Musical Gods Are False Idols

Mr. Biss is a concert pianist.

“At this school, your teacher is your God.”

I can remember hearing this more than once while a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, several decades ago, but friends and colleagues who attended other conservatories have confirmed my suspicion that the sentiment was not specific to Curtis. In the music world, gods were everywhere: I’d already heard story after story in which teachers, conductors and soloists were praised as all-knowing and treated as all-powerful. I didn’t give it a second thought, despite having learned in Sunday school that it is dangerous to believe in........

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