Evening star., 1961-05-14
NEWS OF MUSIC
New York's Cultural
Center Is Cho|Ienqe

escaped the notice Of all but
a very few aStute observers
of the cultural scene.
This was pointed out with
great clarity in perhaps the
best piece on Lincoln Center
I have yet read, Joan Pey-
ser'S article called Lincoln
Center: Planning for Mn-
sic" which appears in the
May issue of the magazine
Commentary"
Because Commentary" is
not too widely read or
known, it would be too bad
if Miss Peyser's observations
escaped the attention of
those interested in the fu-
ture Of music in our country.
Lincoln Center is "a trilogy
Of education, creative schol-
arship and public perform
ance." according to its own
confession. but Miss Peyser
claims that the dominant
power in the trilogy is pub
lie performance. and she doc
uments her case very ably.
She asks what she calls "a
small question::
Why is this complex of
education, creative scholar
ship and performance to be
called Lincoln Center for the
Performing Arts rather than
Lincoln Center for Music,
Drama. and Dance?"
The Performer
Because. she claims, what
underlies the whole project
Of Lincoln Center-all of its
activities - is the adulation
Of the performer"
In Lincoln Center. educa-
ton Gin the form Of JuilI-
ard and the various high
schools) and creative schol-
arship Tin the person of the
New York Public Library are
being shaped to fit the needs
of public performance, and.
as Miss PeySer neatly indi-
Gates, something Is being lost
in the shaping process.
To the majority Of Ameri-
can concert-goers, music is
primarily a spectator sport.
We go to concerts 20 see and
be seen: what we hear is
secondary and not really too
important, so long as it
doesn't annoy us by requir-
ing too much concentration
or exercise of tolerance.
A Severe Limit
According to Lincoln Gen.
ter's chief architect, Wallace
K. Harrison, the center
should be a place where a
child can come and meet all
of the great artists of the
world" Does Mr.. Harrison
mean that the child will be
able to see StravinSky put
ting the finishing touches to
his latest score? Or a great
musical scholar clearing the
rubble away from some for
gotten masterpiece?
Obviously not. He means
that the child will be able
to see Van Cliburn practic-
ing with the Philharmonic, or
Richter dashing from TV
studio for a taxi, or Lenny
Bernstein over a coffee cup
The culture symbol" of
Lincoln Center, according to
Miss Peyser, will be the in
terpreter, the virtuoso; it is
this symbol which places Sc
we're limits on the Center'S
cultural significance"
A Real Problem
I cannot help assuring Miss
PeySer that she has a genu-
Inc problem when she asks
whether it is unreasonable
Ito worry about the effect
Of this attitude upon tn e
youngsters Of the High h
School of Music and Art and
on the climate Of the musi-
cal life of the country in
general"
And this problem and this
attitude are by no means
confined to New York.
For we cannot boast of our
devotion to music as q ma
ton. no matter how much
more money we spend foI
concert tickets than we dc
for baseball tickets, so long
as there are vast stretches
Of empty seats at an Inter-
American Music Festival
which is free.
Or so long as we continue
to walk out of concerts In
the National Gallery's an
nual American Music Festi-
val. which are also free.
Or so long as we continue
to regard music as pleasant
Stuffing for an idle hour OF
high-claSS background noise
For a properly cultured
land, the proper culture
symbol" plainly cannot be
the prima donna. If it is true
that the accent in the Lin.
coin Center for the Perform.
ing Arts Is on performing