Notes on

Prize winners in Washington Chamber

Music Guild Competition

UNDER the sponsorship of the Washington Chamber Music Guild two $1,000 prize awards were offered by the Radio Corporation of America through its RCA Victor Division, one for the best string quartet composition from Latin America and the other for the best string quartet composition from the United States and Canada. Camargo Guarnieri of Brazil and Robert Doellner of Hartford, Connecticut were judged the winners. Both winning compositions will

ROBERT DOELLNER

Winner in the United States-Canadian section

be performed by the Chamber Music Guild String Quartet in Washington at one of its regular concerts this season and in Town Hall, New York, on March 19, 1945.

Six other quartets were adjudged of such unusual interest that their composers were given honorable mention. These are Jean Berger, Louis Gesensway and Wallingford Riegger of the United States, and José Ardévol of Cuba, Juan A. García-Estrada of Argentina, and Claudio Santoro of Brazil.

Camargo Guarnieri, the winner of the prize for Latin America, is considered the foremost young composer of Brazil. Born in 1907, he won a first prize of $750 in 1942 for his violin concerto in a competition sponsored throughout Latin America by Samuel Fels. This was performed at the Pan American Union in April 1944 by the United States Marine Band, Milton Wohl playing the violin part. Several of his orchestral works, Encantamento, Dansa Brasileira, and Dansa Selvagem have been heard in the United States. He has just completed his first symphony.

Senhor Guarnieri toured the eastern part of the United States as pianist and conductor. He also conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra during its performance of his Abertura.

Robert Doellner, born in Manchester, Connecticut on March 25, 1899, is a product of the American schools, having received all his education in the United States. He began the study of harmony with Robert H. Prutting, and studied violin with Leopold

Auer and composition with Cecil Burleigh. He has had works performed by the Rochester Civic Symphony and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, and recently wrote a setting for the late John Magee's poem High Flight, to be sung by tenor voice with piano accompaniment. At the present time Mr. Doellner is teaching composition at the Hartford School of Music.

Out of over 300 manuscripts submitted, twenty reached the final stage. Each of the twenty was performed for the judges before the deciding votes were cast. Each entry remained anonymous throughout the judging period, being identified only by a given number.

Many of the manuscripts came from the Armed Services, several direct from the battle line. Army, Navy, Marine, and Merchant Marine officers encouraged the contest among their men.

The quality and quantity of entries submitted far surpassed expectations. Most of the compositions could be described as "modern," although a great many, especially those from Latin America, were based on the folk themes of their respective countries.

Seventeen of the Latin American countries were well represented. Forty-three States were represented, and also Alaska, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The judges were Claudio Arrau, the well known Chilean pianist; Jascha Heifetz, famous violinist; Mme. Wanda Landowska, harpsichordist; Sir Ernest MacMillan, famous conductor and Dean of the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto; William Primrose, noted violinist; Germaine Tailleferre and Edgar Varese, well known French Composers; and Charles Seeger, Chief of the Music Division of the Pan American Union. Representing the Guild were Marcel Ancher, its founder, Ana del Pulgar de Burke, talented pianist and daughter of a celebrated Spanish portrait painter, and Michel Piastro,

CAMARGO GUARNIERI Winner in the Latin American section

noted violinist and conductor of the Longines Symphonette.

In addition to deciding the winners, the judges selected other compositions worthy of performance in concert. Mr. Seeger chose a number of entries which he thought would be suitable for presentation at the Pan American Union.

The idea for the contest is wholly attributable to Marcel Ancher, who worked long and arduously to bring about the contest, and was untiring in his efforts to see that all the manuscripts had a fair hearing. The Guild is the first musical organization to hold a hemispheric contest. It is the only Washington musical organization which of fers to young artists the opportunity of auditions before a Board composed of prominent musicians, assuring these young artists a fair chance to win a professional engagement on their ability.

Entrants ranged from celebrated composers to untrained musicians. Many governments, including that of the United States, cooperated in promoting the contest in their respective countries.

The following paragraphs give brief biographies of five of the men whose entries received honorable mention:

JOSÉ ARDEVOL is a Spanish-born musician who has lived in Cuba for about ten years. He is a professor at the Conservatory of Music and writes for the newspaper El Mundo. He has especially distinguished himself as teacher of the youngest generation of Cuban composers, whose outstanding work has already become known. He is associated with the Grupo de Renovación Musical and is an indefatigable worker in arranging concerts for various visiting American and European musicians. His compositions, though few, show strong grounding in the great European tradition and are highly regarded.

JEAN BERGER, born in 1909, spent his early youth in southwestern Germany, Alsace and Paris, and studied musicology at Heidelberg University, graduating in 1932. Upon completion of his studies he returned to Paris, and until 1939 traveled as a concert accompanist and conductor of his own. choral group, Les Compagnons de la Marjolaine. In 1937 he won the first prize at the International Contest for composition in Zurich, Switzerland. In 1939, he was engaged by the Teatro Municipal in Rio de Janeiro for the French Opera Season there. After the outbreak of the war, he remained in South America, traveling extensively through most of its countries. In 1941, he came to the United States, of which he is now a citizen. His concerto based on South American rhythms and written for Larry Adler, the harmonica virtuoso, had its première with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra in 1942.

JUAN A. GARCÍA-ESTRADA was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 8, 1895. He was a pupil of Jacques Ibert in Paris, where his Tres Aires Argentinos for orchestra were performed in 1929. By profession he is a provincial judge. His Danza for orchestra is in the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection in The Free Library of Philadelphia. The prize-winning work is his first string quartet.

CLAUDIO SANTORO was born in Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil, November 23, 1919. At the age of 13 he received an award from the authorities of his native state and moved to Rio de Janeiro to study music. He entered the Conservatory of Music of the Federal District, where he studied musicology under Dr. Lopes Gonçalves and violin under Professor Edgardo Guerra. He devoted himself chiefly to composition, and studied particularly with Professor Hans-Joachim Koellreutter. His works have been performed in Brazil and abroad.

Claudio Santoro performs as a solo violinist and in chamber ensembles. He plays in the Brazilian Symphonic Orchestra of Rio de Janeiro and writes for the Brazilian review Música Viva.

WALLINGFORD RIEGGER was born in Albany, Georgia, in 1885. He studied with Stillman-Kelley, Goetschius, and Hekking at the Institute of Musical Art and later at the Berlin Hochschule für Musik. He conducted opera in Würzburg and Königsberg, and has taught at Drake University, the Institute of Musical Art, and Ithaca Conservatory. In 1921 he won the Paderewski Prize and in 1924 the E. E. Coolidge Prize. He has been a member of the Executive Board of the Pan American Association of Composers and of the American Composers' Alliance. He has composed numerous works for chamber ensembles and for chamber orchestras.

Uruguayan women work for equality of civil rights

The women of Uruguay have requested the Senate, which is working on a plan to grant equality in civil rights to women, to incorporate the following points in the bill:

1. Substitution for the authority and guardianship of the husband with respect to his wife of the obligation of mutual respect and fidelity, the fixing of the conjugal domicile by joint consent of husband and wife, and in general, equality of rights and responsibilities, both husband and wife to be obliged to contribute their property and earnings to the maintenance of the home and children of the marriage.

2. As long as a marriage is in effect, parental authority shall be exercised jointly, both parents having equal rights and duties. Both parents shall administer the property of minor children when the system of joint management of property prevails as well as when husband and wife administer their earnings separately and even when there is separation of property.

In cases where the property of husband and wife is managed by only one of the conjugal partners (whether husband or wife), the management of the property of minor children shall devolve upon the one who administers the common property.

3. A widow or divorcée shall keep parental authority over children of a previous marriage, if she remarries.

4. A married woman may engage in any profession, industry, or trade without the permission of her husband.

5. The legal system of managing the earnings of husband and wife shall be common management, either husband or wife having the right to hand over to the other the power to manage his or her earnings. As optional systems, either husband or wife may request, without statement of reasons, the separate administration of his or her own earnings or property, and may also empower the other, by express authorization, to administer the common property or his or her own property.

a

6. All legal provisions which prevent woman from practicing any kind of profession or from performing the duties of guardian, executrix, broker, etc., shall be amended.

In summary, the reform must be based on the principle of complete equality of husband and wife as regards rights and duties, and amendment must be made to those provisions which are injurious to the most sacred and inalienable right of a woman, the right of a mother over her children.

The signers of the list were headed by Dr. Paulina Luisi, for many years a leader in the work for the world's women and children. Her beneficial participation in League of Nations committees and other important activities is well known. Among other sign

ers were:

Prof. Sara Rey Álvarez, Dr. María Inés Navarra, Srta. María Isabel Cedro Gilardo, Prof. Ofelia M. de Benvenuto, Sra. María Farachio de Kelly, Sra. Isabel Abelenda de Pazos, Sra. Luisa M. de Abellá, Sra. Isabel Pazos de Rivello, Sra. Elena V. de Escalante, Dr. Benigna Diez de Maceda, Dr. Clotilde Luisi de Podestá, Sra. Sara O. de Larramendy, Srta. Reyna Carro Díaz, Sra. Carmen G. de Simón, Sra. Yolanda Garayalde de Bonnecarrere, Dr. Julieta Daglio de Pérez, Prof. María Gorli de Bozzo, Prof. Isabel Penelas de Rodríguez, Prof. María L. de Federici, Srta. Cristina Sandoval, Srta. Aurora León, Srta. Amanda D'Ursi, Prof. Laura M. Escalante, Prof. María Ofelia Goyén, Prof. María Carbonell de Grompone, Sra. Reyna Reyes, Sra. María Scarone de Dutrel, Sra. Nilda Siri de Payssé, Sra. Anita García de Zúñiga, Sra. Genoveva Machado de Machi, Dr. Inés Luisi de Villero Tejera, Dr. Odelia R. Rodríguez Guerrero, and Prof. Celia Mieres de Centrón.

Guatemalan women organize

Under the title La Unión Femenina Guatemalteca Pro Ciudadanía, about six hundred Guatemalan women have organized to prepare themselves for exercise of the rights of

citizenship which they hope in future to enjoy. Their work is purely educational, and will have no connection with any political party. Women's associations and social groups in all parts of the country will be invited to send delegates. The chairman of the new organization will be Srta. Graciela Quan.

Colombian notes

Sra. María Currea de Aya, Colombian delegate to the Commission, is taking steps to open an office in Bogotá, in accordance with a resolution of the last meeting of the Commission.

Sra. de Aya, it is interesting to learn, recently called a meeting of teachers, as a result of which Teachers' Assemblies were organized under her presidency. It is hoped that this movement will spread throughout Colombia.

Dominican notes

Courses in Spanish for foreigners are now being offered in Ciudad Trujillo, capital of the Dominican Republic, with the able assistance of many teachers in the local schools.

Srta. Carmen Natalia Martínez Bonilla, a Dominican poet, has been in the United States on a trip for study and cultural rap

well-known

Pilot Club International, a women's organization which has done much to promote inter-American relations, has just awarded a fellowship to Srta. Leonor Mardones González, of Santiago, Chile, for social service study in the United States.

The president of the Pilot Club, Mrs. Etha G. Hall, in announcing the award said: "This is a service in which Pilot Club International can participate, with the satisfying knowledge that in carrying out the purposes for which we are banded together, we are making a vital contribution toward uniting ourselves culturally with those nations which have united so wholeheartedly with us economically in winning the war."