The Wilmington morning star., 1944-12-06
I'm BETWEEN ERA
ENDS FOR KATCHEN
By JOHN SELBY
Associated Press Arts Editor

t1AV EHE oIlO, : g., DCS. y. IL D
the awful time I'm between" that
counts with a prodigy, and it is
the way young Julius Hatcher has
been ushered through this period
that makes this youngster news
at the moment-that and the fact
that today (Dec. - he is making
mis- comeback in Carnegie Hall,
New York.
AS a boy of II or younger JUL.
us thought nothing of playing a
concerto with major symphony
He did many recitals as chubby
kid with lot of curly hair and
wide, winning grin.
But came a day when Julius and
his parents. Mr.. and Mrs. ira J.
Katchen, faced a decision: either
Julius went on playing through ad.
olescence and grew into an adult
who knew music ard not much
else or he forsook his private tu.
tor. and went to college like other
boys.
Boylike, julius fought the dean
of college. He got a kick out OF
playing concerts. But his father.
who is a Long Branch, N. j., law
yer, and his mother, whose gifts
are musical, took long breath
and said Mo- Now a Haverford
College junior at Is, Julius thinks
they were right.
And, unlike many prodigy
grown into youth, Julius now wres.
ties with another problem all MS
own: whether to finish college and
become a concert pianist, the pub.
lie willing, or whether to play part
time, and also prepare himself as
a lawyer.
'Im very much interested i'll the
law" he says, looking sharply al
Haverford's football squad in prac-
tice. "They fumbled. doggone It.
Well don't have to worry about
the law for a while :
When college was determined
upon, and the decision agreed te
by julius first piano teacher, his
grandmother, Mrs. Mande Svet
julius thought he'd like to enter
the Yale school of music.
"But we got there and foune
that I'd have to start right away
working for my masters degree,
says julius, thanks to grandfath
err and grandmother Svet. She'e
taught me lot of piano. and he'e
done likewise with theory and such
was barely 16, and so we gave
up Yale
Enrolling at Haverford was
partly luck; Julius thinks it wa:
a master stroke. Haverford is ;
typical friends college, and typ
cal also of the Philadelphia tina
can look for decades at such ;
sign as this, with never a grin
1.-THE Philadelphia skating clut
and humane society,"" The cam
pus is enormous, resembling the
famous playing fields of England :
Cambridge The buildings arr
some old, some newer, none new
est. ivy grows apace, and student
feed squirrels on tF.eir window
lodges, shoot the breeze in h I
basement ice cream store. ant
leave their clean laundry stacked
in the entry of a certain buildin!
days on end. It's small college lif,
a. its best.
"Only I got an awful introduc
ton" recalls julius. They Away
throw the 'Rhinies' into the pond
snd they threw me, ard it wa!
all right. Only the pond was sur
rounded by poison ivy. 1 was ou
five weeks
'Rhinies' are freshmen" he
d d S, scratching reminiscently
at comes from a Greek wore
meaning little green worm"
Once on his oWn-the question
was what he would do with nj
change. He majored in philosophy
with English for a minor.
This term he carries five sub
jects: history of philosophy, ethics
drama and the critical analysis o,
music scores. He has completed
four terms, and his average is ovel
80 for each of them. Phi Beta
Kappa requires only an 81 aver
age.
But don't think that julius i.
just a book-rhinie His investment
in his hands is too high for hin
to play football, for example. but
he can and does play tennis anc
swim. His eyes have barred hin
from the army combat forces
Since limited service is no more
he is automatically classified At
and doesn't like it.
II guess I do quite a ict' Julius
admits, grinning. I'm lucky if
get five hours sleep, as a rule.
Julius is right. He is q membe,
of the Haverford debating team
of cap and bells, which is The
dramatic society, president a n c
assistant director of the College
Glee club, one of the news editors
of the Haverford news founder O.
the college orchestra and its con
ductor last year. ut was prett,
good, too" he says.
In the midst of all this there i.
a very important question, VIVA
mas happened to his piano study?
1t seems little incredible, bu
he practices three hours day
For year and a half he has no