Paying The Piper
HE English Listener two or three years ago printed a series of articles called "Paying the Piper," the burden of which was that he is a lucky piper who is paid adequately. Haydn, it was pointed out, earned about £70 a year; Mozart about £80; Bach less than either. Beethoven offered to compose six sonatas for £ 150, but was told that the fee was too high. Chopin had to teach to live, as well as compose and play. It is true that musicians, ancient and modern, have left large fortunes, but they either made their money in other than musical ways or they composed successful operas. In general there is no money in music; and if there is, it goes to someone else. The musician has the joy, with the pam, of producing, the public the pleasure, without the pain, of consuming. So the public should pay. But the public owns a receiving set or a gramophone, can buy pianola rolls, and hear celebrities without buying tickets. The celebrity must eat, he must study, he usually must travel. He has a hard life, and as a celebrity necessarily a short one. Who is going to provide for him? He will obviously not be provided for at all unless we, the public, who own sets and _ turn knobs, pay a little every day we have him. We do pay something, whether we know it or do not, every time we listen to him, but if we are to pay enough to make him always available we must consciously and deliber- _ ately tax ourselves, The music festival, for example, by which we are marking our centennial, we know that we have to pay for. But if it is to be a perpetual festival, as it ought to be, we must go on paying, and we deserve no sympathy and shall have no respect if we jib at that hurdle. A shilling or two a year on income tax, .001 per cent. on our.tobacco or butter or beer, would keep this magnificent organisation or another one for ever in being. It is NO use saying we can’t afford it. We can. But ‘we may not want it. And if we don’t we should wallow honestly in the mire of our indifference and not give it another name,
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 46, 10 May 1940, Page 12
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387Paying The Piper New Zealand Listener, Volume 2, Issue 46, 10 May 1940, Page 12
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Copyright in the work University Entrance by Janet Frame (credited as J.F., 22 March 1946, page 18), is owned by the Janet Frame Literary Trust. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise this article and make it available online as part of this digitised version of the New Zealand Listener. You can search, browse, and print this article for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from the Janet Frame Literary Trust for any other use.
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