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

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Each year as fhe new sfudenfs and I face each ofher for fhe firsf fime, I wonder how many of fhem have come fo us wifh a hearf full of dreams and a head full of ambifions and plans for fheir fufure. Many of fhem, no doubf, are hoping fo be able fo sfep info fheir favorife arfisf's place fhe momenf he abandons if. And each year as fheir comprehension of fundamenfals and arf- isfic values is awakened, I see fhem grow, develop, and alfer fhose plans. Perhaps fhey discard quife a few of fhose dreams, foo. They find fheir place as fhe familiar saying goes. Buf whaf none of us shall ever see is fhe hearfbreak caused by fhe necessify of abandoning fhose dreams, of fhe disillusionmenf undergone because of a faulfy evaluafion of falenfs and abilifies fosfered by well- meaning feachers, families, and friends, and a subsequenf unwillingness fo invesfigafe fhe real possibilifies open fo musicians of foday. Wifhin us are 'rwo selves: fhe worldly, ambifious self which is goaded on forever by fhe glamour of fhe achievemenfs, press build-up, and public acclaim accorded fhe arfisf as well as by successes of confempor- aries. If fells us fhaf if sufficienf zeal and devofion are exercised, we, foo, can sfand in high places. Then, fhere is our frue self which may wanf somefhing quife dif- ferenf-nof so worldly or ambifious, perhaps, buf somefhing infinifely finer: namely, fhe developmenf side-by-side wifh musical growfh of characfer fraifs which make for frue happiness and produce REAL PEOPLE. If I dared, I'd like fo ask each sfudenf, as a sorf of iEnfrance Exam,' Do you know yourself? Whaf do you wanf from fhis musical experience you are underfaking? Are you evaluafing your ambifions and abilifies fruly? We of fhe Faculfy of fhe Philadelphia Conservafory wanf fo grad- uafe REAL people as well as REAL musicians. KATHRYN R. GRUBE

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.fdrf ana! lgracficagfg There are weddings and rumors of weddings in fhe Conservafory. Arf and love being fhe fleefing fhings fhey are, if is in fhe inferesf of solidarify fhaf I propose fhaf af leasf one parfy fo such an agreemenf know how fo cook-and hereby quofe a recipe. This dish, a soup, if begun in fhe Freshman year and if replenished occasionally, can carry you fhrough a couple of degrees and make any ofher cooking complefely unnecessary. WEST INDIAN PEPPER POT The soup is composed of a large piece of salf pork, diced and fried unfil brown: a parfially roasfed fowl, cuf up in fhe usual fricassee man- ner: a large onion, a dozen shallofs, and a few dried chili peppers. These fhings are simmered slowly in a large buckpof or pipkin, and as fhey cook a sauce is added. The sauce consisfs of fwo fablespoons of brown sugar, half a fablespoon of salf, a feaspoon of cayenne pepper mixed wifh 'ren fablespoons of buffer. Finally 'ren fablespoons of cassareep, fhe concenfrafed iuice of fhe biffer cassava, is sfirred in unfil fhe soup is brown in color. Now fhe pof musf simmer for an hour or so, preferably over an open fire, and fhen sef aside fo cool for fhe fime if fakes fo memorize fhe slow movemenf of a Beefhoven Sonafa. On fhe second day fhe soup is boiled up again and allowed fo simmer for half an hour: fhen if musf resf a full fwenfy-four hours, and no doubf you will need fo, foo. On fhe fhird day if boils up again and simmers, and only now is if approaching edibilify. Sfill if is a young soup and by no means af ifs besf. You will keep fhe pepper pof going by consfanfly replenishing ifs ingredienfs fo compensafe for fhe porfion removed. H' is heafed up day affer day, monfh affer monfh, and year affer year unfil fhe pipkin is well caked like an old brier pipe. The finesf pepper pof is af leasf a hundred years old: if passes down from one generafion of Conservafory sfudenfs fo fhe nexf and fhe nexf, growing richer and spicier as fhey grow poorer buf ever so much more infelligenf. And when you are finally gafhered fo your fafhers, you will leave, if nof nine enduring symphonies, af leasf one well grown pepper pof. Furfhermore, fhrough eafing fhis soup day affer day, you will accusfom yourself fo infense heaf. H' is always well fo be prepared for fhe hereaffer. DOROTH EA PERSICHETTI

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OrcAe:ifraf jaining If is said fhaf no sfring quarfef is beffer fhan ifs weakesf member. The frufh of fhis sfafemenf is obvious because, in fhe quarfef, fhe abilify of fhe individual player is so exposed. Alfhough if is nof so obvious, fhis sfafemenf is neverfheless equally frue abouf an orchesfra. lf seems fhaf many members of amafeur organizafions, school orchesfras, and nof a few who aspire fo a professional sfanding, have an erroneous idea fhaf fhe minimum fechnical proficiency required in any kind of ensemble playing is nof af all necessary in fhe orchesfra since, in fhe group, one covers fhe ofher players' shorfcomings. However, if does nof happen fo be so, and anyone wifh fairly discriminafe musical fasfe will agree wifh me fhaf fhere is no more afrocious sound fhan, for insfance, imperfecf playing in unison. In fhe orchesfra, ANY SINGLE PLAYER wifh fhe slighfesf deviafion from pifch can produce a fonal disfurbance confrary fo fhe sound of fhe WHOLE orchesfra. Why should any orchesfra be bad, professional or amafeur? A professional orchesfra mighf be bad because ifs personnel, or a parf of if, is unable fo meef fhe demands of a sfandard reperfory wifhin fhe Iimifed fime for rehearsal. The conducfor is obliged fo selecf fhe works nof according fo his players' abilifies, buf wifh an efforf fowards pre- senfing fhe same fype of programs as fhose presenfed by fhe finesf symphonic organizafions. Cfherwise, fhe culfural funcfion of such an orchesfra does nof seem fo be fulfilled. However, no such considerafions should cause amafeur orchesfras fo selecf works beyond fheir fechnical means. This, of course, does nof allow fhem fo play poor music. Through- ouf fhe counfry sfandards will be raised by fhe employmenf of a greafer number of younger, fechnically equipped musicians who have fhe proper affifude fowards orchesfral playing, and who undersfand fhe workings of a beffer orchesfra: whose arfisfic infegrify would nof permif fhem fo hide behind fhe back of someone else and evenfually sink fo a narrow professionalism la precarious exisfencel af fhe leasf. ln our recenf concerf in Wifherspoon Hall, fhe orchesfra acquiffed ifself wifh honor which I affribufe mainly fo a fhorough pracfising of fhe individual parfs. Each sfudenf was sfudying his parf wifh his respec-