Eastman School of Music - Score Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

Page 16 text:

'f-iF. . ' 7 'W complete and permanent exclusion of our own. Even a Toscanini, had fate denied him the chance of attempting to mature, would have failed. Further, let our orchestras offer prizes, and better, commissions or liberal performing fees for worthy compositions by native talent. Their expenses are already burdensome. But these expenses are incurred through playing music. And composing is music. A composer, be he great, good, bad or indifferent, is at least as useful as the corresponding class of conductor or player. In fact we may ask, What conductor, no matter how great, has ever been as necessary as Beethoven? An absurd com- parison? There have been no American Beethovens? There never will be Am- erican Beethovens? You may be right, but it is not certain. And the answer to these questions, whatever it is, may be different a year from today. But, of course if, by mere indifference or active opposition we can prevent even good native music from obtaining a hearing, we can forever make the Great American Symphony impossible. And what will that gain us? One more word, and this to the composers themselves. Most Americans who write line symphonies do not write good short piano pieces and vice versa. Let us neither humbly Cnor arrogantlyl emulate the example of the masters who wrote works of every size, every form and for every combination of instruments, and made or had made piano arrangements of their larger works. Why? So that those who want to know the music can know it. Last but not least, do not scorn the radio and the phonograph. The composer is too often discouraged by his enemies, let him, then, not discourage his friends. Z3

Page 15 text:

as a bucking broncho. Gustav Soderlund has written a serenade and a symphony which show line workmanship and the brooding mysticism of his Nordic ancestors. Let us now consider briefly what America is doing for her composers. One scarcely knows where to begin. The Prix de Rome offers an adequate income for a three years' stay in Rome and an allowance for some European travel. It is not given for the purpose of work under a teacher. A mature technique and previous achievement are essential. Similar conditions are true of the Guggenheim and Pulitzer travelling fellowships awarded for periods of a year or more. Another means afforded the artist to escape the manifold distractions of daily life and concentrate on his main work is furnished by summer camps. The first of these, the'MacDowell colony in New Hampshire, was founded by the great composer's widow. Another well-known location with similar aims is Yaddo in the ,Catskill Mountains. The same idea, furthermore, has been applied to student orchestras at Interlochen, Michigan and elsewhere. As regards student symphony orchestras our country has developed unboundedly in the last ten years. The New York League of Composers is another powerful agency working for the advancement of our music. They are a branch of the International League. With them are affiliated many of the radical group of composers mentioned above. Their sympathies are international rather than national. They are rather out of touch, it would seem, with music arising from points west of the Atlantic seaboard. Without any question the most many-sided and powerful effort on behalf of American music originated from the Eastman School of Music. For ten years past Howard Hanson has conducted about live programs annually, devoted entirely to American music of every type and locality. For some years the culmi- nating point of this activity has been a spring festival, lasting a week. The student composition department, begun by Sinding and Palmgren, is nevertheless mainly the work of Royce, Hanson, and Rogers. The Prix de Rome, awarded Doctor Hanson before he assumed directorship of the Eastman School, has since been granted to two students of that school. In a recent national contest Eastman students won all five prizes in composition. At the end of each year three or four programs of two hours each in length are devoted entirely to orchestral as well as chamber music written by the students. The student orchestra is one of the two best in the country. The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, connected with the school is one of the major symphony orchestras in America. If one grants the reliability of some or all of the foregoing statements one will certainly admit that America is in many ways a musical nation. The question may still be asked whether we are musically mature. Opera in English, which will be tried at the Metropolitan next year, will be a step in advance. Let us hope that eventually we shall have many opera houses with native singers and direction. And may there be American assistant-conductors, who as they mature take the place of foreign-born conductors in our opera and symphony orchestras upon eventual retirement of the latter. Foreign guest artists should of course continue to be at least as welcome to us as to all other countries. But surely not to the 15

Page 17 text:

X A. .a ' f- 15 in 'JH 9 3 , 5 Ei 5 if Hpmq Q52-I M 0' N U 1 '-' 3 WI, s' - WWW X fb, f x! X gl ' Nl 5 -----H fy lr f . 4 ' 114 XX Wm Sb Qffl AUNIINISTHATIUN