NEGLECT OF MUSIC

Evening Post, Volume CXXXV, Issue 151, 28 June 1943, Page 4

NEGLECT OF MUSIC

PIANIST'S COMPLAINT

AUSTRALIA CRITICISED (O C.) ' SYDNEY, June 18. The Polish pianist • Ignaz Friedman declared in Adelaide, where he is giving recitals, that Australia's music was a tragedy that made him weep. "Australians have talent," he said. "Next to Italians, Australians have the most glorious natural voices in the world. Your audiences are good, you have a keen sense of music, but nothing comes out of the country. You tell- me Melba came out of Australia. But Melba had to work like a devil, and then she got her recognition in Europe. It was in Europe, not in Australia, that Peach Melba was first made. . * "Twenty years ago I came here," added Friedman, "and you had no symphony orchestras, and still you have no symphony orchestras. You cannot go oh forever making the exI cuse that you are young. Musicians should have far more encouragement from the Government and from wealthy ■ people in the community. "You can spend thousands of pounds bringing racehorses here. Surely you can spend something in bringing musicians here. I know I will get 20 or 30 anonymous letters telling me what a nasty man I am, but I am used to that Ido not mind, so long as the writers remember to put the stamps on. I say these things because I think Australia is worth doing something about. If I can stir someone to do something I will take the nasty letters without complaining. MUSIC AS A PROFESSION. "Your musical examinations fill me with horror. A young girl spends half a year learning to play one piece until she plays it very well. Then she learns out of a little book the answers to some questions, and then she c~i put some letters of the alphabet ai her name. She does this several tinu and then she starts teaching and you have the awful situation of one donkey leading other donkeys. "When the war is over Australia must get good musicians from other countries to come here to teach and to play. If you don't want European musicians get them from England and America. Music here is only a hobby. A man is a lawyer or a plumber, and thinks he is a musician at night. It may be a pleasure for him, but it is no pleasure for the audience. All musicians should 'be professional musicians."