ABSTRACT
Szymanowski's resistance to proposals of employment in the educational field has already been recorded. But though he was of the opinion that it was absurd to suggest that 'if someone doesn't compose too badly, he must become a teacher', 1 he was was forced to consider the matter more seriously in November 1926 when his Viennese friend, Joseph Marx, offered to suggest him for the position of Director of the Cairo Conservatory. At first Szymanowski considered following up the proposition, but in spite of Marx's reassurances that he was well-suited to the post (preference would be given to a French-speaking composer whose works possessed an oriental colouring), he eventually decided that acceptance would be too risky a venture at his time of life. There were other problems as well, namely - as he recognized himself - an at best doubtful theoretical knowledge of the properties of oriental music, and worse than that, a lack of faith in the very teaching of music.
