. The girls seem very enthusiastic and show a great deal of spirit. The Glee Club’s library contains a large number and variety of classical selections. The following numbers are taken from selections the girls are now using. Lullaby ......................... Brahms Holy is His Name..................Handel The Dawning Springtime ........... Capua To a Wild Rose .............. MacDowell Chit-Chat ....................... Moffat The Big Brown Bear............Nana-Zucca The teachers report much interest on the part of the pupil. This contest will be of inestimable value to the children in later life as well as now. Have you not many times heard a piece of music which was familiar yet you could not give the name of the piece or composer ? The idea is to familiarize the children with standard compositions, so they will listen intelligently to music they hear, and have the satisfaction of knowing the composition and its source. CLUB A number of new members have added their names to the roll, and it expects to receive a large number next year from the Freshman class. The Glee Club is now practicing one hour a week and already shows a marked improvement compared to the beginning of the year, due largely to the efforts of its able director Miss Ferrell. The club enjoys the new auditorium very much. It provides many new conveniences heretofore denied. The officers of the Glee Club this year are surely filling their offices faithfully. They are always on deck and very dependable. —Madeline Ferguson, ’25. MUSIC In the extensive field of music there are the advantages and disadvantages, which we might class as “classical” and “jazz”. In classical music, such as compositions by Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Kreisler, Fletcher, Tschtikowsky, Mendelssohn, and those of many others, wTe find a wide range in type and style. Some of the above-mentioned composers have written in a direct simple style, the type which is easily understood by all; while others have written in a flashing style, portraying in tones of harmony the ideals of the heart, easily misunderstood, yet delightful to the listeners. As real poets write for beauty, giving the people the best that they are capable of giving, so also do real composers. Usually classical music is uplifting, as a person of my acquaintance described— “good music thrills me, and at the time, fills me with ambition.” Really, if one understands music, and is appreciative of good compositions, one derives a great deal of pleasure from it, for as it comforts, it excites, and one’ is saddened, one is uplifted. To turn to jazz; one is reminded of a French critic’s criticism of jazz music. This French critic states, and with due reason, that jazz is the reaction of the late war, and typifies a disastrous change to come soon over the people. He defines it as a state of mental frenzy which is resulting in

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32 THE SPECTATOR A PATRIOTIC SONG REVIEW Five Patriotic Songs of America are: “America”, “Hail Columbia”, “Battle Hymn of Republic”, “Dixie”, and “Marching Through Georgia”. “America” was written in February 1832, by Samuel Francis Smith, a graduate of Harvard College. The young man was a lover of music. When twenty-three years old, he was given a collection of songs in which the British National Anthem was included. He was so impressed by the tune and rhythm, he set to work to compose words to it that would be suitable for his owm country. The result was “My Country, ’Tis of Thee” and no other hymn has taken its place. Smith lived to be eighty-seven and never wrote another hymn or song to equal the success of “America”. It is said it only took him a half hour to make the words for his wonderful song. William Steffe is said to have composed the music. “Hail Columbia” was written for the stage. It was first sung at an Actor’s Benefit in Philadelphia in 1798. The actor, Gilbert Fox, for whom the benefit was given, anxious to have the occasion a success, asked a friend, a young lawyer named Joseph Hopkinson, to write a patriotic song. Mr. Hopkinson wrote the poem and set it to the tune of the President’s March. The tune is said to have been composed by a Philadelphia musician of German descent named Roth. It was received with great favor, the big audience joining in the singing. People flocked to hear it. This popular melody had a helpful influence on public affairs. There was, at the time, some danger that the United States might interfere in difficulties then increasing between France and England, “Hail Columbia”, awakened home pride and patriotism and a feeling that we had problems enough of our own country without interfering with those of other nations. Philadelphia was then our National Capitol and hearing of the new song, President Adams and his entire Cabinet went to the theatre to hear it. “Battle Hymn of the Republic” was written by Julia Ward Howe. She was the author of this great war song. Julia was born in New York in 1819, and was married to Dr. S. C. Howe in 1843. In December 1861, Dr. and Mrs. Howe, with a party of friends, paid a visit to Washington. One day the party drove several miles from the city to see a review of the Federal soldiers. An attack by the Confederates caused much excitement, and delayed their return. Finally they started back to Washington under an escort of soldiers, and to while the time away, they sang war songs, among others, “John Brown”. Waking in the gray dawn of the following morning Mrs. Howe found herself weaving together words to the music she had sung the day before. Fearing she might forget the lines if she slept again she arose, and wrote down the verses of the “Battle Hymn of the Republic. The poem was first published in the Atlantic Monthly for February 1862. The verses were published without the author’s name, and she received but five dollars for them. Of this great hymn a recent writer says, “Unlike many of the songs of the Civil war, it contains nothing sectional, nothing personal, nothing of a temporary character. We feel the beauty of the character. We feel the beauty of the lines and their aspiration after freedom, even in the time of storm and stress their full meaning shines out. Written with intense feeling they seem to burn and glow when our own emotions are aroused.” “Dixie”, the most popular of the songs of the South, was written by Daniel D. Emmett of Ohio. In 1859 Mr. Emmett was a member of “Bryant’s Minstrels” then playing in New York. On Saturday evening he was asked by Mr. Bryant to furnish a new song to be used in the performances the following week. On Monday morning Mr. Emmett took to the rehearsal the words and music of “Dixie”. The song became a favorite all over the land. In 1860 an entertainment was given in New Orleans. The leader had some difficulty in selecting a march for his chorus. After trying several he decided upon “Dixie . It was taken up by the people, sung upon the streets and soon carried to the battlefields, where it became the great inspirational song of the Southern army. Many different words were written to the tune. Those by Albert Pike of Arkansas were much used and are, perhaps, the most worthy of mention. “Marching Through Georgia”; this song