Wilfred and Andrew broke in simultaneously: Andrew shouted: “No one forces you to go to a concert! I don’t see John Cage knocking on your door with a policeman, forcing you to go to his concerts!” “You’re trying to tell me!” The manner in Wilfred pointed at Antonio one might think he held a cello bow in his hands “that you approve of government censorship of music – in the name of the people no less!” Antonio was not easily intimidated: “Yes, I do”, he responded, calmly but firmly, “I’ve been a Marxist all my adult years. As a Marxist I don’t believe that culture is an end in itself, a kind of Absolute Good, a ladder to the heavens outside of all social, historical and economic contexts. So-called avant-garde music, I say ‘so-called’ because I see nothing ‘vanguard’ in it, is deeply neurotic, a fraud, a symptom of all that is wrong with American society, a decadent sideshow of monopoly capitalism. In
Andrew agreed: “Truck drivers like Country and Western music.” Jane smiled: “Andrew, how many truck drivers do you know?” “Keep on trucking, Jane; keep on trucking! Anyway, Antonio, you were saying?” “The white society relates to jazz primarily as a form as dance music, that is to say, for the wrong reasons. Jazz is the private language of the black culture, just like their English. What appeals most to white Americans, even educated ones, are Broadway show tunes; or movie music which has much the same atmosphere. This music, which has its own charm, is frowned upon by both the audiences of jazz and serious classical music. It’s only ‘pretty’, at most.” Jane commented: “When you hear it in the form of ‘cocktail music’ it’s repulsive!
Andrew, driven beyond patience, interrupted: “After this brilliant exposition of class-conditioned musical tastes, you really expect us to believe that the Soviet Union allows freedom of expression? How can someone with your obvious erudition believe such nonsense?” “I’m not going to be drawn into an argument about Russia. All empires are imperialist – by definition!” he laughed, “If I prefer Socialist nations it is because of their encouragement of proletarian art.” All during this discourse Wilfred had been staring at Antonio. As he began speaking one felt that, for him, the moment of truth had arrived: “I would bet, sir, that you have all kinds of ideas about the musical ‘establishment’ in Puerto Rico. Isn't that right? And about a certain cellist, a Mr. Pablo Casals? Isn’t that right?”
“That must make life difficult for you at times”, Jane observed, not bothering to mitigate her sarcasm. “Sometimes it does. I lack what is called “appreciation”. On the other hand there also exists a more general lack of appreciation for human hunger and misery, from which you ‘serious’ artists are not exempt. I haven’t met many classical musicians who examine the relationship of their craft to a larger historical context.” “Mr. Rodriguez, in a moment, I suppose”, Andrew countered, with growing impatience “ you’ll be informing us that we, being professional musicians, don’t know anything about music!” Antonio laughed: “How admirably you’ve anticipated my arguments! The modern institutions of classical music are hopelessly decadent!” It would have been difficult for his 3 listeners to organize a concentrated rebuttal to his assertions. Dumbfounded shock was the most they could come up with, and even that was more for form’s sake. One of the problems was that, being intelligent and