Evening star., 1946-12-15
Wars Tragedy
Fails to Block
Stars Ascent
By Alice Eversmon


of a new star flashing across the
horizon really happens. This Is
the case of Maryla Jonas, Polish
pianist, who will be presented in
recital in Constitution Hall on Sum
day, February 2, by Dorothy Hodg-
Kin Dorsey.
She came unheralded to Car
negie Hall last winter and only
a. small audience, possibly many
coming on passes, heard her. She
gave another concert month later
with the critics present and the
music world discovered the next day
that here was a truly great artist
that no one in this country knew
anything about.
It would not be correct to say that
Miss Jonas is fairy story for there
is too much sadness connected with
it and even the present success can
not be considered happy ending
although 1t may lead to that. When
her talent was made known after
her second New York recital, it
seemed the dark shadows that have
hung over her so long were dis
PEELED at last. But the morning
after, a cable from Poland told of
the death Of one of her brothers
through the Instrumentation of
the Nazis.
Went Through Warsaw Horror.
Her life, until the fateful year
of 1899, was following a pattern of
musical study and concert giving
that would lead normally to the point
she has reached today. She was liv-
ing in Warsaw with her husband, a
famed criminologist, her brothers
and sisters and her parents. When
the bombing began, they took to the
cellars, moving from one dark abode
to another as each was demolished.
When the Nazis took possession, her
husband and brothers joined the
Polish forces and the remainder Of
the family was arrested by the
Gestapo.
Her captors, discovering that she
was pianist, offered her some sort
of freedom if she would go to Ber-
lin and entertain the chosen people.
This she refused to do but among
the officers was one who had heard
her play. He never suspected, that
although nameless, his compassion
would be known wherever Miss
Jonas appeared. He arranged her
release and suggested her seek
ing aid from the Brazilian Embassy
In Berlin which might help her to
reach a sister already a refugee in
that country. ..'
Leaves on False Passport.
She went on foot from Warsaw to
Berlin. How long it took, she does
not remember. She slept by the
wayside and had food only when
she could get it. She finally reached
the Embassy. The Ambassadors
son was leaving for Lisbon and a
false passport listing her as his wife
enabled her to accompany him.
When the long sea voyage to Rio
de Janeiro was over, she collapsed
and had to spend months in a sana-
torium. Word came that her family
in Poland had disappeared. Life
meant nothing to her and least Of
all her music.
But she had not counted on her
Polish spirit or that of another great
Pole, Artur Rubinstein. Visiting her,
he told her this was no way to help
her people or to stand before the
world. That had its effect but not
in musical way. She could not
touch the piano. But Rubinstein's
concern made him willy. He begged
her to go over his program with him
for that nights concert and then,
casually, asked her to play little
something so that he could Judge
the halls acoustics. That did the
trick. She played for five hours
without stopping.
This is Maryla Jonas story. The
rest leads to the happy ending:
how Rubinstein had her play for a
select gathering, how a concert man
ager arranged concerts for her
throughout South and Central
America without receiving penny
of money, how a series of Mexican
broadcasts enabled her to gather
enough to give New York recital
and how her fame was blazoned
over the newspapers the next day.
Now she Is a star in the foremost
ranks of woman pianists.
The Navy Band concerts in the
Departmental Auditorium will be
deferred until January and con-