Page so SCARLET AND BLACK Friday, February 20. I970 Wyly’s Collegium Presents Renaissance Music Herrick Chapel was once again filled with sounds of Renaissance music last Friday evening when Grinnell's Collegium Musicum presented its first concert at the semester This Renaissance concert did not attract the crowd that David Harris, the lutenist, did, and [or understandable reasons: the masses do not love a dilellante and Grinnell music organizations are full of them. I am by no means belittling all those amateur musicians who keep the Grlnnell music depart meiit in existence and who put in one helluva lot of hours for every concert in which they perrorm. But i do believe that there are a number oi things that could be done to make their pertormances appear livelier and more professional, The guiding principle or the Collegium Musicum is an admirv able one. The majority of their concerts represent experiments in the reconstruction of 16th or 17th century sonorities. That is to say, they attempt to use combinations of instruments and voices which most closely resems ble those that were popular when the music was written. The opening and closing works on the program most vividly demon- strate what I am trying to say. In ”Laudate Dominum” by Ciao dict Merulo the instrumentation included a soprano soloist, a re- corder quartet, a vocal quartet, one Violin and viola, two trom- bones, one lute, and harpsichord and cello continue. To the twenr tieth-century concert-goer this seems like an odd congloms erate of instruments, and one can hardly imagine the five Vocalists being heard at all, Similar in- strumentation was used in Giovanni Gabrieli‘s “Magnificat Anima Mea.” However, in this polychoral work the vocalists and recorder quartet remained up trout and on opposite sides oi the stage and the strings and winds were put further back and directly in lront oi the altar, in short, the choice and arrange ment of instruments and voices is an important part oi recon- structing 16th century sonorities. Thisrtypie oi experimentation does, nonetheless, present some By Kathryn Heinxe problems for the amateur musician. A polychoral piece leaves small groups or instru» ments and voices dangerously isolated from each other,‘ and every part is transparent. Ina tonation and ensemble visibly suffered in both the Merulo and Gabrieliworks. The concert also included several Montcvcrdi madrigals, These were presented by the six vocalists ol the Collegium an companied by Prolcssor James Wyly on the harpsichord, Al though thcir intonation problems were somewhat disturbing, l consider a spiritless rendition the grcater transgression. Madrigals can be iun to sing and just as much run to listen to, yet except for a few moments, I felt as though the Singers were dragging themselves through the pieces and not relaxing enough to give Monteverdi a chance. At the risk oi being redundant, I must make similar comments about the instrumental groups that played tour canzonl by Frescobaldi. Pitch. ensemble and style lelt much to be desired. Floyd Slotterback's per- formance of “Five Songs" by John Dowland was definitely the highlighter the program. Accoms panied by Timi Townsend on the lute. Floyd successiully captured thc spirit oi each song. His in- tonation and tone are consistently good, and he is to be applauded iorhisstage poise. Perhaps making comments about stage presence is going to make the appear all the more stuiisshirtcd and bourgeois, but there is something that really disturbs me about musicians who do not know how to react to ap- plause. Too many Grinnellians shuttle their lect and look anywhere but at the audience. You would think they were ems barrassed to be there, Grinnell musictalls! enjoy, enjoy! Per- torinances would pick up considv crably it you relaxed a bit more, looked as though you were having a good time, and let the audience know that you had heard them applauding. Music is a joyiul thing, and it IS your responsibility to communicate that to those who come to listen to you. Uncle Sam's Club Makes Appeal For Help From Grinnell Students Uncle Sam’s Club, a recreational youth center in Grinneli, is in desperate need oi college help. The club has a program which provides ac- tivities {or children and youth irom iour years old through high school age. College volunteers are badly needed, usually one afternoon or evening a week, to help supervise and stimulate activities. William Roecker, Assoc. Professor of German, who was recently elected to the club’s 15 member executive board, ex~ pressed concern over the lack oi interest by college students this spring, Mr, Roecker said‘ “In years past we have had as many as so or so students participate, But this semester there are only 7 students coming irom the college.” The club was founded in 1901 by a group oi Grinnell students who wished to contribute to the Good Looking! STRAP BOOTS JUSTIN BOOTS — TEXAS BOOTS RED WING BOOTS ARNOLD'S SHOES Crepe Solerl Boots—Western Dress Boots youthful needs of Grinnell, Sam Crosby, a Grinnell student who spearheaded the club’s program during the 1940’s and affection ately known as “Uncle Sam", is the namesake of the organiza- tion, Uncle Sam's Club is located in a homelike structure in Grin- nell’s southwest side, about a mile lrom the college, The club has a full time director, Mrs. Robert Thomazin, who has been assoClated with it {or over 30 years, New equipment in the form of tumbling mats, additional games, and boxing gloves, have been purchased Cooking tacxlities are available. ) Mea Culpa in the smallest details, the thump or Keds on the wood floor, sweat, and the referees' superbly under- played bias, not to mention the pressing imperatives set up by the lreedom from moral am- biguity. (we all know whose side we are on) the thrill oi victory, the agony of defeat, and so forth.) Halftime festivities will include the flagellatlon of apostates, assassination of especially se- lected moral degenerates, and the Grinnell College Pep Band playing selections of martial music from The Battle of Algiers. Noted Mathematician to Visit Grinnell The Malhematical Association of America, with the financial support oi the National Science Foundation, is sponsoring a visit of Professor Daniel Zellnsky of Northwestern University to Grihnell College on February 26 and 27. Protessor Zelillsky’s main lecture “Symmetry, Groups and a Little Physics” to be delivered Thursday February 26 at 7:30 p in. in the Science Lecture Room, will be open to the general public. He will also attend several mathematics classes, in wllich he will primarily address majors on more advanced matters Birthday George — “BO" BATTEY TEXAC‘O 236-5I22 TONI'S LONGHORN IS HAVING A Belated Birthday Party For George and Abe on Wednesday, February 25 LIVE MUSIC Scott Donohoe io.l ) Letters ‘was going on in the cities, a guerilla war was raging in the A17 ,gci-ian counlrystdc There the >3 NLF had mobility and the French Army, as our own in Vietnam, was unable to establish a "Cordon Sallitalrc” upon which lolbasc ils offensive against the gucrillas This has, of course. bct‘ll the lesson of gucrilla wars whcrcvcr thcy have succccdcd. The black ghetto is the Casbah \\’l(llIll American cities, but the population dcnsny pattern of this country precludes an Algerian style revolution, Without an extensive rural power base a terror based on tile ghetto would tragically replicate the events of ”The Battle of Algiers," White established authority would supr press that tcrror, probably with as great or greater disregard for humanity than did the French. The result would be an end to all but sporadic terror, possibly the complete and total sup- prcssion oi Amcrican blacks, but certainly 'no successiul revo- lution, The use of this film as a paradigm for an American urban revolution is to encourage only a precipitous lolly Henry Klein Instructor in Art BEYMER'S King's Food Host U.S.A. Pick Up Your Free Bingo Cal'tls At King.’ Play Bingo 0n KGRN l230 -2:00 Mon. lllrn Fri.