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

Page 36 text:

Of lafe we were subiecf fo consfanf affenfion from a group of very defermined individuals who seemed fo endow us wifh bofh fhe loquacify and experience of Ulysses in his fravels and clamoured very persisfenfly for a discourse, eifher verbal or wriffen, on Chinese music fwe hail from China, you seel. However, aparf from fhe facf fhaf while in China and fhaf was a long while, we had fhe good forfune or ofherwise, fo hear fhe same screeching pandemonium every day lfhis wifh no disrespecf fo fhe Chinese musicians who, fo give fhem credif, were very zealous in fheir performancel, we know hardly anyfhing of fhe fechnical aspecfs of Chinese music. lnsfead, here follows, wifh apologies, a rafher irrele- vanf collecfion of our experiences in Shanghai which we hope mighf inferesf some readers. The cify does nof represenf China, being a regular hodge-podge of all nafionalifies, and is very cosmopolifan and modern in parfs. Before fhe war if consisfed of a French concession, a nice residenfial disfricf, fhe lnfernafional Sefflemenf mder fhe combined confrol of fhe Brifish, fhe Americans and fhe Chinese, and fhe Chinese suburbs lvasf in area and populafion.l However, fhere is one facfor alcin fo all China and very noficeably presenf in Shanghai, and fhaf is fhe variefy of smells lfhose fhaf do nof soofhe one.l This made ifself felf especially in summer when one was confronfed by a differenf smell on every sfreef. Variefy is fruly fhe SPICE of life. During fhe war and fhe Japanese occupafion, all fhe European refugees were segregafed in a cerfain area called fhe Honglcew. This, incidenfally, did nof apply fo us. There, in fhaf Jewish gheffo, fhe hapless refugees lived in ferrible condifions. Moreover, fhey were cuf off from fhe resf of fhe cify where, since fheir flighf from Europe, 'rhey managed fo esfablish connecfions and enferprises which provided for fhem fheir daily susfenance. ln order fo leave fhaf area and commufe fo fhe cify, one had fo apply for a pass, and fhe man who issued fhese was a cerfain Japanese by fhe name of Goya.

Page 35 text:

PAUL NORDOFF lAlumnus and former Facully Member, had his Every Soul is a Circus programmed by Mar'l'ha Graham in her Phil- adelphia appearance in March. PERRY O'NEIL lFacul'ry Member, appeared January 24, as soloisf in lhe Isl' Piano Concerlo of Beefhoven wilh 'rhe Chicago Symphony, Hans Lange, Conducling. DOROTHEA PERSICHETTI lAlumna and Facul+y Member, was narra'ror for +he Fables composed by Vincenl a+ +he December Philadel- phia Orcheslra Childrens' Concerf, Eugene Ormandy, Conducling. VINCENT PERSlCHETTI'S lAlumnus and Facully Member, Sym- phony No. 3 will be performed by 'rhe Philadelphia Orchesira, Eugene Ormandy, Conducfing in rhe Fall of I947. A Suiie for Flu+e, Clarine-I' and Bassoon by ALFRED PIKE lS'ruden+, was performed a+ 'rhe Guild for Confemporary Music in March. MADAME SAMAROFF lFacul+y Member, spoke on The Performer as Crii'ic , al' +he Symposium on Music Criricism a+ Harvard Universily, May I, 2, and 3, I947. ROSALIND TURECK lformer Faculry Member, has given a Bach Series in fhe Scandinavian Counfries, fo be followed by a franscon- l'inen1'al four of Europe. THE ROVING REPORTER lim like a wandering asteroid, Beaten about from pillar to postg Lurking in the deeps of space, Lonely, cold, cornpanionless. lim, just a bit of cosmic dust, Floating idly in the void, Without a purpose or a hope, Going down the paths of Timelessness I arn the spindrift and the foam, Floating on the tideless sea, Flowing freely with the current Cleft by prows of passing ships. Roy Burrell

Page 37 text:

This worfhy was a Lillipuf wifh illusions of grandeur. He had a sfriking resemblance fo some of fhe picfures one sees in Darwin's Origin of Species. His iudgmenf on whefher a refugee should or should nof gef a pass was errafic and irrafional, and fhe poor people lined up auf- side his office quaked in agonies of suspense and apprehension. Being so small himself he disliked big men and rare was fhe occasion when a husky fellow gof his pass fo fhe cify. More fhan fhaf, whenever a big man enfered his sancfum, Goya used fo scramble up on a chair from which heighf he proceeded fo slap fhe man and scream in a sorf of ecsfafic frenzy, See, now I am as big as you, as big as you, I fell youl Such cases wifh variafions were numerous. You should have been wifh us fhere on VJ Day. All fhe feelings in people fhaf were penf up and repressed for so long were given venf and fhe cify was one hurling mass of gay and mofley crowds who iosfled, shoufed, laughed and cried all af fhe same fime. Chinese, as you may know, are very parfial fo firecrackers and on fhose days every minufe was puncfuafed wifh one. When fhe G. l.'s and fhe sailors arrived, we fhink fhaf no ofher cify was more hospifable fhan Shanghai. Almosf all fhe barbershops and beaufy parlors were furned info bars and drinking saloons overnighf in order fo accommodafe fhe fhirsfy heroes. H' is of no imporfance lor is if?l fhaf fhe owners of same made some very sizeable profifs as fhe American currency changed sides and fhaf a few soldiers and sailors died of poisoning as a resulf of drinking vodka fhaf was mixed largely wifh mefhyl-achohol. Such was Shanghai. If fime would allow fhere are many more pi- quanf fales of fhaf cify fhaf could be fold, buf fhere is a cerfain harmony homework fhaf has fo be done for Miss Grube . . . Alas! ROSE SCHIFFMAN and MARK TUKACHINSKY