Arturo Toscanini: The man behind the legend; Birthday celebration

You're listening to TALK going to be behind the legend. This is Ben Grauer saying welcome to Toscanini the man behind the legend and DC's special award winning series honoring the conductor of the NBC symphony orchestra toto Toscanini. Tonight we commemorate the birthday of Maestro Toscanini. It is the anniversary of his birth in Chama Italy on March 25 1867. Our music has been selected from works written by three of his personal friends Verdi to Loni and Mark too. And there's a special feature on this birthday show. We'll present the first in a series of portraits and sound of Maestro Toscanini prepared by the Riverdale project under the supervision of Maestro sun Walter Toscanini

credo Toscanini maestros grandson will also be with us to speak briefly later in the program. And Robert Weldon vice president in charge of programming for the NBC Radio Network will join me in a brief informal conversation about some of the mail we've received from young listeners how Toscanini birthday concert begins now as we hear the all what you want to laugh watch the D-List Dino by Giuseppe them. Oh.

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NBC symphony orchestra has been the opening music on tonight's anniversary program commemorating the birth of Otto Toscanini in Palmy Italy a March 25th 1867. Now I'm happy to introduce to you the man responsible for programming this series on NBC. Robert Weldon vice president of the Radio Network. Bob welcome to these microphones on this anniversary program. It seems to me You once told me you were a page boy here at NBC very early in your career and that you worked in studio age during many of these actual historic broadcasts. That's right then and I remember them with great delight. I was one of those lucky ones who attended many of maestros broadcasts. But actually I'm here tonight because of an interest I share with my still son Walter Toscanini and interest in the mail that we have received from so many young people been who are having their first Toscanini experience with these probably these broadcasts yes that's so true Bob. Many teenage young people were much too young to listen when he was alive so correct them. One of the first letters I read came from a young man and wood near New York. John

Auerbach. He said then that he was 17 and a regular listener to the man behind the legend. I quote his letter he said. I never heard of Toscanini until your program started 26 weeks ago. But I feel that his music and the way he conducts the orchestra are something which cannot be expressed in words by a letter about what another one Ben as from a young Canadian listener who said that he first became interested in music five years ago when he was 13. This was after maestros death and therefore he had never heard or seen him perform. His name is H van Vaught and I quote him not Ben. However he says upon first hearing his records it was evident to me that I was in the presence of greatness. These letters make us realize again what a magnificent legacy Toscani left us in all these modest recordings. The next letter from a Tulane University student Ben Donald a new wick. He writes I am one of those who never heard one of Toscanini's original broadcasts.

Today I know of him only through his recordings and your excellent programs. For me he goes on. Toscanini represents the highest realisation of the her all with the ideal of the Romantic composers from Beethoven to Richard Strauss. He goes on to say that he'd like to hear all of the records that are no longer commercially available in the catalogue. We hope they're all available again someday. Got another one and then this one is from North Carolina boy decathlete a 15 year old. It is only now he writes that I can try to appreciate the man of whom I have hurt so much. The more I listen to recordings of the maestro the more I am inclined to believe that Arturo Toscanini was not only the Einstein of music but a real and genuine giant among men. And he concludes his letter. I am just a boy who loves music and that means Toscanini to me. He is still living. He can never die.

I think we can all share those feelings. Thank you Bob. Thank you Ben. We've been talking with Robert Logan vice president in charge of programming for the NBC Radio Network. Our program continues now as we hear music from baddies Tello the by lobby day. The book. The of the. Above. Yes.

And. I am. The BI labial a from bad is a concert commemorating the birth of

Otto Toscanini on March 25th 1867 continues now as we hear music by still another of Maestro close personal friends. The dance of the water nymph by outrage of kata Lani. I. Am. Yeah. And.

And. And. Octo Toscanini has just conducted the NBC symphony orchestra in the dance of the water names

by Alfredo kata Lani. You're listening to Toscanini the man behind the legend. Tonight the program commemorating the birth of Otto Toscanini in the sound laboratories of the Riverdale project. Producer Don Gillis has been working with John call the technical curator and Walter Toscanini in the preparation of a biography and sound of my after Tuscany drag which you'll hear the first section the palm of yours. Otto Toscanini the palm of yours. The date is October 1876 and in a small room just a few steps away from the studio of the director of the prom a conservatory a 9 year old boy awaited his examination for and prepared for admission by a friend of his

father's a tuba player named Bonine Otto Toscanini waited his turn to take his entrance test. From no less a personality than Maestro disco doxy himself a man already famous as the author of many textbooks on music. Among them the accepted text on some things I study in music step that affect the scholar musician administrate and author Maestro doxy and still another reputation as head of Palmer's famed conservatory that of stern disciplinarian who constantly demanded perfection from his too young not too aware of the difficulty of the examination and also aware of the hostility of Maestro Dutchy taught his father cloudy and intense got about the following. Hope that this political difference would not interfere with his acceptance but he need not have feared for my Stardock he was not one to let an old political grudge stand in the way of acceptance to his school. One who is so obviously talented in the more important matter of music. That examination was passed

successfully his conservatory uniform put on for the first time and his list of studies in the schedule was assigned. He had been admitted to the pond a conservatory as a free boarder he had wanted to study the violin but instead he was assigned to the class of Professor Katine what Chalo. Let us look at and across these almost 91 years. As he sat in his close to like cell awaiting his first day of classes. Listening as he sat alone to the sounds of the older students as they practiced familiar sounds in music schools everywhere. Perhaps in the fading light of that evening he remembered music operas he had seen the promised fame for bread. He may even have been on stage in one of more himself. For every mother's dream in palm I was to have a child become a member of the chorus and perhaps to grow up to take the leading role. You might have recalled the wild passions of the audiences at the Reggio as they applauded the tenor or soprano who delighted them or booed and

hissed if they found the artist not up to Palmer's demanding standards of the city of political strife an operatic glory at the young Otto on the life blood of both. Music was the religion of the people and politics. Its high priest. The morning bells rang and it was seven o'clock. Quickly the prayer was and then to breakfast. An ever changing diet of bread and coffee first classes began at 8 at noon. Lunch and Recreation at two o'clock. Joe. Then practice and study until bedtime. A constant schedule of work work and more work to meet the insisting demands of his cello teacher professor kind of unique that ADI is professor of harmony and always the demands of Maestro doxy. His eye was everywhere his rules and regulations to be obeyed his requirements for

perfection always to be satisfied. There were 40 students with the young and except for occasional visits with his two aunts on Fridays visiting day is teachers and the two eccentric and amiable part as much as on the in column beneath his fellow students for his world. A world of music within music ever challenging ever accomplishing ever nearing the goal and when the first year and Toto Toscanini had successfully completed the assignments with a grade of 21 possible points out of 30 by the end of the second year his grade had risen even more 27 out of 30. And when he presented himself for his final examinations for graduation on July 25th 1885. His mark was that of absolute perfection. And he qualified alumnus and made a winning place for the annual legato bottom of the prize. Most of his fellow students had hobbies

but not young I took a course in music was his first and only thought and his greatest enjoyment was getting his fellow students together to make music. Especially music which they were not then studying as a part of the curriculum a practice strictly forbidden by Maestro DR right away. However with the aid of the part as much as on the old Colombian music and instruments were secretly transported away from the conservatory. But music fests which the young not too organized and then supervised perhaps even then with baton in hand. And when there was no music for them to play it was again young Toscanini who made orchestrations and did the laborious copy work and insisted that his fellow students show up for the event at such an early age. A life's pattern was Phone complete dedication to music patients willingness to work endlessly and an ability to persuade others to do just what he wanted them to do.

As advanced in his studies he delighted to play string quartets particularly those of Haydn of Mozart and Mendelssohn. We hear now the voice of mice to himself. As he recalls his conservatory days and his pleasure in playing chamber music. This intimate relationship involving what playing Lydian as he later began to conduct. To think of his orchestra in this way. Edwin Bachman principal of the second violins of the NBC symphony orchestra on the maestro and then says that it was a wonderful point of view of my story. He wanted people watching the

musicians reason for that is because he was thriving and for such a perfection. That they usually achieve. And he was able to achieve that with any orchestra. He was able to achieve the music almost anything it is an interesting theory one that probes deeply into the secret of the famous Toscanini Kestrel sound techniques he first became aware of in Parma during his conservatory days. A moment ago we mentioned the pride a visiting day and the welcome visits of his hands and the scene and cheesey and his mother never came for she felt her clothes were too shabby and thought she might embarrass him. He met his sisters ATA and Siena at the Church of the chink in the bargain for the need to which he and his fellow students went each Sunday morning to mass the Toscanini

family never prosperous and cloudy was best years were in that grade A group of fellow bottom up folk who struggled for their bread and wine and so they could not help the young not to be on the barest necessities. But its needs were simple and is only appetite a craving for music a desire to have scores of his own a desire to fill his room with the masterpieces of the composers he adored and so to satisfy his wants. He used all of the results at his command. Who for years played oboe in English gone with Maestro tells a runway he earned money back in his student days at Parma. I would like to tell about their value a nice job would be easy used in college and when they brought one of their illegal composition they were providing money to a teen years old for him for 5 or 10 cents. And he said I bought music. Johnny was asked by

Toscanini very reason he kept admonished for such a long time and then so was. Because I knew someday you would be a great musician. Maestro Toscanini himself in a moment of intimate recollection of these Palmer years now tells of still another way he found to earn money to buy scores for you and me. Yes he did without food and sold his bread his meat and his wine

to find money to buy the Beethoven septet from the Mendelssohn Octet. Maestro it seems from his earliest times devoured the scores of the composers he loved and studied intensely to make their music permanently his own. Of his amazing ability to memorize music one particular story remains from his conservatory days. It concerned a performance of calm in which he had seen at the range of the following day without even a chance to have glanced at the score he recreated a large portion of it from memory both words and music. The fabulous Toscanini memory became a legend in his lifetime. Countless thousands of school was perfectly engraved on his mind ready to be recalled instantly at his command. This facility of memorization Sometimes however got him into trouble at the conservatory. His cello teacher for instance watched him closely as he came in to have his lesson. If the young Otto did not turn the pages as he played it meant that he had practiced diligently.

But if he didn't join them then Professor Carine sent him away knowing that if he had to read the music he had never seen it before and even the conservatory director Master Doctor on hearing stories about his fabulous memory and ability to absorb his car almost instantly by either sight or sound put him to the test more as a matter of discipline than approval. But even he was impressed when the young not to after being challenged with a skeptical stock ASM wrote out the complete orchestral scores of the prelude to act 1 and 3 of Lohengrin after hearing them only once before. Testimony to his almost unbelievable gift he had to be offered concerning that evening in Rio de Janeiro when he made his conducting debut in Aida a performance which he conducted at a moment's notice without using the score. And as if this speech were not enough to demonstrate this amazing facet of his mind. During that

same season in South America. He conducted at least 12 other operators all from memory at the age of 19 years. It's little wonder that we hear that his fellow students nicknamed him genius at the conservatory by word which annoyed him by the way not only then but throughout the years of his long and genius demonstrated career. They also had another name for him the scissors for his cutting criticism their faulty performances in rehearsal. Even then the noise his sense of obligation to the music. And his criticism of himself was just as severe as well as that dismay at being thought a genius or at his first student recital his cello playing was rewarded with enthusiastic applause. A fact which so irritated him for he thought he had not played well at all that he ran from the hall and stayed in seclusion in a closet for several hours before he could be persuaded to come out. But for all of his cutting remarks and never ceasing demands upon his fellow students they wrongly respected his musical gift

was so vastly above their own they model that is infallible eat his amazing memory is ability to grasp any musical problem and solve it at once. But they not only respected him they liked him and willingly followed his leadership in the early music making of his operatic arrangements and his own compositions. The years from 876 to graduation day in 1895 made tremendous changes in October of Tuscany entering the conservatory at the age of nine. He was already playing in orchestras by the time he was 13 years old. Let's listen as maestro himself recalls those days of cello study and early pleasures of performing in orchestras. Yeah yeah I heard that you know. That for you. And then.

Again. Professor Corine had done his work well for the young not Tura was a brilliant performer on his instrument. Fine enough to qualify for almost any job in the best orchestra and although his cello career terminated shortly after his conducting career began Maestro did avail themselves of an opportunity to play the World Premiere of Verdi's Otello. He tells of his first contact with that up that the first you're seeing for the first time. I think.

It was characteristic of the man even after his successful debut as a conductor to return to the orchestra as a cellist in order to learn directly from the composer himself how he wanted his music to be played. Yes he was a fine cellist. What other kind of a cellist could a Toscanini be and he remained ever proud of this fact. Shortly before his death the friend asked him Maestro Are you really good cellist and he replied. I'm his graduation certificate indicates that in his final examination he scored 160 points out of a possible 100 and 60 points achieving a perfect grade. Once famed cellist Greg Opie had a gossip he was asked if he had ever heard Maestro play cello and he answered the rhymes with no crossings together.

We used to have a lot of discomfort. And my ambition of us was with him in my cabin and let him play the cello. But the heat and heat too. Until it was time for lunch of course is the cutest sense if you will and maybe he just told you no he didn't want to play the cello piano Gonski went on to reveal the amazing knowledge that Maestro Toscanini had of the cello literature. And literature which he himself played with Maestro an intimate chamber music sessions at home in the chilly vanity very well because he uses a student used to accompany the class of his professor. Potter might be Officer use to accompany another class so he knew her pupils stuffed goaltimate on Buck and so on he learn not to play it with me all this I was going the let's play

the piano played all time only cello students like to play the cello. He liked to play in orchestras. He liked to lead his fellow students in impromptu orchestral and chamber music sessions at the conservatory and another thing he liked to do was to compose Is it difficult to graduation read write composition 50 points out of a possible 50 and his list of student compositions was a long and varied. The producer of the NBC symphony broadcast whose own music maestro played has this recollection of a conversation with him about his music. One afternoon in his dressing room just off Studio 8H maestro said to me my dear I once thought to be a composer. He shrugged in a manner suggesting that he himself thought little or nothing of his work in that field and went into an adjoining room returning in a moment with two pieces of music both bearing the inscription of the composer Arturo Toscanini. He seated himself at the piano and played them

for me that time singing some of the phrases softly to himself and when he turned again to me he said in a tone filled with memories of days long gone by. I could not write. I had no voice to say something from me. It was a touching moment one I shall never forget what the world lost when my master decided to become a conductor instead of a composer. We will never know what he said must choose what he can do best and his jaws was the baton on the podium. A choice which composers of all ages must be eternally grateful because of his honesty in saving them. There is some reason to believe however that the surge of music from within the man never ceased. We listened to Maestro at the piano in the intimacy of his studio in Riverdale improvising searching for some new phrase some long forgotten theme deep in memory as he caresses the keyboard.

Haunted it almost seems by thoughts of paper pen and ink from the palm and sounds from his own great soul. Among the 26 compositions which he left there was one from his student days which testifies to his memory of his favorite composer at that time. Mendelssohn was his God and He as a student of the conservatory wrote music which pays tribute to the man whose music he adored. We'll hear a fragment of it now. These get so for office by Otto Toscanini. The Palmer 1876 to 1885 the

formative years with doxy thought are you my son the Columbian economy and his fellow students. The searching years for Truth in Music from the scars of Mendel's own Beethoven and all the others. The learning years from raw beginning at the age of 9 to artistry at 19 from neophyte to master in a decade of dedicated devotion at the altar of his god music. Re-emerging years as he moved from classroom to career as a cellist. A career which by virtue of the gentle Whim of Fate. Brought him World domination of the podium and back home. These were the conservatory years the making of a my Astra. You have been listening to the first in a series of Sound Portraits of Otto Toscanini the Palme

a year broadcast commemorating the birthday of Master Toscanini continues now as we hear music written by a man who was a long time friend an associate of his in Italy many years ago. It is the nobility. You're. And.

Oh.

A. Toscanini and the NBC symphony orchestra have just performed the novelette just

as the concluding music on this program honoring the anniversary of maestros birth in Paghman Italy on March 25th 1867. Now it's my pleasure to introduce Alfredo Toscanini maestros grandson who joins us on this special birthday program. I remember that my grandfather didn't like to be reminded of his birthday. He didn't forget the birthdays of other members of the family but he would rather have us make no fuss over his. The only enjoyment he found on his birthdays was in the presence of his family and close friends at dinner. When he reached his 80th birthday he knew that he would have to submit to some festivities and he did this with good grace but with the admonition that the next birthday he would allow us to celebrate would be 98 and would we please spare him all the ones in between. What he couldnt understand was why his birthday should become a public occasion why people insisted on paying so much attention to it or to him actually.

He always tried to be very busy on March 25th with a concert or a rehearsal but he dreaded the possibility that the audience or the orchestra might do something special about it. On one such occasion at a rehearsal in studio age grandfather raised his baton to begin a brand Symphony and the orchestra played Happy Birthday instead. After a moment of surprise he recognized the tune and let them finish it. He laughed and joked with the men for a moment and then as far as he was concerned the birthday was forgotten and the rehearsal began in earnest and after a few bars an unfortunate musician made an error and the wrath of the maestro was upon him in full force. Birthday or not my grandfather would not have approved of this program in the sense that he tried to avoid personal publicity of all kind. He did not want to be noticed except when he was on the podium and even then it was the music that he felt deserved all of the attention. But I think that he would

be pleased that today so many young people are interested in his music and he would be delighted to think that new musicians and audiences hear the truth and beauty of music through his recordings. Grandfather did not think of himself as unusual but he always said that to be an artist requires even more than talent. Work work and more work. Tonight as I listen to the story of his school years at the Parma conservatory I hoped it would encourage other students to study as honestly and thoroughly as he did in this way. I celebration of his birthday would concentrate your attention on the music. Music to which he dedicated his life. Thank you. Thank you about radio without radio Toscanini has been our guest on the occasion of the commemoration of the anniversary of the birthday of his grandfather Otto Toscanini. You have been listening to Toscanini the man behind the legend. And the occasion of the

observance of his birth in Hama Italy on March 20 5th 1867. A music included Birdie's overture to the faults of the US do you know the dance of the world of names by kata Lani and the novelette of MATTEUCCI. Earlier we heard part one of a series of sound pockets of Maestro the Palme a year. And we chatted briefly with Robert Weldon vice president of NBC radio program. Join us again next week when our guest will be Francis Robinson assistant manager of the Metropolitan Opera. Well as many delightful anecdotes about the man behind The late. I mean is it Ben willing to Rossini's overture to leave Jani and Jesse and the Symphony Number four of Beethoven. The Palmer years were prepared for NBC by the Riverdale project under the present supervision of

Walter Toscanini and with special thanks to John Corbett technical curator and to Don Gillis who prepared the script. This is Ben Grauer speak. You heard one of a series of programs produced at NBC in 1963 edition with areal for this presentation came from the Toscanini archive. With post-production by William D hay and editing by Sherry Hutchinson. This program is brought to you by the South Carolina Educational Radio Network. Major funding is from Cooper Industries incorporated and Mr. and Mrs. G which are chapter.

Digital funding comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This is NPR National Public Radio. Think.

Think think think. Think.