Speech Transcripts

Music in Modern Life

1939 Valeditory speech given By Adolph Herseth
at his graduation from Bertha High School

When man left the most primitive type of existence and began to better his station on earth, he also developed one thing which has ever since been one of the most important elements in life – music. Music has been associated with the development of civilizations, and has had a big part in building the civilization within which we live today. Men have used music or rhythms of certain types to distinguish themselves from one another, and none of the arts can claim precedence over music. It is with these facts in mind that I wish to present you with my ideas on the place of music in life today.

Music, along with literature and the rest of the arts, enjoyed a revival and sudden growth after the Renaissance. Previous to this, all such had been rather subdued for centuries. But even before the Dark Ages, when the ancient civilizations flourished, music had already gained a good foothold. Man in those days often wrote history in verse form, and then sang it. Traveling bards and players who went from town to town singing and playing were numerous and popular. Music, even then, was assuming a place of prominence, not only in the leisure life of men, but also in the professional side of life.

Adolph Herseth played with the Bertha High School Band beginning in the 5th grade, where he met his wife Avis Bottemiller (standing next to him) in the trumpet section. They were married for 69 years.

Following the Renaissance, men began to awaken to the tremendous possibilities of music. Listening to it offered a wonderfully refreshing form of recreation. Performing music became a profitable occupation as well as an enjoyable experience. Many people made their living by musical means. As far back as the fourteenth century, in the days of the first guilds and trade unions, the trumpeters’ guilds were numerous. These “trumpeter guilds” were composed of men who played fanfares for public occasions, bugle calls, and signal calls of different kinds. They were very influential in local politics. Recent findings show that the music performed by these men was far from simple. These players were of no mean ability, and their instruments were not nearly so easy to handle as those of today. From this and from other numerous proofs, we know that music, even in its more complicated forms, is very old. It has a background which gives it a universal appeal to everyone.

In these high-speed days of keenly competitive professions, there is a need for a sound training of children and youth. They must be given some sort of a start toward a means of supporting themselves. That is one of the prime purposes of an education of any kind. Musical training in the public schools offers to students one of the very best opportunities for the beginning of a vocation, or a career in music. It is one of the finest examples of the practical side of schooling. I could list for you literally thousands of men and women who make music their means of support, and who received their first inspiration and training in public schools, just such as ours. It may seem a great distance from the amateurish attempts at music in the schools to the professional performances that thrill us through the medium of radio and phonograph, but all great things have humble beginnings. Who can say which young school musicians will later make music their lives’ chosen work? No one. For this reason, music needs and deserves the wholehearted support of every community in the land.

Let us now, for the sake of enlightenment, take any typical student who has completed an education along musical lines, and has a reasonable ability to sing, play, or even teach. Let us look ahead with him and examine, as well as time permits, the many opportunities that lie before him.

First let us assume that this particular person has a liking for good, wholesome music, the so-called “long-haired type.” If he wishes to continue as a performer, rather than teach, there are many musical units – bands, orchestras, choruses, and the like – touring this country at all times, and they are always on the lookout for new talent. There are symphony orchestras, concert bands, radio and theater groups that he may enter. If the student is a real artist, he may undertake a concert tour as a soloist or a member of a small ensemble, provided, of course, he can obtain the backing necessary.

Now let us take it for granted that our young friend is ambitious to get into the field of popular music. If this be the case, he has perhaps even more room for entrance and advancement than if he were the first type. There are innumerable dance bands all over the country. While the inclination to belong to one of these might be called by some perverted musical taste, it is still a form of musical talent and as such should be given due credit and recognition. Most of the highest paid musicians in the world are those experts in the field of popular music. Some receive as much at $800 a week, and even more. And they are always in demand.

So far I have dealt with the practical side of a musical career. There are, however, two aspects of this art which render it so universally popular and profitable. Music has the property of being able to soothe ruffled nerves, enliven dead feelings, and arouse stagnant ambitions. Why are summer band concerts so popular? Why do great symphony orchestras present “pop” concerts between regular concerts seasons? Who do touring artists and name bands attract such large crowds?

Adolph Herseth played in a brass quartet at Bertha High school along with (left to right) Janet Domian, Avis Bottemiller and Woodrow Wieland. His father (Adolph Herseth Sr.) was the school superintendent, and as a result the group played frequently at school events.

The answer is this — music affords an emotional outlet for people, especially as needed in these high-tension times. Most people, whether musically talented or not, enjoy hearing music performed. Others find that by playing and singing themselves they get pleasant relief from worldly troubles and cares. Good music stimulates the higher type of emotions, which are generally untouched by other affairs of life. It gives a sort of lifting feeling, a feeling of being apart from the harsh realities of everything else. One who has not experienced this enjoyment has truly missed a great deal of pleasure.

Adolph Herseth started playing the trumpet in a band conducted by his father, who was also an amateur saxophone player.

Aside from being an art in itself, music is a very useful and valuable accompaniment to other arts and presentations. What would our movies be without the addition of background music to lift the mood of the picture? Would our church services be as enjoyable as they are without music? What interest would big parades hold if they had no snappy bands, or a peppy drum and bugle corps? Indeed, music has become an indispensable addition to our everyday lives, both in a vocational and an entertaining way. The value of music to the average student cannot be estimated. In dollars and cents it would be high, no matter how one looks at it. In terms of higher values, it cannot be approximated.

Music is one field that has a definite and assured future. The general public is becoming increasingly music-conscious, and for this reason new types and varieties of music are always welcome. Talented performers are at a premium. Good teachers and critics are always in demand, because the public wants to learn more music. The standard of competition is constantly rising in all lines of work, and because of the growing interest of the people as a whole, the things I have just mentioned point only to one thing – that no student could choose a better field than music, from which to derive leisure-time enjoyment, or in which to make his way through life. (copyright 2019—Herseth Family Collection)

Commencement Speech

by Adolph Herseth
for Bertha High School class of 1959
(on the 20th anniversary of his own graduation from the same school)

Superintendent Johnson, members of the Board of Education, seniors of the graduating class of 1959, and friends: I am deeply honored and highly pleased to be able to be with you on this Commencement Day, and to share few thoughts with you. Naturally, as I stand here, a flood of memories comes to my mind. My first thought is of the many fine people who influenced my life and my career here in this school, and of course I would like first of all to pay tribute to the memory of my father who was for many years superintendent here, in addition to being one of the finest teachers. Certainly I owe a great deal to him, and so, I think, do many others who went to school under him. We shall not forget what he did for us. I will mention one other out of the long list, who did a great deal for so many of us, especially in regard to what turned out to be a career for me. That man is Lawrence Hanson, who did so much for the music of this school and of this community.

I think also of the day I graduated with the class of 1939, just twenty years ago. I also remember all the hard-fought athletic contests that I played in. We didn’t win them all then either, but I think that the basketball team that I was on in 1936 was the first from Bertha to go to the Regional Tournament. I recall the fun of the class plays, the many rehearsals and concerts that I enjoyed so much. And last, and maybe most important to me, it was here that I met and courted my bride-to-be, the lovely daughter of one of Bertha’s most prominent families, certainly a fine extra-curricular benefit.

Also worthy of mention are the many changes that have taken place in the entire plant since I attended school here. Without a doubt, our finest investments in the future of our communities, our states, and or nation are the time, energy and money that we spend on our young people. They will pay us dividends that we can never begin to calculate.

When I was asked to deliver the Commencement address, I decided that I would like to stress only two main points: first, the importance of a goal; and second, the importance of preparation for that goal. In planning just how to make these points, I remembered that somewhere in the collection of old stuff, like everyone else, I have cluttering up my basement and garage, I had a copy of my valedictory address from twenty years ago. So I dug it out, and was only mildly surprised to see that the subject that I chose then was “Music in Modern Life.” As I read through the speech (which really wasn’t very good except that it was short), I began to realize how prophetic it was, although I’m sure that I didn’t realize it then. Here is a quotation from that address:

Adolph Herseth played on the Bertha Hight School basketball team, and is standing in the back row second from the right. His father was the school’s superintendent and is standing on the far left.

“In these high-speed days of keenly competitive professions, there is a need for a sound training of children and youth. They must be given some sort of a start toward a means of supporting themselves. That is one of the prime purposes of an education of any kind. Musical training in the public schools offers to students one of the very best opportunities for the beginning of a vocation, or a career in music. It is one of the finest examples of the practical side of schooling. I could list for you literally thousands of men and women who make music their means of support, and who received their first inspiration and training in public schools, just such as ours. It may seem a great distance from the amateurish attempts at music in the schools to the professional performances that thrill us through the medium of radio and phonograph, but all great things have humble beginnings. Who can say which young school musicians will later make music their lives’ chosen work? No one. For this reason, music needs and deserves the wholehearted support of every community in the land.”

Although it was only a vague dream then, I must have already had a hidden ambition to do just precisely what I am doing now as the solo trumpet of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I suppose I did know that I wanted to be in some branch of music, or at least that I wanted it as an avocation, for music is one of the finest hobbies. As a matter of fact, I’d venture to say that almost everyone here this evening enjoys a nice band concert, a pretty song well sung, or a good lively march or polka. Well, if you do, music is a hobby with you. The nice thing about music is that you can enjoy it as a performer or as a listener as long as you live.

While attending Luther College, Adolph Herseth started a trio with Donald Gjerdrum (left) and LeRoy Eitzen (center). They arranged a variety of repertoire, including transcriptions of Benny Goodman records from the later 1930’s. Gjerdrum would play Goodman’s solos and Herseth would play the trumpet parts of Harry James on a cornet.

Now, naturally, I wasn’t in the least ready, or even considering working towards, a professional career in my field as a player. But I sensed that my interests and talents tended in that direction. This brings me to the first point, the importance of a goal. I think that you young people should already have some general area that interests you. It probably isn’t necessary, or even desirable, to have your careers entirely planned at this stage of your lives, but soon now you must settle on something if you haven’t already done so.

Some of you may know now that you want to be a teacher, a farmer, a doctor, a housewife and homemaker, or whatever else it might be. If so, you have already taken a big step in making your decision. You are ready now to put all your efforts into achieving your goals. That does not mean, of course, that your lives are narrowed down by having made that choice already, because many things go into making a career of any kind. But you have eliminated the uncertainty of what to do, and replaced it with a sort of “target” for your ambitions. You can concentrate right now on doing your best at what you enjoy doing next.

But that does not mean that those who have not decided yet are in a weaker position. For many people it takes months or even years before they find a particular kind of work that not only fits their talents, but also is one that brings satisfaction. It sometimes takes a lot of exposure to different situations, new people, and fresh ideas before a person recognizes that here is the focus for his or her life. Thus is may be more practical for some of you to spend some time actually working at several different jobs, before you find the one that brings out the best in you. As a matter of fact, there are many successful people who have had careers in several fields, sometimes totally unrelated. I think of the very great man, Albert Schweitzer, who as a young man was one of the finest musicians the world has ever known. He was the toast of the musical world, a magnificent organist, a profound scholar, and a writer of the finest kind. Yet he was not satisfied with himself. He felt that he had not made the right decision. So after he was thirty years old, he went back to school to learn to be a doctor and a missionary. And the world honors him today for his successful life as a medical missionary to the poorest natives in Africa. So you see, you can change your mind, and still make another fine career in something new. It takes a little more hard work, a little more gumption, perhaps; but it can be done.

Some of you are going on to more schooling, in order to acquire more knowledge, greater skills, and broader concepts before you go out into the world on your own. This additional schooling is of course a great privilege, and a fine advantage if you make full use of it. The great stimulation of higher education cannot be denied and of course is actually required for many lines of work. Our modern technology, in all of its many phases, demands an almost continual study from those who would be a part of it.

All of this merely underlines what I am trying to say about having a goal before you. It may be that you should consult your parents for their ideas. Perhaps you have, and are going to follow a family tradition in choosing your field. Others who can give you valuable assistance are your teachers, who are well aware of your talents and your capabilities. Your pastor can be of very great aid and influence in helping you make your choice.

One thing is certain however. If you are to achieve any real satisfaction and success, the sooner you can focus your energies, the better off you’ll be. Otherwise you will waste a lot of time and energy groping around, never gaining the knowledge and efficiency that you must have to live up to your full potential. So I say to you, “Have a goal, but keep an open and flexible mind.”

This is a good time to mention a few considerations that are involved in setting your goals. Don’t let money be too big an issue in the choice, either in determining whether to go on to more schooling if it is necessary, or in determining what your career shall eventually be. In spite of the rising costs of higher education today, a student who has a resolute purpose can always find a way through school. Part time employment, scholarship aid, loans, and deferred payments are various methods of surmounting this obstacle.

Don’t let the prospect of a high income in the future be your guiding principle either. Of course, it must be one consideration, but it ranks behind such things as doing well at what you really want to do, and the satisfaction of exploiting your talents to the utmost in your chosen work. And you will find that there is ample compensation in any field if you work hard. There is an old saying that success is ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. I don’t know just who did the mathematical research to arrive at those figures, but I do know that it has been endorsed by more successful people than any other slogan. Its meaning is quite obvious, and I mention it here because it fits in exactly with the two points that I am trying to emphasize tonight. The inspiration is of course the goal or goals that one establishes, and the perspiration is the hard work of preparation to meet those goals. I think I should at this point tell you a little bit about the kind of work I am engaged in. It is far enough off the beaten track that you might perhaps be interested to hear about it. And you will see that, while it is rather different from most occupations, the motto we just mentioned applies to any field equally well.

Adolph Herseth with members of the CSO brass section performing in Chicago at Orchestra Hall.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is a group of one hundred and five highly trained and experienced musicians. It is considered to be one of the finest orchestras in the world, and I feel that it is a great privilege to be a member of such an organization. We play approximately one hundred and fifty concerts each year, of which around one hundred and twenty are given during the winter season from October through the first part of May.

We play about thirty more during our summer season at Ravinia Park near Chicago. In addition to this we often play radio broadcasts and television concerts, as well as making a great many fine recordings. So we work pretty hard at making music for the people of not only Chicago, but at times for the entire country. And our recordings are well known all around the world, wherever music is talked about.

Maintaining a high standard of performance with a symphony orchestra requires a great deal of preparation, or rehearsal. We rehearse five times a week, sometimes more, for a period of two and a half or three hours. When you consider that we perform hundreds of different compositions each year, and that each detail must be to perfection, it can be understood that it does take a lot of rehearsing.

Besides the group practice, we must do a certain amount of individual practicing also. I used to think that if I ever practiced hard enough to get into a symphony, maybe then I could ease up a bit. But I found that I practiced even harder after I got the job than I did before. And not entirely because I found it necessary (though I did), but because it gave me an increased incentive and stimulation. And where I had perhaps been over-optimistic about my abilities before, now I saw that I was really just beginning to become proficient.

It brought to mind another old saying to the effect that the more you learn, the less you find you really know. Apparently this holds true in most other fields too, because in conversations with many people from a wide variety of occupations I’ve found a general agreement on this – that one never stops learning a trade or business or profession. Not only is there the constant challenge of ever higher standards and greater competition, but a person must constantly keep abreast of the improvements in methods and skills that are continually being added to any line of endeavor.

In a sense, one is a student, one is always preparing for something new, throughout the whole of a career. If you don’t move ahead, you slide back. You never stand still. This brings to mind several very vivid illustrations, both of which happen to concern violinists, one, the concertmaster of our orchestra, and the other, a very famous soloist.

John Weicher is the concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony and has been for twenty years. His position is one of great responsibility as the first violinist because not only must he play well himself, he is charged with seeing that all of the string sections play well collectively. It is the most demanding position in any orchestra.

Now John is not really suited to being a musician in many respects. His temperament is more like that of a wrestler. His hands and fingers look as though they were intended to hold a pneumatic drill or a lumberman’s axe instead of a violin. And I think that John had only a very ordinary amount of special musical talent, but he loved music and his violin very much and he was and still is a very persistent person. He studied and practiced just that much more than the other violinists who found it came a little easier to them, with the result that he became one of the best concertmasters in the whole music business.

When a very difficult passage was giving him trouble, he would apply his own unique method of practicing to it. At his home he has a large jar full of pennies. Alongside of it he would set an empty jar. Then as he practiced, each time he repeated the difficult passage, he would take one penny from the full one and put it in the empty one. And this would continue until all the pennies had been moved to the other jar. Then the next day he would practice until they were all back in the first jar again. Because he was willing to discipline himself and work hard, he became a better player than many others who had more native ability but not the stick-to-it-iveness that he had. That is what is meant by perspiration.

The other man I have in mind is the great violin soloist, Jascha Heifetz. I am sure that name is familiar to many of you. Possibly some of you have heard him play. If you have I think you’ll agree that he is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, violinist in the world today. This man has the most complete mastery of the instrument that can be imagined, and the violin is probably the most difficult orchestral or solo instrument to master. We have made a number of concerto recordings with Mr. Heifetz, and I never fail to marvel at his flawless technique and superb musicianship.

To stand in front of microphones for nine or ten hours in one day (which is usually the time required) and play these extremely difficult movements and cadenzas over and over without ever making a mistake or a goof seems almost inhuman; and yet that is just what he does. And he is as fresh when we finish as when we start. Well, obviously this presupposes a very great talent. A man has to be born with that sort of temperament and brain and nervous system. But a man also has to develop those talents to bring them to such full fruit.

Adolph Herseth with CSO 2nd trumpeter Vincent Cichowicz, at a CSO recording session at Medinah Temple in Chicago.

I will tell you a true anecdote concerning Mr. Heifetz’ way of practicing that will partly explain why he is so great. A few years ago, the concertmaster of one of our other great American symphony orchestras, succeeded in persuading Mr. Heifetz to give him some coaching on the violin. Now this fellow was already a very accomplished fiddler, as attested to by his position. Incidentally, it was not Mr. Weicher. So this young man went out to California in the summer to spend a little time at the Heifetz home in Beverly Hills. And Mr. Heifetz, after hearing the fellow play suggested that he follow his own (Mr. Heifetz’s) daily routine of musical studies, exercises, and special methods of practice. This routine is a full day of eight hours of practice, which Mr. Heifetz does regularly as the basic groundwork just to keep in shape. Then any solo or ticklish passage is worked on in addition to all this.

Needless to say the young man went away absolutely stunned by this amount of work. He had been accustomed to working four or five hours a day, which is about par for the course for concertmasters. And when he got home to try all of these things Mr. Heifetz outlined for him, he fond that it took him twelve hours just to run through them, let alone really work them out. That is what is meant by perspiration.

I have selected these examples because they are first hand from my own experience. And they can be duplicated in any other line of work that you can think of. Some that come to mind are the countless hours of practice put in by Bob Feller, before and after he became a big leaguer. Or the ceaseless writing and rewriting done by such a fine author as Ernest Hemingway. Or the continuing and arduous study of a famous lawyer like Joseph Welch. Certainly there was a goal for each of these people. They knew what they wanted to accomplish, and then they proceeded to give it everything they had, with the result that they were completely successful in their chosen work.

Adolph Herseth (seated)
with members of the CSO Brass Quintet

Now we all know that only a few of us are destined by the good Lord for such greatness. Not everyone is gifted with the talent or the sensitivity or the physical drive of these really outstanding people, nor does the same combination of environment and opportunity present itself to everyone. But each and every one of us has a certain potential capacity; and success for us ordinary mortals consists of finding a field of work that affords satisfaction of achievement first of all. The knowledge that you may someday contribute something that fills a need in this world, whether it be a material need or a spiritual need, will give a reward that no amount of money can match. If you do well in any field you will receive adequate compensation, so that should not be your main concern. Determine what your goal will be, and then give it all you’ve got.

In closing, I would like to thank everyone concerned for the opportunity to speak to you this evening. It has been a refreshing experience for me to be in front of an audience without my trumpet in my hands, and I must admit that I felt a little lonesome without it. I would like to offer my sincerest congratulations to the class of 1959 for successfully completing the course of study leading to this diploma. You have now passed the first milestone of your career. And in wishing you good luck and good health and Godspeed, I trust that twenty years form now, if you have taken a good aim on life, we shall be able to repeat these congratulations to you. Thank you very much.