South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1922-11-21
Coughs, SneezeS
Refute Argument
of Violin Artist
Heifetz Contention Personal
Comfort Does Not Matter
Rudely Shattered.
BY DOROTHY DAN--

and strong men Sneezed and weak
I women wiped their noses was "a
source Of personal qualification TO
/ me last night-for very short
/ time, at least. For i am bat "a vyo-
/ man. and a catty one az times. AMI
Jascha Heifetz. in an interview yes
/ terday afternoon at the oliver hotel
/ forced me 20 confess that personal
| comfort had a great deal 10 do with
my appreciation and enjoyment Of
music
II was after he had sternIy re-
fused 10 talk of himself and his vio-
/ lin and We had turned 10 n discus
! sion of opera. He had said with a
trine of the Russians condesccn-
: tion that the Americans appreCfa-
| ton for the fine in music was i'm
! proving. With a middle western
er's enthusiasm l had applauded the
work OF the Chicago Opera Co. ad-
hitting under pressure that 1 en-
Joyed ii more than ] did that of the
/ Metropolitan in New York.
Express AstOnishmcnt.
His astonishment at my taste
| piqued me further 10 remark tina,
| the opera in Paris suffered, IL seem
| ed 10 me from poor seating arrange
ment. That the accommodations
were so cramped that after the frs
act l was irked by cramp and back
/ ache-that there had been no room
for my knees. And that had noticed
other incommoded as I was. also
! declared that the people who were
! forced TO sit in the balconies and
! galleries at the metropolitan were
alos Inconvenience by the old FASH
toned arrangement Of the house.
those who cared more for the dra-
ma, craning and twisting continual
~ in their seats from the sides OF
the house in their endeavor TO see,
and those who were content to lis
ten and not TO see, were pushed
and ebowed blythe others
Mr.. Heifetz did not seem TO I'M
derstand. He stared az me uncOm-
prehendingly. So last night. when
there was some defect in the ven
tilating arrangement of the BlacH-
stone. the first number was inter
rUpted continually by coughs, and
the faint rustic Of people turning
uptheir coat collars, we repeat; we
were glad. What artist would not
suffer from the consciousness that
the audience was FESTIVE? We felt
that we had proved our point.
However, fortunately for every
ones enjoyment of the music. DR.
Frink-we heard his name men,
toned by the man who sat next {,
US and who was forced 10 put or
his hat to keep the wind off his
; head-went out during the intermis-
sion and spoke to someone. At any
rate, there was no further breez'
, and the rest of the concert was lis
, tened TO in comfort
Revolution Affects Artists.
To continue with the interview
America is certainly hearing some
OF the best music IN the world this
winter" Mr.. Heifetz said. THE
Russian revolution has a great dea'
to do with the fact that so many
artists are appearing in New York
at the present time.
There is Chaliapin, for instance, o
and the violinist became enthusiasts
tic There Is a great artist. But
because he IS a communist. he is
forced to limit his engagements iu
this country and return 10 Russia
10 continue his work there"
Heifetz himself came over 20
America just five days before the
! second revolution, he said. before
the Bolshevists came into power
He admitted that he did not wish
to go back to Russia because Il
would limit his personal free dom.
But then the personal freedom OF
the individual is limited eve~y-
where"
Only % Years Old
Heifetz was born in Petrograd
|, about % years ago and had consid-
erred America his home for the last
five years although he has toure
Japan and Australia and has made
two trirs abroad during the time
In speaking Of America and things
American ne used the Dronouns
I'VE" and "our" in a plcasingly Un-
conscious way.
what kind Of an audience viii
have here2" he asked, forgettins
his formality enough TO let a little
interest creep into his voice. "A
symphony orchestra in a town Of
this size? That is very remarkable,
isn't lt2 Very good" he added APP
prov!ngly Very good"
The Americans are not as serl-
Gus a race as the Russians" he
said. They are frivolous and free
but not like the French The
French are free mentally and the
Americans are not. But that IS
because we are a young country"
Heifetz has been playing the vio-
lin since he was three years old
Yes there have been years OF work
and practice-Off and on" he add
ed. But I must play. IF I must
live, I must play. II IS the jusufi-
cation OF my existence"