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

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Qui' Cponfemyaorarg manic The average music lislener seeks in vain for familiar landmarks in ihe new 'ronal scheme of ihings which, so far, has been explored by our modern composers. American composers, who have so naiurally been imbued wi+h 'rhe pioneer spiri+, are using shorf, concise, compacl forms, wi+h a minimum of +hema+ic developmeni' and repe'ri+ion. If fhere is repe+i+ion, if musl' noi' be 'foo obvious or self-evident Sequences are 'Frowned upon, as are +he foo regular four, eighf, sixreen measure groupings, and +he ordinary cadence is pracrically +a- boo. Old laws of harmony and voice leadings are oufmoded. Fixed, +oo regular melody is no+ popular. In i+s place is pui' line, or figure, or confrapunial mo+ion and, very frequenily, color or design insfead of emorion. Modern music has evolved 'Through +he process of eliminafion of mos+ of fhe fundamen+als of 'rhe pash however, new mefhods are nor fo supercede 'rhe old ones. The real necessiiy is +o clarify fhe maferials belonging 'ro fhis age, nor 'ro refurn +o classic melhods. Many composers have sfudied and incorporaled +he more desirable of ihe modern meih- ods info one sfyle, allowing 'rheir individual sfyle fo develop nafurally. The person whose world of music begins wilh Bach and ends wi+h Brahms will have rebellious reac+ions fo our confemporary music. He +ries 'ro fi+ wha+ he hears info old cafegories. The new musl' be wrong because il' breaks all appareni' rules. Everyone is disiurbed by some- fhing he does nor undersfand. To +he unini+ia+ed I would suggesr +ha+ a more rhorough invesri- gafion be made in+o +he possibili+ies of modern music. Many good books can be ob'rained which explain +he infricacies of lhe new +onal sys'rems. Some of fhese are: Marian Bauer's 20+h Cenfury Music , Aaron Copland's Our New Music , Horace Alden Miller's New Har- monic Devices , and Henry Cowell's New Musical Resources. Bur +he bes'r mefhod is lisfening. Perhaps al firsi' fhings will seem infangible, buf lhe ear will gradually become accusfomed 'l'o fhis new ional music. Almos+ every composer in lhe pasi' was accused of being foo radi- cal for his fime. A+ some period in fhe fuiure our coniemporary music will be considered conservafive. The lisiener musf learn ihe +ru+h of Feruccio Busoni's sfafemenf, There is norhing new under The sun-only fhings which have come info being earlier or lafer. The modern and fhe old have always been. ALFRED PIKE

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Un Coming jkrougk fhe gacl' JDO? There is a fable abouf a philosophical and opfimisfic wag who once remarked fhaf, befween one fhing and anofher crowding info his way of life, he didn'f righfly fhink he'd spenf enough fime really frying hard fo gel' fo heaven: buf, he said he made sure fhaf he had a couple of friends wearing halos, and when his fime came fo apply for admission info heaven, he was counfing on fhese friends fo keep Sf. Pefer busy af fhe Pearly Gafes so fhaf he could sneak in fhe back door. Well, fhere are a few of us here who are very grafeful fo fhe friends who keep fhe back door open fo Ief in fhe embryo musician. You musf have heard fhis sfrain around school: l am a bookkeeper lor clerk, or secrefary, or iusf a high-school gradl, buf I love music and I wanf fo be a musician. The besf parf abouf if is fhaf everyone is so kind and considerafe of fhe Iimifafions of fhaf sfafemenf, even fhough if somefimes causes sifuafions like fhe following: Here is Sfudenf A , abouf fwenfy years old, who has sfudied and lived wifh music for ninefeen and fhree-quarfer years, and is iusf filled wifh invenfive, arfisfic musicianship. Then we have Sfudenf X who iusl' couIdn'f sfudy before now, has some kind of dormanf musical abilify, is abouf-well, fhis or fhaf age- and knows fhe sharp and flaf scales: buf, don r gel' foo involved in fhis 'relafive harmonies' business yef. To ordinary feachers in an ordinary school, such a sifuafion creafes a problem of ferrifying proporfions. They wrife books abouf if, have long heafed conclaves abouf if, and, finally, give up in despair. Buf ours is nof an ordinary school, and we have far, far from ordin- ary feachers. Available here for Sfudenf A are all fhe fools necessary 'ro advance fo fhaf Number One cloud dream , and Sfudenf X can plod happily along foward fhe wonderful day when hard work and confacf wifh fhe arf of music will evenfually lead fo fhe full achievemenf of- I love music: I AM a musician. Sfudenl' X STELLA FERRARI

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zzrzizfzizn mo.aef.f5QQ?jQ2 s r, PJ I VanH r A1 lr driv- v :rl The maferialisfic age in which we live has casf ifs dark shadow over music, fhe mosf spirifual of fhe arfs. A musical career foday is seldom a dedicafion-more offen a neurofic exhibifionism depending for ifs success on personalify, pull, and publicify. There are fwo imporfanf quesfions every aspiranf for musical honors should aslc himself: I. Do l sing lor play, or composel because l love MUSIC, or be- cause l love fo sing lor play, or composel? 2. ls my inferesf primarily in myself and a successful career, or in furfhering and nurfuring fhe arf of music? l do nof mean fo beliffle amlaifion or fhe love for performing, buf if seems fo me fhese should play a minor role in fhe musician's life. The origins of our Wesfern music are obscure, buf mosf hisforians favor fhe fheory fhaf if arose as a means of enhancing fhe funcfions and purposes of religion. In fhe greaf schools of Greece, and earlier in fhe Mysfery Schools and Temples of ancienf Egypf and ancienf Persia, music was parf of fhe insfrucfion given, an insfrucfion fhaf re- garded music, science, and religion as having a common source. Thaf source was fhe spirifual world. ' Q,