Evening star., 1947-01-12
Our Composers
Should Stop
Being So Shy
By Alice Eversmcn


poser and. in consequence, OF Amer
lean music, has been often the
subject of championship among
earnest believers in their worth to
cultural advancement in this coun-
try. The composer has been con-
sidered as a complete embodiment
of a prophet without glory In his
own land. The public. the perform
ing artists and symphony conduc-
tors have been berated for their
lack OF interest in promoting native
creative talent. The composer him.
self has taken on a bitter and re-
signed attitude.
What the American composer
needs most is a publicity agent. He
needs to follow the trend Of the
times and see that his name Is all
ways before the public. Fame need
not arrive after he is no longer
alive to enjoy it. He would be do
ing himself as well as the public
a service by becoming an interesting
personality, as well as serious COM
poser, through the medium of pub
Hcity.
u. S. Excels in Publicity.
While it has been an American
principle to give the public what 10
wants, 1t also has been flne
American art to convince the pub
lie it wants certain things. The
power of publicity has never been
so highly understood as in this
country and ingenious use Of it has
proven that the citizenry will re-
spond Fundamentally to we'll
planned campaign. Resistance must
be firm indeed to Withstand repeated
insistance that an article or
person is something out OF the
ordinary.
American composers would prob
ably shudder at the thought that
they should lower themselves by re-
sorting to the means that has been
so successful elsewhere. But why
should they think that? AL great
careers have been made through
publicity. Many artists, not worthy
of it, command large fees because
they have been made interesting
and glamorous to public that Will
pay any price to see them in per-
son. Other artists, on the decline,
have gained fresh box offlce value
through some means that has been
widely advertised. Even dead COM
posers. such as Tschaikowsky and
Chopin, have gained new fans as
soon as Hollywoods eye was turned
toward them. Toscaninl, lturol.
Rubinstein, Melchior and host OF
others have benefited because the
bright light of moviedom's publicity
illuminated them.
Shostakovich an Example.
Why should the composer hesi-
tate? Shostakovich, one OF the best
advertised of modern composers,
knows the value of publicity. True,
he has his government back OF him;
but, when all is said and done.
people speak of him as a great
composer because they have been
told repeatedly that he is. Not all
his fame comes from the musical
public's conviction that he is .
| genius.
Except in one or two cases We
know very little about the good
American creative talent today.
Such glamour-lacking facts as he
began to study music when 3 years
old" "he graduated with a gold
medal 10 years later" and ne
studied composition under so and
so and his first works were per-
formed at such a date are all that
reaches the public about modern
American composer.
Expound Personalities Now.
When the biographies of Ameri-
can composers will be written.
host of interesting detail about
them will be made known. People
will listen to their works with o
new attitude, remembering the
sometimes heart-stirring instances
surrounding their inception. Why
cannot this be known now? Why
cannot a campaign to make them
personalities of appeal to the public
lce started and their works ana.
zed and played so often that an,
ger audience will be created for
them? A little plug on the radio,
few more stories in the news
papers and the job is done. The
American public will respond to
the advertising of good modern nlu-
sic as quickly as it does to that OF
the latest musical comedy.
OF course, this costs money. But
composers. often pay for the privi-
lege of having their works per-
formed and promptly forgotten. II
the League of Composers or the
National. Composers Clinic would
give some thought to this the re-.
suits might be worth while.
TU/