THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

Evening Star, Issue 24004, 1 October 1941, Page 3

THOUGHTS ABOUT MUSIC

(By L.D.A.) A distinguished observer of men and affairs who recently returned to his own country from the war zone has been asked several times what damage the conflict has done to music and musicians. His reply is always the same. He says: “Unquestionably, countless practitioners of music have suffered devastating damage, but no harm whatever has come to music itself. This is because music is a principle—as immutable and indestructible as the principle of mathematics or any other principle. Nothing can ever damage a principle. It may be misused, misunderstood, incorrectly applied, wrongly interpreted; ( but actually damaged or destroyed, never.”

And never was a truer statement made. War, in its madness, may seem to crush all art, including music. In reality this does not happen. Musio itself is eternally safe and intact, beyond the rude clutch of Nazism or any other destroying agency. As it always has been, so it will continue to be— Hitler or no Hitler; throughout the ages, genius after genius has perpetuated the everlasting principle of music, from Palestrina and Bach to ? To whom? Well, there I pause, interrogatively. Some of my young friends will probably fill in the gap with such names as Shostakovitsch or Prokofieff, Seriously, it is no easy matter to indicate exactly by whom the royal line of composers is at present represented, if at all. We cannot say it is extinct, as to do so would practically nullify tha sentiment expressed above. The fact that no really great composer is in evidence at the moment need not make us despair. Sooner or later the eternal principle will find a medium for its exemplification.

A conservative estimate of the number of musical refugees now domiciled in America is put at several thousands. Of these, probably a thousand or more have flocked to < New York. Among them are hundreds of really outstanding artists, driven from their own countries bv German invasion and devastation. 1 have mentioned this before, I think; but the subject is brought fosv cibly to notice once more by a recent perusal of American musical advertisements, which have the. appearance of gigantic casualty lists. One paper features six big columns of such advertisements, totalling 828 names of performing musicians, in New York aloneThese persons, comprising singers, conductors, pianists, violinists, and ’cellists, include the cream of the musical world. I noticed the names of Heifetz, Kreisler, Rachmaninoff, Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir Adrian Boult, Elizabeth Schumann, Kipnis, Menuhin, and hundreds more of similar calibre.

It would be only natural if Americanborn musicians' were to resent this enormous influx of overseas artists into an already overcrowded musical market. Instead of this attitude, however, what do we find ? Here are some points from an article on the subject by Professor Douglas Moore, of Columbia University. Writing in the ‘ Musical Courier,’ he says: “The European War has presented a challenge to our American musical culture. Many famous musicians have been compelled to abandon their careers in the musical life of the totalitarian countries and have come to resumo them in the United States. Others have appeared among us, less well known, perhaps, but no less unfortunate, and frequently only a little less talented. For these _ artists, ruthlessly torn from their familiar environment and forced to begin a new life among an alien people with a'strange language the sympathy of the American musician is boundless.”

“We extend to these unfortunates our help, not only in the name of the great art we serve, but also because, as Americans, it is our prized inheritance to welcome the oppressed and persecuted from all lands. •

“ The American musician has had a hard fight to establish himself in hi® own country. We have met with many handicaps—the disbelief in our destiny as a musical nation, the snobbish insistence upon, foreign labels as marks of proficiency, the apathy of the general public, etc. . , But at last we are winning the fight for recognition; the musical destiny of the United States cannot now be denied. If we believe sincerely in this destiny, if we are true to the glorious ideals of our nation, we must accept the challenge now thrown to us. The assimilation of this mass of foreign artists will undoubtedly work hardships, especially to our younger musicians.”-

“ It is a situation,” continues th« article, “ that calls for the greatest wisdom as well as for generosity. No one will say that our musical culture will not profit by the contributions tit these men and women. America is still the land of opportunity, particularly in, the arts. The problem we have to study is how these newcomers can be pro* vided with adequate means of livelihood, 'commensurate with their abilities, without simultaneously neglecting on* obligations to our own home trained musicians. ... It is ' a problem

which must he solved in a spirit of tolerance and generosity, and solved without delay.”

Readers will, 1 think, share my admiration for a country which breed* men capable of expressing such view* as those voiced by Professor Douglas Moore, We hear all too little of the voice of cultured musical America, and far too much of the echoes from Tin Pan Alley.

Dunedin music lovers will shortly hear ’ from 4YA individual and joint! recitals by two of the finest instrumentalists who have ever visited the city. I allude to Winifred Carter and Henri Penn. Miss Carter ranks with the world’s foremost Indy harpists, and I don’t think she is excelled by anyone in her particular calling. Mr Penn has been winning laurels all over New! Zealand for his magnificent work both as solo pianist and ensemble organiser. His versatility is astonishing, and I do not exaggerate when 1 say that the visit here of these two splendid artist* is an event of prime musical importance.

I deeply regret having to mourn the loss of another former musical colleague. The recent death of Mr Frank Drake has deprived Dunedin not only of a promihent citizen and one of the best of good fellows, hut his passing is a loss to local music, for he was an excellent ’cellist and a musician to the finger-tips. Sincerest sympathy goes out to his family and wide circle of friends.