GERMANS ARE BEING MUSICALLY DE-NAZIFIED

Wanganui Chronicle, 29 April 1949, Page 3

GERMANS ARE BEING MUSICALLY DE-NAZIFIED

(By Jack Smyth, a Reuter Correspondent in Berlin.) The German people are today being musically “de-Naziiied” according to John Evarts, Musical Officer of the United States Military Governments’ Education and Cultural Relations Division. “Our job,’’ he says, “obviously has not been to acquaint the Germans with music as such but the Nazi Regime had built up a notoriously arrogant attitude among the population. Fine music and line musicians, according to Nazi propaganda were a German monopoly.

“One part of our task has been to discredit this propaganda by breaking down Nazi-imposed barriers ana showing the Germans what other people have to offer.” Mr. Evarts is satislied that this aim has been achieved. “There is overwhelming evidence,” he says “tnat in one evening a serious young American artist like the violinist Batricia Travers, with a brilliant performance of the secund violin sonata of the American Charles Ives, did more to reiute Doctor Goeboels’ slogan that ’America is a land of cultured barbarians’ than a hundred articles or speeches on the subject.”

Mr. Evarts’ music oflice was set up by Military Government lor three main reasons: L'irst, came the reconstruction of music organisations (opera, symphony, etc.) in the U.S. controlled areas, of Germany. The second function of the music onice is to give advice in the Held of musical euucation. The third function te to give the entire German public a broader view of the rest of the world in general and America in particular. In 1946, an inter-Allied Music Lending Library was set up in Berlin to circulate musical scores ail over Gt rmany to anyone asking tor them. The* works of 100 American composers, mostly modern, are included e.raong them. During the first year of the library’s existence there were, a< corumg to Evarts, 371 performances uf mcciern American works representative of 47 composers. In the second yeer, 'here were 451 performances. Ln the number of performances accorded any’ one composer, Walter Piste n heads the list. Within a single year, there were 71 periormances ol his works in 23 German cities. Samuel Bar bar came next with 57 perlcrjnances.

Gecige Gershwin, who is not included, calls for special attention Evarts said. “Because of technical copyright difficulties, his music was not made available until recently.” “When, however, late in 1948, numerous Gershwin concerts were given in the U.S. Zone and Berlin, his ‘concerto in F’ Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘An American in Paris’ were widely performed. Younger listeners were extremely enthusiastic, lhe older generation considerably less so- apparent l\ in a dilemma as Io whether

this was ‘good cafe’ or ‘poor serious' music. Tne interesting thing about all this is that we don’t have to push American'’ music. The attention given has come solely through showing the Germans what we have in the music library. It is up to them if they want to use it.”