Philadelphia Conservatory of Music - Variations Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

Page 18 text:

This problem is solved fo a cerfain exfenf by lengfhening fhe period of sfudy. A+ fhe Philadelphia Conservafory of Music fhe rounded educafion has always been fhe keynofe of school organizafion, and all of us connecfed wifh fhe school can poinf wifh pride fo fhe resulfs obfained in fhis unusual insfifufion. There is no doubf, however, fhaf if is easier for experienced edu- cafors fo be realisfs in connecfion wifh career expecfancy fhan for young people wifh undersfandable and laudable ambifion fo open fheir eyes fo unpleasanf facfs, such as an oversupply in fhe commercial concerf field, fhe sfrong American fendency fo cenfralize music of a high order in a few large cifies, and fhe regreffable lack of adequafe and desirable condifions for residenf musicians fhroughouf fhe counfry. Our habif of imporfafion of foreign arfisfs, dafing back fo Colonial days, has a greaf deal fo do wifh fhe psychology fhaf affaches more imporfance fo any visifing musical performer fhan fo fhe residenf musician, no maffer how fine fhe performance of fhe laffer may be. A campaign againsf such psychology is very difficulf fo carry ouf, buf in my opinion fhe mosf imporfanf fhing fo be done in fhis connecfion is for young musicians fhemselves fo have and fo proiecf a psychology fhaf would combaf fhe evils of fhe presenf sifuafion. Only foo offen does one find fhaf a local musician fakes up work in some communify simply because he has failed fo do whaf he wanfed fo do and is forced fo seek a livelihood somewhere. If we could accomplish fhe miracle of having young musicians deliberafely faking up living in some American communify on fhe basis of WANTING fo do if, and if af fhe some fime fhe calibre of such a young musician would invife respecf, confidence, and admirafion, l believe fhaf fhe upsurge of inferesf in music and of a vifal musical life fhroughouf fhe counfry would be unprecedenfed from fhe poinf of view of nafional developmenf in fhe arfs. As an example, if Germany and Ausfria had concenfrafed all fheir musical life of high calibre in Berlin and Vienna, we would never have had fhe Weimar of Liszf, fhe Meiningen of von Bulow, fhe Bayreufh of Richard Wagner, or fhe fine cenfers like Munich, Dresden, Leipzig,

Page 17 text:

GLPQBI' g7XI9eCfCLl'lCg Life insurance companies operafe on fhe basis of whaf fhey call life expecfancy. As we fhinlc fhrough whaf life expecfancy means fo fhose companies, we realize fhaf if never can be a posifive fhing fhaf has fo do wifh age. The youngesf person can meef wifh an accidenf or a fafal illness. However, fhe quesfion of age aufomafically plays a greaf parf in fhe fheories of life insurance companies. l would lilce fo malce an analogy befween life expecfancy and career expecfancy. Jusf as life expecfancy is dependenf upon healfh and age, so career expecfancy is dependenf upon nafive falenf and musical healfh, fhe laffer being a combinafion of proper fraining and sufficienf work. The elemenf of accidenf, however, also plays ifs parf in connecfion wifh career expecfancy and no amounf of careful plan- ning can prevenf fhe effecf of circumsfance upon musical careers. The music school and all frue educafors musf be realisfic in connecfion wifh career expecfancy. lf is fheir dufy fo provide fhe possibilify of a rounded educafion in music fhaf will give fhe sfudenf fhe possibilify of develop- ing his highesf powers in a specialfy and af fhe same fime fif him for worlc as an educafor so fhaf if fhe degree of his falenf, proiecfion power, and masfery of fhe insfrumenf do nof win him a high place in fhe larger concerf field, he will sfill have a fine equipmenf for ofher branches of fhe profession. This realism on fhe parf of educafors and music schools of a high order already exisfs in a marked degree, and fhe old fype of virfuoso developmenf which sacrificed everyfhing, including general educafion, fo fhe masfery of an insfrumenf is rapidly becoming a fhing of fhe pasf. An excellenf example of fhis modern fendency is fo be found in fhe new policies of fhe Julliard School of Music in New York. There fhe accenf is puf upon a rounded musical educafion fo such an exfenf fhaf if becomes difficulf for fhe sfudenf fo devofe enough fime fo pracfice upon an insfrumenf and achieve an oufsfanding measure of virfuosify.

Page 19 text:

Karlsruhe, Mannheim and Hamburg, fhaf lenf so much richness fo fhe musical life of cenfral Europe. Even liffle Holland did nol' concenfrafe all musical acfivifies in one cify buf had imporfanf cenfers in Amsfer- dam, Rofferdam, The Hague, Ufrechf and even a place like Groningen which afforded a worfhy field of acfivify for many Dufch musicians who mighf have sfarved had fhey been forced fo rely upon one cify for professional susfenance. Music happens fo be fhe only arf which can be faken anywhere in i-fs original and highesf form. We cannof have all fhe exisfing greaf painfings, sculpfure and masferpieces of archifecfure in our relafively new counfry, buf we can have all fhe greafesf music fhrough fhe medium of adequafe performance. Any musician who can give such a per- formance is valuable and imporfanf wherever he is heard. Wifhouf vanify or unpleasanf egofism he can so consider himself if he has devofed enough fime and work fo be able fo perform fhe indispensable funcfion of recreafion of fhe greaf musical liferafure. To be able fo do fhis, fo be ablegfo imparf a similar possibilify fo ofhers, fo be able fo achieve financial securify in any parf of fhe counfry, and fo have fhe happy life fhaf comes from fhe eliminafion of fruifless exfernal ambifion and ifs affendanf evils of bifferness and frusfrafion, is cerfainly an enviable lof compared wifh fhaf of people who puf all fheir eggs in one baskef only fo have if crash and desfroy-somefimes af one fell swoop- 'rheir hopes and ambifions. The Pursuif of Happiness which is such an essenfial privilege under a democrafic form of governmenf can be successfully carried on in 'rhe musical profession by musicians who are idealisfic enough, infelli- genf enough, and basically arfisfic enough fo wifhsfand fhe evils of a highly over-commercialized concerf acfivify in fhe broad field. lf is my hope fhaf every graduafe of fhe Philadelphia Conservafory who embarks upon a professional career will undersfand fhe frufhs of career expecfancy and leave fhe school noi' only a highly developed and well equipped musician, buf a happy human being. OLGA SAMAROFF STOKOWSKI