Samuel Lipman’s pieces on music came out originally in magazines, chiefly in Commentary and The New Criterion. The obvious question arises. Are enough of these essays of sufficient interest and importance to justify republication? The answer is happily yes. Lipman’s candor, taste, and intelligence as well as the wide range of his musical interests make him one of the most consistently interesting music critics in America.

What is especially worth noting is the stern assessment of performances given under the most august auspices. Too often after attending a celebrated display of astounding mediocrity one reads with amazement sober approval and commendation in the daily press. Lipman’s ruthless honesty comes as a relief. Admittedly, almost all the events covered are confined to Lincoln Center, but—for good or ill—PBS, if not history, has conspired to make this narrow piece of Manhattan the musical center of our hemisphere.

The negative side of Lipman’s criticism is nicely balanced by much that is positive as well as instructive. Notable here is the sympathetic and persuasive account of Glen Gould’s strengths and idiosyncrasies as an interpreter. Impressive too are the acute observations on the different style of Lieder-singing in the 20’s and the 30’s compared to that of the decades following World War II. His piece on “Singing Wolf” should be read by anyone interested in this important art, even those who take issue (as I do) with his depreciation of postwar performers.

Some essays are of limited interest, precisely because they report a brief period of past musical activity. For example, a vigorous and unsparing critique of Zubin Mehta’s first two seasons with the New York Philharmonic is still worth reading, but an addendum covering the next two seasons would have provided a better perspective from which to consider Lipman’s judgment. The book’s subtitle (Art in an Era of Institutions) is not quite appropriate since it properly characterizes only about one-third of the essays collected here. Moreover, the “era” of some of these institutions (the Metropolitan Opera, for instance) extends far beyond the recent half-decade on which the book concentrates.

But Lipman does have a valid point: Precisely in his time as a critic, the nature and impact of these institutions has been significantly altered, both by televised broadcasts and by public funding. The New Era demands serious consideration and gets it from Lipman in an eminently readable mixture of wit and controversy.

 

[The House of Music: Art in an Era of Institutions, by Samuel Lipman (Boston: David R. Godine) $22.50]