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

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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,

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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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,-g,,fj.Qigl , Xlrril- 1 IQ 1 1 EJ QVQTW' b Fi 2I.if.m.,,f,h.f,iwy A maferialisfic age pays liffle affenfion fo spirifual maffers. How- ever, many people foday, appalled by fhe ferrifying holocausf we have iusf been fhrough, have begun fo ask quesfions a maferialisfic world concepfion cannof answer. Everyone forfunafe enough fo be giffed for music, fo have fhe opporfunify fo live wifhffor music, can help dispel fhe shadow of maferi- alism, can help fo answer fhe quesfions of fhose who seek somefhing maferialism cannof give. l We can do fhis by remembering ever fhe divine origins of music, so fhaf, in feaching, performing, or composing, fhere will be fell' a reverence for fhe arf fhaf has broughf ioy and comforl' fo man fhrough all cenfuries. We musf make sure fhe BEING of MUSIC ITSELF speaks fhrough 'rhe music we make, for fhen if will become impossible 'ro USE music for purposes of self-expression, self-seeking, self-adulafion. Lef us seek consciously fo permeafe music wifh fhe spirif fo save if from becoming a dead and lifeless arf. ln so doing we furfher nof only fhe evolufion of music, buf fhaf of mankind, fo whom all arf was- in fhe beginning -enfrusfed. PAUL NORDOFF Foofnofe: The aufhor is indebfed fo fhe work of Rudolf Sfeiner fhrough which fhe convicfions expressed in 'rhis arficle were inspired.