|
Musicians and unions
Re Dan Rottenberg’s rejoinder to my review of Music and Alchemy Editor’s Notebook)—
I emphasized the unionization issue in my review because it runs through Tom Service’s book and I think it’s a valid concern. But the real issue isn’t unionization. Free-lance musicians in the U.S. are union members, too. The real issue is salaried performers vs. free-lancers.
As Service points out, actors, writers and most other artists generally work as free-lancers. Free-lancers know they can be dropped at any time. Nobody has to fire them. Their customers merely have to stop hiring them.
As the old saying goes, you’re only as good as your last book or your last performance.
Nobody in his right mind would object to the improvements in salaries and working conditions that orchestra musicians have won through unionization. But the disadvantage of that hard-won advance is a natural tendency to slip into workmanlike dullness. Contemporary conductors have to overcome that tendency.
Do creative artists do better work when they enjoy economic security? I’ve always felt the ideal situation for a writer is a modest secure income— an annual stipend that’s large enough to relieve you of worries about basic necessities and minor pleasures, but low enough that you still have some incentive to grind out quality work on the days when you feel inclined to slack off.
In the past, writers often achieved that goal by building up a backlog that brought in a steady stream of royalties, reprint checks and occasional windfalls. In genre fiction, a hard-working popular writer could reach that point after a couple of decades. But today, writers must contend with self-righteous cyberpunks who think they’re playing Robin Hood when they attack copyright and set up pirate websites.
I agree with Kile Smith (“Can computers replace composers?”). DarwinTunes duplicates a composer’s creative processes by substituting a computer and thousands of voters for a single talented mind.
In the latest issue of Science News, its creator predicts that an expanded version, with millions of voters, will produce music “comparable to current man-made electronic and dance music.” But it will be a while before DarwinTunes produces anything like Kile’s Vespers.
Tom Purdom
Center City/ Philadelphia
July 28, 2012
Kile Smith replies: Tom, you are very kind. My beef with the programmer isn’t that I think composers can write music better than a computer (OK, I do think that), or even that I wish to protect some secret society, the Gnostic Order of Composers (I don’t think that).
Rather, the programmer raises my dudgeon in two ways. One, he sets the bar so ridiculously low, I’m surprised he isn’t embarrassed, like a burglar caught stealing a paper clip from the Louvre. There’s so much to music, it’s a pity he hasn’t a clue.
And two, music— any art— makes no sense if it’s not one person speaking to (singing to, whispering in the ear of) another.
Editor’s comment: One of the first rules of union membership, I submit is: Never, ever admit that you enjoy your job. This unspoken requirement can cause problems if, say, your job is an artistic or creative endeavor, like playing in an orchestra or singing in a chorus.
Computers as composers
Re “Can computers replace composers?” by Kile Smith—
The real fun hasn’t even begun yet. Eventually, people (strike that, computers) will be asking if computers can replace computers.
Joseph Glantz
Levittown, Pa.
July 26, 2012
Re Dan Rottenberg’s rejoinder to my article (Editor’s Notebook)—
I love computers. They draw staff lines very straight. And I wouldn’t be so curmudgeonly if, doggone it, you hadn’t cleared the table so quickly. I was still working on my onion rings.
Kile Smith
Fox Chase/ Philadelphia
July 24, 2012
What I learned from Nora Ephron
Re “What exactly made Nora Ephron so special?” by Susan Beth Lehman—
If you haven’t read it already, I recommend We Thought We Could Do Anything, the autobiography written by Nora Ephron’s father, Henry Ephron (after the death of her mother). It’s a delightful account of how they met and took the risk of driving to Hollywood and became successful in every way. They seem to have had a wonderful marriage of equals.
Marian Powell
Prescott Ariz.
July 25, 2012
Sorry, Susan, but you’re not as funny or witty as Nora was! Not even half as funny.
I on the other hand was, and so what?
Myra Chanin
New York
July 25, 2012
Mr. Hart and Mr. Brown
Bill Murphy’s review of Bruce Graham’s Mr. Hart and Mr. Brown was wonderful, but I was saddened by your revealing the plot surprises that make this play so special.
Anthony J. Brown
Haverford, Pa.
July 25, 2012
Editor’s comment: But the best plays don’t depend on surprise; they can be seen and appreciated repeatedly.
Safety Not Guaranteed
Re “When is a comedy more than a comedy?” by Judy Weightman—
I’d love to hear Judy Weightman’s thoughts about the real issues and characters in other romantic comedies. This is a fertile vein of appreciation and analysis for thinking about films and how they move us. Thought provoking!
Pat MacPherson
West Chester, Pa.
July 25, 2012
Editor’s note: The writer is Judy Weightman’s sister.
To a brother who died of AIDS
Re “Marty, I hardy knew you,” by Maralyn Lois Polak—
Would that the U.S. would spend money to eliminate such sickness and improve everyone’s quality of life, instead of allowing all politicians to dip into the trough for their own desires.
Gersil N. Kay
Society Hill/ Philadelphia
July 26, 2012
Black opera and classical music
I love the message in ”Can black opera save Classical music?” by Maria Thompson Corley. I believe you have your finger on the pulse and are on the right path. I urge you to continue to write about this aspect of Classical music. It must reach the people. The people are the recipients and responders. Music is the food of the soul!
Carmen Balthrop
New York
July 17, 2012
Editor’s note: The writer is a professional soprano.
I also attended the African American Art Song Alliance Conference. Thank you for continuing the discussion.
John Malveaux
www.musicuntold.com
Long Beach, California
July 19, 2012
How a teacher makes a difference
“One teacher’s well-placed words,” by John L. Erlich, is a great story. I loved the humor and the message of appreciation. It gives hope to teachers who sometimes feel what they do rarely matters.
They dump so much criticism on us, and they forget how much we put into the job because we care about our students, not just the paycheck.
Some of my students from 1972 found me on Facebook and told me that they remembered my class. It was lovely to be remembered fondly. I went back to school the next day and felt renewed. A little appreciation goes a long way.
Marguerite Ferra
Camden, N.J.
July 18, 2012
Who, having ever known her, could ever forget Miss Rosenthal?
Twenty-five years after graduating from the Fieldston School in New York, I showed up at our class reunion, which was unexpectedly graced by her presence. I asked her if she remembered me.
"Yes,” she shot back immediately, “but you should get rid of that beard.”
Robert Liss
San Francisco, Calif.
July 18, 2012
Rome’s new MAXXI Museum
Anne Fabbri’s review of Rome’s New MAXXI Museum is wonderfully descriptive and very informative. I felt I was there seeing it with her— a great experience.
Pasquale Cuppari
Roselle Park NJ
July 19, 2012
I was delighted to see Anne R. Fabbri’s review of the MAXXI, especially her comments on the building itself, including, e.g., the conjunction of the ancient Pantheon and Hadid’s structure. It would have been wonderful to have your comments during a recent all-too-brief Rome visit. But now, printed out, they are an incentive to go back soon.
Fabbri’s review does revive for me, among other installations, the work of Doris Salcedo, a highlight of the temporary exhibits I saw; and it’s also a reminder to allow time for the permanent collection.
Terri Gordon
Upper Darby, Pa.
July 27, 2012
Jewish basketball nostalgia
Re “Jewish basketball nostalgia,” by Steve Cohen (November 2007)—
My mom, Mildred (Millie) Smith Levin, fondly remembers the Broadwood Hotel like it was yesterday. She just awoke and said, “I missed my 5 o’clock appointment at the Broadwood.” Of course, it was probably 70 years ago. She now lives in South Florida.
Mildred Levin
Lauderhill, Fla.
July 18, 2012
Being David Brooks
Dan Rottenberg’s parody of David Brooks (Editor’s Notebook) was a great job. It deserves a wider audience. Glad you called out Brooks for being not much more than a reviewer/publicist of other people’s work.
A suggestion for ending the column: simply drop the last paragraph.
Bruce Pearson
Center City/ Philadelphia
July 11, 2012
As the Wise Man said: “Rich or poor, it is good to have money.”
Andrew Kevorkian
West Philadelphia
July 11, 2012
Ah— David Brooks. I used to think I was indecisive. Now, I’m not so sure.
Joseph Glantz
Levittown, Pa.
July 11, 2012
As David Brooks’s attorney, I’m notifying you of an imminent lawsuit charging you with plagiarism. My client advises me that he wrote a column that sounds extremely similar to your pathetic attempt at punditry. Prepare for the worst (which, we realize, could be another spate of my client’s columns!).
Bob Rottenberg
Brattleboro, Vt.
July 11, 2012
Life at the shore
Re “Searching for intelligent life at the shore,” by Arthur Sabatini—
This writer has obviously been smoking too much salt-water taffy.
Anthony Creamer
Chestnut Hill/ Philadelphia
July 10, 2012
Wonderful!
My comment is brief, I know. But it perfectly captures how I felt about the article.
Bob Levin
Berkeley, Calif.
July 11, 2012
The Welcomat remembered
Re Joy Tomme’s ”Memories of the Welcomat“—
I became a “real writer” at the Welcomat. Dan Rottenberg accepted and published my first paid piece there when I was 16. It was a big day when my $35 check arrived in the mail. And I loved that someone (art director Susan McAninley) actually had illustrated my essay.
Dan took a chance on an earnest teenage writer who still keeps this clip in her portfolio, which has grown with almost 30 years of writing built on the Welcomat’s foundation.
Jennifer Baldino Bonett
Wallingford, Pa.
July 11, 2012
Yes, I miss it. I sent restaurant reviews to Derek Davis in the late ‘80s, and I find the Philadelphia Weekly kind of blah!
Elizabeth Gutman
Society Hill/ Philadelphia
July 11, 2012
Re “Let us now praise gutsy publishers,” by Dan Rottenberg (Editor’s Notebook)—
Susan Seiderman and I were friends from the age of 13, and she is still a wonderful part of my memories. I felt I knew you, as she spoke of you often, always with great respect. You could not have described her more accurately.
Thanks for giving her the kudos she deserved. Obviously, you cared for her and appreciated her talents, as did those of us who had the joy of calling her “Friend.”
Arlene Sukonik
Wynnewood, Pa.
July 16, 2010
Traveling the Internet
Tom Purdom’s review of Tubes is the kind of intelligent review that makes me want to go out and buy this book. Thank you, Tom Purdom, for what you write.
Henry Pashkow
Center City/ Philadelphia
July 10, 2012
Paying for the Barnes
Re “Betting the house, and the art“—
Poor Robert Zaller. The universal acclaim that has greeted the opening of the new Barnes facility must be driving him nuts.
Desperately searching for that black lining in the silver cloud, he gives us the Art Institute of Chicago’s recent financial woes. The obvious differences between the Barnes and the Art Institute are left unexplored by this profoundly boring writer. Enough, please!
Thomas Goutman
Geigertown, Pa.
July 11, 2012
Perhaps the problem is that when the Barnes was in Merion, it wasn’t a “museum.”
Andrew Kevorkian
West Philadelphia
July 11, 2012
Robert Zaller replies: The salient facts in this case are that the court approved a business “plan” for the Barnes in 2004 that promised insolvency (a $4.5 million projected annual shortfall) and remains silent on a revised plan that, based on typical revenues for mid-sized American museums, looks to a minimum deficit of $5.6-7 million and probably more. The Art Institute of Chicago’s position was much less drastic, and its resources for dealing with its exposure far greater.
Surviving the Barnes uproar
Re “Growing up and moving on with the Barnes Collection,” by Dilys Winegrad—
How a founder of the wonderful Arthur Ross Gallery at Penn could see this odd collection of experiences as definitive of her relationship with the Barnes Foundation is beyond me. This demonstrates just how divided and uninformed Philadelphia has been over the years concerning the Foundation’s raison d’etre.
Dilys Winegrad is in error when she states that Albert Barnes never admitted artists, intellectuals, students, art historians, etc.— only an “elect hoi-polloi.” Significant individuals admitted to the galleries, just off the top of my head, include Henri Matisse, Horace Pippin, Marcel Duchamp, Bertrand Russell and John Dewey. I am sure that there are dozens more.
Poor James Michener didn’t make the cut! Most likely he was rebuffed because he gave Barnes indication that he would be resistant to what the collection had to teach.
Victoria C. Skelly
Wayne, Pa.
July 3, 2012
Editor’s comment: What sort of institution rejects intelligent visitors for fear that that they might think for themselves?
Victoria Skelly replies: Barnes wasn’t obligated to grant admittance to any person who wasn’t a student to his collection. It was his art and he created the Foundation to be primarily an educational institution. It was located in his home! Barnes did not teach dogma, though your comment once again suggests that all too frequent accusation.
One more Barnes article, and this time there’s a lot of truth being told. That’s refreshing. Thank you.
Arthur Waddington
Wynnewood, Pa.
July 5, 2012
Stokowski’s lesson
Re “Stokowski’s lesson,” by Clarence Faulcon—
Dr. Faulcon is right to praise the educating of talented local youth that started when Leopold Stokowski and others founded the Curtis Institute of Music in 1924.
We should also keep in mind that, simultaneously, Stokowski recruited talented players who were educated and employed in other cities.
William Kincaid, considered the world’s finest flutist, came from the New York Symphony, and Marcel Tabuteau, the premiere oboist, from the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Principal cellist Hans Kindler was recruited from the Berlin Philharmonic; Daniel Bonade, principal clarinet, was lured from the Ballet Russe; concertmaster Michel Gusikoff came from the Russian Symphony of New York, and the next concertmaster, Mischa Mishakoff, came from Petrograd and the New York Philharmonic; Carlton Cooley, renowned violist, came from Juilliard and the Cleveland Orchestra; principal bassoonists Walter Guetter came from the Chicago Symphony; and his successor, Sol Schoenbach, came from the CBS Orchestra in New York.
That history of recruitment is an important part of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s story. We should keep this in mind while acknowledging that it may be impossible for Yannick Nézet-Séguin— or anyone nowadays— to match salaries that are offered elsewhere.
Steve Cohen
King of Prussia, Pa.
July 7, 2012
Yannick and Stokowski
Re “Yannick’s Stokowski quandary: Showmanship or artistry?” by Victor L. Schermer—
The only point in the Philadelphia Orchestra playing Stokowski’s music, as I have so long urged them to do, is to recreate his sound and, by doing so, to re-orient the Orchestra’s present sound more in the direction of the what the “Philadelphia Sound” is meant to be. If this did not happen, then the Stokowski legacy might as well be forgotten. It has simply been abused as a promotional opportunity.
Stokowski had the finest ears for musical color that ever existed, and we still have so much to learn from that. Oh well, life stinks on.
Saul Davis
Center City/ Philadelphia
July 9, 2012
Victor L. Schermer replies: I share the same concern. While the Philadelphia Orchestra needs a re-charging, it should come through aspiration, inspiration and perspiration not profanation. However, the sound of an orchestra can evolve over time, both through changes in personnel and approach to the music. The sound and musical color should emerge from the intention of the music, and isn’t necessarily an autograph of a particular orchestra or time period.
Portraits of Hope
Re Robert Zaller’s review of “Portraits of Hope”—
Thank you for this interesting article on Naoto Nakagawa’s work. I believe Naoto and other Japanese artists can define a new phase in how the Japanese will redefine themselves and their country.
Each of these works— meant to inspire, to elevate or to share a moment with another— is a step forward, a folded crane in its making.
Nathalie Leiko Ishizuka
Tokyo, Japan
July 9, 2012
Wonderful article, and thank you so much for covering such a humanitarian in our midst.
William Duncan Swartz
Naples, Fla.
July 9, 2012
Once on Broadway
Steve Cohen’s review of the Broadway show Once included remarks on the film it was based on. I didn’t see the play, but did see the film and found it the dopiest, flimsiest excuse of a movie I ever saw. Ditto for the dumb song it was based on. And the close-ups of the faces were not so attractive, either. So I believe Cohen is entirely right about the play.
What is wrong with American theatergoers? Don’t they need meaning? Or are we now just reduced to shelling out big money for small entertainment?
Merilyn Jackson
South Philadelphia
July 9, 2012
Ray Bradbury’s life lesson
Re “How Ray Bradbury changed my life,” by Tom Quinn—
What an inspirational story, Tom! (Not surprising since the two players in the story, you and Ray Bradbury, are two very cool men.)
Your “little garage” is a touch of class in our community and was home to two of my boys for a short but poignant time in their lives for summer classes and a few stints on your Project Stage. It is fitting that your vision was partly inspired by a visionary like Bradbury. I am blessed to teach Fahrenheit 451 in my English classes, and Bradbury has been known to elicit feverish adoration in some of my teenage students.
How lucky you are to have had a mentor like this man. Keep doing what you do!
Linda Robinson
Telford, Pa.
July 4, 2012
Heart attack recovery
Re “The long road back from heart surgery,” by Bob Levin—
Way to go Bob! Keep on keepin’ on!
Chuck Gallun
Germantown/ Philadelphia
July 4, 2012
Churchill and the power of words
Re Robert Zaller’s review of “Churchill and the Power of Words,” at the Morgan in New York—
Churchill may rightly be charged with a gift of oratory, but The Battle of Britain was won by Air Marshal Lord Dowding, who led “Fighter Command,” and had to get his fighter planes in the right place at the right time to combat Hitler’s bombers. How he managed to get an always insufficient number of fighter planes and just-out-of flight-school pilots together to defeat Hitler’s bombers wherever their nightly targets is a story that hasn’t been fully told.
As for Britain “fighting alone,” the world— especially Britain— seems to conveniently forget that the Greeks were the only army fighting the Axis powers after the fall of France.
Without throwing more stones at Churchill, let me say that his words were certainly effective.
Andrew Kevorkian
West Philadelphia
June 27, 2012
Robert Zaller replies: Andrew Kevorkian is certainly correct that the Royal Air Force won the Battle of Britain, which Churchill gallantly acknowledged: “Never have so many owed so much to so few.” One thing that helped Dowding get his pilots up in the right place at the right time was radar.
Britain was indeed alone during the Battle of Britain (August-September 1940), because the Greeks didn’t join the war (actually, resist an Italian invasion) until late October. The Greeks were a model of heroic resistance, driving the Italians back deep into Albania, until Hitler attacked them with overwhelming force in April 1941.
Churchill then made one of the strategic blunders to which he was prone, sending a substantial expeditionary force to Greece in a hopeless cause, and losing most of it. You can sympathize with the mistake— the Greeks still do— because no other power was resisting the Axis at that point. But it was a defeat that Britain could hardly afford.
Air Marshall Dowding, in my opinion, is one of the rare generals who made a decisive contribution at a critical time. Before the war, as the Royal Air Force officer in charge of research and development, Dowding oversaw the development of radar and the tactical command-and-control system that integrated it with plotting boards, buried telephone lines and teams of analysts. Then he took command of the system and led it to victory during the Battle of Britain.
In all the accounts I’ve read of the Battle of Britain, Dowding emerges as one of history’s great generals. His government treated him shabbily during the war, but he was eventually honored as Lord Dowding of Bentley Priory. The title sounds modest but it rings with meaning to everyone who knows that Bentley Priory was the headquarters of Fighter Command.
I think the weight of the historical record favors William Manchester’s assessment of Churchill. His greatest contribution was his decision to keep fighting when Britain stood alone. He knew Hitler had exploited Germany’s legitimate grievances over the Versailles Treaty, but he understood that no democracy could make peace with such a regime.
Manchester summed up another truth when he said that our esteem for Churchill may fluctuate but he has a permanent place in our affections. Churchill’s life is a fun read. He lived a long, colorful life and he had a talent for placing himself at the center of the action, whether he was riding in one of the last cavalry charges of the British Army or thundering against the rise of Nazi Germany when he was out of power in the ’30s.
Tom Purdom
Center City
July 12, 2012
Ocean Without a Shore
Re Marilyn MacGregor’s review of Bill Viola’s Ocean Without a Shore, at the Pennsylvania Academy—
Whoo hoo! Sounds like an acid trip without the expense of the drugs or the health consequences!
But seriously now, what is the point of this video? And what, if anything, can anyone learn from it?
Victoria C. Skelly
Wayne, Pa. 19087
June 26, 2012
Marilyn MacGregor replies: This broad and open work requires viewers to take the time to find it for themselves. Its point will be different for each person and with each viewing.
Victoria Skelly replies: Then won’t that necessarily mean that some interpretations will be better than others? The idea that art can be anything to anybody is appealing and attractive, but not without its consequences for both markets and societies in the long run. It would be interesting to hear why the Pennsylvania Academy thought this art was worthy enough to purchase. I hope the reason wasn’t that it is “popular” and sells well!
Sunday in the park
Re “A homophobe in spite of himself?” by Robert Liss—
I hope these tips will help the next time you are on the dance floor:
1. Since you had previous same-sex partnering credibility from Greek cultural dance, the fact that you didn’t want to be suddenly partnered with this particular man doesn’t necessarily indicate repressed homophobia.
2. If you didn’t make a previous arrangement with a partner, you are not dancing with him or her, regardless of their sex.
3. Move to another spot if your dancing is boxed in for any reason (see Strictly Ballroom).
4. While there is never room on an open dance floor for appliances or homophobia, neither is there room for bad dancing. If you are thinking about those things, it’s a safe bet that your steps are at risk.
Good luck, and remember to dance in your own lane. Next lesson: the Wagner Walk, the Riviera Stroll, the Madison and the Continental.
Lewis Whittington
Center City/ Philadelphia
June 30, 2012
Ridley Scott’s Prometheus
Re Jake Blumgart’s review of Ridley Scott’s Prometheus—
Clearly, this critic is the sort of audience member studio heads had in mind back when they insisted that Ridley Scott add explanatory narration to Blade Runner to hand-hold idiots through a story that isn’t obvious.
Gary L. Day
Center City/ Philadelphia
June 27, 2012
Romantic Victor Herbert
Re Tom Purdom’s review of Concert Operetta Theater’s Victor Herbert program—
Bravo! Daniel Pantano’s troupe maintains a tradition that deserves permanence. The old-fashioned romanticism in those works was already old-fashioned when they were composed. So what? The feelings are a facet of what makes us human.
The day we landed a man on the moon— proving its not made of honey, cheese and powdered sugar— we lost more than we gained.
Valentin Fernandez
Southwest Philadelphia
June 27, 2012
Way to go Tom. Another thoughtful perspective on a great subject. Do you know Lubitch’s movie musicals?
Allen Krantz
Mount Airy/ Philadelphia
June 27, 2012
The new Barnes
Re “The Pew confronts The Art of the Steal,” by Robert Zaller (February 2010)—
I will never again visit Philadelphia! As for the Pew, I have always believed that their interpretations of health care issues and other polls, and involvement in other issues had an alternative motive. The truth has come out. Ironically, the real 1 percent is not the corporate world but these foundations and politicians stealing from us and taking away our freedom.
Dr. Luisa Utset-Ward
Miami, Fla.
Jun 28, 2012
Pennsylvania Ballet’s Carmina Burana
Re Lewis Whittington’s review of the Pennsylvania Ballet’s Carmina Burana (March 2007)—
In the late ’60s I saw the original John Butler rendition, which included the choral society. A friend from Temple and I braved very cold weather to get down to the school. The original Carmina will always be a highlight for me as a fan. It convinced my new husband to consider going to the ballet!
I saw a production here in D.C. during the late ’80s, but it didn’t compare to the power of the first experience.
Mary Anne Graham
Springfield, Va.
June 27, 2012
♦
Respond to this Article
|
