Evening star., 1960-04-03
NEWS OF MUSIC
By DAY THORPE
Star Music Critic


Two music critics have
been translated in the last
few days - Howard Taub-
man into the Drama Critic
Of the New York Times;
John Lardner into Heaven.
We note their passing from
our ranks with pride In How
ard that he has made good,
and with sadness that John
viii no longer be around TO
tell US so many interesting
things.
Howard from now on, in.
stead Of writing little liter
airy essays so that the deaf
can hear the morning after
essays on concerts which
had only q momentary life
and which were seldom re-
peated - will write of new
born babies, and will decide
whether they are worth hav-
ing the breath Of life blown
into them. His measured
periods about the Eroica
symphony will turn to angry
or happy calculations about
plays the public has never
tasted or heard Of. His col
urnns will be read no longer
with nostalgia for yesterdays
afternoon at the Philhar-
monic, but with curiosity
concerning tomorrow's eve
ming at the Alvin.
Undoubtedly he will from
time to time remark on
Shakespeare or Ibsen. in
realms as far removed from
the haunts Of their audiences
as the tenets and ideals Of
Bach and Palestrina are
from theirs. Usually. however,
he will be writing on works
of art directed at his very
readers-readers who them
selves will have cogent feel
inRs about the show,
readers who turn to Taub-
man with interest rather
than respect, readers not be-
guiled by the lofty impreci-
sions which are the copy
righted stock-in-trade of US
music critics.
Alas. Howard, how many
of our finest and most service
able phrases will become
deadwood, quite valueless to
you forevermore. Who will you
find who suffers from in
tonation dif1culties", who is
mot in accord with the in
tentionS Of the composer"
who "lacks an overall sense
Of STYLE" who is technically
adequate, but -? Now, in
stead, you will have to prog
nosticate how many weeks
before eventual collapse or
how many months before
tickets can be had at the
box ONCE. You will have to
ascertain whether contem-
porary values other than sex
are present, whether the pic
ture is distorted, and wheth-
er the work is the greatest
to come out Of which war,
since and including the
Civil. You will have to quote
Hunneker aptly once a year,
and disagree discreetly with
Shaw once in flve.
AS for you, John, how
many things will pass me by,
now that you are gonei
Whether or not you were our
greatest critic Is meaningless,
but you were the only one
who could interest me in
anything at all, no matter
what. You had the gift Of
being able to invest a person
with a certain nobility, q
genuine fascination and at
tractiveneSS, even when your
enthusiasm was tempered.
For me Jackie Gleason was
interesting originally only be-
cause I wondered how an
artist could get away with
making half his act each
week an exact replica of that
of the week before. You made
o creative artist out Of Glea-
son-one I never want to see,
but one I will long enjoy. Kate
Smith and I have a COM
munity Of interests through
you which I suspect would
not be apparent II I ever saw
her, yet I am certain you do
not distort her stature or
figure. You made MY Blue
Heaven" music to my ears.
I have never seen a prize
fight, and have no slight de-
sire ever to see one. Yet I