Cherished tradition: the Curtis Institute of Music at Mid-Century.

Cherished tradition: the Curtis Institute of Music at Mid-Century. Adjacent to Rittenhouse Square Rittenhouse Square is one of the five original open-space parks planned by William Penn during the late 17th century in central Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Originally called Southwest Square, Rittenhouse Square is named after David Rittenhouse, a descendant of the first in center-city Philadelphia is an edifice from which wondrous tales of musical endeavor, poignant stories of magnanimity mag��na��nim��i��ty?n. pl. mag��na��nim��i��ties1. The quality of being magnanimous.2. A magnanimous act.Noun 1. and empathy, and hilarious moments of levity lev��i��ty?n. pl. lev��i��ties1. Lightness of manner or speech, especially when inappropriate; frivolity.2. Inconstancy; changeableness.3. The state or quality of being light; buoyancy. and outrageous humor have emanated for the past seventy-five years. This kaleidoscopic entity is called The Curtis Institute of Music Curtis Institute of Music,in Philadelphia; coeducational; founded 1924 by Mary Louise Curtis Bok (later married to Efrem Zimbalist) and named for her father, Cyrus Curtis. , and the denizens of this building have included a myriad of notable pedagogues and performers ... from Galli-Curci, Hofmann, Stokowski, Sembrich, Auer and Landowska (to name a few faculty members from the early years) to several generations of many of the most gifted artist-students. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this motley collection mot´ley col`lec´tionn. 1. A collection of objects of various kinds; a hodgepodge; a medley; a confused mixture; an omnium gatherum. of significant artists is that a family atmosphere permeates the very core of this organization--a family represented by traditional characteristics: an underlying love and affection for individual members, an intense protective mechanism that supports these members in time of crisis and need, and a deep appreciation and never-ending support of the family unit. I hasten to say that, as in the case of any family, there are "sibling rivalries," diversity of purpose or decisions by the "parents" the students may find difficult to accept. But hovering above all this--from the graduates of the 1920s to the most recent graduates of 2002--are loyalty, love and appreciation for what The Curtis Institute of Music has given to us. Intimate, Yet Formal My first indirect contact with The Curtis Institute was in the form of my mother's veneration of Josef Hofmann's incredible pianism pi��an��ism?n.The technique or execution of piano playing.pianismthe technique of playing the piano. — pianist, n. — pianistic, adj. . Long before I had made plans to audition, my mother concluded, "If Josef Hofmann teaches at Curtis, that is the place where my Joseph will study someday." However, it was not until May 1942, that I actually had the opportunity to see The Curtis Institute. I was in Philadelphia for the annual Curtis Institute of Music auditions--16 years of age, almost ready to graduate from high school and awed by the prospect of being on the threshold of professional study. At the time for my audition, I was politely ushered to the stage of Curtis Hall. As I walked to the piano, I barely had time to look at my evaluating committee, but with a gasp (hopefully not audible), I realized I was in the presence of Rudolf Serkin Noun 1. Rudolf Serkin - United States concert pianist (born in Czechoslovakia) (1903-1991)Serkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski. There also was a rather portly port��ly?adj. port��li��er, port��li��est1. Comfortably stout; corpulent. See Synonyms at fat.2. Archaic Stately; majestic; imposing.[From port5. lady wearing a faintly Victorian hat, sitting in her chair as if it would be a Herculean effort to rise. The audition seemed to go smoothly, but I felt as if I had not done my best. Assuming I had ruined my chances to attend The Curtis Institute, I walked dejectedly de��ject��ed?adj.Being in low spirits; depressed. See Synonyms at depressed.de��jected��ly adv. into the large foyer--the Curtis Common Room. Shortly thereafter, I attempted to gather sufficient courage to get up and move toward the front door. As I was about to rise, I noticed a very distinguished looking gentleman heading my direction. As he came closer, I recognized him: It was Efrem Zimbalist Noun 1. Efrem Zimbalist - United States violinist (born in Russia) (1889-1985)Zimbalist , eminent concert violinist and director of The Curtis Institute. He bowed in greeting--an absolutely elegant gesture, which all the male students at Curtis learned to imitate--and proceeded to speak: "The committee liked your playing very much and would like you to be a student of The Curtis Institute next season. With whom would you like to study?" Almost completely paralyzed par��a��lyze?tr.v. par��a��lyzed, par��a��lyz��ing, par��a��lyz��es1. To affect with paralysis; cause to be paralytic.2. To make unable to move or act: paralyzed by fear. with emotional shock, I managed to choke out the name, "Rudolf Serkin." Mr. Zimbalist then said, "I'm sorry, but Mr. Serkin already has his quota for next year. I really feel that Madame Vengerova would be the best teacher for you." I mumbled something to the effect of "What's fine for you, Mr. Zimbalist, is just fine for me, too." Faculty-staff-student interaction was facilitated because of the small size of the Institute. This feature encouraged intimacy but did not modify a certain inherent formality. Yet, in terms of these relationships, there were delightful paradoxes and contradictions. Among ourselves, in speaking of Zimbalist, we students rarely said "Mr. Zimbalist" but rather "Zimmie." Lea Luboshutz was contracted to "Lubo." Staff members seemed to warrant the formality of descriptive titles more than faculty and were based on their function. There was Frau Shumway (German teacher, of course) and Madame Tabuteau (French teacher). Faculty often were referred to by last names alone; for example, "I have a lesson with Vengerova," (or Horszowski, or Galamian). Sometimes, there was a slight pause of reverence before the name: "I have a lesson with ... Serkin." Pronunciation of names often suffered, especially those of Polish origin. Turkiewicz became "Turkey-witz" from Miss Soffray (our solfege sol��f��ge?n.Solfeggio.[French, from Italian solfeggio; see solfeggio.]Noun 1. teacher), and Hor-zow-ski from the registrar Miss Hill, who was automatically called Jane after a respectful period of initial propriety. Our counterpoint and harmony (We never used the word theory. Haven't they proved it yet?) teacher Constant Vauclain with unfailing cordiality and decorum DECORUM. Proper behaviour; good order. 2. Decorum is requisite in public places, in order to permit all persons to enjoy their rights; for example, decorum is indispensable in church, to enable those assembled, to worship. always addressed the student by Mister or Miss plus the last name, regardless of age. One of our youngest students, Bobby Dew, about ten years old and small for his years, was always Mr. Dew. Strength from Diversity Aside from the almost unbelievably stringent artistic standards that had to be maintained, I, at least in retrospect, consider the Curtis social unit akin to a near-Utopian community. Curtis was the nearest to a one-world, non-prejudicial, peer-supportive society I could imagine. There were no lines drawn for race, color, religion, age, ethnic origin, financial status, geographic origin or language; Curtis students often encountered prejudice for the first time after leaving the sanctuary of the school and entering the unyielding professional world. Felix Sitjar, only after graduating, realized he could not enter a major symphony orchestra because of his Philippine origin. The eminent George Walker George Walker may refer to:In arts and letters: George Walker (Puritan) George Walker (composer) (born 1922), African-American composer (George) Benjamin Walker (born 1913), author on religion and philosophy, and an authority on esoterica George P. , Pulitzer Prize Pulitzer PrizeAny of a series of annual prizes awarded by Columbia University for outstanding public service and achievement in American journalism, letters, and music. Fellowships are also awarded. winner for composition, was accepted for piano concert tours under management only after a student group of pianists, who already were under management, went to a New York New York, state, United StatesNew York,Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of managerial office and sat on the doorstep, as it were, to insist on George being hired. The compromise was a step, but hardly a satisfactory one. At that time, George could be booked only at black colleges in the South. With such variety in our individual backgrounds, we could effectively serve as mentors to each other, augmenting those facets of music--and life in which we needed reinforcement. My friend Charles Joseph Charles Joseph is an American jazz trombone player from New Orleans, Louisiana. The son of trombonist Waldren "Frog" Joseph, he has played with the Majestic Band and Tornado Brass Band, and was one of the founding members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band. , a violinist originally from Germany, would play recordings for me several evenings each week, introducing me to the great string players of the era: Feuermann, Huberman, Primrose, Menuhin and Heifetz. He patiently pointed out their styles, musical virtues and unique musical projection. Jacob and Isi Lateiner often would invite me to their home to show me everything from how to make leek soup Leek soup is a kind of soup that is made out of salt, water and leeks. Because of its inexpensive cost it is often used in soup kitchens. It is often made with wild leeks. It is often considered to be a Welsh national dish. to providing hints on playing the Prokofiev Toccata toccata(təkä`tə, tō–)[Ital.,=touched], type of musical composition. Early examples were written for various instruments, but the best-known form of toccata originated about the beginning of the 17th cent. with verve and accuracy. Faculty members often socialized so��cial��ize?v. so��cial��ized, so��cial��iz��ing, so��cial��iz��esv.tr.1. To place under government or group ownership or control.2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable. with students, although this process could be highly selective at times. Sometimes the social and professional elements were fused, as in the following colorful anecdote about William Primrose William Primrose (August 23, 1904 - May 1, 1982) was a Scottish violist and teacher, probably the best known viola player of his and all time.Primrose was born in Glasgow and studied violin there and, later, at the then Guildhall School of Music in London. . We Curtisans were convinced that William was the greatest violist who ever lived. Primrose often had told us, either in a formal way or in casual conversation, that the need for warm up was purely psychological. Of course it must be noted here that Primrose was generally in the peak of physical condition and also was, so we heard, a boxer of some renown. At any rate, Primrose wanted to prove his point. Several of us waited for a very cold day--a phenomenon not difficult to find in Philadelphia. If my memory serves me correctly, we chose a day when the temperature was five degrees Fahrenheit. Primrose stood outside the Curtis building for about twenty minutes sans overcoat, hat and gloves, as the rest of us shivered under our well-padded winter overclothes. Then Primrose opened his viola case and blithely played Paganini's 24th Caprice--flawlessly as always. I wish I could say I learned a powerful lesson about the physiological and psychological elements of so-called warm up, but I freely admit if my fingers are out of motion for more than ten minutes, I am aware of my need to exercise them once again. Colorful Personalities Become Lifelong Friends and Colleagues There was much early evidence from the most gifted students prophesying their future stellar careers. When I first met Joseph Silverstein Joseph Silverstein (born March 21, 1932) is an American violinist and conductor.He was born in Detroit and studied with his father, who was a public school music teacher. , he lived above Bell's Drug Store, about half a block from my own residence. Only age 13 at the time, he handled his violin as if it were the most precious thing on earth. He loved it to the point where, beyond formal practicing, he would employ a tone-wolf at other times, just to be able to hold and play his instrument for as long as possible. He spoke frequently of his former teacher "Mr. Gingold" with awe, respect and fondness. It was only many years later, when I was fortunate enough to become Gingold's colleague at Indiana University Indiana University,main campus at Bloomington; state supported; coeducational; chartered 1820 as a seminary, opened 1824. It became a college in 1828 and a university in 1838. The medical center (run jointly with Purdue Univ. , that I realized how Gingold's intense love for the instrument had percolated down to Joey. One day Gingold said to me, "Can you imagine how much I love this violin? TOO MUCH!" Because of the respect I already felt for him through Joey, I called him "Mr. Gingold" at our initial meeting, rather than on the first-name basis one would normally use for a colleague. He quickly responded in his gravelly grav��el��ly?adj.1. Of, full of, or covered with rock fragments or pebbles: a gravelly beach.2. Having a harsh rasping sound: a gravelly voice. but incredibly warm voice, "You're Joe, I'm Joe!" Speaking of first-name-basis colleagues, I must admit that during all my years at Indiana University, there was one colleague I simply could not call by his first name--the Curtis aura and feeling of respect were just too strong. William Primrose could never be "Bill" to me. Rudolf Serkin appeared on the premises somewhat less often than the others because he constantly was on concert tours. My own personal contact with him came long after my Curtis years, when he was of substantial assistance to me in tracking down former students of Vengerova for my biographical research. What remains significant in my mind is a conversation I happened to overhear o��ver��hear?v. o��ver��heard , o��ver��hear��ing, o��ver��hearsv.tr.To hear (speech or someone speaking) without the speaker's awareness or intent.v.intr. between Serkin and Jacob Lateiner Jacob Lateiner, born May 31, 1928 in Havana, Cuba, is a Cuban/US pianist.The pianist Jacob Lateiner studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia with Isabelle Vengerova. during one of the annual costume balls. The subject was the relative ease with which one can learn in the early years of one's life--in building repertoire, increasing technical capacity and so on. "But," he added, "wait until you become my age (ca. 40) and discover how much more difficult it becomes!" Granted, one could not imagine any descriptive adjective Noun 1. descriptive adjective - an adjective that ascribes to its noun the value of an attribute of that noun (e.g., `a nervous person' or `a musical speaking voice')qualifying adjectiveadjective - a word that expresses an attribute of something for The Curtis Institute that would be more valid than dignified, but fortunately, the levity of a special group of students gave balance to the seriousness of purpose that was always present, albeit cleverly hidden at times. This seriousness was ever-present; however, the contrast with those moments of humor became even greater because of the polarity of attitudes. For example, we students created protective slogans to ease the pain of possible malaise or professional defeat. For example, "All the great musicians are dead, and I'm not feeling so well myself." Or (for pianists, but of course could be modified to suit the musical source), "Behind closed doors, everyone sounds like Horowitz!" or, "If you win a competition, it's fair; if you lose, it's fixed!" Although the following anecdote is not musical frivolity FrivolityBlondiethe gaffe-prone, frivolous wife of Dagwood Bumstead. [Comics: Horn, 118]Dobson, Zuleikacharming young lady who unconcernedly dazzles Oxford undergraduates. [Br. Lit. in the above sense, it remains as probably one of the funniest and most spontaneous happenings in the history of my Curtis association. I was walking with my friend Joe Pepper, violinist, on a Philadelphia street. In the distance we saw two Curtis friends, Joanne Tornga and Josephine Sitjar, both singers, heading our direction. As we neared each other, we, of course, wanted to acknowledge each friend with a brief but enthusiastic greeting. When all four of us were within a few feet of each other, here is the verbal exchange'that emanated with a speed that would make the machine-gun velocity of Heifetz's rendition of the third movement of the Mendelssohn violin concerto A violin concerto is a concerto for solo violin (occasionally, two or more violins) and instrumental ensemble, customarily orchestra. Such works have been written from the Baroque period, when the solo concerto form was first developed, up through the present day. seem snail-like by comparison: "Hi Jo, hi Jo, hi Jo, hi Jo, hi Jo, hi Jo, hi Jo, hi Jo!" One of my best friends--from the Curtis days through the present--is pianist Theodore Lettvin The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject matter.Please help [ improve the introduction] to meet Wikipedia's layout standards. You can discuss the issue on the talk page. . Teddy's sense of humor Noun 1. sense of humor - the trait of appreciating (and being able to express) the humorous; "she didn't appreciate my humor"; "you can't survive in the army without a sense of humor"sense of humour, humor, humour was always present, and he could easily give a serious situation more than a touch of lightness. One occasion remains particularly vivid in my memory. I woke up early one morning, feeling quite sick. I called the doctor, who determined I had food poisoning food poisoning,acute illness following the eating of foods contaminated by bacteria, bacterial toxins, natural poisons, or harmful chemical substances. It was once customary to classify all such illnesses as "ptomaine poisoning," but it was later discovered that ; he prescribed a medication that could be obtained at the corner drug store as soon as it opened. Not being able to do this myself, I called Teddy and told him of my plight. He graciously agreed to pick up my medication and bring it to my place of residence. As soon as he arrived and saw that I had properly swallowed it, he sat at the piano and started to play. (Note: All Curtis piano majors had Steinway grands furnished by the Institute.) At first I begged him to stop--I was really feeling terrible. But Teddy persisted, realizing, I suppose, that listening to music could relieve the effects of illness. And he was right. Gradually, the combination of medication and music accomplished a worthwhile goal. Practical jokes were in relatively short supply, as the repercussions repercussionsnpl → r��percussions fplrepercussionsnpl → Auswirkungen plcould be disastrous. Nevertheless, once in a while one would surface and change the course of events, for example, when an unnamed student placed some Limburger cheese Limburger cheese originated in historical Limburg, which is now divided between modern-day Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Limburger is especially known for its pungent odor. in the ventilating ventilatingNatural or mechanically induced movement of fresh air into or through an enclosed space. The hazards of poor ventilation were not clearly understood until the early 20th century. Expired air may be laden with odors, heat, gases, or dust. system. Now, on a more sophisticated note, Leonard Kastle, who majored both in composition and piano, and I had heard that Brahms made a recording during the last year of his life. Although we were not able to locate such an archive, the fact that it existed stimulated our imaginations to the fullest. We decided to "create" such a recording and "electrify e��lec��tri��fy?tr.v. e��lec��tri��fied, e��lec��tri��fy��ing, e��lec��tri��fies1. To produce electric charge on or in (a conductor).2. a. " the faculty and students of The Curtis Institute. Leonard composed a piece in the style of Brahms that we labeled "Das Andenken"--opus posthumous, which in this case can be freely translated as "written after he was dead." We recorded it on my portable disc recorder, 78 rpms, and a metronome metronome(mĕ`trənōm'), in music, originally pyramid-shaped clockwork mechanism to indicate the exact tempo in which a work is to be performed. It has a double pendulum whose pace can be altered by sliding the upper weight up or down. was set at 78 and placed adjacent to the microphone. This was to simulate a crack in the recording. Of course, the "original" had to be on an Edison cylinder, but the crack became "audible" when it was transferred to a 78 wax disc. Subsequently, I played it back a number of times with a bad needle to make the recording (because of its age) as scratchy as possible. Finally, we were ready to try out our creation on our unsuspecting listeners. We brought it to school and played it for small groups of students. The reaction was enthusiastic, to say the least. One student (already famous as a concert pianist) cried, "I can see Brahms playing, with a glass of beer on the piano and a bag of gumdrops in his pocket!" Soon, our prank gathered too much momentum; the faculty were getting curious, and we knew if we embarrassed the faculty, we would be unceremoniously "kicked out" of school. So I recorded a confession on the other side of the disc and played it for the people we had deceived. Most of the listeners laughed at their own gullibility, but a small minority would not speak to us for weeks! A tale of collaborative support can be told about Vladimir Sokoloff, the faculty accompanist and ensemble player. My most vivid memory of his "savoir faire" concerns his uncanny detection of a partner's weak spots of idiosyncrasies and making appropriate adjustments. Sokoloff was playing for a visiting artist who, although retaining artistic powers of a high order, was somewhat, shall we say, in less than prime condition technically. The Wieniawski Violin Concerto was the major work on the program. One of the most difficult passages for the violin in the first movement is a melodic minor one-octave scale in fingered octaves. This passage is preceded by a similar one, an octave lower, in the piano or orchestra. Hearing the described scale passage on the piano, I was startled star��tle?v. star��tled, star��tling, star��tlesv.tr.1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start.2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. to note that it was played with much hesitancy--almost as if the pianist were struggling to get to the end. When I heard the violinist continue the passage into the upper octave, I knew immediately why Sokoloff had done this. Understanding full well that the violinist would have difficulty with the fingered octaves, Sokoloff incorporated the anticipated problem in his own part, giving the whole passage a certain interpretative validity. It was an astounding a��stound?tr.v. a��stound��ed, a��stound��ing, a��stoundsTo astonish and bewilder. See Synonyms at surprise.[From Middle English astoned, past participle of astonen, experience, and one that I shall never forget. This article would not be complete if I did not balance the humorous and poignant anecdotes with one of acute personal disappointment. The time was in October of 1942, and I was resting in bed with a fever from a cold. My landlady landladyn. female of landlord or owner of real property from whom one rents or leases. (See: landlord) knocked on the door of my room to tell me that I had a telephone call. I put on my robe, went downstairs and picked up the phone. The call was from Jane Hill, the registrar. She exclaimed, "Joseph, we have an extra ticket for Rachmaninoff's recital tonight! Would you like to go?" My heart said, "Yes," but my body said, "No" ... and I replied, "Thank you so much, but I'm feeling too ill to leave the house. I'll hear him NEXT TIME." Of course, there was no next time; Rachmaninoff died within a few months. Rachmaninoff was always my favorite pianist, and I have never quite recovered from the disappointment of being so close to hearing him in person and failing to do so. Although I was graduated from The Curtis Institute in 1948, I still maintain my contact with the many friends I made during my student years. The Curtis family is a vibrant part of my life; hardly a week passes without receiving a telephone call, e-mail or letter from a member of the fold. Reunions are held every year, and the alumni group is constantly active promoting and maintaining the relationships that are so dear to all of us. The Curtis Institute of Music is a very special school to which we made a lifelong commitment; I sincerely believe it will always be that way. Joseph Rezits made his professional debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy conducting, Shortly after his graduation from The Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Isabelle Vengerova. tie is internationally known as a performer, recording artist, lecturer, clinician and author. Rezits is professor emeritus of music at the Indiana University School of Music in Bloomington.