Evening star., 1948-02-22
Soviet Censpre
Called Another
Ingratitude
By Alice Eyersmon

q, Whatever may be the deeper i'm
plications of the recent censuring
of prominent Russian composers by
the Central Committee of the Com
nunist Party, one thing Is evident
at a glance. The fact that modern
decadent music of Western Europe
and America" is cited as debasing
influence" bespeaks once again the
tngratitude of the Soviets for any
thing that this country has done
for them. 1t might be almost i'm
possible to find another country
that has so whole -heartedly in
dorsed the music Of Shostakovich,
Prokof1eff, Khachaturian and Mas
kovsky and paid good sums to
hear it.
To a certain degree, these COM
posers' works, the only ones Of the
seven under censure well known
here, have been forced upon the
American public. There has been
bitter discussion about them, espe-
cially Of Shostakovich, but. never
theiess, conductors and artists have
persisted in programming their COM
positions.
To present any Soviet symphonic
score costs large sum. A conductor
would hesitate before paying an
American composer like royalty
for the same privilege Most of
Soviet composers have become
known here through the spon-
sorship of Koussevitzky and no
matter how violent the criticism
of the new works, other conductors
have hastened to follow suit and go
on record as also having played the
latest from Soviet pen. Some
pianists and violinists have become
identified almost exclusively with
some one of these composers works
which they have played repeatedly.
Ormandy Got Desk.
There is no gratitude expressed
for the money these performance
have brought to Russia. There is
no gratitude either for the efforts
spent by Koussevitsky in supplying
the composers with music paper
= so that they, protected from war
dangers by being sent to a safe
place in the Caucasus by the govern
rnent, could continue to compose.
True, some slight return was made
the Philadelphia Orchestra for the
gift of strings, reeds and instru-
ment parts during the war by which
the Moscow Philharmonic was able
to continue its performances. It's
conductor, Eugene Ormandy, was
presented with a lacquered desk
last November Nor are they appre-
ciative of the work of the American
Soviet Music Society which has fost-
cred actively the cultivation of So
Wet music in this country.
Perhaps some of the efforts on
the part of Americans might be
construed as influencing" the So
Wet composers. But the ironical
point is that, with the exception of
Prokofieff's latest symphony, sent
by the composer to Koussevitzky for
a first performance in recognition
of his help, and Shostakovich's last
works, flown here by plane and &C
companied by fror1t-page publicity,
what Americans know of Soviet
music was composed long before any
contact with that country was es-
tablished. The American public has
been given to understand that since
the interim when Shostakovich was
in disgrace, and with the return
of Prokofleff to the Soviet fold,
these composers were the very voice
of that country's theology.
Influence on u. S. Music.
In the meantime, the docile
American public has never rebelled
against the influence these musical
writers had on native composition.
Time and again traces of it can
be distinguished in the American
output Khachaturian, having an
individual style due to his Arme-
nian heritage. and Miaskovsky, still
under the shadow Of the imperial
Russia's great composers, are copied
less. The performance of piano and
violin concertos has given many
young artists the excuse to concen-
trate on technique rather than on
the ideals of Interpretation.
1t always has been difficult to
understand why Shostakovich's
music should be considered ideal
for the masses. When European
and American authorities are still
arguing about its worth. how can
these simple people, not long intro
duced to culture in any form, en-
Joy it as they should? Perhaps
the government leaders have come
to the realization that they cannot,
and so are advocating return to
melody. But it is not necessary,