AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES                                                                              169 a-l

Louis Krasner

with Daniel Stepner

Boston, Massachusetts

December 13, 1983-January 1984

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Side a:                                                                                                                        pp. 1-19

Relating the idea of the Great Society to music--early memories of Russia--voyage to America--birthplace, Cherkassy--first memory of America--family was poor, everyone worked--used to peddle papers, shine shoes, sell shoelaces--started playing violin at age 11 or 12 after listening to older brothers--arranged to play in Chinese restaurant and other places through street contacts--saved pennies from playing at burlesque theaters--parents encouraging--played at public dance--huge impression made by Mischa Elman concert--played at Turk's Head Club--introduced to Mrs. Kelly, who financed Krasner's violin study in Boston--at age 14, move to Boston, study at English High School, violin lessons at conservatory--solfeggio class with Orlando Cole--dealing with everyday struggles helped in dealing with problems in music--won competition for Richard Sears prize--lived with friends of Gruenberg, his teacher

Side b:                                                                                                                       pp. 19-35

Reaction to end of World War I--concerts during conservatory years--played contemporary music in chamber music class:  Ives, Lopatnikov--Nicolas Slonimsky--Gruenberg's German and Viennese contacts:  Fritz Kreisler, Emanuel Winternitz--Gruenberg didn't want him to play in symphony during strike--Mrs. Kelly's patronage and her illness--Margaret Mason brought him into new music, playing students' compositions--Krasner, in high school years, had large hand in getting music taught in public school system--Converse's harmonic analysis class--Paul White's influence and introduction to Ysaye school--impressions at time of Ives and Ornstein--Sevcik was unhappy that people associated him exclusively with technique

Side c:                                                                                                                                    pp. 35-53

Krasner's denial of Webern's Nazi leanings to Steuermann (and Schoenberg)--Schoenberg wrestled with dedication of his Concerto to Webern--Berg's death and rescheduling of performance of his Concerto--learning, practicing the Berg Concerto--Leopold Godowsky agreed to hear Krasner play Berg beforehand, after many other composer friends refused--Mischa Elman also present when he played for Godowsky--critique of idea that "ugliness" of new music represented awful conditions in Europe at the time--sees Concerto as expression of Berg's personal and political concerns, anger--Berg's use of Viennese tools and melodies in Concerto as response to Austrian government criticism--Webern's relationship to Galimir Quartet--Webern's change of mind about conducting the Berg Concerto--convinced Webern to conduct the Berg after playing it through with him--Webern's insistence on travelling through Germany on way to Spain and on getting of at Munich with Krasner--later, in train, Webern and Krasner discuss Nazism and anti-Semitism--Webern thought German culture could save world--Berg and Schoenberg Concerti--Krasner's own experience in midst of pogrom in Berlin in 1924 or '25--Webern thought German discipline would save world from absolute chaos and demoralization

Side d:                                                                                                                       pp. 53-70

Sympathy with Webern's "inner pain"--own belief, identification with German culture--conversation with Webern during 1936 train ride--Webern's devotion to music second to devotion to family--Webern's feelings towards and relationship to Jews--Jews from the East and development of music since early 1800's--own relationship to violin as "passport" into different world--Webern:  "Every note has its own life."--everyone knew of Webern's political leanings--Socialists and Communists--Webern's candor with him during night in train in 1938--Webern's letter to Krasner about writing a sonata for him--Krasner was with Webern when Nazis marched into Austria in March 1938--Webern must've had inside information on time of Nazi crossing--Universal Edition had to begun to "Nazify" even before Anschluss--Webern, others, lost jobs because of Putsch--campaign to raise money to send to Europeans affected by Putsch--tried to involve Schoenberg, who was in Boston at the time--Schoenberg's son tells Krasner how Webern had helped him hide in Vienna during war--Webern's suffering and disillusionment--Schoenberg's son's encounter with Russian firing squads while staying at Webern's apartment--storage of munitions, Nazi literature in Webern's apartment (probably his sons')--scenario of Webern's death--Krasner never saw Webern's wife on visits to his house

Side e:                                                                                                                        pp. 70-90

Schoenberg's son and relationship to father--Schoenberg's first wife (Krasner owns painting by him of her)--used to help friends in Vienna get affidavits for visas to U.S.--helped Greissle and wife (Schoenberg's daughter) get to U.S.--owns Schoenberg manuscript of Gurre-Lieder--made microfilm of it for Greissle for a new edition--story of painting Schoenberg did of first wife, Mathilde, on her deathbed--Schoenberg felt unable to help son and daughter leave Vienna for America--Berg's desire not to be mistaken as Jewish--Koussevitzky and others thought Berg was Jewish--references in Berg's music to mother of his illegitimate child--own decision to study with Flesch in Berlin--early impressions of Paul White--spent summers with White in Maine--father's death--older brother accompanied him to Europe for one year--friends in Berlin, Boston--feelings of unhappiness, discouragement when started study with Flesch--opera performance of Fidelio--Flesch's other students at the time--Flesch wrote about Joachim's Hungarian Concerto the way Krasner wrote about the Schoenberg--Ysaye and Elman's performance of the Double Concerto in Boston

Side f:                                                                                                                                    pp. 90-106

Heifetz's first concert in Boston--Heifetz's contributions: Walton and Achron Concertos--Heifetz today--Flesch's teaching and the German "school"--identification of himself and others with German culture, spirit of the past--description of lessons with Flesch--Flesch's influence on himself--started off with Vieuxtemps Concerto No. 1 to help relearn technique--Flesch's playing at lessons and in performances--study with Capet--Flesch didn't recommend Capet, perhaps because he thought they were similar--Flesch's inner conflict with mysticism/spirituality and pragmatism/realism--feeling of closeness with Capet and Capet's fondness for Krasner--Capet's other students--first lessons with Capet--Capet's bowing style--rationalism and mysticism in both Capet and Flesch--Flesch encouraged individual style;  Capet more restrictive--Flesch (and Capet) and contemporary music--closeness to Capet; terseness and encouragement of Flesch--Capet and Webern: similarities--study of Chausson Poème with both Flesch and Capet

Side g:                                                                                                                        pp. 106-125

Comparison of Capet and Flesch's teaching styles--Flesch's fingerings--own philosophy of fingerings--gut and aluminum strings--Ysaye masterclass in Paris--early impressions of Milstein--Milstein's manager Merovich (?)--own manager at the time, Paul Bechert (?), takes on Milstein, others--own first concert in Vienna--Mrs. Kelly's financial support until 1929--informal study with Winkler in Vienna--played in ensembles with Winkler and Oskar Adler--started meeting younger people in modern music--Schoenberg on violin--Achron Concerto--performance of Franz Zaunhöfer's Charakter-StÜcke, which were dedicated to Krasner himself--growing reputation in Vienna for love of new music--no one to play Achron Concerto for at time--early encounters with twelve-tone system--first meeting with Casella in Boston--performance of Casella Concerto--Casella arranges tour and other opportunities--concert in Vienna

Side h:                                                                                                                       pp. 125-142

Violin study with Winkler in Vienna--met Berg and Webern through Kurzmann family and Universal--idea for commissioning Berg for Violin Concerto--discouraged by many--initial meetings with Berg--negotiations with publishers--Berg sighted by friends at violin recitals--Concerto helped Berg financially--Berg and his car--importance of middle class--own attitudes towards twelve-tone system--tonality in Berg--Schoenberg's concern for sound--Beethoven didn't "hear" while composing--learning to understand and hear piece as performer--absolute pitch--changes in pitch level over lifetime--can't foresee complete departure in new directions in music--knowledge of history not necessarily important to understanding and performance--Schoenberg's sense of history

Side i:                                                                                                                         pp. 142-163

Schoenberg's consciousness of history and Berg's awareness of immediate audience--playing through Violin Concerto with Berg--quadruple stops vs. ossia--counterpoint--Berg's intentions for ossia--Berg changed bar 77 of first movement in printed score because of suggestion for ossia by Krasner--learned of Schoenberg Concerto on way to Europe to play Berg--practicing aboard ship--flying in the 1930's--Berg's immersion in composing--bowing change in passage of Concerto (bar 16, 2nd mvt.)--bar 38 chord not a misprint and can be brought out--"the struggle"--Berg's original score--Cadenza (bar 164)--difficult to get to lead orchestra in performance--original score to be given eventually to Library of Congress or Houghton Library--Stokowski's problems with board of Philadelphia Orchestra regarding contemporary music--Stokowski used own funds to pay Krasner--Berg Concerto premiere--Stokowski had little time to prepare, but virtuosic 

Side j:                                                                                                                         pp. 163-182

Own violin instruments--Schoenberg Serenade and Concerto--problems with complicated contemporary music--modern composers' psychological attitudes--Schoenberg's concern for performers' and listeners' responses--"Give it everything you can, but put it in the vest pocket."--different levels of ideas in Schoenberg's Verklärte Nacht and the Concerto--psychology and challenge of playing a fugue--Sessions' Concerto--Joseph Achron--Heifetz's comments on the Berg Concerto--Milstein and Stravinsky Concerto and Tchaikovsky Concerto--thoughts on Stravinsky--twelve-tone system--concept of tonality and "tonal surprises"--opening of Berg Concerto--individual sections of Berg Concerto

Side k:                                                                                                                       pp. 182-193

More thoughts on twelve-tone system; Schoenberg and Berg--Bartok and Universal--Cancelled performance of Session’s Conerto (Spauling)--Meeting Sessions on train 1936--Martinu and performing his Violin Concerto--the acceptance of Berg’s Concerto sparks others to compose; Bartok and Piston--playing Schoenberg’s Concerto with Steuermann--following ‘the rules’ of twelve-tone composition--thoughts on Berg and his Concerto

Side l:                                                                                                                         pp. 193-207

Krasner gives the first professional performance of the Sessions Concerto---reflections on Mitropoulos; Minneapolis and New York--pitch issues and authenticity of early music performance practice--his own instruments; Stradivarius violino piccolo, guitar, Vuillaumes--