Sigma Alpha Iota

A PRESIDENTIAL MYSTERY MYSTERY continued from page 15 the piece was ever set to music and whether a composer ever won that incredible award. I found in an issue of The Music Trades published on November 11, 1922 an announcement: "Oratorio Society to Produce The Apocalypse The Apocalypse, the dramatic oratorio which won the $5,000 prize recently offered by the National Federation of Musical Clubs, will be the first offering of the Oratorio Society of New York in its series of concerts for the present season. It will be produced in Carnegie Hall on the evening of Wednesday, November 22. Upon the tremendous theme, based on the books of Daniel and Revelation, as conceived by Pauline Arnoux MacArthur and Henri Pierre Roche, Paolo Gallico has built a composition which has been universally compared with the oratorios which have endured for centuries." neglected them. He has done nothing finer-and partly because he has abandoned his search for esoteric effects…The chorus was well schooled in the difficulties of its score under the direction of Albert Stoessel; which is perhaps a little more than could be said of the orchestra. The audience was not very large but gave ample evidence of appreciation." Google digital online collections and the Library of Congress had the vocal/ piano score of the work, which I was able to look at. It is a massive work, 90 minutes, and over a hundred and sixty pages of a vocal/piano musical score. Paolo Gallico I had never heard of Paolo Gallico, but a search on the Internet and other sources, allowed me to piece together who this award winning composer was. Gallico was known throughout New York City as an accomplished concert pianist, teacher, arranger and composer, and was Beverly Sills' piano teacher when she was a child. He was born in Italy on May 13, 1868 and died in New York on July 6, 1955, at the age of 87. He had a studio at 9 E 59th Street and resided with his wife at 63 E. 59th Street. His son became a well known sports I contacted the Carnegie Hall writer. Archives and Kathleen Sabogal According to the book The Bohemians was kind enough to send me the (NY Musicians Club) by Henry Edward program for the November 22, 1922 Krebiel, published in 1921, Paolo Galliconcert. Further, Marie Gangemi of co was a member of the New York Musithe Oratorio Society of New York, cians Club, a very famous group of muthe chorus who sang the work at the sicians who planned musical events in world premiere, reported by email A Carnegie Hall program for the Oratorio Society of New York's New York City. The club was organized that the chorus was accompanied by Nov. 1922 production of The Apocalypse. "to promote social intercourse among the New York Symphony Orchestra, its members, to further the cause of that Leopold Damrosch founded effect, but it may be said in general that music and the interests of musicians." both groups, and the world premiere was those are the ones in which he has least The club celebrated its 15th anniversary with the conducted by Willem Mengelberg (this seems striven for complications and intricate publication of Kreibel's book; by that time it had inaccurate given the program). combinations. His choral writing shows grown from 32 to 400 members. One of its most the same kind of difficulties that he has remembered events was a recital for the group The New York Times reviewed the concert on sown in the path of the soloists. by Enrico Caruso on December 26, 1920. The November 23, 1922. Richard Aldrich wrote: Mr. Gallico has moved toward a modprograms contain a Who's Who of New York and ern expression in his style, and especially "Mr. Gallico has written for orchestra American musicians. Kreibel identifies Gallico toward that represented by Strauss…On and chorus with a boldness and freedom as one of seven founding members of the group a first hearing there is not strikingly in that can surprise those who have known (incorporated May 26, 1908) who also served for evidence a vivid stream on inspiration in him chiefly as a pianist. This is not to say a number of years as one of its Governors (1907his music. It seems rather calculated than that he has been wholly successful. In 1909, 1912-1915). In addition, he appeared a spontaneous. One who has the Apocafact, his vocal writing is often singularly number of times there as a soloist and composer: lypse for his text is necessarily confronted crabbed and difficult, unvocal and hence December 30, 1911 soloed with August Fraewith powerful and overwhelming effects ineffective. There are passages for the meke in Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto for to be made, and Mr. Gallico has not orchestra in which he has gained striking Two Pianos and Strings; April 7, 1913 presented 16 PAN PIPES WINTER 2012 sai-national.org

• Cover