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If the Genius Toscanini Smashes His Baton on
the Head of a Musician Who Is Playing a
Little Flat--Well, That's His Artistic
License, So the Italian Courts Decided
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THE Jealous concern with
which a great composer
nurses his own musical
creation is like the tender
' anxiety a mother feels for
a delicate child.
In the orchestral rendition of a musical
masterpiece the solicitude of the leader
Is not less than the solicitude of a mother
for the well being of her infant.
If the composer is himself leading an
orchestra and the first violin hy playing
flat 13 "murdering" the, melody hte feel
ings at the moment against this delin
quent would he quite similar to the feel
ings of a mother who observed a nurse
strangling her infant.
Great musical genius bespeaks the
superman and the ordinary laws of the
land must not be applied to a superman!
Thus the courts of Italy have Just ruled
In the case of the famous musical genius,
Toscanini, who struck at a member of his
orchestra with his baton, broke the man's
violin bow and drove the corner of the
broken bow into the unfortunate player's
eye. And Toscanini was freed of respon
sibility for his outburst of artistic tem
perament because it was held that great
musicians are not responsible for what
they do under the exaltation of their
genius.
The decision was fully supported by
scientific psychological reasons. The lat
ter apply with equal force to the many
acts of violence and eccentricity, often
verging on Insanity, which have been
committed by men of genius and great
talent in all ages.
This remarkable decision was rendered
during the trial, at Turin, Italy, of an as
sault charge against Arturo Toscanini, the
world-famous orchestral conductor, who is
so well known in the United States. The
maestro was charged with assaulting the
violinist during a rehearsal of Beethoven's
Ninth Symphony at a local opera house.
Some musical witnesses testified that
the poor violinist was playing off the
pitch, while others said that he was not
keeping perfect time with the other play
ers. These facts would doubtless have
explained the great orchestra leader's
rage very clearly, but they would not, per
haps, have sufficed to secure his acquittal
but for a most Blngular circumstance.
By a rare piece of good fortune for Tos
canini he had invited a professional psy
chologist. Professor Pastor, to attend the
rehearsal, and this scientist was able to
explain the exact psychological reasons
that Justified Toscanint'a conduct. Ordin
arily Toscanini does not permit any out
sider to attend a rehearsal, 'but he made
an exception In favor of Professor Pastor,
who was preparing a psychological mono
graph on "Enthusiasm" and believed be
could gather some points, from Toscanlnl's
Behavior. The courtesy was well repaid,
for Professor Pastor proved to be the
i decisive witness for the defense, and de
livered a convincing scientific argument,
proving the Irresponsibility of genius In
the throes of creation or under the stress
of artistic labor.
In the first place. Professor Pastor said
that he had made a special pathological
study of Toscanini, and had found that on
great occasions this prince of conductors
becomes so possessed by sublime (frenzy
that his normal personality forsakes him.
He becomes transfigured by genius, be
side, or rather outside of, himself, so that
the. Inhibitory nerves are completely par
alyzed. In a paroxysm of inspiration he
falls a tragic prey to the tyranny of art.
and the faculty of distinguishing good
from evil is subor
dinated to the ex
treme ebbs and
flows of sensibility.
Stupendous words
and vivacious
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deeds "break ..fdrth.
with volcanic force.
So impossible is
anything like a
quiet return to
normal equilibrium
that throughout
the night after a
performance h e
continues In a
state of pitiful ner
vous exaltation. He
cannot sleep, his
teeth chatter In
cessantly, the mus
cles of arms and
legs become pain
fully rigid and his
whole organism vi
brates 'like the sub
soil after a terrific
earthquake.
In reply to other
questions Profes
sor Pastor ex
plained the irre
sponsibility of gen
lus on other
-grounds besides
those applying pe
culiarly to Tosca
nini. Genius has long
been defined cor
reotly as "an Infi
nite capacity for
taking pains" It
has also been de
fined by psycholo
gists as an intense
.concentration of
activity In certain
areas of the brain and nervous system.
The genius's mental activity is many
times more than normal. f
When the genius is in a creative state
of mind he becomes unconscious of or in
different to all thingB except those that
help to carry out the object he has in
view. If any person or obstacle comes in
his way he is obliged to remove him or it.
If a painter, who Is creating a master
piece, sees an obtruding head between
his eye and the canvas, he will remove
it by pushing It, punching It, removing
it, or any other method that Is practical.
Nothing matters so long as he removes
the -offending obstacle. The genius is
often totally unconscious of the violent
manner in which he is behaving, the im
pulsive act being carried out by his sub
consciousness. Similarly, if any note Jars the perfect
harmony of a musical performance, the
creator will annihilate the cause of the
disharmony instantly if he can.
The Italian judges were so completely
convinced by Professor Pastor's argu
ments that they decided It would be a
flagrant injustice to penalize a musical
genius like Toscanini with even so mud
as the' infliction of a fine.
Toscanini as everybody knows, has had
an amazing career. While still a young
man he was acclaimed the greatest con
ductor In Italy, and since that day dis
criminating critics have generally agreed
that nowhere Is there to be found his
equal with the baton.
From the night when quite nnexpect
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Arturo Toscanini,
Distinguished Maestro.
fidly he was given his opportunity to con
duct an opera for the first time his career
has been marked by many of the eccen
tricities which the world associates with
genius.
It was In Rio Janeiro. . Toscanini was
then only a hunrhle cello player. When
the regular conductor was hissed from
the orchestra pit somebody suggested try-!
Ing the young celloist in his place.
As soon as the temperamental Tosca
ami heard this suggestion he fled to a
lark corner in the basement of the opera
house and hid himself under a heap ctf old
costumes. Fellow members of the or
chestra found him there, dragged him to
the pit and forced the baton into his hand.
In an instant he won the favor of tbo
turbulent audience 'by discarding his score
and - conducting entirely from memory
From that . night his fame was assured,
and within a few years all the great
musical centres were bidding fabulous
sums for his services.
Toscanlnl's phenomenal memory is one
of the most striking characteristics of hla
genius. He has more than 150 operas in
his repertoire, and he has them so com
pletely memorized ' that he never even
glances at a score while conducting. Thl3
astonishing burden which his memory
carries probably accounts in large meas
ure for his self-absorption and consequent
eccentricity.
Toscanini . was conductor at the Metro
politan Opera House in New York for
several years, receiving, it is said. 145,000
for a season's work. When Italy entered
Gnat BrtUla Blttits BMerrcd.
the war he returned to his native land and
made every effort to enlist.
Although not accepted for mHitary ser
vice on account of his age, Toscanini won
a silver medal for his bravery under fire.
During the battle of Monte Santo he led
a band of musicians up a shell-swept moun
tainside to the ruins of a convSWt in the
summit.
There, with shells bursting all around,
he led his men through a long programme
of patriotic airs. "Tranquil and calm," an
eye-witness wrote, "his baton seemed to
be directing a concert, showing repeated
contempt for danger."
The music stirred the Italian soldiers
to Incomparable eifthuslaBm and they
turned what seemed like certain defeat
into a smashing victory over their Aus
trian foes. q
Many ardent music lovers affirm that
merely seeing Toscanini conduct is better'
than hearing a whole opera under ordi
nary conditions. The musicians In his
orchestra say that when he conducts elec
tric sparks seem to flash from him from
bis finger tips, from his baton, from hi
eyes.
The tremendous energy which Tosca-
nini consumed Th thus galvanizing hid
musicians with the force of his person
ality frequently brings him to the verge
of nervous breakdown. He is an Indefa
tigable worker, and when studying some
new opera will often go for weeks with
out regular meals and sleep.
Ever since the beginning of time
geniuses musicians, poets, painters and
authors, notably have been acting in a
violent, absent-minded or eccentric man
ner, and now we know why they do it and
why they are not responsible legally.
Professor Lombroso tells us that Bee
thoven, one of the greatest of composers,
was arrested at Neustadt for walking
through the streets without clothes. He
had been wandering in the forest, thinking
over a new sonata, and in order to enjoy
greater freedom had thrown off most of
his clothing. When the composition was
complete in his mind he walked briskly
away, not thinking of such earthly things
as the clothes he bad left behind.
Lombroso has shown that many men of
genius are defective in part of their mental
structure, thus making possible the abnor
mal activity in that line in which they are
pre-eminent. Many have been deaf, de
ficient in sensitiveness to pain, epileptic
and so forth.
Forgetfulnesn is a common peculiarity
of genius. Sir Isaac Newton, while think
ing of the law oi gravitation, rammed his
niece's finger into bis hot pipe, believing
that It was his own finger.
Mozart, another great musical composer,
when carving meat would cut his own
fingers, accustomed only to the piano, so
frequently that he had to give up carving.
Button, the great French naturalist, while
thinking of a puzzle In natural history,
climbed up a tower and slid down a rope
without knowing what he had done, al
though be had seriously endangered his
life.
Rossini when conducting his "Bar
biere," which was at first a failure, did
not realize that the public had left the
performance and went on conducting.
Donizetti, after beating his wife in a
savage manner, immediately composed his
most beautiful air, "Thou to whom God
hast given wings."
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