Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-01-12
NEWS or MUSIC
Bonn Asks Five Critics
To Report Its Culture

SO the Foreign once
searches through It's filing
cabinets and collects the
names Of all prominent Amer
lean music critics. Among
these Alfred Frankenstein of
the San Francisco Chronicle
the man who had provided
q cash award out Of his own
salary for the conductor who
played the most second per-
formances Of contemporary
works-seems pre-eminently
prominent.
zone from California. one
from New Orleans. one from
Brooklyn. one from Milwau-
kee." says Herr K. But
waitl Is there not on the
newspaper the San Francisco
Examiner q prominent music
critic named Mr.. Alexander
Fried2 WIN he not be very
bitter when he learns that
the German Foreign once
has decided that his rival Is
more prominent than he?
Will he not stay at home and
write about the ubiquity Of
Volkswagens and perhaps
imply snidely that Homer
harmonious. are becoming out
Of tune? II Is clear that we
must invite Mr.. Fried. also"
But what about the music
critics OF Los Angeles. a we'll
known suburb Of San Fran
cisco?" puts In Herr X. dim
IDENTIFY. There we have Mr..
Raymond Kendall Of the Los
Angeles Mirror News and Mr..
Albert l.. Goldberg OF the
Los Angeles Times. II we in
wife Mr.. Frankenstein and
Mr.. Fried and leave them out,
Mr.. Kendall will retaliate by
writing that the best festivals
are in Glyndebourne and
Salzburg and Prades :"
Mind your language, K.."
Says Herr NJ. sharply. And
furthermore" continues Herr
K. Mr.. Goldberg will imme-
diately let 1t be known that
J. s. Bach stole his 30
famous variations from him,
an American"
Yes. We must include Los
Angeles" announces Herr NJ.
after a moment OF decisive
reflection. And also San
Diego. Palo Alto. La Jolla and
Pasadena. We must make our
roster Of music critics truly
representative.
But we have only enough
travel money for five critics."
objects Herr L. Remember
economy is the prime eco
nomic factor Of Germany's
economy"
At this point q young bu-
reaucrat. hitherto silent,
speaks up. Herr o is a par
venu from the University Of
Gottingen. famous for his re-
buttal Of Heinrich Heine's
treatise An Attempt at an
Introduction to the Consider
alton OF the Theory That the
Feet Of Gottingen Girls Are
Not the Largest in the
World" tSee ''Reisebilder,"
chapter one.) sie
The solution Of our prob
lem is not difiicult. gentle
men," he says quietly. 1T Is
. matter Of balance. OF equa-
ton. It has been shown that
It Is necessary that we in
vite four critics from two
cities in Just one State Of the
American republic. Now we
must ind. in order that our
panel be truly representa-
tive. one other critic from one
other paper in one other
American city. A representa-
tive man. a man so repre-
sentative that California will
in no way blight our COM
pany. Boston, gentlemen,
consider Boston. An Ameri-
can city as truly German as
Hamburg. The home Of the
Haydn and Handel Society.
Of Karl Muck. Of Artur Nj
kisch. Boston commissioned
Bonn's own Beethoven to
write an oratorio for 1t. and
the Brahms B major trio
was premiered in Boston al
most before the ink was dry.
II We invite Boston. our
group Of critics will be rep
resentative and prominent"
Zine cute Idee." said Herr
M, land here is our man
Mr.. Harold Rogers. music
critic Of the Christian Science
Monitor. Norway street.
Boston. But what. I won
der. is Christian Science?"
let us leave that question
to the representatives Of the
appropriate agencies" said
all the harassed but happy
bureaucrats OF the Foreign