Evening star., 1932-03-28
MUSICAL REVIVAL
SEEN BY DIRECTOR
Frederick Stock Declares
CoWbeII and Anvil Type
Is Passing.

BY the Associated Press.
CHICAGO, March 2S-The day of
the anvil, cowbell and locomotive
whistle in symphony music is passing
rapidly. in the opinion of Frederick
Stock. veteran director of the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra.
Mr.. Stock believes public taste Is re-
acting strongly against musical modern
ism as represented in those unorthodox
instruments, with the materialism and
overdone realism that accompany it.
The cycle of popular taste has swung
around again." Mr.. Stock said, land
the public is now showing its preference
for music of greater spiritual value
I'm this would not be surprised to
learn that music Is symbolizing a gen.
eral return to the older, more conServa-
tive more spiritual elements of our
civilization; that there are more people
going to church; that intellectual in
terests are generally more serious; that
other emotional expressions are return
ing to fundamentals.
End Of Materialism Seen.
ut seems to me that we have reached
the end of materialiSm and that there
is in CESSATION not only the entire eco
nomic reconstruction indicated in the
political and financial news. but also
renaissance of interest in the spiritual
which is not in modernism.
1T seems natural that this would be
first noticed in music, since music is
perhaps closest to the public'S emotions
of all the arts. 1t Is likewise true that
music is best fitted to lead the way
back to fundamentals, since it is the
youngest and most vigorous of the arts;
as we know it, its origins go back no
further than Bach, some 200 years ago.
I'm planning the programs for the
last year, I have noticed a growing an
tipathy on the part of the public to
having too much modern music thrust
down it's throat, and I have had the
same experience in the concert field in
Europe. On this basis, since we have
played all the modern things worth
playing, have thought it wise to mod
ify our program.
New Music Needed.
However, we need new music. The
work of editing and revising the old
masters for orchestra, especially Bach
has attracted many composers today
and there has been some effort toward
recapturing some of the ancient spirit
in modern work, as in the couper1n
SulGe Ol fIlCIldIQ STRAUSS.
aside from this, a composer seeking
to follow the trend of musical prefer
ence would do well to try his hand at
some of the old dance forms. 1t in
volved a great deal of study to trans
fer ones own thoughts and attitude to
that remote period, but the effort would
be worth while, because such work, II
successful, would meet the popular de-
mand as we find it today.
THAT is why I would suggest that
some of the broadcasting companies,
for instance, give out commission to
some of the principal composers today
to build such a piece for orchestra.
There is no dearth of fine composers.
with Leo Sowerby in Chicago, Deems
Taylor in New York and Martin
Loeffier and Aaron COPELAND in Boston
and it would be interesting to see what
could be done If such men would try
to reintroduce some of the spiritual
values expressed in the old dance
forms.
Possibilities Enumerated.
"a first movement, for instance,
could be made of some sort of gavotte,
light and charming. The old form Of
the minuet would provide a second, and
for a third good workman could work
out a delightful sarabande, while the
fourth movement could be composed OF
a monumental passacaglia.
Beethoven did wonders with the
dance forms in his Seventh Symphony
which has been called the apotheosis
of the dance-and now it is about time
that some of the moderns tried their
hands at it."