Evening star., 1948-04-11
Recital Offers
|Severest Test
OF Musician
By Alice Eyersmon

One OF the major changes
noticeable In the music world has
to do with recital presentation. It's
formal character has given way
gradually to a definite bid by many
artists for public favor. This IL
the result OF the overlapping of the
screen and radio events with those
purely OF the concert hall. It Is a
sign post Of breaking down OF an
old order and the establishment Of
q new. Exactly where this will lead
cannot be predicted as yet.
We find leading artists Of the
concert world stepping into the
other fields and popular figures
from radio and moving picture
turning into concert artists. Whila
this has its good points and Ia not
to be rejected, it is not entirely
satisfactory for either side. But
the most important thing Is that
1t lowers the idea Of art standards,
st least temporarily. although the
possibilities OF music in It's finest
sense reaching more people with
lasting results cannot be denied,
The changes taking place in music
standards, however, are to be found
even before musician attains an
artist stature. It can be seen in the
hurried study and the launching Of
barely prepared musicians for q
career. It can be found In the
giorification Of externals and the
misleading publicity OF glamour.
The enormous salaries paid to those
who can make the grade the short
way is also a determining factor in
striving to get before the public,
no matter what the equipment.
Preparations Lacking.
Although some of the opinions
regarding the artistic caliber Of
great musical personalities of the
past may be discounted as being
more rosy than was actually the
fact, there is no question but what
they were better prepared than q
great many musicians of the pres
ent. We read of singers studying
for 10 years before singing a note
in public. Pianists and violinists
had a much more roundabout edu-
cation with which to begin a career.
A youthful conductor was a phe-
nomenon practically unknown. In
this day, with the accent placed on
youth, all kinds of talented musicians
are hailed as extraordinary without
inquiry into how lastingly grounded
Is the skill they display.
For the most part, 1t is the skill
that comes from good, early train
Ing OF childish fingers or the facility
Of fresh, flexible voice. Teachers
give these gifted students the artistic
form but 1t does not follow that they
have the ability to graft it to their
own personalities and to grow as
such for the betterment OF music.
The pathways Of musical history
are Uttered with once brilliant musi-
clans who are heard of no more.
Now we hnd the mature artist
taking his wares to the wider public
OF screen and radio. He submits
to the directions of a program maker
or picture director who thinks In
terms of mass reaction. The atten-
ton OF vast, musically uneducated
public must be caught In some
manner, SO he plays or sings works
that are on the borderline. not to
be denied as Of value by the con.
noisseur, yet of definite appeal to
others
Injecting the Personal.
Screen and radio artists feel they
must make incursions into the field
of better music for a recital appear
ance. and rightly so. But in many
instances it is q foreign style to
them and they try to feel comforts
able in 1t by injecting the personal.
The audience listens TO this politely.
for they are looking at their fa-
vorite. But the greatest success
comes when he casts off the formal
and becomes himself-singing or
playing the type of music that jus.
tifies his popularity.
1t Is possible that this will all be
smoothed out in time and the same
standards carry weight In all musi.
cal endeavors. But the question Of
6Ah2AiOAA StA11 d
be jumped. The glamorous artists
of the past were so by virtue OF
their own brilliant personalities, but
today glamour can be acquired. It
brings high prices. 1t brings Ma
tion-wide fame and an enormous
fan mail. A little applied polish
should satisfy the demanding. All
this blinds the youth for whom so
much is being done and entices
older artists to less worthy efforts.
Real music making requires life
time OF devotion and sacrifice, q
never-ending searching and think
ing to enlarge the horizon and con.
stant studying. This arduous road
Is the only way to reach the top
and remain there. 1t needs to be
more deeply on the
young and severely underscored for
those who know better, but are led