23
June 8, 1922
ELMAN AND TRADITION
Mischa Elman’s masterly feat of playing three concertos with orchestra in one evening at the Queens Hall, London, May 17, and following these with Beethoven’s romance in F, also with orchestra, made a very great impression on me. And when I saw the conductor. Sir Henry J. Wood, take Mischa Elman’s hand in his two hands, slap him on the back, applaud loud and long, I felt sure that Sir Henry was likewise overjoyed. In the artists’ room after the concert violinist Tividar Nachez, pianists Moisei-witsch and Victor Benham, all said that the famous player had surpassed himself and that we had been privileged to hear one of those rare concerts where every number on the program had reached high water level. Consequently I was very happy to find my opinion supported by so many eminent authorities.
But it seems that I must live and learn. My youthful enthusiasm is plainly the result of my short and shallow experience. A day or two after the concert I read in the Morning Crash that Elman had missed the true spirit of Beethoven, in fact had never learned the Beethoven tradition at all. Now 1 have a great reverence for tradition. It is one of those Eleusinian mysteries of which Demeter did not vouchsafe an explanation to me. The critic of the Morning Crash is known to me by sight, but he never holds converse with a stripling like myself. I often think he must be related in a way to Confucius, of whom it is said by the infallible Chinese proverbs that his wisdom was so great he was born with a long gray beard. I could never make out whether the whiskers are traditional or the tradition is whiskered. It is a well known fact, however, that the music critic learned the true Beethoven tradition from the composer himself. Only a hundred years ago Beethoven sent to the office of the Morning Crash and had the bright young music critic visit him. Taking up the identical violin he had used m finding out the tunes of his concerto—a noble specimen of Gottlob Pfetzschner’s art—and asking the Morning Crash critic to tune it for him, as he was too deaf to tell a diminished fifth from the real thing, he then and there gave the critic the real Beethoven tradition, which, of course, the critic of the Morning Crash has never forgotten. He is positive that the deaf Beethoven, with his thick, gouty fingers, did not play his concerto in the same way that Elman played it. Those of us who have not heard Beethoven play cannot be certain of the true tradition, because all the violinists we ever hear are ni the same boat with Mischa Elman, in that they only have their own musical intelligence to guide them, never having been instructed by the composer himself.
I he critic on the editorial staff of the Evenin°■ Howler was almost in tears because Elman made the Bach concerto in E so modern. This I can readily understand, for Bach is the Evening Howler’s passion. ׳ The venerable critic played second fiddle m Bach’s Leipsic orchestra years and years ago, when he was still susceptible to impressions. Bach often told him he feared that the coming generations would modernize his works and lose the true medieval traditions. One memorable afternoon in a Tune of yesteryear, Bach sang the bits of tune in this identical E major concerto, slamming down the lid of his beer stein to mark the rhythm of the pom-pom-pommm, pummypom, pummypom, pummypom. Never has the critic of the Evening Howler forgot-ten the intellectual tones of Bach’s contrapuntal voice. No wonder he missed something when Elman merely played the old themes on a violin. The spirit of 1740 was entirely lacking.
I was pleased to read a word of praise for Elman, however. It seems that the correspondent of the Weakly Male was perfectly entranced with the divine interpretation Mischa gave to Tschaikowsky’s fascinating concerto. I agree. Here, of course, we are on safer ground. We can feel the bedrock under our feet. Elman has the true Tschaikowsky tradition, for the composer, shortly before he took a drink of water by mistake and died of shock in 1893, sent for little Mischa, who was then two years old, and gave him the real Tschaikowsky tradition. No wonder Elman plays Tschaikowsky so well.
I hope Mischa Elman will forgive me for lettin״ the whole musical world know what a few loctd London critics had to say about him. If he finds that the public in future greets him less tumultuously and shakes its collective head sadly to think of the Bach and Beethoven traditions he ignores, he will immediately lay all the blame on	CL
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Will Sir Conan Doyle kindly call up the spirits of Brahms, Liszt, Schumann and Chopin and ask them to give modern composers the recipe of how to write music that is intellectual and yet may be enjoyed for its beauty,
MUSICAL COURIER
of Erika’s illness, she would have missed one-half of her pair of engagements with the Minneapolis Orchestra in St. Paul and Minneapolis. Her fee was $1,200 for this engagement, and Father Morini figured that he was protecting the Metropolitan Musical Bureau's interest in demanding $600 if he was required to miss the St. Paul booking.
4.	The good faith of the Metropolitan Musical Bureau is admitted in Mr. Crosland’s letter. Over the telephone the bureau could not understand what it was all about, so instructed the local manager to make any arrangement he could and the bureau would refund.
5.	Erika Morini is a husky young girl, normally healthy, but liable to get sick like any other human being. She was booked for fifty dates this season and played forty-nine. Let us hear of any other artist playing this number of bookings with a better record.
6.	The only fact reflecting on Morini in the above letter is the phrase “health can be arranged.” As stated, Mr. Morini does not speak a word of English, and some one must have written this telegram for him. It is inconceivable that any person would make such a damaging statement in writing. The only reasonable explanation is that Morini was mistranslated. Very truly yours,
The Metropolitan Musical Bureau, (Signed) F. C. Coppicus.
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BADGERING JERITZA
From various sources springs a press campaign against Mme. Jeritza, the opera singer, and its operations are visible in America as well as in Europe. Its motives may be musical or political, or both, but they certainly are neither gallant or chivalrous. The New York Times naturally is above suspicion as lending itself to attacks against a lady, and it reprints the attached in its issue of June 4, merely as a piece of piquant news:
In connection with a recent donation of 100,000 crowns (about $12.50 at the exchange rate prevailing in April) by Marie Jeritza to a fund evidently being raised to make good the damages sustained by the musical instruments of a band of youthful pro-Monarchists in a clash with some young Austrian Social Democrats, the following communication was sent to the Vienna and Budapest papers from Bruenn, Czechoslovakia, Mme. Jeritza’s native city:
“With some surprise we have learned of the generosity of Frau Jeritza, who has freed her heart from the sorrow which overcame it because of the smashing of a drum in a row among the young folks by personally handing over a gift of 100,000 crowns to the Reichspost. We people here in Bruenn are not accustomed to such attacks of generosity on the part of Frau Jeritza, although we have known her since her childhood, which she passed here in about as proletarian conditions as can be imagined.
“Quite the contrary. The Relief Committee of the German Women’s Organization that has permanently fed 1,000 children here, among whom are two nieces of Frau Jeritza, asked her to please arrange a concert for the benefit of these poor children, but to this day the lady has not deigned to reply, although the request was also communicated to her verbally through one of her famous colleagues.
“The gesture with the 100,000 crowns, with the immediate publicity given to it, certainly is not ennobled by the political nuance clinging to it, for the Bruenn Social Democrats have taken care of the two nieces of Frau Jeritza for years without announcing this fact to the newspapers and inquiring if a relative of these children wants to use a broken drum as an excuse for a political demonstration against the Social Democracy.”
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LISZT COLLECTION
A considerable collection of Lisztiana, including a lock of his hair, has been brought to this country recently and is offered for sale. Among the articles, according to the Times, is “a large paper fan in a gilt frame containing in small squares the autographs of some of Liszt’s closest musical friends.” Among them are Wagner, Lilli Lehmann, Albert Niemann, Amalie Materna, Theresa Vogl, Siegwart Friedmann and—most remarkably—Pietro Mascagni, the composer of “Cavalleria Rusticana.” It was really strange this last signature should be upon a fan of Liszt’s—if, indeed, it is there. Liszt died in 1886. At that time Mascagni was completely unknown. His famous opera was not completed until three years later and first presented in 1890. It seems hardly likely that the young Italian, less than twenty-three years of age and quite unknown— should be reckoned among the “closest musical friends” of Liszt.
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VIENNA RATS
To add to all the troubles of the managers of the Vienna State Opera, rats have now invaded the ancient house—actual, living rats. They are so bold that they venture out among the seats during a performance and their squeaks mingle with those of the orchestra and the singers. The director is so ungallant as to attribute their presence to the habit which the ladies and gentlemen of his audience have of bringing delectable sausages to the performances to munch them during the intermissions. The crumbs of bread and the delicate bits of horse and mule meat that fall, insignificant as they may be, nevertheless attract the rodents in swarms. A regular campaign is to be waged for their extermination. Our idea would be for somebody to write an opera to be called “The Pied Piper of Hameln” and see if that wouldn’t attract them outside.
THE MORINI AFFAIR
Some time ago the Musical Courier spoke of a habit which some young foreign artists playing in this country seemed to have developed during the past season, viz., the habit of trying to “hold up” local managers for a higher price than the one for which their manager had signed a contract. The Musical Courier remarked at the time that it was a disgusting practice which should be nipped in the bud.
When the National Musical Supervisors held their conference at Nashville, Tenn., last March, the authorities of the Ward-Belmont School there engaged Erika Morini, the violinist, to give a recital on Monday, March 20. Hence the fact that Miss Morini failed to appear and play was widely known. There were so many stories bruited about concerning this instance that the Musical Courier asked the Ward-Belmont School for a statement of the facts of the case and, submitting the letter received from C. E. Crosland, associate president of the school, to the Metropolitan Musical Bureau, managers of Miss Morini, asked them to state their side of the case. Here are the two letters:
The Editor, Musical Courier:
Replying to your recent letter we write you this letter to give you the facts concerning our dealings with Miss Erika Morini, violinist.
On December 15 last we signed a regular contract with Miss Morini to give a recital for us on Monday, March 20. The event was widely advertised both locally and nationally through the Music Supervisors’ Journal and circulars. By March 15 every seat had been disposed of and the National Music Supervisors began their National Conference program on Sunday, March 19.
At 4:30 P. M., Friday, March 17, we received the following telegram from Morini’s New York management:
Just received wire from Morini’s father that Morini is ill in Bowling Green, Hotel Mansard, and that she will be unable to play in Nashville. Please telephone to Hotel Mansard and ask for Mr. Baloban, Morini’s accompanist, and find out if it is not possible to have her appear in Nashville. Thanks.
Early Saturday morning, March 18, President Blanton went to Bowling Green, only seventy-five miles distant. He talked with Miss Morini and her father and her accompanist. It was stated to him that Miss Morini had been ill on Friday morning and had fainted, and that her Bowling Green recital had been postponed from Friday evening to Saturday evening. She stated that she would not come to Nashville, as she was scheduled to appear in Minneapolis the following Thursday or Friday evening. It was also definitely stated that her period of unconsciousness on Friday morning lasted twenty-two seconds.
President Blanton returned to Nashville Saturday afternoon, uncertain as to what ■he might expect. Much telephoning and telegraphing was done both with Bowling Green and with New York; this continued through Sunday and Monday. Dr. Blanton insisted that the original contract be carried out, pointing out (1) that her illness on Friday morning did not prevent her playing on Saturday evening; (2) that she would have a short journey to Nashville and two full days of rest before playing here Monday evening; (3) that she could play here and reach Minneapolis from one to three days in advance of her engagement there; (4) the importance of her audience in Nashville, consisting of musicians from practically every State in the Union. He even suggested an afternoon recital, but finding such a change so absolutely unnecessary, he withdrew that offer.
At 10:40 a. m., Sunday, March 19, we received the following telegram from Bowling Green:
Dr. _ Blanton: You have not quite understood my message. If Morini does not feel well, she only plays once in Minneapolis, otherwise twice. If once, would you pay six hundred dollars difference, would advise give concert, health can be arranged, concert only in afternoon. Morini.
The “message” referred to was one of the telephone conversations. Over the telephone the New York management suggested that Dr. Blanton offer to pay the extra $600 demanded and agreed to refund the same. Before this could be done, however, the Morini party left Bowling Green at noon on Sunday for the North.
You will note reference in the Morini telegram to the claim that she had to play twice in Minneapolis. On this point we have no further information. We do not know whether her health “was arranged” to permit her playing a double engagement in that city.
By telephone was secured Erna Rubinstein, at the price of $1,200, in the place of the $1,000 fee in Morini’s contract. Miss Rubinstein played in a magnificent recital and won the plaudits of an audience of 5,000 people, probably the most select audience ever gathered in this city. It included 1,000 visiting musicians from all parts of the country, who bitterly resented Morini’s action. Miss Rubinstein won all the more favor because she appeared to be an unspoiled little girl and because of the fact that she played with a painful sore on her bow thumb.
The above is a brief and accurate statement of the facts, any of which may be substantiated to your complete satisfaction. Very sincerely yours.
(Signed) C. E. Crosland, Associate President.
There follows the statement of the Metropolitan Musical Bureau;
The Editor, Musical Cornier:
With reference to the Nashville Morini booking which Miss Morini did not fill, and Mr. Crosland’s letter, beg to state:
1.	The matter is an unfortunate misunderstanding, due to the fact that Erika Morini's father does not speak a word of English.
2.	The good faith of the Morinis may be judged from the fact that financially they do not enter into the transaction at all. The contract is between the Metropolitan Musical Bureau and the local manager.
3.	In order to fill the Nashville date, postponed on account