Arequipa has seen the formation of an amateur symphony orchestra
of music lovers, consisting mostly of office workers and artisans. The
professional musicians of Arequipa have lent their assistance to en-
courage the excellent work of this group of enthusiasts. The orchestra
rehearses at night and gives concerts over the air and in the local
theatres.
In recent years the National Symphony Orchestra has performed from
time to time in the provinces, where there have also been occasional
appearances by distinguished foreign and some Peruvian, performers.
The radio and the gramophone record are the best means of dissemi-
nating music in most of these areas outside the capital.
TRAINING OF PROFESSIONAL MUSICIANSBefore the foundation of the Philharmonic Society and the National
Academy of Music, the teaching of music was generally regarded as a
luxury, and hence as unnecessary. A few teachers gave private lessons,
but save in rare cases the small amount of music education thus im-
parted smacked of superficiality and ‘snobbism’. The deeper meaning
of music in the development of the individual and the community was
not realized.
The dissemination of musical masterpieces, begun by the Philhar-
monic Society and the National Academy of Music, brought home
to some people the beauty of the great works of music and led
them to make a serious study of the subject. It was thus that the
first recruits were secured who studied music as their future pro-
fession and later devoted themselves to teaching, in State establish-
ments and elsewhere.
Meanwhile the number of music-lovers was rising steadily, and many
students grew up who, without intending to make music their pro-
fession, wished to acquire some basic knowledge of it. Concert audi-
ences increased in size and discrimination, and the dissemination of
good music began to reach the community as a whole.
The educational effort had repercussions of marked importance. A
clear and imperious demand led to the establishment of a succession of
private schools, the facilities of the National Academy of Music and of
the Philharmonic Society being inadequate for the numbers of students
seeking instruction. There was an ample supply of pupils for the
private schools, and a sharp increase in the numbers of private lessons
given by Peruvian and foreign teachers. Public performances by