Ruth Crawford Seeger: Memoirs, Memories, Music by Matilda Gaume; Esther WilliamsonBallou: A Bio-Bibliography by James R. HeintzeReview by: Marion S. GusheeNotes, Second Series, Vol. 45, No. 4 (Jun., 1989), pp. 754-755Published by: Music Library AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/941224 .

Accessed: 14/06/2014 11:39

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp

.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

.

Music Library Association is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Notes.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.44 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 11:39:50 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

NOTES, June 1989 NOTES, June 1989

that according to medieval theological writ- ings, the octave is considered "pure" be- cause Abraham was circumcised on the eighth day (octava die) after his birth. Wrong. Abraham was quite old when he had his circumcision; it devolved on his progeny to be circumcised on the eighth day.

Inevitably, when a book becomes a phys- ical entity, the author experiences an un- quenchable desire to supplement it with tangential vignettes, mostly of a self-con- gratulatory nature. While honestly report- ing the disaster he suffered at his first (and last) appearance as conductor at the Hol- lywood Bowl, Slonimsky could have men- tioned that half a century later John Cage told him that he had attended every one of those concerts and that Slonimsky's pro- gram of modern music produced a deep impression on him. (Cage was twenty years old at the time.) Besides deploring the faulty English he employed in his talks on music at the Boston Public Library in 1926 (he called Pablo Casals "an eminent spaniel"), Slonimsky could have mentioned that El- liott Carter attended all of those talks with great interest, as he told this reviewer sixty years later. There was prophylactic balm for Slonimsky's generally depressed ego in one of Alfred Einstein's letters, in which he wrote, "I wonder if we, and above all, you, will ever be rewarded in Heaven for hav- ing removed some inaccuracies from books of reference" (in the original German it sounds much more poetic). Einstein is al- ready there, but Slonimsky fears he might land in a hotter place. And finally, Slon- imsky might have quoted Notes of Decem- ber 1986 (review by Ann P. Basart of his Music since 1900: A Supplement [New York: Scribner's, 1986], 310): "In a recent at- tempt at definition, I commented to an- other librarian that 'reference books are not meant to be read, but to be dipped into.' 'Except for Slonimsky,' he replied."

Dixi et animam levavi. NICOLAS SLONIMSKY

Los Angeles

. . .AND BRIEFLY NOTED:

Ruth Crawford Seeger: Memoirs, Memories, Music. By Matilda Gaume. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1986. (Composers of North America, 3.) [iii, 268 p. ISBN 0-8108-1917-1 $27.95.]

that according to medieval theological writ- ings, the octave is considered "pure" be- cause Abraham was circumcised on the eighth day (octava die) after his birth. Wrong. Abraham was quite old when he had his circumcision; it devolved on his progeny to be circumcised on the eighth day.

Inevitably, when a book becomes a phys- ical entity, the author experiences an un- quenchable desire to supplement it with tangential vignettes, mostly of a self-con- gratulatory nature. While honestly report- ing the disaster he suffered at his first (and last) appearance as conductor at the Hol- lywood Bowl, Slonimsky could have men- tioned that half a century later John Cage told him that he had attended every one of those concerts and that Slonimsky's pro- gram of modern music produced a deep impression on him. (Cage was twenty years old at the time.) Besides deploring the faulty English he employed in his talks on music at the Boston Public Library in 1926 (he called Pablo Casals "an eminent spaniel"), Slonimsky could have mentioned that El- liott Carter attended all of those talks with great interest, as he told this reviewer sixty years later. There was prophylactic balm for Slonimsky's generally depressed ego in one of Alfred Einstein's letters, in which he wrote, "I wonder if we, and above all, you, will ever be rewarded in Heaven for hav- ing removed some inaccuracies from books of reference" (in the original German it sounds much more poetic). Einstein is al- ready there, but Slonimsky fears he might land in a hotter place. And finally, Slon- imsky might have quoted Notes of Decem- ber 1986 (review by Ann P. Basart of his Music since 1900: A Supplement [New York: Scribner's, 1986], 310): "In a recent at- tempt at definition, I commented to an- other librarian that 'reference books are not meant to be read, but to be dipped into.' 'Except for Slonimsky,' he replied."

Dixi et animam levavi. NICOLAS SLONIMSKY

Los Angeles

. . .AND BRIEFLY NOTED:

Ruth Crawford Seeger: Memoirs, Memories, Music. By Matilda Gaume. Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1986. (Composers of North America, 3.) [iii, 268 p. ISBN 0-8108-1917-1 $27.95.]

Esther Williamson Ballou: A Bio- Bibliography. By James R. Heintze. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987. (Bio-Bibliographies in Music, 5.) [xii, 125 p. ISBN 0-313-15069-3 $27.95.]

Although it may seem odd-or even bordering on the inappropriate-to con- sider works about Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) and Esther Williamson Ballou (1915-1974) in a single essay, there were in fact many similarities and points of con- tact in the lives of these two gallant com- posers. They died some twenty years apart, but they were born to the same generation; both passed through the MacDowell Col- ony on their ways to musical maturity; both led multiple lives balancing family and ca- reer; and both eventually made notable contributions to the musical life of Wash- ington, D.C., though in substantially dif- ferent ways. They were, in fact, fairly close neighbors during Seeger's later years, en- joying each other's friendship and sharing a mutual admiration. Both suffered griev- ous illnesses, and both died far short of achieving their aims as musicians.

Matilda Gaume's work on Seeger, di- vided into three parts (life, works, and "End Papers," i.e., notes and documentation) is seriously unbalanced-104 pages of 'life' to only twenty-five of 'works,' including 'art music,' folk music, and writings-and falls far short of doing justice to its subject. An outgrowth of a 1973 dissertation that was itself seriously flawed, this book offers, in the end, not much more than warm feel- ings about the composer and a few nice pictures. Seeger's own writings are by far the most interesting part of the book, even though the author had complete access to the assistance of all members of the family in both stages of her work. Seeger's hus- band Charles Seeger, who died in 1979, was known to be very displeased with the dis- sertation, for which he had freely given ad- vice and information.

Regarding the balance problem, even the page-count does not tell the whole story, for the sections on the works include a large measure of reiterated biography. Much of the discussion of the music is clearly in- adequate to the complexity of Seeger's thinking, as illustrated by the following interpretation in reference to "deliberately omitting or altering one note in the sets she [Seeger] used": "This was apparently done

Esther Williamson Ballou: A Bio- Bibliography. By James R. Heintze. New York: Greenwood Press, 1987. (Bio-Bibliographies in Music, 5.) [xii, 125 p. ISBN 0-313-15069-3 $27.95.]

Although it may seem odd-or even bordering on the inappropriate-to con- sider works about Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953) and Esther Williamson Ballou (1915-1974) in a single essay, there were in fact many similarities and points of con- tact in the lives of these two gallant com- posers. They died some twenty years apart, but they were born to the same generation; both passed through the MacDowell Col- ony on their ways to musical maturity; both led multiple lives balancing family and ca- reer; and both eventually made notable contributions to the musical life of Wash- ington, D.C., though in substantially dif- ferent ways. They were, in fact, fairly close neighbors during Seeger's later years, en- joying each other's friendship and sharing a mutual admiration. Both suffered griev- ous illnesses, and both died far short of achieving their aims as musicians.

Matilda Gaume's work on Seeger, di- vided into three parts (life, works, and "End Papers," i.e., notes and documentation) is seriously unbalanced-104 pages of 'life' to only twenty-five of 'works,' including 'art music,' folk music, and writings-and falls far short of doing justice to its subject. An outgrowth of a 1973 dissertation that was itself seriously flawed, this book offers, in the end, not much more than warm feel- ings about the composer and a few nice pictures. Seeger's own writings are by far the most interesting part of the book, even though the author had complete access to the assistance of all members of the family in both stages of her work. Seeger's hus- band Charles Seeger, who died in 1979, was known to be very displeased with the dis- sertation, for which he had freely given ad- vice and information.

Regarding the balance problem, even the page-count does not tell the whole story, for the sections on the works include a large measure of reiterated biography. Much of the discussion of the music is clearly in- adequate to the complexity of Seeger's thinking, as illustrated by the following interpretation in reference to "deliberately omitting or altering one note in the sets she [Seeger] used": "This was apparently done

754 754

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.44 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 11:39:50 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

Book Reviews Book Reviews

to indicate lack of perfection in human beings-only the supreme Being is per- fect!" (p. 153). No source is given for this reading of a compositional procedure, and I have serious reason to doubt its accuracy.

Lesser flaws are rife. 'Peterboro' and 'Pe- terborough' are used interchangeably, as is the familiar misplacement of the possessive apostrophe (Seeger's vs. Seegers', when re- ferring to a single member of the family). More serious is the kind of confusion that leads to contradictory statements on dif- ferent pages (Seeger either did or didn't know Schoenberg's music). An article by Ray Wilding-White in the latest issue of Ameri- can Music ("Remembering Ruth Crawford Seeger: An Interview with Charles and Peggy Seeger," [1988]: 442-54), offers in its few pages a much better picture of the composer/folk musician/teacher/wife/ mother than does Gaume's whole book. The article, a tightened-up version of a single lengthy interview, presents insightful and accurate comments on Seeger's musical aims and on her switch from 'formal' music to folk and then back.

Heintze's work on Esther Williamson Ballou is even more disappointing, espe- cially since it is, as far as I know, the only book published to date on this composer, performer, and teacher. It is among the worst examples of the bio-bibliography genre I have come across. Replete with ty- pographical and factual errors on nearly every page, it is also seriously unbal- anced-twelve pages of biography (exclud- ing notes) to 113 of other matters.

Aside from the biographical material, the book consists of sections on works and per- formances, bibliography, and correspon- dence, as well as five appendixes and a rather limited index. The section on works is easily the most useful since it systemati- cally lists and numbers Ballou's composi- tions and cites premieres and "other se- lected performances" of her music, all in one chronology. I have no way of knowing if the list is complete, but at least it is clear and detailed. The bibliography consists primarily of excerpts from press coverage, often very brief and taken out of context. The section on correspondence is strictly a one-way affair: excerpts of letters to or about Esther Ballou only, even though she was a prolific letter writer. As it happens, my mother (a long-time amateur student of Ballou's), made fairly extensive contribu-

to indicate lack of perfection in human beings-only the supreme Being is per- fect!" (p. 153). No source is given for this reading of a compositional procedure, and I have serious reason to doubt its accuracy.

Lesser flaws are rife. 'Peterboro' and 'Pe- terborough' are used interchangeably, as is the familiar misplacement of the possessive apostrophe (Seeger's vs. Seegers', when re- ferring to a single member of the family). More serious is the kind of confusion that leads to contradictory statements on dif- ferent pages (Seeger either did or didn't know Schoenberg's music). An article by Ray Wilding-White in the latest issue of Ameri- can Music ("Remembering Ruth Crawford Seeger: An Interview with Charles and Peggy Seeger," [1988]: 442-54), offers in its few pages a much better picture of the composer/folk musician/teacher/wife/ mother than does Gaume's whole book. The article, a tightened-up version of a single lengthy interview, presents insightful and accurate comments on Seeger's musical aims and on her switch from 'formal' music to folk and then back.

Heintze's work on Esther Williamson Ballou is even more disappointing, espe- cially since it is, as far as I know, the only book published to date on this composer, performer, and teacher. It is among the worst examples of the bio-bibliography genre I have come across. Replete with ty- pographical and factual errors on nearly every page, it is also seriously unbal- anced-twelve pages of biography (exclud- ing notes) to 113 of other matters.

Aside from the biographical material, the book consists of sections on works and per- formances, bibliography, and correspon- dence, as well as five appendixes and a rather limited index. The section on works is easily the most useful since it systemati- cally lists and numbers Ballou's composi- tions and cites premieres and "other se- lected performances" of her music, all in one chronology. I have no way of knowing if the list is complete, but at least it is clear and detailed. The bibliography consists primarily of excerpts from press coverage, often very brief and taken out of context. The section on correspondence is strictly a one-way affair: excerpts of letters to or about Esther Ballou only, even though she was a prolific letter writer. As it happens, my mother (a long-time amateur student of Ballou's), made fairly extensive contribu-

tions of both letters and information about Ballou's teaching in response to a call pub- lished shortly after Ballou's death. It can only be concluded that Heintze failed to do his homework, unless for some reason this fund of information was not available to him (there is no notice of it in the book). One cannot say that this list is totally without in- terest: Mrs. John Foster Dulles wrote Bal- lou on 3 January 1943 to thank her for her attendance at and contribution to a Dulles party.

Ballou's compositions were often in a lighter vein than those of Seeger-she had pop music in her blood from years of earn- ing college tuition by playing at bars and the like. She often collaborated with mod- ern dancers and produced perhaps her best works in this way. She was an excellent pi- anist, performing in spite of crippling ar- thritis that deformed her hands and some- times made it almost impossible for her to walk to the piano. She was also a dedicated and much loved teacher, first of piano and later in the classrooms of American Uni- versity. Appendix 3, "Esther Williamson Ballou: A Self-Evaluation (1970)," provides a very brief but nonetheless interesting note by the composer on her musical position: "I love clarity and simplicity in the expres- sion of truth, as in the music of Mozart. And since music flows through me like a current, it must be the means of commu- nication I can best utilize. That is why I teach it."

It is sad to review two very indifferent books about two vital women, especially when one has personally known each one at the height of her powers. We await what is bound to be an authoritative work on Seeger by Judith Tick; we can only hope for a worthwhile book on Ballou.

The Concise Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. By Nicolas Slonimsky. New York: Macmillan, 1988. [1407 p. ISBN 0-02-872411-9 $35.00.]

We trust that there will always be a Bak- er's, and there certainly is still a Nicolas Slonimsky, live and kicking (see his review above), but this is not the Baker's for schol- ars. Indubitably publishers have their needs, and no doubt writers do too, but the secret

tions of both letters and information about Ballou's teaching in response to a call pub- lished shortly after Ballou's death. It can only be concluded that Heintze failed to do his homework, unless for some reason this fund of information was not available to him (there is no notice of it in the book). One cannot say that this list is totally without in- terest: Mrs. John Foster Dulles wrote Bal- lou on 3 January 1943 to thank her for her attendance at and contribution to a Dulles party.

Ballou's compositions were often in a lighter vein than those of Seeger-she had pop music in her blood from years of earn- ing college tuition by playing at bars and the like. She often collaborated with mod- ern dancers and produced perhaps her best works in this way. She was an excellent pi- anist, performing in spite of crippling ar- thritis that deformed her hands and some- times made it almost impossible for her to walk to the piano. She was also a dedicated and much loved teacher, first of piano and later in the classrooms of American Uni- versity. Appendix 3, "Esther Williamson Ballou: A Self-Evaluation (1970)," provides a very brief but nonetheless interesting note by the composer on her musical position: "I love clarity and simplicity in the expres- sion of truth, as in the music of Mozart. And since music flows through me like a current, it must be the means of commu- nication I can best utilize. That is why I teach it."

It is sad to review two very indifferent books about two vital women, especially when one has personally known each one at the height of her powers. We await what is bound to be an authoritative work on Seeger by Judith Tick; we can only hope for a worthwhile book on Ballou.

The Concise Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. By Nicolas Slonimsky. New York: Macmillan, 1988. [1407 p. ISBN 0-02-872411-9 $35.00.]

We trust that there will always be a Bak- er's, and there certainly is still a Nicolas Slonimsky, live and kicking (see his review above), but this is not the Baker's for schol- ars. Indubitably publishers have their needs, and no doubt writers do too, but the secret

755 755

This content downloaded from 91.229.229.44 on Sat, 14 Jun 2014 11:39:50 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions