Concert Pianist’s Views On Mass Appeal Of Jazz

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27675, 3 June 1955, Page 14

Concert Pianist’s Views On Mass Appeal Of Jazz

Jazz had become a vital part of culture, and its popularity lay in the fact that it had mass appeal, whereas contemporary classical music was often so intellectualised that it had no real expression, said Julius Katchen, the American, pianist, ih Christchurch yesterday. “One cannot ignore the tremendous impact that jazz has had,” he said. ‘‘An artist who does not take into account the fact that jazz has attracted audiences from the concert hall is asleep. It is a serious problem. We have to wake up to the fact that jazz is a vital part of our culture. “Why it has attracted so many young people is because the classical music of our time is seeking to say things which are not from the heart and soul. Today’s music is often so intellectualised that it does not represent any real expression. It has nothing to say to the masses, and jazz has mass appeal. “I find that generally the above-40 generation does not want to be disturbed or annoyed by contemporary music, but there is a tremendous movement and interest in contemporary music expressed by my own generation,” said Mr Katchen (who is 28). “There is no question about it: all over the world, young people want to hear music which is a part of their own generation.” Contemporary piano music contained very vital elements which would last, and the main contributors to this were Bartok, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, he said. Emphasis on Rhythm

“In general, however, I deplore the fact that the contemporary composers seeking for new ways of expression have put an emphasis on rhythm, and what I think is the essential of music —the long melodic line —has been lost,” Mr Katchen said. “The greatest contribution of the twentieth century has been towards rhythmic development. That is something the old composers never dreamed of, but it has been concentrated on too much.”

Mr Katchen said he did not think the popularity of contemporary music would affect the standing of the classics in any way. The classics

were too firmly embedded in culture, and they would survive. But added to them would be the contemporary musical idiom.

While in Christchurch, Mr Katchen will visit antique shops to search for Chinese porcelain for his recently, acquired, but already extensive, collection.

Mr Katcheri’s addiction for Chinese porcelain is only six months old, but he has already learnt a lot about the subject. Ever since a child, he has “loved to hang around antique shops and see what he could find,” and when he had the opportunity in Japan last December of visiting antique shops in Tokyo, he seized it readily. His guide was Mrs J. Allison, wife of the United States Ambassador to Japan. She is an expert who has catalogued porcelain for a number of museums.

From Tokyo, Mr Katchen went to Hong Kong, where he bought more Chinese porcelain. When he arrived in Singapore, he did the same, and by the time he opened the front door of his apartment house in the Quai d’Orsay in Paris he had acquired a considerable collection, at some considerable expense. But in Paris, and in London, too, he was disillusioned. Antique shops there were selling at lower prices pieces similar to those he had bought in the East. The porcelain pieces from the East had all been labelled bargains. Assiduous Practice On tour, Mr Katchen practises for five to six hours a day. He works usually in broadcasting studios and in empty concert halls, but he has had to fit his practice in between screenings of motion pictures at some theatres. Sometimes a show will finish at 10.30 p.m., and he will sit down at the piano to begin practice that will not end till early next morning.

He believes that it is wrong for a pianist to apply himself to the piano for very long hours. Although on occasions he has worked 10 and 12hour days for two weeks at a time to learn new pieces for a concert at short notice, he does not recommend the practice. In his opinion, six hours at a stretch is e/iough.