Music: The Tough Boss

Although the patrician Boston Symphony, one of the world’s three or four greatest orchestras, sounds sweet to most U. S. citizens, it grates on the ears of James Caesar Petrillo, new boss of the American Federation of Musicians. For the Boston Symphony is the only big nonunion orchestra in the U. S. Because of the A. F. of M. hold on the radio chains, the Boston Symphony has not broadcast in more than a year. Last fortnight tough Boss Petrillo forbade RCA Victor to make any more Boston Symphony recordings. “They’re through,” explained Mr. Petrillo. “We’ve taken them off the radio and off the records.”

A union separate from A. F. of M., but not heretofore regarded as its rival, is the American Guild of Musical Artists (also an A. F. of L. affiliate)—1,800 concert musicians, headed by Baritone Lawrence Tibbett. Boss Petrillo singled out A. G. M. A.’s instrumentalists—including Violinists Jascha Heifetz and Efrem Zimbalist, Pianists Vladimir Horowitz and Jose Iturbi—and commanded them to join A. F. of M. by Labor Day. The alternative: they would be barred from radio and recording. The catch: once in A. F. of M. they would be forbidden to play as soloists with the Boston Symphony. Asked Mr. Petrillo: “Since when is there any difference between Heifetz playing a fiddle and the fiddler in a tavern? They’re both musicians.”

In Manhattan, Baritone Tibbett went into a huddle with Boss Petrillo, emerged hopeful. Said Mr. Petrillo: “I’ll never be unreasonable with anybody. . . . They can call me tough if they want to, but my word is as good as any contract. . . . Everybody calls me the tsar, the chieftain and this and that. What can I do?”

Last week Baritone Tibbett flew to Los Angeles, flew back with the support of the Screen Actors Guild against “encroachment on [A. G. M. A.’s] jurisdiction.” If Boss Petrillo continued to act tough, it looked as if the music industry might land in a tie-up.