Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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TIGER ‘43 of a day will listen to a musical pro- gram of some sort. It may be that Harry James’s “Trumpet Blues” will be preferable to some, while Schu- bert’s symphonies and songs appeal to others. But through listening to music, more and more people have come to find a satisfying, inspiring type of pleasure. So vital is the need for music in ' war times that musicans have ex- pressed the hope and belief that we shall not be satisfied with music al- ready written. The very emotions themselves which are experienced in war times are expected to cause some outburst of “Music of courage” on the part of composers, so-called be- cause it is designed to fill our hearts with much-needed courage and deter- mination. “Tin Pan Alley” has already produced various sentimental, patri- otic, and emotional songs, which, de- spite their intense popularity, are de- stined to be short-lived. But up to the present time, only two important classical war-time composers have reared their heads. Mr. Andre Kostelanetz has writ- ten, “When the war began, I gave a great deal of thought to the manner in which music could be employed to mirror the magnificent spirit of our country.” He discussed the question with some of his composer-friends and decided that the greatness of a nation is best expressed through its people, and that the most successful people would be the most logical sub- jects. The results of this decision was “A Lincoln Portrait”, in which the composer, Aaron Copeland, has suc- cessfully expressed the outstanding qualities of courage, dignity, strength, simplicity, and humor, so predomin- ant in the character of Abraham Lincoln. The Russian marvel, mad-man, or what-have-you, Demetri Shosta- kovitch, ‘worked ceaselessly through the heaviest bombings of Leningrad to finish his “Seventh Symphony”, which he composed as a tribute to the immutable will, indomitable spirit, and staunch character of his countrymen. Indeed, the need for music has been found throughout the world in this time of crisis, and as our own President has told us, “The man who disparages music as a luxury and non- essental is doing the nation an injury. Music now, more than ever before, is a national need.” THE COMING AIR WORLD By Donald McPhail In Africa, in Asia, and in Europe, our Air Lorces and these of our allies are sweeping the skies free of enemy planes. A ratio of three to one and sometimes four to one has 14

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TIGER ‘43 Much time and work has been devoted by factory officials to the perfection of these periods. The acoustics must be so constructed that the music pierces through rather than adds to the din created by machines. Then too, the type of song played has to be considered, for in factories where a great majority of employees are Polish, polkas are enjoyed; but, from a true Scotchman’s point of view, bag-pipes create the only music worth listening to. It is found also that male employees enjoy martial airs, while women are apt to burst into tears upon hearing them, so closely are they associated with their boys overseas, vocals and “Deep in the Heart of Texas’’ are discarded as be- ing too distracting, while excerpts from operas are enjoyed, especially by Italian laborers. Music has afforded our boys overseas inestimable pleasure. Letters received by the people “back home’’ tell us that the men stationed in Eng- land or Ireland greatly enjoy danc- ing and concerts provided by the U. S. O. and other organizations and that the boys fighting in the swamps on Guadalcanal or on the sands of the African deserts look forward to any short wave broadcasts of jazz bands or symphony concerts; and up- on reaching a base the playing of the phonograph is the most popular pastime. But perhaps the need for music in camps within the United States has been more clearly seen. During the early days of the war, when the boys had absolutely nothing to do in their “off-time”, their morale drop- ped lower and lower. Then dances for the soldiers were introduced. The effect upon morale was so heartening that dances were held more and more frequently, and popular “name- band” leaders began to give their time to putting on shows for the boys. Eor proof of the increase in morale and whole-hearted enthusiasm for this type of entertainment, one has only to turn the dial of his radio to almost any station on any night and hear the shouts and applause of the soldiers, sailors, or marines for whatever orchestra may be broadcast- ing from their camp. Popular vocal- ists of the air and screen have played no small part in this type of morale- boosting. Perhaps the most outstand- ing of these is that songbird with a cockney accent, Gracie Fields. An aud- ience of millions awaits her cheerful exuberant outbursts of song five nights a week. Even the ordinary people at home who are not working directly for Uncle Sam in war factories find that there is more and more to do every day, whether it be in civilian defense jobs, schools, or just in the home, and they too feel the desire for relaxation more pressing. Almost invariably, a person who feels tired, restless, and discouraged at the end 13

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TIGER ‘43 been counted against our enemies. American planes are demonstrating their superiority over their oppon- cn ' s. The spectacular feats of these fighter planes and bombers make the headlines every day. But behind this front, a quietly operating branch of the Air Forces is working without rest. It has built a great transporta- tion system from the United States, across Africa, to Asia; there is an air route to almost every country of the United Nations. It was an undertak- ing of great magnitude, but American skill and American ingenuity made it possible. The success of this great system has awakened people to the realiza- tion that airplanes can be used for more than transporting passengers and mail. Bulky articles of machinery and food are now being carried. As the size of planes increases, so will the load. This realization has made people wonder about the world after this war. Who v ill control the air? Will it be the United States and Great Britain, or will all countries control it equally? This question is already attracting the attention of rich and poor alike. It has led to harsh words in Parliament and Congress. For the average person in America, the pre- sent task is to learn the difference be- tween the two main ideas, their ad- vantages and limitations. Basically, there are two extreme concepts of the post-war air world. First is the freedom of the air theory. In this theory, planes of every country would have the right to land and trade at airports anywhere, with only indiscriminatory customs pro- cedure to delay them. This is very much like the freedom of the seas doctrine. Countries, such as England, whose technical skill and outlying bases would make an air transporta- tion system feasible, would suffer be- cause her bases would be used by everyone. On the other hand, coun- tries also possessing the technical skill but lacking outlying bases would benefit. Directly opposed to the theory of “freedom of the air’’ is that of sovereignty of the air. Every nation would have unlimited authority in the air over its territories and terri- torial waters. No other nation would be allowed to cross this three dimen- sional sphere of influence without being accused of trespassing. Now, let us investigate the pos- sibilities of each of these systems. A careful study of a globe will show that with the present practical range of airplanes two thousand miles, the United States would need many more outlying bases. Our lines of commun- ication extend out into the Pacific as far as Manila: into the Atlantic, as far as Porto Rico. This would leave a gap of half the world to be flown in one hop, a feat which is impossible at present. If the air were free, this 15