Evening star., 1949-10-09
Music's Appeal
Beyond
OfExplanation
By Alice Eversmon

n symphony OTCIlcStld D. Ill ally
community acts both as an enter
tainmept unit and as an educa-
tional one.
To the end that the two objec-
tives may be met, a symphony's
management provides program
notes for each work played. With
the program itself and the adver-
tisements, a nice little booklet is
compiled and given each patron
as he takes his seat. With this IN
hand, he is supposed to prepare
himself so that he can enjoy the
music more fully by understand
ing various things connected with
its background, and an analyzer's
or the composers statement Of
how the music is constructed.
In principle, program notes are
an excellent idea, but puzzling
point is that they are confined ex-
clusively to symphonic music. It
would seem that there would be
just as much need for information
concerning almost any other kind
of music. If the public is still
in the learning stage as regards
the symphonic masterpieces. it
might be presumed that it is not
thoroughly educated either, in
other branches of the art. Yet the
only artist who has tried to in
corporate explanations Of what
he was playing in his piano pro-
gram was Vladimir Horowitz and
even he did not keep it up as he
started out. Not even new COM
positions in piano, vocal or string
instrument literature or their COM
posers have been introduced by
means Of notes to the listener at
concerts.
Value Open to Debate.
Just how much value there Is
to the sometimes elaborate dis
cussions in the program booklet Is
open to question. In the first
place, unless a concert-goer is in
his seat at least Is minutes be-
fore the concert begins, he has no
time to read the notes. True, he
can skim through them In the
short interval between numbers
or he can attempt to read them
while the music Is being played.
but either way, only general
idea can be CLEANED.
If he does have time to acquaint
himself with the notes, what does
he read? "At the fifth measure
the first subject is given out by
the clarinet and repeated by the
flute and oboe in octaves. A new
idea Is foreshadowed in the bas-
soon, the real subject being given
out few measures later by the
horns and bassoons in unison. A
ritardando leads into a new sec
ton which is worked over by tho
strings and eventually succeeded
by another division in D major.
Later there is heard against this
a counter theme in the horns and
still later in a muted trumpet.
A coda brings the work to a
brilliant conclusion" Such a de-
scription has little of vital interest
to the ordinary listener although
he may conscientiously try to fol-
low the construction as explained.
There is another kind Of pro-
gram note that tells just how the
composer felt or what he was
doing when the inspiration came
to him, this followed by an out
line of what sentiments each Sec
ton represents.
A third category limits itself
to the story of the composers
life, his musical development and
the outward facts that started
him off on this particular COM
position.
All May Be Confusing.
The point is, however, that
whatever line is taken, the listen
er. if he has time to read the
notes., tries to fit what he has
learned into the music. Some
times he is perplexed as to
whether a certain phrase Of the
music means this or that. Again
the music may not suggest to his
mind anything such as the
analyst has described. Altogether
it is a confusing experience.
The only way to make program
notes of value is to have them
ready so that they can be studied
at leisure before the concert,
There are many possibilities of
doing this such as giving out the
notes when tickets are bought
or putting them in available
places so that any one might pick
them up if they wished such as
in the department stores or drug
stores. All facts concerning q
composition, new or old, are Of
interest to lovers of music, but
they should be able to absorb
these facts beforehand and come
prepared TO listen to the music
with them in mind.
However, no matter how many
details are given, the appeal Of
the music will be individual. It
will be assimilated in different
ways by different people. But it
is often forgotten that the idea
in presenting programs Of SYM
phonic music is to bring the public
gradually to a point where it can
assimilate it. For that purpose,
1t Is not at all necessary to know
minutely how a composition is
constructed or even what. It Is
supposed to mean. It will say
what it has to say to each
individual in his respective way.
Any one eager enough to seek
music for music's sake will have
his own manner Of understanding
it. Does it matter If this be con-
trary to all accepted rules?