The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-14
By ALIEN RAYMOND

By ALIEN RAYMOND
 What I hope to do in America is to show the public that masterpieces of music are being written today as pow. erful, stirring, and beautiful as the greatest of the past" says Serge Kou- sesseyitsky, the Russian conductor who I will lead the Boston Symphony orcbes- i, tra this coming season. T In the twilight shadow of his Paris home, looking down through the trees upon the peaceful Seine, he outlined for readers of The Age-Herald his plans and hops for his approaching career across the Atlantic.
 Il will present in Boston music never heard before" he said, music which now exists only in manuscripts which ] have in my keeping, music written by men now living who will rank as high a century from now as Mozart and Beethoven. I have given some of their music to Paris. You have seen how it has been received. Som of it shall be America's first.'
 I have seen how Koussevitsky's mu. sic has been received in Paris. Music lovers in the French capital have gone mad over the Russian leadr, litrally frenzied in their idolatry.
 |. But it is not alone for his introduc tion of new composers that they storm the doors of the Theatre Rationale de fOpera for all his concerts.
 American may be sure that Kousse. yitsky will present it's musical public with additions of the older classics without trace of modernity in his reading of them, their historic beauties reproduced painstakingly and enthus. iastically, exactly as the modern Rus. sian believes the older masters wished them rendered.
 America also may be sure that this man will be engaged during his entire stay in America on a passionate hunt for musical genius resident or native in the new world.
 ''I will do in the new world what I have done in the old" was his reply to request for an outline of his plans
 In the old world he has become known as a hunter for musical talent and patron of young composers. H. believes there is genius in America and he hopes to ferret it out. The breadth of territory which his searcl will cover may be indicated by an in cident he told the interviewer. 1.
 'Jazz music?" Gle was answering question:. T like all good music And several Americans have written jazz which is truly good. Besides writ ing it, your nation seems to have a talent for playing it.
 Finds Jazz and Band Splendid
 T was in London recently, and drop ped in late at night for something tc eat at supper club where dancing was going on. There was an orchestra of American boys there. The oldest could not have been more than 30 l had table near them where I could hear them and watch them individual. ly. Some of those boys were impro vising as they went along, and they were great players. let my supper get cold listening to them. I stayed until shockingly late hour. Those boys were fine musicians, but I learned that they were not particularly notable among America's jazz musicians-just a group of college students from one of your western states"
 MT. Koussevitzky is a man of one passion; music. He is a man of no hob bies. Over and above his talents, his outstanding quality is enthusiasm. He is as enthusiastic over the subject he expounds from his conductors plat form as is Billy Sunday over his (Their methods of exposition differ).
 Music has been practically his en tire life since the age when most boys are playing marbles. At the age of F he conducted a provincial theatre pro gram in Russia, and was a composer Today he is 52 years old.
 Mir. Koussevitzky is married. His wife is musical. Mrs. KOussevitzky k the sort of person to whom the young Russian composers dedicate their most ambitious works. A species of goddess for Scriabin, Stravinsky, and theil fellows. She has great sympathy fol them, is tireless listener, an able and appreciative critic. She is more than well-to-dO. She has published the mu sic of more than. one hungry genius and she has supplied fo.d to many others.
 In appearance, manner, and dress MT. Koussevitzky might be a success full middle-aged business mana force full figure of no eccentricities, of mid dle height, stocky, unathletic. Only hiI eyes inform you he is not; few busi ness men have eyes glowing with sucf dark strange fires :, as his, when en thusiasm is flaming in them. They art the eyes of young reformer, an evan list. e
 The fact is, Mir. Koussevitzky is al evangelist, and snowman. He woult appreciate both Billy Sunday and P T. Barnum.
 This is what he told his interviewer of a trip he used to take in pre-wal Russia with an orchestra of 100 play CTS, in a steamboat on the Volga.
 Carried Music To Millions
 T carrieds emusic through a vast sec. tion of Russia," he said. Once every two years before the war 1 used tC charter a big steamer and make a journey of 2,500 miles. We stopped at every big city and many small towns We sent men ahead to advertise that we were coming. The peasants would flock to the river from villages fol miles back into country which few Flu ropeans have ever seen. And 1 took them the best that exists in music new and old. Debussy, Ravel, Elorent Schmitt, P. Dukas, Roger Ducasse, FL gar, Richard Strauss. I made them known in village where there isn't any modern life as Europe and America know it.
 II took them into the back country and gave them hundreds of thousands of Russian people, scattered over an area of 100000 square miles. You should have seen them come to see and hear us And on these trips I found musicians who now are now playing in great capitals.
 "They were marvellous, lose jour neys. They are not possible any more There is a pardonable pride that glOws throughout the musiican's story of his pre-war missionary tours. There lsis no donhf that Kouasavitzkv iko oth.