ROCHESTER 1944

ROCHESTER 1944 - 1946

With Tallahassee receding in the background, we drive forward to new experiences in, for me, the pursuit of the doctorate. It seemed more elusive than ever when I discovered it would take at least an extra year of study to complete. All the more so when one considered the fact that I had to work part time for the assistantship namely, to teach tow sections of sophomore theory meeting four times weekly. This experience was invaluable for my teaching career. The first year there was spent in preparing myself for the qualifying exam. Chris auditioned for the Rochester Philharmonic and was accepted. However, before the season had barely progressed she was offered a job at one of the local radio stations to be a member of a small ensemble requiring not too much time. Furthermore, it paid more than the Philharmonic from which she resigned. Our finances were in better shape as a result.

Shortly before the Christmas recess, I received work that I had won the Philadelphia Arts Alliance choral competition. This prompted some concern because it had also been accepted for publication, my 67th Psalm for accompanied women's voices that is, and I worried that the composition would be unacceptable for the competition since it would be published. One of the stipulations of the contest was that the entry should not have been published. I had submitted it to a representative of Witmark & Sons publishers, visiting the Eastman School. The result was that I had the honor to have Witmark be the publisher of my very first published work. I wrote the Philadelphia Arts Alliance, notifying them of the situation and received congratulations in reply. I was greatly relieved and elated and wondered what more the piece could do for me with already two OKs in its favor.

Chris had been working on the Bartok Violin and piano Sonata #1 and became very interested in this composer who was only beginning to be recognized. She decided to base her master's thesis in Music Theory on an analysis of his second string quartet. Because of the war, the score for this piece was difficult to obtain, eventually ending in success. Since Bartok was living in New York at the time, Chris thought to have a lesson with him on his first violin Sonata. Through the efforts of Mr. Vas, a member of the Eastman piano faculty, and a friend of Bartok's, she arranged for a meeting. The three of us, her pianist ( a graduate student at Eastman), Chris, and I headed for New York and appeared at the appointed time during the Christmas break at Bala Bartok's 57th street apartment. He was very gracious and made us feel at home. Chris and her pianist played the whole sonata, at the end of which he said, 'Fine, now I will play it with you." He sat down and the storm of the piano part broke in on our ears in a never-to-be-forgotten manner for me, huddled in a corner of the room, to hear this fragile person attacking the piano keys with such amazing power. Shortly afterward Mrs. Bartok appeared and reminded her husband of the necessity for him to rest. "But," he said, "I haven't finished listening to these girls." Then, turning to us, said, "Can you come back tomorrow Wow! of course we could. The next day found us again in his apartment. Chris thought it would be a good opportunity to ask Bartok a few questions about his second String Quartet, the subject of her master's thesis. She pointed out the similarity of a theme in the third movement with one in the first movement, a kind of cyclic treatment. "Is that so?" "You are right, but unconsciously done on my part." Time for our departure arrived, and as we gained the street, we heard newspaper boys yelling at the top of their lungs. "Battle of the Bulge in Bastogne, Belgium." This proved to be the last gasp of the German resistance although we didn't know it at the time.

Back at Eastman we worked harder that ever. Our evenings would be spent either attending concerts or in the library. In Dr. Hanson's graduate composition class were a number of interesting people among them, Weldon Hart and Peter Menin. "Pete" would Italianize everything and used to call me Carlo Arendi. Later we became close friends with Weldon Hart and his wife, Mildred. Meanwhile, a new dean of music took over at Tallahassee, Dean Opperman having reached retirement age. His name was Karl Kuersteiner. Accordingly I wrote to him, requesting an extension of my leave-of-absence which he later granted. The final year at Eastman was therefore cleared. The Summer of 1945 was spent in Rochester, preparing for the qualifying orals and also preparing an apartment to live in for the final year. The country had to prepare likewise for Peace finally that Summer with the advent of both VE Day and VJ Day noted by the dripping of the earthshaking atom bomb. The apartment was above an Armenian rug store on East Avenue not too far from Eastman. We worked hard, sanding the floors and decorating the whole 2 room apartment with kitchen and bath. It also came with an old upright piano which came in most handy for the composing segment of my work. When we finished decorating it was really an attractive place in which to live.

The second year found us both members of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. The orchestra, the two years we were there was directed by guest conductors. This was a marvelous opportunity to get acquainted with different styles of conducting and personalities of conductors. Dmitri Metropolos, the Greek conductor was most polite on the podium and conducted everything from memory even the rehearsals. He had a fantastic memory and his conducting stance was almost like a dancer. His interpretations of the Brahms symphonies were outstanding. Sir Thomas Beecham certainly was in a class by himself. His rehearsals were most unorthodox with amazing remarks as for instance, when speaking to the trumpets in his English accent, "Trumpets, I want a 'veddy nausty' sound from you and I have the utmost confidence in your ability to give me what I want." Or another time, "Basses, caun't you get a little closer together, or does the nature of the instrument preclude such a possibility?" We went on two tours with him, one to the New England area and the other to Pittsburgh. At the Hartford concert a symphony we had never rehearsed with him was on our stands, the Beethoven Eighth. What a surprise! I believe we played it better than if we had rehearsed it. Everyone was on his toes and of course the Beethoven Eighth was not unknown to the members of the orchestra. Beecham's conducting technique was most expressive. He could talk with his baton, making conversation with the orchestra unnecessary except for the type of remarks just mentioned. Leonard Bernstein was another guest conductor fresh from his youthful triumphs in New York. We went on tour with him to New Jersey and New York City. In New York we programmed the seldom played Faust Symphony of Liszt which I came to appreciate and like very much.. Also on that program was the premiere of "Dancon Cubano" by Aaron Copeland. The rest of the concerts featured Beethoven's Third Symphony which always sounded fresh to me the many times we played it. Last, but not least among the guest conductors was the composer, Igor Stravinsky, who conducted his "Petrushka." Peter Menin talked with him in a local bar a few doors down the street from Eastman. Among other opinions, Stravinsky opined the point of view that Americans should not write symphonies. He also included the French in that opinion. Pete, having just finished writing a symphony, was quite taken aback.

Here should be added a composer's tidbit that is, an observation of a composer of a composer. During the Beginning of 1946 a number of us were invited to the home of Bernard Rogers to listen, via radio, the premiere performance by the New York Philharmonic of one of his works. The well known composer, Roy Harris, who happened to be in town, was also present. Chris and Harris sat next to each on the living room sofa. A rather long waiting period ensued before the composition was performed. We listened intently and, after it was over, conversation was resumed except from Toy Harris. He had fallen asleep on Chris' shoulder. What a non-verbal comment on his part. This was a excellent example of the super ego at work.

The Rochester Civic Orchestra's reading of my Symphony fostered in me by a gentleman from Canada, looking for a candidate to head the Theory Department of the big music school in Toronto. He told me he wanted someone to come in and introduce new theory teaching techniques such as at Eastman. I'm sure I could have had this position, but the 'housecleaning" aspect of the job didn't appeal to me and furthermore, I didn't relish the thought of leaving my homeland. Rather, I was more interested in an administrative position. Several did turn up. For awhile I thought I had a chance as the head of music at Southern Illinois University until I learned that the position had been offered to a Dr. Moritz Kesnar, the director of music at Augustana College. Subsequently I was notified that Augustana College had a vacancy for director of the music school and it struck me that the well known game of musical chairs was being played in this situation.

Graduation time arrived and the ceremony was held in the large Eastman Theater. My only memory of the event was the fact that we Ph.D. candidates were given special treatment. Each of us was announced separately and walked to the platform to diploma from the President of the University, Dr. Alan Valentine. On the other hand, the candidates from the medical school, the M.D.s, sat in a group and were asked to stand as a group to have the degree conferred. After my graduation we remained in Rochester for most of the Summer, at least until late in July for Chris to complete writing her thesis. This postponed her graduation until after the Summer Session with no formal ceremony to focus attention on the completion of the work. In august we focused our attention on the vacancy at Augustana College, having had correspondence with it's president, Dr. Conrad Bergendoff. We were invited to come for an interview and set out on the rather long trip to Rock Island, Illinois. We said good buy to our nice apartment, the one we had redecorated so well on East Avenue. Our Tallahassee friends, Gurney and Lucile Kennedy, rented it nest which marked the beginning of a new dimension in their lives. The landlady responded by raising the rent on the basis of our making the apartment so attractive.