The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1944-02-10

sicians," by DR.. Kurt Singer,
which is full Of lore. Ut is not a
recent publication, so you will
probably ask your bookseller for it
in vain.)
DR.. Singer starts out with the
nervous and almost mental dis
orders Of musicians, and here he
outlines some principles which APP
ply TO all those queer gentry who
work in the arts whether painting,
music or writing. He says that
they are inevitably unhappy, or at
least dissatisfied and tend TO be-
come neurotic. And the reason is
not far to seek. However much
you may admire piece Of creative
composition, the artist is always
dissatisfied because he knows the
chasm that separates his own first
conception of it, the inspiration,
with the reality.
His reach, as Browning put it, ex-
ceeds his grasp. This makes for
the queer, nervous, impractical,
morose individual the plodding
world Of practical" men sees, and
almost invariably makes fun Of
and despises. Another thing that
excites the derision of the world
which is nevertheless an inevitable
fact is that among the highly tai
ented (and even among geniuses)
the. men seem TO have feminine
traits and the women masculine"
Writers Most Neurotie
DR.. Singer thinks musicians are
unhappy people to be with. But my
experience is that musicians and
painters are comparatively happy
and normal. Partly, think, be-
cause they do their work or see
their work appreciated in public,
surrounded by other people. The
writer in the throes of creation is
alone. He is appreciated, by soli-
itary and temporarily silent read
ers. If you really want TO contact
some first rate dyed in the wool
concentrated neurotics cultivate
the literary set. And, for heavens
sake, never let any Of your loved
ones marry a writer or, in fact,
make a friendship with one, or if
you can help it don't try TO meet
one. Oh! if you yearn to be in
suited! Or made fun of! Or il
you want to lend money!
DR.. Singer, however, leaves the
field of temperament and gets
down TO material things about his
musicians. The cause Of their diff
fculties seems TO be basically the
amount Of practice they have to
do. The repeated demands of the
same movements on the same mus
cles and tendons and bones newt
ably affects them to the point Of
exhaustion so we have pianists'
cramps and violinist's cramps.
Robert Schumann ruined his con-
cert career by practicing with
some Of his fingers bound so the
others could have free play. These
professional cramps differ in no
way from writer's cramp. DR..
Singer treats them by psyche
therapy, electrotherapy, binding a
tourniquet around the arm for a
short interval, etc.
Other Diseases Of Musicians
Violinists also have finger warts
and pain in the neck and chin from
contact with the violin rests.
l take a certain grim satisfac-
ton in knowing that futists and
trombone players have occupation
al diseases. Trombone players, I
can not help but be pleased to re-
port, get air into their salivary
ducts blowing up the cheeks and
have heck of time. They all get
eczema Of the lips and leuloplakia
Of the tongue and emphysema (di-
latation Of the air spaces of the
lungs) and clock-like tickings in
the ear. And best of all the only
method Of cure lies in complete alb
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