| Show m Elsa u Maxwell russians Russians Find Time Midst War tIo To Turn to Enjoyment or of Music I IMY My delightful friend Ann Benkard the widow of Rudolph RudolphE E Er E ShIrmer the music publisher which great firm she practically runs nuu today today has has always been a trifle old fashioned in her concepts concepts concepts con con- of our modern world For years years yean w we had many a live m nt about the place and progress ress ess of the arts in modern Russia with with ith Mrs Benkard who is a on a slightly dissonant note Im Imagine gine my surprise last week eek when Ann Benkard rushed across cross my sitting room and thrust rust a neat sleek yellow yellow-cov- e end rel d copy of The Musical Quarterly Quarterly terly in my hands saying look Zook J Elsa we h have ve a a. a cable able from m m Moscow three pages long longI I this issue issue issue-a a dispatch which tot t only gives an account of aUe alle all aU he e musical doings there but says our magazine is actually ac ac- ally in general use r PL It II opened this most authoritative l a ve of all current musical journals a magazine Rudolph Schirmer founded In 1915 under of O. O G. G Sure enough in plain cold fact- fact telling type was this item Your journal is read with great treat interest in the soviet union i t Having seen a number of reviews re- re views ss biographies and criticisms of musical works in it I am tak- tak the liberty of sending you a short review of works on music P published and awaiting publication tion In the U US S S SR R R. Congratulations I said to tomy my lovely friend I always thought you published the best- best rounded ded and most comprehensive Magazine of music and criticism criticism criticism cism now Im I'm convinced of it it Mrs Benkard smiled lAnd VAnd And I continued you see see see- traditions of journal- journal your 1 Is your own publication is a aIe whole Ie jump ahead of you In evaluating the arts In a new culture Forthwith I began reading 1 th the we dispatch of Igor B elza door of music c foreign section on Sir of ot the Union of Soviet Composers Composers Composers Com Com- posers 3rd 4 Mos Mos- cow Look here I went on your magazine refutes all old ments Here is a country devastated devastated dev dev- d by war Its chief cities have been under constant bombardment bombardment bombardment bom bom- for almost two years Yet it still has found time time and and the Interest interest to to publish almost as many new books on music as we have in America To wind up my polemic I said and talking about cosmopolitanism cosmopoli cosmopoli- which which we are not not look look at this the crowning touch a book in Russian on the music of Walt Disney's films Mrs Benkard nodded a deligh delighted delighted de de- de- de ligh lighted ted concurrence and we drifted off to other thi things gs 4 s a To me Mrs Benkard is a a. strange phenomenon She is a pretty woman designed for the social pleasantries You would expect to find her at a bridge table which table which you frequently do as she plays a game the Culbertson von et lal Ial would envy Yet with no sac sacrifice sac sac-i- fice of personal charm or social grace she carried on the most important publishing organization tion in the country Recently I might add Mrs Benkard has opened a branch of the Schirmer Music Publishing Publishing Publishing Publish Publish- ing company in Brazil Since we have grown to know and appreciate appreciate appreciate Villa Lobos and the other outstanding Brazilian composers compos compos- ers and we conga rumba and samba so passionately that it might be a summation of our own American terpsichorean culture culture culture cul cul- cul- cul ture it is on the cards that reciprocity reciprocity reciprocity reci reci- good neighborliness as well as business deserve a return pressure from our camp c So ravishing Captain Benkard led the way way and and its it's dollars to doughnuts Brazil will shortly be Infected with the virus of the American way in music via Schirmer's Press Alliance Inc |
