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LANCE
JANUARY 14J966
Faculty Forum
By LEWIS HOY
The immensely popular two
piano team of Nelson and Neal
proved once again, as they have
done for the past 17 years, that
they are professionals in the
true sense of the word, and
were up to the task before them
Friday night. The task being a
two hour recital on poor in
struments (ours) in an auditor
ium which is, for visual contact
and audience comfort, inade
quate to say the least, I choose
to direct my remarks to the
general category, DUAL PIANOS,
rather than to join the ranks
of that well paid parastic cliche,
called music critics. I am too
close to the field to criticize
objectively for an audience.
Something about “glass houses”
and “stones” keeps ringing in
my ears.
I must confess that I am not
an avid fan of two piano re
citals. This feeling should dis
qualify me from uTiting this
article; however, it was ob
served that a few others shared
this sentiment. Why? Perhaps
in asking this question we can
gain a little insight into some
of the characteristics of music
and the art of listening. Logic
tells me if one pianist at one
piano is good then two pianos
should fSe great. Not so; My
dissatisfaction with this form
of music is inherent in the in
struments, the literature, and
in the visual image of a two
piano recital.
With great reluctance I must
admit the piano is a member of
the percussion family. Ham
mers do hit the strings! Never
theless aspiring pianists spend
a good share of their time in
an effort to make the instru
ment respond both vocally and
orchestrally; attempting to make
the instrument reflect to all of
the colors of emotion. One of
the hazards of two pianos play
ing together is the peculiar
acoustical phenomena for lack
of a better word, I call self
cancellation. The fortissimi are
not huge and overwhelming be
cause the percussins are not
delicate and intimate. Of course,
dynamic range for any instru
ment is strictly relative. In
terestingly the keyboard instru
ment with the widest dynamic
range and change of color is the
clavichord - an instrument which
■ could not be heard in a room
the size of the Liberal Arts
Auditorium. In the dozen or so
two-piano recitals I have attend
ed, I have never heard a long,
singing line. Two piano teams
have their instruments regulated
to bring out the brilliant, bravura
characteristics of the instru
ment. My reaction to the sound
of such pianos in concert is uni
form no matter how I fight it;
revolving from excitement, to
complacency, to sheer boredom.
Nelson and Neal are to be com
mended for their integrity in
their use of only the original
School of MusicRenews
Ten Year Accreditation
Accreditation for the School of
Music at St. Andrews Presby
terian College has been renewed
for another 10-year term by the
National Association of Schools
of Music.
Franklin West, director of the
St. Andrews school of music,
received notification during the
week of December 13 from War
ren Scharf, executive secretary
of the NASM, The association
has accredited both collegiate
and independent musical insti
tutions since its founding in 1926,
West pointed out that this con
tinues the 1954 accreditation
from the conservatory at Flora
Macdonald College, which was
merged into St. Andrews, It re
sulted from a self-survey made
by the St, Andrews faculty last
year and submitted to the NASM
annual meeting in Chicago this
fall.
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Meredythe Lawrence
MANAGING EDITOR Brian Weger
BUSINESS MANAGER Jim Dallas
SPECIAL ASSISTANTS Trish Sharman
Becky Edmonds
EDITORIAL STAFF
ACADEMIC EDITOR Elizabeth Finlator
SOCIAL EDITORS Judy Hough, Jane Wright
SPORTS EDITOR Ed Butterworth
CONSERVATORY EDITOR Bonnie Williams
SPECIAL COLUMNS Bob Anderson, Lynn Leverton,
Yibbett Phillips, Bill Shomo, Henry Steele
PHOTOGRAPRERS Gray Clark, Bill Barry,
Jeep Mullinix
CARTOONIST Frank Joerg
STAFF WRITERS AND REPORTERS:
Seivia Beam. David Betts, Anne Bottoms, Barbara Boy,
Carol Chapman, Linda Curtis, Nancy Dixon, Miriam
Fisher, Karen Harrison, Gwen Horton, Bonnie Jackson,
Mary Leslie James, Frank Joerg, Lucylle Keylon, Vickie
McCann, Mary Lynne McKenzie, Brenda Miller, Mar
garet Offtendinger, Barbara Rappold, Linda Susong,
Janet Sperling, Jane Talley, Charma Walker. Elizabeth
Ward, Emelda Wiliiam.s, Joe Juiiod.
BUSINESS STAFF
Brenda Miller. Mary Lynne McKenzie. Barbara Rap/pold,
Charma Walker, Mary Beth Ander.son.
Opinions expressed in letters to the Editor and in sign
ed columns are not necessarily those of The LANCE. Let
ters to the Editor should be brief and must be signed.
Names will be withheld upon request.
two-piano, four-hand literature.
Due to the small volume of
original composition for two
pianos any two piano team Is of
necessity 1 i m itedin
both diversity and pace in
their program building. Com
posers have used the two piano
ensemble to display their ability
in a bravura style and Invarlbly
reach Into the same bag of tricks
for such devices as contrary
motion scales, double notes, and
glissandi; quadruple doublings
and double trills. All of which
are quite nice when used sparing
ly for a purpose other than them
selves, I feel that Rachmaninoff
and Brahms were perhaps the
most successful composers for
two pianos prior to 1920 - be
cause they had the ability to
think In full orchestral terms
when visiting for this medium.
The mature concert goer at
tempts to immediately Immerse
himself in the LITERATURE be
ing presented to him. Then the
performer becomes^ a vehicle;
the more transparent the vehicle,
the more successful the concert.
I find It difficult to do this with
duo pianists, I have tried, but
the presence of these two play
ers facing each other over-seem-
Ingly playing AT rather than
WITH each other, is disturbing.
Seldom do I feel as though both
performers are equally motivat
ed, equally Inspired, and of the
exact same temperament at the
same Instant, Professional piano
teams spend a good bit of time
working on a routine in order to
look alike, stand up, sit down,
bow together, and in short, try
ing to be something they never
can be - one,
I expect a good deal from a
recital here at St, Andrews, So
do you. Concert artists includ
ing Gary Graffman, John Brown
ing, Gerald Souzay, and the Curtis
String Quartet, all commented
on the conslstantly high quality
of the St, Andrews audience. It
was a shock therefore to see us
completely taken in by a state
ment found on the back of the
program dealing with standing
ovations. This is one of the
oldest gimmicks in the pro
fession, It has long been known
that if you say a few words
about a standing ovation In the
program notes, you will probably
get one. Let us remember that
a standing ovation is an emo
tional release and only applicable
where applause will not suffice.
We jump to our feet because
we cannot help ourselves, not in
the hope we will be getting out
of the concert hall that much
sooner.
Nelson and Neal, Duo-Pianists at St, Andrews
Nelson and Neal
Excel On Pianos
Nelson and Neal, brilliant young
duo-plajiists, were heard on Fri
day, January 7, in the Liberal
Arts Auditorium at St, Andrews
Presbyterian College.
Allison Nelson (Mrs. Harry
Neal) was Australia’s leading
child prodigy, having toured that
country more extensively than
any other Australian-born artist.
She was brought to this country
in 1944 to study with Rudolf
Serkin at Philadelphia's famed
Curtis Institute of Music.
There she met and later mar
ried Harry Lee Neal, a Ten
nessee lad studying with the re
nowned pedagogue, Isabelle Ven
gerova, They began playing two
pianos for fun and soon after
wards began a series of tele
vision programs devoted to four-
hand music. In Australia, they
were presented by the ABC in
a regular series of coast-to-
coast radio recitals.
Since then they have played
over a thousand concerts in many
parts of the world. During the
summer months they devote
themselves to research, prac
tice, and teaching the students
who come from all over America
to study with them at Manor-
house, their ante-bellum home
in Paris, Tennessee.
On tour, the artists travel in a
custom-designed land cruiser
which carries complete living
facilities for eight adults. In
addition to them and their tour
manager, the bus carries acorn-
plete kitchen and bath, hot and
cold running water, electric
power plant and two beautifully
matched concert grand pianos,
Out of all the hundreds ot
thousands of miles travelled,
Nelson and Neal have had only
one accident. This took place In
a whirling snow-storm in mid-
Missouri several years ago. For
tunately no one was injured and
the two pianos were only slight
ly damaged. After a quick check
at the factory in Cincinnati, the
artists were soon on their way,
The Neals have an infectious
sense of humor, and for several
years their bus carried a sign
which invited all comers to
“Wave As You Pass!” This slo
gan later became the title for
Mr. Neal’s best selling autO'
biography, published by Lippin-
cott.
Dear Editor;
I was reading your newspaper
when I came to page 7 and
heard a cry of knowledge, know
ledge where there was no know
ledge coming from Mr, Lloyd
Reese’s second edition of his
letter to you (which letter can
be found in both the November
19 issue and the December 10
issue). Mr, Reese holds that
the church is “anything but rele
vant to our present social pro
blems.” From this sentence I
immediately assumed that I had
found a person who had mis
understood the purpose of the
church. First, one must realize
that the church is really the
people; thus, to accuse the church
of apathy to social problems
is to accuse the people of apathy
to social problems. But, Mr.
Reese’s concept of the church
is actually different from the
latter one. I understood him both
to condemn the message of the
church rather than the people of
the church and to challenge the
foundations of the church. In
reality, the message of the church
does Include an enormous con
cern for social problems. For
example. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Letters To The Editor
representing his church, led the
integration movement. But, not
all churches are this fortunate;
the people do not always re
spond to the message of the
church. Here the fault lies in
the people who fail to respond
rather than in the church that
fails to speak.
Further on in the letter Mr,
Reese says that when the church
does try to Improve society, it
goes alx)ut improvement in the
wrong way and falls. One reason
he gives to justify this accusa
tion is that “the emphasis is
placed on curing individuals of
their personal sins such as adul
tery or drinking rather than cur
ing society of social sins such
as racial discrimination or the
population explosion.” It is un
fortunate that Mr. Reese has
broken down sin into the cate
gories of personal sins and so
cial sins. The examples of per
sonal sin (adultery and drinking)
are in fact social sins. Also,
society is made up of individ
uals. The only way for the church
to cure society of its sins is
to cure the individuals of their
sins. In the future I advise Mr,
Reese to throw his stones at tlie
government, which is the only
agency today that is capable of
forcing morals upon society in
general. The government may
enforce its laws, but it is more
difficult for the church to en
force its laws. Furthermore, why
condemn the church for not cur
ing all the sins of society? Should
a person condemn the medical
profession for not curing can
cer?
Still, I must admit that Mr.
Reese does at one point attack
the matter at its foundation and
point out that the church “pre
sents a simple outlook on the
less fortunate of society” which
can be expressed in the belief
that “those who succeed are in
God’s favor, and those who fall
are in God’s disfavor.” I
sure that if Mr. Reese will ask
God if this statement is true,
God will say no. The belief that
Mr. Reese says is influencing
the church today was abandoned
long ago by the church. Consider
the fact that poor people as well
as rich people go to church,
The less fortunate poor peopl0
have failed in many ways.
but
are not in God’s disfavor. K
con’t on page 3
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