Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Most interesting thing I have been doing these days is reading “My Musical life” by Rimsky-Korsakov (loaned to me by Louis Holdermiller). From the remarks of certain critics and writers, anent the subject of Rimsky’s orchestration & editing of the work of Moussorgsky (sic), I had formed the opinion that he, (Rimsky-) had been rather high-handed and officious in the corrections he had made in Moussorgsky’s (sic) scores, arising from (I imagined) his inability to fully appreciate the originality of the music he was editing. I am sure that I, (and his critics) were wrong. It may be so that Moussorgsky (sic) was too far ahead of his time for even Rimsky, his devoted admirer, to appreciate, but whatever changes were made, were made honestly. And when we consider the tremendous labor, and length of time Rimsky gave, not only to the work of Moussorgsky (sic), but also to Borodin’s, and even Glinka’s, without which much of their work might have been lost forever, we cannot be grateful enough to him, for his self-negation.; It is time, that such denial of his own ego, is not the earmark of a great creative mind, and when all is said and done, the quality of Rimsky’s work falls well below that of both Borodin and Moussorgsky (sic). He was not the great creator, (and he knew it), that is why he was willing to take as much time away from his own work. It seems to me