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Musical Courier 1907-11-20: Vol 55 Iss 21, 1907
30 lines. Read by computer on 23 September 2026. Printed page 7. See the scan on archive.org.
1alien, the foreign, the weird. The support given to our daily press is our endorsement of that sentiment.
3The further verification of this is also found in the Paderewski interview, which is such a beautiful exposé of insincerity and buncombe. Where are Paderewski's compositions? In Europe very little is known of them. His opera "Manru" went overboard. His concerto is seldom heard anywhere. His "Polish" Fantasy for the piano, never. Few will venture on his Fugue and Variations again. His "Boccherini" Minuet is a miniature for girls. Compositions! Mr. Paderewski thrives entirely on Americans, and is doing exactly what any other intelligent and shrewd promoter would do in his case.
5Admiration is due to him for the qualities he is exhibiting in his dealings with America and her wonderful people, who reject their own and toady to the foreigner, even to the extent of protection against her own industries, so that when in trouble she must go to Europe for cash made there as the profit on our stupid system of throttling our own manufactures. We cannot prevent nature from yielding what the world needs and which we must supply or starve, but we are doing our best to stop even that resource.
7Mr. Paderewski came here about 15 years ago, and he has been here frequently since dispensing his musical gifts, and yet he says that the standard of taste has not varied much in that time, particularly in New York and Boston. He is right again. We have the same old chestnuts here from Europe all these years, and our own MacDowell had to be driven out of Columbia University during that time and a foreign musician put into his place who has been unable to affect us with anything except that he is a foreigner, which is sufficient. Meantime, our American musicians, to be recognized, must go to Europe. Put an American on our musical stage here, and he or she is sure to be what they call "roasted" by the critics of the Sun and the Tribune, and if not roasted then patronized to limbo.
9The foreigners are not to blame. They are welcome. But why not, at the same time, help our own people, particularly when a wise man like Paderewski tells us that in the past 15 years these foreigners, including himself, have not been able to help us dullards an iota and that we are just where we were musically 15 years ago?
11And what about that musical atmosphere? Why does that foreign musical atmosphere not support musicians? Why must all the pianists come to America to make money? Why must all the European singers come here if they wish to make money? I have been in Europe—I do not know how often and how long at times. I have lived there for the very purpose of going down into the depths on the other side to learn the true conditions, and I say, without fear of contradiction, that musicians, with the possible exception of about one hundred in the hundred thousand in Europe, eke out a bare living in the atmosphere to which Mr. Paderewski refers. What is the trouble with that atmosphere? Europe cannot be poor when we must go there to sell and to borrow. It is not poverty. What is the trouble with our atmosphere here? I'll tell you.
13We are, as I said before, toadies; we are in an attitude of humility towards Europe because we are not sought, because it is our money here which is sought, and which has made Europe rich during the past fifty years. We have permitted the scum to be unloaded upon us. Our natural wealth and our youthful energy have made our immigrants rich as a body, but Europe, despite that wealth, refuses to recognize the possessors of it socially. We are forcing ourselves upon Europe. We are disposing of our daughters to aristocratic beggars in exchange for their absurd titles, and Europe rightfully despises us for this.
15We have no national pride because we are no nation, and our attitude towards our own artists proves this effectually. Sargent, Whistler, Motley, Crawford, Bridgman and musicians by the score from here have preferred Europe for these reasons. When we happen to have atmosphere we take our supply to Europe.
17Paderewski does not play in Europe, where his atmosphere prevails; it seems, after all, not the kind that Europe wishes. In five years, in ten years, he does not play as frequently in public as he does here in one season. There is no money in Europe for him or other artists who love that atmosphere, and love it more after they have taken American money away with them. They could not remain here because then, as American residents, they would not be encouraged. Vide Joseffy!
19Paderewski can afford to tell De Pachmann not to accept our money. But he himself could have none unless he came here to make it. He can make none in Europe to maintain him as he wishes it, and that applies to all foreign artists.
21For these reasons I am appealing to the American piano manufacturers to cease engaging foreign pianists and paying them to exploit their pianos. If the pianists wish to come to America they are welcome, but let them come and appeal to the public, and then, if they succeed, there will be offers in plenty to ensure future success. This rivalry for European pianists and singers only intensifies the situation and drives their demands to such high figures that fortunes are constantly lost in this struggle for European importations, and added to this comes the complete eclipse of the American artist, who has not improved, according to Paderewski, in 15 years. There never can be any improvement under the prevailing method.
23The influence of public opinion is often more terrible than the effect of violence, and this condition of public opinion regarding our own artists is demolishing the whole structure upon which the future of this country depends, for it is only through Art that we can be saved; only through Art. Thus far Science has come to our rescue, but Science alone cannot accomplish for us what is essential.
25I have always maintained that Paderewski is not supported by art but by popular curiosity, and, even if unwilling on his part, he sustains my contention. His receipts today are the same as the past periods. It is the same kind of an eager throng, so much older as represented by the younger element, that is curious to see the phenomenon, and Mr. Paderewski, knowing this, gives us the usual commonplace musical pabulum, playing about the same program in his peregrinations even to the extent of giving Boston the Rubinstein D minor conservatory concerto, now used nearly entirely for pupils, beginners or weaklings. Paderewski knows that we have no art and tells us so, and therein will be found his success; he has gauged us. Now that we know it from him, what are we going to do? Nothing, because there is nothing to do. As long as we do not feel, do not appreciate, that we are losing our national salvation because we have no artistic foundation, we can make no progress, and Paderewski can come as often as he wishes and make a fortune every time on a limited program; it is not his music or playing; it is the advertised phenomenon, and we do not go to listen, for we are incompetent for that; we have not the atmosphere. We go to look, to see, to be part of the horde of curiosity seekers. He says so himself and I admire him for it.
27Art is the visible emblem of a nation's soul existence. It is this because it represents the ideal in the soul and intellect of man. We have no such spiritual emblem, and worse even than that is the evidence that we have no desire for it. We must have the foreigner to learn from him. But we must also have our own firm faith in ourselves and in the capacity of a constructive genius. Imitation and curiosity, her handmaid, are our guides until now. We must break away from these and cease macdowelling. By macdowelling I mean the throttling of our own artists. The very moment we recognize the first serious effort we will be started in the right direction.
29For instance, Mr. Damrosch must be told by his American backing that he must introduce the compositions of Americans and that he must engage American soloists, and his brother must be told the same by his American backers. These two Damrosch brothers, existing altogether on America, have been the bulwarks of crowds of foreign artists, hordes of them. That must be
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