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

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,QIf1CliUi6LlClAfg No one can 'do much lis+ening 'ro music wil-houl' soon recognizing many variafions in inferpreiarions, each ar+is+ in1'erpre'ring according +o his own concepfion. Why will one musician sfress phrases Thai are passed over by anofher? Why such a variely of fempi? Why do we prefer one inlerprefarion +o anolher? These quesiions resolve, beyond fhe lechnical considerarions, info The general answer 'rhal' people feel music dif- ferenily. The in'l'erprel'a+ive feel of music comes from our inner self. The s+uden'r should develop his own po'ren'riali+ies and beware of copying any arlisi no ma'H'er how much he likes him. Only in expressing oneself is ir possible ro achieve +he inferprelalion +ha+ is righr for oneself. No 'lwo people are pul logelher in exac+ly lhe same way. Malure inlerpre- lalive abilily requires much Jrhoughr and srudy of fields noi concerned wiih Technique. Even afier lll'l'll7Tlf0 observa+ion of dynamics, phras- ing, and so Torlh, rhere srill remains an infini+e number of possible varia- lions. This is where 'ralenl' responds io personalily, fhe elemenl' fha? represenls +he sum +o'ral of 'rhe individual. Teachers urge Their pupils 'ro sludy background maferial, 'ro read widely, pariicularly hisrory, bio- graphy, and 'rhe cullure of 'lhe counlries and composers whose music he plays. This will enrich his personaliry and consequen+ly his inferpreralive abiliiy. Needless +o say some srudenls are more highly gifled -rhan olhers. So much fhe grealer is +he responsibilily lo Turn fo accoun'r rheir pofen- 'riali'ries. The Tour or five years of Conservalory slrudy ,should be simply The beginning-'rhe iniliarion for one who sincerely desires +0 become a fine musician. If a s+uden+ graduales wifh The deierminafion 'ro go on developing his laienr abiliries and carches a glimpse of rhe possibili- lies which are before him, he will have learned much. MARION BRADLEY HARVEY ' 24

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jar 6 MCOPCI O, wad God fhe giffie gie us To see ourselves as ifhers see us. Roberi Burns The greaf Scofch bard lived many years before fhe advent of ihe recording machine, ifs offspring ihe phonograph record, and its cousins the fape and wire recorders. Had Burns lived only fiffy years ago, he mighi' have replaced fhe see wifh hear , g The gifi has been in our hands now for quife some years and every sfudeni, young ar+is+ and maiure ar+is+ can beneliif enormously from fhe help +ha+ fhese machines give. li mirrors disiincily fhe qualiiy of one's phrasing and dynamic conirol, and shows up errors of iechnic which pass unnoficed during ihe preoccupaiion of execuiion. As for inionaiion, pianisis excepfed, well-:nuff said. And besi oi all, if wire or iape machines are used fhe record can always be wiped clean and used over again. -And, iusl' a helpful noie aboul' 'rhe playbaclc family. They can be boughl' as uni'rs which play baclc fhrough a phonograph or radio, reducing ihe cosi' and 'raining less room. The phonograph foo, has been a boon +o ihe siudenf. The collec- 'lion of recordings in exisience 'roday covers praciically ihe eniire range oil musical liieraiure. lmiialion is noi' necessary, nor always desirable, bui inspiraiion and new ideas can be gained by lislening io Jrhem. Oi course, ihe Phonograph has also produced a dreary ihing: The young Conducior. Quiie a crop of ihis specie has been ioisied upon us by managers and public relaiions men who are ofherwise fairly sane. Bul where would ihe budding genii of +he baion, repleie wi+h curls and velvel brifches be, were ii noi ior Vicior, Columbia, Decca ei al? Why back home where They should be, praciicing scales, Czerny, Kreufzer, or Grue+zmacher. WILLEM EZERMAN P. S. l own no sroclr in recordihg companies. 23

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OUR HALL OF FAME JOSEPH BATTISTA, alumnus and former faculfy member, foured fhe Unifed Sfafes and played sevenfy concerfs fhis season. THOMAS BROCKMAN, faculfy member, gave recifals in Bosfon, Mass., Princefon, N. J., and in Richmond, Virginia. BORIS KOUTZEN, faculiy member, had a Philadelphia premier of his Trio for piano, violin and cello under fhe auspices of fhe Arf Alliance lKoufzen family concerfl. His new choral worlc, An Invocafion , was performed by fhe Vassar Choir af Poughkeepsie for fhe firsf fime on April 3rd. - WILLIAM KAPELL, former sfudenf, will be soloisf af Robin Hood Dell 'rhis summer, affer fhis season's exfensive concerf four which included appearances again wifh fhe Philadelphia Orchesfra. VINCENT PERSICI-lETTI'S ballef, King Lear lcommissioned by Marfha Grahaml has received forfy-fhree performances fhis spring. BARBARA CHADWICK has confinued af Town Hall, New York, wifh fhe Layman's Music Courses, which Madame Samaroff founded. EDWARD STEUERMANN gave fwo New Yorlc recifals af fhe YMHA. THE PHILADELPHIA CONSERVATORY ORCHESTRA, direcfed by Boris Koufzen, gave a symphony concerf af Vassar College on April 2nd, and joined wifh fhe Vassar Choir, direcfed by Mr. Geer, in a program fhe nexf day af Vassar Chapel. This choral concerf was again performed on May lsf af Sf. Clemenf's Church, Philadelphia. THE PHILADELPHIA CONSERVATORY OPERA DEPARTMENT gave a performance of The Marriage of Figaro under fhe direcfion of Enzo Serafini, af Wanamalcer Audiforium and af Beaver College. OUTSTANDING STUDENT PERFORMANCES: ARMAND BASILE-Piano recifal af Piffsburgh, Pa. NATALIE HINDERAS---Piano recifal af Washingfon, D. C. ROBERT KEYS CLARK'S Ballef for Piano and Solo Dancer, commis- sioned by Elfriede Mahler of fhe Confemporary Dancers of Phila- delphia, was performed under fhe auspices of fhe Philadelphia Arf Alliance. Alan Thomas performed fhe piano accompanimenf. ALFRED PlKE'S new Mass for Men's Chorus will be performed af Chesfer, Pa., for fhe Golden Jubilee of Sf. Hedwig's Church. DOMENIC SPARAGNA'S composifion, Porfraif of Heloise was performed by fhe Pennsylvania Philharmonic Symphony Orchesfra af fhe Academy of Music. 25