Volume 6, Number 1 · February 3, 1966
Noah Greenberg (1919–1966)
By W.H. Auden
Noah Greenberg was that rarest of human beings, an artiste without self-regard. However he may crave immediate success, a composer or a playwright knows that, if his work is any good, it is irreplaceable and will continue to be played after he is dead. A conductor or a singer or an actor, on the other hand, knows that, however good he may be, he is necessarily replaceable simply because he is mortal; if he does not succeed in his lifetime, he has failed. The temptation for an artiste, therefore, to draw attention to himself by mannerisms and 'personal interpretations,' to conform to popular taste rather than risk a flop, is so great that only the strongest character can resist it. Noah Greenberg did.
Feature, 392 words
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