I write in response to your suggestion of an appointment to our faculty for Mr. W. A. Mozart, currently of Vienna. Austria. While the Music Department appreciates your interest, faculty are sensitive about their prerogatives in the selection of new colleagues.
While the list of works and performances that the candidate submitted is undoubtedly a full one, though not always accurate in the view of our musicologists, it reflects activity outside education. Mr. Mozart does not have an earned doctorate; indeed, very little in the way of formal training or teaching experience. There is a good deal of instability too evidenced in the resume. Would he really settle down in a large state university?
And while we have no church connections, as chairman I must voice a concern over the incidents with the Archbishop Colleredo of Salzburg. They hardly confirm his abilities to be a good team man, and display a disturbing lack of respect for authority. What should we think of a man who has such problems with a prince of the Church?
I know that the strong supporting letter from Mr. F. J. Haydn, himself a successful composer, suggests that some of the candidate's problems are not really to the heart of the matter. But Mr. Haydn is writing from a very special situation. Esterhazy is a well-funded private institution, rather a long way from our university, and better able than we are to accommodate a non-academic like Mr. Haydn. Our concern is not just with the most gifted, but, because state funds are involved, with all who come to us seeking an education in music. I have drawn to your attention many times the budget and space problems in the department.
Furthermore, we suspect cronyism on the part of Mr. Haydn.
The musicology faculty did say after the interview that Mr. Mozart seemed to have little knowledge of music before Bach and Handel. If he were only to teach composition, that might not be a serious impediment, but we expect everyone to be able to assume some of the burden of large undergraduate survey classes in music history.
The applied faculty were impressed by his piano playing, rather old-fashioned though some thought it to be. That he also performed on the violin and viola seemed for us to be stretching versatility dangerously thin; we expect our faculty to be the foremost experts in their field, and one can hardly be an expert if one has time to dabble in other activities.
The composition faculty were in the same way skeptical about his extensive output. They rightly warn us from their own experience that to receive many performances is no guarantee of quality, and the senior professor points out that Mr. Mozart promotes many of these performances himself. He has never won the support of a major foundation. One of my colleagues was present a year or two ago at the premiere of, I believe, a violin sonata, and he discovered afterwards that Mr. Mozart had indeed not fully written out the piano part before he played it. This may be all very well in that world, but it sets a poor example to students in their assignments; we expect that deadlines be met on time and this includes all necessary paperwork. One can only think with trepidation of a concerto performance by our student orchestra with Mr. Mozart.
Naturally, he proved to be an entertaining man at dinner and spoke amusingly of his travels. It was perhaps significant that he and our colleagues seemed to have few acquaintances in common. One lady colleague was offended by an anecdote our guest told and left early. This propensity of his to excite the enmity of some is hardly conducive to the establishment of the comity to which we aspire to maintain on our faculty, let alone the image that we wish to project to the community at large.
We are glad as a faculty to have had the chance to meet the visitor, but do not see our way to recommending an appointment, and least of all with tenure. Our first need, as I have emphasized to your office, is for a specialist in music education primary methods.
Please give my regards to Mr. Mozart when you write him. I am sure he will continue to do well in that very different world he has chosen and which suits him better, I believe, than higher education.
Have you reviewed the resume of Mr. A. Salieri that we sent you? Now there is a musician of the highest ideals and probity that accurately reflects the aims and values that we espouse; we would be eager to welcome such a musician as he to a tenure track position on our faculty.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Y, Chairman, Department of Music
P.S. Some good news. Our senior professor of composition tells me there is now a very good chance that a movement of his concerto will have its premiere next season. You will remember that his work was commissioned by a foundation and won first prize nine years ago. >>
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I thought you might enjoy this, knowing my feelings regarding the "ivory
tower bunch."
Tony
Dear Dean X:
I write in response to your suggestion of an appointment to our faculty for
Mr. W. A. Mozart, currently of Vienna. Austria. While the Music Department
appreciates your interest, faculty are sensitive about their prerogatives in
the selection of new colleagues.
While the list of works and performances that the candidate submitted is
undoubtedly a full one, though not always accurate in the view of our
musicologists, it reflects activity that is primarily outside the field of education.
Mr. Mozart does not have an earned doctorate; indeed, very little in the way of formal
training or teaching experience. There is a good deal of instability too evidenced in
the resume. Would he really settle down in a large state university?
And while we have no church connections, as chairman I must voice a
concern over the incidents with the Archbishop Colleredo of Salzburg.
They hardly confirm his abilities to be a good team man, and display a
disturbing lack of respect for authority. What should we think of a man who
has such problems with a prince of the Church?
I know that the strong supporting letter from Mr. F. J. Haydn, himself a
successful composer, suggests that some of the candidate's problems
are not really to the heart of the matter. But Mr. Haydn is writing from a
very
special situation. Esterhazy is a well-funded private institution, rather a
long way from our university, and better able than we are to accommodate
a non-academic like Mr. Haydn. Our concern is not just with the most
gifted, but, because state funds are involved, with all who come to us
seeking an education in music. I have drawn to your attention many times
the budget and space problems in the department.
Furthermore, we suspect cronyism on the part of Mr. Haydn.
The musicology faculty did say after the interview that Mr. Mozart seemed
to have little knowledge of music before Bach and Handel. If he were only
to teach composition, that might not be a serious impediment, but we
expect everyone to be able to assume some of the burden of large
undergraduate survey classes in music history.
The applied faculty were impressed by his piano playing, rather
old-fashioned though some thought it to be. That he also performed on
the violin and viola seemed for us to be stretching versatility dangerously
thin; we expect our faculty to be the foremost experts in their field, and
one
can hardly be an expert if one has time to dabble in other activities.
The composition faculty were in the same way skeptical about his
extensive output. They rightly warn us from their own experience that to
receive many performances is no guarantee of quality, and the senior
professor points out that Mr. Mozart promotes many of these
performances himself. He has never won the support of a major
foundation. One of my colleagues was present a year or two ago at the
premiere of, I believe, a violin sonata, and he discovered afterwards that
Mr. Mozart had indeed not fully written out the piano part before he played
it. This may be all very well in that world, but it sets a poor example to
students in their assignments; we expect that deadlines be met on time
and this includes all necessary paperwork. One can only think with
trepidation of a concerto performance by our student orchestra with Mr.
Mozart.
Naturally, he proved to be an entertaining man at dinner and spoke
amusingly of his travels. It was perhaps significant that he and our
colleagues seemed to have few acquaintances in common. One lady
colleague was offended by an anecdote our guest told and left early. This
propensity of his to excite the enmity of some is hardly conducive to the
establishment of the comity to which we aspire to maintain on our faculty,
let alone the image that we wish to project to the community at large.
We are glad as a faculty to have had the chance to meet the visitor, but do
not see our way to recommending an appointment, and least of all with
tenure. Our first need, as I have emphasized to your office, is for a
specialist in music education primary methods.
Please give my regards to Mr. Mozart when you write him. I am sure he will
continue to do well in that very different world he has chosen and which
suits him better, I believe, than higher education.
Have you reviewed the resume of Mr. A. Salieri that we sent you? Now
there is a musician of the highest ideals and probity that accurately
reflects the aims and values that we espouse; we would be eager to
welcome such a musician as he to a tenure track position on our faculty.
Yours Sincerely,
Dr. Y___,
P.S. Some good news. Our senior professor of composition tells me
there is now a very good chance that a movement of his concerto will have
its premiere next season. You will remember that his work was
commissioned by a foundation and won first prize nine years ago.
Chairman, Department of Music
-- Author unknown.