Last week the Académie des Sciences, Belles-Lettres et Arts de Bordeaux was calling for a song to make Frenchmen drink more wine. In dead earnest it posted a 5,000-franc ($300) prize for the best Hymn to the Wine of Bordeaux, with words and music, submitted before April 12 by a person of French birth.
With a view of getting 5,000 full francs' worth of song, the Academy stipulated that the winning hymn must last from twelve to 15 minutes and be scored for four to eight mixed voices and a full orchestra. This remarkable...
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