Spring Stravinsky

"Hoy! The man must be out of his mind!" These were the words of a bony, nervous lady who had just listened to the first part of Stravinsky's Le Sacre du Printemps as played in Philadelphia last week by the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Monteux. Having so spoken, the bony lady left the auditorium as did many another ignorant Philadelphia music listener. Those who kept their seats applauded with vigor. When all who wanted to leave had done so, Mr. Monteux continued his conducting.

At the end of the performance, the portion of the audience which had remained clapped and cheered. The conductor took his bows, then motioned to his musicians to acknowledge their share of the ovation. This they refused to do; instead, they too applauded their conductor. For though they had played well, in fact beautifully, the musicians were aware that most of the credit for a splendid performance of one of the most exciting compositions in modern music belonged to Mr. Monteux--who first conducted Le Sacre du Printemps and who is admittedly as familiar with the tangled splendor of its score as the composer himself.