Books › Musical Courier 1927-10-27: Vol 95 Iss 17, 1927 › scan 13
Scan 13
Musical Courier 1927-10-27: Vol 95 Iss 17, 1927
56 lines. Read by computer on 29 September 2026, twice; the two readings disagreed in places. Printed page 14. See the scan on archive.org.
1CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
2By John Duffy
4The title of this brief paper may seem to be quite general. If I am right, I still feel under no obligation to apologize; for it will be discovered that, with all I have to say, I am endeavoring, at least, to live up to the letter.
6The average music-lover, or music-student (I except the mature artist) feels that he must "look" at a piece of music to know whether it is any good or not. How truthfully I am able to say to anyone who is going to buy a sheet of music, "Now, don't do anything I wouldn't do"—and that is, let my eyes, and not by ears, judge the worth of a composition. Fortunately, perhaps, then, I have been deprived of physical sight. Much of my knowledge of modern innovations has been gained through the sense of hearing—either direct from the concert-hall, or through the medium of the radio and phonograph—though there are works for piano which have been transcribed into a system which will permit my memorizing or looking them over.
8In a previous paper, I stated that it would be difficult to prophesy the future of modern music; I even ventured to assert I could see no bright prospects for the immediate future composed of ultra-modernism. I now limit this last statement to those interested in experimentalism; and, from my present observations, would discourage rather than encourage these fellows in their particular chosen field of endeavor.
10MUSIC A REFLECTION OF THE AGE
12The progress of music as an art has, for some good reason in God's omnipotent ruling, been very slow, until, perhaps, comparatively recent years. In its development music is certainly the child among the arts, and we sometimes believe that youngest child is always the pet, who is also sometimes spoiled. Is this true of music?
14Since music is the most potent expression of human emotion in existence, it is only natural to expect that it should reflect the character of the age. For example: in the commercial world, the interval from about 1400 to 1750 was devoted to discovery and colonization. During that period, music, as a real, live art, had been discovered, and various forms developed and materialized and perfected. Ever since 1750 (or thereabouts) the world has been striving for freedom from tyrannical rule. Just so, music as an art, has been seeking freedom from the tyrannical rule of set classical forms and harmonic regulations, and even yet appears not to be satisfied.
16For we find, even in this age of political, moral and religious disorder, this seeming discordant music is but a reflection (and a most unmistakable one) of the age—the extreme dissonances (in many cases entirely uncalled for), the distorted rhythms, the vague, indefinite melodic sequences, the use of new orchestral tone-combinations for effects still to be discovered, the introduction of new instruments and novel (and always necessary) effects, and, above all, the present disgraceful vulgarity of some of our American jazz—all these do but reflect the disorder, both here and abroad, of conditions in general, as they reveal themselves in this twentieth century, this much-talked-of "Age of Enlightenment!"
18IS AMERICA A MUSICAL NATION?
20And right here, since we have merely touched upon the thought of jazz, it might be well to ask ourselves, "Is America a Musical Nation?" To which I respond, very generally if you please, in the negative. True, we have within the limits of our own United States some of the very finest symphonic organizations in the world, which speaks well for musical Uncle Sam! All the great artists visit our shores (and I do not exclude prodigies), which sounds well for us; and furthermore, we have produced a few worth-while composers, which is perhaps the best sign of all that America is a musical nation.
22Americans, like unto any other people, are human, and hence enjoy music in a general way. But the great mass does not and will make no strenuous effort to understand and love true music. We have our splendid symphony orchestras, as I have said, but may I ask how many of our orchestral conductors were even born in this country? Very few. The great European artists always visit our shores, sometimes even when they are mere children! Why? Because America is a land of wealth. These artists first introduce their excellent learning, and then, to become rich, yield to the shrill demands of the American public for lighter classics.
24All of which we might compare to the little three-year-old boy, toddling along by the side of his parent into a drug store. He sees some penny candy, and wants it. If mamma says no, he'll show her up with his shrill demands for it, and his final tears move her to compassion; thus the mother, in order to quiet him, gives him the candy. From that time on the child generally gets what he wants when he wants it, with the result that sometimes he gets too much.
26Just so, then, in the field of music (and in other fields as well) the century-and-a-half-old American public had at some unremembered moment in its infancy been given a taste of the easy-to-grasp lighter classics and cheap popular dance-tunes. And the foreign manufacturers of this cheap confectionery, having now gotten rich as a result, are constantly striving to meet the demands for more rot, with the result that the present-day jazz reflects most decidedly the lack of culture, morality, religion, and even social refinement in the general body of Americans.
28"But," you ask impatiently, "what about our composers?" And I answer you, "Yes, what about them? How many of our best composers have not gone to Europe to complete their musical (and in some cases, literary) education. And yet, with all our infused Old World culture, strange to say, America is artistically slipping backward. What, may be asked, is the standard of American appreciation of music?
30People with means ardently support symphonic orchestras because it is one of the rules of high society to do so. They will attend a symphony concert for the reason, chiefly to be in style; they will applaud an ultra-modern novelty to the echo simply to be courteous. (I do not include the ardent lover of music in this class, please.) Probably the most wealthy and ignorant among them would sleep during such a work, and, being roused just in time, would applaud the work to the point of calling for an encore. And if you should ask one of these folks what they thought of Mr. Blank's new work, here's about the reply: "Perfectly stunning!" (Unless you chanced to be in the same mental oblivion as that person when you would be frankly told, "I don't know I slept through it all." "So did I," you say, "that stuff's too deep for me.")
32Now, then, while you have my plain statements before you, do you agree or disagree with me when I say that America, on the whole, is not a musical nation? Let us conclude with this: How many of the general body of the American people could whistle such familiar melodies as Melody in F, Spring Song, Barcarolle from the Tales of Hoffman, Meditation from Thais, Pilgrims' Chorus from Tannhauser, the Faust Valse, etc.? Is this, then, not proof enough that America, with all its culture, is not a musical nation? one of two readings
33Now, then, while you have my plain statements before you, do you agree or disagree with me when I say that America, on the whole, is not a musical nation? Let us conclude with this: How many of the general body of the American people could whistle such familiar melodies as Melody in F, Spring Song, Barcarolle from the Tales of Hoffman, Meditation from Thais, Pilgrims' Chorus from Tannhauser, the Faust Valses, etc.? Is this, then, not proof enough that America, with all its culture, is not a musical nation? one of two readings
35SOME TRUTHS CONCERNING FUTURISM
37One may have reason to wonder just how much there is that is really new in some ultra-modern works. Stravinsky has been loudly acclaimed by some critics as the leading "futurist" of our time. But his long residence in Paris, instead of in Russia where he perhaps belongs, has caused his music to be strongly flavored with a Debussyan syrup. Moreover, if you were to compare some of the later works of Debussy with those of Stravinsky (say, for instance, those works composed between 1910 and 1913), you will find that both these composers at times employ the same harmonic characteristic which dominates Stravinsky's compositions. France is producing its circle of "six," five of whom still remain to pour forth oceans of dissonance, some of which are quite permissible, others are not. Germany is bringing forth a race of experimentalists, who think themselves musical simply because they are using some of their discoveries and inventions for novel effects. Russia is producing a group of realists, whose music, while pretending to be Russian in character, seems to employ the French language in music, action and speech. America is producing a few composers whose music also swims in the French atmosphere of realism and impressionism.
39With one exception, England seems to my mind to be the most promising of all the nations. The Britishers have too often been accused of possessing that rare virtue of conceit. But when we recall that for two centuries England had been fed up on the light operas of Sullivan and others, and the church music of hosts of mediocre composers, and then note its sudden elevation, almost over night, from worst to best, are not our talented neighbors across the sea justified in their seeming conceit? The British are natural satirists; they have become impressionists as well, but they realize that they have a language all their own to speak, and they speak it. This is what gives England a promising outlook for the future. For the Britisher is not willing to be swayed by the tempting confectionery of other peoples.
41ITALY AGAIN THE MOTHER OF HER DIVINE CHILD
43And side by side with England, Italy has come to play a most important part in the work of rehabilitation—Italy, the cradle of all our classical forms, the motette, the mass, the opera and oratorio, the suite and the sonata. That cradle rocks whilst the loving mother-hand of truth guides the mind's eye of two eminent composers, Casella and Respighi. The Italians, like the British, realize that everything cannot be done overnight. They are testing the thing well, and are patiently endeavoring to bring music out of this chaos.
45CONCLUSION
47Music has, as an art, passed the experimental stage. Let those interested in research work apply their discoveries to art. If they stand the test, all well and good. Let us conceive of music as both an art and a language. It must speak either in terms of realism or absolutism. If our composers are interested in writing works in the old classical forms, let them not mar these forms with void tonality and uncalled-for dissonance, but rather let them realize that certain forms are dependent for their proper construction and intelligible comprehension upon definite harmonic structure and definite tonalities. Meanwhile let our realists purify our art in that direction, freeing it from the chains of experimentalism and novelty. And then only may we hope that our contemporary music shall be a centrifugal force in the rectifying of this dreadful state of affairs; and this age will, we hope, in the very near future become a respectable one in the sight of God.
49Students' Recital at New York School of Music and Arts
51The 656th pupils' concert of the New York School of Music and Arts was held on October 6 at the school. The large, spacious rooms are an ideal setting for musical entertainments, as the whole length of the house can be utilized to seat the guests. The contributors to the program, which was a varied one, were heard by a large and appreciative audience which recognized in the many efforts during the evening the result of excellent training and good foundations. There were vocal, organ, violin, piano and harp artists, many of them playing two instruments, some singing and playing, and there were also vocal duets, piano and harp duos and four hand piano selections. This versatility shows that Rulfe Leech Sterner, director of the school, has an appreciation of broad musicianship, and endeavors to arouse in the students a wide knowledge of various branches of the art. The program opened with Alice Davis giving an organ selection, followed with vocal numbers by Dorothy Heyden, who appeared three times during the evening. Other vocalists were Margaret Noonan, Ruth O'Neil, Catherine Muldoon, Wilbur Lindsey, Janice Brown, Rocco Carcione and Catherine Taylor. The pianists were Flora Gross, Alfred di Rocco, Juliet Gross and Alice Denhardt. Helen Klepser, Margaret Noonan and Helen Mauhapt were the violinists, and Alice Davis the harpist and accompanist. The young musicians all did themselves credit to the point where it would be difficult to make any discriminations in their abilities.
53Sundelius Sings at Andover
55On October 15 Marie Sundelius sang a recital program at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., before the start of her tour as leading soprano with the King's Henchman Company that opens in Washington, D. C., on November 4. This Metropolitan soprano started her concert season with a performance of Honegger's King David at the Worcester, Mass., Festival on October 5. She also sang at Grand Rapids, Mich., on October 21.
The computer misreads some letters and numbers. Where a name matters to you, read the scan.