Brother Sasha

In 1921 a dark little man with a Russian face and an American name began to fiddle his way into the big money. Critics on two continents praised young Alexander ("Sasha") Culbertson for his silky tones, liked him best in Bach. But Sasha was not satisfied with himself. In 1926 he canceled 31 U. S. engagements, broke a contract to make phonograph records, sailed for Europe. In Paris he settled down with his bride of two years to study all over again. There and in Berlin he worked hard, eked out a meager living from music lessons. Last week he walked timidly onto the stage of Manhattan's Carnegie Hall to show what he had learned in a decade.

The audience grew dreamy over Sasha's singing, sensuous delivery of the Franck sonata. More cold-blooded listeners felt that here Culbertson lacked clarity, tended to lose himself in lyric effects. As always he did best with Bach, made every variation in the Chaconne marvelously clear and incisive. Sensing that Sasha Culbertson was nervous over his second debut, critics deferred judgment. Friends of Violinist Culbertson were not surprised at his nervousness. Sasha has always been as retiring as his bridge- playing brother, Ely Culbertson, is bold. Though both Culbertsons were born in Eastern Europe, they are Sons of the American Revolution. Their father was a mining engineer from Oil City, Pa. who liked to boast of his Scotch Covenanter descent. In 1880 he went to Russia to develop the rich oil fields at Grozny. There he met and married Xenia Rogoznaia, daughter of a Cossack general.

Father Culbertson struck it rich. He was able to move into a big feudal castle near Grozny. Ely was born in, 1893, Alexander five years later. At 4, Sasha began to study violin. Ely used to practice too, but gave up when people made fun of him for keeping his mouth open. While Sasha was studying arduously at home, Ely Culbertson, then 14, ran away, hobnobbed with anarchists, spent two wretched months in the Tsar's prison.

Sasha studied first with the leader of the orchestra his mother kept for her own amusement. Later teachers were Otakar Sevcik of Prague and Professor Seligman of Leningrad Conservatory. He was 14 when he made his debut in Vienna, impressed critics with his fluency, impressed his father into buying him a $100,000 Guarnerius del Gesu violin.

During the War, Sasha volunteered as an entertainer for the U. S. Army. Doughboys hissed when young Culbertson, listed as a violinist from Oil City, Pa., came on with his long hair and his faulty English. Ely wanted to be an interpreter. This Son of the American Revolution passed examinations in seven languages but flunked English. When the Russian Revolution came the Culbertsons lost their estate. Father Culbertson returned to the U. S. broke. Sasha began his concert tours. Between 1921 and 1926 he made over $120,000 Some of this money he sent to his brother in Paris. Ely was studying the social sciences at the Ecole Superieure des Sciences Economiques et Politiques but seemed more determined to become a boulevardier and bridge shark.

When Sasha gave up performing, Ely had to go to work. Prepared for nothing but bridge, he invented the forced bid, made it pay him $200,000 a year by 1930, $600,000 gross last year. While Ely Culbertson got rich, Brother Sasha continued to prepare for last week's return. He has been back in the U. S. since the autumn of 1935, staying at Brother Ely's big house in Ridgefield, Conn.

Both Culbertsons have U. S. wives and Russian accents. Both are Greek Orthodox Catholics, love luxury and expensive clothes, hope some day to collect a claim of $4,000,000 from the Russian Government. Ely likes to think of himself as a "mass psychologist." He says, "I loathe bridge--that is, playing bridge. I think anybody who plays bridge must be slightly insane." Sasha loves to go to the theatre, confesses he does not know an ace from a king.

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