D.T. Phi responded to Walter Meyer:

>>I believe that the only president in my lifetime to appreciate classical
>>music was Truman and he didn't flaunt it.
>
>But he did flaunt his power (or powerlessness) as president in defending
>his soprano daughter from the music critic Paul Hume.

Ah!  but that is precisely my point.  Everyone rooted for Truman because
he was acting out of his heart, out of his indignation and made Paul Hume
look like the crumb he was anyway.  It boosted Margaret's career.  She had
a quite adequate voice, although we know it wasn't world-class.  She is
such a sensible women and married well, raised a fine son and wrote some
wonderful mystery books.  Not a bad outcome for a President who warned Hume
that if he ever saw him "he punch him in the noise."

And now anyone who knows history associates Truman with classical music,
yea, with music criticism.  As a former Republican who has given up on
the parties, I must say Truman has grown in my estimation over the years
precisely because he was a common man who did uncommon things.  And this
is one of the happiest examples of that.

Nixon's problem was that he was anal retentive.  If the man was more
relaxed he would probably have played better in both senses.  He composed
simple pieces as presents to his wife.  Maybe he could express that
apparent lack of emotion better in music.  Many great composers have the
problem.  Imagine if he had delivered his state of the union messages and
campaign speeches a cappella and had been big-hearted and Verdian enough to
sing a recitative admitting his wrongdoing after the Watergate break-in.
We might have a Nixon Performing Acts Center somewhere in addition to the
Kennedy Center, whose namesake showed no particular interest in classical
music, although from his upper class upbringing he was instinctive enough
to invite Casals to play at the White House.

Verdi, Beethoven, Mozart, Sibelius, Smetana, Dvorak, Elgar, Vaughn
Williams, Bartok, Ives, the Russian Five, all the nationalist composers
were vitally interested in politics in a musical sense and not as
collateral to their creations.  Copland wrote music to our great historic
and political texts and some national anthems can stand on their own as
very great music, just as Strauss Waltzes do, which Brahms for one
acknowledged.

One day it might be interesting to try to rate national anthems musically.
Unfortunately, "Deutschland Unber Alles", now banned, would take first
prize because it is the magnificent slow movement from the Haydn Kaiser
Quartet.  I have always been moved by the Dutch National Anthem.  I prefer
"God Save the King" in its AUTHENTIC American version.  The Star Spangled
Banner, on the other hand, requires Uma Sumac to sing it properly.

Andrew E. Carlan
Farmingdale, Long Island, NY