Political Hay

To have a new composition rejected by the patrons who commissioned it may seem like one of the worst things that could happen to a composer. But as Vincent Persichetti has discovered, sometimes it is one of the best things. Persichetti, 57, an established middle-of-the-road composer who teaches at Manhattan's Juilliard School, wrote a piece for narrator and orchestra to be performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra at the official Inaugural concert in Washington two weeks ago.

With very little hesitation the presidential Inaugural Committee removed it from the program, feeling that the text, Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, might embarrass President Nixon by its references to war. Soon three other orchestras offered to perform the work, a record company put out feelers about recording it, and inquiries began arriving in the mail at Persichetti's publishers--in all, it aroused more interest than almost any contemporary composer can hope for with a new piece.

Last week, in its premiere by the St. Louis Symphony with William Warfield narrating, the eleven-minute A Lincoln Address proved to be a combination largely of an unremarkable but solidly crafted series of rich chordal textures laid in behind the voice. It prompted two-thirds of the audience in Powell Symphony Hall to stand and applaud, a handful to stand and walk out, and the remainder pointedly to remain seated. Says Persichetti: "I just want to be judged on musical grounds. I don't want to make hay on the basis of politics."

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