Calhoun School - Ink Pot Yearbook (New York, NY)

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ink pot Now she found a friend in a Cho in walfz. She found 'rhe same spirif and come- liness. She found his grace, poise, and ievify. Bach was anofher friend, a girl she had leff behind her. This composer's work was infricafe, difficulf fo undersfand, buf fascinafing because of fhe subfle design. fhe delighiful paffern his music formed. Her friend had been iusf like fhaf, infellecfual, complex, precise, and powerful. Schumann's Childhood Scenes represenfed a recenf acquainfance. The girl was warm, friendly, responsive, unsophisficafecl, and full of fhe ioy of life. Her per- sonalify was irresisfible, one loved her af sighf. This music was a symbol of her char- acfer: each phrase lenf undersfanding fo fheir friendship. All The drama of Tchaikowsky broughf an older person fo mind, a woman who had been very dear fo fhe sfudenfs of music. Her words had been deep and worldly- wise. She was moody buf so sfimulafing. Mozarf fypified a very dainfy person. One would have fo be facfful and diplo- mafic in dealing wifh fhis friend: in ofher words, fhe fechnique was difliculf. The slighfesf flaw would ruin a lovely effecf: similarly fhe friendship would be spoiled. In mutsiic misfakes are reparable, buf in dealing wifh human beings if is nof always possible fo o so. There were many ofher analogies, buf fhe lasf was very beaufiful. fhe Sonafa Pafhefiquef' by Beefhoven. This music reminded her of a boy of her own age, un- spoiled, impressionable, and adolescenf. The music is unresfrained, varying. Af fimes if is genfle and composed: fhen if is wild and impassioned. There are swiff changes from fhoughffulness fo impefuosify. If is full and vifal and complefely unselfish. Careful inferprefafion would disclose greaf pofenfialifies, buf if if is misfreafed if will remain an undisciplined mass. Sfirred by fhe infimacy of her lasf friendship fhe girl scribbled some hasfy nofes: perhaps fhe preceding narrafive will help fhe reader fo undersfand Them. l A person's soul is like a piece of music. Each individual may inferpref fhe compo- sifion as he likes, buf no fwo inferprefafions will be idenfical. The more mafure one grows fhe finer, more complefe significance one will affach fo any piece. There are several sfages of developmenf. Some sfudenfs of music only affain fhe elemenfary accomplishmenfs of fhe fechnique, a second group acfually reached fhe sfage of ex- pressing ifs own emofions reflecfed in fhe music, buf fhe fhird possesses a sensifivify developed fo such a sufficiency as fo be able fo capfure fhe emofion of 'rhe composer of fhaf bil' of music, fo undersfand fhe infricacies of a person's soul. This lasf sfafe is a full com rehension of fhe depfh of fhe piece. lfs undersfanding produces such a har- mony ofpsounds as fo fhrill an audience varied in degrees of sympafhy. If fakes prac- fice fo make a good musician, pracfice on more fhan one piece, on more fhan one person. However, fhe complefe or nearly complefe undersfanding of one piece leads fo an easier approach fo fhe nexf. A sfudenf of music musf be persisfenf and serious. and fully aware fhaf fhere are greaf quanfifies of fhings he does nof know. Above all he musf love fo creafe beaufy: he musi' be willing fo fif himself for feeling. Every branch of acfivify aids fhe sfudenf fo undersfanding. All fypes of sfudy help as fhey may be applied unconsciously. Learning fo make music, fo undersfand people is very difficulf, buf fhe conscienfious aspiranf derives an exfreme sense of pleasure and in- fense safisfacfion even from affempfing. RUTH HORWITZ, '37. fwenfy-nine

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ink pot the simile ff0NE! Two! Three! Four! Accen+ on fhe firsf beaf! Oh, you exasperafing child! The liffle girl siffing on a piano bench dropped her fear-filled eyes and sfared af feef fhaf dangled high above fhe floor. Pay affenfion fo fhe music, ordered fhaf obnoxious voice, and fhe child focused her eyes upon fhe incomprehensible sheef of nofes once more. Buf she could nof con- cenfrafeq her fhoughfs reverfed fo fhe evenfs of an hour ago. Wifh chagrin she re- called 'rhe ecsfasy of whizzing down fhe ice-packed hill on a sleigh, fhe wind beafing againsf her cheeks, her liffle puppy frolicking beside her. Piano lessons were so firesomez and fhe faf, sfern woman siffing beside her was ferrifying. Oh, how happy I shall be when fhis is over, she mused, and wi'rh an inaudible sigh, sfrefched her pudgy, shorf fingers across fhe keys. Those fingers losf fheir awkwardness as fhey grew. The muscles developed and fhe fissue befween fhe ioinfs became flexible. The liffle girl had acquired a cerfain degree of fechnique: buf fhe keyboard sfill remained formidable, and pracficing one hour, fhen fwo, fhen fhree was a frial. So affer a while fhe liffle girl was allowed fo sfop her music, and she ioyfully reverfed fo play. Buf playing had losf ifs fhrill, and as fime wenf on, fhe ga which her music leff seemed fo grow larger and larger unfil she reached fhe sfafe wfiere she could analyze her feelings: she knew fhaf music was a parf of her. Then she declared fhaf she would resume her sfudy. This firne she was inspired by a feacher who was sympafhefic and encouraging. The firsf fime fhey mei he had smiled in a friendly fashion and. running his fapered fingers fhrough her hair, he remarked, People wifh plenfy of curls make good musi- cians. He had a remarkable sense of humor and lessons were like advenfures. Each week broughf zesf fo his pupil, and as her eyes were opened fo The vasf sfores of liferafure she became more and more enfhusiasfic. Her work was a ioy and a revelafion. Three hours of pracfice were no longer a fask, buf a pleasure and a relief. They became necessary for her peace of mind, an ouflef for emofions, supreme momenfs of self- expression. A golden-haired child playing in 'rhe sun, fhe vivid colors of aufumn leaves, a preffy picfure, a piece of sculpfure. or a pleasing book were impressions melded info her music. This medium was so much more adequafe fhan language of fhe fongue! Buf fhe girl was only enjoying a childish pasfime. Music was sfill anofher form of amusement She failed fo gef fhe composer's messages. She only played and felf, buf she did nof hear fhe resulfs. l-ler fones lacked qualify and depfh. Her music lacked undersfanding. Gradually fhe rapid progress slowed up and fhen halfed. Bofh 'reacher and pupil had come fo an impasse. Suddenly fhe girl was faken away from her accusfomed surroundings. She suffered greafly because, being young, she felf fhaf all was losf, friends, school and, mosf im- porfanf of all, music feacher. ln her unhappiness, fhough, she became aware of fhe narrow scope of her pasf life and she began fo observe people in a differenf lighf. lf was possible for her fo fhink obiecfively, and fhen her music came fo life again. fwenfy-eighf

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ink pot some day THIN sfreams of sunlighf invaded fhe warm, somnolenf afmosphere of fhe nursery. Soff blue drapes flapped occasionally againsf fhe window panes. Af fhe foof of fhe blue enamel crib a huge police dog reclined, his powerful body sfrefched full lengfh, recumbenf buf alerf. As fhe young woman came info fhe room, his ears rose sfiffiy and a long grey fail fhumped slowly, ioyfully under lhe crib. Bul' when she passed him wifh a careless caress. he reclined info a wafchful and pensive affifude. His greaf. soulful eyes absorbed fhe overwhelming love she felf for fhe finy creafure in 'rhe crib. lf was such a peculiar creafure: Czar had never seen anofher like if. lf had soff. yellow hair. and greaf big blue eyes, and affer she fed if milk from a boffle if would gurgle and wave ifs finy arms abouf in circular mofion. Rafher fufile acfions, Czar fhoughf, anyway quife be- yond fhe comprehension of a canine mind. Whaf annoyed Czar mosf was fhe facf fhal' fhaf liffle creafure demanded so much affenfion. Up unfil The pasf year he was accusfomed fo being pampered and peffed and made rafher imporfanfg when com- pany came, he was allowed fo display his reperfoire of fricks-and fhen was praised for is cleverness. Buf fhe infrusion of fhis obnoxious liflle creafure reduced him fo fhe lowly posifion of a mere wafchdog-which was far below his dignify. lf was springfime, and fhe budding crocuses on fhe lawn reminded her of her new- born child. As she 'rhoughf of him. bubbles of ecsfasy rose and fell wifhin her breasf, and her lips curved in a smile. She realized fhaf all mofhers musf feel as she did, fhe beaufy of her new possession. lf was marvelous and a liffle frighfening fo have fhe opporfunify of shaping a life fo her own will. She had read somewhere fhaf every child was born wifh almosf similar endowmenfs, and lhaf environmenf and fraining formed fhe real basis for characfer. ' She had such plans for her darling's fufure. Firsf she would make him aware of all fhe beaufy accessible fo man: of 'rhe pure beaufy of nafure, of 'rhe s mbolic beaufy of music, arf. and liferarure, of The philosophical beauly in man himself! and his world of science. ln a year or fwo. perhaps. she would play fo him: fhus he would recognize fhe classics al' a very early age and derive a complefe safisfacfion from fhem when he be- came mafure enough fo undersfand music. As soon as he could concenfrafe she musf read fo him, and some day. when he had developed an insafiable curiosify for knowl- edge. she would ply him wifh all sorfs of books. When he would be abouf six, she could inifiafe him info fhe fascinafing world of creafive expression. Perhaps he would learn fo appreciafe arf: he mighf even culfivafe fhe desire fo spread if more widely so fhaf ofhers mighf benefif from whal he had learned. Thar is where his academic educafion would be imporfanf. His general knowledge would give him culfural foundafion, a fruer perspecfive, a balanced sfandard of value. Buf she would never force her own prejudices and opinions on him: she would place a wealfh of maferial before him and he would make his own choice. Perhaps from fhe complex order of all fhis he mighf discern fhe difference befween really living and merel exisfing. She knew fhaf fhe child mighf nor be able fo fuhfill any of her ambifions because fhere would be legion exfernal forces which musf influence his developmenf: and she knew fhaf even if he did nof comply wifh her ideals she would confinue fo love him iusf as fiercely as before. She would live again in her child: she would share his ioys and his hearfaches-fhaf was fhe greaf giff of mofherhood-anofher life. From among fhe safin coverlefs an infanf's profesfing voice arose. A+ firsf if whined: fhen cried, and as ifs cries were unaswered, if lapsed info a series of sfaccafo bellows which became more and more annoying fo Czar's peace of mind. He cocked fhirly