The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1922-03-27
Frederick Haskin's Letter
TsDo Sides of the jazz Record.

, habits of the people. There is mora
freedom in social customs nov
Young women go a5out alone
everyone is more independent, and
all this is duly reflected in the mu-
sic of the day"
Better Than Sentimentality.
At least one serious composer
also. Miss Rebecca Clark, a young
woman whose compositions for The
viola have attracted favorable al.
tention, takes a generous view OF
iazz. II like it for its rhythm, She
saws. land I consider it better than
the mawkish sentimentality Of the
English ballads. At the last analy-
sis, jazz is only primitive rhythm.
and in a way that is its trouble. Il
makes a primitive appeal. Har-
mony combined with rhythm gives
us something else to respond to and
brings out emotions of a different
kind"
In Europe, jazz is much more
highly regarded than in this cOun-
try. although it's widespread popu-
uarity has not been viewed by the
bourgeoisie without a storm OF
scared protest. Over there, how
ever. it has aroused much interest
among serious musicians who at
least respect originality. And that
jazz is an American product, in
spite of its supposed jungle origin.
cannot be denied.
But" says one European au-
thority, eff your serious American
composers, through excess culture,
continue to ignore or sneer at jazz,
they may miss a very valuable op-
portunity-the opportunity OF tni-
tiating the next great revolution in
music. We may discover over here
that iazz will furnish to European
music that infusion of new blood
and strength that is now so neces-
sarv to it's very life. In that event.
it may return to you Americans
disguised as modern music with
the stamp of European approval
me-seems so nee
essary to your cultured classes IN
the United States. In other words,
what you now despise and reject
as vulgar, cheap and contemplate,
your musicians may acclaim when
eventually it reappears under a
label"
How Jazz Started.
Meanwhile, jazz is undergoing a
reform in this country. 1t started
out in California a few years ago
when a young musician in the San
Symphony orchestra de-
cided that he wanted to get mar
ried. and that in order to accom-
plish that feat he would have to
have a larger income. than his sym
phony salary. There was only one
thing for him to do-to take up
dance music. He did; and since
then Jazz has never been the same.
AS a trained and highly accom-
olished musician. he began taking
all the popular blues" songs and
skillfully arranging them for or
The average popular song con
sists of merely one melody which
IS repeated over and over again.
Occasionally, at very rare inter
Tals, a popular song writer may
zrow extravagant and combine a
couple of melodies, but this is re-
zarded as unnecessarily wasteful.
The one melody of the popular
song is the same as the theme of
classical music Paul Whiteman
was the first to conceive the idea
Of taking this one jazz melody and
flling in the gaps between its oc-
currence with counter melodies.
First comes a dramatic intrOduc-
ton leading up to the jazz melody,
while after that each time the mel
3dy occurs it is preceded by & bit
1f-say a List rhapsody or a Cho-
pin mazurka-possibly a difficult
passage by Bach
According to Mr. Whiteman, this
ask, which is now being followed
1y nearly all leaders of American
lance ochestras, in which one should
lot incur the scorn of good must
clans. "AII classical music" he
iays, consists, in the final analysis,
If the folk themes of peasants
which have been built into sOphis-
icated art. With the possible eN-
,eption of Mcdowell and Cadman,
,ur dance music has thus far been
Americas one original contTibu-
ion to the music of the world. Our
'ther music has been the result Of
european influences. And Europe
ives US credit for our contribu-
ion."