Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-10-28
City's Music Master
Boyish Yet Mature,
Philosophical Y e t
Simple and Always
Modest
By M'LISS


TT HAS been said of Leopold stokowsk
L that we in Philadelphia know him so we'll
we do not know him at all: that we are In
the same position as the man long married
Asked the color of his wife's eyes he
founders:
"They are blue"
mo on second thought, they are brown"
On third thought he decides they are hazel,
only to run home after this diagnosis and
find them to be gray!
We know him as an institution; as the
person who fairly "eats" work the ia
nous husband of a famous wife; as the in
divldual who has done more perhaps to
put Philadelphia on the musical map than
any other
But it is Leopold stokows<i. the man.
that those who really know him find most
interesting.
Like all big" people. he is extremely
difficult to get at but once you penetrate
the almost impregnable lines of defense that
the management of the Orchestra has
thrown around him, you discover him, again
like all big" people, to be exceedingly
democratic, genial and easy TO talk to.
1t was my good fortune to get by the
barbed-wire resistance of the Orchestra
manager, the well-intentioned pitfalls of the
assistant manager-both of whom guard
Mr.. Stokowsld with more fervor than
slaves do the favorite of a harem-and
arrive triumphant at the very charming
residence in Merton where he and Olga
Samaroff make their home
In his sunny little study on the second
floor the leader of Philadelphla's Orches-
ira. looking even more boylsh in his dark
business suit and soft neglige collar tha N
he does in the formal attire he wears "a
conduct, told me something right a. the
start OF the interview which ought no IN
OF supreme interest TO every musical ,,-se
cllned Phladelphian.
A GREAT TREAT IN sToREsx q
He told me that Ia musical treat rs A -
pendous as the Mhhler Symphony II not
greater than 1t, was being contemplated
A plaque Of Gustav Mailer hangs In the
entry outside of the beautiful Italian red
drawlng-room with it's broad open fireplace
II occurred to me as | went up stairs that
a man who had put through such tremen-
dous work as the Eighth symphony with
such consummate skill and genius must
berforce "back II up" with something very
gigantic. indeed, In order not TO live In an
ant-clmax. all his life. l mentioned this
| TO Mr. Stokowski.
But we have something In mind quite as
hig." he said slowly what 1t is cannot
| say, because have found II very unwise to
| tell In advance what we are going 10 do.
When the Strauss Alpen.Symphonie was
| given another orchestra, with what motive
| you may imagine, antedated us by a day |
|
| shall not tell what IL is we are going TO do"
When he speaks of what he Is going to
do you get the feeling that inexhaustible re-
| serves of energy and force are his to call
| upon. and II Is impossible 10 believe the
| rumor that his health has been well-ngh
wrecked by the tremendous effort expended
| on the Mailer symphony.
'"rhe physical demands" he said In that
| rich, vibrant voee--a symphony in itself
with It's foreign accent which years in
nd nafa aRA Int H..
left perceptible, they were not 80 bad, but
| what takes II out of the man who directs
| is that he must give OF his soul. his spirit
70 every individual he is leading. To each
OF those thousand people there had TO be a
line OF sympathy going out from me. That
leaves one tired when It is over"
II Is source Of depressing Amusement
| 10 this man, whose name so speedily has be-
| come linked forever with the musical his
tory OF this city. that the percentage Of the
population interested in music is so small,
REGRETS scANr MUSIC PUBLIC
Just think" he pointed out; III You
| gather your statistics from the number OF
people who come 70 the concerts. you find
| that less than ono-fourth Of one per cent OF
| the whole population OF PHILADELPHIA IA in
| terested In good muse.
Think OF those thousands who live all
their lives and never hear the great musical
works. Think Of spending a lifetime with
| out Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and the rest
OF them. Think OF the marvellous inSpIra-
ton that they miss think Of the wonderfll
places q symphony takes soul to-plaees
these people viii never see or Imagine %
have often wondered what the occasions
| are that would cause Leopold StokowsEi
| 10 look like he does In the seffert portrait
what would bring about that far1away'
| dreamy look In his blue eyes, which has
| In Il something Of somber brooding and
yet something Of a vast content with things
| as they are surely going 10 be- In what
noet moment did the artist catch this man
| IN mood that feel sure the public has
never aeen7 II must have been Ia such a
moment as this when the consideration "
| the Visions 10 be Inspired BY great music
| had him very much enfiralloQ.
But n Il n the privilege of artists Il
/ paint such nopds. 4 10 likewise the privileges
Of Interviews 70 interrupt them.