The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-12-14
American Composers
Should Be Unbound

Francis Rogers. noted America
singer and teacher OF singing. recent
had some pointed md illuminating tlhns
To say through the Century Opera Week
IS. Mr Rogers points out what no re
cards as the weakness Of American son
writer's and suggests one remedy for u
prevailing habit Of imitation He says
II we arc ever 10 emerge from the
state of musical dependence we must
learn 10 create and interpret as Amer
icans Only IN this Way shan VIC de-
Velop anything enduring ana ma
Torn1eriv. and even now 10 great
extent. the professional student s ann
bi,lou was 10 go 10 Europe, IN Inc
belief that any European master inuSl
hs better than any American. be-
Hove tho practice of trying 10 lay tne
fouuda tion OF ones art under foreign
influences to Ee not only perNous, out
futile Whether the teacher selected
be French or italian, the pupil re-
mains American. while the teacher.
30 far as his pupil is concerned, cor
tlnues 20 be man OF ancn recc,
speaking an allen tongue. ana. most
serious OF all. thinking alien thoughts
lie may hevo had great success with
pupils Of his own race but II Is sell
dom that nc truly succeeds IN per
forming the fundamental voice WORK
Tor the American aspirsnt y" mat
fcr hoy. conscientious tic iurciGn
isa a-her may I've hc viii be uusuC'"",-
ful ln overcoming the lack oi SYM
pathetic uuder'ta ndiuE between nun
self and his charge. Neither IS aDlc
fully to crasp tho mental processes
n the other In many cases this lack
~ mutual Intelligence desenerdtes III
lhc case Of the teacher into positive
though concealed dislike. and he al
.emnts ONLY 10 keep his pupil I'm good
I..r r,lt me fsT Tf 4
Is cruel There are good teachers
aplenty In America Il Is under their
intelligent guidance tina the Amer
lean music student should seek ms
0sslc training.
/, seems TO mo that in tho Geld of
music We are a race or interpreters
rather than creators. our singers
and Instrumcntalists rank Tar above
our composers
American song writing suffers from
The lack of national feeling that char
acterizes our opera. Even tho songs
Of Mcdowell. that son1c people love
20 well. have never struck home 10
me. They lack a directncss OF ap-
peal. Our song writer's copy Schu-
bert and Brahms and Debussy and
Massenet. but they do moi express
themselves. Another great weakness
In our songs Is the fact that when
our composers write for American
words they often choose such
wretched. banal verses Yet Eng
lsh literature Is probably richer in
lyric poetry than any other. Some OF
our composers probably do not know
what good poetry ls. and others do
not choose 10 set IL 10 music because
they fear their technical powers are
uue1ual To tic task II Is unGoubt-
sdy true that great poetry is harder
"a set 10 music than balderdash. Yet
how often have our composers done
their best work when they have been
uplifted by grea, words and
thoughts,
Sidney Tiomcr's finest song is his
setting of Brownings "prosplce."
Bruno Euhns 'Tnvictus." to the
words OF Henley. Is one OF the most
popular OF American songs I brought
"ipvIctus" 10 dozen American COM
poserS in vain. Mr. Homer, I remem-
her. said that he did not approve OF
the sentiment expressed. that he did
not like its stoicism Mr. Huhn.
however. saw It's merits. and the re-
suit We all know. Surely In song
writing the great poet and the great
composer will work hand In hand.
How well tho Germans appreciated
their Hcine.
First and foremost our composers
must express themselves, and through
themselves their country. with its
traditions and It's idiosyncrasics. It's
virtues and It's vices. They must not
look FIRST 10 Europe either for guild
ancc or approval They will surely re-
ccivc that approval only after they
have asserted themselves National
Ism in cur music must be orr watch
word