Charles E. Burchfield (1893-1967)

Then at 5:00 came the N.B.C. concert conducted by Stokowski – First were two of his Bach Transcriptions (we all believe in one God – Luther and a Toccata & Adagio) – beautifully played. Then followed a “Exile Symphony” by ? – a young Boston composer – a very fine piece and then a Symphonic Rumba by Paul Laval, to which I did not respond very much.; This afternoon, a practice day-light air raid alert was signaled, and Art and Cathie, with one of their teachers (Miss Maurice) and some half-dozen of their school mates, came to our house, as part of the plan. They made a lark of it, and I could hear them gayly (sic) laughing and shouting and running about. ; Last night we were bemoaning the fact that the long awaited Boston Symphony Concert (to which Bertha and I had tickets) was to consist, chiefly of the Shostakovich Seventh Symphony. The war situation, with Russia’s bitter stand against Germany for their national existence, I think alone accounts for the spot-light that has been centered on this piece of music. Over-long, and devoid of any but the thinnest of musical ideas, at any other time it would have fallen on very indifferent ears – But the situation being what it is, it is being played on any and every possible occasion. The critics have turned thumbs down, and the orchestral conductors have taken up the challenge, and seemed determined to convince us it is great music by cramming it down – or rather, into our ear-drums, whether we like it or no.