Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10
The Most Recent Argument
On Jazz-Pro and Con

A LIVELY discussion of the jazz
- problem between DIR. Sigmund
Spaeth, the author, and Anton Row
insky, the pianist, enlivened a recent
meeting of the Arts. Forum in New
York DR.. Spaeth had been urging
Mr.. Rovinsky to add new group of
modern jazz numbers to his program
repertoire for next Winters concerts,
on the grounds that jazz is a real
living music-a cotemporafy interpre-
tation of modern life and modern
art feeling" DIR. Spaeth insisted that
mo program of modern music can be
complete without several examples of
so-called jazz"
Mr.. Rovinsky was in mood for ar
gument. He parted with the asser
ton that American jazz has not yet
produced any real art works for
piano. Most OF it is merely vul-
garization of the classic masters" he
explained, land this does not tend to
elevate art or art appreciation. 1t
has merit because it is an expert
mental cropping and because it is
progressive in it's aim to break away
from the traditional and super
animated formulas. But so long as
it is written with the Tin Pan alley
background and the accompanying
superflciality of the commercial dill
letante IT can hardly be placed on
the same program with any of the
modernists whose work is COM
monty accepted for serious use. Even
the lesser of our serious modernists
are musically sincere and intense. in
the artistic purity of their aims.
Until jazz composers cease to think
solely in terms of the dance hall and
the moving picture theater their
work has no place in the higher
spheres of musical life"
DIR. Spaeth thought the pianist I'M
duly prejudiced. You are old fash
Toned and ultra conservative, in spite
of yourself" he said, shaking long
forefinger at Mr.. Rovinsky. But
you are hoist by your own petard.
The jazz instinct is no new thing.
1t has manifested itself in some OF
the old masters, and in many of the
romantics. Beethoven has curious
scorings and shiftings Of rhythm very
suggestive of our modern syncopa-
ton in his immortal Ninth Sym
phony'; Schumann and Brahms are
full of similar appropriations which
might we'll be dubbed the forefathers
of our modern American idiom, Even
Father Bach wrote entire movements
there have been harmonic as Well as
idiomatic changes in the course OF
time, All of these evolutionary
changes are merely precursors OF
| modern jazz. The pianist who re-
fuses to face these facts is limiting
| himself in his outlook, and such an
attitude is likely to lead to certain
| narrowness and bigotry. While it is
| true that American jazz has not yet
| produced it's best work, there is
/ plenty of music good enough to Illus
| trate the existing tendencies, even ON
the most sedate and dignified plat
| forms"
Mr.. Rovinsky yielded ground re-
| luctantly. You cannot take the
| idiosyncrasies and vagaries of the old
masters" he insisted. "aS justification
| for every ribald modern development
along the same line. A catchy
phrase or gesture. thrown out by
Father Bach, in a light moment, per-
haps-=for we often misupderstand his
meaning owing to our lack OF his
| toric insight and sympathy-does not
necessarily become great art when
| it is developed monOtonouSly by the
hand of a musical adolescent. Our
Jazz is always monotonous, as proved
by it's feverish shifting and chang
ing from year to year. Is there any
jazz piece which is likely to endure
Perhaps the Rhapsody in Blue
but that is strongly redolent of the
past and is considered by many the
only sign of possible art develop
ment in jazz composition. 1t is a
good piece, a ripping piece. 1t does
not belong in the same category with
| the Ninth Symphony or the Fran
cesco di Rimini' of Tsehaikovsky. 1t
has never been compared with any
Liszt rhapsody But it belongs to
the generic family of high-clas pot
pourris," <
At the close of the debate, it was
announced by Mr.. Rovinsky that the
discussion was largely academic,
inasmuch as he had already decided
kseveral weeks previously TO do some
experimental work with jazz in his
next years programs along the lines
indicated by DIR. Spaeth.
II do not feel that | should accept
any limitations to the scope o. my
programs" said Mr. Rovinsky, and
furthermore, | am in sympathy with
every movement which has the
slightest tendency toward progress
and the development of American
music. But it must he really Ameri'
can and really music. That is all
ask"
Waifer's plov produaad