Evening star., 1943-07-24

never smile or glimpse of blue sky
All this, in spite of evidence that the
composers were we'll equipped with tech
nical knowledge!
One Is never conscious that the de-
velopment of the subject matter was
accomplished by inspiration, or even
aided by serene, balanced reflection.
Instead, one is painfully aware that re-
suits were obtained by tricks of distor-
ton, achieved by disorderly, tortured
thinking-in desperate effort to find
an escape through the crea ton of music.
That which is meant to be tragic re-
fleets the sinister condition of minds
whose bitterness and disorder preclude
the attainment of nobility. Episodes
that are intended to be gay speak poig-
nantly OF atrophied wings and leaden
feet.
Every attempt of these composers to
leave the ground reveals Illustration;
every effort is spasmodic, and usually
terminates in a despairing glissando on
the harp. An idea is rarely developed
beyond simple sentence. One is for
tunate to hear even an after phrase
Just endless repettions of a diseased
melodic fragment in unrelated tonali-
ties, which the composer seeks to justify
by the word "atonal," or by his alleged
aural hankering for goulash Of scales.
He seeks to gain cohesion by interspers-
ing meaningless harp glissandi irrele-
want cadenzi, savage blows on the kettle
drums, daddy-mammies on the side
drum-or by any device that does not
require inspiration.
Only in America, which was but light
ly touched by the First World War; have
composers been spared. Consequently,
they have maintained a spiritual per-
ception of values, and orderly minds.
AS a result they have produced some of
the richest music that has been written
during the past 20 years. A few of them
have followed the sad examples Of their
European confreres. Perhaps some were
intrigued by the simplicity of initiating
by means of distortion. and others led to
adopt style that, being foreign, they
knew would become a fad in America.
This is regrettable, since they might
have been producing works OF beauty
nobility and lasting value.
1t is highly desirable that our native
composers, during the turbulent years
that lie ahead. will never lose sight of
spiritual values, without which their
thoughts will become too material to
create music that satisfies the supreme
purpose of art. 1t is not that art should
concern itself only with the beautiful
and pleasant things of human existence.
It's scope should have no limitations.
But creative artist may become so en-
crossed by introspection that his vision
of what transpires beyond the confines
Of his own brain is distorted, and often
obscured. by neurotic interest In him.
|, self, and by his personal reactions to
the outside world.
Such an artist expects the impossible
when he asks that musical interpreta-
ton OF life by his crippled mind should
move U.S. We require something more
than this: we require the sympathetic
understanding of one whose spiritual
perception and intellectual integrity in
sure normal evaluation of that which
is ugly or beautiful, brutal or gentle,
tragic or comic. This is the function of
great art, and it cannot be accomplished
by an unhealthy brain, in which the
subject matter is disintegrated In q
stream of consciousness whose current
is too erratic to permit the logical de.
velopment of a musical composition.
GRACE NOTE.