“Second to None”- notes by Beverly Bizup Hawkins The story behind the music: two students, on the occasion of their 40th college reunion, wanting to honor their teacher and lifelong mentor, commissioned this music. It is a story of a Dean of a Dental School and Chancellor of a Medical School, D. Walter Cohen DDS. The thoughts behind the music attempt to capture some of Cohen’s personal history and how that history is enmeshed with the history of America’s first dental school and the Parisian adventures of Dr. Evans, the school’s original trailblazer. “Second to None” is a composition in three movements. The first represents an historical moment in dentistry and it titled, “One day in 1951” The second movement is a whimsical consideration of how the present and past often mirror each other in unexpected ways. The title of that movement is “Two Manets and a Princess” The third movement contemplates how the past continues to shape the future when special teachers endow their wisdom on students. This movement is titled “The Great On and On” “Second to None” One Day in 1951 It was snowing and a guest Viennese scholar, could not make his engagement to lecture in Philadelphia. To fill the time while waiting, the audience started a discussion. Little would they imagine that this cold winter day would unfold into an historical turn in scholarly endeavors that saved smiles around the world in ways never accomplished before. Not only did their creative paths serendipitously cross, but they became lifetime friends and colleagues. The music in this movement is about connection, brilliance, new emerging ideas and light at horizons. If you let your imagination guide you, you can almost see the snowflakes too. Two Manets and a Princess The story of Thomas Evans’ is an intricate adventure filled with glamour and intrigue. Evans moved from Philadelphia to Paris in 1847 becoming the dentist of choice to a glittering set of Czars, Sultans, Empresses and Kings. Most notably, Evans became the court appointed surgeon dentist and confident to Emperor Napoleon III and his wife Eugenia, whose life he saved during the fall of the Second Empire. Evans was known for his fine gold work and his philanthropic contributions. During his travels, he met Mery Laurent, model to Eduard Manet and acquired a substantial art collection, which included Manets, Corots and other impressionistic paintings. In 1972, while hunting for the Czar’s missing desk, given to Evans, Cohen discovered not only the warped furniture, but two canvases titled; “Flowers in a Brioche” and “Flowers in a Crystal Vase” signed by Manet. They were authentic and Cohen was able to endow the school with another example of Evans’ generosity 100 years after his legacy. Evans was a trailblazer, Cohen followed in his footsteps. While kings and queens might not have surrounded him on a daily basis, Cohen was dentist to the Philadelphia born American film star who later became America’s own Princess. Grace Kelly, Princess Grace of Monaco trusted Cohen as Napoleon trusted Evans. The music in this movement reflects on impressionism, color and everything French. You can almost hear the strokes of the artist’s brush, together with visions of an American Princesses. The story has curious parallels in history represented in the music by repeating patterns and phrasing. Evans’ hands left the Manet canvases, Cohen’s hands, later picked them up. Princesses appeared and disappeared in the same way the Manets playfully popped up here and there…..as did the desk. Images appear and disappear among patterns of repetition. The Great On and On Teachers pass on traditions to their students, emulating their strength and leadership. The third and final movement beckons world peace and hope for the underserved. The final movement in 5/4 time, creates the impression of an intricate yet elegant and free forward movement, like a waltz that leads to the future. This movement welcomes future Greatness.