the americanization of edward bok-第78部分

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ehension。　Then；　too；　in　the　back　of　his　mind　there　was　the　feeling　that；　while　he　was　perfectly　willing　to　offer　the　best　that　the　musical　world　afforded　in　his　magazine；　his　readers　were　primarily　women；　and　the　appeal　of　music；　after　all；　he　felt　was　largely；　if　not　wholly；　to　the　feminine　nature。　It　was　very　satisfying　to　him　to　hear　his　wife　play　in　the　evening；　but　when　it　came　to　public　concerts；　they　were　not　for　his　masculine　nature。　In　other　words；　Bok　shared　the　all　too　common　masculine　notion　that　music　is　for　women　and　has　little　place　in　the　lives　of　men。

One　day　Josef　Hofmann　gave　Bok　an　entirely　new　point　of　view。　The　artist　was　rehearsing　in　Philadelphia　for　an　appearance　with　the　orchestra；　and　the　pianist　was　telling　Bok　and　his　wife　of　the　desire　of　Leopold　Stokowski；　who　had　recently　become　conductor　of　the　Philadelphia　Orchestra；　to　eliminate　encores　from　his　symphonic　programmes；　he　wanted　to　begin　the　experiment　with　Hofmann's　appearance　that　week。　This　was　a　novel　thought　to　Bok：　why　eliminate　encores　from　any　concert？　If　he　liked　the　way　any　performer　played；　he　had　always　done　his　share　to　secure　an　encore。　Why　should　not　the　public　have　an　encore　if　it　desired　it；　and　why　should　a　conductor　or　a　performer　object？　Hofmann　explained　to　him　the　entity　of　a　symphonic　programme；　that　it　was　made　up　with　one　composition　in　relation　to　the　others　as　a　sympathetic　unit；　and　that　an　encore　was　an　intrusion；　disturbing　the　harmony　of　the　whole。

〃I　wish　you　would　let　Stokowski　come　out　and　explain　to　you　what　he　is　trying　to　do；〃　said　Hofmann。　〃He　knows　what　he　wants；　and　he　is　right　in　his　efforts；　but　he　doesn't　know　how　to　educate　the　public。　There　is　where　you　could　help　him。〃

But　Bok　had　no　desire　to　meet　Stokowski。　He　mentally　pictured　the　conductor：　long　hair；　feet　never　touching　the　earth；　temperament　galore；　he　knew　them！　And　he　had　no　wish　to　introduce　the　type　into　his　home　life。

Mrs。　Bok；　however；　ably　seconded　Josef　Hofmann；　and　endeavored　to　dissipate　Bok's　preconceived　notion；　with　the　result　that　Stokowksi　came　to　the　Bok　home。

Bok　was　not　slow　to　see　that　Stokowski　was　quite　the　reverse　of　his　mental　picture；　and　became　intensely　interested　in　the　youthful　conductor's　practical　way　of　looking　at　things。　It　was　agreed　that　the　encore　〃bull〃　was　to　be　taken　by　the　horns　that　week；　that　no　matter　what　the　ovation　to　Hofmann　might　be；　however　the　public　might　clamor；　no　encore　was　to　be　forthcoming；　and　Bok　was　to　give　the　public　an　explanation　during　the　following　week。　The　next　concert　was　to　present　Mischa　Elman；　and　his　co…operation　was　assured　so　that　continuity　of　effort　might　be　counted　upon。

In　order　to　have　first…hand　information；　Bok　attended　the　concert　that　Saturday　evening。　The　symphony；　Dvorak's　〃New　World　Symphony；〃　amazed　Bok　by　its　beauty；　he　was　more　astonished　that　he　could　so　easily　grasp　any　music　in　symphonic　form。　He　was　equally　surprised　at　the　simple　beauty　of　the　other　numbers　on　the　programme；　and　wondered　not　a　little　at　his　own　perfectly　absorbed　attention　during　Hofmann's　playing　of　a　rather　long　concerto。

The　pianist's　performance　was　so　beautiful　that　the　audience　was　uproarious　in　its　approval；　it　had　calculated；　of　course；　upon　an　encore；　and　recalled　the　pianist　again　and　again　until　he　had　appeared　and　bowed　his　thanks　several　times。　But　there　was　no　encore；　the　stage　hands　appeared　and　moved　the　piano　to　one　side；　and　the　audience　relapsed　into　unsatisfied　and　rather　bewildered　silence。

Then　followed　Bok's　publicity　work　in　the　newspapers；　beginning　the　next　day；　exonerating　Hofmann　and　explaining　the　situation。　The　following　week；　with　Mischa　Elman　as　soloist；　the　audience　once　more　tried　to　have　its　way　and　its　cherished　encore；　but　again　none　was　forthcoming。　Once　more　the　newspapers　explained；　the　battle　was　won；　and　the　no…encore　rule　has　prevailed　at　the　Philadelphia　Orchestra　concerts　from　that　day　to　this；　with　the　public　entirely　resigned　to　the　idea　and　satisfied　with　the　reason　therefor。

But　the　bewildered　Bok　could　not　make　out　exactly　what　had　happened　to　his　preconceived　notion　about　symphonic　music。　He　attended　the　following　Saturday　evening　concert；　listened　to　a　Brahms　symphony　that　pleased　him　even　more　than　had　〃The　New　World；〃　and　when；　two　weeks　later；　he　heard　the　Tschaikowski　〃Pathetique〃　and　later　the　〃Unfinished〃　symphony；　by　Schubert；　and　a　Beethoven　symphony；　attracted　by　each　in　turn；　he　realized　that　his　prejudice　against　the　whole　question　of　symphonic　music　had　been　both　wrongly　conceived　and　baseless。

He　now　began　to　see　the　possibility　of　a　whole　world　of　beauty　which　up　to　that　time　had　been　closed　to　him；　and　he　made　up　his　mind　that　he　would　enter　it。　Somehow　or　other；　he　found　the　appeal　of　music　did　not　confine　itself　to　women；　it　seemed　to　have　a　message　for　men。　Then；　too；　instead　of　dreading　the　approach　of　Saturday　evenings；　he　was　looking　forward　to　them；　and　invariably　so　arranged　his　engagements　that　they　might　not　interfere　with　his　attendance　at　the　orchestra　concerts。

After　a　busy　week；　he　discovered　that　nothing　he　had　ever　experienced　served　to　quiet　him　so　much　as　these　end…of…the…week　concerts。　They　were　not　too　long；　an　hour　and　a　half　at　the　utmost；　and；　above　all；　except　now　and　then；　when　the　conductor　would　take　a　flight　into　the　world　of　Bach；　he　found　he　followed　him　with　at　least　a　moderate　degree　of　intelligence；　certainly　with　personal　pleasure　and　inner　satisfaction。

Bok　concluded　he　would　not　read　the　articles　he　had　published　on　the　meaning　of　the　different　〃sections〃　of　a　symphony　orchestra；　or　the　books　issued　on　that　subject。　He　would　try　to　solve　the　mechanism　of　an　orchestra　for　himself；　and　ascertain　as　he　went　along　the　relation　that　each　portion　bore　to　the　other。　When；　therefore；　in　1913；　the　president　of　the　Philadelphia　Orchestra　Association　asked　him　to　become　a　member　of　its　Board　of　Directors；　his　acceptance　was　a　natural　step　in　the　gradual　development　of　his　interest　in　orchestral　music。

The　public　support　given　to　orchestras　now　greatly　interested　Bok。　He　was　surprised　to　find　that　every　symphony　orchestra　had　a　yearly　deficit。　This　he　immediately　attributed　to　faulty　management；　but　on　investigating　the　whole　question　he　learned　that　a　symphony　orchestra　could　not　possibly　operate；　at　a　profit　or　even　on　a　self…sustaining　basis；　because　of　its　weekly　change　of　programme；　the　incessant　rehearsals　required；　and　the　limited　number　of　times　it　could　actually　play　within　a　contracted　season。　An　annual　deficit　was　inevitable。

He　found　that　the　Philadelphia　Orchestra　had　a　small　but　faithful　group　of　guarantors　who　each　year　made　good　the　deficit　in　addition　to　paying　for　its　concert　seats。　This　did　not　seem　to　Bok　a　sound　business　plan；　it　made　of　the　orchestra　a　necessarily　exclusive　organization；　maintained　by　a　few；　and　it　gave　out　this　impression　to　the　general　public；　which　felt　that　it　did　not　〃belong；〃　whereas　the　true　relation　of　public　and　orchestra　was　that　of　mutual　dependence。　Other　orchestras；　he　found；　as；　for　example；　the　Boston　Symphony　and　the　New　York　Philharmonic　had　their　deficits　met　by　one　individual　patron　in　each　case。　This；