Klarinet Archive - Posting 000736.txt from 1997/12

From: Lisa Clayton <clayton@-----.edu>
Subj: Re: selling out or surviving?
Date: Sun, 14 Dec 1997 19:16:35 -0500

>
> Just for clarification, Copland was her first *American* student,
> as opposed to her first student ever. The latter distinction probably
> goes to her sister Lili, the person who made her realize that she was
> not possessed of such prodigious talent as a composer, and should
> decide rather to concentrate on teaching others to bring out the
> best of their own compositional potential. She had an amazing knack
> for knowing what "worked". I don't know who the mystery American
> composer was who elicited Boulanger's comment regarding commercialism,
> but I wouldn't be surprised if it were Glass. I don't think Roy
> Harrison ever reached the heights of Gershwin. Did Cowell or Cage
> ever actually study with her?

My favorite Boulanger story involves Astor Piazzola, who decided
he needed to be a "real" composer and went to France to study with
her. After hearing some of his compositions, Mme. Boulanger asked
him what else he had done. He reluctantly told her about his tango
compositions, and she insisted he play those for her. After listening,
she said, "You don't need me! Go back and create more of that music.
That is what you were meant to do." The rest is history-- Piazzola is
of course now considered the absolute master of the Tango.

____ Lisa K. Canjura-Clayton The obligatory homepage:
/ clayton@-----.edu/~clayton
/ lisa@-----.edu