Orchestras & Street Cars

Titles make a difference in such up & coming trades as undertaking, press-agenting, real estate, beautifying. Self-conscious pride has enriched the language with the fancy names "mortician," "public relations counsel," "realtor," "beautician." A profession which has never needed a prop to elegance and dignity is Music, yet last week there came a musician's lament. A letter to proud Conductor Leopold Stokowski of the Philadelphia Orchestra from sensitive Conductor Ossip Gabrilowitsch of the Detroit Symphony was published. Excerpt:

"In my opinion the word 'conductor' used in the English language for the leader of an orchestra is ridiculous. It ought to disappear from the vocabulary. The Italians speak of direttore, the Germans say diligent, which has the same root. The French say chef d'orchestre, which sounds also rather dignified.

"Only in the English language has the orchestra leader a name which immediately suggests a street car conductor and gives occasion to all sorts of cheap jokes. I was going to take up with you this question and see if we could not call ourselves 'musical directors' instead of 'conductors.' Detroit would follow suit and pretty soon all the other orchestras would fall in line, I am sure."

Observers hastily looked at copies of the latest prospectus of the Philadelphia Orchestra. In it appears the name of Leopold Stokowski, "musical director." But the list of directors for the coming season, including Musical Director Stokowski, appears under the plain, old- fashioned heading, "Conductors."

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