A Russian Traveler's View of American Music

Author(s): Dmitri Kabalevsky

Source: Music Educators Journal , Nov. - Dec., 1962, Vol. 49, No. 2 (Nov. - Dec., 1962),
pp. 71-72
Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. on behalf of MENC: The National Association for
Music Education

Stable URL: https://www.jstor.org/stable/3389815

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 A Russian Traveler's View of American Music
"Literaturnaya Gazeta," a Soviet magazine, first published this
article on February 11, 1960. It appears here translated from Dmitri Kabalescky
the original Russian by Joseph Suhadolec and Virginia Moseley.

formances of Handel's Israel in Agon-have almost invariably pro-

ber 22 to November 22 Egypt by the student choir at the voked negative criticism. Afraid he
(1959), we toured the United University of California at Los An- would lose the questionable repu-
States of America from coast to
geles and of a Negro folk song by tation of being the "most progres-
coast, stopping in eight cities. We the choir in San Francisco; but, I sive composer" of the twentieth
met prominent musicians, heard must say, the Negro choir of How- century, Stravinsky began to flirt
the best symphony orchestras, at- ard University created the most with avant garde formalism and the
tended opera, and visited schools stupendous impression when at the absurd experiments of the "Con-
of music, our aim being to see as Washington concert which, initi- cretes" and "Electroniques." His
many facets of American musical ated our collaboration with the attempt to catch up with those who
life as possible. Justly so, America Americans they presented the had outstripped him, the "Dode-
considers its symphonic culture the Choros No. 10 of Villa-Lobos, a caphonists-Serialists," has proved
most highly developed of all coun- Brazilian composer who died re- perhaps the complete futility of the
tries; it boasts at least twenty excel-
cently. Accompanied by the orches- whole mechanistic system. What an
lent symphonic associations, not tra, they sang this highly original ignominious end for a creative
the least of which are the "Bos- and powerful work based on native career so promisingly begun!
tonians," the "Philadelphians," and themes and rhythms with such As far as opera is concerned, I
the "New Yorkers." That these or-
brilliance and mastery that the must remind the reader that there
chestras have attracted many first- audience demanded its repetition. in only one theatre in America stag-
rate conductors, soloists, and com- Along with the classics the rep- ing opera throughout the full sea-
posers such as Sergei Rachmaninov ertoire of the student symphonies son-The Metropolitan Opera in
and Arturo Toscanini increases and choirs embraces much con- New York. At the New York City
their influence. This nucleus, it temporary music, including that of Center, as well as in San Francisco
goes without saying, sets the cul-Soviet composers. Especially does and Chicago, the season lasts only
tural standard in America.
this practice seem typical of brass six weeks out of the year. That's all!
But to think that serious music
bands we heard. One played varia- It's obvious that developments in
ends with it would be a mistake.
tions of a popular theme arranged opera have lagged far behind the
As the Americans maintain, and we by William Schuman and the symphony.
have no reason to doubt them, finale of the Shostakovich Fifth
many symphonic orchestras and Symphony; another, his Ninth Sym- WE WERE very much interested,
choirs have originated in their edu- phony. And opera groups do not of course, in jazz-the basis of
cational institutions. We heard only Mozart and Rossini but Proko- American music. At the beginning
several of these young orches-
fieff's Duenna, Richard Strauss' of our trip when we learned that
tras perform complicated works-
Rosenkavalier, and even Stravin- a typical Negro jazz band per-
Tschaikovsky's Sixth Symphony,
sky's The Rake's Progress. formed daily in a San Francisco
Prokofieff's Fifth Symphony, andSpeaking of Stravinsky-his mu- restaurant, we decided to go there
Ravel's Spanish Rhapsody-and sicas is heard all over America. Most incognito. We'd tired within a
a rule, they played with skill and
favored are his earlier works- few days of the incessant inter-
artistry. It was a pleasure for Petrushka, me The Nightingale, Theviews, photographs, and auto-
to conduct the student symphony Firebird, The Rite of Spring, and graphs. Leaving our hotel secretly,
at San Francisco State College The in Wedding-those which contin- we drove to the cafe in a taxi- only
their perceptive reading of my ued the Russian tradition from to be met by a group of reporters
Overture to Kolas Breugnon. which he later dissociated himself and the blinding glare of flash
Particularly memorable were per- completely. Even among his ad- bulbs. That was our first and last
[Joseph Suhadolc is associate professor mirers Stravinsky's most recent effort to travel incognito.
of foreign languages and Virginia Moseley works-his cantatas (The Sacred In a tiny, crowded, poorly venti-
is associate professor of English at North-
ern Illinois University, DeKalb.] Song and The Tears) and his ballet lated room, five Negroes played

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER, NINETEEN SIXTY-TWO 71

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almost without interruption. Smil- they call the popular type which
characterized by "progressive jazz,"
ing all the while, though perspiring much less so. has littered the country. On tele-
profusely, they hardly finished one In a small cafe on the outskirts vision not a single serious composer
number before they began another. of Los Angeles we witnessed acan be heard. The serious musi-
Their so-called "progressive jazz" bright manifestation of American cians must feel like John Steinbeck,
was characterized by mounting ten- musical life that lay completelywho said recently that one of his
sion, an unvarying rhythm, and im- outside the limits of professionalvirtues is the fact that he has never
provisation. Members of the band, art. Something between an artist'swritten for television.
including the leader, a sensitive club and a little Bohemia, the cafe The commercial sponsorship of
saxophonist, were obviously good is frequented by lovers of poetryAmerican television brings about
musicians. The first two or three and music. Outside, the buildingan incredible paradox: the ideology
selections we found interesting; resembled a barn, having nothing of this mass medium is determined
then we began to tire of the noisy in common with the expensive res- entirely by the number of dollars
dynamics which lacked motive and taurants and other clubs of the paid for any program. It governs
seemed only an overpowering but also the numerous advertising slots,
city. Inside, tiny lamps dimly illu-
minated the faces of those who sat
mechanical, lifeless beat. Other lis- devoted promiscuously to apple
teners, however, were much af- in comparative darkness around jam, brassieres, or bathroom fix-
fected; they started to rock, snap small tables. An orange spotlight tures, which interfere with all pro-
their fingers, clap their hands-at flooded a modestly dressed girlgrams. Advertising plays "Catch as
first in a scarcely noticeable way, perched on a high stool behind aCatch Can," a monstrous game that
then more and more. low railing in one corner. Not farallows revolting blows in the face
away sat a young man with a or stamping on the opponent. This
guitar; he accompanied her singing sport is especially prevalent in the
WHEN in Boston we heard Louisof popular English, French, and late evening and night shows
Armstrong and his band, composedGerman songs. She sang beauti- ("Late show" or "Late late show")
of a woman vocalist, a pianist, afully, displaying exceptional sensi- with their perpetual murders and
clarinetist, a trombonist, a bassoon-tivity and artistry. And the listeners violence.
ist, and a drummer, we became -all young-remained motionless, As I watched American televi-
even more dissatisfied. The one- never taking their eyes off the vo- sion, I thought of the wonderful
time famous trumpet player is now calist. Then another singer joined American boys and girls I'd met
who moved in intellectual and ar-
striking for his ability to elicit herun-in several duets, after which
both listened to a boy from the tistic circles. What about the rest?
usually high register, strident tones
from his instrument and at the audience. Discovering a Russian I couldn't help remembering the
musician was there, he sang a few menacing figures released by the
same time follow no melodic line.
of our songs. As the impromptuAmerican press concerning juvenile
Hysteria, exaggerated crescendos,
concert continued, a soft manly delinquency. It's astonishing that
the tearing to shreds of any sub-
stance, and once more rhythm-a arose somewhere in the dark-
voice the many American citizens who
ness
rhythm devoid of musicality, de- singing a Negro song, and a are aware of these corrupt influ-
young Negro gradually moved into ences can remain so calm. Yet it
void of soul! But again the hypno-
view under the orange beam. He seems they can do nothing to guard
tized jazzomaniacs began to twitch,
squared his shoulders, rose to full their children-the dollar is more
stamp, snap their fingers, and even
howl-all this in the magnificent height, and his voice resounded powerful than the reason and con-
Boston Symphony Hall, where post-powerfully and appealingly. It was science of the majority. Such is the
ers picturing Charles Munch and all simple, yet highly expressive. American way.. . and it is reflected
Artur Rubinstein hung along with I remember with pleasure our hour in American music. The excellent
or two in this cafe with the poetic musicians, so numerous in Amer-
those of Louis Armstrong. The hall
was less than half full; however,name
it of Ash Grove. ica, either cannot or do not try to
combat the bad music that floods
is completely sold out for other
kinds of concerts. BUT SIDE BY SIDE with such heart- the country, even though it sepa-
rates them from the masses, most
Before our departure for home, felt expression, a vast stream of
the no less famous jazzman Benny bad music pours out continually certainly impedes their aesthetic
Goodman invited us to hear his from millions of radios and tele- goals, and poisons the public taste.
ensemble in New York City.vision These musicians spend their lives
It sets, from the stages of small
in the best concert halls of Amer-
was not surprising to find that theatres,
his from movie screens, and
group of seven or eight wereinall
innumerable restaurants and ica, it's true; but the hearing of
excellent musicians, Goodman him- music is not relegated to these
cafes. I know everything in this
halls!
stream is not bad, that some films
self being a first-rate clarinetist who
has soloed with symphonies have
di- good music, some theatres
[Note: Boris Yarustovsky, another Soviet
good music, and that there composer
rected by Toscanini and Munch. are who visited the United States
His diversified program was exe-
many broadcasts of the best phil-
in the same party with Kabalevsky, wrote
an account of his view of American music
harmonic concerts. Proportionately,
cuted with musicianship and tech- entitled "Journey to America." This arti-
however, the good is lost like
nical mastery. But we were told a
cle appeared in the February 1960 issue
Soviet Music, a journal of the union of
of
that Goodman's jazz was pass6,precious
of gem in muddy water.Soviet composers, and is scheduled for
publication in the Fall 1962 issue of the
Americans themselves speak disap-
yesteryear. Well, if so, yesterday's Journal of Research in Music Education
jazz was good; but today's, if provingly
it's of "Broadway music,"in as
a translation by Richard F. French.]

72 MUSIC EDUCATORS JOURNAL

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