 The Cavalcade of America presented by Dupont. This evening the Cavalcade of America presented by Dupont inaugurates a special summer series and welcomes as its musical conductor the world's foremost bandmaster Arthur Pryor. With this famous band he brings you the first chapter in the origin and development of orchestral and band music. And as the program opens may we remind you that many of the things that make summer bearable despite blistering days and nights have either been created or improved through chemical research. The refrigeration that keeps foods in perfect condition in your home or at the market. The beautiful man-made yarns that go to make many of the new cooler summer fabrics for men's and women's clothing. The air conditioning so increasingly in use in private and public buildings everywhere. These are but a few of the many summertime contributions to better things for better living through chemistry. In 1798 Congress authorized a drum major, a pipe major and 32 drums and pipes to play at all governmental functions. This became the nucleus of the oldest organized band in America the United States Marine Band. On New Year's Day in 1801 it gave its first official concert at the White House and thereby established a custom that continues to this day. In 1888 its most famous bandmaster John Philip Sousa wrote one of his most popular marches in honor of the organization. The only musical composition which is officially recognized by the United States government. Author prior in his band played the official march of the United States Marine Corps, Semper Fidelis. In every city and town of the United States bands of various descriptions sprung up at an early date. Love of music alone was responsible for their formation, for engagements were few and pay so small that it was necessary for the members to follow other professions and make their music their recreation. These semi-professional musicians did much to foster the spread of good music in America and there was great interest and excitement in these communities when a famous concert band toured the country and played in their vicinity. The first great traveling concert band in America was directed by one of the most picturesque figures in musical history, Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, affectionately known throughout the country as Pat Gilmore. Gilmore was an outstanding showman as well as a fine musician. At the Great Peace Jubilee in 1872 in Boston he directed a band of over 1,000 pieces and as a climax when playing the Anvil Chorus for Miltrovatore, 100 red-shooted firemen hammered on a hundred anvil to the rhythm of Verdi's music and for the grand finale the booms of cannons punctuated the singing of the star-spangled banner. In honor of America's first bandmaster showman Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore, Arthur Pryor and his band bring us the Anvil Chorus from Verdi's opera, Miltrovatore. During Gilmore's lifetime he became the conductor of the 22nd Regiment Band and when he died in 1892 his place was taken by one of America's best beloved composers, Victor Herbert, whose music is equally popular both with bands and orchestras and whose life story was told in last week's Cavalcade of America. Arthur Pryor and his band play selections from one of Victor Herbert's tuneful operettas, the Red Mill. In the late 80s in the town of St. Joseph, Missouri considerable rivalry existed between two bands, Samuel D. Pryor's band and Winkler's Silver Cornette Band, which was also made up from the citizens of the town. Young Arthur Pryor as a member of his father's organization learned to play many different instruments and his experiences with a band at St. Joe are typical of other similar bands throughout the country at this period. For celebrations or parades both bands were engaged and when they met it was always the signal for one to try to outplay the other. Let us turn back to one of those days. Samuel Pryor's band is marching along the principal street on its way to join the procession and young Arthur Pryor still in his teens is talking with the recent recruit. Here comes Winkler's band as they go by, grow your loudest and strongest. If they drown us out we're disgraced. How do you mean? Winkler boasts that he has more cornets than we have and that he can drown us out. You know when you hear another band playing another tune it's hard to keep in unison. The band that's still playing in unison after passing the other is the winner. Oh I see. Well I'll do my best. There they are. They've started. Pop always waits and he has a system that helps us win. We can't help hearing the other band. If you keep an eye on your bass drummer keep in time with his beat you can't get mixed up. I see. Here comes Winkler boys. We start general bull on say much and don't forget what's the base drop. All right. We've won again boys. Winkler's whole band is great except one clarinet and he's playing our tune. This was the situation in many small communities until the coming of such great concert bands as Gilmore's and Seuss's developed a great ambition for proficiency in artistry rather than in volume. Some of the members of these small town bands found their way into the famous organizations. The story of how Arthur Pryor joined Seuss's band is worth telling. One of Gilmore's musicians Tom Shannon had heard young Arthur play the trombone with the senior priors band and he was offered an engagement on Gilmore's death. Shannon joined Seuss's organization and at his suggestion Seuss is sent for Pryor a tall shy young man arrives in New York and is allowed to rehearse on probation with a great bandmaster Seuss is just finishing one of his marches. Young Pryor is seated in trombone section of the band. Try goodbye. Well here's where you get yours young fella. You mean me. I sure do as a trombone cadenza in this number that's a corker. Well the boys lost his job last week because of it. I noticed it before we started rehearsing. I think I have it memorized. I don't mind memorizing or just play it. If your trombone doesn't fall apart. All right. Friday see it is when you stand up and play your swan song. Young man. Play that again. Was it too slow. You heard the boss want right again yes I'll play it faster. You may take me for a roof but you can't make fun of me. Wait a minute prior where you're going back to St. Joe. You'll do nothing of the kind you'll go right down to the office and sign your contract is first from bone in Seuss's band. From foundation with his father's band followed by nine seasons with Seuss with whom he soon became assistant conductor prepared Arthur Pryor to take his place among the great band masters in the capital of America and it also enabled him to study new and colorful styles of band arrangement and composition one which he wrote in memory of a little dog he owned when a boy a dog that wasn't responsive to the spoken word but who never failed to answer a whistle is probably his most popular work you play it now the whistler and his dog. Usually think of band music as a succession of lusty marches but such men as Gilmore Seuss and Pryor with their great concert organizations have proved that band music is capable of delicate and colorful shading equal to that of a string orchestra. Here's an example Arthur Pryor and his band will bring us Johann Strauss's Lovely Waltz the beautiful blue Danube as small town organizations encourage the visits of the big concert bands so in turn the big bands encourage the formation and improvement of more small bands until today there is hardly a high school in the country that doesn't have its own band thousands of people attend park concerts and millions more enjoy their band music over the radio as a tribute to the ability of American bands and their success in bringing the great classics to the music loving public Arthur Pryor's band plays the stirring ride of the Valkyries by Richard Wagner. Take a quick make believe trip to Dallas Texas. Hurry on out to the Texas Centennial grounds and walk into the cool air conditioned DuPont exhibit the Wonder World of chemistry. What's this. My cold tar it says. What's it for. Wait that young fellow is going to tell us something. Gentlemen may I have your attention please. Out of this sticky black substance cold tar chemistry produces aromatic bases for perfumes and for the scents used in soaps and cosmetics now very few ladies wish to dip your handkerchiefs into this fountain of perfume made with the aid of coal tar you're welcome to do so you'll find the fragrance of your favorite flower. I didn't smell it with my own nose I wouldn't believe it. Yes perfumes from coal tar surely a striking example of the wonders that chemical research can perform these aromatic bases not only find use in perfumes for my lady and a sense for cosmetics and soaps but they are also important to industry. There are many manufactured products which in themselves possess a disagreeable odor by adding a small amount of an aromatic compound. These products take on a pleasant odor thus making them more convenient to use and easier to sell. And so because they affect so many things with which all of us come in daily contact the aromatic bases that spring from humble coal tar offer additional evidence of the truth expressed in the DuPont phrase better things for better living through chemistry. Next week at the same time Arthur Pryor and his band will again be heard when DuPont continues with its summer series of the cavalcade of America.