The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-03-22
COpeIand's Music
Recital at Pierre
Degeyter Club
By CARL SANDS

AARON COPELAND is one Of the
n three or four most prominent
living American composers and
certainly the best Of the younger
men. Yet it has remained for an
organization Of proletarian musici-
ans to be the first to ask him to
give recital exclusively of his own
works! In his remarks predatory
to this recital at the Pierre Doggy /
ter Club headquarters at 10Th St.,
New York, on March Is, he brought
still one more affirmation of the
belief that contemporary art music
has lost contact with the vital
trends in present-day life and that
the only hope for it lies in its frank
Identification with the great masses
of the proletariat. He proceeded,
however, to warn the audience
against viewing his compositions
from a revolutionary angle, for, as
he said with charming naivete, he
had not, at the time of their COM
position, any ideas Of that sort in
his head. This reviewer held
tightly to his seat, waiting for the
avalanche to fall; but not a single
member of the large audience took
him up on the point, which clearly
challenges the very basis upon
which the club is organized. Moth
ing in our world can lie outside of
the scope of revolutionary criticism.
The class bias of any music can
always be distinguished whether or
not the composer is aware of it.
THE issue was all the clearer be-
1 cause the composers progress
from ivory tower to within hailing
distance. Of the proletariat was
plainly and graphically told in his
music. From the genteel seclu-
sion of the earlier works "a Pas
sacaglia and two pieces for violin
and piano., through an intermedi-
ate stage of almost religious rage
or, better, rage at religion (the
Trio, "Vitebsk'D, and of a Irritation
with Broadway a jazz concerto
for piano., he emerged by 1880 as
the composer of one of the most
undeniably revolutionary pieces of
music ever produced here the
Piano Variations. That he was not
conscious" of this at the time he
wrote the work is merely to say
that in 1880 he had progressed
further in musical than in language
development. For what we or
dinarily call being conscious" is
linguistic, verbal, awareness. After
all, COPELAND is primarily a musician!
That he warns against revolution
airy criticism of his work shows
advance, but that still his linguistic
lags behind his musical conscious
ness. But evidently it is coming on.
IN ANSWER to question as to
what had this music to do with
the proletariat, one speaker, an
nouncing himself as structural
steel-worker, answered that it
seemed to him to be in keeping not
only with the daily job but with
the trip to and from it--even with
the lunch hour, COPELAND rejoined
that he did not attempt to portray
riveters and subways in music, but
that he did compose the work in
a room on very noisy New York
thoroughfare and had felt that his
music must be able to stand up
against modern life. For one of
the finest definitions of revolution
airy musical content yet made, we
hail Aaron COPELAND up against"
And with vigor, too-that is the
essence of the Piano Variations.
There chief shortcomings seems to
be that they are almost too much
against" against pretty nearly
everything. So some day, Aaaron,
write us something for" You
know what for!
A strictly workers audience
should hear this work with, of
course, some language explanation.
Cor the proletariat's approach to
music, is as is that Of the bour-
geoisie, clouded over with ancient
misconceptions of linguistic ma
ture and these must be removed,
partly through talk, before the
music can gain free access.) In
such case 1t would be safe to bet
that the piece would be well-liked
until about two-thirds way through,
when attention would be lost. There
is barren spot there and work
ers' audience would react promptly
and unfavorably. Many bourgeois
musicians have noticed this pas
sage. A cut of a minute or so might
turn the trick. For otherwise the
continuity of power and poise is
fine. Not so, however, with the
earlier Concerto, which, in spite of
it's many brilliant passages, lacks
form-too often stopping and start
ing again, as If blinded momentarily
| by its own wit.
The performance was usually
adequate and very often brilliant.
The audience crowded the space to
capacity and proved most apprecia-
tive. That is, all but a half dozen
who, as upon several former oc-
casions, made such a noise talk
ing in the corridor that the per-