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+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Piano Mastery, by Harriette Brower
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Piano Mastery
+       Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers
+
+
+Author: Harriette Brower
+
+Release Date: April 11, 2005  [eBook #15604]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PIANO MASTERY***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Chuck Greif and the Project Gutenberg Online
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+
+
+
+
+
+PIANO MASTERY
+
+Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers
+and
+an Account of a Von Bülow Class, Hints on Interpretation, by Two
+American Teachers (Dr. William Mason and William H. Sherwood) and a
+Summary by the Author
+
+by
+
+HARRIETTE BROWER
+
+Author of _The Art of the Pianist_
+
+With Sixteen Portraits
+
+Frederick A. Stokes Company
+The Musical Observer Company
+
+1915
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Photo Copyright By Marran IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+PRELUDE
+
+IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI
+
+ERNEST SCHELLING.....The Hand of a Pianist
+
+ERNESTO CONSOLO.....Making the Piano a Musical Instrument
+
+SIGISMOND STOJOWSKI.....Mind in Piano Study.
+
+RUDOLPH GANZ.....Conserving Energy in Piano Practise
+
+TINA LERNER.....An Audience the Best Teacher
+
+ETHEL LEGINSKA.....Relaxation the Keynote of Modern Piano Playing
+
+BERTHA FIERING TAPPER.....Mastering Piano Problems
+
+CARL M. ROEDER.....Problems of Piano Teachers
+
+KATHARINE GOODSON.....An Artist at Home
+
+MARK HAMBOURG.....Form, Technic, and Expression
+
+TOBIAS MATTHAY.....Watching the Artist Teacher at Work
+
+HAROLD BAUER.....The Question of Piano Tone
+
+RAOUL PUGNO.....Training the Child
+
+THUEL BURNHAM.....The "Melody" and "Coloratura" Hand
+
+EDWIN HUGHES.....Some Essentials of Piano Playing
+
+FERRUCCIO BUSONI.....An Artist at Home
+
+ADELE AUS DER OHE.....Another Artist at Home
+
+ELEANOR SPENCER.....More Light on Leschetizky's Ideas
+
+ARTHUR HOCHMAN.....How the Pianist Can Color Tone with Action and
+                   Emotion
+
+TERESA CARREÑO.....Early Technical Training
+
+WILHELM BACHAUS.....Technical Problems Discussed
+
+ALEXANDER LAMBERT.....American and European Teachers
+
+FANNIE BLOOMFIELD ZEISLER.....The Scope of Piano Technic
+
+AGNES MORGAN.....Simplicity in Piano Teaching
+
+EUGENE HEFFLEY.....Modern Tendencies
+
+GERMAINE SCHNITZER.....Modern Methods in Piano Study
+
+OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH.....Characteristic Touch on the Piano
+
+HANS VON BÜLOW.....Teacher and Interpreter
+
+WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD AND DR. WILLIAM MASON.....Hints on Interpretation
+
+POSTLUDE.....Vital Points in Piano Playing
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+Ignace Jan Paderewski
+
+Sigismond Stojowski
+
+Rudolph Ganz
+
+Katharine Goodson
+
+Mark Hambourg
+
+Tobias Matthay
+
+Harold Bauer
+
+Raoul Pugno
+
+Ferruccio Busoni
+
+Eleanor Spencer
+
+Teresa Carreño
+
+Wilhelm Bachaus
+
+Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
+
+Ossip Gabrilowitsch
+
+Hans von Bülow
+
+Dr. William Mason
+
+
+
+
+PRELUDE
+
+TO AMERICAN PIANO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
+
+
+The following "Talks" were obtained at the suggestion of the Editor of
+_Musical America_, and have all, with one or two exceptions, appeared in
+that paper. They were secured with the hope and intention of benefiting
+the American teacher and student.
+
+Requests have come from all over the country, asking that the interviews
+be issued in book form. In this event it was the author's intention to
+ask each artist to enlarge and add to his own talk. This, however, has
+been practicable only in certain cases; in others the articles remain
+very nearly as they at first appeared.
+
+The summer of 1913 in Europe proved to be a veritable musical
+pilgrimage, the milestones of which were the homes of the famous
+artists, who generously gave of their time and were willing to discuss
+their methods of playing and teaching.
+
+The securing of the interviews has given the author satisfaction and
+delight. She wishes to share both with the fellow workers of her own
+land.
+
+The Talks are arranged in the order in which they were secured.
+
+
+
+
+PIANO MASTERY
+
+
+
+
+PIANO MASTERY
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI
+
+
+One of the most consummate masters of the piano at the present time is
+Ignace Jan Paderewski. Those who were privileged to hear him during his
+first season in this country will never forget the experience. The
+Polish artist conquered the new world as he had conquered the old; his
+name became a household word, known from coast to coast; he traveled
+over our land, a Prince of Tones, everywhere welcomed and honored. Each
+succeeding visit deepened the admiration in which his wonderful art was
+held.
+
+The question has often been raised as to the reason of Paderewski's
+remarkable hold on an audience; wherein lay his power over the musical
+and unmusical alike. Whenever he played there was always the same
+intense hush over the listeners, the same absorbed attention, the same
+spell. The superficial attributed these largely to his appearance and
+manner; the more thoughtful looked deeper. Here was a player who was a
+thoroughly trained master in technic and interpretation; one who knew
+his Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann and Liszt. These things of
+themselves would not hold an audience spellbound, for there were other
+artists equally well equipped. In a final analysis it was doubtless
+Paderewski's wonderful _piano tone_, so full of variety and color, so
+vital with numberless gradations of light and shade, that charmed and
+enthralled his listeners. It mattered to no one--save the critics--that
+he frequently repeated the same works. What if we heard the Chromatic
+Fantaisie a score of times? In his hands It became a veritable Soliloquy
+on Life and Destiny, which each repetition invested with new meaning and
+beauty. What player has ever surpassed his poetic conception of
+Schumann's _Papillons_, or the Chopin Nocturnes, which he made veritable
+dream poems of love and ecstasy. What listener has ever forgotten the
+tremendous power and titanic effect of the Liszt Rhapsodies, especially
+No. 2? When Paderewski first came to us, in the flush of his young
+manhood, he taught us what a noble instrument the piano really is in the
+hands of a consummate master. He showed us that he could make the piano
+speak with the delicacy and power of a Rubinstein, but with more
+technical correctness; he proved that he could pierce our very soul with
+the intensity of his emotion, the poignant, heart-searching quality of
+his tones, the poetry and beauty of his interpretation.
+
+Paderewski is known as composer and pianist, only rarely does he find
+time to give instruction on his instrument. Mme. Antoinette Szumowska,
+the Polish pianist and lecturer was at one time termed his "only pupil."
+Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the Polish composer, pianist and teacher has
+also studied with him. Both can testify as to his value as an
+instructor.
+
+Mme. Szumowska says:
+
+"Paderewski lays great stress on legato playing, and desires everything
+to be studied slowly, with deep touch and with full, clear tone. For
+developing strength he uses an exercise for which the hand is pressed
+against the keyboard while the wrist remains very low and motionless and
+each finger presses on a key, bringing, or drawing out as much tone as
+possible.
+
+"Paderewski advises studying scales and arpeggios with accents, for
+instance, accenting every third note, thus enabling each finger in turn
+to make the accent impulse: this will secure evenness of touch. Double
+passages, such as double thirds and sixths, should be divided and each
+half practised separately, with legato touch. Octaves should be
+practised with loose wrists and staccato touch. As a preparatory study
+practise with thumb alone. The thumb must always be kept curved, with
+joints well rounded out; it should touch the keys with its tip, so as to
+keep it on a level with the other fingers. Paderewski is very particular
+about this point.
+
+"It is difficult to speak of Paderewski's manner of teaching expression,
+for here the ideas differ with each composer and with every composition.
+As to tonal color, he requires all possible variety in tone production.
+He likes strong contrasts, which are brought out, not only by variety of
+touch but by skilful use of the pedals.
+
+"My lessons with Paderewski were somewhat irregular. We worked together
+whenever he came to Paris. Sometimes I did not see him for several
+months, and then he would be in Paris for a number of weeks; at such
+seasons we worked together very often. Frequently these lessons, which
+were given in my cousin's house, began very late in the evening--around
+ten o'clock--and lasted till midnight, or even till one in the morning.
+
+"Paderewski the teacher is as remarkable as Paderewski the pianist. He
+is very painstaking; his remarks are clear and incisive: he often
+illustrates by playing the passage in question, or the whole
+composition. He takes infinite trouble to work out each detail and bring
+it to perfection. He is very patient and sweet tempered, though he can
+occasionally be a little sarcastic. He often grows very enthusiastic
+over his teaching, and quite forgets the lapse of time. In general,
+however, he does not care to teach, and naturally has little time for
+it."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mr. Stojowski, when questioned in regard to his work with the Polish
+pianist, said:
+
+"Paderewski is a very remarkable teacher. There are teachers who attempt
+to instruct pupils about what they do not understand, or cannot do
+themselves: there are others who are able to do the thing, but are not
+able to explain how they do it. Paderewski can both do it and explain
+how it is done. He knows perfectly what effects he wishes to produce,
+how they are to be produced, the causes which underlie and bring them
+about; he can explain and demonstrate these to the pupil with the
+greatest exactness and detail.
+
+"As you justly remark the quality of tone and the variety of tonal
+gradations are special qualities of Paderewski's playing. These must be
+acquired by aid of the ear, which tests and judges each shade and
+quality of tone. He counsels the student to listen to each tone he
+produces, for quality and variety.
+
+
+CLEARNESS A MUST PRINCIPLE
+
+"The player, as he sits at the piano, his mind and heart filled with the
+beauty of the music his fingers are striving to produce, vainly imagines
+he is making the necessary effects. Paderewski will say to him: 'No
+doubt you feel the beauty of this composition, but I hear none of the
+effects you fancy you are making; you must deliver everything much more
+clearly: distinctness of utterance is of prime importance.'' Then he
+shows how clearness and distinctness may be acquired. The fingers must
+be rendered firm, with no giving in at the nail joint. A technical
+exercise which he gives, and which I also use in my teaching, trains the
+fingers in up and down movements, while the wrist is held very low and
+pressed against the keyboard. At first simple five-finger forms are
+used; when the hand has become accustomed to this tonic, some of the
+Czerny Op. 740 can be played, with the hand in this position. Great care
+should be taken when using this principle, or lameness will result. A
+low seat at the piano is a necessity for this practise; sitting low is
+an aid to weight playing: we all know how low Paderewski himself sits at
+the instrument.
+
+"You ask what technical material is employed. Czerny, Op. 740; not
+necessarily the entire opus; three books are considered sufficient. Also
+Clementi's _Gradus_. Of course scales must be carefully studied, with
+various accents, rhythms and tonal dynamics; arpeggios also. Many
+arpeggio forms of value may be culled from compositions.
+
+"There are, as we all know, certain fundamental principles that underlie
+all correct piano study, though various masters may employ different
+ways and means to exemplify these fundamentals. Paderewski studied with
+Leschetizky and inculcates the principles taught by that master, with
+this difference, that he adapts his instruction to the physique and
+mentality of the student; whereas the Vorbereiters of Leschetizky
+prepare all pupils along the same lines, making them go through a
+similar routine, which may not in every instance be necessary.
+
+
+FINGERING
+
+"One point Paderewski is very particular about, and that is fingering.
+He often carefully marks the fingering for a whole piece; once this is
+decided upon it must be kept to. He believes in employing a fingering
+which is most comfortable to the hand, as well as one which, in the long
+run, will render the passage most effective. He is most sensitive to the
+choice of fingering the player makes, and believes that each finger can
+produce a different quality of tone. Once, when I was playing a
+Nocturne, he called to me from the other end of the room: 'Why do you
+always play that note with the fourth finger? I can _hear_ you do it;
+the effect is bad,' He has a keen power of observation; he notices
+little details which pass unheeded by most people; nothing escapes him.
+This power, directed to music, makes him the most careful and
+painstaking of teachers. At the same time, in the matter of fingering,
+he endeavors to choose the one which can be most easily accomplished by
+the player. The Von Bülow editions, while very erudite, are apt to be
+laborious and pedantic; they show the German tendency to
+over-elaboration, which, when carried too far becomes a positive fault.
+
+
+CORRECT MOTION
+
+"Another principle Paderewski considers very important is that of
+appropriate motion. He believes in the elimination of every unnecessary
+movement, yet he wishes the whole body free and supple. Motions should
+be as carefully studied as other technical points. It is true he often
+makes large movements of arm, but they are all thought out and have a
+dramatic significance. He may lift the finger off a vehement staccato
+note by quick up-arm motion, in a flash of vigorous enthusiasm; but the
+next instant his hand is in quiet position for the following phrase.
+
+
+STUDYING EFFECTS
+
+"The intent listening I spoke of just now must be of vital assistance to
+the player in his search for tonal variety and effect. Tone production
+naturally varies according to the space which is to be filled. Greater
+effort must be put forth in a large hall, to make the tone carry over
+the footlights, to render the touch clear, the accents decisive and
+contrasts pronounced. In order to become accustomed to these
+conditions, the studio piano can be kept closed, and touch must
+necessarily be made stronger to produce the desired power.
+
+
+INTERPRETATION
+
+"A great artist's performance of a noble work ought to sound like a
+spontaneous improvisation; the greater the artist the more completely
+will this result be attained. In order to arrive at this result,
+however, the composition must be dissected in minutest detail.
+Inspiration comes with the first conception of the interpretation of the
+piece. Afterward all details are painstakingly worked out, until the
+ideal blossoms into the perfectly executed performance. Paderewski
+endeavors uniformly to render a piece in the manner and spirit in which
+he has conceived it. He relates that after one of his recitals, a lady
+said to him:
+
+"'Why, Mr. Paderewski, you did not play this piece the same as you did
+when I heard you before,'
+
+"'I assure you I intended to,' was the reply.
+
+"'Oh, it isn't necessary to play it always the same way; you are not a
+machine,' said the lady.
+
+"This reply aroused his artist-nature.
+
+"'It is just because I am an artist that I ought at all times to play
+in the same way. I have thought out the conception of that piece, and am
+in duty bound to express my ideal as nearly as possible each time I
+perform it.'
+
+"Paderewski instructs, as he does everything else, with magnificent
+generosity. He takes no account of time. I would come to him for a
+stipulated half-hour, but the lesson would continue indefinitely, until
+we were both forced to stop from sheer exhaustion. I have studied with
+him at various times. One summer especially stands out in my memory,
+when I had a lesson almost every day."
+
+Speaking of the rarely beautiful character of Paderewski's piano
+compositions, Mr. Stojowski said:
+
+"I feel that the ignorance of this music among piano teachers and
+students is a crying shame. What modern piano sonata have we to-day, to
+compare with his? I know of none. And the songs--are they not wonderful!
+I love the man and his music so much that I am doing what lies in my
+power to make these compositions better known. There is need of pioneer
+work in this matter, and I am glad to do some of it."
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+ERNEST SCHELLING
+
+THE HAND OF A PIANIST
+
+
+As I sat in the luxurious salon of the apartments near the Park, where
+Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Schelling were spending the winter, sounds of
+vigorous piano practise floated out to me from a distant chamber. It was
+unusual music, and seemed to harmonize with the somewhat Oriental
+atmosphere and coloring of the music-room, with its heavily beamed
+ceiling of old silver, its paintings and tapestries.
+
+The playing ceased and soon the artist appeared, greeting the visitor
+with genial friendliness of manner. He was accompanied by the "lord of
+the manor," a beautiful white bull terrier, with coat as white as snow.
+This important personage at once curled himself up in the most
+comfortable arm-chair, a quiet, profound observer of all that passed. In
+the midst of some preliminary chat, the charming hostess entered and
+poured tea for us.
+
+The talk soon turned upon the subject in which I was deeply
+interested--the technical training of a pianist.
+
+"Technic is such an individual matter," began Mr. Schelling; "for it
+depends on so many personal things: the physique, the mentality, the
+amount of nervous energy one has, the hand and wrist. Perhaps the
+poorest kind of hand for the piano is the long narrow one, with long
+fingers. Far better to have a short, broad one with short fingers. Josef
+Hofmann has a wonderful hand for the piano; rather small, yes, but so
+thick and muscular. The wrist, too, is a most important factor. Some
+pianists have what I call a 'natural wrist,' that is they have a natural
+control of it; it is no trouble for them to play octaves, for instance.
+Mme. Carreño has that kind of wrist; she never had difficulty with
+octaves, they are perfect, Hofmann also has a marvelous wrist. I am
+sorry to say I have not that kind of wrist, and therefore have been much
+handicapped on that account. For I have had to work tremendously to
+develop not only the wrist but the whole technic. You see I was a wonder
+child, and played a great deal as a small boy. Then from fifteen to
+twenty I did not practise anything like what I ought to have done. That
+is the period when the bones grow, muscles develop--everything grows.
+Another thing against me is the length of my fingers. When the fingers
+are longer than the width of the hand across the knuckle joint, it is
+not an advantage but a detriment. The extra length of finger is only so
+much dead weight that the hand has to lift. This is another disadvantage
+I have had to work against. Yes, as you say, it is a rather remarkable
+hand in regard to size and suppleness. But I hardly agree that it is
+like Liszt's; more like Chopin's, judging from the casts I have seen of
+his hand.
+
+"As for technical routine, of course I play scales a good deal and in
+various ways. When I 'go into training,' I find the best means to attain
+velocity is to work with the metronome. One can't jump at once into the
+necessary agility, and the metronome is a great help in bringing one up
+to the right pitch. You see by the firmness of these muscles at the back
+and thumb side of my hand, that I am in good trim now; but one soon
+loses this if one lets up on the routine.
+
+"Then I practise trills of all kinds, and octaves. Yes, I agree that
+octaves are a most necessary and important factor in the player's
+technical equipment."
+
+Going to the piano and illustrating as he talked, Mr. Schelling
+continued:
+
+"Merely flopping the hand up and down, as many do, is of little use--it
+does not lead to strength or velocity. As you see, I hold the hand
+arched and very firm, and the firmness is in the fingers as well; the
+hand makes up and down movements with loose wrist; the result is a full,
+bright, crisp tone. One can play these octaves slowly, using weight, or
+faster with crisp, staccato touch. I play diatonic or chromatic octave
+scales, with four repetitions or more, on each note--using fourth finger
+for black keys.
+
+"I sit low at the piano, as I get better results in this way; though it
+is somewhat more difficult to obtain them. I confess it is easier to sit
+high and bear down on the hands. Yes, I thoroughly approve of 'weight
+touch,' and it is the touch I generally use. Sometimes it is a certain
+pressure on the key after it is played, using arm weight.
+
+"Ah, you are right. The young teacher or player, in listening to the
+artist, and noticing he does not lift his fingers to any extent, and
+that he always plays with weight, hastily concludes these are the
+principles with which he must begin to study or teach the piano. It is
+a mistake to begin in that way. Very exact finger movements must be
+learned in the beginning. As I said before, technic is such an
+individual matter, that after the first period of foundational training,
+one who has the desire to become an artist, must work out things for
+himself. There should be no straight-laced methods. Only a few general
+rules can be laid down, such as will fit most cases. The player who
+would rise to any distinction must work out his own salvation.
+
+"In regard to memorizing piano music, it may be said this can be
+accomplished in three ways: namely, with the eye, with the ear, and with
+the hand. For example: I take the piece and read it through with the
+eye, just as I would read a book. I get familiar with the notes in this
+way, and see how they look in print. I learn to know them so well that I
+have a mental photograph of them, and if necessary could recall any
+special measure or phrase so exactly that I could write it. All this
+time my mental ear has been hearing those notes, and is familiar with
+them. Then the third stage arrives; I must put all this on the keyboard,
+my fingers must have their training; impressions must pass from the mind
+to the fingers; then all is complete."
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+ERNESTO CONSOLO
+
+MAKING THE PIANO A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
+
+
+In a long conversation with Ernesto Consolo, the eminent pianist and
+instructor, many points of vital importance to the player and teacher
+were touched upon. Among other things Mr. Consolo said:
+
+"It is absolutely necessary that the piano teacher should take his
+profession very seriously. In my opinion there is most excellent
+instruction to be secured right here in America, with such teachers as
+are willing to take their work seriously. The time is not far away, I
+think, when America will enjoy a very prominent position in the matter
+of musical instruction, and perhaps lead the world in musical
+advantages. The time is not here just yet, but it is surely coming. You
+are still young in this country, though you are wonderfully progressive.
+
+"If I have spoken of the serious aims of many teachers of piano, I
+cannot say as much for the students: they are often superficial and want
+to go too quickly; they are apt to be in a hurry and want to make a
+show, without being willing to spend the necessary years on preparation.
+No art can be hurried. Students of painting, sculpture, architecture or
+music must all learn the technique of their art; they must all learn to
+go deep into the mysteries and master technic as the means to the end,
+and no one requires exhaustive preparation more than the executive
+musician. The person who would fence, box or play baseball must know the
+technic of these things; how much more must the pianist be master of the
+technique of his instrument if he would bring out the best results.
+
+"At the very bottom and heart of this subject of mastery lies
+Concentration: without that, little of value can be accomplished.
+Students think if they sit at the piano and 'practise' a certain number
+of hours daily, it is sufficient. A small portion of that time, if used
+with intense concentration, will accomplish more. One player will take
+hours to learn a page or a passage which another will master in a
+fraction of the time. What is the difference? It may be said one has
+greater intelligence than the other. The greater the intelligence, the
+stronger the power of concentration.
+
+"If a pupil comes to me whose powers of concentration have not been
+awakened or developed, I sometimes give him music to read over very
+slowly, so slowly that every note, phrase and finger mark can be
+distinctly seen. Not being used to thinking intently, mistakes occur, in
+one hand or the other, showing that the mind was not sufficiently
+concentrated. It is the mind every time that wins. Without using our
+mental powers to their fullest extent we fail of the best that is in us.
+
+"In regard to technical equipment and routine, I do different work with
+each pupil, for each pupil is different. No two people have the same
+hands, physique or mentality; so why should they all be poured into the
+same mold? One student, for example, has splendid wrists and not very
+good fingers. Why should I give him the same amount of wrist practise
+that I give his brother who has feeble wrists; it would only be a waste
+of time. Again, a pupil with limited ideas of tonal quality and dynamics
+is advised to study tone at the piano in some simple melody of Schubert
+or Chopin, trying to realize a beautiful tone--playing it in various
+ways until such a quality Is secured. The piano is a responsive
+instrument and gives back what you put into it. If you attack it with a
+hard touch, it will respond with a harsh tone. It rests with you whether
+the piano shall be a musical instrument or not.
+
+"A student who comes to me with a very poor touch must of course go back
+to first principles and work up. Such an one must learn correct
+movements and conditions of hands, arms and fingers; and these can be
+acquired at a table. Along with these, however, I would always give some
+simple music to play, so that the tonal and musical sense shall not be
+neglected.
+
+"Of course I advise comprehensive scale practise; scales in all keys and
+in various rhythms and touches. There is an almost endless variety of
+ways to play scales. Those in double thirds and sixths I use later,
+after the others are under control. Arpeggios are also included in this
+scale practise.
+
+"I have said that Concentration is the keynote of piano mastery. Another
+principle which goes hand in hand with it is Relaxation. Unless this
+condition is present in arms, wrist and shoulders, the tone will be hard
+and the whole performance constrained and unmusical. There is no need
+of having tired muscles or those that feel strained or painful. If this
+condition arises it is proof that there is stiffness, that relaxation
+has not taken place. I can sit at the piano and play _forte_ for three
+hours at a time and not feel the least fatigue in hands and arms.
+Furthermore, the playing of one who is relaxed, who knows how to use his
+anatomy, will not injure the piano. We must remember the piano is a
+thing of joints; the action is so delicately adjusted that it moves with
+absolute freedom and ease. The player but adds another joint, which
+should equal in ease and adjustment the ones already there. On the other
+hand a person with stiff joints and rigid muscles, thumping ragtime on a
+good piano, can ruin it in a week; whereas under the fingers of a player
+who understands the laws of relaxation, it would last for many years.
+
+"This principle of relaxation is exemplified in the athlete, baseball
+player, and others. They have poise and easy adjustment in every part of
+the body: they never seem to fall into strained or stiff attitudes, nor
+make angular or stiff movements. Arms, shoulders, wrists and fingers are
+all relaxed and easy. The pianist needs to study these principles as
+well as the athlete, I believe in physical exercises to a certain
+extent. Light-weight dumb-bells can be used; it is surprising how light
+a weight is sufficient to accomplish the result. But it must be one
+movement at a time, exercising one muscle at a time, and not various
+muscles at once.
+
+"For memorizing piano music I can say I have no method whatever. When I
+know the piece technically or mechanically, I know it by heart. I really
+do not know when the memorizing takes place. The music is before me on
+the piano; I forget to turn the pages, and thus find I know the piece.
+In playing with orchestra I know the parts of all instruments, unless it
+be just a simple chord accompaniment; it would not interest me to play
+with orchestra and not know the music in this way. On one occasion I was
+engaged to play the Sgambatti concerto, which I had not played for some
+time. I tried it over on the piano and found I could not remember it. My
+first idea was to get out the score and go over it; the second was to
+try and recall the piece from memory. I tried the latter method, with
+the result that in about three hours and a half I had the whole concerto
+back in mind. I played the work ten days later without having once
+consulted the score. This goes to prove that memory must be absolute and
+not merely mechanical.
+
+"Students think they cannot memorize, when it would be quite easy if
+they would apply themselves in the right way. I ask them to look
+intently at a small portion, two measures, or even one, and afterward to
+play it without looking at the notes. Of course, as you say, this can be
+done away from the piano; the notes can even be recited; but there are
+other signs and marks to be considered and remembered, so when one can
+be at the piano I consider it better.
+
+"Piano playing is such an individual and complex thing. I do not require
+nor expect my pupils to play as I do, nor interpret as I interpret, for
+then I would only see just so many replicas of myself, and their
+individuality would be lost. I often hear them play a composition in a
+different way and with a different spirit from the one I find in it. But
+I don't say to them, 'That is wrong; you must play it as I do,' No, I
+let them play it as they see and feel it, so long as there is no sin
+against artistic taste.
+
+"I trust these few points will be helpful to both player and teacher.
+The latter needs all the encouragement we artists can give, for in most
+cases he is doing a good work.
+
+"Volumes might be added to these hurried remarks, but for that my time
+is too limited."
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+SIGISMOND STOJOWSKI
+
+MIND IN PIANO STUDY
+
+
+Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the eminent Polish pianist and composer, was
+found one morning in his New York studio, at work with a gifted pupil.
+He was willing to relax a little, however, and have a chat on such
+themes as might prove helpful to both teacher and student.
+
+"You ask me to say something on the most salient points in piano
+technic; perhaps we should say, the points that are most important to
+each individual; for no two students are exactly alike, nor do any two
+see things in precisely the same light. This is really a psychological
+matter. I believe the subject of psychology is a very necessary study
+for both teacher and student. We all need to know more about mental
+processes than we do. I am often asked how to memorize, for instance--or
+the best means for doing this; another psychological process. I
+recommend students to read William James' _Talks on Psychology_; a very
+helpful book.
+
+"The most vital thing in piano playing is to learn to think. Has it ever
+occurred to you what infinite pains people will take to avoid thinking?
+They will repeat a technical illustration hundreds of times it may be,
+but with little or no thought directed to the performance. Such work is
+absolutely useless. Perhaps that is a little too strong. With countless
+repetitions there may at last come to be a little improvement, but it
+will be very small.
+
+"There is quite a variety of views as to what the essentials of piano
+technic are; this is a subject on which teachers, unluckily, do not
+agree. For instance, on the point of finger lifting there is great
+diversity of opinion. Some believe in raising the fingers very high,
+others do not. Lifting the fingers high is not good for the tone, though
+it may be used for velocity playing. I use quite the reverse where I
+wish beautiful, singing, tone quality. The young pupil, at the
+beginning, must of course learn to raise fingers and make precise
+movements; when greater proficiency is reached, many modifications of
+touch are used. That the best results are not more often obtained in
+piano teaching and study, is as much the fault of the teacher as the
+pupil. The latter is usually willing to be shown and anxious to learn.
+It is for the teacher to correctly diagnose the case and administer the
+most efficient remedy.
+
+[Illustration: To Miss Harriett Brower with the kindest of remembrances,
+Sigismond Stojowski New York, April 1913]
+
+
+NATURAL TECHNIC
+
+"There is a certain amount of what I might call 'natural technic'
+possessed by every one--some one point which is easy for him. It Is
+often the trill. It has frequently come under my notice that players
+with little facility in other ways, can make a good trill. Some singers
+have this gift; Mme. Melba is one who never had to study a trill, for
+she was born with a nightingale in her throat. I knew a young man in
+London who was evidently born with an aptitude for octaves. He had
+wonderful wrists, and could make countless repetitions of the octave
+without the least fatigue. He never had to practise octaves, they came
+to him naturally.
+
+"The teacher's work is both corrective and constructive. He must see
+what is wrong and be able to correct it. Like a physician, he should
+find the weak and deficient parts and build them up. He should have some
+remedy at his command that will fit the needs of each pupil.
+
+"I give very few études, and those I administer in homeopathic doses. It
+is not necessary to play through a mass of études to become a good
+pianist. Much of the necessary technic may be learned from the pieces
+themselves, though scales and arpeggios must form part of the daily
+routine.
+
+
+KEEPING UP A REPERTOIRE
+
+"In keeping a large number of pieces in mind, I may say that the pianist
+who does much teaching is in a sense taught by his pupils. I have many
+advanced pupils, and in teaching their repertoire I keep up my own. Of
+course after a while one grows a little weary of hearing the same pieces
+rendered by students; the most beautiful no longer seem fresh. My own
+compositions are generally exceptions, as I do not often teach those. To
+the thoughtful teacher, the constant hearing of his repertoire by
+students shows him the difficulties that younger players have to
+encounter, and helps him devise means to aid them to conquer these
+obstacles. At the same time there is this disadvantage: the pianist
+cannot fail to remember the places at which such and such a student had
+trouble, forgot or stumbled. This has happened to me at various times.
+In my recitals I would be playing ahead, quite unconscious that anything
+untoward could occur--wholly absorbed in my work; when, at a certain
+point, the recollection would flash over me--this is where such or such
+a pupil stumbled. The remembrance is sometimes so vivid that I am at
+some effort to keep my mental balance and proceed with smoothness and
+certainty.
+
+"Yes, I go over my pieces mentally, especially if I am playing an
+entirely new program which I have never played before; otherwise I do
+not need to do so much of it.
+
+
+FILLING IN A PASSAGE
+
+"You suggest that a composer may fill in or make up a passage, should he
+forget a portion of the piece when playing in public. True; but
+improvising on a well-known work is rather a dangerous thing to do in
+order to improve a bad case. Apropos of this, I am reminded of an
+incident which occurred at one of my European recitals. It was a wholly
+new program which I was to give at Vevay. I had been staying with
+Paderewski, and went from Morges to Vevay, to give the recital. In my
+room at the hotel I was mentally reviewing the program, when in a
+Mendelssohn Fugue, I found I had forgotten a small portion. I could
+remember what went before and what came after, but this particular
+passage had seemingly gone. I went down to the little parlor and tried
+the fugue on the piano, but could not remember the portion in question.
+I hastened back to my room and constructed a bridge which should connect
+the two parts. When the time came to play the fugue at the recital, it
+all went smoothly till I was well over the weak spot, which, it seems, I
+really played as Mendelssohn wrote it. As I neared the last page, the
+question suddenly occurred to me, what had I done with that doubtful
+passage? What had really happened I could not remember; and the effort
+to recall whether I had played Mendelssohn or Stojowski nearly brought
+disaster to that last page.
+
+"As soon as my season closes here I shall go to London and bring out my
+second piano concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, under Nikisch.
+I shall also play various recitals."
+
+It was my good fortune to be present at the orchestral concert at
+Queen's Hall, when Mr. Stojowski was the soloist. It was pleasant to
+see the enthusiasm aroused by the concerto itself, and the performance
+of it by the artist.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+RUDOLPH GANZ
+
+CONSERVING ENERGY IN PIANO PRACTISE
+
+
+[Illustration: Rudolph Ganz]
+
+"One of the most necessary things is the conserving of vital energy in
+piano practise," said the pianist Rudolph Ganz to me one day. "The wrong
+way is to continually practise the piece as though you were playing it
+in public--that is to say, with all possible energy and emotion. Some of
+the pianists now before the public do this, and it always makes me sorry
+for them, for I know what a needless waste of energy and vital force it
+is. An actor, studying his lines, does not need to continually shout
+them in order to learn how they should be interpreted. Neither does the
+lyric actress practise her roles with full tones, for she is well used
+to saving her voice. Why then should the pianist exhaust himself and
+give out his whole strength merely in the daily routine of practise? I
+grant this principle of saving one's self may not be easy to learn, but
+it should be acquired by all players, great and small. I think a
+pianist should be able to practise five or six hours daily without
+fatigue. If the player is accustomed to husband his vital force during
+the daily routine of practise, he can play a long, exacting program in
+public without weariness. In every day practise one often does not need
+to play _forte_ nor use the pedals; a tone of medium power is
+sufficient. Suppose, for instance, you are studying the Chopin Étude Op.
+10, No. 12, with the left hand arpeggio work. Every note and finger must
+be in place, every mark of phrasing obeyed; but during practise hours
+you need not give the piece all its dashing vigor and bravura at every
+repetition. Such a course would soon exhaust the player. Yet every
+effect you wish to make must be thoroughly studied, must be in mind, and
+used at intervals whenever a complete performance of the piece is
+desired.
+
+"As I said before, it is often difficult to control the impulse to 'let
+loose,' if the work is an exciting one. At a recent rehearsal with the
+Symphony Orchestra, I told the men I would quietly run through the
+concerto I was to play, merely indicating the effects I wanted. We
+began, but in five minutes I found myself playing with full force and
+vigor.
+
+"In regard to methods in piano study there seems to be a diversity of
+opinion, resulting, I think, from the various ways of touching the
+keys--some players using the tip and others the ball of the finger.
+Busoni may be cited as one who employs the end of the finger--Pauer
+also; while the Frenchman, Cortôt, who has an exquisite tone, plays with
+the hand almost flat on the keys, a method which certainly insures
+weight of hand and arm. Of course players generally, and teachers also,
+agree on the employment of arm weight in playing. The principles of
+piano technic are surely but few. Was it not Liszt who said: 'Play the
+right key with the right finger, the right tone and the right
+intention--that is all!' It seems to me piano technic has been pushed to
+its limit, and there must be a reversal; we may return to some of the
+older methods of touch and technic.
+
+"The vital thing in piano playing is to bring out the composer's
+meaning, plus your own inspiration and feeling. You must study deeply
+into the composer's idea, but you must also put your own feeling,
+intensity and emotion into the piece. And not only must you feel the
+meaning yourself, but you must play it in a way to touch others. There
+are many pianists who are not cultured musicians; who think they know
+their Beethoven because they can play a few sonatas. In music 'knowledge
+is power.' We need all possible knowledge, but we also need to feel the
+inspiration. One of the greatest teachers of our time holds that
+personal inspiration is not necessary; for the feeling is all in the
+music itself. All we have to do is to play with such and such a dynamic
+quality of tone. Like a country doctor measuring out his drugs, this
+master apportions so many grains of power for _forte_, for _mezzo_, for
+_piano_, and so on. This plan puts a damper on individuality and
+enthusiasm, for it means that everything must be coldly calculated. Such
+playing does not really warm the heart.
+
+"I believe in teaching tonal contrasts and tone color even to a
+beginner. Why should not the child form a concept of _forte_ and
+_piano_, and so get away from the deadly monotony of _mezzo_? I have
+written some little descriptive piano pieces, and my small boy learned
+one of them to play for me. There is a closing phrase like this," and
+Mr. Ganz illustrated at the piano; "it is to be played _forte_, and is
+followed by a few notes to be touched very softly, like an echo. It was
+really beautiful to see how the little fellow reached out for the pedal
+to make the loud part more emphatic, and then played the echo very
+softly and neatly. He had grasped the first principle of tone
+color--namely tone contrast, and also a poetic idea.
+
+"There are so many wonder children in these days, and many marvels are
+accomplished by infant prodigies. Very often however, these wonder
+children develop no further; they fail to fulfil their early promise, or
+the expectations held of them.
+
+"A youthful wonder in the field of composition is Eric Korngold, whose
+piano sonata I played in my New York recital. I have played this work
+eight times in all, during my present tour, often by request. To me it
+is most interesting. I cannot say it is logical in the development of
+its ideas; it often seems as though the boy threw in chords here and
+there with no particular reason. Thus the effort of memorizing is
+considerable, for I must always bear in mind that this C major chord has
+a C sharp in it, or that such and such a chord is changed into a most
+unusual one. One cannot predict whether the boy will develop further. As
+you say, Mozart was an infant prodigy, but if we judge from the first
+little compositions that have been preserved, he began very simply and
+worked up, whereas Korngold begins at Richard Strauss. His compositions
+are full of the influence of Strauss. The critics have much to say for
+and against these early works. I do not know the young composer
+personally, though he has written me. In a recent letter which I have
+here, he expresses the thought that, though the critics have found many
+things to disapprove of in the sonata, the fact that I have found it
+worth studying and bringing out more than compensates him for all
+adverse criticism. To make the work known in the great musical centers
+of America is surely giving it wide publicity."
+
+On a later occasion, Mr. Ganz said:
+
+"I thoroughly believe in preserving one's enthusiasm for modern music,
+even though, at first glance, it does not attract one, or indeed seems
+almost impossible. I enjoy studying new works, and learning what is the
+modern trend of thought in piano work; it keeps me young and buoyant.
+
+"One of the novelties lately added to my repertoire is the Haydn sonata
+in D. On the same program I place the Korngold sonata. A hundred years
+and more divide the two works. While I revere the old, it interests me
+to keep abreast of the new thought in musical art and life."
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+TINA LERNER
+
+AN AUDIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER
+
+
+Between the many engagements that crowded upon the close of her long
+American tour, Miss Tina Lerner found time to talk over certain topics
+of significance which bear upon pianistic problems.
+
+We began by referring to the different methods of holding the hands,
+moving the fingers and touching the keys, as exemplified by the various
+pianists now before the public.
+
+"It is true that I play with the ball of the finger on the key, which
+necessitates a flat position of hand, with low wrist." Here the pianist
+illustrated the point by playing several pearly scales with straight,
+outstretched fingers. "I never realized, however, that I played in this
+way, until Mr. Ernest Hutcheson, the pianist, of Baltimore, recently
+called my attention to it. The fact is, I have always taken positions of
+body, arms, hands and fingers, which seemed to me the most natural and
+easy. This I did when I began, at the age of five, and I have always
+kept to them, in spite of what various teachers have endeavored to do
+for me. Fortunately my early teachers were sensible and careful; they
+kept me at the classics, and did not give too difficult pieces. The
+principles followed by most great pianists I believe are correct; but I
+have always kept to my own natural way. In hand position, therefore, I
+am individual; perhaps no one else plays with such a finger position, so
+in this I am unique.
+
+"For some reason unknown to me, it has come to be imagined that I have
+studied with Leschetizky; this is entirely refuted when I say I have
+never been in Vienna. It seems we are getting away from the idea of
+helping ourselves out with the name of some great teacher. The question
+should be: What has the player in himself, what can he accomplish? not,
+Whose pupil is he? We know of some of Leschetizky's famous pupils, but
+we never hear of the thousands he must have had, who have come to
+nothing. A teacher can only do a certain amount for you; he can give you
+new ideas, which each pupil works out for himself in his own way. The
+piano student learns from so many different sources. He attends a piano
+recital and acquires many ideas of touch, tone, phrasing and
+interpretation; he hears a great singer or violinist and absorbs a
+wholly new set of thoughts, or he listens to a grand orchestra, and
+gains more than from all the others. Then there is life to study from:
+experience--living--loving: all go into the work of the musician. A
+musical career is indeed the most exacting one that can be chosen.
+
+"I have been asked whether I prefer to play for an audience of
+'music-lovers' or one of 'music knowers.' Perhaps an equal mixture is
+the happy medium. Of the two sorts it seems to me the music-knowers are
+preferable, for even if they are very critical, they also recognize the
+various points you make; they see and appreciate what you are striving
+for. They are not inclined to say, 'I don't like such or such a player';
+for the music-knower understands the vast amount of time and energy,
+labor and talent that go to make a pianist. He rather says, 'I prefer
+the playing of such or such an artist.' The word 'like' in connection
+with a great artist seems almost an affront. What does it matter if his
+work is not 'liked' by some? He knows it can stand for what it is--the
+utmost perfection of his powers--of himself. And after all the audience
+is the greatest teacher an artist can have; I have learned more from
+this teacher than from any other. In this school I learn what moves and
+touches an audience; how to improve this or that passage; how to make a
+greater climax here, or more sympathetic coloring there. For in
+conceiving how a work should sound, I get--in my study of it--a general
+idea of the whole, and make it as nearly perfect as I am able. But it
+has to be tested and tried--an audience must pass its opinion--must set
+the seal of approval upon it. When the work has been polished by
+repeated trials in this school, interpretation then becomes crystallized
+in the mind and the piece can always be given in nearly the same way. A
+painter does not change nor repaint his picture each time he exhibits
+it; why need the musician change his idea of the interpretation at each
+repetition? To trust too much to the inspiration of the moment might
+injure the performance as a whole. When I have my ideal of the
+interpretation worked out in mind, it becomes my sacred duty to play it
+always in this spirit--always to give my best. I can never think that
+because I am playing in Boston or New York, I must strive harder for
+perfection than if I play in a little town. No, I must give the highest
+that is in me, no matter where it may be. People sometimes ask me if I
+am nervous before a recital. It is not that I am afraid of people; but I
+am always anxious about being able to realize my ideal, when the moment
+comes.
+
+"I can say I prefer playing in America to anywhere else in the world;
+for there are more real appreciation and understanding here than in any
+other country. Of course the great music centers all over the world are
+about the same; but the difference lies in the smaller cities, which in
+America are far more advanced musically than in Europe. I have proved
+this to be the case repeatedly. Not long ago I was booked for a couple
+of recitals in a small town of not more than two thousand inhabitants.
+When I arrived at the little place, and saw the barn of a hotel, I
+wondered what these people could want with piano recitals. But when I
+came to the college where I was to play and found such a large,
+intelligent audience gathered, some of whom had traveled many miles to
+be present, it proved in what estimation music was held. The teacher of
+this school was a good musician, who had studied nine years with
+Leschetizky, in Vienna; the pupils understood the numbers on the
+program, were wide awake, and well informed as to what was going on in
+the world of music.
+
+"One handicap the present day pianist encounters, who plays much with
+orchestra, and that is the dearth of modern concertos. The familiar ten
+or dozen famous ones are played over and over, and one seldom hears
+anything new. There are new ones written, to be sure, but the public has
+not learned to care for them. The beautiful second concerto of
+Rachmaninoff has not made a success, even in the great music centers,
+where the most intelligent audiences have heard it. I believe that if an
+audience of the best musicians could be assembled in a small room and
+this work could be played to them, they could not fail to be impressed
+with its beauties. I am now studying a new concerto by Haddon Wood,
+which you see in manuscript there on the piano; it is one I find very
+beautiful."
+
+A subsequent conversation with the artist elicited the following:
+
+"I might say that I began my music when about four years old, by playing
+the Russian National Hymn, on a toy piano containing eight keys, which
+had been given me. My older sister, who was studying the piano, noticed
+this, showed me a few things about the notes, and I constantly picked
+out little tunes and pieces on the real piano. Finally one day my
+sister's teacher, Rudolph Heim, came to the house, mainly on my account.
+This was in Odessa, in the south of Russia, where I was born and where I
+spent my early years. On this occasion, he wanted to look at me and see
+what I could do. Unluckily a sudden fit of shyness overcame me and I
+began to cry; the exhibition could not take place, as nothing could be
+made out of me that day. You see I was headstrong even at that early
+age," said the young pianist, with one of her charming smiles.
+
+"Soon after this incident, I was taken to the Professor's studio. He
+examined me, considered I had talent, and thought it should be
+cultivated. So he took me in hand. I was then five, and my real musical
+education began at that time.
+
+"From the very first I adopted a position of hand which seemed to me
+most convenient and comfortable, and no amount of contrary instruction
+and advice has ever been able to make me change it. I play scales and
+passages with low hand and flat fingers because that position seems the
+most favorable for my hand. When practising, I play everything very
+slowly, raising my fingers high and straight from the knuckle joint.
+This gives me great clearness and firmness. In rapid passage work the
+action is reduced, but the position remains. I am said to have a clear,
+pearly touch, with quite sufficient power at my command for large works.
+
+"After five years of study with my first teacher, Rudolph Heim, a pupil
+of Moscheles, I entered the Moscow Conservatory, and continued my
+studies under Professor Pabst, brother and teacher of the composer of
+that name. I was then ten years old. Professor Pabst was very
+conservative, very strict, and kept me at work on the music of the older
+masters. This kind of music suits me, I think; at least I enjoy it. Even
+here I still clung to my ideas of holding my hands and of touching the
+keys, and always expect to do so.
+
+"I remained with this professor about six years and then began my public
+career.
+
+"You ask about my present studies, and how I regulate my practise.
+During my periods of rest from concert work, I practise a great deal--I
+wish I could say all the time, but that is not quite possible. I give an
+hour or more a day to technical practise. As to the material, I use
+Chopin's Études constantly, playing them with high-raised, outstretched
+fingers, in very slow tempo. One finds almost every technical problem
+illustrated in these études; octaves, arpeggios, scales in double thirds
+and sixths, repeated notes, as in number 7, broken chords and passage
+work. I keep all these études in daily practise, also using some of the
+Liszt _Études Transcendantes_, and, of course, Bach. The advantage of
+using this sort of material is that one never tires of it; it is always
+interesting and beautiful. With this material well in hand, I am always
+ready for recital, and need only to add special pieces and modern music.
+
+"In learning a new work I first study it very slowly, trying to become
+familiar with its meaning. I form my concept of it and _live_ with it
+for months before I care to bring it forward. I try to form an ideal
+conception of the piece, work this out in every detail, then always
+endeavor to render it as closely like the ideal as possible."
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+ETHEL LEGINSKA
+
+RELAXATION THE KEYNOTE OF MODERN PIANO PLAYING
+
+
+The brilliant young pianist, Ethel Leginska, who is located for a time
+in America, was seen in her Carnegie Hall studio, on her return from a
+concert tour. The young English girl is a petite brunette; her face is
+very expressive, her manner at once vivacious and serious. The firm
+muscles of her fine, shapely hands indicate that she must spend many
+hours daily at the keyboard.
+
+"Yes, I have played a great deal in public--all my life, in fact--ever
+since I was six. I began my musical studies at Hull, where we lived; my
+first teacher was a pupil of McFarren. Later I was taken to London,
+where some rich people did a great deal for me. Afterward I went to
+Leschetizky, and was with him several years, until I was sixteen; I also
+studied in Berlin. Then I began my career, and concertized all over
+Europe; now I am in America for a time. I like it here; I am fond of
+your country already.
+
+"The piano is such a wonderful instrument to me; I feel we are only
+beginning to fathom its possibilities; not in a technical sense, but as
+a big avenue for expression. For me the piano is capable of reflecting
+every mood, every feeling; all pathos, joy, sorrow--the good and the
+evil too--all there is in life, all that one has lived." (This recalls a
+recently published remark of J. S. Van Cleve: "The piano can sing, march,
+dance, sparkle, thunder, weep, sneer, question, assert, complain,
+whisper, hint; in one word it is the most versatile and plastic of
+instruments.")
+
+"As for the technic of the piano, I think of it only as the
+material--only as a means to an end. In fact I endeavor to get away from
+the thought of the technical material, in order that I may get at the
+meaning of the music I wish to interpret. I am convinced there is a
+great future for the piano and its music. Even now we are taking piano
+music very seriously, and are trying to interpret it in a far deeper and
+broader sense than the pianists of, say, fifty years ago ever thought of
+doing. I fancy if Clara Schumann, for instance, could return and play
+to us, or even Liszt himself, we should not find their playing suited to
+this age at all. Some of us yet remember the hand position Mme. Schumann
+had, the lack of freedom in fingers and arms. It was not the fashion of
+her time to play with the relaxed freedom, with the breadth and depth of
+style which we demand of artists to-day. In those days relaxation had
+not received the attention it deserved, therefore we should probably
+find the playing of the greatest artists of a former generation stiff
+and angular, in spite of all we have heard of their wonderful
+performances.
+
+"Relaxation is a hobby with me; I believe in absolute freedom in every
+part of the arm anatomy, from the shoulder down to the finger-tips.
+Stiffness seems to me the most reprehensible thing in piano playing, as
+well as the most common fault with all kinds of players. When people
+come to play for me, that is the thing I see first in them, the
+stiffness. While living in Berlin, I saw much of Mme. Teresa Carreño,
+and she feels the same as I do about relaxation, not only at the
+keyboard, but when sitting, moving about or walking. She has thought
+along this line so constantly, that sometimes, if carrying something in
+hand, she will inadvertently let it drop, without realizing it--from
+sheer force of the habit of relaxation.
+
+"You ask how I would begin with a young pupil who never has had lessons.
+I use the principle of relaxation first of all, loosening arms and
+wrists. This principle can be taught to the youngest pupil. The wrist is
+elevated and lowered, as the hand is formed on the keys in its five
+finger position, with arched knuckles. It does not take long to acquire
+this relaxed condition; then come the finger movements. I do not believe
+in lifting the fingers high above the keys; this takes time and
+interferes with velocity and power. I lift my fingers but little above
+the keys, yet I have plenty of power, all the critics agree on that. In
+chords and octaves I get all the power I need by grasping the keys with
+weight and pressure. I do not even prepare the fingers in the air,
+before taking the chord; I do not find it necessary." Here the pianist
+played a succession of ringing chords, whose power and tonal quality
+bore out her words; the fingers seemed merely to press and cling; there
+was no striking nor percussion.
+
+"To return to the beginning pupil. As for a book to start with, I often
+use the one by Damm, though any foundational work may be employed, so
+long as correct principles are taught. It is said by Leschetizky that he
+has no method. That may be understood to mean a book, for he certainly
+has what others would call a method. There are principles and various
+sets of exercises to be learned; but it is quite true that none of the
+Vorbereiters use a book.
+
+"In teaching the piano, as you know, every pupil is different; each has
+his or her own peculiar hand, and a different degree of intelligence. So
+each pupil must be treated differently. This is really an advantage to
+the teacher; for it would be very monotonous if all pupils were alike.
+
+"The piano is such a revealer of character; I need only to hear a person
+play to know what sort of character he has. If one is inclined to much
+careful detail in everything, it comes out in the playing. If one is
+indolent and indifferent, it is seen the moment one touches the keys; or
+if one is built on broad, generous lines, and sees the dramatic point in
+life and things, all this is revealed at the piano.
+
+"To refer again to the subject of finger action. I do not believe in the
+so-called finger stroke; on the contrary I advocate fingers close to the
+keys, clinging to them whenever you can. This is also Arthur Schnabel's
+idea. You should hear Schnabel; all Berlin is wild over him, and
+whenever he gives a concert the house is sold out. He has quantities of
+pupils also, and is quite a remarkable teacher. One point I insist upon
+which he doesn't: I will not allow the joint of the finger next the tip
+to break or give in. I can not stand that, but Schnabel doesn't seem to
+care about it; his mind is filled with only the big, broad things of
+music.
+
+"In regard to memorizing piano compositions. I do it phrase by phrase,
+and at the instrument, unless I am traveling or unable to get to a
+piano, in which case I think it out from the notes. If the piece is very
+difficult I take a short passage of two or three measures and play each
+hand separately and then together; but generally I play the passage
+complete--say half a dozen times with the notes, and then repeat it the
+same number of times from memory. Perhaps the next day I have forgotten
+it, so the work has to be done over again; the second time, however, it
+generally sticks.
+
+"My great longing and ambition is to write music, to become a composer.
+With this end in view, I give whatever time I am able to the study of
+composition. I hope some day to create something that will be worthy the
+high aim I have before me."
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+
+BERTHA FIERING TAPPER
+
+MASTERING PIANISTIC PROBLEMS
+
+
+If environment and atmosphere are inspirational aids to piano teaching
+and playing, the students of Mrs. Thomas Tapper have the incentives of
+both in their lesson hours. Her apartments on the Drive have the glory
+of sunlight all the long afternoons. Outside the Hudson shimmers in blue
+and gold; indoors all is harmonious and home-like. In the large
+music-room, facing the river, two grand pianos stand side by side; there
+are many portraits and mementoes of the great in music; fresh flowers,
+books--everything to uplift thought; while in the midst of it all is
+Mrs. Tapper herself, the serious, high-minded, inspiring teacher; the
+"mother confessor" to a large number of young artists and teachers.
+
+"Music study means so much more than merely exercising the fingers," she
+said; "the student should have a good all-round education. When young
+people come to me for instruction, I ask what they are doing in school.
+If they say they have left school in order to devote their whole time to
+the piano, I say, 'Go back to your school, and come to me later, when
+you have finished your school course.' It is true that in rare cases it
+may be advisable for the student to leave school, but he should then
+pursue general or special studies at home. I often wish the music
+student's education in this country could be arranged as it is in at
+least one of the great music schools in Russia. There the mornings are
+given to music, while general studies are taken up later in the day. It
+is really a serious problem, here in America, this fitting in music with
+other studies. Both public and private schools try to cover so much
+ground that there is very little time left for music or anything else.
+The music pupil also needs to know musical literature, history and
+biography, to be familiar with the lives and writings of the great
+composers. Take the letters and literary articles of Robert Schumann,
+for instance. How interesting and inspiring they are!
+
+"In regard to methods in piano study my principles are based wholly upon
+my observations of Leschetizky's work with me personally, or with
+others. What I know he has taught me; what I have achieved I owe to
+him. My first eight weeks in Vienna were spent in learning, first, to
+control position and condition of hands and arms according to the law of
+balance; secondly, to direct each motion with the utmost accuracy and
+speed. To accomplish this I began with the most elementary exercises in
+five-finger position, using one finger at a time. Then came the
+principles of the scale, arpeggios, chords and octaves. All these things
+were continued until every principle was mastered. I practised at first
+an hour a day, then increased the amount as my hands grew stronger and
+the number of exercises increased.
+
+"Next came the study of tone production in various forms, a good quality
+invariably being the result of a free condition of the arm combined with
+strength of fingers and hands.
+
+"The Leschetizky principles seem to me the most perfect and correct in
+every particular. Yes, there are several books of the method, by
+different authors, but I teach the principles without a book. The
+principles themselves are the essential things. I aim to build up the
+hand, to make it strong and dependable in every part, to fill out the
+weak places and equalize it. That this may be thoroughly and
+successfully accomplished, I require that nothing but technical
+exercises be used for the first nine, ten, or twelve weeks. We begin
+with the simplest exercises, one finger at a time, then two, three and
+so on through the hand. I believe in thus devoting all the practise time
+to technic, for a certain period, so that the mind is free to master the
+principles, undisturbed by piece playing. When the principles have been
+assimilated, the attention can then be directed to the study of music
+itself. If any weak places appear in the hand from time to time, they
+can be easily corrected.
+
+"If a pupil comes to me who has played a great deal but with no idea of
+the principles of piano playing, who does not know how to handle herself
+or the keyboard, it is absolutely necessary to stop everything and get
+ready to play. If you attempt even a simple sonata with no legato touch,
+no idea of chord or scale playing, you can not make the piece sound like
+anything. It is like a painter trying to paint without brushes, or an
+artist attempting to make a pen and ink drawing with a blunt lead
+pencil; to do good work you must have the tools to work with.
+
+"For application of all principles, the studies of Czerny, Op. 299, 740,
+and others, offer unequaled opportunity. They are simple, direct, and
+give the student a chance for undivided attention to every position
+taken and to every motion made.
+
+"What happens afterward is altogether according to the individual
+characteristics of the student. How to recognize these and deal with
+them to the best advantage is the interesting task of my great master
+(and those who try to follow in his steps)--the man of keenest
+intelligence, of profound learning and experience. To learn this lesson
+from him has been my greatest aim, and to see him at work, as it has
+been my privilege to do for several summers, has been of the greatest
+influence and inspiration in my own work.
+
+"My chief endeavor is to create a desire for good musicianship. To this
+end I insist upon the study of theory, harmony, ear-training and
+analysis. In the piano lessons I do not have sufficient time to teach
+these things. I have assistant teachers who help me with these subjects
+and also with the technical training. Once a month during the season, my
+assistant teachers bring their pupils to play for me, and we have a
+class in piano teaching. There are sometimes eighteen or twenty students
+who come to a class. I can in this way supervise all the work done, and
+keep in touch with my teachers, their work, and with all the students.
+
+"On the first Saturday of the month I have my own pupils here for a
+class; they play for me and for each other. Everything is played from
+memory, not a printed note is used. Students tell me it is very
+difficult to play here, where all listen so intently. Especially is it
+difficult the first time a student plays in class, to keep the mind
+wholly on what he is doing, with sufficient concentration. Later on, at
+the end of the season, it comes easier.
+
+"This idea of separating the technical work at the outset from the study
+of music itself, secures, in my opinion, the most perfect foundation,
+and later on the best results. It is sometimes wonderful how, with
+proper training, the hand will improve and develop in a comparatively
+short time. I often marvel at it myself."
+
+The writer had the privilege of being one of the guests at the last
+audition of the season. Eight or nine young artists played a long and
+difficult program. Among the numbers were a Beethoven sonata, entire;
+Chopin's Ballade in A flat major; Cesar Franck, Prelude, Fugue and
+Variations; a Mozart Fantaisie; Grieg Concerto, first movement; Weber's
+Concertstück, and Chopin's Scherzo in E. The recital was most
+instructive from an educational point of view. All the players had
+repose and concentration, and there were no noticeable slips, though
+every piece was played from memory. Hands were well arched at the
+knuckles, fingers curved--with adequate action at the knuckle joint;
+wrists in normal position, and extremely loose; the whole arm swung from
+the shoulder and poised over the keys, thus adjusting itself to every
+requirement of the composition. Every note had its amount of hand or arm
+weight. The tone quality was full and singing. These points were
+exemplified even in the playing of the youngest pupils. Furthermore they
+had an intelligent grasp of the meaning of the music they played, and
+brought it out with conviction, power, and brilliancy.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+CARL M. ROEDER
+
+PROBLEMS OF PIANO TEACHERS
+
+
+"The progressive teacher's method must be one of accretion," said Carl
+Roeder, when interviewed between lesson hours in his delightful studio
+in Carnegie Hall. "He gains ideas from many methods and sources, and
+these he assimilates and makes practical for his work. At the same time
+he must originate and work out things for himself. This has been my
+experience.
+
+"I was something of a wonder child, and at an early age developed
+considerable facility and brilliancy. After knocking about as a pupil of
+various private teachers and conservatories, I became, while quite a
+young lad, the pupil of de Konstki, then a lion of the day." The speaker
+joined in the laugh his remark called up, which brought to mind the
+Chevalier's famous battle-horse, "The Awakening of the Lion."
+
+"De Konstki's style was very brilliant and I endeavored to imitate him
+in this respect. I did quite a little concert work at that time.
+Realizing, however, that a pianist's income must be rather precarious, I
+decided to teach. In those youthful days I had the idea that the teacher
+of the piano had an easy life. I remembered one of my professors, a man
+of considerable reputation, who took the duties of his profession very
+lightly. His method of giving a lesson was to place the music upon the
+piano, start the pupil going, then retire to a comfortable couch, light
+his pipe and smoke at ease, troubling himself little about the pupil's
+doings, except occasionally to call out 'Falsch!'
+
+"So I, too, began to teach the piano. But I soon discovered that
+teaching was something quite different from what I had imagined it to
+be, and that it was something I knew very little about. I now set myself
+to learn how to teach--how to help those pupils who came to me.
+
+"One of my first discoveries was that most of the pupils were afflicted
+with stiff wrists and arms, and that this stiffness must be remedied. My
+own playing had always been free, due to one of my early teachers having
+thoroughly inculcated the principle of 'weight,' so often acclaimed in
+these days as a modern discovery. But how to bring about this condition
+in others was a great problem. I studied the Mason method, and found
+many helpful, illuminating ideas in regard to relaxation and
+devitalization. I had some lessons with S.B. Mills, and later did
+considerable valuable work with Paolo Gallico, who opened up to me the
+great storehouse of musical treasure, and revealed to me among other
+things the spiritual technic of the pianist's art. Subsequently I
+investigated the Virgil and Leschetizky methods. Mr. Virgil has done
+some remarkable things in the way of organizing and systematizing
+technical requirements, and for this we owe him much. Such analyses had
+not before been made with anything like the care and minuteness, and his
+work has been of the greatest benefit to the profession. My subsequent
+studies with Harold Bauer revealed him to be a deep musical thinker and
+a remarkable teacher of the meaning of music itself.
+
+"In my teaching I follow many of the ideas of Leschetizky, modified and
+worked out in the manner which I have found most useful to my own
+technic and to that of my pupils. I have formulated a method of my own,
+based on the principles which form a dependable foundation to build the
+future structure upon. Each pupil at the outset is furnished with a
+blank book, in which are written the exercises thus developed as adapted
+to individual requirements.
+
+
+FOUNDATIONAL EXERCISES
+
+"We begin with table work. I use about ten different exercises which
+embody, as it were, in a nutshell, the principles of piano playing. The
+hand is first formed in an arched position, with curved fingers, and
+solidified. The thumb has to be taught to move properly, for many people
+have never learned to control it at all.
+
+"With the hand in firm, solid position, and the arm hanging freely from
+the shoulder, I begin to use combined arm and wrist movements, aiming to
+get the weight of the arm as well as its energy at the complete disposal
+of the finger tip. Each finger in turn is held firmly in a curved
+position and played with a rotary movement of arm and wrist. When this
+can be done we next learn hand action at the wrist from which results
+the staccato touch. In this form of hand staccato there is an element of
+percussion, as you see, but this element gives directness and precision
+to the staccato touch, which in my opinion are necessary. After this we
+come to finger action itself. This principle is taken up thoroughly,
+first with one finger, then with two, three, four, and five--in all
+possible combinations. In this way we come down from the large free-arm
+movements to the smaller finger movements; from the 'general to the
+particular,' instead of working from the smaller to the larger. I find
+it most necessary to establish relaxation first, then strengthen and
+build up the hand, before finger action to any extent is used. When
+these foundational points have been acquired, the trill, scales,
+arpeggios, chords, octaves and double notes follow in due course. At the
+same time the rhythmic sense is developed, all varieties of touch and
+dynamics introduced, and harmonic and structural analysis dwelt upon.
+
+
+USE OF STUDIES
+
+"Above the third or fourth grade I make frequent use of studies,
+selecting them from various books. Duvernoy, Op. 120; Berens, Op. 61;
+Czerny, Op. 740 I find far more interesting than the threadbare 299.
+Heller is indispensable, so melodious and musical. Arthur Foote's
+studies, Op. 27, are very useful; also MacDowell's, Op. 39 and 46.
+Sometimes I use a few of Cramer's and the Clementi 'Gradus,' though
+these seem rather old-fashioned now.
+
+"For more advanced pupils I find Harberbier, Op. 53 especially
+applicable; there is beautiful work in them. Kessler, Op. 20, and the
+Moszkowski studies, Op. 72, have splendid material for the advanced
+player, and prepare for Henselt, Rubinstein, Chopin and Liszt études. I
+find that studies are valuable for application of technical principles,
+for reacting purposes, and for the cultivation of all the refinements of
+playing. Some teachers believe in applying the technic directly to
+pieces, and use almost no studies; but I think a study is often more
+valuable than a piece, because a definite technical principle is treated
+in every kind of way. Though I do not require studies to be memorized,
+they must be played with all the finish of a piece, if the pupil is to
+derive the maximum of benefit from them.
+
+
+BOOKS THAT ARE HELPFUL
+
+"As aids to my studies in the art of teaching, several books have been
+most helpful. Among these are two volumes by Dr. Herman H. Home, _The
+Philosophy of Education_, and _The Psychology of Education_. Another
+book, from which I have profited much is William James' _Talks to
+Teachers on Psychology_. Every teacher should possess it.
+
+"You ask what method I pursue with new pupils who have played a great
+deal of music but with little idea of correct principles of piano study.
+Let us take, for instance, one who has had lessons for years but is in
+ignorance of first principles. Arms and wrists are stiff, hands and
+fingers held in cramped position; no freedom anywhere. My first move is
+to have the pupil stand and learn to relax arms, shoulders and body;
+then learn to breathe. But relaxation, even at first, is not the only
+thing; after devitalization comes organization, firmness and
+solidity--in the right places. It must be understood at the very
+beginning that piano playing is far more than sitting before the
+instrument working the fingers six or seven hours a day. The mechanical
+side is only preliminary. Some one has said that the factors in playing
+are a trinity of H's--head, hand and heart. I try at once to awaken
+thought, to give a wider outlook, to show that piano playing is the
+expression, through the medium of tone, of all that the poet, painter
+and philosopher are endeavoring to show through other means: to this
+end I endeavor to stimulate interest in the wonders of the visible
+universe, the intellectual achievements of men and the deep things of
+spiritual discernment.
+
+
+IN REGARD TO INTERPRETATION
+
+"On this subject I think we should avoid pedantry; not to say to the
+pupil, you must play this piece a certain way; but rather say, I see or
+feel it in this way, and give the reasons underlying the conception. I
+believe the successful teacher should be a pianist. He should understand
+every point and be able to _do_ the thing, else how can he really show
+the manner of the doing? Many of the _nuances_, subtleties of color and
+phrase, effects of charm or of bravura, cannot be explained; they must
+be illustrated. And furthermore, only he who has been over the road can
+be a safe or sympathetic guide. Tolstoi realized he could not be of
+service to the people he would uplift unless he lived among them, shared
+their trials and experienced their needs. The time has gone by when the
+musician and composer was considered a sort of freak, knowing music and
+nothing else. We know the great composers were men of the highest
+intelligence and learning, men whose aim was to work out their genius
+to the utmost perfection. Nothing less than the highest would satisfy
+them. As George Eliot said, 'Genius is the capacity for taking infinite
+pains.' Think of the care Beethoven took with every phrase, how many
+times he did it over, never leaving it till he was satisfied."
+
+In speaking of the great European teachers Mr. Roeder continued:
+
+"We hear much of the Leschetizky method; but with that master technic is
+quite a secondary matter over which, when once the principles are
+mastered, he troubles himself but little. It is the conception of the
+work as a whole which concerns him, how to project it, so to say, most
+effectively to an audience. He brings into prominence now this part, now
+that, accenting here, slightly exaggerating there, in order to make the
+picture more vivid to the listener. Harold Bauer is another illuminating
+master for those who have a technical equipment adequate to the
+performance of great works of piano literature. Some go to him who are
+not ready for what he has to give, but to those who can direct attention
+to the meaning of the music, he is a wonderful inspirational force.
+First he will point out a phrase here, another there, and so on through
+the piece, showing how the same idea takes on various aspects in the
+composer's thought. Then he shows how to gather up these different
+threads to form the perfect pattern which the author of the work had in
+mind; and finally the master teacher reaches down below the surface of
+form and design to the vital significance of the composition, and the
+disciple feels the glow and power of the revelation.
+
+"There is no gainsaying the fact that this age is superficial, and the
+great office of art is to cultivate that idealism which will uplift and
+inspire. In an important sense the teacher must be a preacher of
+righteousness. He knows that 'beautiful things are fashioned from clay,
+but it has first to pass through the fire,' and only those who can
+endure that scorching can hope to achieve success.
+
+
+QUESTION OF PERSONALITY
+
+"If asked to what extent a player's personality enters into the
+performance, my answer would be: Only in so far as the performance
+remains true to the composer's intention. So long as personality
+illumines the picture and adds charm, interest, and effectiveness to it,
+it is to be applauded; but when it obstructs the view and calls
+attention to itself it should not be tolerated. It is not art; it is
+vanity.
+
+"Yes, I teach both high finger action and pressure touch, once the
+principle of arm weight is thoroughly established, although I use high
+finger action only to develop finger independence and precision, and for
+passages where sharp delineation is required. I believe in freedom of
+body, arm and wrist, a firm, solid arched hand and set fingers. That
+freedom is best which insures such control of the various playing
+members as to enable the player to produce at will any effect of power,
+velocity or delicacy desired; thereby placing the entire mechanical
+apparatus under complete subjection to the mind, which dominates the
+performance. In other words, I am neither an anarchist who wants no
+government, namely unrestrained devitalization, nor a socialist, whose
+cry is for all government--that is, restriction and rigidity. In piano
+playing, as in all else, 'Virtue is the happy mean between two vices.'"
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+KATHARINE GOODSON
+
+AN ARTIST AT HOME
+
+
+When one has frequently listened to a favorite pianist in the concert
+room, and has studied impersonally, so to speak, the effects of touch,
+tone and interpretation produced during a recital, it is a satisfaction
+and delight to come into personal touch with the artist in the inner
+circle of the home; to be able to speak face to face with one who has
+charmed thousands from the platform, and to discuss freely the points
+which impress one when listening to a public performance.
+
+[Illustration: Katharine Goodson]
+
+It has been my recent privilege thus to come into intimate touch with
+the artist pair, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hinton, the latter being known all
+over the world as Katharine Goodson. They have a quiet, beautiful home
+in London--a true artist's home. One feels at once on entering and
+enjoying its hospitality, that here at least is one instance where two
+musicians have perfect harmony in the home life. Mr. Hinton, as is
+widely known, is a composer and also a violinist and pianist. The
+beautiful music-room, which has been added to one side of the house and
+leads into the garden, contains two grand pianos on its raised platform.
+This music-room is Miss Goodson's own sanctum and workroom, and here
+piano concertos, with orchestral accompaniment supplied on the second
+piano, can be studied _ad infinitum_. Mr. Hinton has his own studio at
+the top of the house.
+
+The garden music-room is lighted at one end by a great arched window, so
+placed that the trees of the garden are seen through its panes. It is
+easy to imagine one's self in some lovely sylvan retreat--which is
+indeed true! All the appointments of this room, and indeed of the whole
+house, every article of furniture and each touch of color, betoken the
+artistic sense for fitness and harmony. Miss Goodson has a keen and
+exquisite sense for harmony in colors as well as for color in the
+harmonies she brings from her instrument.
+
+"My coming tour will be the fifth I have made in America," she said. "I
+enjoy playing in your country immensely; the cities of New York, Boston,
+Chicago, and Philadelphia are the most appreciative in the world. It is
+true we have masses of concerts in London, but few of them are really
+well attended and people are not so thoroughly acquainted with piano
+music as you are in America. And you are so appreciative of the
+best--even in the smaller cities.
+
+"I can recall a recital which I gave in a city of not more than forty
+thousand, in the West. The recital was arranged by a musical club; they
+asked for the program some time in advance, studied it up and thus knew
+every piece I was to play. There was an enormous audience, for people
+came from all the country round. I remember three little elderly ladies
+who greeted me after the recital; in parting they said, 'You will see us
+to-morrow,' I thought it over afterward and wondered what they meant,
+for I was to play at a place many miles from there the next night. What
+was my surprise to be greeted by the same ladles the following evening.
+'You see, we are here; we told you we would come.' Fancy taking a trip
+from London to Edinburgh just to hear a concert! For it was a journey
+like that. Such incidents show the enthusiasm in America for music--and
+for piano music.
+
+"I hope to play both the Brahms and Paderewski concertos in America. To
+me the latter is a beautiful work--the slow movement is exquisite. I
+have as yet scarcely done anything with the composition, for I have been
+on a long tour through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It was most
+inspiring to play for these people; they want me to come back to them
+now, but I cannot do so, nor can I go next season, but after that I
+shall go. I returned home greatly in need of rest. I shall now begin
+work in earnest, however, as summer is really the only time I have for
+study throughout the year. I shall have six full weeks now before we
+take our usual holiday in the Grindelwald. On the way there we shall
+stop at Morges and visit Paderewski, and then I will go over the
+concerto with him and get his ideas as to interpretation.
+
+
+MEMORIZING BY ANALYSIS
+
+"You ask how I memorize. First I go over the work several times to get a
+general idea of the whole. Then I analyze it, for I feel it absolutely
+necessary to know keys, chords, and construction. A work should be so
+well understood along these lines that it can be played in another key
+as well as in the one in which it is written. For the actual memorizing
+of the piece I generally do it phrase by phrase, not always 'each hand
+alone,' though occasionally I do this also. I remember learning the Bach
+A minor Prelude and Fugue in this way. If I were now asked to play any
+measure or passage in any part of it I could do so; it is mine forever,
+never to be forgotten."
+
+Asked about the different ways of teaching the Leschetizky method by
+various teachers, Miss Goodson said:
+
+"As we all know, people claim to understand and teach the Leschetizky
+principles who are not competent to do so. I do not recall, for
+instance, that the professor requires the tips of the fingers to form a
+straight line on the edge of the keys. I myself have never done this. I
+believe in a perfectly easy and natural position of hand at the
+keyboard. When this is the case the finger-tips form a curve, the middle
+fingers being placed a little farther in on the keys than is natural for
+the first and fifth. Of course the hand takes an arched position and the
+joints nearest the tip of the fingers must be firm; there should be no
+wavering nor giving in there. The whole arm, of course, is relaxed, and
+swings easily from the shoulder.
+
+
+A PIANO HAND
+
+"I have, as you say, a good hand for the piano; much depends on that; I
+have always had a good deal of what is called a natural technic. Thus
+when I am obliged to forego practising I do not lose my facility; an
+hour's work puts the hand in condition again. What do I do to accomplish
+this? Different things. First some finger movements, perhaps with
+fingers in an extended chord position; then some scales and arpeggios;
+then a Chopin étude, and so on. When practising regularly, I do not
+generally work at the piano more than four hours a day; it seems to me
+that amount is sufficient, if used with absolute concentration."
+
+Later we adjourned to the pretty garden back of the music-room, and here
+we were joined by a beautiful gray Angora cat, the pet and pride of his
+mistress, and a very important personage indeed. He has a trick of
+climbing to Miss Goodson's shoulder, from which point of vantage he
+surveys the world about him with all the complaisance of which an animal
+of such high degree is capable.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+MARK HAMBOURG
+
+FORM, TECHNIC, AND EXPRESSION
+
+
+[Illustration: MARK HAMBOURG]
+
+In one of the most quiet, secluded quarters of London can be found the
+home of the Russian pianist, Mark Hambourg. Mr. Hambourg lives on a
+terrace, "far from the madding crowd," and difficult enough of access to
+keep mere curiosity seekers at a distance. One can scarcely picture to
+one's self, without an actual sight of them, the quaint charm of these
+short passages or streets, usually termed "terraces," or "gardens." This
+particular terrace looks out on a restful green park, where luxuriant
+trees make long shadows on the sunlit turf. The house is large and
+comfortable--built over a hundred years ago; its rooms are spacious, and
+the drawing-room and library, which lead one into the other, form a fine
+music salon. Surely, amid such surroundings, with priceless pictures and
+_objets d'art_ all about, with exquisite colors, with space and quiet,
+an artist must find an ideal spot for both work and play. I expressed
+this thought to Mr. Hambourg when he entered; then we soon fell to
+discussing the necessary equipment of the teacher and pianist.
+
+"I agree with you," he said, "that it is the beginning of piano study
+which is the most difficult of all; this is where the teacher has such
+great responsibility and where so many teachers are so incompetent.
+Perhaps there are more poor teachers for the piano than for the voice.
+The organs of voice production cannot be seen, they can only be guessed
+at; so there may be a little more excuse for the vocal teacher; but for
+the piano we have the keys and the fingers. It should not therefore be
+such a very difficult thing to learn to play intelligently and
+correctly! Yet few seem to have got hold of the right principles or know
+how to impart them."
+
+"I have heard a number of the young pianists here," I remarked, "and
+they all play with very little finger action--with fingers close to the
+keys. Do you advocate this?"
+
+
+LOW HAND POSITION
+
+"Do not forget that for centuries England has been a country of
+organists; without doubt organ playing has had some effect on the piano
+touch. Some schools of piano playing advise lifting the fingers high
+above the keys, with a view to producing greater power; but I think the
+tone thus produced is often of a somewhat harsh and disagreeable
+quality. Then, too, high lifting interferes with smoothness and
+velocity. For myself I advocate keeping the fingers close to the
+keyboard, and pressing the keys, which gives the tone a warmer and more
+elastic quality."
+
+"A point in hand position I should like to ask you about. Some teachers
+advise placing the finger-tips close to the edge of the keys, forming a
+straight line with them; it seems to me such a position is forced and
+unnatural."
+
+Mr. Hambourg smiled assent.
+
+"I do not advocate anything forced and unnatural," he answered. "So many
+people think that a beautiful touch is 'born, not made,' but I do not
+agree with them. One can acquire, I am sure, a fine piano touch with the
+proper study. The principal requirement is, first of all, a loose wrist.
+This point seems simple enough, but it is a point not sufficiently
+considered nor understood. No matter how much the player may _feel_ the
+meaning of the music, he cannot express this meaning with stiff wrists
+and arms. Some people have a natural flexibility, and to such the
+securing of a musical tone presents far less difficulty; but with time,
+patience, and thought, I fully believe all can arrive at this goal.
+
+
+AMOUNT OF PRACTISE
+
+"In regard to practise I do not think it wise for the aspiring pianist
+to spend such a great amount of time at the piano. Four hours of
+concentrated work daily seems to me sufficient. Of course it is the
+quality of practise that counts. The old saying, 'Practise makes
+perfect,' does not mean constant repetition merely, but constant
+thinking and listening. I advise students to stop after playing a
+passage several times, and think over what the notes mean. This pause
+will rest ears and hands; in a few moments work can be resumed with
+fresh vigor.
+
+"I have been so frequently asked to write on the subject of technic that
+I have done so in a few articles which have been printed in a small
+booklet. From these you may see what my ideas are on these points. I do
+very little teaching myself--just a few talented pupils; they must be
+something out of the ordinary. You see, I do not live in London
+continuously; I am here only about four months of the year; the rest of
+the time is spent traveling all over the world. Only that small part of
+the year when I am stationary can I do any solid work. Here it is
+generally quiet enough: the Zoological Garden is not far away, however,
+and sometimes I have the roaring of the lions as an accompaniment to my
+piano.
+
+"I am always increasing my repertoire, though I find the public does not
+care for new things; it prefers the old. It may listen to the new if
+forced to, but it will not attend a recital unless various familiar
+things are on the program.
+
+"I have made several tours in America. The rush of travel from place to
+place over there, is fatiguing, but I feel that your people are very
+appreciative. You demand the best, and concert giving in America is so
+costly that a manager can afford to exploit only the highest artists.
+Here in London, where the expense is only about two hundred dollars,
+say, to get up a recital, almost any one can scrape together that sum
+and bring himself or herself before the public. In America the outlay is
+four or five times greater. No wonder that only a very good artist can
+take the risk."
+
+On leaving, Mr. Hambourg took us to another room, where he showed us
+with much satisfaction, a very valuable painting of the old Italian
+school, by Ghirlandajo, of which he is very fond.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+TOBIAS MATTHAY
+
+WATCHING THE ARTIST TEACHER AT WORK
+
+
+One of the first things accomplished after my arrival in London was to
+seek out Tobias Matthay, the composer and teacher, for an echo of his
+fame had reached me across the water.
+
+Matthay has done much to make the principles of piano technic so clear
+and simple that even a child can understand them. If he has stated facts
+in a way which seems to some revolutionary it is because these facts are
+seldom understood by the rank and file of piano teachers. The work he
+has done has compelled attention and admiration; his ideas are now
+accepted as undeniable truths by those who at first repudiated them. The
+writings of Mr. Matthay will doubtless be better known in America a
+little later on than they are at present. They consist in part of an
+exhaustive work on _The Act of Touch in all its Diversity; First
+Principles of Piano Playing; Relaxation Studies; The Child's First Steps
+in Piano Playing; The Principles of Fingering and Laws of Pedaling;
+Forearm Rotation Principle;_ and, in press, _The Principles of Teaching
+Interpretation_. These very titles are inspiring and suggestive, and
+show Matthay to be a deep thinker along educational lines.
+
+[Illustration: Cordially Yours, Tobias Matthay]
+
+Matthay's activities are enormous. He is professor of advanced piano
+playing at the Royal Academy of Music; also founder and head of his own
+school of piano playing. So occupied early and late is he, that it is
+almost impossible to get a word with him. I was fortunate enough,
+however, to obtain an hour's audience, and also permission to attend
+various private classes at the Royal Academy, and hear a number of
+pupils in recital.
+
+In appearance Matthay is a striking personality. His head and features
+recall pictures of Robert Louis Stevenson. His tall, muscular form has
+the stoop of the scholar; and little wonder when one remembers he must
+sit in his chair at work day in and day out. His somewhat brusk manner
+melts into kind amiability when discussing the topics in which he is
+vitally interested. In his intercourse with students he is ever kind,
+sympathetic and encouraging. They, on their part, treat him with
+profound respect.
+
+Matthay believes, and rightly, that the beginning pupil should learn
+essentials of note values, rhythm, time, ear-training and so on, before
+attempting to play anything at the piano. When first taken to the
+instrument, its mechanism is carefully explained to the learner, and
+what he must do to make a really musical tone. He says _(Child's First
+Steps)_: "Before you take the very first step in tone production, be
+sure to understand that you must never touch the piano without trying to
+make music. It is only too easy to sound notes without making music at
+all. To make music we must make all the sounds mean something, just as
+it is no use to pretend to speak unless the sounds we make with our lips
+mean something, that is unless they form reasoned phrases and
+sentences."
+
+Here nothing is left vague. Matthay shows clearly how all musical Form
+and Shape imply Movement and Progression: the movement of a phrase
+toward its cadence; the movement of a group of notes toward a beat or
+pulse ahead, or the movement of a whole piece toward its climax, etc.
+This original view of his regarding form, which he has advocated for
+the last twenty years, is now being accepted generally by the more
+up-to-date of the English theorists and teachers.
+
+In regard to key mechanism and what must be done to produce all
+varieties of touch and tone, Matthay has made exhaustive studies. He
+says (_First Principles of Piano Playing_): "The two chief rules of
+technic, as regards the key, are, therefore: Always feel how much the
+key resists you: feel how much the key _wants_ for every note. Second,
+Always listen for the moment each sound begins, so that you may learn to
+direct your effort to the sound only, and not to the key bed. You must
+never hit a key down, nor hit _at_ it. The finger-tip may fall on the
+key, and in gently reaching the key you may follow up such fall by
+acting against the key. This action against the key must be for the sole
+purpose of making it move--in one of the many ways which each give us
+quite a different kind of sound. And you must always direct such action
+to the point in key descent where the sound begins."
+
+I quote also this little summary from the same work:
+
+"(a) It is only by making the hammer-end of the key move that you can
+make a sound. (b) The swifter the movement the louder the sound. (c)
+The more gradual this swiftness is obtained the more beautiful the
+quality of sound. (d) For brilliant tone you may hit the string by means
+of the key, but do not, by mistake, hit the key instead. (e) You must
+'aim' the key to the _beginning_ of each sound, because the hammer falls
+off the string as you hear that beginning, and it is too late then to
+influence the sound except its continuance. (f) It is wrong to squeeze
+the key beds, because it prevents tone, impairs musical result, impedes
+agility, and is, besides, fatiguing. (g) You must feel the 'giving way
+point' of the key, so that you may be able to tell how much force is
+required for each note. Never, therefore, really hit the keys."
+
+Mr. Matthay as minutely gives directions as to the muscular problems of
+touch and technique. For instance, he explains how all varieties of
+tone, good and bad, are caused, all inflections of Duration, and the
+laws which govern the attainment of Agility and ease of Technique; and
+also explains the nature of incorrect muscular actions which prevent the
+attainment of all these things. He shows where the released arm weight
+should be applied, and again, where it should be eliminated; makes
+clear the two opposite forms of technic implied by "flat" and "bent"
+finger actions, and he goes exhaustively into the little-understood
+question of forearm rotary exertions, the correct application of which
+he proves to be necessary for every note we play.
+
+In speaking of methods in piano teaching, Mr. Matthay said to me:
+
+"I can say I have no method _of playing_, and moreover I have not much
+faith in people who have. My teachings merely show how all playing, good
+or bad, is accomplished. There are certain principles, however, which
+every player should know, but which, I am sorry to say, are as yet
+scarcely apprehended even by the best teachers. The great pianists have
+experimented till they have hit upon effects which they can repeat if
+all conditions are favorable, and they are in the mood. As a rule they
+do not know the laws underlying these effects. You may ask the greatest
+pianists, for example, how to play octaves. 'Oh, I play them
+thus'--illustrating. Just what to do to attain this result they cannot
+explain. In my own case I have done much experimenting, but always with
+the view to discovering _how_ things are done--the facts and laws
+governing actual tone production and interpretation. I made a study of
+Rubinstein's playing, for I found he played a great deal better than I
+did. So I discovered many things in listening to him, which he perhaps
+could not have explained to me. These facts are incontrovertible and I
+have brought many of my colleagues to see the truth of them. More than
+this, I have brought many even of my older colleagues who had a
+life-time of wrong mental habits to impede them, to realize the truth of
+my teachings.
+
+"The work of a teacher should speak for itself. For my own part I never
+advertise, for I can point to hundreds of pupils--this is no
+exaggeration in the least!--who are constantly before the public, as
+concert pianists and successful teachers.
+
+"If there is one thing that rouses me deeply, it is the incompetence of
+so many teachers of piano. They say to the pupil: 'You play badly, you
+must play better'; but they do not tell the pupil _how_ to play better.
+They give doses of études, sonatas and pieces, yet never get at the
+heart of the matter at all. It is even worse than the fake singing
+teachers; I feel like saying it is damnable!"
+
+It was my privilege to be present at some of Mr. Matthay's private
+lessons, given at the Royal Academy. Several young men were to try for
+one of the medals, and were playing the same piece, one of the
+Strauss-Tausig Valse Caprices.
+
+Matthay listens to a complete performance of the work in hand, then
+turns back to the beginning and goes over it again for corrections and
+suggestions. He enters into it with absolute devotion, directing with
+movements of head and hands as a conductor might direct an orchestra;
+sometimes he dashes down a chord in the treble to urge more force; at
+other times lays a restraining hand on the player's arm, where the tone
+should be softer. His blue pencil is often busy adding phrasing marks.
+In the pauses he talks over with the pupil the character of the piece,
+and the effects he thinks should be made. In short his lessons are most
+helpful and illuminating.
+
+I also had the opportunity to attend a pupils' "Practise Concert," and
+here the results attained were little short of marvelous. Small
+children, both boys and girls, played difficult pieces, like the Grieg
+Variations for two pianos, the Weber _Invitation to the Dance_, and
+works by Chopin and Liszt, with accuracy and fluency. Almost every
+selection was played from memory. The tone was always musical and often
+of much power, and the pupils seemed thoroughly to understand what they
+were doing and the meaning of the music. They certainly exemplified the
+professor's maxim:
+
+"Never touch the piano without trying to make music."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Not long afterward I received a copy of the new book, which had just
+come from the press. Its comprehensive title is _Musical Interpretation,
+its Laws and Principles, and their Application in Teaching and
+Performing_. The material was first presented in the form of lectures;
+on repeated requests it has been issued in book form. The author at the
+outset claims no attempt to treat such a complex problem exhaustively;
+he has, however, selected the following seven points for elucidation:
+
+1. The difference between Practise and Strumming.
+2. The difference between Teaching and Cramming.
+3. How one's mind can be brought to bear on one's work.
+4. Correct ideas of Time and Shape.
+5. Elements of Rubato and its application.
+6. Elements of Duration and Pedaling and their application.
+7. Some details as to the application of the Element of Tone-variety.
+
+Such themes must cause the thoughtful reader to pause and think. They
+are treated with illuminating originality. The great aim of the teacher
+must ever be to awaken thought along correct lines; the pupil must be
+assisted to concentrate his thought on what he is doing: to constantly
+think and listen. Teaching does not consist merely in pointing out
+faults; the teacher must make clear the _cause_ of each fault and the
+way to correct it. That section of the book devoted to the Element of
+Rubato, is illustrated with many examples from well-known compositions,
+by which the principle is explained. He shows how frequently this
+principle is misunderstood by the inexperienced, who seem to think that
+rubato means breaking the time; whereas true rubato is the _bending_ of
+the time, but not _breaking_ it. If we give extra time to certain notes,
+we must take some time from other notes, in order to even things up.
+
+The subject of Pedaling is aptly explained by means of numerous
+illustrations. The author deplores the misuse of the damper pedal,
+which can be made to ruin all the care and effort bestowed on phrasing
+and tonal effects by the fingers. The fault can, in most cases, be
+traced to inattention to the sounds coming from the piano.
+
+There are quotable paragraphs on every page, which in their sincerity
+and earnestness, their originality of expression, stamp themselves on
+the reader's imagination. Every teacher who is serious in his work and
+has the best interests of his pupils at heart, should read and ponder
+these pages.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+HAROLD BAUER
+
+THE QUESTION OF PIANO TONE
+
+
+Buried deep in the heart of old Paris, in one of the narrow, busy
+thoroughfares of the city, stands the ancient house in which the master
+pianist, Harold Bauer, has made a home.
+
+One who is unfamiliar with Paris would never imagine that behind those
+rows of uninviting buildings lining the noisy, commercial street, there
+lived people of refined and artistic tastes. All the entrances to the
+buildings look very much alike--they seem to be mere slits in the walls.
+I stopped before one of the openings, entered and crossed a paved
+courtyard, climbed a winding stone stairway, rang at a plain wooden
+doorway, and was ushered into the artist's abode. Once within, I hardly
+dared to speak, lest what I saw might vanish away, as with the wave of a
+fairy's wand. Was I not a moment before down in that dusty, squalid
+street, and here I am now in a beautiful room whose appointments are
+all of quiet elegance--costly but in exquisite taste, and where absolute
+peace and quiet reign. The wide windows open upon a lovely green garden,
+which adds the final touch of restful repose to the whole picture.
+
+Mr. Bauer was giving a lesson in the music salon beyond, from which
+issued, now and again, echoes of well-beloved themes from a Chopin
+sonata. When the lesson was over he came out to me.
+
+"Yes, this is one of the old houses, of the sort that are fast passing
+away in Paris," he said, answering my remark; "there are comparatively
+few of them left. This building is doubtless at least three hundred
+years old. In this quarter of the city--in the rue de Bac, for
+instance--you may find old, forbidding looking buildings, that within
+are magnificent--perfect palaces; at the back of them, perhaps, will be
+a splendid garden; but the whole thing is so hidden away that even the
+very existence of such grandeur and beauty would never be suspected from
+without."
+
+He then led the way to the music-room, where we had an hour's talk.
+
+[Illustration: HAROLD BAUER]
+
+"I was thinking as I drove down here," I began, "what the trend of our
+talk might be, for you have already spoken on so many subjects for
+publication. It occurred to me to ask how you yourself secure a
+beautiful tone on the piano, and how you teach others to make it?"
+
+Mr. Bauer thought an instant.
+
+"I am not sure that I do make it; in fact I do not believe in a single
+beautiful tone on the piano. Tone on the piano can only be beautiful in
+the right place--that is, in relation to other tones. You or I, or the
+man in the street, who knows nothing about music, may each touch a piano
+key, and that key will sound the same, whoever moves it, from the nature
+of the instrument. A beautiful tone may result when two or more notes
+are played successively, through their _difference of intensity_, which
+gives variety. A straight, even tone is monotonous--a dead tone. Variety
+is life. We see this fact exemplified even in the speaking voice; if one
+speaks or reads in an even tone it is deadly monotonous.
+
+
+VARIETY OF TONE
+
+"Now the singer or the violinist can make a single tone on his
+instrument beautiful through variety; for it is impossible for him to
+make even _one_ tone which does not have shades of variation in it,
+however slight they may be, which render it expressive. But you cannot
+do this on the piano: you cannot color a single tone; but you can do
+this with a succession of tones, through their difference, through their
+relation to each other. On the other hand you may say any tone is
+beautiful if in the right place, no matter how harsh it may be. The
+singer's voice may break from emotion, or simulated emotion, in an
+impassioned phrase. The exact note on which it breaks may not be a
+beautiful one, it may even be very discordant, but we do not think of
+that, for we are moved by the meaning back of the tones. So on the piano
+there may be one note in a phrase which, if heard alone, would sound
+harsh and unpleasant, but in its relation to other tones it sounds
+beautiful, for it gives the right meaning and effect. Thus it is the
+_relation of tones_ which results in a 'beautiful tone' on the piano.
+
+"The frequent trouble is that piano teachers and players generally do
+not understand their instrument. A singer understands his, a violinist,
+flutist or drummer knows his, but not a pianist. As he only has keys to
+put down and they are right under his hand, he does not bother himself
+further. To obviate this difficulty, for those who come to me, I have
+had this complete model of piano-key mechanism made. You see I can
+touch the key in a variety of ways, and the results will be different
+each time. It is necessary for the pianist to look into his instrument,
+learn its construction, and know what happens inside when he touches a
+key.
+
+"As you say, there are a great many methods of teaching the piano, but
+to my mind they are apt to be long, laborious, and do not reach the
+vital points. The pianist may arrive at these after long years of study
+and experimenting, but much of his time will be wasted in useless labor.
+
+"In my own case, I was forced by necessity to make headway quickly. I
+came to Paris years ago as a violinist, but there seemed no opening for
+me then in that direction. There was opportunity, however, for ensemble
+work with a good violinist and 'cellist. So I set to work to acquire
+facility on the piano as quickly as possible. I consulted all the
+pianists I knew--and I knew quite a number--as to what to do. They told
+me I must spend many months on technic alone before I could hope to play
+respectably, but I told them I had no time for that. So I went to work
+to study out the effects I needed. It didn't matter to me _how_ my hand
+looked on the keyboard; whether my fingers were curved, flat, or stood
+on end. I was soon able to get my effects and to convince others that
+they were the effects I wanted. Later on, when I had more leisure, I
+took more thought about the position of hand and fingers. But I am
+convinced that much time is spent uselessly on externals, which do not
+reach the heart of the matter.
+
+"For instance, players struggle for years to acquire a perfectly even
+scale. Now I don't believe in that at all. I don't believe a scale ever
+should be even, either in tone or in rhythm. The beginner's untrained
+efforts at a scale sound like this"--the speaker illustrated at the
+piano with a scale in which all the tones were blurred and run into each
+other; then he continued, "After a year's so-called 'correct training,'
+his scale sounds like this"--again he illustrated, playing a succession
+of notes with one finger, each tone standing out by itself. "To my
+thinking such teaching is not only erroneous, it is positively
+poisonous--yes, _poisonous_!"
+
+"Is it to be inferred that you do not approve of scale practise?"
+
+"Oh, I advise scale playing surely, for facility in passing the thumb
+under and the hand over is very necessary. I do not, however, desire
+the even, monotonous scale, but one that is full of variety and life.
+
+"In regard to interpretation, it should be full of tonal and rhythmic
+modifications. Briefly it may be said that expression may be exemplified
+in four ways: loud, soft, fast, and slow. But within these crude
+divisions what infinite shades and gradations may be made! Then the
+personal equation also comes in. Variety and differentiation are of
+supreme importance--they are life!
+
+"I go to America next season, and after that to Australia; this will
+keep me away from my Paris home for a long time to come. I should like
+to give you a picture to illustrate this little talk. Here is a new one
+which was taken right here in this room, as I sat at the piano, with the
+strong sunlight pouring in at the big window at my left."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On a subsequent occasion, Mr. Bauer spoke further on some phases of his
+art.
+
+"As you already know I do not believe in so-called 'piano technic,'
+which must be practised laboriously outside of pieces. I do not believe
+in spending a lot of time in such practise, for I feel it is time wasted
+and leads nowhere. I do not believe, for instance, in the struggle to
+play a perfectly even scale. A scale should never be 'even,' for it must
+be full of variety and life. A perfectly even scale is on a dead level;
+it has no life; it is machine-made. The only sense in which the word
+'even' may be applied to a scale is for its rhythmic quality; but even
+in this sense a beautiful scale has slight variations, so that it is
+never absolutely regular, either in tone or rhythm.
+
+"Then I do not believe in taking up a new composition and working at the
+technical side of it first. I study it in the first place from the
+musical side. I see what may be the meaning of the music, what ideas it
+seeks to convey, what was in the composer's mind when he wrote it. In
+other words, I get a good general idea of the composition as a whole;
+when I have this I can begin to work out the details.
+
+"In this connection I was interested in reading a statement made by
+Ruskin in his _Modern Painters_. The statement, which, I think, has
+never been refuted, is that while the great Italian painters, Raphael,
+Coreggio, and the rest have left many immature and imperfect pictures
+and studies in color, their drawings are mature and finished, showing
+that they made many experiments and studies in color before they thought
+of making the finished black and white drawing. It seems they put the
+art thought first before the technical detail. This is the way I feel
+and the way I work.
+
+
+AVOID RESTRICTING RULES
+
+"Because our ancestors were brought up to study the piano a certain way,
+and we--some of us--have been trained along the same rigid lines, does
+not mean there are no better, broader, less limited ways of reaching the
+goal we seek. We do not want to limit ourselves or our powers. We do not
+need to say: 'Now I have thought out the conception of this composition
+to my present satisfaction; I shall always play it the same way.' How
+can we feel thus? It binds us at once with iron shackles. How can I play
+the piece twice exactly alike? I am a different man to-day from what I
+was yesterday, and shall be different to-morrow from what I am to-day.
+Each day is a new world, a new life. Don't you see how impossible it is
+to give two performances of the piece which shall be identical in every
+particular? It _is_ possible for a machine to make any number of
+repetitions which are alike, but a human, with active thought and
+emotion, has a broader outlook.
+
+"The question as to whether the performer must have experienced every
+emotion he interprets is as old as antiquity. You remember in the
+Dialogues of Plato, Socrates was discussing with another sage the point
+as to whether an actor must have felt every emotion he portrayed in
+order to be a true artist. The discussion waxed warm on both sides.
+Socrates' final argument was, If the true artist must have lived through
+every experience in order to portray it faithfully, then, if he had to
+act a death scene he would have to die first in order to picture it with
+adequate fidelity!"
+
+
+THE QUESTION OF VELOCITY
+
+In speaking of velocity in piano playing and how it is to be acquired,
+Mr. Bauer continued:
+
+"I believe the quality of velocity is inherent--an integral part of
+one's thought. Even a child, if he has this inherent quality, can play a
+simple figure of five notes as fast as they need to be played. People of
+the South--not on this side of the water--but of Spain and Italy, are
+accustomed to move quickly; they gesticulate with their hands and are
+full of life and energy. It is no trouble for them to think with
+velocity. Two people will set out to walk to a given point; they may
+both walk fast, according to their idea of that word, but one will
+cover the ground much more quickly than the other. I think this idea of
+a time unit is again a limiting idea. There can be _no_ fixed and fast
+rule as to the tempo of a composition; we cannot be bound by such rules.
+The main thing is: Do I understand the meaning and spirit of the
+composition, and can I make these clear to others? Can I so project this
+piece that the picture is alive? If so, the fact as to whether it is a
+few shades slower or faster does not enter into the question at all.
+
+
+OBTAINING POWER
+
+"Many players totally mistake in what power consists. They think they
+must exert great strength in order to acquire sufficient power. Many
+women students have this idea; they do not realize that power comes from
+contrast. This is the secret of the effect of power. I do not mean to
+say that we must not play with all the force we have at times; we even
+have to pound and bang occasionally to produce the needed effects. This
+only proves again that a tone may be beautiful, though in itself harsh,
+if this harshness comes in the right time and place.
+
+"As with velocity so with power; there is _no_ fixed and infallible rule
+in regard to it, for that would only be another limitation to the
+feeling, the poetry, the emotion of the executant's _thought_. The
+quality and degree of power are due to contrast, and the choice of the
+degree to be used lies with the player's understanding of the content of
+the piece and his ability to bring out this content and place it in all
+its perfection and beauty before the listener. This is his opportunity
+to bring out the higher, the spiritual meaning."
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+A VISIT TO RAOUL PUGNO
+
+TRAINING THE CHILD
+
+
+"An audience has been arranged for you to-day, with M. Raoul Pugno; he
+will await you at four o'clock, in his Paris studio." Thus wrote the
+courteous representative of _Musical America_ in Paris.
+
+It had been very difficult to make appointments with any of the famous
+French musicians, owing to their being otherwise engaged, or out of the
+city. I therefore welcomed this opportunity for meeting at least one of
+the great pianists of France.
+
+At the appointed hour that afternoon, we drove through the busy rue de
+Clicy, and halted at the number which had been indicated. It proved to
+be one of those unpromising French apartment buildings, which present,
+to the passer-by, a stern façade of flat wall, broken by rows of
+shuttered windows, which give no hint of what may be hidden behind them.
+In this case we did not find the man we sought in the front portion of
+the building, but were directed to cross a large, square court. The
+house was built around this court, as was the custom in constructing the
+older sort of dwellings.
+
+At last we discovered the right door, which was opened by a neat
+housekeeper.
+
+"M. Pugno is not here, he lives in the country," she said, in answer to
+our inquiry. (How difficult these French musicians are to find; they
+seem to be one and all "in the country"!)
+
+"But, madame, we have an appointment with M. Pugno; will you not be good
+enough to see if he is not here after all?"
+
+She left us standing, but returned almost immediately with the message
+that M. Pugno had only that moment entered his studio, to which she
+would conduct us.
+
+[Illustration: RAOUL PUGNO]
+
+In another moment we had crossed the tiny foyer and were standing within
+the artist's sanctuary. At first glance one felt as though in an
+Oriental chamber of some Eastern monarch. Heavy gold and silver Turkish
+embroideries hung over doors and windows. The walls were covered with
+many rare paintings; rich _objets d'art_ were scattered about in
+profusion; an open door led out into a pretty garden, where flowers
+bloomed, and a fountain _dripped_ into its marble basin. A raised dais
+at one side of the room held a divan, over which were draperies of
+Oriental stuffs. On this divan, as on a throne, sat the great pianist we
+had come to see. He made a stately and imposing figure as he sat there,
+with his long silvery beard and his dignified bearing. Near him sat a
+pretty young woman, whom we soon learned was Mlle. Nadia Boulanger, a
+composer and musician of brilliant attainments.
+
+"I regret that I am unable to converse with you in English, as I speak
+no language but my own," began M. Pugno, with a courteous wave of the
+hand for us to be seated.
+
+"You wish to know some of my ideas on piano playing--or rather on
+teaching. I believe a child can begin to study the piano at a very early
+age, if he show any aptitude for it; indeed the sooner he begins the
+better, for then he will get over some of the drudgery by the time he is
+old enough to understand a little about music.
+
+
+TRAINING THE CHILD
+
+"Great care must be taken with the health of the child who has some
+talent for music, so that he shall not overdo in his piano study. After
+all a robust physical condition is of the first importance, for without
+it one can do little.
+
+"A child in good health can begin as early as five or six years. He must
+be most judiciously trained from the start. As the ear is of such prime
+importance in music, great attention should be paid to tone study--to
+listening to and distinguishing the various sounds, and to singing them
+if possible, in solfeggio.
+
+"At the outset a good hand position must be secured, with correct finger
+movements. Then there must be a thorough drill in scales, arpeggios,
+chords, and a variety of finger exercises, before any kind of pieces are
+taken up. The young student in early years, is expected to play various
+études, as well as the technic studies I have mentioned--Czerny, Cramer,
+Clementi, and always Bach. In my position, as member of the faculty of
+the Conservatoire, a great many students pass before me. If I personally
+accept any pupils, they naturally must be talented and advanced, as I
+cannot give my time to the children. Still it is interesting to see the
+child-thought develop."
+
+The conversation turned upon the charming studio with its lovely
+garden--where absolute quiet could be secured in spite of the noise and
+bustle of one of the busiest quarters of Paris. The studio itself, we
+were told, had formerly belonged to the painter Decamps, and some of the
+pictures and furnishings were once his. A fine portrait of Pugno, life
+size, filling the whole space above the piano, claimed our attention. He
+kindly rose, as we admired the painting, and sought a photograph copy.
+When it was found--the last one he possessed--he presented it with his
+compliments.
+
+We spoke of Mlle. Boulanger's work in composition, a subject which
+seemed deeply to interest M. Pugno.
+
+"Yes, she is writing an opera; in fact we are writing it together; the
+text is from a story of d'Annunzio. I will jot down the title for you."
+
+Taking a paper which I held in my hand, he wrote,
+
+_"La Ville Morte, 4 Acts de d'Annuncio; Musique de Nadia Boulanger et
+Raoul Pugno"_
+
+"You will certainly have it performed in America, when it is finished; I
+will tell them so," I said.
+
+The great pianist smiled blandly and accepted the suggestion with
+evident satisfaction.
+
+"Yes, we will come to America and see the work performed, when it is
+completed," he said.
+
+With many expressions of appreciation we took our leave of the Oriental
+studio and its distinguished occupants; and, as we regained the busy,
+noisy rue de Clicy, we said to ourselves that we had just lived through
+one of the most unique experiences of our stay in Paris.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+(The above is the last interview ever taken from this great French
+artist, who passed away a few months later.)
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The following items concerning M. Pugno's manner of teaching and
+personal traits, were given me by Mme. Germaine Schnitzer, the
+accomplished French pianist and the master's most gifted pupil.
+
+"Pugno had played the piano almost from infancy, and in early youth had
+taken several piano prizes. Later, however, he gave much more of his
+time to the organ, to the seeming neglect of the former instrument. How
+his serious attention was reverted to the piano happened in this wise.
+It was announced that Edward Grieg, the noted Norwegian, was coming to
+Paris. Pugno was one day looking over his piano Concerto which had
+recently appeared. 'Why don't you play the work for the composer when
+he comes?' asked a friend. 'I am no pianist,' objected Pugno. 'Why not?'
+said his friend; 'you know enough about the piano, and there are still
+four weeks in which to learn the Concerto.' Pugno took the advice,
+practised up the work, played it in the concert given by Grieg, and
+scored a success. He was then thirty-nine years of age. This appearance
+was the beginning; other engagements and successes followed, and thus he
+developed into one of the great pianists of France.
+
+"Pugno was a born pianist; he had a natural gift for technic, and
+therefore never troubled himself much about teaching technical exercises
+nor practising them. If the work of a pupil contained technical faults,
+he made no remarks nor explanations, but simply closed the music book
+and refused to listen any further. The pupil, of course, retired in
+discomfiture. He was fond of playing along with the pupil (generally
+with the left hand), or singing the melodies and themes, in order to
+give him ideas of the meaning and interpretation of the music. This gave
+independence to the pupils, though it often afforded them much
+amusement.
+
+"With advanced students Pugno spoke much about music and what it could
+express; he translated themes and passages back into the feelings and
+emotions which had originated them; he showed how all emotions find
+their counterpart in tones. 'Above all let kindness and goodness control
+you,' he once wrote; 'if you are filled with kindness, your tone will be
+beautiful!'
+
+"Pugno's instruction took the form of talks on the inner meaning of the
+composition, and the art of interpreting it, rather than any training on
+the technical side; about the latter he concerned himself very little.
+It goes without saying that only talented pupils made progress under
+such a master; indeed those without talent interested him not at all. He
+was a wonderful teacher for those who had the insight to read between
+the lines, and were able to follow and absorb his artistic enthusiasms.
+
+"I have said that Pugno did not concern himself about teaching the
+technical side of piano playing. Even with me, his best pupil, he rarely
+touched upon technical points. I must mention a notable exception. He
+gave me one technical principle, expressed in a few simple exercises,
+which I have never heard of from any one else. The use of this
+principle has helped me amazingly to conquer many knotty passages. I
+have never given these exercises to any one; I am willing however, to
+jot them down for you."
+
+(The following is a brief plan of the exercises, as sketched by Mme.
+Schnitzer)
+
+[Illustration: EXERCISES]
+
+"Pugno wished the thirty-seconds and sixty-fourths to be played with the
+utmost quickness. This idea is not alone applicable to all scales, but
+can be used with any difficult passage found in a composition.
+
+"Pugno took a keen interest in my work, my progress and career. A few
+sentences culled here and there from the many letters of his which I
+have preserved, may serve to throw more light on the inner nature of the
+man:
+
+"'I have endeavored to make clear to your young mind the thoughts
+expressed in music, so that your understanding and your emotions also
+might grow; all this has created a link of gratitude in you and an
+affection within me. I have opened the windows for you and have given
+you light, and I have reaped the satisfaction of my sowing.'
+
+"'Hear all the music you can--do not miss any of the pianists either
+good or bad; there is always something to be learned, even from a poor
+player--if it is only what to avoid! Study great works, but even in
+those there are some figures and phrases which need not be brought into
+the foreground, lest they attain too much significance.'
+
+"(After playing with Hans Richter's Orchestra): 'What intoxication of
+sound--what exhilaration and collaboration in music! What a force within
+us, which sways us and throbs through us, developing and expressing
+each sentiment and instinct! What art can be compared to music, which
+finds expression through this medium, called an orchestra. I feel myself
+greater amid the orchestra, for I have a giant to converse with. I keep
+pace with him, I lead him where I will--I calm him and I embrace him. We
+supplement each other; in a moment of authority I become his master and
+subdue him. The piano alone is too small for me; it does not tempt me to
+play it except under such conditions--with a grand orchestra!'"
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+THUEL BURNHAM
+
+THE "MELODY" AND "COLORATURA" HAND
+
+
+A prominent figure in the musical life of Paris is Thuel Burnham,
+pianist and teacher.
+
+Mr. Burnham is an American, who for a number of years has made his home
+in Paris. He has studied with the greatest masters of his instrument on
+both sides of the water. More than this he is a musical thinker who has
+worked out things for himself, amalgamating what he has found best in
+other methods with what he has discovered in his own experience. He has
+been able to simplify the whole fabric of technical material, so there
+is no time lost in useless labor.
+
+As a pianist Mr. Burnham takes high rank. Technical difficulties do not
+exist for him. He has come to the last turning of the road; before him
+rise the heights of supreme spiritual mastery. A touch that is limpid,
+clear, and capable of many gradations of tints; splendid power in
+_fortissimo_; delicacy, velocity and variety are all his; together with
+all this he has a sympathetic insight into the mood and meaning of the
+composer. Of late he has been giving several recitals of a semi-private
+nature, at which he has brought out some of the larger works in his
+repertoire. These recitals have taken place in his charming studios, and
+it was my good fortune to be present when two concertos were played, the
+MacDowell in D minor, and the Grieg in A minor. Mr. Burnham is a warm
+admirer of the works of our great American composer, and has prepared an
+entire program of MacDowell's music, which included the Tragica Sonata,
+Polonaise, and many of the shorter pieces.
+
+In a conversation with Mr. Burnham in regard to methods of teaching, he
+gave many helpful points, explaining how he had reduced technical
+difficulties to a minimum through the exercise of a few simple
+principles.
+
+
+PRINCIPLES OF TOUCH
+
+"The position and condition of the hand varies according to the
+character of the music, and the tone you wish to produce. If you give
+out a melody, you want a full, luscious tone, the weight of arm on the
+key, everything relaxed, and a clinging, caressing pressure of finger.
+Here then, you have the 'Melody Hand,' with outstretched, flat fingers.
+If, on the contrary, you want rapid passage work, with clear, bright,
+articulate touch, the hand must stand up in well-arched, normal playing
+position, with fingers well rounded and good finger action. Here you
+have the 'Technical' or 'Coloratura Hand.'
+
+
+MELODY HAND
+
+
+"The Melody Hand is weighty and 'dead,' so to speak. The touch is made
+with flat fingers; the ball of the finger comes in contact with the key,
+the whole arm, hand and fingers are relaxed--as loose as possible. You
+caress the keys as though you loved them, as though they were a very
+part of you; you cling to them as to something soft, velvety or
+downy--with pressure, pressure, pressure, always."
+
+(This illustration recalled to the listener's mind one of Kitty
+Cheatham's stories, the one about the little girl caressing a pet
+kitten. She was asked which she loved best--her mother or the kitten.
+"Of course I love her best," was the rather hesitating answer; "but I
+love kitty too--and she has _fur_!")
+
+"To acquire the melody touch, I teach it with the simplest exercises,
+sometimes with only single tones. When the idea is apprehended, the
+pupil works it out in some lyric piece, like a _Song without Words_, by
+Mendelssohn.
+
+"There are three touches for melody playing: First, the _down touch_,
+made by descending arm and hand; second, the _up touch_, made by
+elevating the wrist, while the finger lies upon the key; third, the
+_wiping-off touch_, which draws the finger off the key, with an arm and
+hand movement.
+
+
+THE TECHNICAL HAND
+
+"The technical hand employs finger touch and finger action; the hand is
+held up, in military position, so to speak; the finger movements are
+quick, alert and exact; the hand is _alive_, not dead and heavy, as is
+the melody hand. The two ways of playing are quite opposite in their
+fundamental character, but they can be modified and blended in endless
+ways.
+
+"For the technical or coloratura touch, the hand is in arched position,
+the five fingers are well rounded and curved, their tips are on the
+keys, everything is rounded. When a finger is lifted, it naturally
+assumes a more rounded position until it descends to the same spot on
+the key from which it was lifted, as though there were five little
+imaginary black spots on the keys, showing exactly where the finger-tips
+should rest. The fingers are lifted cleanly and evenly and _fall_ on the
+keys--no hitting nor striking. I make a great distinction between the
+coloratura touch and the melody touch. The first is for rapid, brilliant
+passage work, sparkling, glittering, iridescent--what you will--but
+cold. It is made, as I said, with arched hand and raised finger action.
+Melody touch expresses warmth and feeling; is from the heart. Then there
+are the down and up arm movements, for chords, and, of course, scale and
+arpeggio work, with coloratura touch. I generally expect pupils who come
+to me to go through a short course of preparatory study with my
+assistant, Miss Madeleine Prosser, who has been with me for years, and
+does most thorough work in this line.
+
+
+ASSIMILATION OF PRINCIPLES
+
+"Many pupils come to me with no very definite ideas as to touch and what
+they may express through it. They think if they _feel_ a passage
+sufficiently, they will be able to use the right touch for it. Sometimes
+they may be able to hit upon the effect they want, but they don't know
+quite how they got it, nor can they repeat it another time at will. I
+believe the principles governing certain touches can be so thoroughly
+learned and assimilated that _when the player sees a certain passage, he
+knows at once what touch is required to express it._ A great actor
+illustrates what I mean--he knows how to employ his features and body to
+express the thought of his lines. When you go to the Theatre Français in
+Paris, you know every member of the company is thoroughly trained in
+every phase of his art. You are aware that each actor has studied
+expression to such an extent that the features naturally fall into the
+required lines and curves whenever a certain emotion comes up for
+expression. So with the pianist--he should have the various touches at
+his finger-tips. The step beyond is to express himself, which he will do
+easily and naturally, when his has such a preparation as I have referred
+to.
+
+
+MEMORIZING
+
+"I am often questioned on the subject of memorizing. Some pupils think
+if they play the piece a sufficient number of times they will know it;
+then are troubled because they cannot at all times remember the notes.
+Such players must know every note of the piece away from the piano, and
+be able to recite them. I have students who are able to learn their
+music away from the instrument, and can play it to me without having
+tried it on the piano. I require the piece so thoroughly memorized that
+if I correct a measure or phrase, the pupil can go right on from that
+point, without being obliged to start farther back, or at the beginning.
+In some cases, however, if the pupil has her own method of committing to
+memory, and it is successful, I have no desire to change it.
+
+
+OCTAVE STUDIES
+
+"For octave study, form the hand with the 'octave grimace,'--that is
+with arched hand, the unemployed fingers slightly curved. In staccato
+touch of course use light wrist. Begin with one beat in sixteenths and
+finish with the 'wiping off' touch. Build up more and more beats in
+notes of the same value, always ending the passage with the same touch,
+as above mentioned. This exercise can be played the full length of the
+keyboard, in all keys, and also chromatically. It can be played in the
+same fashion, using four-voiced chords instead of octaves. When such an
+exercise can be prolonged for twenty minutes at a time, octave passages
+in pieces have no terrors for the pianist. For the octaves in Chopin's
+Polonaise Op. 53, he would merely have to learn the notes, which can be
+done away from the piano; there is no need for exhaustive practise of
+the passage.
+
+
+KEEPING UP REPERTOIRE
+
+"In order to keep repertoire in repair, one should have it arranged so
+that old pieces are gone over once a week. Group your repertoire into
+sections and programs. It might be well to begin the week with Chopin,
+playing through the whole list; after which pick out the weak places,
+and practise those. Tuesday, take Schumann, and treat him in the same
+way. Then comes Liszt, Russian music, modern composers, concertos, and
+chamber music. In this systematic way the whole repertoire is kept up.
+
+
+DETAILS OF PRACTISE
+
+"My mornings are given up to practise, my afternoons to teaching. Of
+these practise hours, at least one hour is given to technic, scales,
+arpeggios, octaves, chords--and Bach! I believe in taking one selection
+of Bach, say a Two-voiced Invention, and perfecting it, playing it in
+various ways--transposing it into all keys and polishing it to the
+highest degree possible. The B flat Invention is a useful one for this
+treatment. So with études; instead of playing _at_ so many, is it not
+better to perfect a few and bring them up to the highest degree of
+completeness?
+
+"I am very susceptible to color, anywhere, in anything--especially in
+pictures. Music should express color. Certain compositions seem to
+embody certain colors. As you suggest, red is certainly the motif of
+Chopin's great Polonaise, Op. 53."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mr. Burnham should certainly look forward to success in his visit to his
+native land. His fine touch and tone, sincere and musicianly style, and
+buoyant, genial personality will make friends for his art and himself
+everywhere.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+EDWIN HUGHES
+
+SOME ESSENTIALS OF PIANO PLAYING
+
+
+When one has read with pleasure and profit the published ideas of a
+musical worker and thinker, it is always an interesting experience to
+meet such an one personally, and have the opportunity to discuss points
+of special import, particularly when the meeting can take place in some
+ideal spot in the old world. Such was my thought in visiting Mr. Edwin
+Hughes, an American who has made a name and place for himself among the
+pianists and teachers of Europe. After years of study in Vienna with
+Leschetizky, where he also acted as one of the _Vorbereiters_, he has
+established himself in Munich, where he feels he has found a true home
+of music and art. Here, amid beautiful and artistic surroundings, he
+lives and works, dividing his time between teaching and concert playing.
+As a pianist Mr. Hughes has met with gratifying success in the most
+important cities of Germany, while as a teacher he has been sought by
+students from almost every State in America, from Maine to Texas, and
+also from Canada. What has given him special satisfaction is that during
+the past year a number of pupils have come to him from the Conservatory
+here in Munich. They have been greatly pleased with their progress, only
+regretting they had not come to him before.
+
+As to whether he uses the Leschetizky method in its entirety, Mr. Hughes
+testified in the affirmative.
+
+"If you were to ask Leschetizky about the 'Leschetizky Method,' he would
+probably laugh and tell you he has no method, or he would tell you his
+'method' consists of only two things--firm fingers and pliable wrist.
+
+"These are the principles upon which I base the technical training of my
+pupils. I first establish an arched hand position, and then test the
+firmness of the fingers and knuckle joints by tapping them. At first the
+joints, particularly the nail joints, are very apt to sink in when
+tapped by a lead pencil; but by having the pupil continue the tapping
+process at home, it is not long before he acquires the feeling of
+conscious firmness in his fingers.
+
+"Along with this exercise it is most important to begin at once with
+wrist exercises, as otherwise, from the effort to acquire firmness of
+finger, the wrist may become stiff and unwieldy. The wrist exercises
+consist in raising and lowering this joint, with the hand and arm
+supported first on each finger separately, then on two, three, four and
+five fingers. The wrist should not be so limp as to be incapable of
+resistance; but rather it should be like a fine steel spring--a
+'spring-wrist,' I call it--capable of every degree of resistance or
+non-resistance the quality of tone demands.
+
+"High finger action is not so necessary for beginners as most piano
+teachers imagine. It is much easier to teach pupils to raise their
+fingers high, than it is to teach them the acquisition of the _legato_
+touch at the piano, which is only to be attained by playing close to the
+keys, without raising the fingers. It is difficult to get pupils to play
+a perfect _legato_ who have had years of training with high finger
+action, something which should be taken up for _non-legato_ and
+_staccato_ finger work _after_ the more difficult _legato_ touch has
+been mastered.
+
+
+TONE PRODUCTION
+
+"The subject of tone production is one which is much neglected by piano
+teachers. Viewed from this standpoint the piano is an instrument apart
+from every other, except in some respects the organ. A young violinist,
+'cellist or flutist has to study for some time before he can produce a
+tone of good musical quality on his instrument. Think what the beginner
+on the violin has to go through before he can make a respectable middle
+C; but anybody, even a totally unmusical person, can play middle C on
+the piano without the least trouble. It is just this ease in tone
+production at the piano which leads to carelessness as to the _kind_ of
+tone produced; and so piano teachers, above all others, complain they
+cannot get their pupils to listen to what they are playing. Pupils
+should be made to listen, by means of a special course in tone
+production, which should go hand in hand with the technical exercises
+used at the very beginning. Otherwise they imagine they are making music
+when they place the printed page on the rack, and set the correct keys
+in motion.
+
+"There is no other instrument with which it is so easy to 'bluff' a
+large part of the audience; for the character of the piano is such that
+the general public often think it fine music if the player makes a big
+noise. Pianists of considerable reputation often take advantage of this
+lack of discrimination on the part of piano-recital audiences, which,
+above all the other audiences, seem peculiarly incapable of judging
+correctly the musical value of a performance.
+
+"Of the hundreds of piano recitals which take place yearly in the
+musical centers of Europe, only a comparatively small number are of real
+musical interest. In many cases it seems as though the players were
+merely repeating something learned by rote, in an unknown language; just
+as though I should repeat a poem in Italian. The words I might pronounce
+after a fashion, but the meaning of most of them would be a blank to
+me--so how could I make others understand them.
+
+
+RHYTHM IN PIANO PLAYING
+
+"The subject of rhythm is an important one, and more attention should be
+given it. Leschetizky once said that tones and rhythm are the only
+things which can keep the piano alive as a solo instrument. I find in
+pupils who come to me so much deficiency in these two subjects, that I
+have organized classes in ear-training and rhythm.
+
+"If pupils have naturally a poor sense of rhythm, there is no remedy
+equal to practising with a metronome, using this instrument of torture
+daily until results are evident, when, of course, there must be a
+judicious slowing down in its use. The mechanical sense of rhythm, the
+ability to count three or four to a measure, and to group the notes of a
+piece correctly, can be taught to any person, if one has the patience;
+but for those delicate rhythmic _nuances_ required by a Chopin mazurka
+or a Viennese waltz, a specific rhythmic gift must be possessed by the
+pupil.
+
+"Leschetizky says little to his pupils on the subject of technic; I
+cannot remember his having spoken a dozen words to me on the subject,
+during all the time I have known him. His interest, of course, lies
+wholly in the matter of interpretation, and technic comes into
+consideration only as a means and never as an end.
+
+"Leschetizky likes to have the player talk to him, ask questions, do
+anything but sit still and not speak. 'How do I know you comprehend my
+meaning,' he asks, 'that you understand what I am talking about, if you
+say nothing?' At first a student may be silent from nervousness, but if
+he is bright he will soon 'catch on,' and see what is expected of him.
+Leschetizky says sometimes: 'When the Lord made the ten commandments He
+omitted the eleventh, "Thou shalt not be stupid."' If one is not very
+quick, one may have a hard time with this master.
+
+"As a high school in technic I use Joseffy's _School of Advanced Piano
+Playing_ with my pupils. This work leads to the highest possible
+technical development at the keyboard, and I consider it the last word
+in piano technic. The hundreds of exercises have been devised with most
+wonderful ingenuity, and the musicianship of the author stands out on
+every page. The book is not a dry series of technics but has vital
+connection with all the big technical problems found in the literature
+of the piano.
+
+"In teaching, I consider a second piano an absolute necessity. There are
+so many things in piano playing which cannot be put into words, and the
+teacher must constantly illustrate. How can one teach the interpretation
+of a Chopin nocturne, for instance, by merely talking about it. I can
+say, 'play loud here--soft there'; but how far do such directions go
+toward an artistic conception of the piece? One cannot indicate the
+swell of a melody, the tonal and rhythmic _nuance_ of a _groupetto_--and
+a thousand other things in any other way than by the living example.
+Through imitation one learns rapidly and surely, until one reaches the
+point where the wings of one's own individuality begin to sprout.
+
+
+ABOUT MEMORIZING
+
+"On the subject of memorizing who can lay down rules for this
+inexplicable mental process, which will hold good for every one? For
+myself, I hear the notes mentally, and know their position on the
+keyboard. In actual performance much must be left to finger memory, but
+one must actually have the notes in his mind as well as in his fingers.
+Before a concert I go over all my program mentally, and find this an
+excellent method of practise when traveling from one city to another. To
+those who study with me I say, you must try various methods of
+memorizing; there is no universal way; each must find out by experiment
+which is most suited to his individual case.
+
+"With some pianists visual memory of the printed page plays the
+principal rôle in memorizing; with others visual memory of the notes on
+the keyboard; with still others ear-memory, or memory of the harmonic
+progressions. I believe in making the pupil familiar with all these
+different ways, so that he may find out which one is most helpful to
+him.
+
+"For pupils with weak hands and arms I recommend simple gymnastic
+exercises to be done morning and evening. Physical strength is a very
+necessary essential for a brilliant technic; the student who would
+accomplish big things must possess it in order to succeed.
+
+
+KEEPING TECHNIC IN REPAIR
+
+"The only way to keep one's technic in repair is to be constantly
+working at it. Technic is the mechanical part of music-making; to keep
+it in good working order one must be constantly tinkering with it, just
+as the engine driver tinkers with his locomotive or the chauffeur with
+his automobile. In the course of his technical study every intelligent
+pupil will recognize certain exercises which are particularly important
+for the mechanical well-being of his playing; from these exercises he
+will plan his daily schedule of technical practise.
+
+"In order to keep a large repertoire going at the same time, one must
+have a weekly practise plan, which will allow for a frequent repetition
+of the pieces. Those pieces which have been recently added to one's list
+will require more frequent repetition, while those which have been
+played for a longer period may be left for an occasional brushing up.
+Frequent playing before others, either publicly or privately, is above
+everything else to be recommended to the pianist, as the greatest
+incentive to keeping up his repertoire and toward growing in his art.
+
+
+AMERICAN VERSUS EUROPEAN CONDITIONS
+
+"In America many people who have little talent study music, intending to
+make it their profession; whereas in Europe there is such a profusion of
+music and music-making that only those of more than average gifts think
+of making music their life work. In America we are still 'in the
+making,' from a musical standpoint, and although we have accomplished
+much there is still much to be done. It is the office of the piano
+teacher in America to make music study easy and interesting to pupils of
+moderate ability. Just these conditions have brought about very
+excellent methods of piano and music study for American children, which
+have no counterpart in Europe."
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+FERRUCCIO BUSONI
+
+AN ARTIST AT HOME
+
+
+As a man's surroundings and environment are often reflections of his
+character, it is always a matter of deep interest to get in touch with
+the surroundings of the creative or executive musician. To meet him away
+from the glare of the footlights, in the privacy and seclusion of the
+home, gives one a far more intimate knowledge of the artist as a man.
+Knowing how difficult it often is to obtain such an opportunity, I can
+be the more thankful that this privilege has been granted me many times,
+even with those artists who hold themselves most aloof. I was told
+Busoni was exceedingly difficult to approach, and the only way I could
+see him was to call at his house quite unannounced, when I might have
+the good fortune to find him at home and willing to see me. Not wishing
+to take him by storm in this way, I quietly waited, until I received the
+following note: "While I am not fond of interviews, if you will come to
+tea on Thursday afternoon, you will be welcome."
+
+Busoni is located in a stately _Wohnung_ overlooking the handsome
+Victoria Luise Platz, in the newer western section of Berlin. Mme.
+Busoni met us as we arrived, and conducted us to the master, who rose
+from a cozy nook in a corner of the library to greet us. Tea was soon
+brought in and our little party, which included a couple of other
+guests, was soon chatting gaily in a mixture of French, German and
+English.
+
+During the sprightly chat I could not help glancing from time to time
+around the great library in which we sat, noting its artistic
+furnishings, and the rows upon rows of volumes in their costly bindings,
+which lined the walls. One appreciates what Dr. Johnson meant when he
+said that whenever he saw shelves filled with books he always wanted to
+get near enough to them to read their titles, as the choice of books
+indicates character.
+
+Presently Busoni turned to me: "I am composing a rhapsodie on American
+Indian themes."
+
+"And where did you capture the themes?" he was asked.
+
+[Illustration: Ferruccio Busoni]
+
+"From a very charming lady, a countrywoman of yours, Miss Natalie
+Curtis. She has taken great interest in the idea and has been most
+helpful to me."
+
+"One of the German music papers announced that you are about to leave
+Berlin, and have accepted an offer elsewhere--was it in Spain?"
+
+"I intend leaving Berlin for a time," he admitted, "and will go to
+Bologna--perhaps you thought that was in Spain," with a sly side glance
+and a humorous twinkle in his eyes. "My offer from Bologna appears most
+flattering. I am appointed head of the great conservatory, but I am not
+obliged to live in the city, nor even to give lessons. I shall, however,
+go there for a time, and shall probably teach. I am to conduct six large
+orchestral concerts during the season, but aside from this I can be
+absent as much as I wish. We shall probably close up our house here and
+go to Italy in the autumn. Living is very cheap in Bologna; one can rent
+a real palace for about $250 a year."
+
+Mme. Busoni now invited us to inspect other parts of the house. We
+passed to the adjoining room, which contains many rare old prints and
+paintings and quaint old furniture--"everything old," as Mme. Busoni
+said, with a smile. In this room stands a harpsichord, with its double
+keyboard and brilliant red case. It is not an antique but an excellent
+copy made by Chickering.
+
+Farther on is a veritable musician's den, with upright piano, and with a
+large desk crowded with pictures and mementoes. On the walls hang rare
+portraits chiefly of Chopin and Liszt. Beyond this room came the salon,
+with its two grand pianos side by side. This is the master's teaching
+and recital room, and here are various massive pieces of richly carved
+furniture. Mme. Busoni called our attention to the elaborate chandelier
+in old silver, of exquisite workmanship, which, she said, had cost her a
+long search to find. There are several portraits here of the
+composer-pianist in his youth--one as a boy of twelve, a handsome
+lad--_bildschön_, with his curls, his soulful eyes and his big white
+collar.
+
+Busoni soon joined us in the salon and the conversation was turned to
+his activities in the new field.
+
+"When you have finished the new rhapsodie you will come and play it to
+us in America--and in London also," he was urged.
+
+"Ah, London! I am almost homesick for London; it is beautiful there. I
+am fond of America, too. You know I lived there for some years; my son
+was born there; he is an American citizen. Yes, I will return, though
+just when I do not yet know, and then I will assuredly play the
+rhapsodie."
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+ADELE AUS DER OHE
+
+ANOTHER ARTIST AT HOME
+
+
+Another opportunity to see the home of an artist was afforded me when
+Frl. Aus der Ohe invited me to visit her in her Berlin home. She also
+lives in the newer western portion of the city, where so many other
+artists are located. One feels on entering the spacious rooms that this
+home has the true German atmosphere. Adele Aus der Ohe, whose
+personality is well remembered in America, on account of her various
+pianistic tours, now wears her brown hair softly drawn down over her
+ears, in Madonna fashion, a mode which becomes her vastly.
+
+"My time is divided between playing in concert, composing, and my own
+studies," began the artist. "I give almost no lessons, for I have not
+time for them. I never have more than a couple of pupils studying with
+me at one time; they must be both talented and eager. The amount of time
+I consider necessary for practise depends, of course, on quickness of
+comprehension. In general, I may say four, or at most five hours are
+quite sufficient, If used with absolute concentration. The quality of
+practise is the great essential. If the passage under consideration is
+not understood, a thousand times going over it will be only vain
+repetitions; therefore, understand the construction and meaning of the
+passage in the beginning, and then a thousand repetitions ought to make
+it perfect.
+
+"There is so much practise which can be done away from the instrument,
+by reading the notes from the printed page and thinking about them. Is
+this understood in America? Always _listen_ to your playing, to every
+note you make on the piano; I consider this point of the very first
+importance. My pupils are generally well advanced or are those who
+intend making music a profession. I have, however, occasionally taken a
+beginner. This point of listening to every note, of training the ear,
+should stand at the very foundation.
+
+
+LETTING THE HAND FIND ITSELF
+
+"In regard to hand position, I endeavor not to be narrow and pedantic.
+If pupils play with good tone and can make reasonably good effects, I
+take them, at the point where they are and try to bring them forward,
+even if the hand position is not just what I would like. If I stop
+everything and let them do nothing but hand position, they will be
+discouraged and think they are beginning all over again. This beginning
+again is sometimes detrimental. To take a pupil at his present point,
+and carry him along was also Liszt's idea. He did not like to change a
+hand position to which the player has grown accustomed for one which
+seems unnatural, and which the pianist has to work a long time to
+acquire. He felt that one's time could be spent to more advantage. There
+are so many legitimate positions, each hand is a separate study, and is
+apt to take the position most natural to itself.
+
+"I shall play numerous concerts and recitals in Europe the coming
+season, but shall not be in America. I know your country well as I have
+made several tours and have lived there. I left it the last time under
+sad circumstances, as my sister, who always accompanied me, had just
+passed away after quite a long illness. So you see I have not much zest
+to return.
+
+"However I am fond of America, and admire the great progress you are
+making in music and art. And you have the courage of your convictions;
+you do not admire a musical work simply because some one else says you
+should, or the critics tell you to. You do not ask your neighbor's
+opinion before you applaud it. If you do not like it you are not afraid
+to say so. Even when it is only ragtime that pleases you, you are not
+afraid to own up to it. When you learn what is better you say so. It Is
+this honesty which leads to progressive results. You are rapidly
+becoming competent to judge what is best. I have found the most
+appreciative audiences in America."
+
+Miss Aus der Ohe had much to relate of the Woman's Lyceum. The
+Department of Music was founded by Aus der Ohe herself. Not long ago
+there was an exhibition of woman's work in music. Women composers from
+all over the country sent examples of their work. Our own Mrs. H.A.A.
+Beach, who has been located for some time in Munich, was well
+represented. There are branches of this institution in other German
+cities.
+
+Several paintings of large size and striking originality hang on the
+walls of the pianist's home. They all illustrate religious themes and
+are the work of Herr Aus der Ohe, the pianist's only brother, who passed
+away at the height of his career.
+
+"Yes," said the composer, "my mother, brother and sister have been taken
+away, since I was last in America, and now I am quite alone; but I have
+my art."
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+ELEANOR SPENCER
+
+MORE LIGHT ON LESCHETIZKY'S IDEAS
+
+
+Eleanor Spencer, whose first American tour is announced for the coming
+season, happened to be in Berlin during my visit there. I found her in
+her charming apartments in the Schönberg section of the city, far away
+from the noise and bustle of traffic. Her windows look out upon a wide
+inner court and garden, and she seems to have secured the quiet,
+peaceful environment so essential to an artist's development. Indeed
+Miss Spencer has solved the problems of how to keep house, with all the
+comforts of an American home, in a great German city.
+
+"I grew so tired of living in _pensions_ that I took this little
+apartment over two years ago," she said, "and I like it so much better.
+
+"I have been away from America for nine years, so the foreign cities
+where I have lived seem almost more like home to me than my native land,
+to which I have only paid two short visits during those nine years. But
+I love America, and perhaps you can imagine how eagerly I am looking
+forward to my coming tour.
+
+"The first eight years of my life were spent in Chicago, and then my
+family moved to New York. Here I studied with Dr. William Mason. When I
+was about fifteen I went to Europe for further study, and although I had
+another master at first, it was not so very long before I went to
+Vienna, to Leschetizky, for I felt the need of more thorough preparation
+than I had yet had. There is nothing like a firm technical foundation;
+it is a rock to build upon; one cannot do great things without it. I
+have had to labor hard for what I have attained, and am not ashamed to
+say so. I practise 'all my spare time,' as one of my colleagues
+expresses it; though, of course, if one studies with the necessary
+concentration one cannot practise more than five hours to advantage.
+
+[Illustration: To Miss Brower in appreciation and pleasant remembrance
+of our Berlin meeting ...ELEANOR SPENCER]
+
+"I thoroughly believe in practising technic outside of pieces; I have
+always done so and still continue to do it. This brings the hand into
+condition, and keeps it up to the mark, so that difficult compositions
+are more readily within the grasp, and the technical requirements in
+them are more easily met. When the hand is in fine condition, exhaustive
+technical practise in pieces is not necessary, and much wear and tear of
+nerve force is saved. In this technical practise, to which I give an
+hour or more daily, I use very simple exercises, but each one contains
+some principle of touch, movement or condition. Hand over thumb and
+thumb under hand; different qualities of tone; staccato or clinging
+touch; scales, arpeggios and various other forms are used. Part of the
+technic study period is always given to Bach.
+
+"I began my studies in Vienna with Mme. Bree, to get the preparatory
+foundation, but before long combined her lessons with those of the
+professor, and later went to him entirely."
+
+"Just here I should like to mention a trifling point, yet it seems one
+not understood in America by those who say they are teachers of the
+Leschetizky method. These teachers claim that the professor wishes the
+fingers placed on a straight line at the edge of the keys, and in some
+cases they place the tip of the thumb in the middle of its key, so that
+it extends considerably beyond the tips of the other fingers. Is this
+the position taught by the _Vorbereiters_, or favored by Leschetizky?"
+
+Miss Spencer's laugh rang out merrily.
+
+"This is the first I have ever heard of the idea! Such a position must
+seem very strained and unnatural. Leschetizky, on the contrary, wishes
+everything done in the most easy, natural way. Of course, at first, when
+one is seeking to acquire strength and firmness of hand and fingers, one
+must give time and thought to securing an arched hand and steady first
+joints of fingers. Later, when these conditions have been thoroughly
+established, the hand can take any position required. Leschetizky's hand
+often lies quite flat on the keys. He has a beautiful piano hand; the
+first joints of the fingers have so long been held firmly curved, that
+they always keep their position, no matter what he is doing; if he only
+passes his fingers through his hair, his hand is in shape.
+
+"Leschetizky is indeed a wonderful teacher! The player, however, must
+divine how to be receptive, how to enter into the master's thought, or
+it may go hard with him. If he does not understand, nor grasp the
+master's words he may suffer terribly during the ordeal of the lessons.
+I have witnessed such scenes! Those who are equal to the situation
+receive most illuminative instruction.
+
+"I trust I do not give you the impression of being so devoted to, and
+enthusiastic in, the work I enjoyed with my venerated master that I wish
+to exclude other masters and schools. I think narrowness one of the most
+unpleasant of traits, and one I should dread to be accused of. I see so
+much good in others, _their_ ways and ideas, that, to me, all things
+great and beautiful in art seem very closely related.
+
+
+MEMORIZING
+
+"How do I memorize a composition? I first play it over a few times to
+become somewhat familiar with its form and shape. Then I begin to
+analyze and study it, committing it by phrases, or _ideas_, one or two
+measures at a time. I do not always take each hand alone, unless very
+intricate; sometimes it is easier to learn both hands together. It is a
+good thing to study out the melodic line, to build each phrase, to work
+with it till you get it to suit you. Then come the larger proportions,
+the big climaxes, which have to be thought out and prepared for in
+advance. A composition should be so thoroughly your own that you can
+play it at any time, if your hand is in condition. Or, if it has been
+laid aside for a long time, a couple of days should bring it back.
+
+"The subject of forming a repertoire is one often overlooked or not
+understood. The repertoire should be comprehensive and built on broad
+lines. A pupil intending to make music a profession should know the
+literature of the piano, not only the small and unimportant works of the
+great composers (as is too often the case), but the big works as well.
+If one is well grounded in the classics at an early age, it is of great
+benefit afterwards.
+
+
+POWER AND VELOCITY
+
+"For gaining power, heavy chords are very beneficial; combinations of
+five notes that take in all the fingers are most useful.
+
+"The principle of velocity is the doing away with all unnecessary
+movement--raising the fingers as little as possible, and so on. But in
+early stages of study, and at all times for slow practise, exactness and
+clearness, the fingers must be raised, Leschetizky _is a great believer
+in finger action; he holds it to be absolutely necessary for finger
+development_.
+
+"I have been concertizing for the last three years, and studying alone.
+This does not mean I have learned all the masters can teach, but only
+that I have come to a place where I felt I had to go alone, that I must
+work out what is in me. No master can teach us that; we have to find
+ourselves alone.
+
+"I shall probably play considerably with orchestra next season. There is
+a Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakow which is quite short, only one movement.
+It Is charming and brilliant, and I think has not yet been played in
+America. There is also a new work by Stavenhagen for piano and
+orchestra, which is a novelty on the other side. I greatly enjoy playing
+with orchestra, but of course I shall play various recitals as well."
+
+Miss Spencer has appeared with the best orchestras in England and on the
+continent, and has everywhere received commendation for her pure,
+singing tone, plastic touch, and musical temperament. She is certain to
+have success in America, and to win hosts of friends there.
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+ARTHUR HOCHMAN
+
+HOW THE PIANIST CAN COLOR TONE WITH ACTION AND EMOTION
+
+
+"A pianist, like a painter, should have an infinitude of colors on his
+palette," remarked Arthur Hochman, the young Russian pianist, in a
+recent chat about piano playing. He should paint pictures at the
+keyboard, just as the artist depicts them upon the canvas. The piano is
+capable of a wonderful variety of tonal shading, and its keys will
+respond most ideally to the true musician who understands how to awaken
+and bring forth all this tonal beauty from the instrument.
+
+"The modern pianist is often lacking in two important
+essentials--phrasing and shading. Inability to grasp the importance of
+these two points may be the cause of artistic failure. An artist should
+so thoroughly make his own the composition which he plays, and be so
+deeply imbued with its spirit, that he will know the phrasing and
+dynamics which best express the meaning of the piece. When he has risen
+to such heights, he is a law to himself in the matter of phrasing, no
+matter what marks may stand upon the printed page. As a rule the editing
+of piano music is extremely inadequate, though how can it really be
+otherwise? How is it possible, with a series of dots, lines, dashes and
+accents, to give a true idea of the interpretation of a work of musical
+art? It is _not_ possible; there are infinite shadings between _piano_
+and _forte_--numberless varieties of touch which have not been tabulated
+by the schools. Great editors like von Bülow, Busoni and d'Albert have
+done much to make the classics clearer to the student; yet they
+themselves realize there are a million gradations of touch and tone,
+which can never be expressed by signs nor put into words.
+
+
+FOUR REQUISITES FOR PIANISTS
+
+"Four things are necessary for the pianist who would make an artistic
+success in public. They are: Variety of tone color; Individual and
+artistic phrasing; True feeling; Personal magnetism. Colors mean so much
+to me; some are so beautiful, the various shades of red, for instance;
+then the golden yellows, rich, warm browns, and soft liquid blues. We
+can make as wonderful combinations with them as ever the painters do.
+To me dark red speaks of something tender, heart-searching, mysterious."
+Here Mr. Hochman illustrated his words at the piano with an expressive
+fragment full of deep feeling. "On the other hand, the shades of yellow
+express gaiety and brightness"; here the illustrations were all life and
+fire, in crisp, brilliant staccatos. Other colors were just as
+effectively represented.
+
+"What I have just indicated at the keyboard," continued the artist,
+"gives a faint idea of what can be done with tone coloring, and why I
+feel that pianists who neglect this side of their art, or do not see
+this side of it, are missing just so much beauty. I could name one
+pianist, a great name in the world of music--a man with an absolutely
+flawless technic, yet whose playing to me, is dry and colorless; it
+gives you no ideas, nothing you can carry away: it is like water--water.
+Another, with great variety of tonal beauty, gives me many ideas--many
+pictures of tone. His name is Gabrilowitsch; he is for me the greatest
+pianist.
+
+
+MAKING CLIMAXES PIANISSIMO
+
+"In my own playing, when I color a phrase, I do not work up to a climax
+and make that the loudest note, as most pianists do, but rather the
+soft note of the phrase; this applies to lyric playing. I will show you
+what I mean. Here is a fragment of two measures, containing a soulful
+melody. I build up the crescendo, as you see, and at the highest point,
+which you might expect to be the loudest, you find instead that it is
+soft: the sharpness has been taken out of it, the thing you did not
+expect has happened; and so there are constant surprises, tonal
+surprises--tone colors not looked for.
+
+"It is generally thought that a pianist should attend many recitals and
+study the effects made by other pianists; I, on the contrary, feel I
+gain more from hearing a great singer. The human voice is the greatest
+of all instruments, and the player can have no more convincing lesson in
+tone production and tone coloring, than he can obtain from listening to
+a great emotional singer. The pianist should hear a great deal of opera,
+for there he will learn much of color, of effect, light and shade,
+action and emotion.
+
+
+WE DO NOT WANT CUT-AND-DRIED PERFORMANCES
+
+"The third requisite for the pianist, as I have said, is true feeling. I
+have no sympathy with dry, mechanical performance, where every effect
+is coldly calculated beforehand, and the player always strives to do it
+the same way. How can he always play the same way when he does not feel
+the same? If he simply seeks for uniformity where does the inspiration
+come in?
+
+"The true artist will never give a mechanical performance. At one time
+he may be in a tender, melting mood; at another in a daring or exalted
+one. He must be free to play as he feels, and he will be artist enough
+never to overstep bounds. The pianist who plays with true feeling and
+'heart' can never play the same composition twice exactly alike, for he
+can never feel precisely the same twice. This, of course, applies more
+especially to public performance and playing for others.
+
+"Another essential is breath control. Respiration must be easy and
+natural, no matter how much physical strength is exerted. In
+_fortissimo_ and all difficult passages, the lips must be kept closed
+and respiration taken through the nostrils, as it always ought to be.
+
+
+DISSECTION OF DETAILS
+
+"Yes, I do a great deal of teaching, but prefer to take only such pupils
+as are intelligent and advanced. With pupils I am very particular about
+hand position and touch. The ends of the fingers must be firm, but
+otherwise the hand, wrist and arm, from the shoulder, are all relaxed.
+In teaching a composition, I am immensely careful and particular about
+each note. Everything is dissected and analyzed. When all is understood
+and mastered, it is then ready for the stage setting, the actors, the
+lights, and the colors!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"I was intended for a pianist from the first. Born in Russia, I
+afterward came to Berlin, studying seven or eight years with Xaver
+Scharwenka, then with d'Albert, Stavenhagen and others. But when one has
+all that can be learned from others, a man's greatest teacher is
+himself. I have done a great deal of concert work and recital playing in
+Europe, and have appeared with the leading orchestras in the largest
+cities of America."
+
+Mr. Hochman has done considerable work in composition. Numerous songs
+have been published and doubtless larger works may be expected later.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+TERESA CARREÑO
+
+EARLY TECHNICAL TRAINING
+
+
+A music critic remarked, "That ever youthful and fascinating pianist,
+Teresa Carreño is with us again."
+
+I well remember how fascinated I was, as a young girl, with her playing
+the first time I heard it--it was so full of fire, enthusiasm,
+brilliancy and charm. How I longed and labored to imitate it--to be able
+to play like that! I not only loved her playing but her whole
+appearance, her gracious manner as she walked across the stage, her air
+of buoyancy and conscious mastery as she sat at the piano; her round
+white arms and wrists, and--the red sash she wore!
+
+During a recent talk with Mme. Carreño, I recalled the above incident,
+which amused her, especially the memory of the sash.
+
+[Illustration: TERESA CARREÑO]
+
+"I assure you that at heart I feel no older now than in the days when I
+wore it," she said. The conversation then turned to questions of
+mastering the piano, with particular reference to the remarkable
+technic of the artist herself.
+
+"The fact that I began my studies at a very early age was a great
+advantage to me," she said. "I loved the sound of the piano, and began
+to pick out bits of tunes when I was little more than three. At six and
+a half I began to study seriously, so that when I was nine I was playing
+such pieces as Chopin's Ballade in A flat. Another fact which was of the
+utmost advantage to me was that I had an ideal teacher in my father. He
+saw that I loved the piano, and decided I must be properly taught. He
+was passionately fond of music, and if he had not been a statesman,
+laboring for the good of his country, he would undoubtedly have been a
+great musician. He developed a wonderful system for teaching the piano,
+and the work he did with me I now do with my pupils. For one thing he
+invented a series of stretching and gymnastic exercises which are
+splendid; they did wonders for me, and I use them constantly in my
+teaching. But, like everything else, they must be done in the right way,
+or they are not beneficial.
+
+
+580 TECHNICAL EXERCISES
+
+"My father wrote out for me a great many technical exercises; to be
+exact, there were 580 of them! Some consisted of difficult passages
+from the great composers--perhaps originally written for one hand--which
+he would arrange for two hands, so that each hand had the same amount of
+work to do. Thus both my hands had equal training, and I find no
+difference between them. These 580 exercises took just three days to go
+through. Everything must be played in all keys, and with every possible
+variety of touch--legato, staccato, half-staccato, and so on; also, with
+all kinds of shading."
+
+(Think of such a drill in pure technic, O ye teachers and students, who
+give little or no time to such matters outside of études and pieces!)
+
+"Part of my training consisted in being shown how to criticize myself. I
+learned to listen, to be critical, to judge my own work; for if it was
+not up to the mark I must see what was the matter and correct it myself.
+The earlier this can be learned the better. I attribute much of my
+subsequent success to this ability. I still carry out this plan, for
+there on the piano you will find all the notes for my coming recitals,
+which I work over and take with me everywhere. This method of study I
+always try to instill into my pupils. I tell them any one can make a
+lot of _noise_ on the piano, but I want them, to make the piano _speak_!
+I can do only a certain amount for them; the rest they must do for
+themselves.
+
+
+VALUE OF TRANSPOSING
+
+"Another item my zealous teacher insisted upon was transposing. I
+absorbed this idea almost unconsciously, and hardly know when I learned
+to transpose, so natural did it seem to me. My father was a tactful
+teacher; he never commanded, but would merely say, 'You can play this in
+the key of C, but I doubt if you can play it in the key of D.' This
+doubt was the spur to fire my ambition and pride: I would show him I
+could play it in the key of D, or in any other key; and I did!
+
+"With all the technic exercises, I had many études also; a great deal of
+Czerny. Each étude must also be transposed, for it would never do to
+play an étude twice in the same key for my father. So I may say that
+whatever I could perform at all, I was able to play in any key.
+
+"For one year I did nothing but technic, and then I had my first piece,
+which was nothing less than the Capriccio of Mendelssohn, Op. 22. So you
+see I had been well grounded; indeed I have been grateful all my life
+for the thorough foundation which was laid for me. In these days we hear
+of so many 'short cuts,' so many new methods, mechanical and otherwise,
+of studying the piano; but I fail to see that they arrive at the goal
+any quicker, or make any more thorough musicians than those who come by
+the royal road of intelligent, well-directed hard work."
+
+Asked how she obtained great power with the least expenditure of
+physical strength, Mme. Carreño continued:
+
+"The secret of power lies in relaxation; or I might say, power _is_
+relaxation. This word, however, is apt to be misunderstood. You tell
+pupils to relax, and if they do not understand how and when they get
+nowhere. Relaxation does not mean to flop all over the piano; it means,
+rather, to loosen just where it is needed and nowhere else. For the
+heavy chords in the Tschaikowsky Concerto my arms are absolutely limp
+from the shoulder; in fact, I am not conscious I have arms. That is why
+I can play for hours without the slightest fatigue. It is really mental
+relaxation, for one has to think it; it must be in the mind first before
+it can be worked out in arms and hands. We have to think it and then act
+it.
+
+"This quality of my playing must have impressed Breithaupt, for, as you
+perhaps know, it was after he heard me play that he wrote his famous
+book on 'Weight Touch,' which is dedicated to me. A second and revised
+edition of this work, by the way, is an improvement on the first. Many
+artists and musicians have told me I have a special quality of tone; if
+this is true I am convinced this quality is the result of controlled
+relaxation."
+
+I referred to the artist's hand as being of exceptional adaptability for
+the piano.
+
+"Yes," she answered, "and it resembles closely the hand of Rubinstein.
+This brings to mind a little incident. As a small child, I was taken to
+London, and on one occasion played in the presence of Rubinstein; he was
+delighted, took me under his wing, and introduced me all about as his
+musical daughter. Years afterward we came to New York, and located at
+the old Clarendon Hotel, which has housed so many men of note. The first
+day at lunch, my aunt and I were seated at a table mostly occupied by
+elderly ladies, who stared at us curiously. I was a shy slip of a girl,
+and hardly ventured to raise my eyes after the first look around the
+room. Beside me sat a gentleman. I glanced at his hand as it rested on
+the table--then I looked more closely; how much it reminded me of
+Rubinstein's hand! My eyes traveled slowly up to the gentleman's
+face--it was Rubinstein! He was looking at me; then he turned and
+embraced me, before all those observing ladles!"
+
+We spoke of Berlin, the home of the pianist, and of its musical life,
+mentioning von Bülow and Klindworth. "Both good friends of mine," she
+commented. "What a wonderful work Klindworth has accomplished in his
+editions of Beethoven and Chopin! As Goethe said of himself, we can say
+of Klindworth--he has carved his own monument in this work. We should
+revere him for the great service he has done the pianistic world.
+
+"I always love to play in America, and each time I come I discover how
+much you have grown. The musical development here is wonderful. This
+country is very far from being filled with a mercenary and commercial
+spirit. If Europeans think so it is because they do not know the
+American at home. Your progress in music is a marvel! There is a great
+deal of idealism here, and idealism is the very heart and soul of music.
+
+"I feel the artist has such a beautiful calling--a glorious message--to
+educate a people to see the beauty and grandeur of his art--of the
+ideal!"
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+WILHELM BACHAUS
+
+TECHNICAL PROBLEMS DISCUSSED
+
+
+"How do I produce the effects which I obtain from the piano?"
+
+The young German artist, Willielm Bachaus, was comfortably seated in his
+spacious apartments at the Ritz, New York, when this question was asked.
+A grand piano stood close at hand, and the pianist ran his fingers
+lightly over its keys from time to time, or illustrated some technical
+point as he talked.
+
+"In answer I would say I produce them by listening, criticizing,
+judging--working over the point, until I get it as I want it. Then I can
+reproduce it at will, if I want to make just the same effect; but
+sometimes I want to change and try another.
+
+[Illustration: WILHELM BACHAUS]
+
+"I am particular about the seat I use at the piano, as I sit lower than
+most amateurs, who in general are apt to sit too high. My piano stool
+has just been taken out for a few repairs, or I could show you how low
+it is. Then I am old-fashioned enough to still believe in scales and
+arpeggios. Some of the players of the present day seem to have no use
+for such things, but I find them of great importance. This does not
+necessarily mean that I go through the whole set of keys when I practise
+the scales; but I select a few at a time, and work at those. I start
+with ridiculously simple forms--just the hand over the thumb, and the
+thumb under the hand--a few movements each way, especially for
+arpeggios. The principle I have referred to is the difficult point; a
+few doses of this remedy, however, bring the hand up into order again."
+
+The pianist turned to the keyboard and illustrated the point very
+clearly.
+
+"As you see, I slant the hand considerably across the keys," he said,
+"but this oblique position is more comfortable, and the hand can
+accommodate itself to the intervals of the arpeggio, or to the passing
+of the thumb in scales. Some may think I stick out the elbow too much,
+but I don't care for that, if by this means the scale becomes smooth and
+even.
+
+
+OVERHAULING ONE'S TECHNIC
+
+"I have to overhaul my technic once or twice a week, to see that
+everything is all right--and of course the scales and arpeggios come in
+for their share of criticism. I practise them in legato, staccato and in
+other touches, but mostly in legato, as that is somewhat more difficult
+and more beautiful than the others.
+
+"Perhaps I have what might be called a natural technic; that is I have a
+natural aptitude for it, so that I could acquire it easily, and it stays
+with me. Hofmann has that kind of natural technic; so has d'Albert. Of
+course I have to practise technic; I would not allow it to lapse; I love
+the piano too much to neglect any part of the work. An artist owes it to
+himself and the public to keep himself up in perfect condition--for he
+must never offer the public anything but the best. I only mean to say I
+do not have to work at it as laboriously as some others have to do.
+However, I practise technic daily, and will add that I find I can do a
+great deal in a short time. When on tour I try to give one hour a day to
+it, not more."
+
+Speaking of the action of fingers, Mr. Bachaus continued:
+
+"Why, yes, I raise my fingers whenever and wherever necessary--no more.
+Do you know Breithaupt? Well, he does not approve of such technical
+exercises as these (illustrating); holding down some fingers and lifting
+others, for technical practise, but I do. As for the metronome, I
+approve of it to cultivate the sense of rhythm in those who are lacking
+in this particular sense. I sometimes use it myself, just to see the
+difference between the mechanical rhythm and the musical rhythm--for
+they are not always the same by any means.
+
+"Do you know these Technical Exercises of Brahms? I think a great deal
+of them, and, as you see, carry them around with me; they are excellent.
+
+"You ask me about octaves. It is true they are easy for me now, but I
+can remember the time when they were difficult. The only alternative is
+to work constantly at them. Of course they are more difficult for small
+hands; so care must be taken not to strain nor over-tire the hand. A
+little at a time, in frequent doses, ought in six months to work
+wonders. Rowing a boat is good to develop wrists for octave playing.
+
+"You ask if I can tell how I obtain power. That is a very difficult
+question. Why does one child learn to swim almost immediately, while
+another cannot master it for a long time? To the first it comes
+naturally--he has the _knack_, so to speak. And it is just so with the
+quality of power at the piano. It certainly is not due to physique, nor
+to brute strength, else only the athlete would have sufficient power.
+No, it is the 'knack,' or rather it is the result of relaxation, as you
+suggest.
+
+"Take the subject of velocity. I never work for that special thing as
+some do. I seldom practise with great velocity, for it interferes with
+clearness. I prefer to play more slowly, giving the greatest attention
+to clearness and good tone. By pursuing this course I find that when I
+need velocity I have it.
+
+"I am no pedagogue and have no desire to be one. I have no time for
+teaching; my own studies and concert work fill all my days. I do not
+think that one can both teach and play successfully. If I were teaching
+I should no doubt acquire the habit of analyzing and criticizing the
+work of others; of explaining and showing just how a thing should be
+done. But I am not a critic nor a teacher, so I do not always know how I
+produce effects. I play 'as the bird sings,' to quote an old German
+song.
+
+
+MODERN PIANO MUSIC
+
+"Your MacDowell has written some nice music, some pretty music; I am
+familiar with his Concerto in D minor, some of the short pieces and the
+Sonatas. As for modern piano concertos there are not many, it is quite
+true. There is the Rachmaninoff, the MacDowell I mentioned, the D minor
+of Rubinstein, and the Saint-Saens in G minor. There is also a Concerto
+by Neitzel, which is a most interesting work; I do not recall that it
+has been played in America. I have played it on the other side, and I
+may bring it out here during my present tour. This Concerto is a fine
+work, into which the author has put his best thought, feeling and
+power."
+
+
+A BRAHMS CONCERTO
+
+As I listened to the eloquent reading of the Brahms second Concerto,
+which Mr. Bachaus gave soon afterward with the New York Symphony, I was
+reminded of a memorable event which occurred during my student days in
+Berlin. It was a special concert, at which the honored guest and soloist
+was the great Brahms himself. Von Bülow conducted the orchestra, and
+Brahms played his second Concerto. The Hamburg master was not a
+virtuoso, in the present acceptance of the term: his touch on the piano
+was somewhat hard and dry; but he played the work with commendable
+dexterity, and made an imposing figure as he sat at the piano, with his
+grand head and his long beard. Of course his performance aroused immense
+enthusiasm; there was no end of applause and cheering, and then came a
+huge laurel wreath. I mentioned this episode to Mr. Bachaus a few days
+later.
+
+"I first played the Brahms Concerto in Vienna under Hans Richter; he had
+counseled me to study the work. The Americans are beginning to admire
+and appreciate Brahms; he ought to have a great vogue here.
+
+"In studying such a work, for piano and orchestra, I must not only know
+my own part but all the other parts--what each instrument is doing. I
+always study a concerto with the orchestral score, so that I can see it
+all before me."
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+ALEXANDER LAMBERT
+
+AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TEACHERS
+
+
+Among American teachers Alexander Lambert takes high rank. For over
+twenty-five years he has held aloft the standard of sound musicianship
+in the art of teaching and playing. A quarter of a century of thorough,
+conscientious effort along these lines must have left its impress upon
+the whole rising generation of students and teachers in this country,
+and made for the progress and advancement of American art.
+
+It means much to have a native-born teacher of such high aims living and
+working among us; a teacher whom no flattery nor love of gain can
+influence nor render indifferent to the high aim ever in view. There is
+no escaping a sound and thorough course of study for those who come
+under Mr. Lambert's supervision. Scales must be, willingly or
+unwillingly, the daily bread of the player; the hand must be put in
+good shape, the finger joints rendered firm, the arms and body supple,
+before pieces are thought of. Technical study must continue along the
+whole course, hand in hand with piece playing; technic for its own sake,
+outside the playing of compositions. And why not? Is the technic of an
+art ever quite finished? Can it ever be laid away on the shelf and
+considered complete? Must it not always be kept in working order?
+
+"Have you not seen many changes in the aims of students, and in the
+conditions of piano teaching in New York, during the years you have
+taught here?" I asked Mr. Lambert, in the course of a recent
+conversation.
+
+"Some changes, it is true, I have seen," he answered; "but I must also
+say that the conditions attending piano teaching in America are
+peculiar. We have some excellent teachers here, teachers who can hold
+their own anywhere, and are capable of producing finished artists. Yet
+let a pupil go to the best teacher in this country, and the chances are
+that he or she is still looking forward to 'finishing' with some
+European artist. They are not satisfied until they have secured the
+foreign stamp of approval. While this is true of the advanced pianist,
+it is even more in evidence in the mediocre player. He, too, is
+dreaming of the 'superior advantages,' as he calls them, of European
+study. He may have no foundation to build upon--may not even be able to
+play a scale correctly, but still thinks he must go abroad!
+
+"You ask if I think students can obtain just as good instruction here as
+in Europe? That is a little difficult to answer off-hand. I fully
+believe we have some teachers in America as able as any on the other
+side; in some ways they are better. For one thing they are morally
+better--I repeat, _morally_ better. For another they are more thorough:
+they take more interest in their pupils and will do more for them. When
+such a teacher is found, he certainly deserves the deep respect and
+gratitude of the American student. But alas, he seldom experiences the
+gratitude. After he has done everything for the pupil--fashioned him
+into a well-equipped artist, the student is apt to say: 'Now I will go
+abroad for lessons with this or that famous European master!' What is
+the result? He may never amount to anything--may never be heard of
+afterward. On the other hand, I have pupils coming to me, who have been
+years with some of the greatest foreign masters, yet who are full of
+faults of all kinds, faults which it takes me years to correct. Some of
+them come with hard touch, with tense position and condition of arms and
+body, with faulty pedaling, and with a lack of knowledge of some of the
+fundamental principles of piano playing.
+
+
+POWER WITHOUT EFFORT
+
+"How do I teach them to acquire power with little effort? Relaxation is
+the whole secret. Your arm is really quite heavy, it weighs
+considerable. Act on this principle then: let the arms fall with their
+full weight on the keys, and you will have all the power you need,
+provided the fingers are rounded and firm. That is the other half of the
+secret. The finger joints must be firm, especially the third joint. It
+stands to reason there can be no power, no brilliancy when this joint is
+wavering and wobbling.
+
+"I teach arched hand position, and, for children and beginners, decided
+finger action; the fingers are to be raised, in the beginning, though
+not too high. Some teachers may not teach finger action, because they
+say artists do not use it. But the artist, if questioned, would tell you
+he had to learn finger action in the beginning. There are so many stages
+in piano playing. The beginner must raise his fingers in order to
+acquire finger development and a good, clear touch. In the middle stage
+he has secured enough finger control to play the same passage with less
+action, and still perform it with sufficient clearness; while in the
+more finished stage the passage may be played with scarcely any
+perceptible motion, so thoroughly do the fingers respond to every mental
+requirement.
+
+"Sometimes pupils come to me who do not know scales, though they are
+playing difficult compositions. I insist on a thorough knowledge of
+scales and arpeggios, and a serious study of Bach. I use almost
+everything Bach ever wrote for the piano; the Two and Three Part
+Inventions, French and English Suites, Well-tempered Clavichord, and the
+organ Preludes and Fugues, arranged by Liszt."
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+FANNIE BLOOMFIELD ZEISLER
+
+THE SCOPE OF PIANO TECHNIC
+
+
+Each year, as Mme. Bloomfleld Zeisler plays for us, we feel the growth
+of a deeper experience, a clearer insight into human nature, a broader
+outlook and grasp on art and life. Such a mentality, ever seeking for
+truth and the sincerest expression of it, must continually progress,
+until--as now--the greatest heights are reached. Mme. Zeisler is no
+keyboard dreamer, no rhapsodist on Art. She is a thoroughly practical
+musician, able to explain as well as demonstrate, able to talk as well
+as play. Out of the fulness of a rich experience, out of the depth of
+deepest sincerity and conviction the artist speaks, as she plays, with
+authority and enthusiasm.
+
+[Illustration: With sincerest good wishes Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
+Chicago Dec 30 14]
+
+"The first thing to be done for a pupil is to see that the hand is in
+correct position. I explain that the wrist should be about on a level
+with the second joint of the middle finger, when the fingers are
+properly rounded. The knuckles will then be somewhat elevated; in fact
+they will naturally take care of themselves, other points of the hand
+being correct. Two things are of supreme importance: namely, firm finger
+joints and loose wrists; these must be insisted on from the very
+beginning. I sometimes use firm wrists in my own playing, if I wish to
+make a certain effect; but I can safely affirm, I think, that no one has
+ever seen me play with weak, bending fingers.
+
+
+WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES
+
+"Piano technic includes so much; everything goes into it--arithmetic,
+grammar, diction, language study, poetry, history, and painting! In the
+first stages there are rules to be learned, just as in any other study.
+In school we had to learn the rules of grammar and mathematics. Just
+such rules are applicable to musical performance. I must know the rules
+of versification in order to scan poetic stanzas; so I must know the
+laws of rhythm and meter to be able to punctuate musical phrases and
+periods. Pupils who have long passed the stage of division and fractions
+do not seem able to determine the time-values of the various notes and
+groups of notes used in music; they do not know what must be done with
+triplets, dotted notes, and so on. So you see 'just technic' includes a
+multitude of things; it is a very wide subject.
+
+
+EACH PUPIL A DIFFERENT PROBLEM
+
+"Each pupil presents a different problem as to physical formation of
+hand and body, intelligence and talent. Those who are the most talented
+do not always prove the most satisfactory students. They grasp the
+composer's ideas quickly enough, it is true, so that sometimes in a few
+days, they can take up a difficult composition and clash it off with
+such showy effect as to blind the eyes of the superficial listener; but
+these students are not willing to work out the fine points of the piece
+and polish it artistically. Neither are they willing to get right down,
+to the bed rock of technic and work at that seriously and thoroughly. If
+this course is suggested they grow restive, think they are being held
+back, and some times prefer to study with a more superficial teacher.
+The consequence is they never really amount to anything; whereas if
+these same players possessed perseverance along with their talent they
+could become great artists. I would rather have an intelligent, earnest,
+serious pupil, who is obedient and willing to work, than a very gifted
+pupil. The two seldom go together. When you find both in one person, a
+marvelous musician is the result, if assisted by the right sort of
+training.
+
+
+HARMONY STUDY
+
+"One thing a teacher should insist upon, and that is that the pupil
+should study harmony. He should have a practical working knowledge of
+keys, chords, and progressions. There may be no need for him to study
+orchestration or composition, but he must know the foundation and
+structure of the material of music. My pupil must be familiar with the
+various chords of the scale and know how to analyze them, before I can
+make clear to him the rules of pedaling. Without this knowledge, my
+words about the use of the pedals are as so much Greek to him. He must
+go and learn this first, before coming to me.
+
+
+ACCORDING TO RULE
+
+"Experience counts for much with the teacher, but much, more with the
+pianist. The beginner must go according to rule, until he has thoroughly
+mastered the rules. He must not think because he sees a great artist
+holding his hands a certain way at times--turning under his unemployed
+fingers for octaves perhaps, or any other seeming eccentricity, that he
+himself is at liberty to do the same things. No, he must learn to play
+in a normal, safe way before attempting any tricks. What may seem
+eccentric to the inexperienced student may be quite a legitimate means
+of producing certain effects to the mature artist, who through wide
+experience and study knows just the effect he wants and the way to make
+it. The artist does many things the pupil should not attempt. The artist
+knows the capabilities of his own hand; his technic is, in a certain
+sense, individual; it should not be imitated by the learner of little or
+no experience. If I play a chord passage with high wrist, that I may
+bring out a certain effect or quality of tone at that point, the
+thoughtless student might be under the impression that a high wrist was
+habitual with me, which is not true. For this reason I do not give
+single lessons to any one, nor coach on single pieces. In the case of
+the interpretation of a piece, a student can get the ideas of it from
+hearing it in recital, if he can grasp and assimilate them.
+
+
+ON INTERPRETATION
+
+"Interpretation! That is a wide subject; how can it be defined? I try to
+arouse the imagination of the student first of all. We speak of the
+character of the piece, and try to arrive at some idea of its meaning.
+Is it _largo_--then it is serious and soulful; is it _scherzo_--then it
+should be blithe and gay. We cannot depend on metronome tempi, for they
+are not reliable. Those given in Schumann are generally all wrong. We
+try to feel the rhythm of the music, the swing of it, the spirit of it.
+In giving out the opening theme or subject, I feel it should be made
+prominent, to arrest attention, to make it clear to the listener; when
+it appears at other times in the piece, it can be softened or varied.
+Variety of effect we must have; but whether a passage is played with
+decreasing or increasing tone, whether this run is soft and the next
+loud, or vice versa, does not matter so much as to secure variety and
+individuality. I may look at it one way, another player an opposite way.
+One should be broad-minded enough to see the beauty of each
+interpretation. I do not expect my pupils to copy me or do things just
+as I do them. I show them how I do it, then leave them to work it out
+as they see it.
+
+"_Pianissimo_ is one of the later things to teach. A beginner should not
+attempt it too soon, for then it will only result in flabbiness. A true
+_pianissimo_ is not the result of weakness but of strength.
+
+
+MUSICAL CONDITIONS IN AMERICA
+
+"America has made marvelous progress in the understanding and
+appreciation of music; even the critics, many of them, know a great deal
+about music. The audiences, even in small towns, are a pleasure and
+delight to play to. I am asked sometimes why I attempt the last sonata
+of Beethoven in a little town. But just such audiences listen to that
+work with rapt attention; they hang on every note. How are they to learn
+what is best in music unless we are willing to give it to them?
+
+"The trouble with America is that it does not at all realize how much it
+knows--how much talent is here. We are so easily tricked with a foreign
+name and title; our serious and talented musicians are constantly being
+pushed to the wall by some unknown with a name ending in _ski_. These
+are the people who tour America (for one season at least), who get the
+best places in our music schools and colleges, crowding out our native
+musicians. It makes me very bitter against this utterly mistaken and
+fallacious idea of ours. I have many talented students, who come to me
+from all over the country. Some of them become most excellent concert
+artists. If I recommend them to managers or institutions, should not my
+word count for something? Ought I not to know what my students can do,
+and what is required of a concert artist? But instead of their securing
+an engagement, with such a recommendation, a foreigner with the
+high-sounding name is the one invariably chosen. When I first started on
+my career I endeavored in every way to get a proper hearing in America.
+But not until I had made a name for myself in Europe was I recognized
+here, in my own land. All honor to those who are now fighting for the
+musical independence of America!"
+
+
+A GROUP OF QUESTIONS
+
+Not long after the above conversation with Mme. Zeisler, I jotted down
+some questions, leading to further elucidation of her manner of teaching
+and playing, and sent them to her. The artist was then fully occupied
+with her long and arduous tours and later went to Europe. My questions
+remained unanswered for nearly a year. When she next played in New York,
+she sent for me to come to her hotel. As she entered the room to greet
+me, she held in her hand the paper containing the questions. I expressed
+surprise that she had preserved the bit of paper so long.
+
+"I am very conscientious," she answered; "I have kept this ever since
+you sent it, and now we will talk over the topics you suggest."
+
+(1) What means do you favor for gaining power?
+
+"I can say--none. There is no necessity for using special means to
+acquire power; when everything is right you will have sufficient power;
+you cannot help having it. If you know the piece thoroughly, your
+fingers have acquired the necessary strength through efficient practise,
+so that when the time comes to make the desired effects, you have the
+strength to make them, provided everything is as it should be with your
+technic. Power is a comparative term at best; one pianist may play on a
+larger scale than another. I am reminded of an amusing incident in this
+connection. My son Paul, when a little fellow, was fond of boasting
+about his mother; I could not seem to break him of it. One day he got
+into an argument with another boy, who asserted that his father, an
+amateur pianist, could play better than Paul's mother, because he 'could
+play louder, anyway.' I don't know whether they fought it out or not;
+but my boy told me about the dispute afterward.
+
+"'What do you think makes a great player?' I asked him.
+
+"'If you play soft enough and loud enough, slow enough and fast enough,
+and it sounds nice,' was his answer. It is the whole thing in a
+nutshell: and he was such a little fellow at the time!
+
+"As I said, you must have everything right with your technic, then both
+power and velocity will come almost unconsciously."
+
+(2) What do you do for weak finger joints?
+
+"They must be made strong at once. When a new pupil comes to me the
+first thing we do is to get the hand into correct position, and the
+fingers rounded and firm. If the pupil is intelligent and quick, this
+can be accomplished in a few weeks; sometimes it takes several months.
+But it must be done. Of what use is it to attempt a Beethoven sonata
+when the fingers are so weak that they cave in. The fingers must keep
+their rounded position and be strong enough to bear up under the weight
+you put upon them. As you say, this work can be done at a table, but I
+generally prefer the keyboard; wood is so unresponsive.
+
+"I think, for this work, children are easier to handle than their
+elders; they have no faults to correct; they like to hold their hands
+well and make them look pretty. They ought to have a keyboard adapted to
+their little delicate muscles, with action much less heavy than two
+ounces, the minimum weight of the clavier. As they grow and gain
+strength, the weight can be increased. If they should attempt to use my
+instrument with its heavy action, they would lame the hand in a few
+moments or their little fingers could not stand up under the weight."
+
+(3) Do you approve of finger action?
+
+"Most emphatically. Finger action is an absolute essential in playing
+the piano. We must have finger development. As you say, we can never
+make the fingers equal in themselves; we might practise five hundred
+years without rendering the fourth finger as strong as the thumb. Rather
+let us learn to so adjust the weight and pressure of each finger, that
+all will sound equal, whenever we wish them to do so. I tell my pupils
+that in regard to strength, their fingers are in this relation to each
+other," and the pianist drew with her pencil four little upright lines
+on the paper, representing the relative natural weight of the four
+fingers. "The fifth finger," she said, "figures very little in scale or
+passage playing. By correct methods of study the pupil learns to lighten
+the pressure of the stronger fingers and proportionately increase the
+weight of the weaker fingers."
+
+(4) Do you approve of technic practise outside of pieces?
+
+"I certainly do. The amount of time given to technic study varies with
+the pupil's stage of advancement. In the beginning, the whole four hours
+must be devoted to technic practise. When some degree of facility and
+control have been attained, the amount may be cut down to two hours.
+Later one hour is sufficient, and when one is far advanced a very short
+time will suffice to put the hand in trim; some rapid, brilliant
+arpeggios, or an étude with much finger work may be all that is
+necessary.
+
+"The player gains constantly in strength and technical control while
+studying pieces, provided correct methods are pursued. Every piece is
+first of all a study in technic. The foundation must be rightly laid;
+the principles can then be applied to étude and piece."
+
+(5) What do you consider the most vital technical points?
+
+"That is a difficult question, involving everything about piano playing.
+There are the scales of all kinds, in single and double notes. Arpeggios
+are of great importance, because, in one form or another, they
+constantly occur. Octaves, chords, pedaling, and so on."
+
+"The trill, too," I suggested.
+
+"Yes, the trill; but, after all, the trill is a somewhat individual
+matter. Some players seem to have it naturally, or have very little
+trouble with it; others always have more or less difficulty. They do not
+seem able to play a rapid, even trill. Many are unable to finish it off
+deftly and artistically. They can trill for a certain number of
+repetitions; when they become accustomed to the monotonous repetition it
+is not so easy to go into the ending without a break."
+
+(6) What means do you advise to secure velocity?
+
+"I make the same answer to this question that I made to the first--none.
+I never work for velocity, nor do I work _up_ velocity. That is a
+matter that generally takes care of itself. If you know the piece
+absolutely, know what it means and the effects you want to make, there
+will be little difficulty in getting over the keys at the tempo
+required. Of course this does not apply to the pupil who is playing
+wrong, with weak fingers, uncertain touch and all the rest of the
+accompanying faults. I grant that these faults may not be so apparent in
+a piece of slow tempo. A pupil may be able to get through Handel's
+Largo, for instance; though his fingers are uncertain he can make the
+theme sound half-way respectable, while a piece in rapid tempo will be
+quite beyond him. The faults were in the Largo just the same, but they
+did not show. Rapid music reveals them at once. Certain composers
+require almost a perfect technical equipment in order to render their
+music with adequate effect. Mozart is one of these. Much of his music
+looks simple, and is really quite easy to read; but to play it as it
+should be played is another thing entirely. I seldom give Mozart to my
+pupils. Those endless scales, arpeggios and passages, which must be
+flawless, in which you dare not blur or miss a single note! To play this
+music with just the right spirit, you must put yourself _en rapport_
+with the epoch in which it was written--the era of crinoline, powdered
+wigs, snuffboxes and mincing minuets. I don't mean to say Mozart's music
+is not emotional; it is filled with it, but it is not the emotion of
+to-day, but of yesterday, of more than a century back.
+
+"For myself, I love Mozart's music. One of my greatest successes was in
+a Mozart concerto with the Chicago Orchestra. I afterward remarked to
+one of my colleagues that it had been one of the most difficult tasks I
+had ever accomplished. 'Yes, when one plays Mozart one is so _exposed_,'
+was his clever rejoinder."
+
+(7) How do you keep repertoire in repair?
+
+"If you mean my own, I would answer that I don't try to keep all my
+pieces up, for I have hundreds and hundreds of them, and I must always
+save time to study new works. A certain number are always kept in
+practise, different programs, according to the requirements of the hour.
+My method of practise is to play slowly through the piece, carefully
+noting the spots that are weak and need special treatment. To these I
+give a certain number of repetitions, and then repeat the whole to see
+if the weak places are equal in smoothness to the rest. If not, they
+must have more study. But always slow practise. Only occasionally do I
+go through the piece at the required velocity.
+
+"My pupils are always counseled to practise slowly. If they bring the
+piece for a first hearing, it must be slowly and carefully played; if
+for a second or third hearing, and they know it well enough to take it
+up to time, they can play it occasionally at this tempo before coming to
+me. But to constantly play a piece in rapid tempo is very harmful; it
+precludes all thought of analysis, of _how_ you are doing it. When you
+are playing at concert speed, you have no time to think of fingering,
+movement or condition--you are beyond all that. It is only in slow
+practise that you have time and opportunity to think of everything.
+
+"As an illustration, take the case of a pianist in a traveling concert
+company. He must play the same pieces night after night, with no
+opportunity to practise between. For the first few days the pieces go
+well; then small errors and weak spots begin to appear. There is no time
+for slow practise, so each nightly repetition increases the uncertainty.
+In a few months his playing degenerates so it is hardly fit to listen
+to. This is the result of constant fast playing."
+
+(8) How do you keep technic up to the standard?
+
+"If one is far advanced a few arpeggios and scales, or a brilliant étude
+will put the hand in condition. After one has rested, or had a vacation,
+some foundational exercises and finger movements may be necessary, to
+limber up the muscles and regain control and quickness. One may often
+have to review first principles, but technical facility is soon regained
+if it has once been thoroughly acquired. If one has stopped practise for
+quite a period, the return is slower, and needs to be more carefully
+prepared.
+
+"I use considerable Czerny for technical purposes, with my pupils. Op.
+299, of course, and even earlier or easier ones; then Op. 740. A few of
+the latter are most excellent for keeping up one's technic. The Chopin
+Studies, too, are daily bread."
+
+(9) The best way to study chords?
+
+"From the wrist and with fingers of steel Small hands must of course
+begin with smaller positions."
+
+(10) What gymnastic exercises do you suggest?
+
+"Whatever seems necessary for the special hand. Tight hands need to be
+massaged to limber the fingers and stretch the web of flesh between
+them. The loose, flabby hand may also be strengthened and rendered firm
+by massage; but this is often a more difficult task than to stretch the
+right hand. If technical training is properly given, it is sure to
+render the hand flexible and strong."
+
+
+
+
+XXV
+
+AGNES MORGAN
+
+SIMPLICITY IN PIANO TEACHING
+
+
+One of the busiest of New York piano teachers, whose list of students
+taking private lessons in a season, almost touches the hundred mark, is
+Mrs. Agnes Morgan. Mrs. Morgan has been laboring in this field for more
+than two decades, with ever increasing success. And yet so quietly and
+unobtrusively is all this accomplished, that the world only knows of the
+teacher through the work done by her pupils. The teacher has now risen
+to the point where she can pick and choose her own pupils, which is a
+great comfort to her, for it dispels much of the drudgery of piano
+teaching, and is one of the reasons why she loves her work.
+
+When one teaches from nine in the morning till after six every day of
+the season, it is not easy to find a leisure hour in which to discuss
+means and methods. By a fortunate chance, however, such an interview was
+recently possible.
+
+The questions had been borne in upon me: By what art or influence has
+this teacher attracted so large a following? What is it which brings to
+her side not only the society girl but the serious art-student and young
+teacher? What is the magnet which draws so many pupils to her that five
+assistants are needed to prepare those who are not yet ready to profit
+by her instruction? When I came in touch with this modest, unassuming
+woman, who greeted me with simple cordiality, and spoke with quiet
+dignity of her work, I felt that the only magnet was the ability to
+impart definite ideas in the simplest possible way.
+
+"Dr. William Mason, with whom I studied," began Mrs. Morgan, "used to
+say that a musical touch was born, not made; but I have found it
+possible to so instruct a pupil that she can make as beautiful a tone as
+can be made; even a child can do this. The whole secret lies in arm and
+wrist relaxation, with arched hand, and firm nail joint.
+
+
+INSPIRATION FROM AN AMERICAN TEACHER
+
+"I feel that Dr. Mason himself was the one who made me see the reason of
+things. I had always played more or less brilliantly, for technic came
+rather easy to me. I had studied in Leipsic, where I may say I learned
+little or nothing about the principles of piano playing, but only
+'crammed' a great number of difficult compositions. I had been with
+Moszkowski also; but it was really Dr. Mason, an American teacher, who
+first set me thinking. I began to think so earnestly about the reason
+for doing things that I often argued the points out with him, until he
+would laugh and say, 'You go one way and I go another, but we both reach
+the same point in the end.' And from that time I have gone on and on
+until I have evolved my own system of doing things. A teacher cannot
+stand still. I would be a fool not to profit by the experience gained
+through each pupil, for each one is a separate study. This has been a
+growth of perhaps twenty-five years--as the result of my effort to
+present the subject of piano technic in the most concise form. I have
+been constantly learning what is not essential, and what can be omitted.
+
+
+SIMPLICITY
+
+"Simplicity Is the keynote of my work. I try to teach only the
+essentials. There are so many études and studies that are good, Czerny,
+for instance, is splendid. I believe in it all, but there is not time
+for much of it. So with Bach. I approve of studying everything we have
+of his for piano, from the 'Little Pieces' up to the big Preludes and
+Fugues. Whenever I can I use Bach. But here again we have not time to
+use as much of Bach as we should like. Still I do the best I can. Even
+with those who have not a great deal of time to practise, I get in a
+Bach Invention whenever possible.
+
+"When a new pupil comes who is just starting, or has been badly taught,
+she must of course begin with hand formation. She learns to form the
+arch of the hand and secure firm finger joints, especially the nail
+joint. I form the hand away from the piano, at a table. Nothing can be
+done toward playing till these things are accomplished. I often have
+pupils who have been playing difficult music for years, and who consider
+themselves far advanced. When I show them some of these simple things,
+they consider them far too easy until they find they cannot do them.
+Sometimes nothing can be done with such pupils until they are willing to
+get right down to rock bottom, and learn how to form the hand. As to the
+length of time required, it depends on the mentality of the pupil and
+the kind of hand. Some hands are naturally very soft and flabby, and of
+course it is more difficult to render them strong.
+
+
+FINGER ACTION
+
+"When the arch of the hand is formed, we cultivate intelligent movement
+in the finger tips, and for this we must have a strong, dependable nail
+joint. Of course young students must have knuckle action of the fingers,
+but I disapprove of fingers being raised too high. As we advance, and
+the nail joint becomes firmer and more controlled, there is not so great
+need for much finger action. Velocity is acquired by less and less
+action of the fingers; force is gained by allowing arm weight to rest on
+the fingers; lightness and delicacy by taking the arm weight off the
+fingers--holding it back.
+
+"I use no instruction books for technical drill, but give my own
+exercises, or select them from various sources. Certain principles must
+govern the daily practise, from the first. When they are mastered in
+simple forms later work is only development. Loose wrist exercises, in
+octaves, sixths, or other forms, should form a part of the daily
+routine. So should scale playing, for I am a firm believer in scales of
+all kinds. Chords are an important item of practise. How few students,
+uninstructed in their principles, ever play good chords? They either
+flap the hand down from the wrist, with a weak, thin tone, or else they
+play with stiff, high wrists and arms, making a hard, harsh tone. In
+neither case do they use any arm weight. It often takes some time to
+make them see the principles of arm weight and finger grasp.
+
+
+QUESTIONS OF PEDALING
+
+"Another point which does not receive the attention it deserves is
+pedaling. Few students have a true idea of the technic of the foot on
+the pedal. They seem to know only one way to use the damper pedal, and
+that is to come down hard on it, perhaps giving it a thump at the same
+time. I give special preparatory exercises for pedal use. Placing the
+heel on the floor, and the forepart of the foot on the pedal, they learn
+to make one depression with every stroke of the metronome; when this can
+be done with ease, then two depressions to the beat, and so on. In this
+exercise the pedal is not pressed fully down; on the contrary there is
+but a slight depression; this vibration on the pedal has the effect of a
+constant shimmering of light upon the tones, which is very beautiful."
+Here the artist illustrated most convincingly with a portion of a Chopin
+Prelude. "One needs a flexible ankle to use the pedal properly; indeed
+the ankle should be as pliant as the wrist. I know of no one else who
+uses the pedal in just this fashion; so I feel as though I had
+discovered it.
+
+"Yes, I have numbers of pupils among society people; girls who go out a
+good deal and yet find time to practise a couple hours a day. The
+present tendency of the wealthy is to take a far more serious view of
+music study than was formerly the case. They feel its uplifting and
+ennobling influence, respect its teachers, and endeavor to do carefully
+and well whatever they attempt.
+
+"While necessary and important, the technical foundation is after all
+but a small part compared to the training for rhythmic sense, and for
+the knowledge of how to produce good and beautiful results in musical
+interpretation."
+
+
+
+
+XXVI
+
+EUGENE HEFFLEY
+
+MODERN TENDENCIES IN PIANO MUSIC
+
+
+Eugene Heffley, the Founder and first President of the MacDowell Club,
+of New York, a pianist and teacher of high ideals and most serious aims,
+came to New York from Pittsburg, in 1900, at the suggestion of MacDowell
+himself. He came to make a place for himself in the profession of the
+metropolis, and has proved himself a thoroughly sincere and devoted
+teacher, as well as a most inspiring master; he has trained numerous
+young artists who are winning success as pianists and teachers.
+
+Mr. Heffley, while entertaining reverence for the older masters, is very
+progressive, always on the alert to discover a new trend of thought, a
+new composer, a new gospel in musical art. He did much to make known and
+arouse enthusiasm for MacDowell's compositions, when they were as yet
+almost unheard of in America. In an equally broad spirit does he
+introduce to his students the works of the ultra modern school, Debussy,
+Rachmaninoff, Florent Schmitt, Reger, Liadow, Poldini and others.
+
+"My students like to learn these new things, and the audiences that
+gather here in the studio for our recitals, come with the expectation of
+being enlightened in regard to new and seldom heard works, and we do not
+disappoint them. Florent Schmitt, in spite of his German surname, is
+thoroughly French in his manner and idiom, though they are not of the
+style of Debussy; he has written some beautiful things for the piano; a
+set of short pieces which are little gems. I rank Rachmaninoff very
+highly, and of course use his Preludes, not only the well-known
+ones--the C and G minor--but the set of thirteen in one opus number;
+they are most interesting. I use a good deal of Russian music; Liadow
+has composed some beautiful things; but Tschaikowsky, in his piano
+music, is too complaining and morbid, as a rule, though he is
+occasionally in a more cheerful mood. It seems as though music has said
+all it can say along consonant lines, and regular rhythms. We must look
+for its advancement in the realm of Dissonance; not only in this but in
+the way of variety in Rhythm. How these modern composers vary their
+rhythms, sometimes three or four different ones going at once! It is the
+unexpected which attracts us in musical and literary art, as well as in
+other things: we don't want to know what is coming next; we want to be
+surprised.
+
+"Of the classic literature, I use much Bach, when I can. I used to give
+more Mozart than I do now; latterly I have inclined toward Haydn; his
+Variations and Sonatas are fine; my students seem to prefer Haydn also.
+I thoroughly believe in the value of polyphonic music as a mental study;
+it is a necessity. And Bach is such a towering figure, such a rock of
+strength in musical art. Bach was essentially a Christian, and this
+element of devoutness, of worship, shines out in everything he wrote. I
+do not believe that music, without this element of worship, will live.
+Tschaikowsky did not have it, nor Berlioz, nor even Mozart, for Mozart
+wrote merely from the idea of sheer beauty of sound; in that sense he
+was a pagan. I doubt if Strauss has it. One cannot foresee how the
+future will judge the music of to-day; what will it think of Schönberg?
+I am holding in abeyance any opinion I might form regarding his work
+till I have had more time to know it better. I can only say I have
+heard his string Quartet three times. The first time I found much in it
+to admire; the second time I was profoundly moved by certain parts of
+it, and on the third occasion I felt that the work, especially the
+latter part, contained some of the most beautiful music I had ever
+listened to.
+
+"In regard to the technical training my pupils receive, it is not so
+easy to formulate my manner of teaching. Each pupil is a separate study,
+and is different from every other. As you well know, I am not a 'method
+man': I have little use for the so-called piano method. To be a true
+teacher of the piano is a high calling indeed; for there are many
+pedagogues but comparatively few real teachers. I make a distinction
+between the two. A pedagogue is one who, filled with many rules and much
+learning, endeavors to pour his knowledge into the pupil; whereas the
+true teacher seeks to draw out what is in the pupil. He strives to find
+what the pupil has aptitude for, what he likes to do and can do best.
+The teacher must be something of a psychologist, or how can he correctly
+judge of the pupil's temperament, his tastes, his mentality, and what to
+do for him?
+
+"When a new pupil comes, I must make a mental appraisement of his
+capacity, his likelihood to grasp the subject, his quickness of
+intelligence, his health, and so on. No two pupils can be treated in the
+same way. One who has little continuity, who has never followed out a
+serious line of thought in any direction, must be treated quite
+differently from one of an opposite mentality and experience. It would
+be useless to give Bach to the first pupil, it would only be a waste of
+time and patience: he could not comprehend the music in any sense; he
+would have no conception of the great things that Bach stands for. Such
+a course of treatment would only make him hate music; whereas to one of
+a more serious and thoughtful turn of mind, you might give any amount of
+Bach.
+
+"A student with a poor touch and undeveloped hand, must go through a
+regular course of training. The hand is first placed in position, either
+at the keyboard or on a table; the fingers are taught to start with up
+movements, as the lifting muscles need special attention. A muscle or a
+finger, is either _taut_, _flabby_ or _stiff_; it is the taut condition
+I strive for--to make the finger responsive, like a fine steel spring.
+
+"It is absolutely necessary to establish correct finger action at the
+outset; for the sake of finger development, clearness, and accuracy.
+When single fingers can make accurate up and down movements, we can put
+two fingers together and acquire a perfect legato. I teach three kinds
+of legato--the _passage_ legato, the _singing_ legato, and the
+_accompanying_ legato; the pupil must master the first before attempting
+the others. I advise technic practise with each hand alone, for you must
+know I am a firm believer in the study of pure technic outside of
+pieces.
+
+"As the student advances we take up chord playing with different
+touches, scales, arpeggios and octaves. I institute quite early what I
+call polyphonic technic--one hand doing a different movement or touch
+from the other. This works out in scales and arpeggios with a variety of
+touches--one hand playing a passage or scale staccato while the other
+plays legato, and vice versa."
+
+Asked if he taught technical material without a book, Mr. Heffley
+replied:
+
+"No, I generally use the Heinrich Germer work, as it covers the ground
+very satisfactorily; it is compact, concise, and complete in one volume.
+I also use Mertke to some extent. Every form of exercise must be worked
+out in all keys; I find the books useful for all kinds of students. I
+may add that I use comparatively few études.
+
+"If the student seems to have a very imperfect rhythmic sense, I use the
+metronome, but as sparingly as possible, for I want to establish the
+inner sense of rhythm.
+
+"In regard to memorizing. I give no special advice, but counsel the
+student to employ the way which is easiest and most natural to him.
+There are three distinct ways of committing music: the Analytic,
+Photographic, and Muscular. The Analytic memory picks the passage apart
+and learns just how it is constructed, and why; the Photographic memory
+can see the veritable picture of the passage before the mind's eye;
+while the Muscular memory lets the fingers find the notes. This is not a
+very reliable method, but some pupils have to learn in this way. Of
+course the Analytical memory is the best; when the pupil has the mental
+ability to think music in this way, I strongly recommend it.
+
+"One point I make much of in my teaching, and that is Tone Color, as a
+distinct factor in musical interpretation. It is not merely a question
+of using the marks of expression, such as FF, MF, PP, and so on; it is
+more subtle than that--it is the _quality_ of tone I seek after.
+Sometimes I work with a pupil for several minutes over a single tone,
+until he really comprehends what he has to do to produce the right
+quality of tone, and can remember how he did it. The pedal helps
+wonderfully, for it is truly the 'soul of the piano.'
+
+"Some pupils have fancy but no imagination, and vice versa. The terms
+are not synonymous. Reading poetry helps to develop the aesthetic sense;
+pictures help also, and nature. I must necessarily take into account the
+pupil's trend of temperament while instructing him.
+
+"Interpretative expression is not a positive but a relative quantity.
+One player's palette is covered with large blotches of color, and he
+will paint the picture with bold strokes; another delights in delicate
+miniature work. Each will conceive the meaning and interpretation of a
+composition through the lens of his own temperament. I endeavor to
+stimulate the imagination of the pupil through reading, through
+knowledge of art, through a comprehension of the correlation of all the
+arts.
+
+"The musical interpreter has a most difficult, exacting and far-reaching
+task to perform. An actor plays one part night after night; a painter
+is occupied for days and weeks with a single picture; a composer is
+absorbed for the time being on one work only. The pianist, on the other
+hand, must, during a recital, sweep over the whole gamut of expression:
+the simple, the pastoral, the pathetic, the passionate, the
+spiritual--he is called upon to portray every phase of emotion. This
+seems to me a bigger task than is set before any other class of
+art-workers. The pianist must be able to render with appropriate
+sentiment the simplicity and fresh naïveté of the earlier classics,
+Haydn, Mozart; the grandeur of Bach; the heroic measures of Beethoven;
+the morbid elegance of Chopin; the romanticism of Schumann; the
+magnificent splendor of Liszt.
+
+"In choosing musical food for my pupils, I strive to keep away from the
+beaten track of the hackneyed. The mistake made by many teachers is to
+give far too difficult music. Why should I teach an old war-horse which
+the pupil has to struggle over for six months without being really able
+to master, and which he will thoroughly hate at the end of that time?
+The Scherzo Op. 31, of Chopin, and the Liszt Rhapsodies he can hear in
+the concert room, where he can become familiar with most of the famous
+piano compositions. Why should he not learn to know many less hackneyed
+pieces, which do not so frequently appear on concert programs?
+
+"Herein lies one of the great opportunities for the broad-minded
+teacher--to be individual in his work. According to his progressive
+individuality will his work be valued."
+
+
+
+
+XXVII
+
+GERMAINE SCHNITZER
+
+MODERN METHODS IN PIANO STUDY
+
+
+"It is difficult to define such a comprehensive term as technic, for it
+means so much," remarked Germaine Schnitzer the French pianist to me one
+day, when we were discussing pianistic problems. "There is no special
+sort or method of technic that will do for all players, for every
+mentality is different; every hand is peculiar to itself, and different
+from every other. Not only is each player individual in this particular,
+but one's right hand may differ from one's left; therefore each hand may
+require separate treatment.
+
+"An artistic technic can be acquired only by those who have an aptitude
+for it, plus the willingness to undertake the necessary drudgery;
+practise alone, no matter how arduous, is not sufficient. Technic is
+evolved from thought, from hearing great music, from much listening to
+great players; intent listening to one's own playing, and to the effects
+one strives to make. It is often said that the pianist cannot easily
+judge of the tonal effects he is producing, as he is too near the
+instrument. With me this is not the case. My hearing is so acute that I
+know the exact dynamics of every tone, every effect of light and shade;
+thus I do not have to stand at a distance, as the painter does, even if
+I could do so, in order to criticize my work, for I can do this
+satisfactorily at close range.
+
+"I hardly know when I learned technic; at all events it was not at the
+beginning. At the start I had some lessons with quite a simple woman
+teacher. We lived near Paris, and my elder sister was then studying with
+Raoul Pugno; she was a good student and practised industriously. She
+said she would take me to the master, and one day she did so. I was a
+tiny child of about seven, very small and thin--not much bigger than a
+fly. The great man pretended he could hardly see me. I was perched upon
+the stool, my feet, too short to reach the floor, rested on the
+extension pedal box which I always carried around with me, I went
+bravely through some Bach Inventions. When I finished, Pugno regarded me
+with interest. He said he would teach me; told me to prepare some more
+Inventions, some Czerny studies and the Mendelssohn Capriccio, Op. 22,
+and come to him in four weeks. Needless to say, I knew every note of
+these compositions by heart when I took my second lesson. Soon I was
+bidden to come to him every fortnight, then every week, and finally he
+gave me two lessons a week.
+
+"For the first five years of my musical experience, I simply played the
+piano. I played everything--sonatas, concertos--everything; large works
+were absorbed from one lesson to the next. When I was about twelve I
+began to awake to the necessity for serious study; then I really began
+to practise in earnest. My master took more and more interest in my
+progress and career: he was at pains to explain the meaning of music to
+me--the ideas of the composers. Many fashionable people took lessons of
+him, for to study with Pugno had become a fad; but he called me his only
+pupil, saying that I alone understood him. I can truly say he was my
+musical father; to him I owe everything. We were neighbors in a suburb
+of Paris, as my parents' home adjoined his; we saw a great deal of him
+and we made music together part of every day. When he toured in America
+and other countries, he wrote me frequently; I could show you many
+letters, for I have preserved a large number--letters filled with
+beautiful and exalted thoughts, expressed in noble and poetic language.
+They show that Pugno possessed a most refined, superior mind, and was
+truly a great artist.
+
+"I studied with Pugno ten years. At the end of that time he wished me to
+play for Emil Saur. Saur was delighted with my work, and was anxious to
+teach me certain points. From him I acquired the principles of touch
+advocated by his master, Nicholas Rubinstein. These I mastered in three
+months' time, or I might say in two lessons.
+
+"According to Nicholas Rubinstein, the keys are not to be struck with
+high finger action, nor is the direct end of the finger used. The point
+of contact is rather just back of the tip, between that and the ball of
+the finger. Furthermore we do not simply strive for plain legato touch.
+The old instruction books tell us that legato must be learned first, and
+is the most difficult touch to acquire. But legato does not bring the
+best results in rapid passages, for it does not impart sufficient
+clarity. In the modern idea something more crisp, scintillating and
+brilliant is needed. So we use a half staccato touch. The tones, when
+separated a hair's breadth from each other, take on a lighter, more
+vibrant, radiant quality; they are really like strings of pearls. Then I
+also use pressure touch, pressing and caressing the keys--feeling as it
+were for the quality I want; I think it, I hear it mentally, and I can
+make it. With this manner of touching the keys, and this constant search
+for quality of tone, I can make any piano give out a beautiful tone,
+even if it seems to be only a battered tin pan.
+
+
+TONE WHICH VIBRATES THROUGH THE WHOLE BODY
+
+"Weight touch is of course a necessity; for it I use not only arms and
+shoulders, but my whole body feels and vibrates with the tones of the
+piano. Of course I have worked out many of these principles for myself;
+they have not been acquired from any particular book, set of exercises,
+or piano method; I have made my own method from what I have acquired and
+experienced in ways above mentioned.
+
+
+ON MEMORIZING
+
+"In regard to memorizing piano music I have no set method. The music
+comes to me I know not how. After a period of deep concentration, of
+intent listening, it is mine, a permanent possession. You say
+Leschetizky advises his pupils to learn a small portion, two or four
+measures, each hand alone and away from the piano. Other pianists tell
+me they have to make a special study of memorizing. All this is not for
+me--it is not my way. When I have studied the piece sufficiently to play
+it, I know it--every note of it. When I play a concerto with orchestra I
+am not only absolutely sure of the piano part, but I also know each note
+that the other instruments play. Of course I am listening intently to
+the piano and to the whole orchestra during a performance; if I allowed
+myself to think of anything else, I should be lost. This absolute
+concentration is what conquers all difficulties.
+
+
+ABSTRACT TECHNIC
+
+"About practising technic for itself alone: this will not be necessary
+when once the principles of technic are mastered. I, at least, do not
+need to do so. I make, however, various technical exercises out of all
+difficult passages in pieces. I scarcely need to look at the printed
+pages of pieces I place on my recital programs. I have them with me, to
+be sure, but they are seldom taken out of their boxes. What I do is to
+think the pieces through and do mental work with them, and for this I
+must be quiet and by myself. An hour's actual playing at the piano each
+day is sufficient to prepare for a recital.
+
+"It must not be thought that I do not study very seriously. I do not
+work less than six hours a day; if on any day I fail to secure this
+amount of time, I make it up at the earliest moment. During the summer
+months, when I am preparing new programs for the next season, I work
+very hard. As I said, I take the difficult passages of a composition and
+make the minutest study of them in every detail, making all kinds of
+technical exercises out of a knotty section, sometimes playing it in
+forty or fifty different ways. For example, take the little piece out of
+Schumann's _Carneval_, called 'The Reconnaissance.' That needed study. I
+gave three solid days to it; that means from nine to twelve in the
+morning, and from one to five in the afternoon. At the end of that time
+I knew it perfectly and was satisfied with it. From that day to this I
+have never had to give a thought to that number, for I am confident I
+know it utterly. I have never had an accident to that or to any of my
+pieces when playing in public. In my opinion a pianist has a more
+difficult task to accomplish than any other artist. The singer has to
+sing only one note at a time; the violinist or 'cellist need use but one
+hand for notes. Even the orchestral conductor who aspires to direct his
+men without the score before him, may experience a slip of memory once
+in awhile, yet he can go on without a break. A pianist, however, has
+perhaps half a dozen notes in each hand to play at once; every note must
+be indelibly engraved on the memory, for one dares not make a slip of
+any kind.
+
+"An artist playing in London, Paris or New York--I class these cities
+together--may play about the same sort of programs in each. The
+selections will not be too heavy in character. In Madrid or Vienna the
+works may be even more brilliant. It is Berlin that demands heavy, solid
+meat. I play Bach there, Beethoven and Brahms. It is a severe test to
+play in Berlin and win success.
+
+"I have made several tours in America. This is a wonderful country. I
+don't believe you Americans realize what a great country you have, what
+marvelous advantages are here, what fine teachers, what great
+orchestras, what opera, what audiences! The critics, too, are so well
+informed and so just. All these things impress a foreign artist--the
+love for music that is here, the knowledge of it, and the enthusiasm for
+it. A worthy artist can make a name and success in America more quickly
+and surely than in any country in the world.
+
+"For one thing America is one united country from coast to coast, so it
+is much easier getting about here than in Europe. For another thing I
+consider you have the greatest orchestras in the world, and I have
+played with the orchestras of all countries. I also find you have the
+most enthusiastic audiences to be found anywhere.
+
+"In Europe a musical career offers few advantages. People often ask my
+advice about making a career over there, and I try to dissuade them. It
+sometimes impresses me as a lions' den, and I have the desire to cry out
+'Beware' to those who may be entrapped into going over before they are
+ready, or know what to expect. Of course there are cases of phenomenal
+success, but they are exceptions to the general rule.
+
+"People go to Europe to get atmosphere (stimmung)--that much abused
+term! I could tell them they make their own atmosphere wherever they
+are. I have lived in music all my life, but I can say I find musical
+atmosphere right here in America. If I listen to the Boston Symphony
+Orchestra, or to the Kneisel Quartet, when these organizations are
+giving an incomparable performance of some masterpiece, I am entirely
+wrapt up in the music; am I not then in a musical atmosphere? Or if I
+hear a performance of a Wagner opera at the Metropolitan, where Wagner
+is given better even than in Bayreuth, am I not also in a musical
+atmosphere? To be sure, if I am in Bayreuth I may see some reminiscences
+of Wagner the man, or if I am in Vienna I can visit the graves of
+Beethoven and Schubert. But these facts of themselves do not create a
+musical atmosphere.
+
+"You in America can well rejoice over your great country, your fine
+teachers and musicians and your musical growth. After a while you may be
+the most musical nation in the world."
+
+
+
+
+XXVIII
+
+OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH
+
+CHARACTERISTIC TOUCH ON THE PIANO
+
+
+Arthur Hochman, Russian pianist and composer, once remarked to me, in
+reference to the quality of tone and variety of tonal effects produced
+by the various artists now before the public:
+
+"For me there is one pianist who stands above them all--his name is
+Gabrilowitsch."
+
+The quality of tone which this rare artist draws from his instrument, is
+unforgettable. I asked him one morning, when he was kind enough to give
+me the opportunity for a quiet chat, how he produced this luscious
+singing quality of tone.
+
+"A beautiful tone? Ah, that is difficult to describe, whether in one
+hour or in many hours. It is first a matter of experiment, of
+individuality, then of experience and memory. We listen and create the
+tone, modify it until it expresses our ideal, then we try to remember
+how we did it.
+
+"I cannot say that I always produce a beautiful tone; I try to produce
+a characteristic tone, but sometimes it may not be beautiful: there are
+many times when it may be anything but that. I do not think there can be
+any fixed rule or method in tone production, because people and hands
+are so different. What does for one will not do for another. Some
+players find it easier to play with high wrist, some with low. Some can
+curve their fingers, while others straighten them out. There are of
+course a few foundation principles, and one is that arms and wrists must
+be relaxed. Fingers must often be loose also, but not at the nail joint;
+that must always be firm. I advise adopting the position of hand which
+is most comfortable and convenient. In fact all forms of hand position
+can be used, if for a right purpose, so long as the condition is never
+cramped or stiff. I permit either a high or low position of the wrist,
+so long as the tone is good. As I said, the nail joint must remain firm,
+and never be crushed under by the weight of powerful chords, as is apt
+to be the case with young players whose hands are weak and delicate.
+
+[Illustration: TO MISS HARRIETTE BROWER, OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH]
+
+
+TECHNICAL STUDY
+
+"Yes, I am certainly in favor of technical practise outside of pieces.
+There must be scale and arpeggio study, in which the metronome can be
+used. But I believe in striving to make even technical exercises of
+musical value. If scales are played they should be performed with a
+beautiful quality and variety of tone; if one attempts a Czerny étude,
+it should be played with as much care and finish as a Beethoven sonata.
+Bring out all the musical qualities of the étude. Do not say, 'I'll play
+this measure sixteen times, and then I'm done with it.' Do nothing for
+mechanical ends merely, but everything from a musical standpoint. Yes, I
+give some Czerny to my students; not many études however. I prefer
+Chopin and Rubinstein. There is a set of six Rubinstein Studies which I
+use, including the Staccato Étude.
+
+"In regard to technical forms and material, each player may need a
+different tonic. I have found many useful things in a work by your own
+Dr. William Mason, _Touch and Technic_. I have used this to a
+considerable extent. To my knowledge he was the first to illustrate the
+principle of weight, which is now pretty generally accepted here as
+well as in Europe.
+
+"An ancient and famous philosopher, Seneca, is said to have remarked
+that by the time a man reaches the age of twenty-five, he should know
+enough to be his own physician, or he is a fool. We might apply this
+idea to the pianist. After studying the piano for a number of years he
+should be able to discover what sort of technical exercises are most
+beneficial; if he cannot do so he must be a fool. Why should he always
+depend on the exercises made by others? There is no end to the list of
+method books and technical forms; their name is legion. They are usually
+made by persons who invent exercises to fit their own hands; this does
+not necessarily mean that they will fit the hands of others. I encourage
+my pupils to invent their own technical exercises. They have often done
+so with considerable success, and find much more pleasure in them than
+in those made by others.
+
+"Two of the most important principles in piano playing are: full, round,
+exact tone; distinct phrasing. The most common fault is
+indistinctness--slurring over or leaving out notes. Clearness in piano
+playing is absolutely essential. If an actor essays the rôle of Hamlet,
+he must first of all speak distinctly and make himself clearly
+understood; otherwise all his study and characterization are in vain.
+The pianist must likewise make himself understood; he therefore must
+enunciate clearly.
+
+
+VELOCITY
+
+"You speak of velocity as difficult for some players to acquire. I have
+found there is a general tendency to play everything too fast, to rush
+headlong through the piece, without taking time to make it clear and
+intelligible. When the piece is quite clear in tone and phrasing, it
+will not sound as fast as it really is, because all the parts are in
+just relation to each other. As an illustration of this fact, there is a
+little Gavotte of mine, which I had occasion to play several times in
+Paris. A lady, a very good pianist, got the piece, learned it, then came
+and asked me to hear her play it. She sat down to the piano, and rushed
+through the piece in a way that so distorted it I could hardly recognize
+it. When she finished I remonstrated, but she assured me that her tempo
+was exactly like mine as she had heard me play the piece three times. I
+knew my own tempo exactly and showed her that while it did not differ
+so greatly from hers, yet my playing sounded slower because notes and
+phrasing were all clear, and everything rightly balanced.
+
+
+POWER
+
+"How do I gain power? Power does not depend on the size of the hand or
+arm; for persons of quite small physique have enough of it to play with
+the necessary effect. Power is a nervous force, and of course demands
+that arms and wrists be relaxed. The fingers must be so trained as to be
+strong enough to stand up under this weight of arms and hands, and not
+give way. I repeat, the nail joint must remain firm under all
+circumstances. It is so easy to forget this; one must be looking after
+it all the time.
+
+
+MEMORIZING
+
+"In regard to memorizing, I have no special rule or method. Committing
+to memory seems to come of its own accord. Some pieces are comparatively
+easy to learn by heart; others, like a Bach fugue, require hard work and
+close analysis. The surest way to learn a difficult composition, is to
+write it out from memory. There is a great deal of benefit in that. If
+you want to remember the name of a person or a place, you write it down.
+When the eye sees it, the mind retains a much more vivid impression.
+This is visual memory. When I play with orchestra, I of course know
+every note the orchestra has to play as well as my own part. It is a
+much greater task to write out a score from memory than a piano solo,
+yet it is the surest way to fix the composition in mind. I find that
+compositions I learned in early days are never forgotten, they are
+always with me, while the later pieces have to be constantly looked
+after. This is doubtless a general experience, as early impressions are
+most enduring.
+
+"An orchestral conductor should know the works he conducts so thoroughly
+that he need not have the score before him. I have done considerable
+conducting the past few years. Last season I gave a series of historical
+recitals, tracing the growth of the piano concerto, from Mozart down to
+the present. I played nineteen works in all, finishing with the
+Rachmaninoff Concerto."
+
+Mr. Gabrilowitsch has entirely given up teaching, and devotes his time
+to recital and concert, conducting, and composing.
+
+
+
+
+HANS VON BÜLOW AS TEACHER AND INTERPRETER
+
+
+Those who heard Hans von Bülow in recital during his American tour, in
+1876, listened to piano playing that was at once learned and convincing.
+A few years before, in 1872, Rubinstein had come and conquered. The
+torrential splendor of his pianism, his mighty crescendos and whispering
+diminuendos, his marvelous variety of tone--all were in the nature of a
+revelation; his personal magnetism carried everything before it.
+American audiences were at his feet.
+
+[Illustration: HANS VON BÜLOW]
+
+In Von Bülow was found a player of quite a different caliber. Clarity of
+touch, careful exactness down to the minutest detail caused the critics
+to call him cold. He was a deep thinker and analyzer; as he played one
+saw, as though reflected in a mirror, each note, phrase and dynamic mark
+of expression to be found in the work. From a Rubinstein recital the
+listener came away subdued, awed, inspired, uplifted, but disinclined to
+open the piano or touch the keys that had been made to burn and
+scintillate under those wonderful hands. After hearing Von Bülow, on
+the other hand, the impulse was to hasten to the instrument and
+reproduce what had just seemed so clear and logical, so simple and
+attainable. It did not seem to be such a difficult thing to play the
+piano--like _that_! It was as though he had said: "Any of you can do
+what I am doing, if you will give the same amount of time and study to
+it that I have done. Listen and I will teach you!"
+
+Von Bülow was a profound student of the works of Beethoven; his edition
+of the sonatas is noted for recondite learning, clearness and exactness
+in the smallest details. Through his recitals in America he did much to
+make these works better known and understood. Nor did he neglect Chopin,
+and though his readings of the music of the great Pole may have lacked
+in sensuous beauty of touch and tone, their interpretation was always
+sane, healthy, and beautiful.
+
+Toward the end of a season during the eighties, it was announced that
+Von Bülow would come to Berlin and teach an artist class in the
+Klindworth Conservatory. This was an unusual opportunity to obtain
+lessons from so famous a musician and pedagogue, and about twenty
+pianists were enrolled for the class. A few of these came with the
+master from Frankfort, where he was then located.
+
+Carl Klindworth, pianist, teacher, critic, editor of Chopin and
+Beethoven, was then the Director of the school. The two men were close
+friends, which is proved by the fact that Von Bülow was willing to
+recommend the Klindworth Edition of Beethoven, in spite of the fact that
+he himself had edited many of the sonatas. Another proof is that he was
+ready to leave his work in Frankfort, and come to Berlin, in order to
+shed the luster of his name and fame upon the Klindworth school--the
+youngest of the many musical institutions of that music-ridden,
+music-saturated capital.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was a bright May morning when the Director entered the music-room
+with his guest, and presented him to the class. They saw in him a man
+rather below medium height, with large intellectual head, beneath whose
+high, wide forehead shone piercing dark eyes, hidden behind glasses.
+
+He bowed to the class, saying he was pleased to see so many industrious
+students. His movements, as he looked around the room, were quick and
+alert; he seemed to see everything at once, and the students saw that
+nothing could escape that active mentality.
+
+The class met four days in each week, and the lessons continued from
+nine in the morning until well on toward one o'clock. It was announced
+that only the works of Brahms, Raff, Mendelssohn and Liszt would be
+taught and played, so nothing else need be brought to the class; indeed
+Brahms was to have the place of honor.
+
+While many interesting compositions were discussed and played, perhaps
+the most helpful thing about these hours spent with the great pedagogue
+was the running fire of comment and suggestion regarding technic,
+interpretation, and music and musicians in general. Von Bülow spoke in
+rapid, nervous fashion, with a mixture of German and English, often
+repeating in the latter tongue what he had said in the former, out of
+consideration for the Americans and English present.
+
+In teaching, Von Bülow required the same qualities which were so patent
+in his playing. Clearness of touch, exactness in phrasing and fingering
+were the first requirements; the delivery of the composer's idea must be
+just as he had indicated it--no liberties with the text were ever
+permitted. He was so honest, so upright in his attitude toward the
+makers of good music, that it was a sin in his eyes to alter anything in
+the score, though he believed in adding any marks of phrasing or
+expression which would elucidate the intentions of the composer.
+Everything he said or did showed his intellectual grasp of the subject;
+and he looked for some of the same sort of intelligence on the part of
+the student. A failure in this respect, an inability to apprehend at
+once the ideas he endeavored to convey, would annoy the sensitive and
+nervous little Doctor; he would become impatient, sarcastic and begin to
+pace the floor with hasty strides. When in this state he could see
+little that was worthy in the student's performance, for a small error
+would be so magnified as to dwarf everything that was excellent. When
+the lion began to roar, it behooved the players to be circumspect and
+meek. At other times, when the weather was fair in the class-room,
+things went with tolerable smoothness. He did not trouble himself much
+about technic, as of course a pupil coming to him was expected to be
+well equipped on the technical side; his chief concern was to make clear
+the content and interpretation of the composition. In the lessons he
+often played detached phrases and passages for and with the student,
+but never played an entire composition.
+
+One of the most remarkable things about this eccentric man was his
+prodigious memory. Nearly every work for piano which could be mentioned
+he knew and could play from memory. He often expressed the opinion that
+no pianist could be considered an artist unless he or she could play at
+least two hundred pieces by heart. He, of course, more than fulfilled
+this requirement, not only for piano but for orchestral music. As
+conductor of the famous Meiningen orchestra, he directed every work
+given without a note of score before him--considered a great feat in
+those days. He was a ceaseless worker, and his eminence in the world of
+music was more largely due to unremitting labor than to genius.
+
+From the many suggestions to the Berlin class, the following have been
+culled.
+
+"To play correctly is of the first importance; to play beautifully is
+the second requirement. A healthy touch is the main thing. Some people
+play the piano as if their fingers had _migrane_ and their wrists were
+rheumatic. Do not play on the sides of the finger nor with a sideways
+stroke, for then the touch will be weak and uncertain.
+
+"Clearness we must first have; every line and measure, every note must
+be analyzed for touch, tone, content and expression.
+
+"You are always your first hearer; to be one's own critic is the most
+difficult of all.
+
+"When a new theme enters you must make it plain to the listener; all the
+features of the new theme, the new figure, must be plastically brought
+out.
+
+"Brilliancy does not depend on velocity but on clarity. What is not
+clear cannot scintillate nor sparkle. Make use of your strongest fingers
+in brilliant passages, leaving out the fourth when possible. A scale to
+be brilliant and powerful must not be too rapid. Every note must be
+round and full and not too legato--rather a mezzo legato--so that single
+tones, played hands together, shall sound like octaves. One of the most
+difficult things in rhythm, is to play passages where two notes
+alternate with triplets. Scales may be practised in this way alternating
+three notes with two.
+
+"We must make things sound well--agreeably, in a way to be admired. A
+seemingly discordant passage can be made to sound well by ingeniously
+seeking out the best that is in it and holding that up in the most
+favorable light. Practise dissonant chords until they please the ear in
+spite of their sharpness. Think of the instruments of the orchestra and
+their different qualities of tone, and try to imitate them on the piano.
+Think of every octave on the piano as having a different color; then
+shade and color your playing. (_Also bitte coloriren_)!"
+
+If Bülow's musical trinity, Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, had a fourth
+divinity added, it would surely have been Liszt. The first day's program
+contained chiefly works by the Hungarian master; among them _Au bord
+d'une Source_, Scherzo and March, and the Ballades. The player who
+rendered the Scherzo was advised to practise octaves with light,
+flexible wrist; the Kullak Octave School was recommended, especially the
+third book; the other books could be read through, practising whatever
+seemed difficult and passing over what was easy. Of the Ballades the
+first was termed more popular, the second finer and more earnest--though
+neither makes very much noise.
+
+The _Annees de Pelerinage_ received much attention. Among the pieces
+played were, _Les Cloches_, _Chasse Neige_, _Eclogue_, _Cloches de
+Geneva_, _Eroica_, _Feux Follets_ and _Ma__zeppa_. Also the big
+Polonaise in E, the two Études, _Waldesrauschen_ and _Gnomenreigen_; the
+Mazourka, Valse Impromptu, and the first Étude, of which last he
+remarked: "You can all play this; thirty years have passed since it was
+composed and people are only just finding out how fine it is. Such is
+the case with many of Liszt's works. We wonder how they ever could have
+been considered unmusical. Yet the way some people play Liszt the hearer
+is forced to exclaim, 'What an unmusical fellow Liszt was, to be sure,
+to write like that!'
+
+"Exactness in everything is of the greatest importance," he was fond of
+saying. "We must make the piano speak. As in speaking we use a separate
+movement of the lips for each word, so in certain kinds of melody
+playing, the hand is taken up after each note. Then, too, we cannot make
+the piano speak without very careful use of the pedals."
+
+The Mazourka of Liszt was recommended as one of the most delightful of
+his lighter pieces. The _Waldesrauschen_ also, was termed charming, an
+excellent concert number. "Begin the first figure somewhat louder and
+slightly slower, then increase the movement and subdue the tone.
+_Everything which_ _is to be played softly should be practised forte."_
+
+Of Joachim Raff the Suite Op. 91 held the most important place. Each
+number received minute attention, the Giga being played by Ethelbert
+Nevin. The _Metamorphosen_ received a hearing, also the Valse Caprice,
+Op. 116, of which the master was particular about the staccato left hand
+against the legato right. Then came the Scherzo Op. 74, the Valse
+Caprice and the Polka, from Suite Op. 71. Von Bülow described the little
+group of notes in left hand of middle section as a place where the
+dancers made an unexpected slip on the floor, and suggested it be
+somewhat emphasized. "We must make this little witticism," he said, as
+he illustrated the passage at the piano.
+
+"Raff showed himself a pupil of Mendelssohn in his earlier compositions;
+his symphonies will find more appreciation in the coming century--which
+cannot be said of the Ocean Symphony, for instance."
+
+Of Mendelssohn the Capriccios Op. 5 and 22 were played, also the Prelude
+and Fugue in E. Von Bülow deplored the neglect which was overtaking the
+works of Mendelssohn, and spoke of the many beauties of his piano
+compositions. "There should be no sentimentality about the playing of
+Mendelssohn's music," he said; "the notes speak for themselves.
+
+"The return to a theme, in every song or instrumental work of his is
+particularly to be noticed, for it is always interesting; this Fugue in
+E should begin as though with the softest register of the organ."
+
+The subject of Brahms has been deferred only that it may be spoken of as
+a whole. His music was the theme of the second, and a number of the
+following lessons. Bülow was a close friend of the Hamburg master, and
+kept in touch with him while in Berlin. One morning he came in with a
+beaming face, holding up a sheet of music paper in Beethoven's
+handwriting, which Brahms had discovered and forwarded to him. It seemed
+that nothing could have given Bülow greater pleasure than to receive
+this relic.
+
+[Illustration: DR. WILLIAM MASON]
+
+The first work taken up in class was Brahms' Variations on a Handel
+theme. Von Bülow was in perfect sympathy with this noble work of Brahms
+and illumined many passages with clear explanations. He was very exact
+about the phrasing, "What cannot be sung in one breath cannot be
+played in one breath," he said; "many composers have their own terms for
+expression and interpretation; Brahms is very exact in these
+points--next to him comes Mendelssohn. Beethoven not at all careful
+about markings and Schumann extremely careless. Brahms, Beethoven, and
+Wagner have the right to use their own terms. Brahms frequently uses the
+word _sostenuto_ where others would use _ritardando_."
+
+Of the Clavier Stücke, Op. 76, Von Bülow said: "The Capriccio, No. 1
+must not be taken too fast. First page is merely a prelude, the story
+begins at the second page. How wonderfully is this melody formed, so
+original yet so regular. Compare it with a Bach gigue. Remember, andante
+does not mean dragging (_schleppando_), it means going (_gehend_)." To
+the player who gave the Capriccio, No. 5 he said: "You play that as if
+it were a Tarantelle of Stephan Heller's. Agitation in piano playing
+must be carefully thought out; the natural sort will not do at all. We
+do not want _blind_ agitation, but _seeing_ agitation (_aufregung_). A
+diminuendo of several measures should be divided into stations, one each
+for F, MF, M, P, and PP. Visit the Zoological Gardens, where you can
+learn much about legato and staccato from the kangaroos."
+
+The Ballades were taken up in these lessons, and the light thrown upon
+their poetical content was often a revelation. The gloomy character of
+the _Edward Ballade_, Op. 10, No. 1, the source of the Scottish poem,
+the poetic story, were dwelt upon. The opening of this first Ballade is
+sad, sinister and mysterious, like the old Scotch story. The master
+insisted on great smoothness in playing it--the chords to sound like
+muffled but throbbing heartbeats. A strong climax is worked up on the
+second page, which dies away on the third to a _pianissimo_ of utter
+despair. From the middle of this page on to the end, the descending
+chords and octaves were likened to ghostly footsteps, while the broken
+triplets in the left hand accompaniment seem to indicate drops of blood.
+
+The third Ballade also received an illumination from Von Bülow. This is
+a vivid tone picture, though without motto or verse. Starting with those
+fateful fifths in the bass, it moves over two pages fitfully gloomy and
+gay, till at the end of the second page a descending passage leads to
+three chords so full of grim despair as to impart the atmosphere of a
+dungeon. The player was hastily turning the leaf. "Stop!" cried the
+excited voice of the master, who had been pacing restlessly up and down,
+and now hurried from the end of the salon. "Wait! We have been in
+prison--but now a ray of sunshine pierces the darkness. You must always
+pause here to make the contrast more impressive. There is more music in
+this little piece than in whole symphonies by some of the modern
+composers."
+
+Both Rhapsodies Op. 79 were played; the second, he said, has parts as
+passionate as anything in the _Götterdammerung_. Both are fine and
+interesting works.
+
+Again and again the players were counseled to make everything sound
+well. Some intervals, fourths for instance, are harsh; make them as mild
+as possible. For one can play correctly, but horribly! Some staccatos
+should be shaken out of the sleeve as it were.
+
+The first time a great work is heard there is so much to occupy the
+attention that only a small amount of pleasure can be derived from it.
+At the second hearing things are easier and by the twelfth time one's
+pleasure is complete. The pianist must consider the listener in a first
+rendering, and endeavor to soften the sharp discords.
+
+With a group of five notes, play two and then three--it sounds more
+distinguished. Remember that unlearning gives much more trouble than
+learning.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In this brief résumé of the Von Bülow lessons, the desire has been to
+convey some of the hints and remarks concerning the music and its
+interpretation. The master's fleeting sentences were hurriedly jotted
+down during the lessons, with no thought of their ever being seen except
+by the owner. But as Bülow's fame as a teacher became so great, these
+brief notes may now be of some value to both teacher and student.
+
+If it were only possible to create a picture of that Berlin music-room,
+with its long windows opening out to a green garden--the May sunshine
+streaming in; the two grand pianos in the center, a row of anxious,
+absorbed students about the edge of the room--and the short figure of
+the little Doctor, pacing up and down the polished floor, or seating
+himself at one piano now and then, to illustrate his instruction. This
+mental picture is the lifelong possession of each of those players who
+were so fortunate as to be present at the sessions. It can safely be
+affirmed, I think, that the principles of artistic rectitude, of
+exactness and thorough musicianship which were there inculcated, ever
+remained with the members of that class, as a constant incentive and
+inspiration.
+
+
+
+
+HINTS ON INTERPRETATION FROM TWO AMERICAN TEACHERS
+
+WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD AND DR. WILLIAM MASON
+
+
+WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD
+
+While a young student the opportunity came to attend a Summer Music
+School, founded by this eminent pianist and teacher. He had surrounded
+himself with others well known for their specialties in voice, violin
+and diction; but the director himself was the magnet who attracted
+pianists and teachers from the four corners of the land.
+
+Perhaps the most intimate way to come in touch with a famous teacher, is
+to study with him during the summer months, in some quiet, retired spot.
+Here the stress of the metropolis, with its rush and drive, its exacting
+hours, its remorseless round of lesson giving, is exchanged for the
+freedom of rural life. Hours may still be exact, but a part of each day,
+or of each week, is given over to relaxation, to be spent in the open,
+with friends and pupils.
+
+It was under such conditions that I first met Mr. Sherwood. I had never
+even heard him play, and was glad the session opened with a piano
+recital. His playing delighted me; he had both power and delicacy, and
+his tone impressed me as being especially mellow and fine. There was
+deep feeling as well as poetry in his reading of both the Chromatic
+Fantaisie of Bach, and the Chopin Fantaisie in F minor which were on the
+program. This opinion was strengthened at each subsequent hearing, for
+he gave frequent recitals and concerts during the season.
+
+My summer study with Mr. Sherwood consisted mainly in gaining ideas on
+the interpretation of various pieces. Many of these ideas seem to me
+beautiful and inspiring, and I will set them down as fully as I can from
+the brief notes jotted down at the time. I trust I may be pardoned a few
+personal references, which are sometimes necessary to explain the
+situation.
+
+With advanced students Mr. Sherwood gave great attention to tone study
+and interpretation, even from the first lesson. He laid much stress on
+the use of slow, gentle motions in practise and in playing; on the
+spiritualization of the tones, of getting behind the notes to find the
+composer's meaning. He had, perhaps, a more poetic conception of piano
+playing than any master I have known, and was able to impart these ideas
+in clear and simple language.
+
+The first composition considered was Schumann's Nachtstück, the fourth
+of the set. He had a peculiar way of turning the hand on the middle
+finger, as on a pivot, for the extended chords, at the same time raising
+the whole outer side of the hand, so that the fifth finger should be
+able to play the upper melody notes round and full. In the middle
+section he desired great tenderness and sweetness of tone. "There are
+several dissonances in this part," he said, "and they ought to be
+somewhat accented--suspensions I might call them. In Bach and Handel's
+time, the rules of composition were very strict--no suspensions were
+allowed; so they were indicated where it was not permitted to write
+them."
+
+Chopin's étude in sixths came up for analysis. "This study needs a very
+easy, quiet, limpid touch--the motions all gliding and sliding rather
+than pushing and forceful. I would advise playing it at first
+_pianissimo_; the wrist held rather low, the knuckles somewhat high,
+and the fingers straightened. In preparation for each pair of notes
+raise the fingers and let them down--not with a hard brittle touch, if I
+may use the word, but with a soft, velvety one. A composition like this
+needs to be idealized, spiritualized, taken out of everyday life. Take,
+for instance, the Impromptu Op. 36, Chopin; the first part of it is
+something like this étude, soft, undulating--smooth as oil. There is
+something very uncommon, spiritual, heavenly, about the first page of
+that Impromptu--very little of the earth, earthy. The second page is in
+sharp contrast to the first, it comes right down to the hard, everyday
+business of life--it is full of harsh, sharp tones. Well, the idea of
+that first page we get in this study in sixths. I don't want the bare
+tones that stand there on the printed page; I want them
+spiritualized--that is what reveals the artist. In the left hand the
+first note should have a clear, brittle accent, with firm fifth finger,
+and the double sixths played with the creeping, clinging movement I have
+indicated. If I should practise this étude for half an hour, you might
+be surprised at the effects I could produce. Perhaps it might take ten
+hours, but in the end I am confident I could produce this floating,
+undulating effect. I heard Liszt play nearly all these études at one
+time; I stood by and turned the pages. In this étude he doubled the
+number of sixths in each measure; the effect was wonderful and
+beautiful.
+
+"The Chopin Octave study, number 22, needs firm, quiet touch, elevating
+the wrist for black keys (as Kullak explains) and depressing it for
+white keys. The hand must be well arched, the end fingers firm and
+strong, and the touch very pressing, clinging, and grasping. You always
+want to cling whenever there is any chance for clinging in piano
+playing. The second part of this étude should have a soft, flowing,
+poetic touch in the right hand, while the left hand part is well brought
+out. The thumb needs a special training to enable it to creep and slide
+from one key to another with snake-like movements.
+
+"Rubinstein's Barcarolle in G major. The thirds on the first page are
+very soft and gentle. I make a good deal of extra motion with these
+thirds, raising the fingers quite high and letting them fall gently on
+the keys. The idea of the first page of this barcarolle is one of utter
+quietness, colorlessness; one is alone on the water; the evening is
+quiet and still; not a sound breaks the hushed silence. The delicate
+tracery of thirds should be very soft, thin--like an airy cloud. The
+left hand is soft too, but the first beat should be slightly accented,
+the second not; the first is positive, the second negative. Herein lies
+the idea of the barcarolle, the ebb and flow, the undulation of each
+measure.
+
+"Begin the first measure very softly, the second measure a trifle
+louder, the third louder still, the fourth falling off again. As you
+stand on the shore and watch the great waves coming in, you see some
+that are higher and larger than others; so it is here. The concluding
+passage in sixths should diminish--like a little puff of vapor that ends
+in--nothing. On the second page we come upon something more positive;
+here is a tangible voice speaking to us. The melody should stand out
+clear, broad, beautiful; the accompanying chords should preserve the
+same ebb and flow, the advancing and receding wave-like movement. The
+exaggerated movement I spoke of a moment ago, I use in many ways. Any
+one can hit the piano, with a sharp, incisive touch; but what I refer to
+is the reaching out of the fingers for the notes, the passing of the
+hand in the air and the final gentle fall on the key, not in haste to
+get there, but with confidence of reaching the key in time. If you throw
+a stone up in the air it will presently fall back again with a sharp
+thud; a bird rising, hovers a moment and descends gently. This
+barcarolle is not at all easy; there is plenty of work in it for
+flexible hands; it is a study in _pianissimo_--in power controlled, held
+back, restrained."
+
+Taking up the Toccatina of Rheinberger, Mr. Sherwood said: "I like this
+piece, there is good honest work in it; it is very effective, and most
+excellent practise. You ought to play this every day of the year. It is
+written in twelve-eighths, which give four beats to the measure, but I
+think that gives it too hard and square a character. I would divide each
+measure into two parts and slightly accent each. Though your temperament
+is more at home in the music of Chopin and Schumann, I recommend
+especially music of this sort, and also the music of Bach; these give
+solidity and strength to your conception of musical ideas."
+
+We went through the Raff Suite, Op. 94. "The Preludio is very good," he
+said; "I like it. The Menuetto is, musically, the least strong of any of
+the numbers, but it has a certain elegance, and is the most popular of
+them all. The Romanza is a great favorite of mine, it is very graceful,
+flowing and melodious. The concluding Fugue is a fine number; you see
+how the theme is carried from one hand to the other, all twisted about,
+in a way old Bach and Handel never thought of doing. I consider this
+Raff fugue one of the best examples of modern fugue writing."
+
+Mr. Sherwood was fond of giving students the Josef Wieniawski Valse, for
+brilliancy. "There are many fine effects which can be made in this
+piece; one can take liberties with it--the more imagination you have the
+better it will go. I might call it a _stylish_ piece; take the Prelude
+as capriciously as you like; put all the effect you can into it. The
+Valse proper begins in a very pompous style, with right hand very
+staccato; all is exceedingly coquettish. On the fifth page you see it is
+marked _amoroso_, but after eight measures the young man gives the whole
+thing away to his father! The beginning of the sixth page is very
+_piano_ and light--it is nothing more than a breath of smoke, an airy
+nothing. But at the _poco piu lento_, there is an undercurrent of
+reality; the two parts are going at the same time--the hard, earthly
+part, with accents, and the spiritual, thin as air. To realize these
+qualities in playing is the very idealization of technic."
+
+The Chopin-Liszt _Maiden's Wish_, was next considered. "The theme here
+is often overlaid and encrusted with the delicate lace-like arabesques
+that seek to hide it; but it must be found and brought out. There is so
+much in being able to find what is hidden behind the notes. You must get
+an insight into the inner idea; must feel it. This is not technic, not
+method even; it is the spiritualization of playing. There are pieces
+that will sound well if the notes only are played, like the little F
+minor Moment Musicale of Schubert; yet even in this there is much behind
+the notes, which, if brought out, will make quite another thing of the
+piece.
+
+"Schumann's Andante, for two pianos, should have a very tender,
+caressing touch for the theme. The place where the four-sixteenths
+occur, which make rather a square effect, can be softened down. On the
+second page, be sure and do not accent the grace notes; let the accent
+come on the fifth finger every time. For the variation containing
+chords, use the grasping touch, which might be described as a certain
+indrawing of force in the end of the finger, as though taking a long
+breath. The variation in triplets seems at first sight almost a
+caricature, a burlesque on the theme, but I don't think that Schumann
+had any such idea. On the contrary he meant it as a very sweet, gentle,
+loving thought. The last page has something ethereal, ideal about it; it
+should be breathed out, growing fainter and fainter to the end.
+
+"The G minor Ballade, of Chopin, begins slowly, with much dignity. The
+opening melody is one of sadness, almost gloom. The _a tempo_ on second
+page contains four parts going on at the same time. At the _piu forte,_
+care must be taken to have the outer side of the hand well raised, and
+moved from the wrist. The idea here is one of great agitation and
+unrest. The fifth page needs great power and the legato octaves well
+connected and sustained. The feeling of unrest is here augmented until
+it becomes almost painful, and not until the _animato_ does a restful
+feeling come. This should be played lightly and delicately, the left
+hand giving the rhythm. The _presto_ demands great power and dash. Let
+the wrist be low when beginning the chords, raise it after the first and
+let it fall after the second. Always accent the second chord. Begin the
+final double runs slowly and increase in speed and tone. So, too, with
+the octaves, begin slowly and increase in power and fire."
+
+Numerous other compositions were analyzed, but the ones already quoted
+stand out in memory, and give some idea of Mr. Sherwood's manner of
+teaching.
+
+
+DR. WILLIAM MASON
+
+Years after the foregoing experiences I had the privilege of doing some
+work with the dean of all American piano masters, Dr. William Mason. I
+had spent several years in European study, with Scharwenka, Klindworth
+and von Bülow, and had returned to my own land to join its teaching and
+playing force. My time soon became so largely occupied with teaching
+that I feared my playing would be entirely pushed to the wall unless I
+were under the guidance of some master. With this thought in mind, I
+presented myself to Dr. Mason.
+
+"You have studied with Sherwood," he began. "He has excellent ideas of
+touch and technic. Some of these ideas came from me, though I don't wish
+to claim too much in the matter. Sherwood has the true piano touch. Very
+few pianists have it; Klindworth did not have it, nor von Bülow, nor
+even Liszt, entirely, for he as well as the others, sought for a more
+orchestral manner of playing. Sherwood has this touch; Tausig had it,
+and de Pachmann and Rubinstein most of all. It is not taught in Germany
+as it should be. The best American teachers are far ahead in this
+respect; in a few years the Europeans will come to us to learn these
+things." (This was Sherwood's idea also.)
+
+The first composition played to Dr. Mason was the G minor Rhapsodie of
+Brahms, with which, as it happened, he was unfamiliar. I played the
+entire piece through without interruption, and he seemed pleased.
+
+"You have a beautiful tone--a really beautiful tone, and you play very
+artistically; much of this must be natural to you, you could not have
+acquired it. You also have an excellently trained hand. I may say that
+in my forty years of teaching I have never had any one come to me with a
+better position, or more natural and normal condition. Now, what do you
+think I can do for you?"
+
+I explained that I needed some new ideas in my teaching, and wished to
+keep up my own practise.
+
+"I will explain my theories to you, and we will then study some
+compositions together.
+
+"There is everything in knowing how to practise, but it is something
+that cannot be taught. I played in public ten years before I found out
+the secret.
+
+"Practise slowly and in sections. Not only must all the notes be there,
+they must be dwelt on. There must be a firm and rock-like basis for
+piano playing; such a foundation can only be laid by patient and
+persevering slow practise. If the player has not the control over his
+fingers to play a piece slowly, he certainly cannot play it fast. Slow
+practise--one difficulty at a time--one hand at a time; Napoleon's
+tactics, 'one division at a time,' applies to music study. Above all do
+not hurry in fugue playing, a universal fault. Bach needs a slower trill
+than modern music. Chords are not to be played with percussion but with
+pressure. The main things in piano playing are tone and sentiment. When
+you take up a new piece, practise a few measures slowly, till you know
+them, then play faster; take the next few measures in the same way; but
+at first do not practise the whole piece through at once.
+
+"Just as in life every experience of great joy or great grief leaves one
+better or more callous, so every time you practise you have either
+advanced or gone back. Right playing, like good manners in a
+well-trained child, becomes habitual from always doing right. As we are
+influenced for good or evil by those we associate with, so are we
+influenced by the character and quality of the tones we make and hear.
+Be in earnest; put your heart, your whole soul, your whole self into
+your playing."
+
+Among other pieces we studied together was the Schumann sonata in F
+minor, the _Eusebius Sonata_--a glorious work! In the opening movement
+the left hand should be very serious and ponderous, with the hand and
+fingers held close to the keys; using arm weight. The melody in octaves
+in right hand is beseeching, pleading, imploring. In many places the
+touch is very elastic. The second movement begins very softly, as though
+one heard something faintly in the distance, and did not quite know what
+it was, but thought it might be music. The accents in this movement are
+to be understood in a comparative degree, and are not as strong as the
+marks seem to indicate. The Scherzo is extremely pompous and is to be
+played with heavy accents and a great deal of vim and go; the chords
+with the utmost freedom and dash. One must use the "letting-go"
+principle, which Paderewski has to perfection.
+
+We next took up the Grieg Concerto; the Peter's edition of this work has
+been corrected by the composer. At the first lesson, Dr. Mason
+accompanied on a second piano, and seemed pleased with the work I had
+done, making no corrections, except to suggest a somewhat quicker tempo.
+"Not that I would do anything to impair your carefulness and accuracy,
+but you must take a risk, and from the beginning, too. I am reminded of
+the young man who has been very carefully brought up. When the time
+comes for him to strike out and take his chance in life, he holds back
+and is afraid, while another with more courage, steps in and takes away
+his opportunity."
+
+We discussed the slow movement at great length. "Note in this movement
+the slow, dreamy effect that can be made at the ending of the second
+solo, and the artistic use of the pedal in the following chords. The
+third movement must have great swing and 'go'; the octave passage
+cadenza should be practised in rhythmical groups, and the final Andante
+must be fast."
+
+The third time we played the concerto I had it well in hand. Dr. Mason
+accompanied as only he could do, and at the close praised me on the way
+I had worked it up, and the poetry and fire I was able to put into it.
+Who could help playing with fire and enthusiasm when led by such a
+master!
+
+Dr. Mason was a most inspiring teacher, quick to note and praise what
+was good, and equally vigilant in correcting what was blameworthy. His
+criticisms were of the utmost value, for he had such wide experience,
+and such a large acquaintance with music and musicians. Best of all he
+was a true artist, always ready to demonstrate his art for the benefit
+of the pupil, always encouraging, always inspiring.
+
+
+
+
+VITAL POINTS IN PIANO PLAYING
+
+
+COMPOSITE PRINCIPLES DEDUCED FROM TALKS WITH EMINENT PIANISTS AND
+TEACHERS
+
+
+SECTION I
+
+
+How things are done, how others do them, and the reasons for the doing
+of them in one way and not in another, used to occupy my thoughts back
+as far as I can remember. As a child I was fond of watching any one
+doing fine needlework or beautiful embroidery, and tried to imitate what
+I saw, going into minutest details. This fondness for exactness and
+detail, when, applied to piano study, led me to question many things; to
+wonder why I was told to do thus and so, when other people seemed to do
+other ways; in fact I began to discover that every one who played the
+piano played it in a different fashion. Why was there not one way?
+
+One memorable night I was taken to hear Anton Rubinstein. What a
+marvelous instrument the piano was, to be sure, when its keys were
+moved by a touch that was at one moment all fire and flame, and the next
+smooth as velvet or soft and light as thistle-down. What had my home
+piano in common with this wonder? Why did all the efforts at piano
+playing I had hitherto listened to sink into oblivion when I heard this
+master? What was the reason of it all?
+
+More artists of the piano came within my vision, Mehlig, Joseffy, Mason,
+and others. As I listened to their performances it was brought to me
+more clearly than ever that each master played the piano in the manner
+which best suited himself; at the same time each and every player made
+the instrument utter tones and effects little dreamed of by the ordinary
+learner. What was the secret? Was it the manner of moving the keys, the
+size of hand, the length of finger, or the great strength possessed by
+the player? I had always been taught to play slowly and carefully, so
+that I should make no mistakes; these great pianists had wonderful
+fearlessness; Rubinstein at least did not seem to care whether or not he
+hit a few wrong notes here and there, if he could only secure the speed
+and effect desired. Whence came his fearless velocity, his tremendous
+power?
+
+
+ESSENTIALS OF PIANISM
+
+Little by little I began to realize the essentials of effective piano
+playing were these: clear touch, intelligent phrasing, all varieties of
+tone, all the force the piano would stand, together with the greatest
+delicacy and the utmost speed. These things the artists possessed as a
+matter of course, but the ordinary student or teacher failed utterly to
+make like effects, or to play with sufficient clearness and force. What
+was the reason?
+
+In due course I came under the supervision of various piano pedagogues.
+To the first I gave implicit obedience, endeavoring to do exactly as I
+was told. The next teacher said I must begin all over again, as I had
+been taught "all wrong." I had never learned hand position nor
+independence of fingers--these must now be established. The following
+master told me finger independence must be secured in quite a different
+fashion from the manner in which I had been taught, which was "all
+wrong." The next professor said I must bend the finger squarely from the
+second joint, and not round all three joints, as I had been doing. This
+so-called fault took several months to correct.
+
+To the next I am indebted for good orthodox (if somewhat pedantic) ideas
+of fingering and phrasing, for which he was noted. The hobby of the next
+master was slow motions with soft touch. This course was calculated to
+take all the vim out of one's fingers and all the brilliancy out of
+one's playing in less than six months. To the next I owe a comprehension
+of the elastic touch, with devitalized muscles. This touch I practised
+so assiduously that my poor piano was ruined inside of a year, and had
+to be sent to the factory for a new keyboard. The next master insisted
+on great exactness of finger movements, on working up velocity with
+metronome, on fine tone shading and memorizing.
+
+
+THE DESIRE FOR REAL KNOWLEDGE
+
+Such, in brief, has been my experience with pedagogues and teachers of
+the piano. Having passed through it (and in passing having tried various
+so-called and unnamed methods) I feel I have reached a vantage ground
+upon which I can stand and look back over the course. The desire to know
+the experience of the great artists of the keyboard is as strong within
+me as ever. What did they not have to go through to master their
+instrument? And having mastered it, what do they consider the vital
+essentials of piano technic and piano playing? Surely they must know
+these things if any one can know them. They can tell, if they will, what
+to do and what to avoid, what to exclude as unnecessary or unessential
+and what to concentrate upon.
+
+The night Rubinstein's marvelous tones fell upon my childish ears I
+longed to go to him, clasp his wonderful hands in my small ones and beg
+him to tell me how he did it all. I now know he could not have explained
+how, for the greater the genius--the more spontaneous its
+expression--the less able is such an one to put into words the manner of
+its manifestation. In later years the same impulse has come when
+listening to Paderewski, Hofmann and others. If they could only tell us
+exactly what is to be done to master the piano, what a boon it would be
+to those who are awake enough to profit by and follow the directions and
+experiences of such masters.
+
+In recognition of the strength of this desire, months after a
+half-forgotten wish had been expressed by me, came a request by _Musical
+America_ to prepare a series of interviews with the world famed pianists
+who were visiting our shores, and also with prominent teachers who were
+making good among us, and who were proving by results attained that they
+were safe and efficient guides.
+
+
+SEARCHING FOR TRUTH
+
+Never was an interesting and congenial labor undertaken with more zest.
+The artists were plied with questions which to them may have seemed
+prosaic, but which to the interrogator were the very essence of the
+principles of piano technic and piano mastery. It is not a light task
+for an artist to sit down and analyze his own methods. Some found it
+almost impossible to put into language their ideas on these subjects.
+They had so long been concerned with the highest themes of
+interpretation that they hardly knew how the technical effects were
+produced, nor could they put the manner of making them into words. They
+could only say, with Rubinstein, "I do it this way," leaving the
+questioner to divine how and then to give an account of it. However,
+with questions leading up to the points I was anxious to secure light
+upon, much information was elicited.
+
+One principle was ever before me, namely the Truth. I desired to find
+out the truth about each subject and then endeavored to set down what
+was said, expressed in the way I felt would convey the most exact
+meaning. In considering the vital points or heads under which to group
+the subjects to be considered, the following seem to cover the ground
+pretty thoroughly:
+
+1. Artistic piano technic; how acquired and retained.
+
+2. How to practise.
+
+3. How to memorize.
+
+4. Rhythm and tone color in piano playing.
+
+
+
+
+SECTION II
+
+
+_Hand Position, Finger Action, and Artistic Touch_
+
+
+WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES
+
+When we listen to a piano recital by a world-famous artist, we think--if
+we are musicians--primarily of the interpretation of the compositions
+under consideration. That the pianist has a perfect technic almost goes
+without saying. He must have such a technic to win recognition as an
+artist. He would not be an artist without a great technic, without a
+complete command over the resources of the instrument and over himself.
+
+Let us use the word technic in its large sense, the sense which includes
+all that pertains to the executive side of piano playing. It is in this
+significance that Harold Bauer calls technic "an art in itself." Mme.
+Bloomfield Zeisler says: "Piano technic includes so much! Everything
+goes into it: arithmetic, grammar, diction, language study, poetry,
+history and painting. In the first stages there are rules to be learned,
+just as in any other study. I must know the laws of rhythm and meter to
+be able to punctuate musical phrases and periods. Pupils who have long
+since passed the arithmetic stage have evidently forgotten all about
+fractions and division, for they do not seem to grasp the time values of
+notes and groups of notes used in music; they do not know what must be
+done with triplets, dotted notes and so on. Thus you see technic
+includes a multitude of things; it is a very wide subject."
+
+
+HAND POSITION
+
+The first principle a piano teacher shows his pupil is that of hand
+position. It has been my effort to secure a definite expression on this
+point from various artists. Most of them agree that an arched position
+with rounded finger joints is the correct one. It was Paderewski who
+said, "Show me how the player holds his hands at the piano, and I will
+tell you what kind of player he is"--showing the Polish pianist
+considers hand position of prime importance.
+
+"I hold the hand arched and very firm,"--Ernest Schelling.
+
+"The hand takes an arched position, the finger-tips forming a curve on
+the keys, the middle finger being placed a little farther in on the key
+than is natural for the first and fifth."--Katharine Goodson.
+
+"The hand is formed on the keys in its five-finger position, with arched
+knuckles."--Ethel Leginska.
+
+"The hand is formed in an arched position, with curved fingers, and
+solidified."--Carl Roeder.
+
+"The hand, in normal playing position, must stand up in well arched
+form, with fingers well rounded."--Thuel Burnham.
+
+"I first establish an arched hand position, with firm fingers."--Edwin
+Hughes.
+
+"I teach arched hand position."--Alexander Lambert.
+
+"One must first secure an arched hand, with steady first joints of the
+fingers."--Eleanor Spencer.
+
+"The first thing to do for a pupil is to see that the hand is in correct
+position; the knuckles will be somewhat elevated and the fingers
+properly rounded."--Bloomfield Zeisler.
+
+"A pupil must first form the arch of the hand and secure firm finger
+joints. I form the hand away from the piano, at a table."--Agnes Morgan.
+
+Leschetizky teaches arched hand position, with rounded fingers, and all
+who have come under his instruction advocate this form. It is the
+accepted position for passage playing. A few pianists, notably Alfred
+Cortôt and Tina Lerner, play their passage work with flat fingers, but
+this, in Miss Lerner's case, is doubtless caused by the small size of
+the hand.
+
+It is clear from the above quotations, and from many other opinions
+which could be cited, that the authorities agree the hand should be well
+arched, the end of the finger coming in contact with the key;
+furthermore there should be no weakness nor giving in at the nail
+joint.
+
+FINGER ACTION
+
+The question of lifting the fingers seems to be one on which various
+opinions are held. Some pianists, like Godowsky for instance, will tell
+you they do not approve of raising the fingers--that the fingers must be
+kept close to the keys. It is noticeable, however, that even those who
+do not speak favorably of finger action, use it themselves when playing
+passages requiring distinctness and clearness. Other players are rather
+hazy on the subject, but these are generally persons who have not gone
+through the routine of teaching.
+
+The accepted idea of the best teachers is that at the beginning of piano
+study positive finger movements must be acquired; finger action must be
+so thoroughly grounded that it becomes second nature, a very part of the
+player, something he can never forget nor get away from. So fixed should
+it become that no subsequent laxity, caused by the attention being
+wholly centered on interpretation can disturb correct position,
+condition, or graceful, plastic movement.
+
+"For passage work I insist on finger action; the fingers must be raised
+and active to insure proper development. I think one certainly needs
+higher action when practising technic and technical pieces than one
+would use when playing the same pieces before an audience."--Clarence
+Adler.
+
+Alexander Lambert speaks to the point when he says: "I teach decided
+finger action in the beginning. Some teachers may not teach finger
+action because they say artists do not use it. But the artist, if
+questioned, would tell you he had to acquire finger action in the
+beginning. There are so many stages in piano playing. The beginner must
+raise his fingers in order to acquire finger development and a clear
+touch. In the middle stage he has secured enough finger control to play
+the same passages with less action, yet still with sufficient clearness,
+while in the more or less finished stages the passage may be played with
+scarcely any perceptible motion, so thoroughly do the fingers respond to
+every mental requirement."
+
+It is this consummate mastery and control of condition and movement that
+lead the superficial observer to imagine that the great artist gives no
+thought to such things as position, condition and movements. Never was
+there a greater mistake. The finest perfection of technic has been
+acquired with painstaking care, with minute attention to exacting
+detail. At some period of his career, the artist has had to come down to
+foundation principles and work up. Opinions may differ as to the
+eminence of Leschetizky as a teacher, but the fact remains that many of
+the pianists now before the public have been with him at one time or
+another. They all testify that the Viennese master will have nothing to
+do with a player until he has gone through a course of rigorous
+preparation spent solely in finger training, and can play a pair of
+Czerny études with perfect control and effect.
+
+
+ARTISTIC TOUCH
+
+One of the greatest American teachers of touch was Dr. William Mason,
+who made an exhaustive study of this subject. His own touch was noted
+for its clear, bell-like, elastic quality. He remarked on one occasion,
+in regard to playing in public: "It is possible I may be so nervous that
+I can hardly walk to the piano; but once I have begun to play I shall
+hold the audience still enough to hear a pin drop, simply by the beauty
+of my touch and tone." Dr. Mason's touch specialties were "pressure" and
+"elastic" or "drawing-off" touches. He found these gave both weight and
+crisp lightness to the tones.
+
+Mr. Tobias Matthay, of London, has given much time and thought to the
+study of touch and key mechanism. He says: "The two chief rules of
+technic, as regards the key are: Always feel how much the key resists
+you, feel how much the key _wants_ for every note. Second, always listen
+for the moment each sound begins, so that you may learn to direct your
+effort to the sound only and not to the key bed. It is only by making
+the hammer end of the key move that you can make a sound. The swifter
+the movement, the louder the sound. The more gradual the movement the
+more beautiful the quality of sound. For brilliant tone, you may hit the
+string by means of the key, but do not, by mistake, hit the key
+instead."
+
+Thuel Burnham, a pupil of Mason and Leschetizky, has welded the ideas of
+these two masters into his own experience, and simplifies the matter of
+piano touch as follows:
+
+
+MELODY AND COLORATURA HANDS
+
+"The position and condition of the hand varies according to the
+character of the music and the quality of tone you wish to produce. If
+you give out a melody, you want a full, luscious tone, the weight of
+arm on the key, everything relaxed and a clinging, caressing pressure of
+finger. Here you have the 'Melody Hand,' with outstretched, flat
+fingers. On the contrary, if you wish rapid passage work, with clear,
+bright, articulate touch, the hand must stand up in well-arched, normal
+playing position, with fingers well rounded and good finger action. Here
+you have the 'Technical' or 'Coloratura Hand.'"
+
+The distinction made by Mr. Burnham clears up the uncertainty about
+arched hand and articulate touch, or low hand and flat fingers. Both are
+used in their proper place, according to the demands of the music. The
+player, however, who desires a clean, reliable technic, should first
+acquire a coloratura hand before attempting a melody hand.
+
+
+SECTION III
+
+
+_The Art of Practise_
+
+
+We have seen that if the pianist hopes to perfect himself in his art he
+must lay the foundation deep down in the fundamentals of hand position,
+body condition, correct finger movements and in careful attention to
+the minutest details of touch and tone production.
+
+The remark is often heard, from persons who have just listened to a
+piano recital: "I would give anything in the world to play like that!"
+But would they even give the necessary time, to say nothing of the
+endless patience, tireless energy and indomitable perseverance which go
+to the making of a virtuoso.
+
+How much time does the artist really require for study? Paderewski owns
+to devoting _all_ his time to it during the periods of preparation for
+his recital tours. At certain seasons of the year most of the artists
+give a large portion of each day to the work. Godowsky is an incessant
+worker; Burnham devotes his entire mornings to piano study; Germaine
+Schnitzer gives six hours daily to her work, and if interrupted one day
+the lost time is soon made up. Eleanor Spencer "practises all her spare
+time," as she quaintly puts it. A professional pianist must give a
+number of hours each day to actual practise at the keyboard, besides
+what is done away from it. The work is mentally going on continually,
+whether one really sits at the instrument or not.
+
+The point which most concerns us is: How shall one practise so as to
+make the most of the time and accomplish the best results? What études,
+if any, shall we use, and what technical material is the most useful and
+effectual?
+
+Wilhelm Bachaus, whose consummate technic we have so often admired,
+says: "I am old-fashioned enough to still believe in scales and
+arpeggios. Some of the players of the present day seem to have no use
+for such things, but I find them of great importance. This does not
+necessarily mean that I go through the whole set of keys when I practise
+the scales. I select a few at a time and work at those. I start with
+ridiculously simple forms--just the thumb under the hand and the hand
+over the thumb--a few movements each way, but these put the hand in trim
+for scales and arpeggios. I practise the latter about half an hour a
+day. I have to overhaul my technic once or twice a week to see that
+everything is in order. Scales and arpeggios come in for their share of
+criticism. I practise them in various touches, but oftener in _legato_,
+as that is more difficult and also more beautiful than the others. I
+practise technic, when possible, an hour a day, including Bach."
+
+Sigismond Stojowski considers that scales and arpeggios must form a
+part of the daily routine.
+
+Thuel Burnham says: "Of my practise hours at least one is given to
+technic, scales, arpeggios, octaves, chords, and Bach! I believe in
+taking one selection of Bach and perfecting it--transposing it in all
+keys and polishing it to the highest point possible. So with études, it
+is better to perfect a few than to play _at_ so many."
+
+
+THE PIANIST A MECHANIC
+
+Edwin Hughes, the American pianist and teacher in Munich, remarks:
+"Technic is the mechanical part of music making; to keep it in running
+order one must be constantly tinkering with it, just as the engine
+driver with his locomotive or the chauffeur with his automobile. Every
+intelligent player recognizes certain exercises as especially beneficial
+to the mechanical well-being of his playing; from these he will plan his
+daily schedule of technical practise."
+
+Teresa Carreño asserts she had in the beginning many technical exercises
+which her teacher wrote out for her, from difficult passages taken from
+the great composers. There were hundreds of them, so many that it took
+just three days to go the rounds. She considers them invaluable, and
+constantly uses them in her own practise and in her teaching. Each
+exercise must be played in all keys and with every possible variety of
+touch and tone.
+
+Paderewski gives much time daily to pure technic practise. He has been
+known to play scales and arpeggios in a single key for three quarters of
+an hour at a stretch. These were played with every variety of touch,
+velocity, dynamic shading and so on.
+
+It is seen from the instances quoted that many great pianists believe in
+daily technic practise, or the study of pure technic apart from pieces.
+Many more testify that scales, chords, arpeggios and octaves constitute
+their daily bread. Some have spoken to me especially of octave practise
+as being eminently beneficial. They feel these things are essential to
+the acquiring of a fine technic, and keeping it up to concert pitch.
+
+Some artists are partial to certain technical studies. Bachaus highly
+recommends those of Brahms, for instance. All artists use Bach in
+connection with their technic practise; in fact the works of Bach may be
+considered to embody pure technic principles, and pianists and teachers
+consider them a daily necessity.
+
+
+INVENTING EXERCISES
+
+Together with their studies in pure technic alone, the artists invent
+exercises out of the pieces they study, either by playing passages
+written for both hands with one hand, by turning single notes into
+octaves, by using more difficult fingering than necessary, thus bringing
+into use the weaker fingers, changing the rhythm, and in numerous other
+ways increasing the effort of performance, so that when the passage is
+played as originally written, it shall indeed seem like child's play.
+
+Another means to acquire technical mastery is through transposition. One
+would think Bach's music difficult enough when performed as written, but
+the artists think nothing of putting it through the different keys.
+Burnham relates that during early lessons with Dr. Mason, that master
+gave him a Bach Invention to prepare, casually remarking it might be
+well to memorize it. The simple suggestion was more than sufficient, for
+the ambitious pupil presented himself at the next lesson with not only
+that particular Invention learned by heart, but likewise the whole set!
+De Pachmann, in his eagerness to master the technic and literature of
+the piano, says that when a Bach Prelude and Fugue was on one occasion
+assigned him by his teacher, he went home and learned the whole
+twenty-four, which he was able to play in every key for the next lesson!
+
+
+SLOW PRACTISE
+
+The question is often put to artists: "Do you deem it necessary to work
+for velocity, or do you practise the composition much at the required
+speed?" Many pianists practise very slowly. This was William H.
+Sherwood's custom. Harold Bauer believes velocity to be inherent in the
+individual, so that when the passage is thoroughly comprehended it can
+be played at the necessary rate of speed. Bachaus testifies he seldom
+works for velocity, saying that if he masters the passage he can play it
+at any required tempo. "I never work for velocity as some do," he
+remarks. "I seldom practise fast, for it interferes with clearness. I
+prefer to play more slowly, giving the greatest attention to clearness
+and good tone. By pursuing this course I find that when I need velocity
+I have it."
+
+Clarence Adler counsels pupils always to begin by practising
+slowly--faster tempo will develop later, subconsciously. Velocity is
+only to be employed after the piece has been thoroughly learned, every
+mark of expression observed, all fingering, accents and dynamic marks
+mastered. "You would scarcely believe," he adds, "how slowly I practise
+myself."
+
+
+A FEW EXCEPTIONS
+
+There are very few exceptions to the general verdict in favor of technic
+practise apart from pieces. Godowsky asserts he never practises scales.
+Bauer cares little for pure technic practise, believing the composition
+itself contains sufficient material of a technical nature.
+
+Whether or not these brilliant exceptions merely prove the rule, the
+thoughtful student of the piano must decide for himself. He has already
+discovered that modern piano playing requires a perfect technic,
+together with the personal equation of vigorous health, serious purpose
+and many-sided mentality. Mme. Rider-Possart says: "Technic is something
+an artist has to put in the background as something of secondary
+importance, yet if he does not possess it he is nowhere." The student
+will not overlook the fact that to acquire the necessary technical
+control he must devote time and thought to it outside of piece playing.
+He must understand the principles and follow out a certain routine in
+order to secure the best results in the quickest and surest way. While
+each one must work out his own salvation, it is an encouragement to know
+that even the greatest artists must toil over their technic, must keep
+eternally at it, must play slowly, must memorize bit by bit. The
+difference between the artist and the talented amateur often lies in the
+former's absolute concentration, perseverance and devotion to the
+highest ideals.
+
+
+SECTION IV
+
+
+_How to Memorize_
+
+
+At the present stage of pianistic development, an artist does not
+venture to come before the public and "use his notes." No artist who
+values his reputation would attempt it. Everything must be performed
+from memory--solos, concertos, even accompaniments. The pianist must
+know every note of the music he performs. The star accompanist aspires
+to the same mastery when he plays for a famous singer or
+instrumentalist. We also have the artist conductor, with opera, symphony
+or concerto at his finger-tips. Hans von Bülow, who claimed that a
+pianist should have more than two hundred compositions in his
+repertoire, was himself equally at home in orchestral music. He always
+conducted his Meiningen Orchestra without notes.
+
+Let us say, then, that the present-day pianist ought to have about two
+hundred compositions in his repertoire, all of which must be played
+without notes. The mere fact of committing to memory such a quantity of
+pages is no small item in the pianist's equipment. The problem is to
+discover the best means of memorizing music quickly and surely. Here
+again we are privileged to inquire of the artist and of the artist
+teacher. His knowledge and experience will be practical, for he has
+evolved it and proved it over and over again.
+
+It is a well-known fact that Leschetizky advises memorizing away from
+the instrument. This method at once shuts the door on all useless and
+thoughtless repetition employed by so many piano students, who repeat a
+passage endlessly, to avoid thinking it out. Then they wonder why they
+cannot commit to memory! The Viennese master suggests that a short
+passage of two or four measures be learned with each hand alone, then
+tried on the piano. If not yet quite fixed in consciousness the effort
+should be repeated, after which it may be possible to go through the
+passage without an error. The work then proceeds in the same manner
+throughout the composition.
+
+
+ONE YEAR'S MEMORIZING
+
+A player who gives five or six hours daily to study, and who has learned
+how to memorize, should be able to commit one page of music each day.
+This course, systematically pursued, would result in the thorough
+assimilation of at least fifty compositions in one year. This is really
+a conservative estimate, though at first glance it may seem rather
+large. If we cut the figure in half, out of consideration for the
+accumulative difficulties of the music, there will still remain
+twenty-five pieces, enough for two programs and a very respectable
+showing for a year's study.
+
+It may be that Leschetizky's principle of memorizing will not appeal to
+every one. The player may find another path to the goal, one more
+suited to his peculiar temperament. Or, if he has not yet discovered the
+right path, let him try different ways till he hits upon one which will
+do the work in the shortest and most thorough manner. All masters agree
+that analysis and concentration are the prime factors in the process of
+committing music to memory.
+
+Michael von Zadora, pianist and teacher, said to me recently: "Suppose
+you have a difficult passage to learn by heart. The ordinary method of
+committing to memory is to play the passage over and over, till the
+fingers grow accustomed to its intervals. That is not my manner of
+teaching. The only way to master that passage is to analyze it
+thoroughly, know just what the notes are, the sequences of notes, if you
+will, their position on the keyboard, the fingering, the positions the
+hands must take to play these notes, so that you know just where the
+fingers have to go before you put them on the keys. When you thus
+thoroughly understand the passage or piece, have thought about it, lived
+with it, so that it is in the blood, we might say, the fingers can play
+it. There will be no difficulty about it and no need for senseless
+repetitions."
+
+
+PHRASE BY PHRASE
+
+Most of the artists agree that memorizing must be done phrase by phrase,
+after the composition has been thoroughly analyzed as to keys, chords,
+and construction. This is Katharine Goodson's way, and also Eleanor
+Spencer's and Ethel Leginska's, three of Leschetizky's pupils now before
+the public. "I really know the composition so thoroughly that I can play
+it in another key just as well as the one in which it is written, though
+I do not always memorize it each hand alone," says Miss Goodson. "I
+first play the composition over a few times to become somewhat familiar
+with its form and shape," says Eleanor Spencer, "then I begin to analyze
+and study it, committing it by phrases, or ideas, one or two measures at
+a time. I do not always take the hands alone, unless the passage is very
+intricate, for sometimes it is easier to learn both hands together."
+Germaine Schnitzer avers that she keeps at a difficult passage until she
+really knows it perfectly, no matter how long it takes. "What is the use
+of going on," she says, "until you are absolutely sure of the work in
+hand."
+
+It is plain from the opinions already cited and from many I have heard
+expressed that the artists waste no time over useless repetitions. They
+fully realize that a piece is not assimilated nor learned until it is
+memorized. When they have selected the composition they wish to learn,
+they begin at once to memorize from the start. The student does not
+always bring to his work this definiteness of aim; if he did, much
+precious time would be saved. The ability to memorize ideas expressed in
+notes grows with use, just as any other aptitude grows with continued
+effort.
+
+Instead, then, of playing _with_ a piece, why do you not at once begin
+to make it your own? Look at the phrases so intently that they become as
+it were, photographed on your mind. Ruskin said: "Get the habit of
+looking intently at words." We might say the same of notes. Look at the
+phrase with the conviction that it can be remembered after a glance or
+two. It is only an indication of indolence and mental inertness to look
+continually at the printed page or passage and keep on playing it over
+and over, without trying to fix it indelibly in the mind.
+
+In my work as teacher I constantly meet students, and teachers too, who
+do little or no memorizing. Some do not even approve of it, though it
+is difficult to conceive how any one in his right mind can disapprove
+knowing a thing thoroughly. The only way to know it thoroughly is to
+know it by heart.
+
+
+CONSTANT REPAIRS NECESSARY
+
+A repertoire once committed must be constantly kept in repair. The
+public player, in his seasons of study, generally has a regular system
+of repetition, so that all compositions can be gone over at least once a
+week. One artist suggests that the week be started with the classics and
+concluded with modern compositions and concerted numbers. Thus each day
+will have its allotted task. The pieces are not merely to be played
+over, but really overhauled, and all weak places treated to a dose of
+slow, careful practise, using the printed pages. Artists on tour, where
+consecutive practise is difficult or unattainable, always carry the
+printed notes of their repertoire with them, and are ceaselessly
+studying, repairing, polishing their phrases, thinking out their
+effects.
+
+To those who wish to become pianists, I would say: "Keep your memory
+active through constant use. Be always learning by heart; do it
+systematically, a little at a time. So it will be daily progress. So
+your repertoire is built!"
+
+
+SECTION V
+
+
+_Rhythm and Tone Color in Piano Playing_
+
+
+How shall two such opposites as rhythm and tone color be connected, even
+in name, some will ask. One belongs to the mechanical side of piano
+playing, while the other appertains to the ideal, the poetic, the
+soulful. The two subjects, however, are not so wide apart as might at
+first appear; for the beauty and variety of the second depends largely
+upon the mastery of the first. You must play rhythmically before you can
+play soulfully; you must first be able to keep time before you can
+attempt to express color and emotion through any fluctuation of rhythm.
+One depends on the other, therefore time and rhythm come first; when
+these are well under control, not before, we can go further and enter
+the wider field of tonal variety.
+
+Rhythm is one of the pianist's most important assets, something he
+cannot do without. It might be said that the possession of a
+well-developed rhythmic sense is one point in which the artist differs
+greatly from the amateur. The latter thinks nothing of breaking the
+rhythm at any time and place that suits his fancy; while the artist is
+usually conscientious about such matters, because his time sense is more
+highly developed. A perfect time sense is often inherent in the artist,
+a part of the natural gift which he has cultivated to such a high state
+of achievement. It may be he has never had any difficulty with this
+particular point in piano playing, while the amateur has constantly to
+struggle with problems of time and rhythm.
+
+
+THE METRONOME
+
+When the subject of using such a mechanical aid as the metronome to
+cultivate rhythmic sense, is broached to the executive artist, it does
+not always meet with an assenting response. With such bred-in-the-bone
+sense of time as the artist commands, it is little wonder he takes no
+great interest in mechanical time-beating. Josef Hofmann's censure of
+the metronome was probably due to his inborn rhythmic and artistic
+sense; yet his words have doubtless had their effect on many students,
+who, lacking his sense of rhythm, would have been greatly benefited by
+its use.
+
+Godowsky, when asked his opinion of the metronome, replied: "I
+assuredly approve of its use; I have even devoted a chapter to the
+metronome in the _Progressive Series_, my great work on piano playing."
+Edwin Hughes remarks: "If pupils have naturally a poor sense of rhythm,
+there is no remedy equal to practising with the metronome, using it
+daily until results are evident, when there can be a judicious letting
+up of the discipline. The mechanical sense of rhythm, the ability to
+count and to group the notes of a piece correctly, can be taught to any
+person, if one has the patience; but for the delicate rhythmic _nuances_
+required by a Chopin Mazourka or a Viennese Valse, a special rhythmic
+gift is necessary."
+
+Artists and teachers who have come under Leschetizky's influence and use
+his principles, are generally in favor of the metronome, according to
+their own testimony. The fact is, they as teachers often find such
+deficiency in their pupils on the subject of time sense and accuracy in
+counting, that they are forced to institute strict measures to
+counteract this lack of rhythmic comprehension.
+
+Granting, then, that the correct use, not the abuse, of the metronome is
+of great assistance in establishing firm rhythmic sense, let us turn
+our thought to the fascinating subject of--
+
+
+TONE COLOR
+
+When De Pachmann affirmed that he uses certain fingers to create certain
+effects, the idea was thought to be one of the eccentric pianist's
+peculiar fancies. Other players, however, have had the same thought, and
+have worked along the same line--the thought that on the fingering used
+depends the quality of tone. For instance you might not play an
+expressive melody with a consecutive use of the fifth finger, which is
+called a "cold finger" by Thuel Burnham. He would use instead the third,
+a "warm finger," to give out a soulful melody.
+
+
+TONAL VARIETY
+
+The pianist who desires to play effectively, must continually strive for
+variety of tone, for tonal coloring. These can be studied in scales,
+chords, arpeggios and other technical forms. The singer seeks to make a
+tone of resonant color, not a straight, flat tone; the pianist, on his
+part, endeavors to give color and variety to his playing in the same
+way. Harold Bauer thinks variety must be secured by the contrast of one
+tone with another. Even a very harsh tone may be beautiful in its right
+place, owing to its relation to other tones, and its ability to express
+an idea. To render the playing expressive by the contrast of light and
+shade, by tonal gradations, by all varieties of touch, by all the
+subtleties of _nuance_, is a great art, and only the most gifted ever
+master it in its perfection. These are the things that enchant us in
+Paderewski's performance, and in the tonal coloring of Gabrilowitsch.
+Hofmann's playing is a marvel of atmosphere and color; such playing is
+an object lesson to students, a lesson in variety of light and shade,
+the shifting of exquisite tonal tints.
+
+The sensitive musician is highly susceptible to color effects in nature,
+in art or in objects about him. Certain colors attract him, for he sees
+an affinity between them and the tonal effects he strives to produce.
+Other colors repel, perhaps for the opposite reason. Brilliant red is a
+warlike color, and finds analogous expression in such pieces as Chopin's
+Polonaise _Militaire_, and MacDowell's Polonaise. We cannot help seeing,
+feeling the color red, when playing such music. Soft pink and rose for
+love music, tender blues and shades of gray for nocturnes and night
+pieces are some of the affinities of tone and color. Warm shades of
+yellow and golden brown suggest an atmosphere of early autumn, while
+delicate or vivid greens give thoughts of spring and luscious summer.
+Certain pieces of Mozart seem to bring before us the rich greens of a
+summer landscape; the Fantaisie in C minor, and the Pastorale Varie are
+of this type.
+
+Arthur Hochman says: "Colors mean so much to me; some are so beautiful,
+the various shades of red for instance, then the golden yellows, rich
+warm browns, and liquid blues. We can make as wonderful combinations in
+tone color as ever painter put upon canvas. To me dark red speaks of
+something tender, heart-searching, mysterious. On the other hand the
+shades of yellow express gaiety and brightness."
+
+It has been said that a pianist should study color effects in order to
+express them in his playing. He can do this to special advantage at the
+theater or opera, where he can see unrolled before him the greatest
+possible variety in light and shade, in colors, and in the constantly
+changing panorama of action and emotion.
+
+The pianist can receive many ideas of tone color when listening to a
+great singer, and watching the infinite tonal gradations produced on
+the "greatest of all instruments," the human voice.
+
+In short the pianist draws from many sources the experience, the feeling
+and emotion with which he strives to inspire the tones he evokes from
+his instrument. The keener his perceptions, the more he labors, suffers,
+and _lives_, the more he will be able to express through his chosen
+medium--the piano!
+
+
+
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+<h1>The Project Gutenberg eBook, Piano Mastery, by Harriette Brower</h1>
+<pre>
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at <a href = "https://www.gutenberg.org">www.gutenberg.org</a></pre>
+<p>Title: Piano Mastery</p>
+<p>       Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers</p>
+<p>Author: Harriette Brower</p>
+<p>Release Date: April 11, 2005  [eBook #15604]</p>
+<p>Language: English</p>
+<p>Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1</p>
+<p>***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PIANO MASTERY***</p>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<h3>E-text prepared by Chuck Greif<br />
+    and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team<br />
+    from page images generously provided by<br />
+    the Internet Archive Million Book Project</h3>
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+<hr class="full" />
+<p>&nbsp;</p>
+    <a name="IgnacePaderewski"
+          id="IgnacePaderewski"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/002.png"
+             alt="Paderewski"
+             title="IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI" />
+
+        <h5>IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI</h5>
+    </div>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h1>PIANO MASTERY</h1>
+
+    <h4><i>TALKS WITH MASTER PIANISTS AND TEACHERS</i></h4>
+
+    <h5>AND</h5>
+
+    <h4>AN ACCOUNT OF A VON B&Uuml;LOW CLASS, HINTS ON<br />
+     INTERPRETATION, BY TWO AMERICAN TEACHERS<br />
+     (DR. WILLIAM MASON AND WILLIAM H.<br />
+     SHERWOOD) AND A SUMMARY BY<br />
+     THE AUTHOR</h4>
+
+    <p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+    <h3>BY</h3>
+
+    <h2>HARRIETTE BROWER</h2>
+
+    <h4><i>Author of "The Art of the Pianist"</i></h4>
+
+    <p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+    <h4>WITH SIXTEEN PORTRAITS</h4>
+
+    <p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/medalion.png"
+             width="150"
+             alt="medalion" />
+    </div>
+
+    <p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+    <h4>NEW YORK<br />
+     FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY<br />
+     PUBLISHERS</h4>
+     <h4>1915</h4>
+     <p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2>CONTENTS</h2>
+
+    <div class="toc">
+        <p><a href="#ILLUSTRATIONS"><b>LIST OF
+        ILLUSTRATIONS</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#PRELUDE"><b>PRELUDE</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#I_IGNACE_JAN_PADEREWSKI"><b>IGNACE JAN
+        PADEREWSKI</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#II_ERNEST_SCHELLING"><b>ERNEST
+        SCHELLING.....The Hand of a Pianist</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#III_ERNESTO_CONSOLO"><b>ERNESTO
+        CONSOLO.....Making the Piano a Musical
+        Instrument</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#IV_SIGISMOND_STOJOWSKI"><b>SIGISMOND
+        STOJOWSKI.....Mind in Piano Study</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#V_RUDOLPH_GANZ"><b>RUDOLPH GANZ.....Conserving
+        Energy in Piano Practise</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#VI_TINA_LERNER"><b>TINA LERNER.....An Audience
+        the Best Teacher</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#VII_ETHEL_LEGINSKA"><b>ETHEL
+        LEGINSKA.....Relaxation the Keynote of Modern Piano
+        Playing</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#VIII_BERTHA_FIERING_TAPPER"><b>BERTHA FIERING
+        TAPPER.....Mastering Piano Problems</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#IX_CARL_M_ROEDER"><b>CARL M.
+        ROEDER.....Problems of Piano Teachers</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#X_KATHARINE_GOODSON"><b>KATHARINE
+        GOODSON.....An Artist at Home</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XI_MARK_HAMBOURG"><b>MARK HAMBOURG.....Form,
+        Technic, and Expression</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XII_TOBIAS_MATTHAY"><b>TOBIAS
+        MATTHAY.....Watching the Artist Teacher at Work</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XIII_HAROLD_BAUER"><b>HAROLD BAUER.....The
+        Question of Piano Tone</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XIV_A_VISIT_TO_RAOUL_PUGNO"><b>A VISIT TO
+        RAOUL PUGNO.....Training the Child</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XV_THUEL_BURNHAM"><b>THUEL BURNHAM.....The
+        "Melody" and "Coloratura" Hand</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XVI_EDWIN_HUGHES"><b>EDWIN HUGHES.....Some
+        Essentials of Piano Playing</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XVII_FERRUCCIO_BUSONI"><b>FERRUCCIO
+        BUSONI.....An Artist at Home</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XVIII_ADELE_AUS_DER_OHE"><b>ADELE AUS DER
+        OHE</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XIX_ELEANOR_SPENCER"><b>ELEANOR
+        SPENCER.....More Light on Leschetizky's Ideas</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XX_ARTHUR_HOCHMAN"><b>ARTHUR HOCHMAN.....How
+        the Pianist Can Color Tone with Action and
+        Emotion</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXI_TERESA_CARRENO"><b>TERESA
+        CARRE&Ntilde;O.....Early Technical Training</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXII_WILHELM_BACHAUS"><b>WILHELM
+        BACHAUS.....Technical Problems Discussed</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXIII_ALEXANDER_LAMBERT"><b>ALEXANDER
+        LAMBERT.....American and European Teachers</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXIV_FANNIE_BLOOMFIELD_ZEISLER"><b>FANNIE
+        BLOOMFIELD ZEISLER.....The Scope of Piano
+        Technic</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXV_AGNES_MORGAN"><b>AGNES
+        MORGAN.....Simplicity in Piano Teaching</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXVI_EUGENE_HEFFLEY"><b>EUGENE
+        HEFFLEY.....Modern Tendencies</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXVII_GERMAINE_SCHNITZER"><b>GERMAINE
+        SCHNITZER.....Modern Methods in Piano Study</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#XXVIII_OSSIP_GABRILOWITSCH"><b>OSSIP
+        GABRILOWITSCH.....Characteristic Touch on the
+        Piano</b></a></p>
+
+        <p>
+        <a href="#HANS_VON_BULOW_AS_TEACHER_AND_INTERPRETER"><b>HANS
+        VON B&Uuml;LOW AS TEACHER AND INTERPRETER.....Teacher and
+        Interpreter</b></a></p>
+
+        <p>
+        <a href="#HINTS_ON_INTERPRETATION_FROM_TWO_AMERICAN_TEACHERS">
+        <b>HINTS ON INTERPRETATION FROM TWO AMERICAN
+        TEACHERS</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#VITAL_POINTS_IN_PIANO_PLAYING"><b>VITAL POINTS
+        IN PIANO PLAYING.....</b></a></p>
+
+        <p class="i4"><a href="#SECTION_II"><b>SECTION II.....Hand
+        Position, Finger Action, and Artistic Touch</b></a></p>
+
+        <p class="i4"><a href="#SECTION_III"><b>SECTION III.....The
+        Art of Practise</b></a></p>
+
+        <p class="i4"><a href="#SECTION_IV"><b>SECTION IV.....How
+        to Memorize</b></a></p>
+
+        <p class="i4"><a href="#SECTION_V"><b>SECTION V.....Rhythm
+        and Tone Color in Piano Playing</b></a></p>
+    </div>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="ILLUSTRATIONS"
+       id="ILLUSTRATIONS"></a>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2>
+
+    <div class="illustrations">
+        <p><a href="#IgnacePaderewski"><b>Ignace Jan
+        Paderewski</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Sigismond_Stojowski"><b>Sigismond
+        Stojowski</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Rudolph_Ganz"><b>Rudolph Ganz</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Katharine_Goodson"><b>Katharine
+        Goodson</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Mark_Hambourg"><b>Mark Hambourg</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Tobias_Matthay"><b>Tobias Matthay</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Harold_Bauer"><b>Harold Bauer</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Raoul_Pugno"><b>Raoul Pugno</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Ferruccio_Busoni"><b>Ferruccio
+        Busoni</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Eleanor_Spencer"><b>Eleanor
+        Spencer</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Teresa_Carreno"><b>Teresa
+        Carre&ntilde;o</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Wilhelm_Bachaus"><b>Wilhelm
+        Bachaus</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#FannieZeisler"><b>Fannie Bloomfield
+        Zeisler</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Ossip_Gabrilowitsch"><b>Ossip
+        Gabrilowitsch</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Hansvon"><b>Hans von B&uuml;low</b></a></p>
+
+        <p><a href="#Dr._William_Mason"><b>Dr. William
+        Mason</b></a></p>
+    </div>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="PRELUDE"
+       id="PRELUDE"></a>PRELUDE</h2>
+
+    <h4>TO AMERICAN PIANO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS</h4>
+
+    <p>The following "Talks" were obtained at the suggestion of the
+    Editor of <i>Musical America</i>, and have all, with one or two
+    exceptions, appeared in that paper. They were secured with the
+    hope and intention of benefiting the American teacher and
+    student.</p>
+
+    <p>Requests have come from all over the country, asking that
+    the interviews be issued in book form. In this event it was the
+    author's intention to ask each artist to enlarge and add to his
+    own talk. This, however, has been practicable only in certain
+    cases; in others the articles remain very nearly as they at
+    first appeared.</p>
+
+    <p>The summer of 1913 in Europe proved to be a veritable
+    musical pilgrimage, the milestones of which were the homes of
+    the famous artists, who generously gave of their time and were
+    willing to discuss their methods of playing and teaching.</p>
+
+    <p>The securing of the interviews has given the author
+    satisfaction and delight. She wishes to share both with the
+    fellow workers of her own land.</p>
+
+    <p>The Talks are arranged in the order in which they were
+    secured.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page1"
+          id="page1"></a>
+
+    <h1>PIANO MASTERY</h1>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="I_IGNACE_JAN_PADEREWSKI"
+       id="I_IGNACE_JAN_PADEREWSKI"></a>I.</h2>
+
+    <h2>IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI</h2>
+
+    <p>One of the most consummate masters of the piano at the
+    present time is Ignace Jan Paderewski. Those who were
+    privileged to hear him during his first season in this country
+    will never forget the experience. The Polish artist conquered
+    the new world as he had conquered the old; his name became a
+    household word, known from coast to coast; he traveled over our
+    land, a Prince of Tones, everywhere welcomed and honored. Each
+    succeeding visit deepened the admiration in which his wonderful
+    art was held.</p>
+
+    <p>The question has often been raised as to the reason of
+    Paderewski's remarkable hold on an audience; wherein lay his
+    power over the musical and unmusical alike. Whenever he played
+    there was always the same intense hush over the listeners, the
+    same absorbed attention, the same spell. The superficial
+    attributed <a name="page2"
+       id="page2"></a>these largely to his appearance and manner;
+       the more thoughtful looked deeper. Here was a player who was
+       a thoroughly trained master in technic and interpretation;
+       one who knew his Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann and
+       Liszt. These things of themselves would not hold an audience
+       spellbound, for there were other artists equally well
+       equipped. In a final analysis it was doubtless Paderewski's
+       wonderful <i>piano tone</i>, so full of variety and color,
+       so vital with numberless gradations of light and shade, that
+       charmed and enthralled his listeners. It mattered to no
+       one&mdash;save the critics&mdash;that he frequently repeated
+       the same works. What if we heard the Chromatic Fantaisie a
+       score of times? In his hands It became a veritable Soliloquy
+       on Life and Destiny, which each repetition invested with new
+       meaning and beauty. What player has ever surpassed his
+       poetic conception of Schumann's <i>Papillons</i>, or the
+       Chopin Nocturnes, which he made veritable dream poems of
+       love and ecstasy. What listener has ever forgotten the
+       tremendous power and titanic effect of the Liszt Rhapsodies,
+       especially No. 2? When Paderewski first came to us, in the
+       flush of his young manhood, he taught us what a noble
+       instrument the piano really is in the hands of
+       <a name="page3"
+       id="page3"></a>a consummate master. He showed us that he
+       could make the piano speak with the delicacy and power of a
+       Rubinstein, but with more technical correctness; he proved
+       that he could pierce our very soul with the intensity of his
+       emotion, the poignant, heart-searching quality of his tones,
+       the poetry and beauty of his interpretation.</p>
+
+    <p>Paderewski is known as composer and pianist, only rarely
+    does he find time to give instruction on his instrument. Mme.
+    Antoinette Szumowska, the Polish pianist and lecturer was at
+    one time termed his "only pupil." Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the
+    Polish composer, pianist and teacher has also studied with him.
+    Both can testify as to his value as an instructor.</p>
+
+    <p>Mme. Szumowska says:</p>
+
+    <p>"Paderewski lays great stress on legato playing, and desires
+    everything to be studied slowly, with deep touch and with full,
+    clear tone. For developing strength he uses an exercise for
+    which the hand is pressed against the keyboard while the wrist
+    remains very low and motionless and each finger presses on a
+    key, bringing, or drawing out as much tone as possible.</p>
+
+    <p>"Paderewski advises studying scales and arpeggios with
+    accents, for instance, accenting <a name="page4"
+       id="page4"></a>every third note, thus enabling each finger
+       in turn to make the accent impulse: this will secure
+       evenness of touch. Double passages, such as double thirds
+       and sixths, should be divided and each half practised
+       separately, with legato touch. Octaves should be practised
+       with loose wrists and staccato touch. As a preparatory study
+       practise with thumb alone. The thumb must always be kept
+       curved, with joints well rounded out; it should touch the
+       keys with its tip, so as to keep it on a level with the
+       other fingers. Paderewski is very particular about this
+       point.</p>
+
+    <p>"It is difficult to speak of Paderewski's manner of teaching
+    expression, for here the ideas differ with each composer and
+    with every composition. As to tonal color, he requires all
+    possible variety in tone production. He likes strong contrasts,
+    which are brought out, not only by variety of touch but by
+    skilful use of the pedals.</p>
+
+    <p>"My lessons with Paderewski were somewhat irregular. We
+    worked together whenever he came to Paris. Sometimes I did not
+    see him for several months, and then he would be in Paris for a
+    number of weeks; at such seasons we worked together very often.
+    Frequently these lessons, which were given in my
+    <a name="page5"
+       id="page5"></a>cousin's house, began very late in the
+       evening&mdash;around ten o'clock&mdash;and lasted till
+       midnight, or even till one in the morning.</p>
+
+    <p>"Paderewski the teacher is as remarkable as Paderewski the
+    pianist. He is very painstaking; his remarks are clear and
+    incisive: he often illustrates by playing the passage in
+    question, or the whole composition. He takes infinite trouble
+    to work out each detail and bring it to perfection. He is very
+    patient and sweet tempered, though he can occasionally be a
+    little sarcastic. He often grows very enthusiastic over his
+    teaching, and quite forgets the lapse of time. In general,
+    however, he does not care to teach, and naturally has little
+    time for it."</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>Mr. Stojowski, when questioned in regard to his work with
+    the Polish pianist, said:</p>
+
+    <p>"Paderewski is a very remarkable teacher. There are teachers
+    who attempt to instruct pupils about what they do not
+    understand, or cannot do themselves: there are others who are
+    able to do the thing, but are not able to explain how they do
+    it. Paderewski can both do it and explain how it is done. He
+    knows perfectly what effects he wishes to produce, how they are
+    to be produced, the causes which underlie and bring them about;
+    he can explain and <a name="page6"
+       id="page6"></a>demonstrate these to the pupil with the
+       greatest exactness and detail.</p>
+
+    <p>"As you justly remark the quality of tone and the variety of
+    tonal gradations are special qualities of Paderewski's playing.
+    These must be acquired by aid of the ear, which tests and
+    judges each shade and quality of tone. He counsels the student
+    to listen to each tone he produces, for quality and
+    variety.</p>
+
+    <h3>CLEARNESS A MUST PRINCIPLE</h3>
+
+    <p>"The player, as he sits at the piano, his mind and heart
+    filled with the beauty of the music his fingers are striving to
+    produce, vainly imagines he is making the necessary effects.
+    Paderewski will say to him: 'No doubt you feel the beauty of
+    this composition, but I hear none of the effects you fancy you
+    are making; you must deliver everything much more clearly:
+    distinctness of utterance is of prime importance.'' Then he
+    shows how clearness and distinctness may be acquired. The
+    fingers must be rendered firm, with no giving in at the nail
+    joint. A technical exercise which he gives, and which I also
+    use in my teaching, trains the fingers in up and down
+    movements, while the wrist is held very low and pressed against
+    the keyboard. At first simple five-finger forms <a name="page7"
+       id="page7"></a>are used; when the hand has become accustomed
+       to this tonic, some of the Czerny Op. 740 can be played,
+       with the hand in this position. Great care should be taken
+       when using this principle, or lameness will result. A low
+       seat at the piano is a necessity for this practise; sitting
+       low is an aid to weight playing: we all know how low
+       Paderewski himself sits at the instrument.</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask what technical material is employed. Czerny, Op.
+    740; not necessarily the entire opus; three books are
+    considered sufficient. Also Clementi's <i>Gradus</i>. Of course
+    scales must be carefully studied, with various accents, rhythms
+    and tonal dynamics; arpeggios also. Many arpeggio forms of
+    value may be culled from compositions.</p>
+
+    <p>"There are, as we all know, certain fundamental principles
+    that underlie all correct piano study, though various masters
+    may employ different ways and means to exemplify these
+    fundamentals. Paderewski studied with Leschetizky and
+    inculcates the principles taught by that master, with this
+    difference, that he adapts his instruction to the physique and
+    mentality of the student; whereas the Vorbereiters of
+    Leschetizky prepare all pupils along the same lines, making
+    them go through <a name="page8"
+       id="page8"></a>a similar routine, which may not in every
+       instance be necessary.</p>
+
+    <h3>FINGERING</h3>
+
+    <p>"One point Paderewski is very particular about, and that is
+    fingering. He often carefully marks the fingering for a whole
+    piece; once this is decided upon it must be kept to. He
+    believes in employing a fingering which is most comfortable to
+    the hand, as well as one which, in the long run, will render
+    the passage most effective. He is most sensitive to the choice
+    of fingering the player makes, and believes that each finger
+    can produce a different quality of tone. Once, when I was
+    playing a Nocturne, he called to me from the other end of the
+    room: 'Why do you always play that note with the fourth finger?
+    I can <i>hear</i> you do it; the effect is bad,' He has a keen
+    power of observation; he notices little details which pass
+    unheeded by most people; nothing escapes him. This power,
+    directed to music, makes him the most careful and painstaking
+    of teachers. At the same time, in the matter of fingering, he
+    endeavors to choose the one which can be most easily
+    accomplished by the player. The Von B&uuml;low editions, while
+    very erudite, are apt to be laborious and pedantic; they show
+    the <a name="page9"
+       id="page9"></a>German tendency to over-elaboration, which,
+       when carried too far becomes a positive fault.</p>
+
+    <h3>CORRECT MOTION</h3>
+
+    <p>"Another principle Paderewski considers very important is
+    that of appropriate motion. He believes in the elimination of
+    every unnecessary movement, yet he wishes the whole body free
+    and supple. Motions should be as carefully studied as other
+    technical points. It is true he often makes large movements of
+    arm, but they are all thought out and have a dramatic
+    significance. He may lift the finger off a vehement staccato
+    note by quick up-arm motion, in a flash of vigorous enthusiasm;
+    but the next instant his hand is in quiet position for the
+    following phrase.</p>
+
+    <h3>STUDYING EFFECTS</h3>
+
+    <p>"The intent listening I spoke of just now must be of vital
+    assistance to the player in his search for tonal variety and
+    effect. Tone production naturally varies according to the space
+    which is to be filled. Greater effort must be put forth in a
+    large hall, to make the tone carry over the footlights, to
+    render the touch clear, the accents decisive and contrasts
+    pronounced. In order to become accustomed to these
+    <a name="page10"
+       id="page10"></a>conditions, the studio piano can be kept
+       closed, and touch must necessarily be made stronger to
+       produce the desired power.</p>
+
+    <h3>INTERPRETATION</h3>
+
+    <p>"A great artist's performance of a noble work ought to sound
+    like a spontaneous improvisation; the greater the artist the
+    more completely will this result be attained. In order to
+    arrive at this result, however, the composition must be
+    dissected in minutest detail. Inspiration comes with the first
+    conception of the interpretation of the piece. Afterward all
+    details are painstakingly worked out, until the ideal blossoms
+    into the perfectly executed performance. Paderewski endeavors
+    uniformly to render a piece in the manner and spirit in which
+    he has conceived it. He relates that after one of his recitals,
+    a lady said to him:</p>
+
+    <p>"'Why, Mr. Paderewski, you did not play this piece the same
+    as you did when I heard you before,'</p>
+
+    <p>"'I assure you I intended to,' was the reply.</p>
+
+    <p>"'Oh, it isn't necessary to play it always the same way; you
+    are not a machine,' said the lady.</p>
+
+    <p>"This reply aroused his artist-nature.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page11"
+       id="page11"></a>'It is just because I am an artist that I
+       ought at all times to play in the same way. I have thought
+       out the conception of that piece, and am in duty bound to
+       express my ideal as nearly as possible each time I perform
+       it.'</p>
+
+    <p>"Paderewski instructs, as he does everything else, with
+    magnificent generosity. He takes no account of time. I would
+    come to him for a stipulated half-hour, but the lesson would
+    continue indefinitely, until we were both forced to stop from
+    sheer exhaustion. I have studied with him at various times. One
+    summer especially stands out in my memory, when I had a lesson
+    almost every day."</p>
+
+    <p>Speaking of the rarely beautiful character of Paderewski's
+    piano compositions, Mr. Stojowski said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I feel that the ignorance of this music among piano
+    teachers and students is a crying shame. What modern piano
+    sonata have we to-day, to compare with his? I know of none. And
+    the songs&mdash;are they not wonderful! I love the man and his
+    music so much that I am doing what lies in my power to make
+    these compositions better known. There is need of pioneer work
+    in this matter, and I am glad to do some of it."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page12"
+          id="page12"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="II_ERNEST_SCHELLING"
+       id="II_ERNEST_SCHELLING"></a>II.</h2>
+
+    <h2>ERNEST SCHELLING</h2>
+
+    <h3>THE HAND OF A PIANIST</h3>
+
+    <p>As I sat in the luxurious salon of the apartments near the
+    Park, where Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Schelling were spending the
+    winter, sounds of vigorous piano practise floated out to me
+    from a distant chamber. It was unusual music, and seemed to
+    harmonize with the somewhat Oriental atmosphere and coloring of
+    the music-room, with its heavily beamed ceiling of old silver,
+    its paintings and tapestries.</p>
+
+    <p>The playing ceased and soon the artist appeared, greeting
+    the visitor with genial friendliness of manner. He was
+    accompanied by the "lord of the manor," a beautiful white bull
+    terrier, with coat as white as snow. This important personage
+    at once curled himself up in the most comfortable arm-chair, a
+    quiet, profound observer of all that passed. In the midst of
+    some preliminary chat, the charming hostess entered and poured
+    tea for us.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="page13"
+       id="page13"></a>The talk soon turned upon the subject in
+       which I was deeply interested&mdash;the technical training
+       of a pianist.</p>
+
+    <p>"Technic is such an individual matter," began Mr. Schelling;
+    "for it depends on so many personal things: the physique, the
+    mentality, the amount of nervous energy one has, the hand and
+    wrist. Perhaps the poorest kind of hand for the piano is the
+    long narrow one, with long fingers. Far better to have a short,
+    broad one with short fingers. Josef Hofmann has a wonderful
+    hand for the piano; rather small, yes, but so thick and
+    muscular. The wrist, too, is a most important factor. Some
+    pianists have what I call a 'natural wrist,' that is they have
+    a natural control of it; it is no trouble for them to play
+    octaves, for instance. Mme. Carre&ntilde;o has that kind of
+    wrist; she never had difficulty with octaves, they are perfect,
+    Hofmann also has a marvelous wrist. I am sorry to say I have
+    not that kind of wrist, and therefore have been much
+    handicapped on that account. For I have had to work
+    tremendously to develop not only the wrist but the whole
+    technic. You see I was a wonder child, and played a great deal
+    as a small boy. Then from fifteen to twenty I did not practise
+    anything like what I ought to have done. That is the
+    <a name="page14"
+       id="page14"></a>period when the bones grow, muscles
+       develop&mdash;everything grows. Another thing against me is
+       the length of my fingers. When the fingers are longer than
+       the width of the hand across the knuckle joint, it is not an
+       advantage but a detriment. The extra length of finger is
+       only so much dead weight that the hand has to lift. This is
+       another disadvantage I have had to work against. Yes, as you
+       say, it is a rather remarkable hand in regard to size and
+       suppleness. But I hardly agree that it is like Liszt's; more
+       like Chopin's, judging from the casts I have seen of his
+       hand.</p>
+
+    <p>"As for technical routine, of course I play scales a good
+    deal and in various ways. When I 'go into training,' I find the
+    best means to attain velocity is to work with the metronome.
+    One can't jump at once into the necessary agility, and the
+    metronome is a great help in bringing one up to the right
+    pitch. You see by the firmness of these muscles at the back and
+    thumb side of my hand, that I am in good trim now; but one soon
+    loses this if one lets up on the routine.</p>
+
+    <p>"Then I practise trills of all kinds, and octaves. Yes, I
+    agree that octaves are a most necessary and important factor in
+    the player's technical equipment."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="page15"
+       id="page15"></a>Going to the piano and illustrating as he
+       talked, Mr. Schelling continued:</p>
+
+    <p>"Merely flopping the hand up and down, as many do, is of
+    little use&mdash;it does not lead to strength or velocity. As
+    you see, I hold the hand arched and very firm, and the firmness
+    is in the fingers as well; the hand makes up and down movements
+    with loose wrist; the result is a full, bright, crisp tone. One
+    can play these octaves slowly, using weight, or faster with
+    crisp, staccato touch. I play diatonic or chromatic octave
+    scales, with four repetitions or more, on each note&mdash;using
+    fourth finger for black keys.</p>
+
+    <p>"I sit low at the piano, as I get better results in this
+    way; though it is somewhat more difficult to obtain them. I
+    confess it is easier to sit high and bear down on the hands.
+    Yes, I thoroughly approve of 'weight touch,' and it is the
+    touch I generally use. Sometimes it is a certain pressure on
+    the key after it is played, using arm weight.</p>
+
+    <p>"Ah, you are right. The young teacher or player, in
+    listening to the artist, and noticing he does not lift his
+    fingers to any extent, and that he always plays with weight,
+    hastily concludes these are the principles with which he must
+    begin to study or teach the piano. It is <a name="page16"
+       id="page16"></a>a mistake to begin in that way. Very exact
+       finger movements must be learned in the beginning. As I said
+       before, technic is such an individual matter, that after the
+       first period of foundational training, one who has the
+       desire to become an artist, must work out things for
+       himself. There should be no straight-laced methods. Only a
+       few general rules can be laid down, such as will fit most
+       cases. The player who would rise to any distinction must
+       work out his own salvation.</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to memorizing piano music, it may be said this
+    can be accomplished in three ways: namely, with the eye, with
+    the ear, and with the hand. For example: I take the piece and
+    read it through with the eye, just as I would read a book. I
+    get familiar with the notes in this way, and see how they look
+    in print. I learn to know them so well that I have a mental
+    photograph of them, and if necessary could recall any special
+    measure or phrase so exactly that I could write it. All this
+    time my mental ear has been hearing those notes, and is
+    familiar with them. Then the third stage arrives; I must put
+    all this on the keyboard, my fingers must have their training;
+    impressions must pass from the mind to the fingers; then all is
+    complete."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page17"
+          id="page17"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="III_ERNESTO_CONSOLO"
+       id="III_ERNESTO_CONSOLO"></a>III.</h2>
+
+    <h2>ERNESTO CONSOLO</h2>
+
+    <h3>MAKING THE PIANO A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT</h3>
+
+    <p>In a long conversation with Ernesto Consolo, the eminent
+    pianist and instructor, many points of vital importance to the
+    player and teacher were touched upon. Among other things Mr.
+    Consolo said:</p>
+
+    <p>"It is absolutely necessary that the piano teacher should
+    take his profession very seriously. In my opinion there is most
+    excellent instruction to be secured right here in America, with
+    such teachers as are willing to take their work seriously. The
+    time is not far away, I think, when America will enjoy a very
+    prominent position in the matter of musical instruction, and
+    perhaps lead the world in musical advantages. The time is not
+    here just yet, but it is surely coming. You are still young in
+    this country, though you are wonderfully progressive.</p>
+
+    <p>"If I have spoken of the serious aims of <a name="page18"
+       id="page18"></a>many teachers of piano, I cannot say as much
+       for the students: they are often superficial and want to go
+       too quickly; they are apt to be in a hurry and want to make
+       a show, without being willing to spend the necessary years
+       on preparation. No art can be hurried. Students of painting,
+       sculpture, architecture or music must all learn the
+       technique of their art; they must all learn to go deep into
+       the mysteries and master technic as the means to the end,
+       and no one requires exhaustive preparation more than the
+       executive musician. The person who would fence, box or play
+       baseball must know the technic of these things; how much
+       more must the pianist be master of the technique of his
+       instrument if he would bring out the best results.</p>
+
+    <p>"At the very bottom and heart of this subject of mastery
+    lies Concentration: without that, little of value can be
+    accomplished. Students think if they sit at the piano and
+    'practise' a certain number of hours daily, it is sufficient. A
+    small portion of that time, if used with intense concentration,
+    will accomplish more. One player will take hours to learn a
+    page or a passage which another will master in a fraction of
+    the time. What is the difference? It may be said one has
+    greater <a name="page19"
+       id="page19"></a>intelligence than the other. The greater the
+       intelligence, the stronger the power of concentration.</p>
+
+    <p>"If a pupil comes to me whose powers of concentration have
+    not been awakened or developed, I sometimes give him music to
+    read over very slowly, so slowly that every note, phrase and
+    finger mark can be distinctly seen. Not being used to thinking
+    intently, mistakes occur, in one hand or the other, showing
+    that the mind was not sufficiently concentrated. It is the mind
+    every time that wins. Without using our mental powers to their
+    fullest extent we fail of the best that is in us.</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to technical equipment and routine, I do
+    different work with each pupil, for each pupil is different. No
+    two people have the same hands, physique or mentality; so why
+    should they all be poured into the same mold? One student, for
+    example, has splendid wrists and not very good fingers. Why
+    should I give him the same amount of wrist practise that I give
+    his brother who has feeble wrists; it would only be a waste of
+    time. Again, a pupil with limited ideas of tonal quality and
+    dynamics is advised to study tone at the piano in some simple
+    melody of Schubert <a name="page20"
+       id="page20"></a>or Chopin, trying to realize a beautiful
+       tone&mdash;playing it in various ways until such a quality
+       Is secured. The piano is a responsive instrument and gives
+       back what you put into it. If you attack it with a hard
+       touch, it will respond with a harsh tone. It rests with you
+       whether the piano shall be a musical instrument or not.</p>
+
+    <p>"A student who comes to me with a very poor touch must of
+    course go back to first principles and work up. Such an one
+    must learn correct movements and conditions of hands, arms and
+    fingers; and these can be acquired at a table. Along with
+    these, however, I would always give some simple music to play,
+    so that the tonal and musical sense shall not be neglected.</p>
+
+    <p>"Of course I advise comprehensive scale practise; scales in
+    all keys and in various rhythms and touches. There is an almost
+    endless variety of ways to play scales. Those in double thirds
+    and sixths I use later, after the others are under control.
+    Arpeggios are also included in this scale practise.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have said that Concentration is the keynote of piano
+    mastery. Another principle which goes hand in hand with it is
+    Relaxation. Unless this condition is present in arms, wrist and
+    shoulders, the tone will be hard and the whole performance
+    constrained and unmusical.<a name="page21"
+       id="page21"></a> There is no need of having tired muscles or
+       those that feel strained or painful. If this condition
+       arises it is proof that there is stiffness, that relaxation
+       has not taken place. I can sit at the piano and play
+       <i>forte</i> for three hours at a time and not feel the
+       least fatigue in hands and arms. Furthermore, the playing of
+       one who is relaxed, who knows how to use his anatomy, will
+       not injure the piano. We must remember the piano is a thing
+       of joints; the action is so delicately adjusted that it
+       moves with absolute freedom and ease. The player but adds
+       another joint, which should equal in ease and adjustment the
+       ones already there. On the other hand a person with stiff
+       joints and rigid muscles, thumping ragtime on a good piano,
+       can ruin it in a week; whereas under the fingers of a player
+       who understands the laws of relaxation, it would last for
+       many years.</p>
+
+    <p>"This principle of relaxation is exemplified in the athlete,
+    baseball player, and others. They have poise and easy
+    adjustment in every part of the body: they never seem to fall
+    into strained or stiff attitudes, nor make angular or stiff
+    movements. Arms, shoulders, wrists and fingers are all relaxed
+    and easy. The pianist needs to study these principles as well
+    as the <a name="page22"
+       id="page22"></a>athlete, I believe in physical exercises to
+       a certain extent. Light-weight dumb-bells can be used; it is
+       surprising how light a weight is sufficient to accomplish
+       the result. But it must be one movement at a time,
+       exercising one muscle at a time, and not various muscles at
+       once.</p>
+
+    <p>"For memorizing piano music I can say I have no method
+    whatever. When I know the piece technically or mechanically, I
+    know it by heart. I really do not know when the memorizing
+    takes place. The music is before me on the piano; I forget to
+    turn the pages, and thus find I know the piece. In playing with
+    orchestra I know the parts of all instruments, unless it be
+    just a simple chord accompaniment; it would not interest me to
+    play with orchestra and not know the music in this way. On one
+    occasion I was engaged to play the Sgambatti concerto, which I
+    had not played for some time. I tried it over on the piano and
+    found I could not remember it. My first idea was to get out the
+    score and go over it; the second was to try and recall the
+    piece from memory. I tried the latter method, with the result
+    that in about three hours and a half I had the whole concerto
+    back in mind. I played the work ten days later without having
+    <a name="page23"
+       id="page23"></a>once consulted the score. This goes to prove
+       that memory must be absolute and not merely mechanical.</p>
+
+    <p>"Students think they cannot memorize, when it would be quite
+    easy if they would apply themselves in the right way. I ask
+    them to look intently at a small portion, two measures, or even
+    one, and afterward to play it without looking at the notes. Of
+    course, as you say, this can be done away from the piano; the
+    notes can even be recited; but there are other signs and marks
+    to be considered and remembered, so when one can be at the
+    piano I consider it better.</p>
+
+    <p>"Piano playing is such an individual and complex thing. I do
+    not require nor expect my pupils to play as I do, nor interpret
+    as I interpret, for then I would only see just so many replicas
+    of myself, and their individuality would be lost. I often hear
+    them play a composition in a different way and with a different
+    spirit from the one I find in it. But I don't say to them,
+    'That is wrong; you must play it as I do,' No, I let them play
+    it as they see and feel it, so long as there is no sin against
+    artistic taste.</p>
+
+    <p>"I trust these few points will be helpful to both player and
+    teacher. The latter needs all <a name="page24"
+       id="page24"></a>the encouragement we artists can give, for
+       in most cases he is doing a good work.</p>
+
+    <p>"Volumes might be added to these hurried remarks, but for
+    that my time is too limited."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page25"
+          id="page25"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="IV_SIGISMOND_STOJOWSKI"
+       id="IV_SIGISMOND_STOJOWSKI"></a>IV.</h2>
+
+    <h2>SIGISMOND STOJOWSKI</h2>
+
+    <h3>MIND IN PIANO STUDY</h3>
+
+    <p>Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the eminent Polish pianist and
+    composer, was found one morning in his New York studio, at work
+    with a gifted pupil. He was willing to relax a little, however,
+    and have a chat on such themes as might prove helpful to both
+    teacher and student.</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask me to say something on the most salient points in
+    piano technic; perhaps we should say, the points that are most
+    important to each individual; for no two students are exactly
+    alike, nor do any two see things in precisely the same light.
+    This is really a psychological matter. I believe the subject of
+    psychology is a very necessary study for both teacher and
+    student. We all need to know more about mental processes than
+    we do. I am often asked how to memorize, for instance&mdash;or
+    the best means for doing this; another <a name="page26"
+       id="page26"></a>psychological process. I recommend students
+       to read William James' <i>Talks on Psychology</i>; a very
+       helpful book.</p>
+
+    <p>"The most vital thing in piano playing is to learn to think.
+    Has it ever occurred to you what infinite pains people will
+    take to avoid thinking? They will repeat a technical
+    illustration hundreds of times it may be, but with little or no
+    thought directed to the performance. Such work is absolutely
+    useless. Perhaps that is a little too strong. With countless
+    repetitions there may at last come to be a little improvement,
+    but it will be very small.</p>
+
+    <p>"There is quite a variety of views as to what the essentials
+    of piano technic are; this is a subject on which teachers,
+    unluckily, do not agree. For instance, on the point of finger
+    lifting there is great diversity of opinion. Some believe in
+    raising the fingers very high, others do not. Lifting the
+    fingers high is not good for the tone, though it may be used
+    for velocity playing. I use quite the reverse where I wish
+    beautiful, singing, tone quality. The young pupil, at the
+    beginning, must of course learn to raise fingers and make
+    precise movements; when greater proficiency is reached, many
+    modifications of touch are used. That the best results are not
+    more often <a name="page27"
+       id="page27"></a>obtained in piano teaching and study, is as
+       much the fault of the teacher as the pupil. The latter is
+       usually willing to be shown and anxious to learn. It is for
+       the teacher to correctly diagnose the case and administer
+       the most efficient remedy.</p><a name="Sigismond_Stojowski"
+          id="Sigismond_Stojowski"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/037.png"
+             alt="To Miss Harriett Brower with the kindest of remembrances, Sigismond Stojowski New York, April 1913"
+             title="To Miss Harriett Brower with the kindest of remembrances, Sigismond Stojowski New York, April 1913" />
+
+
+        <h5>To Miss Harriett Brower with the kindest of
+        remembrances, Sigismond Stojowski New York, April 1913</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <h3>NATURAL TECHNIC</h3>
+
+    <p>"There is a certain amount of what I might call 'natural
+    technic' possessed by every one&mdash;some one point which is
+    easy for him. It Is often the trill. It has frequently come
+    under my notice that players with little facility in other
+    ways, can make a good trill. Some singers have this gift; Mme.
+    Melba is one who never had to study a trill, for she was born
+    with a nightingale in her throat. I knew a young man in London
+    who was evidently born with an aptitude for octaves. He had
+    wonderful wrists, and could make countless repetitions of the
+    octave without the least fatigue. He never had to practise
+    octaves, they came to him naturally.</p>
+
+    <p>"The teacher's work is both corrective and constructive. He
+    must see what is wrong and be able to correct it. Like a
+    physician, he should find the weak and deficient parts and
+    build them up. He should have some remedy <a name="page28"
+       id="page28"></a>at his command that will fit the needs of
+       each pupil.</p>
+
+    <p>"I give very few &eacute;tudes, and those I administer in
+    homeopathic doses. It is not necessary to play through a mass
+    of &eacute;tudes to become a good pianist. Much of the
+    necessary technic may be learned from the pieces themselves,
+    though scales and arpeggios must form part of the daily
+    routine.</p>
+
+    <h3>KEEPING UP A REPERTOIRE</h3>
+
+    <p>"In keeping a large number of pieces in mind, I may say that
+    the pianist who does much teaching is in a sense taught by his
+    pupils. I have many advanced pupils, and in teaching their
+    repertoire I keep up my own. Of course after a while one grows
+    a little weary of hearing the same pieces rendered by students;
+    the most beautiful no longer seem fresh. My own compositions
+    are generally exceptions, as I do not often teach those. To the
+    thoughtful teacher, the constant hearing of his repertoire by
+    students shows him the difficulties that younger players have
+    to encounter, and helps him devise means to aid them to conquer
+    these obstacles. At the same time there is this disadvantage:
+    the pianist cannot fail to remember the places at which such
+    <a name="page29"
+       id="page29"></a>and such a student had trouble, forgot or
+       stumbled. This has happened to me at various times. In my
+       recitals I would be playing ahead, quite unconscious that
+       anything untoward could occur&mdash;wholly absorbed in my
+       work; when, at a certain point, the recollection would flash
+       over me&mdash;this is where such or such a pupil stumbled.
+       The remembrance is sometimes so vivid that I am at some
+       effort to keep my mental balance and proceed with smoothness
+       and certainty.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, I go over my pieces mentally, especially if I am
+    playing an entirely new program which I have never played
+    before; otherwise I do not need to do so much of it.</p>
+
+    <h3>FILLING IN A PASSAGE</h3>
+
+    <p>"You suggest that a composer may fill in or make up a
+    passage, should he forget a portion of the piece when playing
+    in public. True; but improvising on a well-known work is rather
+    a dangerous thing to do in order to improve a bad case. Apropos
+    of this, I am reminded of an incident which occurred at one of
+    my European recitals. It was a wholly new program which I was
+    to give at Vevay. I had been staying with Paderewski, and went
+    from Morges to Vevay, to give the recital. In my
+    <a name="page30"
+       id="page30"></a>room at the hotel I was mentally reviewing
+       the program, when in a Mendelssohn Fugue, I found I had
+       forgotten a small portion. I could remember what went before
+       and what came after, but this particular passage had
+       seemingly gone. I went down to the little parlor and tried
+       the fugue on the piano, but could not remember the portion
+       in question. I hastened back to my room and constructed a
+       bridge which should connect the two parts. When the time
+       came to play the fugue at the recital, it all went smoothly
+       till I was well over the weak spot, which, it seems, I
+       really played as Mendelssohn wrote it. As I neared the last
+       page, the question suddenly occurred to me, what had I done
+       with that doubtful passage? What had really happened I could
+       not remember; and the effort to recall whether I had played
+       Mendelssohn or Stojowski nearly brought disaster to that
+       last page.</p>
+
+    <p>"As soon as my season closes here I shall go to London and
+    bring out my second piano concerto with the London Symphony
+    Orchestra, under Nikisch. I shall also play various
+    recitals."</p>
+
+    <p>It was my good fortune to be present at the orchestral
+    concert at Queen's Hall, when Mr.<a name="page31"
+       id="page31"></a> Stojowski was the soloist. It was pleasant
+       to see the enthusiasm aroused by the concerto itself, and
+       the performance of it by the artist.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page32"
+          id="page32"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="V_RUDOLPH_GANZ"
+       id="V_RUDOLPH_GANZ"></a>V.</h2>
+
+    <h2>RUDOLPH GANZ</h2><a name="Rudolph_Ganz"
+          id="Rudolph_Ganz"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/044.png"
+             alt="Rudolph Ganz"
+             title="Rudolph Ganz" />
+
+        <h5>Rudolph Ganz</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <h3>CONSERVING ENERGY IN PIANO PRACTISE</h3>
+
+    <p>"One of the most necessary things is the conserving of vital
+    energy in piano practise," said the pianist Rudolph Ganz to me
+    one day. "The wrong way is to continually practise the piece as
+    though you were playing it in public&mdash;that is to say, with
+    all possible energy and emotion. Some of the pianists now
+    before the public do this, and it always makes me sorry for
+    them, for I know what a needless waste of energy and vital
+    force it is. An actor, studying his lines, does not need to
+    continually shout them in order to learn how they should be
+    interpreted. Neither does the lyric actress practise her roles
+    with full tones, for she is well used to saving her voice. Why
+    then should the pianist exhaust himself and give out his whole
+    strength merely in the daily routine of practise? I grant this
+    principle of saving one's self may not be easy to learn, but it
+    should be acquired by all players, great and <a name="page33"
+       id="page33"></a>small. I think a pianist should be able to
+       practise five or six hours daily without fatigue. If the
+       player is accustomed to husband his vital force during the
+       daily routine of practise, he can play a long, exacting
+       program in public without weariness. In every day practise
+       one often does not need to play <i>forte</i> nor use the
+       pedals; a tone of medium power is sufficient. Suppose, for
+       instance, you are studying the Chopin &Eacute;tude Op. 10,
+       No. 12, with the left hand arpeggio work. Every note and
+       finger must be in place, every mark of phrasing obeyed; but
+       during practise hours you need not give the piece all its
+       dashing vigor and bravura at every repetition. Such a course
+       would soon exhaust the player. Yet every effect you wish to
+       make must be thoroughly studied, must be in mind, and used
+       at intervals whenever a complete performance of the piece is
+       desired.</p>
+
+    <p>"As I said before, it is often difficult to control the
+    impulse to 'let loose,' if the work is an exciting one. At a
+    recent rehearsal with the Symphony Orchestra, I told the men I
+    would quietly run through the concerto I was to play, merely
+    indicating the effects I wanted. We began, but in five minIutes
+    I found myself playing with full force and
+    vigor.<a name="page34"
+       id="page34"></a></p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to methods in piano study there seems to be a
+    diversity of opinion, resulting, I think, from the various ways
+    of touching the keys&mdash;some players using the tip and
+    others the ball of the finger. Busoni may be cited as one who
+    employs the end of the finger&mdash;Pauer also; while the
+    Frenchman, Cort&ocirc;t, who has an exquisite tone, plays with
+    the hand almost flat on the keys, a method which certainly
+    insures weight of hand and arm. Of course players generally,
+    and teachers also, agree on the employment of arm weight in
+    playing. The principles of piano technic are surely but few.
+    Was it not Liszt who said: 'Play the right key with the right
+    finger, the right tone and the right intention&mdash;that is
+    all!' It seems to me piano technic has been pushed to its
+    limit, and there must be a reversal; we may return to some of
+    the older methods of touch and technic.</p>
+
+    <p>"The vital thing in piano playing is to bring out the
+    composer's meaning, plus your own inspiration and feeling. You
+    must study deeply into the composer's idea, but you must also
+    put your own feeling, intensity and emotion into the piece. And
+    not only must you feel the meaning yourself, but you must play
+    it in a way to touch others. There are many <a name="page35"
+       id="page35"></a>pianists who are not cultured musicians; who
+       think they know their Beethoven because they can play a few
+       sonatas. In music 'knowledge is power.' We need all possible
+       knowledge, but we also need to feel the inspiration. One of
+       the greatest teachers of our time holds that personal
+       inspiration is not necessary; for the feeling is all in the
+       music itself. All we have to do is to play with such and
+       such a dynamic quality of tone. Like a country doctor
+       measuring out his drugs, this master apportions so many
+       grains of power for <i>forte</i>, for <i>mezzo</i>, for
+       <i>piano</i>, and so on. This plan puts a damper on
+       individuality and enthusiasm, for it means that everything
+       must be coldly calculated. Such playing does not really warm
+       the heart.</p>
+
+    <p>"I believe in teaching tonal contrasts and tone color even
+    to a beginner. Why should not the child form a concept of
+    <i>forte</i> and <i>piano</i>, and so get away from the deadly
+    monotony of <i>mezzo</i>? I have written some little
+    descriptive piano pieces, and my small boy learned one of them
+    to play for me. There is a closing phrase like this," and Mr.
+    Ganz illustrated at the piano; "it is to be played
+    <i>forte</i>, and is followed by a few notes to be touched very
+    softly, like an echo. It was really beautiful to see how the
+    little fellow reached out for the pedal to <a name="page36"
+       id="page36"></a>make the loud part more emphatic, and then
+       played the echo very softly and neatly. He had grasped the
+       first principle of tone color&mdash;namely tone contrast,
+       and also a poetic idea.</p>
+
+    <p>"There are so many wonder children in these days, and many
+    marvels are accomplished by infant prodigies. Very often
+    however, these wonder children develop no further; they fail to
+    fulfil their early promise, or the expectations held of
+    them.</p>
+
+    <p>"A youthful wonder in the field of composition is Eric
+    Korngold, whose piano sonata I played in my New York recital. I
+    have played this work eight times in all, during my present
+    tour, often by request. To me it is most interesting. I cannot
+    say it is logical in the development of its ideas; it often
+    seems as though the boy threw in chords here and there with no
+    particular reason. Thus the effort of memorizing is
+    considerable, for I must always bear in mind that this C major
+    chord has a C sharp in it, or that such and such a chord is
+    changed into a most unusual one. One cannot predict whether the
+    boy will develop further. As you say, Mozart was an infant
+    prodigy, but if we judge from the first little compositions
+    that have been preserved, he began very simply and worked up,
+    whereas <a name="page37"
+       id="page37"></a>Korngold begins at Richard Strauss. His
+       compositions are full of the influence of Strauss. The
+       critics have much to say for and against these early works.
+       I do not know the young composer personally, though he has
+       written me. In a recent letter which I have here, he
+       expresses the thought that, though the critics have found
+       many things to disapprove of in the sonata, the fact that I
+       have found it worth studying and bringing out more than
+       compensates him for all adverse criticism. To make the work
+       known in the great musical centers of America is surely
+       giving it wide publicity."</p>
+
+    <p>On a later occasion, Mr. Ganz said:</p>
+
+    <p>"I thoroughly believe in preserving one's enthusiasm for
+    modern music, even though, at first glance, it does not attract
+    one, or indeed seems almost impossible. I enjoy studying new
+    works, and learning what is the modern trend of thought in
+    piano work; it keeps me young and buoyant.</p>
+
+    <p>"One of the novelties lately added to my repertoire is the
+    Haydn sonata in D. On the same program I place the Korngold
+    sonata. A hundred years and more divide the two works. While I
+    revere the old, it interests me to keep abreast of the new
+    thought in musical art and life."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page38"
+          id="page38"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="VI_TINA_LERNER"
+       id="VI_TINA_LERNER"></a>VI.</h2>
+
+    <h2>TINA LERNER</h2>
+
+    <h3>AN AUDIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER</h3>
+
+    <p>Between the many engagements that crowded upon the close of
+    her long American tour, Miss Tina Lerner found time to talk
+    over certain topics of significance which bear upon pianistic
+    problems.</p>
+
+    <p>We began by referring to the different methods of holding
+    the hands, moving the fingers and touching the keys, as
+    exemplified by the various pianists now before the public.</p>
+
+    <p>"It is true that I play with the ball of the finger on the
+    key, which necessitates a flat position of hand, with low
+    wrist." Here the pianist illustrated the point by playing
+    several pearly scales with straight, outstretched fingers. "I
+    never realized, however, that I played in this way, until Mr.
+    Ernest Hutcheson, the pianist, of Baltimore, recently called my
+    attention to it. The fact is, I have always taken positions of
+    body, arms, hands and <a name="page39"
+       id="page39"></a>fingers, which seemed to me the most natural
+       and easy. This I did when I began, at the age of five, and I
+       have always kept to them, in spite of what various teachers
+       have endeavored to do for me. Fortunately my early teachers
+       were sensible and careful; they kept me at the classics, and
+       did not give too difficult pieces. The principles followed
+       by most great pianists I believe are correct; but I have
+       always kept to my own natural way. In hand position,
+       therefore, I am individual; perhaps no one else plays with
+       such a finger position, so in this I am unique.</p>
+
+    <p>"For some reason unknown to me, it has come to be imagined
+    that I have studied with Leschetizky; this is entirely refuted
+    when I say I have never been in Vienna. It seems we are getting
+    away from the idea of helping ourselves out with the name of
+    some great teacher. The question should be: What has the player
+    in himself, what can he accomplish? not, Whose pupil is he? We
+    know of some of Leschetizky's famous pupils, but we never hear
+    of the thousands he must have had, who have come to nothing. A
+    teacher can only do a certain amount for you; he can give you
+    new ideas, which each pupil works out for himself in his own
+    way. The piano student learns from so <a name="page40"
+       id="page40"></a>many different sources. He attends a piano
+       recital and acquires many ideas of touch, tone, phrasing and
+       interpretation; he hears a great singer or violinist and
+       absorbs a wholly new set of thoughts, or he listens to a
+       grand orchestra, and gains more than from all the others.
+       Then there is life to study from:
+       experience&mdash;living&mdash;loving: all go into the work
+       of the musician. A musical career is indeed the most
+       exacting one that can be chosen.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have been asked whether I prefer to play for an audience
+    of 'music-lovers' or one of 'music knowers.' Perhaps an equal
+    mixture is the happy medium. Of the two sorts it seems to me
+    the music-knowers are preferable, for even if they are very
+    critical, they also recognize the various points you make; they
+    see and appreciate what you are striving for. They are not
+    inclined to say, 'I don't like such or such a player'; for the
+    music-knower understands the vast amount of time and energy,
+    labor and talent that go to make a pianist. He rather says, 'I
+    prefer the playing of such or such an artist.' The word 'like'
+    in connection with a great artist seems almost an affront. What
+    does it matter if his work is not 'liked' by some? He knows it
+    can stand for what it is&mdash;the utmost perfection of his
+    powers&mdash;of <a name="page41"
+       id="page41"></a>himself. And after all the audience is the
+       greatest teacher an artist can have; I have learned more
+       from this teacher than from any other. In this school I
+       learn what moves and touches an audience; how to improve
+       this or that passage; how to make a greater climax here, or
+       more sympathetic coloring there. For in conceiving how a
+       work should sound, I get&mdash;in my study of it&mdash;a
+       general idea of the whole, and make it as nearly perfect as
+       I am able. But it has to be tested and tried&mdash;an
+       audience must pass its opinion&mdash;must set the seal of
+       approval upon it. When the work has been polished by
+       repeated trials in this school, interpretation then becomes
+       crystallized in the mind and the piece can always be given
+       in nearly the same way. A painter does not change nor
+       repaint his picture each time he exhibits it; why need the
+       musician change his idea of the interpretation at each
+       repetition? To trust too much to the inspiration of the
+       moment might injure the performance as a whole. When I have
+       my ideal of the interpretation worked out in mind, it
+       becomes my sacred duty to play it always in this
+       spirit&mdash;always to give my best. I can never think that
+       because I am playing in Boston or New York, I must strive
+       harder for perfection than if I play in a little
+       town.<a name="page42"
+       id="page42"></a> No, I must give the highest that is in me,
+       no matter where it may be. People sometimes ask me if I am
+       nervous before a recital. It is not that I am afraid of
+       people; but I am always anxious about being able to realize
+       my ideal, when the moment comes.</p>
+
+    <p>"I can say I prefer playing in America to anywhere else in
+    the world; for there are more real appreciation and
+    understanding here than in any other country. Of course the
+    great music centers all over the world are about the same; but
+    the difference lies in the smaller cities, which in America are
+    far more advanced musically than in Europe. I have proved this
+    to be the case repeatedly. Not long ago I was booked for a
+    couple of recitals in a small town of not more than two
+    thousand inhabitants. When I arrived at the little place, and
+    saw the barn of a hotel, I wondered what these people could
+    want with piano recitals. But when I came to the college where
+    I was to play and found such a large, intelligent audience
+    gathered, some of whom had traveled many miles to be present,
+    it proved in what estimation music was held. The teacher of
+    this school was a good musician, who had studied nine years
+    with Leschetizky, in Vienna; the pupils understood the numbers
+    on the program, were wide awake, <a name="page43"
+       id="page43"></a>and well informed as to what was going on in
+       the world of music.</p>
+
+    <p>"One handicap the present day pianist encounters, who plays
+    much with orchestra, and that is the dearth of modern
+    concertos. The familiar ten or dozen famous ones are played
+    over and over, and one seldom hears anything new. There are new
+    ones written, to be sure, but the public has not learned to
+    care for them. The beautiful second concerto of Rachmaninoff
+    has not made a success, even in the great music centers, where
+    the most intelligent audiences have heard it. I believe that if
+    an audience of the best musicians could be assembled in a small
+    room and this work could be played to them, they could not fail
+    to be impressed with its beauties. I am now studying a new
+    concerto by Haddon Wood, which you see in manuscript there on
+    the piano; it is one I find very beautiful."</p>
+
+    <p>A subsequent conversation with the artist elicited the
+    following:</p>
+
+    <p>"I might say that I began my music when about four years
+    old, by playing the Russian National Hymn, on a toy piano
+    containing eight keys, which had been given me. My older
+    sister, who was studying the piano, noticed this, showed me a
+    few things about the <a name="page44"
+       id="page44"></a>notes, and I constantly picked out little
+       tunes and pieces on the real piano. Finally one day my
+       sister's teacher, Rudolph Heim, came to the house, mainly on
+       my account. This was in Odessa, in the south of Russia,
+       where I was born and where I spent my early years. On this
+       occasion, he wanted to look at me and see what I could do.
+       Unluckily a sudden fit of shyness overcame me and I began to
+       cry; the exhibition could not take place, as nothing could
+       be made out of me that day. You see I was headstrong even at
+       that early age," said the young pianist, with one of her
+       charming smiles.</p>
+
+    <p>"Soon after this incident, I was taken to the Professor's
+    studio. He examined me, considered I had talent, and thought it
+    should be cultivated. So he took me in hand. I was then five,
+    and my real musical education began at that time.</p>
+
+    <p>"From the very first I adopted a position of hand which
+    seemed to me most convenient and comfortable, and no amount of
+    contrary instruction and advice has ever been able to make me
+    change it. I play scales and passages with low hand and flat
+    fingers because that position seems the most favorable for my
+    hand. When practising, I play everything <a name="page45"
+       id="page45"></a>very slowly, raising my fingers high and
+       straight from the knuckle joint. This gives me great
+       clearness and firmness. In rapid passage work the action is
+       reduced, but the position remains. I am said to have a
+       clear, pearly touch, with quite sufficient power at my
+       command for large works.</p>
+
+    <p>"After five years of study with my first teacher, Rudolph
+    Heim, a pupil of Moscheles, I entered the Moscow Conservatory,
+    and continued my studies under Professor Pabst, brother and
+    teacher of the composer of that name. I was then ten years old.
+    Professor Pabst was very conservative, very strict, and kept me
+    at work on the music of the older masters. This kind of music
+    suits me, I think; at least I enjoy it. Even here I still clung
+    to my ideas of holding my hands and of touching the keys, and
+    always expect to do so.</p>
+
+    <p>"I remained with this professor about six years and then
+    began my public career.</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask about my present studies, and how I regulate my
+    practise. During my periods of rest from concert work, I
+    practise a great deal&mdash;I wish I could say all the time,
+    but that is not quite possible. I give an hour or more a day to
+    technical practise. As to the material, I use Chopin's
+    &Eacute;tudes constantly, <a name="page46"
+       id="page46"></a>playing them with high-raised, outstretched
+       fingers, in very slow tempo. One finds almost every
+       technical problem illustrated in these &eacute;tudes;
+       octaves, arpeggios, scales in double thirds and sixths,
+       repeated notes, as in number 7, broken chords and passage
+       work. I keep all these &eacute;tudes in daily practise, also
+       using some of the Liszt <i>&Eacute;tudes Transcendantes</i>,
+       and, of course, Bach. The advantage of using this sort of
+       material is that one never tires of it; it is always
+       interesting and beautiful. With this material well in hand,
+       I am always ready for recital, and need only to add special
+       pieces and modern music.</p>
+
+    <p>"In learning a new work I first study it very slowly, trying
+    to become familiar with its meaning. I form my concept of it
+    and <i>live</i> with it for months before I care to bring it
+    forward. I try to form an ideal conception of the piece, work
+    this out in every detail, then always endeavor to render it as
+    closely like the ideal as possible."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page47"
+          id="page47"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="VII_ETHEL_LEGINSKA"
+       id="VII_ETHEL_LEGINSKA"></a>VII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>ETHEL LEGINSKA</h2>
+
+    <h3>RELAXATION THE KEYNOTE OF MODERN PIANO PLAYING</h3>
+
+    <p>The brilliant young pianist, Ethel Leginska, who is located
+    for a time in America, was seen in her Carnegie Hall studio, on
+    her return from a concert tour. The young English girl is a
+    petite brunette; her face is very expressive, her manner at
+    once vivacious and serious. The firm muscles of her fine,
+    shapely hands indicate that she must spend many hours daily at
+    the keyboard.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, I have played a great deal in public&mdash;all my
+    life, in fact&mdash;ever since I was six. I began my musical
+    studies at Hull, where we lived; my first teacher was a pupil
+    of McFarren. Later I was taken to London, where some rich
+    people did a great deal for me. Afterward I went to
+    Leschetizky, and was with him several years, until I was
+    sixteen; I also studied in Berlin. Then I began my career,
+    <a name="page48"
+       id="page48"></a>and concertized all over Europe; now I am in
+       America for a time. I like it here; I am fond of your
+       country already.</p>
+
+    <p>"The piano is such a wonderful instrument to me; I feel we
+    are only beginning to fathom its possibilities; not in a
+    technical sense, but as a big avenue for expression. For me the
+    piano is capable of reflecting every mood, every feeling; all
+    pathos, joy, sorrow&mdash;the good and the evil too&mdash;all
+    there is in life, all that one has lived." (This recalls a
+    recently published remark of J. S. Van Cleve: "The piano can
+    sing, march, dance, sparkle, thunder, weep, sneer, question,
+    assert, complain, whisper, hint; in one word it is the most
+    versatile and plastic of instruments.")</p>
+
+    <p>"As for the technic of the piano, I think of it only as the
+    material&mdash;only as a means to an end. In fact I endeavor to
+    get away from the thought of the technical material, in order
+    that I may get at the meaning of the music I wish to interpret.
+    I am convinced there is a great future for the piano and its
+    music. Even now we are taking piano music very seriously, and
+    are trying to interpret it in a far deeper and broader sense
+    than the pianists of, say, fifty years ago ever thought of
+    doing. I fancy if Clara Schumann, for instance, could
+    <a name="page49"
+       id="page49"></a>return and play to us, or even Liszt
+       himself, we should not find their playing suited to this age
+       at all. Some of us yet remember the hand position Mme.
+       Schumann had, the lack of freedom in fingers and arms. It
+       was not the fashion of her time to play with the relaxed
+       freedom, with the breadth and depth of style which we demand
+       of artists to-day. In those days relaxation had not received
+       the attention it deserved, therefore we should probably find
+       the playing of the greatest artists of a former generation
+       stiff and angular, in spite of all we have heard of their
+       wonderful performances.</p>
+
+    <p>"Relaxation is a hobby with me; I believe in absolute
+    freedom in every part of the arm anatomy, from the shoulder
+    down to the finger-tips. Stiffness seems to me the most
+    reprehensible thing in piano playing, as well as the most
+    common fault with all kinds of players. When people come to
+    play for me, that is the thing I see first in them, the
+    stiffness. While living in Berlin, I saw much of Mme. Teresa
+    Carre&ntilde;o, and she feels the same as I do about
+    relaxation, not only at the keyboard, but when sitting, moving
+    about or walking. She has thought along this line so
+    constantly, that sometimes, if carrying something in hand, she
+    will inadvertently let it drop, without realizing
+    <a name="page50"
+       id="page50"></a> it&mdash;from sheer force of the habit of
+       relaxation.</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask how I would begin with a young pupil who never has
+    had lessons. I use the principle of relaxation first of all,
+    loosening arms and wrists. This principle can be taught to the
+    youngest pupil. The wrist is elevated and lowered, as the hand
+    is formed on the keys in its five finger position, with arched
+    knuckles. It does not take long to acquire this relaxed
+    condition; then come the finger movements. I do not believe in
+    lifting the fingers high above the keys; this takes time and
+    interferes with velocity and power. I lift my fingers but
+    little above the keys, yet I have plenty of power, all the
+    critics agree on that. In chords and octaves I get all the
+    power I need by grasping the keys with weight and pressure. I
+    do not even prepare the fingers in the air, before taking the
+    chord; I do not find it necessary." Here the pianist played a
+    succession of ringing chords, whose power and tonal quality
+    bore out her words; the fingers seemed merely to press and
+    cling; there was no striking nor percussion.</p>
+
+    <p>"To return to the beginning pupil. As for a book to start
+    with, I often use the one by Damm, though any foundational work
+    may <a name="page51"
+       id="page51"></a>be employed, so long as correct principles
+       are taught. It is said by Leschetizky that he has no method.
+       That may be understood to mean a book, for he certainly has
+       what others would call a method. There are principles and
+       various sets of exercises to be learned; but it is quite
+       true that none of the Vorbereiters use a book.</p>
+
+    <p>"In teaching the piano, as you know, every pupil is
+    different; each has his or her own peculiar hand, and a
+    different degree of intelligence. So each pupil must be treated
+    differently. This is really an advantage to the teacher; for it
+    would be very monotonous if all pupils were alike.</p>
+
+    <p>"The piano is such a revealer of character; I need only to
+    hear a person play to know what sort of character he has. If
+    one is inclined to much careful detail in everything, it comes
+    out in the playing. If one is indolent and indifferent, it is
+    seen the moment one touches the keys; or if one is built on
+    broad, generous lines, and sees the dramatic point in life and
+    things, all this is revealed at the piano.</p>
+
+    <p>"To refer again to the subject of finger action. I do not
+    believe in the so-called finger stroke; on the contrary I
+    advocate fingers close to the keys, clinging to them whenever
+    you can.<a name="page52"
+       id="page52"></a> This is also Arthur Schnabel's idea. You
+       should hear Schnabel; all Berlin is wild over him, and
+       whenever he gives a concert the house is sold out. He has
+       quantities of pupils also, and is quite a remarkable
+       teacher. One point I insist upon which he doesn't: I will
+       not allow the joint of the finger next the tip to break or
+       give in. I can not stand that, but Schnabel doesn't seem to
+       care about it; his mind is filled with only the big, broad
+       things of music.</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to memorizing piano compositions. I do it phrase
+    by phrase, and at the instrument, unless I am traveling or
+    unable to get to a piano, in which case I think it out from the
+    notes. If the piece is very difficult I take a short passage of
+    two or three measures and play each hand separately and then
+    together; but generally I play the passage complete&mdash;say
+    half a dozen times with the notes, and then repeat it the same
+    number of times from memory. Perhaps the next day I have
+    forgotten it, so the work has to be done over again; the second
+    time, however, it generally sticks.</p>
+
+    <p>"My great longing and ambition is to write music, to become
+    a composer. With this end in view, I give whatever time I am
+    able to the <a name="page53"
+       id="page53"></a>study of composition. I hope some day to
+       create something that will be worthy the high aim I have
+       before me."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page54"
+          id="page54"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="VIII_BERTHA_FIERING_TAPPER"
+       id="VIII_BERTHA_FIERING_TAPPER"></a>VIII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>BERTHA FIERING TAPPER</h2>
+
+    <h3>MASTERING PIANISTIC PROBLEMS</h3>
+
+    <p>If environment and atmosphere are inspirational aids to
+    piano teaching and playing, the students of Mrs. Thomas Tapper
+    have the incentives of both in their lesson hours. Her
+    apartments on the Drive have the glory of sunlight all the long
+    afternoons. Outside the Hudson shimmers in blue and gold;
+    indoors all is harmonious and home-like. In the large
+    music-room, facing the river, two grand pianos stand side by
+    side; there are many portraits and mementoes of the great in
+    music; fresh flowers, books&mdash;everything to uplift thought;
+    while in the midst of it all is Mrs. Tapper herself, the
+    serious, high-minded, inspiring teacher; the "mother confessor"
+    to a large number of young artists and teachers.</p>
+
+    <p>"Music study means so much more than merely exercising the
+    fingers," she said; "the student should have a good all-round
+    education. When young people come to me for <a name="page55"
+       id="page55"></a>instruction, I ask what they are doing in
+       school. If they say they have left school in order to devote
+       their whole time to the piano, I say, 'Go back to your
+       school, and come to me later, when you have finished your
+       school course.' It is true that in rare cases it may be
+       advisable for the student to leave school, but he should
+       then pursue general or special studies at home. I often wish
+       the music student's education in this country could be
+       arranged as it is in at least one of the great music schools
+       in Russia. There the mornings are given to music, while
+       general studies are taken up later in the day. It is really
+       a serious problem, here in America, this fitting in music
+       with other studies. Both public and private schools try to
+       cover so much ground that there is very little time left for
+       music or anything else. The music pupil also needs to know
+       musical literature, history and biography, to be familiar
+       with the lives and writings of the great composers. Take the
+       letters and literary articles of Robert Schumann, for
+       instance. How interesting and inspiring they are!</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to methods in piano study my principles are based
+    wholly upon my observations of Leschetizky's work with me
+    personally, or with others. What I know he has taught
+    <a name="page56"
+       id="page56"></a>me; what I have achieved I owe to him. My
+       first eight weeks in Vienna were spent in learning, first,
+       to control position and condition of hands and arms
+       according to the law of balance; secondly, to direct each
+       motion with the utmost accuracy and speed. To accomplish
+       this I began with the most elementary exercises in
+       five-finger position, using one finger at a time. Then came
+       the principles of the scale, arpeggios, chords and octaves.
+       All these things were continued until every principle was
+       mastered. I practised at first an hour a day, then increased
+       the amount as my hands grew stronger and the number of
+       exercises increased.</p>
+
+    <p>"Next came the study of tone production in various forms, a
+    good quality invariably being the result of a free condition of
+    the arm combined with strength of fingers and hands.</p>
+
+    <p>"The Leschetizky principles seem to me the most perfect and
+    correct in every particular. Yes, there are several books of
+    the method, by different authors, but I teach the principles
+    without a book. The principles themselves are the essential
+    things. I aim to build up the hand, to make it strong and
+    dependable in every part, to fill out the weak places and
+    equalize it. That this may be thoroughly and <a name="page57"
+       id="page57"></a>successfully accomplished, I require that
+       nothing but technical exercises be used for the first nine,
+       ten, or twelve weeks. We begin with the simplest exercises,
+       one finger at a time, then two, three and so on through the
+       hand. I believe in thus devoting all the practise time to
+       technic, for a certain period, so that the mind is free to
+       master the principles, undisturbed by piece playing. When
+       the principles have been assimilated, the attention can then
+       be directed to the study of music itself. If any weak places
+       appear in the hand from time to time, they can be easily
+       corrected.</p>
+
+    <p>"If a pupil comes to me who has played a great deal but with
+    no idea of the principles of piano playing, who does not know
+    how to handle herself or the keyboard, it is absolutely
+    necessary to stop everything and get ready to play. If you
+    attempt even a simple sonata with no legato touch, no idea of
+    chord or scale playing, you can not make the piece sound like
+    anything. It is like a painter trying to paint without brushes,
+    or an artist attempting to make a pen and ink drawing with a
+    blunt lead pencil; to do good work you must have the tools to
+    work with.</p>
+
+    <p>"For application of all principles, the studies of Czerny,
+    Op. 299, 740, and others, offer <a name="page58"
+       id="page58"></a>unequaled opportunity. They are simple,
+       direct, and give the student a chance for undivided
+       attention to every position taken and to every motion
+       made.</p>
+
+    <p>"What happens afterward is altogether according to the
+    individual characteristics of the student. How to recognize
+    these and deal with them to the best advantage is the
+    interesting task of my great master (and those who try to
+    follow in his steps)&mdash;the man of keenest intelligence, of
+    profound learning and experience. To learn this lesson from him
+    has been my greatest aim, and to see him at work, as it has
+    been my privilege to do for several summers, has been of the
+    greatest influence and inspiration in my own work.</p>
+
+    <p>"My chief endeavor is to create a desire for good
+    musicianship. To this end I insist upon the study of theory,
+    harmony, ear-training and analysis. In the piano lessons I do
+    not have sufficient time to teach these things. I have
+    assistant teachers who help me with these subjects and also
+    with the technical training. Once a month during the season, my
+    assistant teachers bring their pupils to play for me, and we
+    have a class in piano teaching. There are sometimes eighteen or
+    twenty students who come to a class. I can in this way
+    supervise <a name="page59"
+       id="page59"></a>all the work done, and keep in touch with my
+       teachers, their work, and with all the students.</p>
+
+    <p>"On the first Saturday of the month I have my own pupils
+    here for a class; they play for me and for each other.
+    Everything is played from memory, not a printed note is used.
+    Students tell me it is very difficult to play here, where all
+    listen so intently. Especially is it difficult the first time a
+    student plays in class, to keep the mind wholly on what he is
+    doing, with sufficient concentration. Later on, at the end of
+    the season, it comes easier.</p>
+
+    <p>"This idea of separating the technical work at the outset
+    from the study of music itself, secures, in my opinion, the
+    most perfect foundation, and later on the best results. It is
+    sometimes wonderful how, with proper training, the hand will
+    improve and develop in a comparatively short time. I often
+    marvel at it myself."</p>
+
+    <p>The writer had the privilege of being one of the guests at
+    the last audition of the season. Eight or nine young artists
+    played a long and difficult program. Among the numbers were a
+    Beethoven sonata, entire; Chopin's Ballade in A flat major;
+    Cesar Franck, Prelude, Fugue and Variations; a Mozart
+    Fantaisie; Grieg Concerto, first movement; Weber's
+    <a name="page60"
+       id="page60"></a>Concertst&uuml;ck, and Chopin's Scherzo in
+       E. The recital was most instructive from an educational
+       point of view. All the players had repose and concentration,
+       and there were no noticeable slips, though every piece was
+       played from memory. Hands were well arched at the knuckles,
+       fingers curved&mdash;with adequate action at the knuckle
+       joint; wrists in normal position, and extremely loose; the
+       whole arm swung from the shoulder and poised over the keys,
+       thus adjusting itself to every requirement of the
+       composition. Every note had its amount of hand or arm
+       weight. The tone quality was full and singing. These points
+       were exemplified even in the playing of the youngest pupils.
+       Furthermore they had an intelligent grasp of the meaning of
+       the music they played, and brought it out with conviction,
+       power, and brilliancy.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page61"
+          id="page61"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="IX_CARL_M_ROEDER"
+       id="IX_CARL_M_ROEDER"></a>IX.</h2>
+
+    <h2>CARL M. ROEDER</h2>
+
+    <h3>PROBLEMS OF PIANO TEACHERS</h3>
+
+    <p>"The progressive teacher's method must be one of accretion,"
+    said Carl Roeder, when interviewed between lesson hours in his
+    delightful studio in Carnegie Hall. "He gains ideas from many
+    methods and sources, and these he assimilates and makes
+    practical for his work. At the same time he must originate and
+    work out things for himself. This has been my experience.</p>
+
+    <p>"I was something of a wonder child, and at an early age
+    developed considerable facility and brilliancy. After knocking
+    about as a pupil of various private teachers and
+    conservatories, I became, while quite a young lad, the pupil of
+    de Konstki, then a lion of the day." The speaker joined in the
+    laugh his remark called up, which brought to mind the
+    Chevalier's famous battle-horse, "The Awakening of the
+    Lion."</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page62"
+       id="page62"></a>De Konstki's style was very brilliant and I
+       endeavored to imitate him in this respect. I did quite a
+       little concert work at that time. Realizing, however, that a
+       pianist's income must be rather precarious, I decided to
+       teach. In those youthful days I had the idea that the
+       teacher of the piano had an easy life. I remembered one of
+       my professors, a man of considerable reputation, who took
+       the duties of his profession very lightly. His method of
+       giving a lesson was to place the music upon the piano, start
+       the pupil going, then retire to a comfortable couch, light
+       his pipe and smoke at ease, troubling himself little about
+       the pupil's doings, except occasionally to call out
+       'Falsch!'</p>
+
+    <p>"So I, too, began to teach the piano. But I soon discovered
+    that teaching was something quite different from what I had
+    imagined it to be, and that it was something I knew very little
+    about. I now set myself to learn how to teach&mdash;how to help
+    those pupils who came to me.</p>
+
+    <p>"One of my first discoveries was that most of the pupils
+    were afflicted with stiff wrists and arms, and that this
+    stiffness must be remedied. My own playing had always been
+    free, due to one of my early teachers having thoroughly
+    inculcated the principle of 'weight,' so often <a name="page63"
+       id="page63"></a>acclaimed in these days as a modern
+       discovery. But how to bring about this condition in others
+       was a great problem. I studied the Mason method, and found
+       many helpful, illuminating ideas in regard to relaxation and
+       devitalization. I had some lessons with S. B. Mills, and
+       later did considerable valuable work with Paolo Gallico, who
+       opened up to me the great storehouse of musical treasure,
+       and revealed to me among other things the spiritual technic
+       of the pianist's art. Subsequently I investigated the Virgil
+       and Leschetizky methods. Mr. Virgil has done some remarkable
+       things in the way of organizing and systematizing technical
+       requirements, and for this we owe him much. Such analyses
+       had not before been made with anything like the care and
+       minuteness, and his work has been of the greatest benefit to
+       the profession. My subsequent studies with Harold Bauer
+       revealed him to be a deep musical thinker and a remarkable
+       teacher of the meaning of music itself.</p>
+
+    <p>"In my teaching I follow many of the ideas of Leschetizky,
+    modified and worked out in the manner which I have found most
+    useful to my own technic and to that of my pupils. I have
+    formulated a method of my own, based on the principles which
+    form a dependable <a name="page64"
+       id="page64"></a>foundation to build the future structure
+       upon. Each pupil at the outset is furnished with a blank
+       book, in which are written the exercises thus developed as
+       adapted to individual requirements.</p>
+
+    <h3>FOUNDATIONAL EXERCISES</h3>
+
+    <p>"We begin with table work. I use about ten different
+    exercises which embody, as it were, in a nutshell, the
+    principles of piano playing. The hand is first formed in an
+    arched position, with curved fingers, and solidified. The thumb
+    has to be taught to move properly, for many people have never
+    learned to control it at all.</p>
+
+    <p>"With the hand in firm, solid position, and the arm hanging
+    freely from the shoulder, I begin to use combined arm and wrist
+    movements, aiming to get the weight of the arm as well as its
+    energy at the complete disposal of the finger tip. Each finger
+    in turn is held firmly in a curved position and played with a
+    rotary movement of arm and wrist. When this can be done we next
+    learn hand action at the wrist from which results the staccato
+    touch. In this form of hand staccato there is an element of
+    percussion, as you see, but this element gives directness and
+    precision to the <a name="page65"
+       id="page65"></a>staccato touch, which in my opinion are
+       necessary. After this we come to finger action itself. This
+       principle is taken up thoroughly, first with one finger,
+       then with two, three, four, and five&mdash;in all possible
+       combinations. In this way we come down from the large
+       free-arm movements to the smaller finger movements; from the
+       'general to the particular,' instead of working from the
+       smaller to the larger. I find it most necessary to establish
+       relaxation first, then strengthen and build up the hand,
+       before finger action to any extent is used. When these
+       foundational points have been acquired, the trill, scales,
+       arpeggios, chords, octaves and double notes follow in due
+       course. At the same time the rhythmic sense is developed,
+       all varieties of touch and dynamics introduced, and harmonic
+       and structural analysis dwelt upon.</p>
+
+    <h3>USE OF STUDIES</h3>
+
+    <p>"Above the third or fourth grade I make frequent use of
+    studies, selecting them from various books. Duvernoy, Op. 120;
+    Berens, Op. 61; Czerny, Op. 740 I find far more interesting
+    than the threadbare 299. Heller is indispensable, so melodious
+    and musical. Arthur Foote's studies, Op. 27, are very useful;
+    <a name="page66"
+       id="page66"></a>also MacDowell's, Op. 39 and 46. Sometimes I
+       use a few of Cramer's and the Clementi 'Gradus,' though
+       these seem rather old-fashioned now.</p>
+
+    <p>"For more advanced pupils I find Harberbier, Op. 53
+    especially applicable; there is beautiful work in them.
+    Kessler, Op. 20, and the Moszkowski studies, Op. 72, have
+    splendid material for the advanced player, and prepare for
+    Henselt, Rubinstein, Chopin and Liszt &eacute;tudes. I find
+    that studies are valuable for application of technical
+    principles, for reacting purposes, and for the cultivation of
+    all the refinements of playing. Some teachers believe in
+    applying the technic directly to pieces, and use almost no
+    studies; but I think a study is often more valuable than a
+    piece, because a definite technical principle is treated in
+    every kind of way. Though I do not require studies to be
+    memorized, they must be played with all the finish of a piece,
+    if the pupil is to derive the maximum of benefit from them.</p>
+
+    <h3>BOOKS THAT ARE HELPFUL</h3>
+
+    <p>"As aids to my studies in the art of teaching, several books
+    have been most helpful. Among these are two volumes by Dr.
+    Herman H. Home, <i>The Philosophy of Education</i>, and
+    <a name="page67"
+       id="page67"></a> <i>The Psychology of Education</i>. Another
+       book, from which I have profited much is William James'
+       <i>Talks to Teachers on Psychology</i>. Every teacher should
+       possess it.</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask what method I pursue with new pupils who have
+    played a great deal of music but with little idea of correct
+    principles of piano study. Let us take, for instance, one who
+    has had lessons for years but is in ignorance of first
+    principles. Arms and wrists are stiff, hands and fingers held
+    in cramped position; no freedom anywhere. My first move is to
+    have the pupil stand and learn to relax arms, shoulders and
+    body; then learn to breathe. But relaxation, even at first, is
+    not the only thing; after devitalization comes organization,
+    firmness and solidity&mdash;in the right places. It must be
+    understood at the very beginning that piano playing is far more
+    than sitting before the instrument working the fingers six or
+    seven hours a day. The mechanical side is only preliminary.
+    Some one has said that the factors in playing are a trinity of
+    H's&mdash;head, hand and heart. I try at once to awaken
+    thought, to give a wider outlook, to show that piano playing is
+    the expression, through the medium of tone, of all that the
+    poet, painter and philosopher are endeavoring to show through
+    <a name="page68"
+       id="page68"></a>other means: to this end I endeavor to
+       stimulate interest in the wonders of the visible universe,
+       the intellectual achievements of men and the deep things of
+       spiritual discernment.</p>
+
+    <h3>IN REGARD TO INTERPRETATION</h3>
+
+    <p>"On this subject I think we should avoid pedantry; not to
+    say to the pupil, you must play this piece a certain way; but
+    rather say, I see or feel it in this way, and give the reasons
+    underlying the conception. I believe the successful teacher
+    should be a pianist. He should understand every point and be
+    able to <i>do</i> the thing, else how can he really show the
+    manner of the doing? Many of the <i>nuances</i>, subtleties of
+    color and phrase, effects of charm or of bravura, cannot be
+    explained; they must be illustrated. And furthermore, only he
+    who has been over the road can be a safe or sympathetic guide.
+    Tolstoi realized he could not be of service to the people he
+    would uplift unless he lived among them, shared their trials
+    and experienced their needs. The time has gone by when the
+    musician and composer was considered a sort of freak, knowing
+    music and nothing else. We know the great composers were men of
+    the highest intelligence and learning, men whose aim was to
+    work out their <a name="page69"
+       id="page69"></a>genius to the utmost perfection. Nothing
+       less than the highest would satisfy them. As George Eliot
+       said, 'Genius is the capacity for taking infinite pains.'
+       Think of the care Beethoven took with every phrase, how many
+       times he did it over, never leaving it till he was
+       satisfied."</p>
+
+    <p>In speaking of the great European teachers Mr. Roeder
+    continued:</p>
+
+    <p>"We hear much of the Leschetizky method; but with that
+    master technic is quite a secondary matter over which, when
+    once the principles are mastered, he troubles himself but
+    little. It is the conception of the work as a whole which
+    concerns him, how to project it, so to say, most effectively to
+    an audience. He brings into prominence now this part, now that,
+    accenting here, slightly exaggerating there, in order to make
+    the picture more vivid to the listener. Harold Bauer is another
+    illuminating master for those who have a technical equipment
+    adequate to the performance of great works of piano literature.
+    Some go to him who are not ready for what he has to give, but
+    to those who can direct attention to the meaning of the music,
+    he is a wonderful inspirational force. First he will point out
+    a phrase here, another there, and so on through
+    <a name="page70"
+       id="page70"></a>the piece, showing how the same idea takes
+       on various aspects in the composer's thought. Then he shows
+       how to gather up these different threads to form the perfect
+       pattern which the author of the work had in mind; and
+       finally the master teacher reaches down below the surface of
+       form and design to the vital significance of the
+       composition, and the disciple feels the glow and power of
+       the revelation.</p>
+
+    <p>"There is no gainsaying the fact that this age is
+    superficial, and the great office of art is to cultivate that
+    idealism which will uplift and inspire. In an important sense
+    the teacher must be a preacher of righteousness. He knows that
+    'beautiful things are fashioned from clay, but it has first to
+    pass through the fire,' and only those who can endure that
+    scorching can hope to achieve success.</p>
+
+    <h3>QUESTION OF PERSONALITY</h3>
+
+    <p>"If asked to what extent a player's personality enters into
+    the performance, my answer would be: Only in so far as the
+    performance remains true to the composer's intention. So long
+    as personality illumines the picture and adds charm, interest,
+    and effectiveness to it, it is to be applauded; but when it
+    obstructs the <a name="page71"
+       id="page71"></a>view and calls attention to itself it should
+       not be tolerated. It is not art; it is vanity.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, I teach both high finger action and pressure touch,
+    once the principle of arm weight is thoroughly established,
+    although I use high finger action only to develop finger
+    independence and precision, and for passages where sharp
+    delineation is required. I believe in freedom of body, arm and
+    wrist, a firm, solid arched hand and set fingers. That freedom
+    is best which insures such control of the various playing
+    members as to enable the player to produce at will any effect
+    of power, velocity or delicacy desired; thereby placing the
+    entire mechanical apparatus under complete subjection to the
+    mind, which dominates the performance. In other words, I am
+    neither an anarchist who wants no government, namely
+    unrestrained devitalization, nor a socialist, whose cry is for
+    all government&mdash;that is, restriction and rigidity. In
+    piano playing, as in all else, 'Virtue is the happy mean
+    between two vices.'"</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page72"
+          id="page72"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="X_KATHARINE_GOODSON"
+       id="X_KATHARINE_GOODSON"></a>X.</h2>
+
+    <h2>KATHARINE GOODSON</h2>
+
+    <h3>AN ARTIST AT HOME</h3>
+
+    <p>When one has frequently listened to a favorite pianist in
+    the concert room, and has studied impersonally, so to speak,
+    the effects of touch, tone and interpretation produced during a
+    recital, it is a satisfaction and delight to come into personal
+    touch with the artist in the inner circle of the home; to be
+    able to speak face to face with one who has charmed thousands
+    from the platform, and to discuss freely the points which
+    impress one when listening to a public
+    performance.</p><a name="Katharine_Goodson"
+          id="Katharine_Goodson"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/085.png"
+             alt="Katharine Goodson"
+             title="Katharine Goodson" />
+
+        <h5>Katharine Goodson</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>It has been my recent privilege thus to come into intimate
+    touch with the artist pair, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hinton, the
+    latter being known all over the world as Katharine Goodson.
+    They have a quiet, beautiful home in London&mdash;a true
+    artist's home. One feels at once on entering and enjoying its
+    hospitality, that here at least is one instance where two
+    <a name="page73"
+       id="page73"></a>musicians have perfect harmony in the home
+       life. Mr. Hinton, as is widely known, is a composer and also
+       a violinist and pianist. The beautiful music-room, which has
+       been added to one side of the house and leads into the
+       garden, contains two grand pianos on its raised platform.
+       This music-room is Miss Goodson's own sanctum and workroom,
+       and here piano concertos, with orchestral accompaniment
+       supplied on the second piano, can be studied <i>ad
+       infinitum</i>. Mr. Hinton has his own studio at the top of
+       the house.</p>
+
+    <p>The garden music-room is lighted at one end by a great
+    arched window, so placed that the trees of the garden are seen
+    through its panes. It is easy to imagine one's self in some
+    lovely sylvan retreat&mdash;which is indeed true! All the
+    appointments of this room, and indeed of the whole house, every
+    article of furniture and each touch of color, betoken the
+    artistic sense for fitness and harmony. Miss Goodson has a keen
+    and exquisite sense for harmony in colors as well as for color
+    in the harmonies she brings from her instrument.</p>
+
+    <p>"My coming tour will be the fifth I have made in America,"
+    she said. "I enjoy playing in your country immensely; the
+    cities of New York, Boston, Chicago, and Philadelphia
+    <a name="page74"
+       id="page74"></a>are the most appreciative in the world. It
+       is true we have masses of concerts in London, but few of
+       them are really well attended and people are not so
+       thoroughly acquainted with piano music as you are in
+       America. And you are so appreciative of the best&mdash;even
+       in the smaller cities.</p>
+
+    <p>"I can recall a recital which I gave in a city of not more
+    than forty thousand, in the West. The recital was arranged by a
+    musical club; they asked for the program some time in advance,
+    studied it up and thus knew every piece I was to play. There
+    was an enormous audience, for people came from all the country
+    round. I remember three little elderly ladies who greeted me
+    after the recital; in parting they said, 'You will see us
+    to-morrow,' I thought it over afterward and wondered what they
+    meant, for I was to play at a place many miles from there the
+    next night. What was my surprise to be greeted by the same
+    ladles the following evening. 'You see, we are here; we told
+    you we would come.' Fancy taking a trip from London to
+    Edinburgh just to hear a concert! For it was a journey like
+    that. Such incidents show the enthusiasm in America for
+    music&mdash;and for piano music.</p>
+
+    <p>"I hope to play both the Brahms and <a name="page75"
+       id="page75"></a>Paderewski concertos in America. To me the
+       latter is a beautiful work&mdash;the slow movement is
+       exquisite. I have as yet scarcely done anything with the
+       composition, for I have been on a long tour through Norway,
+       Sweden, and Finland. It was most inspiring to play for these
+       people; they want me to come back to them now, but I cannot
+       do so, nor can I go next season, but after that I shall go.
+       I returned home greatly in need of rest. I shall now begin
+       work in earnest, however, as summer is really the only time
+       I have for study throughout the year. I shall have six full
+       weeks now before we take our usual holiday in the
+       Grindelwald. On the way there we shall stop at Morges and
+       visit Paderewski, and then I will go over the concerto with
+       him and get his ideas as to interpretation.</p>
+
+    <h3>MEMORIZING BY ANALYSIS</h3>
+
+    <p>"You ask how I memorize. First I go over the work several
+    times to get a general idea of the whole. Then I analyze it,
+    for I feel it absolutely necessary to know keys, chords, and
+    construction. A work should be so well understood along these
+    lines that it can be played in another key as well as in the
+    one in which it is written. For the actual memorizing of the
+    <a name="page76"
+       id="page76"></a>piece I generally do it phrase by phrase,
+       not always 'each hand alone,' though occasionally I do this
+       also. I remember learning the Bach A minor Prelude and Fugue
+       in this way. If I were now asked to play any measure or
+       passage in any part of it I could do so; it is mine forever,
+       never to be forgotten."</p>
+
+    <p>Asked about the different ways of teaching the Leschetizky
+    method by various teachers, Miss Goodson said:</p>
+
+    <p>"As we all know, people claim to understand and teach the
+    Leschetizky principles who are not competent to do so. I do not
+    recall, for instance, that the professor requires the tips of
+    the fingers to form a straight line on the edge of the keys. I
+    myself have never done this. I believe in a perfectly easy and
+    natural position of hand at the keyboard. When this is the case
+    the finger-tips form a curve, the middle fingers being placed a
+    little farther in on the keys than is natural for the first and
+    fifth. Of course the hand takes an arched position and the
+    joints nearest the tip of the fingers must be firm; there
+    should be no wavering nor giving in there. The whole arm, of
+    course, is relaxed, and swings easily from the
+    shoulder.<a name="page77"
+       id="page77"></a></p>
+
+    <h3>A PIANO HAND</h3>
+
+    <p>"I have, as you say, a good hand for the piano; much depends
+    on that; I have always had a good deal of what is called a
+    natural technic. Thus when I am obliged to forego practising I
+    do not lose my facility; an hour's work puts the hand in
+    condition again. What do I do to accomplish this? Different
+    things. First some finger movements, perhaps with fingers in an
+    extended chord position; then some scales and arpeggios; then a
+    Chopin &eacute;tude, and so on. When practising regularly, I do
+    not generally work at the piano more than four hours a day; it
+    seems to me that amount is sufficient, if used with absolute
+    concentration."</p>
+
+    <p>Later we adjourned to the pretty garden back of the
+    music-room, and here we were joined by a beautiful gray Angora
+    cat, the pet and pride of his mistress, and a very important
+    personage indeed. He has a trick of climbing to Miss Goodson's
+    shoulder, from which point of vantage he surveys the world
+    about him with all the complaisance of which an animal of such
+    high degree is capable.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page78"
+          id="page78"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XI_MARK_HAMBOURG"
+       id="XI_MARK_HAMBOURG"></a>XI.</h2>
+
+    <h2>MARK HAMBOURG</h2><a name="Mark_Hambourg"
+          id="Mark_Hambourg"></a>
+
+    <h3>FORM, TECHNIC, AND EXPRESSION</h3>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/092.png"
+             alt="MARK HAMBOURG"
+             title="MARK HAMBOURG" />
+
+        <h5>MARK HAMBOURG</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>In one of the most quiet, secluded quarters of London can be
+    found the home of the Russian pianist, Mark Hambourg. Mr.
+    Hambourg lives on a terrace, "far from the madding crowd," and
+    difficult enough of access to keep mere curiosity seekers at a
+    distance. One can scarcely picture to one's self, without an
+    actual sight of them, the quaint charm of these short passages
+    or streets, usually termed "terraces," or "gardens." This
+    particular terrace looks out on a restful green park, where
+    luxuriant trees make long shadows on the sunlit turf. The house
+    is large and comfortable&mdash;built over a hundred years ago;
+    its rooms are spacious, and the drawing-room and library, which
+    lead one into the other, form a fine music salon. Surely, amid
+    such surroundings, with priceless pictures and <i>objets
+    d'art</i> all about, with exquisite colors, with space and
+    quiet, an <a name="page79"
+       id="page79"></a>artist must find an ideal spot for both work
+       and play. I expressed this thought to Mr. Hambourg when he
+       entered; then we soon fell to discussing the necessary
+       equipment of the teacher and pianist.</p>
+
+    <p>"I agree with you," he said, "that it is the beginning of
+    piano study which is the most difficult of all; this is where
+    the teacher has such great responsibility and where so many
+    teachers are so incompetent. Perhaps there are more poor
+    teachers for the piano than for the voice. The organs of voice
+    production cannot be seen, they can only be guessed at; so
+    there may be a little more excuse for the vocal teacher; but
+    for the piano we have the keys and the fingers. It should not
+    therefore be such a very difficult thing to learn to play
+    intelligently and correctly! Yet few seem to have got hold of
+    the right principles or know how to impart them."</p>
+
+    <p>"I have heard a number of the young pianists here," I
+    remarked, "and they all play with very little finger
+    action&mdash;with fingers close to the keys. Do you advocate
+    this?"</p>
+
+    <h3>LOW HAND POSITION</h3>
+
+    <p>"Do not forget that for centuries England has been a country
+    of organists; without doubt <a name="page80"
+       id="page80"></a>organ playing has had some effect on the
+       piano touch. Some schools of piano playing advise lifting
+       the fingers high above the keys, with a view to producing
+       greater power; but I think the tone thus produced is often
+       of a somewhat harsh and disagreeable quality. Then, too,
+       high lifting interferes with smoothness and velocity. For
+       myself I advocate keeping the fingers close to the keyboard,
+       and pressing the keys, which gives the tone a warmer and
+       more elastic quality."</p>
+
+    <p>"A point in hand position I should like to ask you about.
+    Some teachers advise placing the finger-tips close to the edge
+    of the keys, forming a straight line with them; it seems to me
+    such a position is forced and unnatural."</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Hambourg smiled assent.</p>
+
+    <p>"I do not advocate anything forced and unnatural," he
+    answered. "So many people think that a beautiful touch is
+    'born, not made,' but I do not agree with them. One can
+    acquire, I am sure, a fine piano touch with the proper study.
+    The principal requirement is, first of all, a loose wrist. This
+    point seems simple enough, but it is a point not sufficiently
+    considered nor understood. No matter how much the player may
+    <i>feel</i> the meaning of the music, he cannot express this
+    meaning with <a name="page81"
+       id="page81"></a>stiff wrists and arms. Some people have a
+       natural flexibility, and to such the securing of a musical
+       tone presents far less difficulty; but with time, patience,
+       and thought, I fully believe all can arrive at this
+       goal.</p>
+
+    <h3>AMOUNT OF PRACTISE</h3>
+
+    <p>"In regard to practise I do not think it wise for the
+    aspiring pianist to spend such a great amount of time at the
+    piano. Four hours of concentrated work daily seems to me
+    sufficient. Of course it is the quality of practise that
+    counts. The old saying, 'Practise makes perfect,' does not mean
+    constant repetition merely, but constant thinking and
+    listening. I advise students to stop after playing a passage
+    several times, and think over what the notes mean. This pause
+    will rest ears and hands; in a few moments work can be resumed
+    with fresh vigor.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have been so frequently asked to write on the subject of
+    technic that I have done so in a few articles which have been
+    printed in a small booklet. From these you may see what my
+    ideas are on these points. I do very little teaching
+    myself&mdash;just a few talented pupils; they must be something
+    out of the ordinary. You see, I do not live in London
+    continuously; I am here only about four months of the year;
+    <a name="page82"
+       id="page82"></a>the rest of the time is spent traveling all
+       over the world. Only that small part of the year when I am
+       stationary can I do any solid work. Here it is generally
+       quiet enough: the Zoological Garden is not far away,
+       however, and sometimes I have the roaring of the lions as an
+       accompaniment to my piano.</p>
+
+    <p>"I am always increasing my repertoire, though I find the
+    public does not care for new things; it prefers the old. It may
+    listen to the new if forced to, but it will not attend a
+    recital unless various familiar things are on the program.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have made several tours in America. The rush of travel
+    from place to place over there, is fatiguing, but I feel that
+    your people are very appreciative. You demand the best, and
+    concert giving in America is so costly that a manager can
+    afford to exploit only the highest artists. Here in London,
+    where the expense is only about two hundred dollars, say, to
+    get up a recital, almost any one can scrape together that sum
+    and bring himself or herself before the public. In America the
+    outlay is four or five times greater. No wonder that only a
+    very good artist can take the risk."</p>
+
+    <p>On leaving, Mr. Hambourg took us to another room, where he
+    showed us with much satisfaction, a <a name="page83"
+       id="page83"></a> very valuable painting of the old Italian
+       school, by Ghirlandajo, of which he is very fond.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page84"
+          id="page84"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XII_TOBIAS_MATTHAY"
+       id="XII_TOBIAS_MATTHAY"></a>XII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>TOBIAS MATTHAY</h2>
+
+    <h3>WATCHING THE ARTIST TEACHER AT WORK</h3>
+
+    <p>One of the first things accomplished after my arrival in
+    London was to seek out Tobias Matthay, the composer and
+    teacher, for an echo of his fame had reached me across the
+    water.</p>
+
+    <p>Matthay has done much to make the principles of piano
+    technic so clear and simple that even a child can understand
+    them. If he has stated facts in a way which seems to some
+    revolutionary it is because these facts are seldom understood
+    by the rank and file of piano teachers. The work he has done
+    has compelled attention and admiration; his ideas are now
+    accepted as undeniable truths by those who at first repudiated
+    them. The writings of Mr. Matthay will doubtless be better
+    known in America a little later on than they are at present.
+    They consist in part of an exhaustive work on <i>The Act of
+    Touch in all its <a name="page85"
+       id="page85"></a>Diversity; First Principles of Piano
+       Playing; Relaxation Studies; The Child's First Steps in
+       Piano Playing; The Principles of Fingering and Laws of
+       Pedaling; Forearm Rotation Principle;</i> and, in press,
+       <i>The Principles of Teaching Interpretation</i>. These very
+       titles are inspiring and suggestive, and show Matthay to be
+       a deep thinker along educational
+       lines.</p><a name="Tobias_Matthay"
+          id="Tobias_Matthay"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/099.png"
+             alt="Cordially Yours, Tobias Matthay"
+             title="Cordially Yours, Tobias Matthay" />
+
+        <h5>Cordially Yours, Tobias Matthay</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>Matthay's activities are enormous. He is professor of
+    advanced piano playing at the Royal Academy of Music; also
+    founder and head of his own school of piano playing. So
+    occupied early and late is he, that it is almost impossible to
+    get a word with him. I was fortunate enough, however, to obtain
+    an hour's audience, and also permission to attend various
+    private classes at the Royal Academy, and hear a number of
+    pupils in recital.</p>
+
+    <p>In appearance Matthay is a striking personality. His head
+    and features recall pictures of Robert Louis Stevenson. His
+    tall, muscular form has the stoop of the scholar; and little
+    wonder when one remembers he must sit in his chair at work day
+    in and day out. His somewhat brusk manner melts into kind
+    amiability when discussing the topics in which he is vitally
+    interested. In his intercourse with <a name="page86"
+       id="page86"></a>students he is ever kind, sympathetic and
+       encouraging. They, on their part, treat him with profound
+       respect.</p>
+
+    <p>Matthay believes, and rightly, that the beginning pupil
+    should learn essentials of note values, rhythm, time,
+    ear-training and so on, before attempting to play anything at
+    the piano. When first taken to the instrument, its mechanism is
+    carefully explained to the learner, and what he must do to make
+    a really musical tone. He says <i>(Child's First Steps)</i>:
+    "Before you take the very first step in tone production, be
+    sure to understand that you must never touch the piano without
+    trying to make music. It is only too easy to sound notes
+    without making music at all. To make music we must make all the
+    sounds mean something, just as it is no use to pretend to speak
+    unless the sounds we make with our lips mean something, that is
+    unless they form reasoned phrases and sentences."</p>
+
+    <p>Here nothing is left vague. Matthay shows clearly how all
+    musical Form and Shape imply Movement and Progression: the
+    movement of a phrase toward its cadence; the movement of a
+    group of notes toward a beat or pulse ahead, or the movement of
+    a whole piece toward its climax, etc. This original view of his
+    regarding <a name="page87"
+       id="page87"></a>form, which he has advocated for the last
+       twenty years, is now being accepted generally by the more
+       up-to-date of the English theorists and teachers.</p>
+
+    <p>In regard to key mechanism and what must be done to produce
+    all varieties of touch and tone, Matthay has made exhaustive
+    studies. He says (<i>First Principles of Piano Playing</i>):
+    "The two chief rules of technic, as regards the key, are,
+    therefore: Always feel how much the key resists you: feel how
+    much the key <i>wants</i> for every note. Second, Always listen
+    for the moment each sound begins, so that you may learn to
+    direct your effort to the sound only, and not to the key bed.
+    You must never hit a key down, nor hit <i>at</i> it. The
+    finger-tip may fall on the key, and in gently reaching the key
+    you may follow up such fall by acting against the key. This
+    action against the key must be for the sole purpose of making
+    it move&mdash;in one of the many ways which each give us quite
+    a different kind of sound. And you must always direct such
+    action to the point in key descent where the sound begins."</p>
+
+    <p>I quote also this little summary from the same work:</p>
+
+    <p>"(a) It is only by making the hammer-end of the key move
+    that you can make a sound.<a name="page88"
+       id="page88"></a> (b) The swifter the movement the louder the
+       sound. (c) The more gradual this swiftness is obtained the
+       more beautiful the quality of sound. (d) For brilliant tone
+       you may hit the string by means of the key, but do not, by
+       mistake, hit the key instead. (e) You must 'aim' the key to
+       the <i>beginning</i> of each sound, because the hammer falls
+       off the string as you hear that beginning, and it is too
+       late then to influence the sound except its continuance. (f)
+       It is wrong to squeeze the key beds, because it prevents
+       tone, impairs musical result, impedes agility, and is,
+       besides, fatiguing. (g) You must feel the 'giving way point'
+       of the key, so that you may be able to tell how much force
+       is required for each note. Never, therefore, really hit the
+       keys."</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Matthay as minutely gives directions as to the muscular
+    problems of touch and technique. For instance, he explains how
+    all varieties of tone, good and bad, are caused, all
+    inflections of Duration, and the laws which govern the
+    attainment of Agility and ease of Technique; and also explains
+    the nature of incorrect muscular actions which prevent the
+    attainment of all these things. He shows where the released arm
+    weight should be applied, and again, where it should be
+    eliminated; makes <a name="page89"
+       id="page89"></a>clear the two opposite forms of technic
+       implied by "flat" and "bent" finger actions, and he goes
+       exhaustively into the little-understood question of forearm
+       rotary exertions, the correct application of which he proves
+       to be necessary for every note we play.</p>
+
+    <p>In speaking of methods in piano teaching, Mr. Matthay said
+    to me:</p>
+
+    <p>"I can say I have no method <i>of playing</i>, and moreover
+    I have not much faith in people who have. My teachings merely
+    show how all playing, good or bad, is accomplished. There are
+    certain principles, however, which every player should know,
+    but which, I am sorry to say, are as yet scarcely apprehended
+    even by the best teachers. The great pianists have experimented
+    till they have hit upon effects which they can repeat if all
+    conditions are favorable, and they are in the mood. As a rule
+    they do not know the laws underlying these effects. You may ask
+    the greatest pianists, for example, how to play octaves. 'Oh, I
+    play them thus'&mdash;illustrating. Just what to do to attain
+    this result they cannot explain. In my own case I have done
+    much experimenting, but always with the view to discovering
+    <i>how</i> things are done&mdash;the facts and laws governing
+    actual tone production and interpretation. I made
+    <a name="page90"
+       id="page90"></a>a study of Rubinstein's playing, for I found
+       he played a great deal better than I did. So I discovered
+       many things in listening to him, which he perhaps could not
+       have explained to me. These facts are incontrovertible and I
+       have brought many of my colleagues to see the truth of them.
+       More than this, I have brought many even of my older
+       colleagues who had a life-time of wrong mental habits to
+       impede them, to realize the truth of my teachings.</p>
+
+    <p>"The work of a teacher should speak for itself. For my own
+    part I never advertise, for I can point to hundreds of
+    pupils&mdash;this is no exaggeration in the least!&mdash;who
+    are constantly before the public, as concert pianists and
+    successful teachers.</p>
+
+    <p>"If there is one thing that rouses me deeply, it is the
+    incompetence of so many teachers of piano. They say to the
+    pupil: 'You play badly, you must play better'; but they do not
+    tell the pupil <i>how</i> to play better. They give doses of
+    &eacute;tudes, sonatas and pieces, yet never get at the heart
+    of the matter at all. It is even worse than the fake singing
+    teachers; I feel like saying it is damnable!"</p>
+
+    <p>It was my privilege to be present at some of Mr. Matthay's
+    private lessons, given at the Royal Academy. Several young men
+    were to <a name="page91"
+       id="page91"></a>try for one of the medals, and were playing
+       the same piece, one of the Strauss-Tausig Valse
+       Caprices.</p>
+
+    <p>Matthay listens to a complete performance of the work in
+    hand, then turns back to the beginning and goes over it again
+    for corrections and suggestions. He enters into it with
+    absolute devotion, directing with movements of head and hands
+    as a conductor might direct an orchestra; sometimes he dashes
+    down a chord in the treble to urge more force; at other times
+    lays a restraining hand on the player's arm, where the tone
+    should be softer. His blue pencil is often busy adding phrasing
+    marks. In the pauses he talks over with the pupil the character
+    of the piece, and the effects he thinks should be made. In
+    short his lessons are most helpful and illuminating.</p>
+
+    <p>I also had the opportunity to attend a pupils' "Practise
+    Concert," and here the results attained were little short of
+    marvelous. Small children, both boys and girls, played
+    difficult pieces, like the Grieg Variations for two pianos, the
+    Weber <i>Invitation to the Dance</i>, and works by Chopin and
+    Liszt, with accuracy and fluency. Almost every selection was
+    played from memory. The tone was always musical and often of
+    much power, and the pupils <a name="page92"
+       id="page92"></a>seemed thoroughly to understand what they
+       were doing and the meaning of the music. They certainly
+       exemplified the professor's maxim:</p>
+
+    <p>"Never touch the piano without trying to make music."</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>Not long afterward I received a copy of the new book, which
+    had just come from the press. Its comprehensive title is
+    <i>Musical Interpretation, its Laws and Principles, and their
+    Application in Teaching and Performing</i>. The material was
+    first presented in the form of lectures; on repeated requests
+    it has been issued in book form. The author at the outset
+    claims no attempt to treat such a complex problem exhaustively;
+    he has, however, selected the following seven points for
+    elucidation:</p>
+
+    <p>1. The difference between Practise and Strumming.<br />
+     2. The difference between Teaching and Cramming.<br />
+     3. How one's mind can be brought to bear on one's work.<br />
+     4. Correct ideas of Time and Shape.<br />
+     5. Elements of Rubato and its application.<br />
+     6. Elements of Duration and Pedaling and their
+    application.<br />
+     7. Some details as to the application of the Element of
+    Tone-variety.<br />
+     <a name="page93"
+       id="page93"></a></p>
+
+    <p>Such themes must cause the thoughtful reader to pause and
+    think. They are treated with illuminating originality. The
+    great aim of the teacher must ever be to awaken thought along
+    correct lines; the pupil must be assisted to concentrate his
+    thought on what he is doing: to constantly think and listen.
+    Teaching does not consist merely in pointing out faults; the
+    teacher must make clear the <i>cause</i> of each fault and the
+    way to correct it. That section of the book devoted to the
+    Element of Rubato, is illustrated with many examples from
+    well-known compositions, by which the principle is explained.
+    He shows how frequently this principle is misunderstood by the
+    inexperienced, who seem to think that rubato means breaking the
+    time; whereas true rubato is the <i>bending</i> of the time,
+    but not <i>breaking</i> it. If we give extra time to certain
+    notes, we must take some time from other notes, in order to
+    even things up.</p>
+
+    <p>The subject of Pedaling is aptly explained by means of
+    numerous illustrations. The <a name="page94"
+       id="page94"></a>author deplores the misuse of the damper
+       pedal, which can be made to ruin all the care and effort
+       bestowed on phrasing and tonal effects by the fingers. The
+       fault can, in most cases, be traced to inattention to the
+       sounds coming from the piano.</p>
+
+    <p>There are quotable paragraphs on every page, which in their
+    sincerity and earnestness, their originality of expression,
+    stamp themselves on the reader's imagination. Every teacher who
+    is serious in his work and has the best interests of his pupils
+    at heart, should read and ponder these pages.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page95"
+          id="page95"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XIII_HAROLD_BAUER"
+       id="XIII_HAROLD_BAUER"></a>XIII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>HAROLD BAUER</h2>
+
+    <h3>THE QUESTION OF PIANO TONE</h3>
+
+    <p>Buried deep in the heart of old Paris, in one of the narrow,
+    busy thoroughfares of the city, stands the ancient house in
+    which the master pianist, Harold Bauer, has made a home.</p>
+
+    <p>One who is unfamiliar with Paris would never imagine that
+    behind those rows of uninviting buildings lining the noisy,
+    commercial street, there lived people of refined and artistic
+    tastes. All the entrances to the buildings look very much
+    alike&mdash;they seem to be mere slits in the walls. I stopped
+    before one of the openings, entered and crossed a paved
+    courtyard, climbed a winding stone stairway, rang at a plain
+    wooden doorway, and was ushered into the artist's abode. Once
+    within, I hardly dared to speak, lest what I saw might vanish
+    away, as with the wave of a fairy's wand. Was I not a moment
+    before down in that dusty, squalid street, and here I am now in
+    a beautiful <a name="page96"
+       id="page96"></a>room whose appointments are all of quiet
+       elegance&mdash;costly but in exquisite taste, and where
+       absolute peace and quiet reign. The wide windows open upon a
+       lovely green garden, which adds the final touch of restful
+       repose to the whole picture.</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Bauer was giving a lesson in the music salon beyond,
+    from which issued, now and again, echoes of well-beloved themes
+    from a Chopin sonata. When the lesson was over he came out to
+    me.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, this is one of the old houses, of the sort that are
+    fast passing away in Paris," he said, answering my remark;
+    "there are comparatively few of them left. This building is
+    doubtless at least three hundred years old. In this quarter of
+    the city&mdash;in the rue de Bac, for instance&mdash;you may
+    find old, forbidding looking buildings, that within are
+    magnificent&mdash;perfect palaces; at the back of them,
+    perhaps, will be a splendid garden; but the whole thing is so
+    hidden away that even the very existence of such grandeur and
+    beauty would never be suspected from without."</p>
+
+    <p>He then led the way to the music-room, where we had an
+    hour's talk.</p><a name="Harold_Bauer"
+          id="Harold_Bauer"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/112.png"
+             alt="HAROLD BAUER"
+             title="HAROLD BAUER" />
+
+        <h5>HAROLD BAUER</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"I was thinking as I drove down here," I began, "what the
+    trend of our talk might be, <a name="page97"
+       id="page97"></a>for you have already spoken on so many
+       subjects for publication. It occurred to me to ask how you
+       yourself secure a beautiful tone on the piano, and how you
+       teach others to make it?"</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Bauer thought an instant.</p>
+
+    <p>"I am not sure that I do make it; in fact I do not believe
+    in a single beautiful tone on the piano. Tone on the piano can
+    only be beautiful in the right place&mdash;that is, in relation
+    to other tones. You or I, or the man in the street, who knows
+    nothing about music, may each touch a piano key, and that key
+    will sound the same, whoever moves it, from the nature of the
+    instrument. A beautiful tone may result when two or more notes
+    are played successively, through their <i>difference of
+    intensity</i>, which gives variety. A straight, even tone is
+    monotonous&mdash;a dead tone. Variety is life. We see this fact
+    exemplified even in the speaking voice; if one speaks or reads
+    in an even tone it is deadly monotonous.</p>
+
+    <h3>VARIETY OF TONE</h3>
+
+    <p>"Now the singer or the violinist can make a single tone on
+    his instrument beautiful through variety; for it is impossible
+    for him to make even <i>one</i> tone which does not have shades
+    of <a name="page98"
+       id="page98"></a>variation in it, however slight they may be,
+       which render it expressive. But you cannot do this on the
+       piano: you cannot color a single tone; but you can do this
+       with a succession of tones, through their difference,
+       through their relation to each other. On the other hand you
+       may say any tone is beautiful if in the right place, no
+       matter how harsh it may be. The singer's voice may break
+       from emotion, or simulated emotion, in an impassioned
+       phrase. The exact note on which it breaks may not be a
+       beautiful one, it may even be very discordant, but we do not
+       think of that, for we are moved by the meaning back of the
+       tones. So on the piano there may be one note in a phrase
+       which, if heard alone, would sound harsh and unpleasant, but
+       in its relation to other tones it sounds beautiful, for it
+       gives the right meaning and effect. Thus it is the
+       <i>relation of tones</i> which results in a 'beautiful tone'
+       on the piano.</p>
+
+    <p>"The frequent trouble is that piano teachers and players
+    generally do not understand their instrument. A singer
+    understands his, a violinist, flutist or drummer knows his, but
+    not a pianist. As he only has keys to put down and they are
+    right under his hand, he does not bother himself further. To
+    obviate this difficulty, for those who come to me, I have had
+    <a name="page99"
+       id="page99"></a>this complete model of piano-key mechanism
+       made. You see I can touch the key in a variety of ways, and
+       the results will be different each time. It is necessary for
+       the pianist to look into his instrument, learn its
+       construction, and know what happens inside when he touches a
+       key.</p>
+
+    <p>"As you say, there are a great many methods of teaching the
+    piano, but to my mind they are apt to be long, laborious, and
+    do not reach the vital points. The pianist may arrive at these
+    after long years of study and experimenting, but much of his
+    time will be wasted in useless labor.</p>
+
+    <p>"In my own case, I was forced by necessity to make headway
+    quickly. I came to Paris years ago as a violinist, but there
+    seemed no opening for me then in that direction. There was
+    opportunity, however, for ensemble work with a good violinist
+    and 'cellist. So I set to work to acquire facility on the piano
+    as quickly as possible. I consulted all the pianists I
+    knew&mdash;and I knew quite a number&mdash;as to what to do.
+    They told me I must spend many months on technic alone before I
+    could hope to play respectably, but I told them I had no time
+    for that. So I went to work to study out the effects I needed.
+    It didn't matter to me <i>how</i><a name="page100"
+       id="page100"></a> my hand looked on the keyboard; whether my
+       fingers were curved, flat, or stood on end. I was soon able
+       to get my effects and to convince others that they were the
+       effects I wanted. Later on, when I had more leisure, I took
+       more thought about the position of hand and fingers. But I
+       am convinced that much time is spent uselessly on externals,
+       which do not reach the heart of the matter.</p>
+
+    <p>"For instance, players struggle for years to acquire a
+    perfectly even scale. Now I don't believe in that at all. I
+    don't believe a scale ever should be even, either in tone or in
+    rhythm. The beginner's untrained efforts at a scale sound like
+    this"&mdash;the speaker illustrated at the piano with a scale
+    in which all the tones were blurred and run into each other;
+    then he continued, "After a year's so-called 'correct
+    training,' his scale sounds like this"&mdash;again he
+    illustrated, playing a succession of notes with one finger,
+    each tone standing out by itself. "To my thinking such teaching
+    is not only erroneous, it is positively poisonous&mdash;yes,
+    <i>poisonous</i>!"</p>
+
+    <p>"Is it to be inferred that you do not approve of scale
+    practise?"</p>
+
+    <p>"Oh, I advise scale playing surely, for facility in passing
+    the thumb under and the hand over is very necessary. I do not,
+    however, de<a name="page101"
+       id="page101"></a>sire the even, monotonous scale, but one
+       that is full of variety and life.</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to interpretation, it should be full of tonal and
+    rhythmic modifications. Briefly it may be said that expression
+    may be exemplified in four ways: loud, soft, fast, and slow.
+    But within these crude divisions what infinite shades and
+    gradations may be made! Then the personal equation also comes
+    in. Variety and differentiation are of supreme
+    importance&mdash;they are life!</p>
+
+    <p>"I go to America next season, and after that to Australia;
+    this will keep me away from my Paris home for a long time to
+    come. I should like to give you a picture to illustrate this
+    little talk. Here is a new one which was taken right here in
+    this room, as I sat at the piano, with the strong sunlight
+    pouring in at the big window at my left."</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>On a subsequent occasion, Mr. Bauer spoke further on some
+    phases of his art.</p>
+
+    <p>"As you already know I do not believe in so-called 'piano
+    technic,' which must be practised laboriously outside of
+    pieces. I do not believe in spending a lot of time in such
+    practise, for I feel it is time wasted and leads nowhere. I do
+    not believe, for instance, in the <a name="page102"
+       id="page102"></a>struggle to play a perfectly even scale. A
+       scale should never be 'even,' for it must be full of variety
+       and life. A perfectly even scale is on a dead level; it has
+       no life; it is machine-made. The only sense in which the
+       word 'even' may be applied to a scale is for its rhythmic
+       quality; but even in this sense a beautiful scale has slight
+       variations, so that it is never absolutely regular, either
+       in tone or rhythm.</p>
+
+    <p>"Then I do not believe in taking up a new composition and
+    working at the technical side of it first. I study it in the
+    first place from the musical side. I see what may be the
+    meaning of the music, what ideas it seeks to convey, what was
+    in the composer's mind when he wrote it. In other words, I get
+    a good general idea of the composition as a whole; when I have
+    this I can begin to work out the details.</p>
+
+    <p>"In this connection I was interested in reading a statement
+    made by Ruskin in his <i>Modern Painters</i>. The statement,
+    which, I think, has never been refuted, is that while the great
+    Italian painters, Raphael, Coreggio, and the rest have left
+    many immature and imperfect pictures and studies in color,
+    their drawings are mature and finished, showing that they made
+    many experiments and studies in color before they thought of
+    making the finished black and <a name="page103"
+       id="page103"></a>white drawing. It seems they put the art
+       thought first before the technical detail. This is the way I
+       feel and the way I work.</p>
+
+    <h3>AVOID RESTRICTING RULES</h3>
+
+    <p>"Because our ancestors were brought up to study the piano a
+    certain way, and we&mdash;some of us&mdash;have been trained
+    along the same rigid lines, does not mean there are no better,
+    broader, less limited ways of reaching the goal we seek. We do
+    not want to limit ourselves or our powers. We do not need to
+    say: 'Now I have thought out the conception of this composition
+    to my present satisfaction; I shall always play it the same
+    way.' How can we feel thus? It binds us at once with iron
+    shackles. How can I play the piece twice exactly alike? I am a
+    different man to-day from what I was yesterday, and shall be
+    different to-morrow from what I am to-day. Each day is a new
+    world, a new life. Don't you see how impossible it is to give
+    two performances of the piece which shall be identical in every
+    particular? It <i>is</i> possible for a machine to make any
+    number of repetitions which are alike, but a human, with active
+    thought and emotion, has a broader outlook.</p>
+
+    <p>"The question as to whether the performer <a name="page104"
+       id="page104"></a>must have experienced every emotion he
+       interprets is as old as antiquity. You remember in the
+       Dialogues of Plato, Socrates was discussing with another
+       sage the point as to whether an actor must have felt every
+       emotion he portrayed in order to be a true artist. The
+       discussion waxed warm on both sides. Socrates' final
+       argument was, If the true artist must have lived through
+       every experience in order to portray it faithfully, then, if
+       he had to act a death scene he would have to die first in
+       order to picture it with adequate fidelity!"</p>
+
+    <h3>THE QUESTION OF VELOCITY</h3>
+
+    <p>In speaking of velocity in piano playing and how it is to be
+    acquired, Mr. Bauer continued:</p>
+
+    <p>"I believe the quality of velocity is inherent&mdash;an
+    integral part of one's thought. Even a child, if he has this
+    inherent quality, can play a simple figure of five notes as
+    fast as they need to be played. People of the South&mdash;not
+    on this side of the water&mdash;but of Spain and Italy, are
+    accustomed to move quickly; they gesticulate with their hands
+    and are full of life and energy. It is no trouble for them to
+    think with velocity. Two people will set out to walk to a given
+    point; they may both walk fast, according to their idea of that
+    word, but one <a name="page105"
+       id="page105"></a>will cover the ground much more quickly
+       than the other. I think this idea of a time unit is again a
+       limiting idea. There can be <i>no</i> fixed and fast rule as
+       to the tempo of a composition; we cannot be bound by such
+       rules. The main thing is: Do I understand the meaning and
+       spirit of the composition, and can I make these clear to
+       others? Can I so project this piece that the picture is
+       alive? If so, the fact as to whether it is a few shades
+       slower or faster does not enter into the question at
+       all.</p>
+
+    <h3>OBTAINING POWER</h3>
+
+    <p>"Many players totally mistake in what power consists. They
+    think they must exert great strength in order to acquire
+    sufficient power. Many women students have this idea; they do
+    not realize that power comes from contrast. This is the secret
+    of the effect of power. I do not mean to say that we must not
+    play with all the force we have at times; we even have to pound
+    and bang occasionally to produce the needed effects. This only
+    proves again that a tone may be beautiful, though in itself
+    harsh, if this harshness comes in the right time and place.</p>
+
+    <p>"As with velocity so with power; there is <i>no</i> fixed
+    and infallible rule in regard to it, for that <a name="page106"
+       id="page106"></a>would only be another limitation to the
+       feeling, the poetry, the emotion of the executant's
+       <i>thought</i>. The quality and degree of power are due to
+       contrast, and the choice of the degree to be used lies with
+       the player's understanding of the content of the piece and
+       his ability to bring out this content and place it in all
+       its perfection and beauty before the listener. This is his
+       opportunity to bring out the higher, the spiritual
+       meaning."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page107"
+          id="page107"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XIV_A_VISIT_TO_RAOUL_PUGNO"
+       id="XIV_A_VISIT_TO_RAOUL_PUGNO"></a>XIV.</h2>
+
+    <h2>A VISIT TO RAOUL PUGNO</h2>
+
+    <h3>TRAINING THE CHILD</h3>
+
+    <p>"An audience has been arranged for you to-day, with M. Raoul
+    Pugno; he will await you at four o'clock, in his Paris studio."
+    Thus wrote the courteous representative of <i>Musical
+    America</i> in Paris.</p>
+
+    <p>It had been very difficult to make appointments with any of
+    the famous French musicians, owing to their being otherwise
+    engaged, or out of the city. I therefore welcomed this
+    opportunity for meeting at least one of the great pianists of
+    France.</p>
+
+    <p>At the appointed hour that afternoon, we drove through the
+    busy rue de Clicy, and halted at the number which had been
+    indicated. It proved to be one of those unpromising French
+    apartment buildings, which present, to the passer-by, a stern
+    fa&ccedil;ade of flat wall, broken by rows of shuttered
+    windows, which give no hint of what may be hidden behind them.
+    In this case we did not find the man <a name="page108"
+       id="page108"></a>we sought in the front portion of the
+       building, but were directed to cross a large, square court.
+       The house was built around this court, as was the custom in
+       constructing the older sort of dwellings.</p>
+
+    <p>At last we discovered the right door, which was opened by a
+    neat housekeeper.</p>
+
+    <p>"M. Pugno is not here, he lives in the country," she said,
+    in answer to our inquiry. (How difficult these French musicians
+    are to find; they seem to be one and all "in the country"!)</p>
+
+    <p>"But, madame, we have an appointment with M. Pugno; will you
+    not be good enough to see if he is not here after all?"</p>
+
+    <p>She left us standing, but returned almost immediately with
+    the message that M. Pugno had only that moment entered his
+    studio, to which she would conduct us.</p><a name="Raoul_Pugno"
+          id="Raoul_Pugno"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/125.png"
+             alt="RAOUL PUGNO"
+             title="RAOUL PUGNO" />
+
+        <h5>RAOUL PUGNO</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>In another moment we had crossed the tiny foyer and were
+    standing within the artist's sanctuary. At first glance one
+    felt as though in an Oriental chamber of some Eastern monarch.
+    Heavy gold and silver Turkish embroideries hung over doors and
+    windows. The walls were covered with many rare paintings; rich
+    <i>objets d'art</i> were scattered about in profusion; an open
+    door led out into a <a name="page109"
+       id="page109"></a>pretty garden, where flowers bloomed, and a
+       fountain <i>dripped</i> into its marble basin. A raised dais
+       at one side of the room held a divan, over which were
+       draperies of Oriental stuffs. On this divan, as on a throne,
+       sat the great pianist we had come to see. He made a stately
+       and imposing figure as he sat there, with his long silvery
+       beard and his dignified bearing. Near him sat a pretty young
+       woman, whom we soon learned was Mlle. Nadia Boulanger, a
+       composer and musician of brilliant attainments.</p>
+
+    <p>"I regret that I am unable to converse with you in English,
+    as I speak no language but my own," began M. Pugno, with a
+    courteous wave of the hand for us to be seated.</p>
+
+    <p>"You wish to know some of my ideas on piano playing&mdash;or
+    rather on teaching. I believe a child can begin to study the
+    piano at a very early age, if he show any aptitude for it;
+    indeed the sooner he begins the better, for then he will get
+    over some of the drudgery by the time he is old enough to
+    understand a little about music.</p>
+
+    <h3>TRAINING THE CHILD</h3>
+
+    <p>"Great care must be taken with the health of the child who
+    has some talent for music, so <a name="page110"
+       id="page110"></a>that he shall not overdo in his piano
+       study. After all a robust physical condition is of the first
+       importance, for without it one can do little.</p>
+
+    <p>"A child in good health can begin as early as five or six
+    years. He must be most judiciously trained from the start. As
+    the ear is of such prime importance in music, great attention
+    should be paid to tone study&mdash;to listening to and
+    distinguishing the various sounds, and to singing them if
+    possible, in solfeggio.</p>
+
+    <p>"At the outset a good hand position must be secured, with
+    correct finger movements. Then there must be a thorough drill
+    in scales, arpeggios, chords, and a variety of finger
+    exercises, before any kind of pieces are taken up. The young
+    student in early years, is expected to play various
+    &eacute;tudes, as well as the technic studies I have
+    mentioned&mdash;Czerny, Cramer, Clementi, and always Bach. In
+    my position, as member of the faculty of the Conservatoire, a
+    great many students pass before me. If I personally accept any
+    pupils, they naturally must be talented and advanced, as I
+    cannot give my time to the children. Still it is interesting to
+    see the child-thought develop."</p>
+
+    <p>The conversation turned upon the charming studio with its
+    lovely garden&mdash;where absolute quiet could be secured in
+    spite of the noise and <a name="page111"
+       id="page111"></a>bustle of one of the busiest quarters of
+       Paris. The studio itself, we were told, had formerly
+       belonged to the painter Decamps, and some of the pictures
+       and furnishings were once his. A fine portrait of Pugno,
+       life size, filling the whole space above the piano, claimed
+       our attention. He kindly rose, as we admired the painting,
+       and sought a photograph copy. When it was found&mdash;the
+       last one he possessed&mdash;he presented it with his
+       compliments.</p>
+
+    <p>We spoke of Mlle. Boulanger's work in composition, a subject
+    which seemed deeply to interest M. Pugno.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, she is writing an opera; in fact we are writing it
+    together; the text is from a story of d'Annunzio. I will jot
+    down the title for you."</p>
+
+    <p>Taking a paper which I held in my hand, he wrote,</p>
+
+    <p><i>"La Ville Morte, 4 Acts de d'Annuncio; Musique de Nadia
+    Boulanger et Raoul Pugno"</i></p>
+
+    <p>"You will certainly have it performed in America, when it is
+    finished; I will tell them so," I said.</p>
+
+    <p>The great pianist smiled blandly and accepted the suggestion
+    with evident satisfaction.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, we will come to America and see the <a name="page112"
+       id="page112"></a>work performed, when it is completed," he
+       said.</p>
+
+    <p>With many expressions of appreciation we took our leave of
+    the Oriental studio and its distinguished occupants; and, as we
+    regained the busy, noisy rue de Clicy, we said to ourselves
+    that we had just lived through one of the most unique
+    experiences of our stay in Paris.</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>(The above is the last interview ever taken from this great
+    French artist, who passed away a few months later.)</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>The following items concerning M. Pugno's manner of teaching
+    and personal traits, were given me by Mme. Germaine Schnitzer,
+    the accomplished French pianist and the master's most gifted
+    pupil.</p>
+
+    <p>"Pugno had played the piano almost from infancy, and in
+    early youth had taken several piano prizes. Later, however, he
+    gave much more of his time to the organ, to the seeming neglect
+    of the former instrument. How his serious attention was
+    reverted to the piano happened in this wise. It was announced
+    that Edward Grieg, the noted Norwegian, was coming to Paris.
+    Pugno was one day looking over his piano Concerto which had
+    recently <a name="page113"
+       id="page113"></a>appeared. 'Why don't you play the work for
+       the composer when he comes?' asked a friend. 'I am no
+       pianist,' objected Pugno. 'Why not?' said his friend; 'you
+       know enough about the piano, and there are still four weeks
+       in which to learn the Concerto.' Pugno took the advice,
+       practised up the work, played it in the concert given by
+       Grieg, and scored a success. He was then thirty-nine years
+       of age. This appearance was the beginning; other engagements
+       and successes followed, and thus he developed into one of
+       the great pianists of France.</p>
+
+    <p>"Pugno was a born pianist; he had a natural gift for
+    technic, and therefore never troubled himself much about
+    teaching technical exercises nor practising them. If the work
+    of a pupil contained technical faults, he made no remarks nor
+    explanations, but simply closed the music book and refused to
+    listen any further. The pupil, of course, retired in
+    discomfiture. He was fond of playing along with the pupil
+    (generally with the left hand), or singing the melodies and
+    themes, in order to give him ideas of the meaning and
+    interpretation of the music. This gave independence to the
+    pupils, though it often afforded them much amusement.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page114"
+       id="page114"></a>With advanced students Pugno spoke much
+       about music and what it could express; he translated themes
+       and passages back into the feelings and emotions which had
+       originated them; he showed how all emotions find their
+       counterpart in tones. 'Above all let kindness and goodness
+       control you,' he once wrote; 'if you are filled with
+       kindness, your tone will be beautiful!'</p>
+
+    <p>"Pugno's instruction took the form of talks on the inner
+    meaning of the composition, and the art of interpreting it,
+    rather than any training on the technical side; about the
+    latter he concerned himself very little. It goes without saying
+    that only talented pupils made progress under such a master;
+    indeed those without talent interested him not at all. He was a
+    wonderful teacher for those who had the insight to read between
+    the lines, and were able to follow and absorb his artistic
+    enthusiasms.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have said that Pugno did not concern himself about
+    teaching the technical side of piano playing. Even with me, his
+    best pupil, he rarely touched upon technical points. I must
+    mention a notable exception. He gave me one technical
+    principle, expressed in a few simple exercises, which I have
+    never heard of <a name="page115"
+       id="page115"></a>from any one else. The use of this
+       principle has helped me amazingly to conquer many knotty
+       passages. I have never given these exercises to any one; I
+       am willing however, to jot them down for you."</p>
+
+    <p>(The following is a brief plan of the exercises, as sketched
+    by Mme. Schnitzer)</p>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/132.png"
+             alt="EXERCISES"
+             title="EXERCISES" />
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"Pugno wished the thirty-seconds and sixty-fourths to be
+    played with the utmost quickness. This idea is not alone
+    applicable to all <a name="page116"
+       id="page116"></a>scales, but can be used with any difficult
+       passage found in a composition.</p>
+
+    <p>"Pugno took a keen interest in my work, my progress and
+    career. A few sentences culled here and there from the many
+    letters of his which I have preserved, may serve to throw more
+    light on the inner nature of the man:</p>
+
+    <p>"'I have endeavored to make clear to your young mind the
+    thoughts expressed in music, so that your understanding and
+    your emotions also might grow; all this has created a link of
+    gratitude in you and an affection within me. I have opened the
+    windows for you and have given you light, and I have reaped the
+    satisfaction of my sowing.'</p>
+
+    <p>"'Hear all the music you can&mdash;do not miss any of the
+    pianists either good or bad; there is always something to be
+    learned, even from a poor player&mdash;if it is only what to
+    avoid! Study great works, but even in those there are some
+    figures and phrases which need not be brought into the
+    foreground, lest they attain too much significance.'</p>
+
+    <p>"(After playing with Hans Richter's Orchestra): 'What
+    intoxication of sound&mdash;what exhilaration and collaboration
+    in music! What a force within us, which sways us and
+    <a name="page117"
+       id="page117"></a>throbs through us, developing and
+       expressing each sentiment and instinct! What art can be
+       compared to music, which finds expression through this
+       medium, called an orchestra. I feel myself greater amid the
+       orchestra, for I have a giant to converse with. I keep pace
+       with him, I lead him where I will&mdash;I calm him and I
+       embrace him. We supplement each other; in a moment of
+       authority I become his master and subdue him. The piano
+       alone is too small for me; it does not tempt me to play it
+       except under such conditions&mdash;with a grand
+       orchestra!'"</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page118"
+          id="page118"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XV_THUEL_BURNHAM"
+       id="XV_THUEL_BURNHAM"></a>XV.</h2>
+
+    <h2>THUEL BURNHAM</h2>
+
+    <h3>THE "MELODY" AND "COLORATURA" HAND</h3>
+
+    <p>A prominent figure in the musical life of Paris is Thuel
+    Burnham, pianist and teacher.</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Burnham is an American, who for a number of years has
+    made his home in Paris. He has studied with the greatest
+    masters of his instrument on both sides of the water. More than
+    this he is a musical thinker who has worked out things for
+    himself, amalgamating what he has found best in other methods
+    with what he has discovered in his own experience. He has been
+    able to simplify the whole fabric of technical material, so
+    there is no time lost in useless labor.</p>
+
+    <p>As a pianist Mr. Burnham takes high rank. Technical
+    difficulties do not exist for him. He has come to the last
+    turning of the road; before him rise the heights of supreme
+    spiritual mastery. A touch that is limpid, clear, and capable
+    of many gradations of tints; splendid power in
+    <i>fortissimo</i>; delicacy, velocity <a name="page119"
+       id="page119"></a> and variety are all his; together with all
+       this he has a sympathetic insight into the mood and meaning
+       of the composer. Of late he has been giving several recitals
+       of a semi-private nature, at which he has brought out some
+       of the larger works in his repertoire. These recitals have
+       taken place in his charming studios, and it was my good
+       fortune to be present when two concertos were played, the
+       MacDowell in D minor, and the Grieg in A minor. Mr. Burnham
+       is a warm admirer of the works of our great American
+       composer, and has prepared an entire program of MacDowell's
+       music, which included the Tragica Sonata, Polonaise, and
+       many of the shorter pieces.</p>
+
+    <p>In a conversation with Mr. Burnham in regard to methods of
+    teaching, he gave many helpful points, explaining how he had
+    reduced technical difficulties to a minimum through the
+    exercise of a few simple principles.</p>
+
+    <h3>PRINCIPLES OF TOUCH</h3>
+
+    <p>"The position and condition of the hand varies according to
+    the character of the music, and the tone you wish to produce.
+    If you give out a melody, you want a full, luscious tone, the
+    weight of arm on the key, everything <a name="page120"
+       id="page120"></a>relaxed, and a clinging, caressing pressure
+       of finger. Here then, you have the 'Melody Hand,' with
+       outstretched, flat fingers. If, on the contrary, you want
+       rapid passage work, with clear, bright, articulate touch,
+       the hand must stand up in well-arched, normal playing
+       position, with fingers well rounded and good finger action.
+       Here you have the 'Technical' or 'Coloratura Hand.'</p>
+
+    <h3>MELODY HAND</h3>
+
+    <p>"The Melody Hand is weighty and 'dead,' so to speak. The
+    touch is made with flat fingers; the ball of the finger comes
+    in contact with the key, the whole arm, hand and fingers are
+    relaxed&mdash;as loose as possible. You caress the keys as
+    though you loved them, as though they were a very part of you;
+    you cling to them as to something soft, velvety or
+    downy&mdash;with pressure, pressure, pressure, always."</p>
+
+    <p>(This illustration recalled to the listener's mind one of
+    Kitty Cheatham's stories, the one about the little girl
+    caressing a pet kitten. She was asked which she loved
+    best&mdash;her mother or the kitten. "Of course I love her
+    best," was the rather hesitating answer; "but I love kitty
+    too&mdash;and she has <i>fur</i>!")</p>
+
+    <p>"To acquire the melody touch, I teach it <a name="page121"
+       id="page121"></a>with the simplest exercises, sometimes with
+       only single tones. When the idea is apprehended, the pupil
+       works it out in some lyric piece, like a <i>Song without
+       Words</i>, by Mendelssohn.</p>
+
+    <p>"There are three touches for melody playing: First, the
+    <i>down touch</i>, made by descending arm and hand; second, the
+    <i>up touch</i>, made by elevating the wrist, while the finger
+    lies upon the key; third, the <i>wiping-off touch</i>, which
+    draws the finger off the key, with an arm and hand
+    movement.</p>
+
+    <h3>THE TECHNICAL HAND</h3>
+
+    <p>"The technical hand employs finger touch and finger action;
+    the hand is held up, in military position, so to speak; the
+    finger movements are quick, alert and exact; the hand is
+    <i>alive</i>, not dead and heavy, as is the melody hand. The
+    two ways of playing are quite opposite in their fundamental
+    character, but they can be modified and blended in endless
+    ways.</p>
+
+    <p>"For the technical or coloratura touch, the hand is in
+    arched position, the five fingers are well rounded and curved,
+    their tips are on the keys, everything is rounded. When a
+    finger is lifted, it naturally assumes a more rounded position
+    until it descends to the same spot on <a name="page122"
+       id="page122"></a>the key from which it was lifted, as though
+       there were five little imaginary black spots on the keys,
+       showing exactly where the finger-tips should rest. The
+       fingers are lifted cleanly and evenly and <i>fall</i> on the
+       keys&mdash;no hitting nor striking. I make a great
+       distinction between the coloratura touch and the melody
+       touch. The first is for rapid, brilliant passage work,
+       sparkling, glittering, iridescent&mdash;what you
+       will&mdash;but cold. It is made, as I said, with arched hand
+       and raised finger action. Melody touch expresses warmth and
+       feeling; is from the heart. Then there are the down and up
+       arm movements, for chords, and, of course, scale and
+       arpeggio work, with coloratura touch. I generally expect
+       pupils who come to me to go through a short course of
+       preparatory study with my assistant, Miss Madeleine Prosser,
+       who has been with me for years, and does most thorough work
+       in this line.</p>
+
+    <h3>ASSIMILATION OF PRINCIPLES</h3>
+
+    <p>"Many pupils come to me with no very definite ideas as to
+    touch and what they may express through it. They think if they
+    <i>feel</i> a passage sufficiently, they will be able to use
+    the right touch for it. Sometimes they may be able to hit upon
+    the effect they want, but they <a name="page123"
+       id="page123"></a>don't know quite how they got it, nor can
+       they repeat it another time at will. I believe the
+       principles governing certain touches can be so thoroughly
+       learned and assimilated that <i>when the player sees a
+       certain passage, he knows at once what touch is required to
+       express it.</i> A great actor illustrates what I
+       mean&mdash;he knows how to employ his features and body to
+       express the thought of his lines. When you go to the Theatre
+       Fran&ccedil;ais in Paris, you know every member of the
+       company is thoroughly trained in every phase of his art. You
+       are aware that each actor has studied expression to such an
+       extent that the features naturally fall into the required
+       lines and curves whenever a certain emotion comes up for
+       expression. So with the pianist&mdash;he should have the
+       various touches at his finger-tips. The step beyond is to
+       express himself, which he will do easily and naturally, when
+       his has such a preparation as I have referred to.</p>
+
+    <h3>MEMORIZING</h3>
+
+    <p>"I am often questioned on the subject of memorizing. Some
+    pupils think if they play the piece a sufficient number of
+    times they will know it; then are troubled because they cannot
+    at all times remember the notes. Such <a name="page124"
+       id="page124"></a>players must know every note of the piece
+       away from the piano, and be able to recite them. I have
+       students who are able to learn their music away from the
+       instrument, and can play it to me without having tried it on
+       the piano. I require the piece so thoroughly memorized that
+       if I correct a measure or phrase, the pupil can go right on
+       from that point, without being obliged to start farther
+       back, or at the beginning. In some cases, however, if the
+       pupil has her own method of committing to memory, and it is
+       successful, I have no desire to change it.</p>
+
+    <h3>OCTAVE STUDIES</h3>
+
+    <p>"For octave study, form the hand with the 'octave
+    grimace,'&mdash;that is with arched hand, the unemployed
+    fingers slightly curved. In staccato touch of course use light
+    wrist. Begin with one beat in sixteenths and finish with the
+    'wiping off' touch. Build up more and more beats in notes of
+    the same value, always ending the passage with the same touch,
+    as above mentioned. This exercise can be played the full length
+    of the keyboard, in all keys, and also chromatically. It can be
+    played in the same fashion, using four-voiced chords instead of
+    octaves. When such an exercise can be <a name="page125"
+       id="page125"></a>prolonged for twenty minutes at a time,
+       octave passages in pieces have no terrors for the pianist.
+       For the octaves in Chopin's Polonaise Op. 53, he would
+       merely have to learn the notes, which can be done away from
+       the piano; there is no need for exhaustive practise of the
+       passage.</p>
+
+    <h3>KEEPING UP REPERTOIRE</h3>
+
+    <p>"In order to keep repertoire in repair, one should have it
+    arranged so that old pieces are gone over once a week. Group
+    your repertoire into sections and programs. It might be well to
+    begin the week with Chopin, playing through the whole list;
+    after which pick out the weak places, and practise those.
+    Tuesday, take Schumann, and treat him in the same way. Then
+    comes Liszt, Russian music, modern composers, concertos, and
+    chamber music. In this systematic way the whole repertoire is
+    kept up.</p>
+
+    <h3>DETAILS OF PRACTISE</h3>
+
+    <p>"My mornings are given up to practise, my afternoons to
+    teaching. Of these practise hours, at least one hour is given
+    to technic, scales, arpeggios, octaves, chords&mdash;and Bach!
+    I believe in taking one selection of Bach, say
+    <a name="page126"
+       id="page126"></a>a Two-voiced Invention, and perfecting it,
+       playing it in various ways&mdash;transposing it into all
+       keys and polishing it to the highest degree possible. The B
+       flat Invention is a useful one for this treatment. So with
+       &eacute;tudes; instead of playing <i>at</i> so many, is it
+       not better to perfect a few and bring them up to the highest
+       degree of completeness?</p>
+
+    <p>"I am very susceptible to color, anywhere, in
+    anything&mdash;especially in pictures. Music should express
+    color. Certain compositions seem to embody certain colors. As
+    you suggest, red is certainly the motif of Chopin's great
+    Polonaise, Op. 53."</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>Mr. Burnham should certainly look forward to success in his
+    visit to his native land. His fine touch and tone, sincere and
+    musicianly style, and buoyant, genial personality will make
+    friends for his art and himself everywhere.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page127"
+          id="page127"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XVI_EDWIN_HUGHES"
+       id="XVI_EDWIN_HUGHES"></a>XVI.</h2>
+
+    <h2>EDWIN HUGHES</h2>
+
+    <h3>SOME ESSENTIALS OF PIANO PLAYING</h3>
+
+    <p>When one has read with pleasure and profit the published
+    ideas of a musical worker and thinker, it is always an
+    interesting experience to meet such an one personally, and have
+    the opportunity to discuss points of special import,
+    particularly when the meeting can take place in some ideal spot
+    in the old world. Such was my thought in visiting Mr. Edwin
+    Hughes, an American who has made a name and place for himself
+    among the pianists and teachers of Europe. After years of study
+    in Vienna with Leschetizky, where he also acted as one of the
+    <i>Vorbereiters</i>, he has established himself in Munich,
+    where he feels he has found a true home of music and art. Here,
+    amid beautiful and artistic surroundings, he lives and works,
+    dividing his time between teaching and concert playing. As a
+    pianist Mr. Hughes has met with gratifying success in the most
+    important cities of Germany, while as <a name="page128"
+       id="page128"></a>a teacher he has been sought by students
+       from almost every State in America, from Maine to Texas, and
+       also from Canada. What has given him special satisfaction is
+       that during the past year a number of pupils have come to
+       him from the Conservatory here in Munich. They have been
+       greatly pleased with their progress, only regretting they
+       had not come to him before.</p>
+
+    <p>As to whether he uses the Leschetizky method in its
+    entirety, Mr. Hughes testified in the affirmative.</p>
+
+    <p>"If you were to ask Leschetizky about the 'Leschetizky
+    Method,' he would probably laugh and tell you he has no method,
+    or he would tell you his 'method' consists of only two
+    things&mdash;firm fingers and pliable wrist.</p>
+
+    <p>"These are the principles upon which I base the technical
+    training of my pupils. I first establish an arched hand
+    position, and then test the firmness of the fingers and knuckle
+    joints by tapping them. At first the joints, particularly the
+    nail joints, are very apt to sink in when tapped by a lead
+    pencil; but by having the pupil continue the tapping process at
+    home, it is not long before he acquires the feeling of
+    conscious firmness in his fingers.</p>
+
+    <p>"Along with this exercise it is most important
+    <a name="page129"
+       id="page129"></a> to begin at once with wrist exercises, as
+       otherwise, from the effort to acquire firmness of finger,
+       the wrist may become stiff and unwieldy. The wrist exercises
+       consist in raising and lowering this joint, with the hand
+       and arm supported first on each finger separately, then on
+       two, three, four and five fingers. The wrist should not be
+       so limp as to be incapable of resistance; but rather it
+       should be like a fine steel spring&mdash;a 'spring-wrist,' I
+       call it&mdash;capable of every degree of resistance or
+       non-resistance the quality of tone demands.</p>
+
+    <p>"High finger action is not so necessary for beginners as
+    most piano teachers imagine. It is much easier to teach pupils
+    to raise their fingers high, than it is to teach them the
+    acquisition of the <i>legato</i> touch at the piano, which is
+    only to be attained by playing close to the keys, without
+    raising the fingers. It is difficult to get pupils to play a
+    perfect <i>legato</i> who have had years of training with high
+    finger action, something which should be taken up for
+    <i>non-legato</i> and <i>staccato</i> finger work <i>after</i>
+    the more difficult <i>legato</i> touch has been mastered.</p>
+
+    <h3>TONE PRODUCTION</h3>
+
+    <p>"The subject of tone production is one which is much
+    neglected by piano teachers.<a name="page130"
+       id="page130"></a> Viewed from this standpoint the piano is
+       an instrument apart from every other, except in some
+       respects the organ. A young violinist, 'cellist or flutist
+       has to study for some time before he can produce a tone of
+       good musical quality on his instrument. Think what the
+       beginner on the violin has to go through before he can make
+       a respectable middle C; but anybody, even a totally
+       unmusical person, can play middle C on the piano without the
+       least trouble. It is just this ease in tone production at
+       the piano which leads to carelessness as to the <i>kind</i>
+       of tone produced; and so piano teachers, above all others,
+       complain they cannot get their pupils to listen to what they
+       are playing. Pupils should be made to listen, by means of a
+       special course in tone production, which should go hand in
+       hand with the technical exercises used at the very
+       beginning. Otherwise they imagine they are making music when
+       they place the printed page on the rack, and set the correct
+       keys in motion.</p>
+
+    <p>"There is no other instrument with which it is so easy to
+    'bluff' a large part of the audience; for the character of the
+    piano is such that the general public often think it fine music
+    if the player makes a big noise. Pianists of considerable
+    reputation often take advantage of this <a name="page131"
+       id="page131"></a>lack of discrimination on the part of
+       piano-recital audiences, which, above all the other
+       audiences, seem peculiarly incapable of judging correctly
+       the musical value of a performance.</p>
+
+    <p>"Of the hundreds of piano recitals which take place yearly
+    in the musical centers of Europe, only a comparatively small
+    number are of real musical interest. In many cases it seems as
+    though the players were merely repeating something learned by
+    rote, in an unknown language; just as though I should repeat a
+    poem in Italian. The words I might pronounce after a fashion,
+    but the meaning of most of them would be a blank to me&mdash;so
+    how could I make others understand them.</p>
+
+    <h3>RHYTHM IN PIANO PLAYING</h3>
+
+    <p>"The subject of rhythm is an important one, and more
+    attention should be given it. Leschetizky once said that tones
+    and rhythm are the only things which can keep the piano alive
+    as a solo instrument. I find in pupils who come to me so much
+    deficiency in these two subjects, that I have organized classes
+    in ear-training and rhythm.</p>
+
+    <p>"If pupils have naturally a poor sense of rhythm, there is
+    no remedy equal to practising with a metronome, using this
+    instrument of <a name="page132"
+       id="page132"></a>torture daily until results are evident,
+       when, of course, there must be a judicious slowing down in
+       its use. The mechanical sense of rhythm, the ability to
+       count three or four to a measure, and to group the notes of
+       a piece correctly, can be taught to any person, if one has
+       the patience; but for those delicate rhythmic <i>nuances</i>
+       required by a Chopin mazurka or a Viennese waltz, a specific
+       rhythmic gift must be possessed by the pupil.</p>
+
+    <p>"Leschetizky says little to his pupils on the subject of
+    technic; I cannot remember his having spoken a dozen words to
+    me on the subject, during all the time I have known him. His
+    interest, of course, lies wholly in the matter of
+    interpretation, and technic comes into consideration only as a
+    means and never as an end.</p>
+
+    <p>"Leschetizky likes to have the player talk to him, ask
+    questions, do anything but sit still and not speak. 'How do I
+    know you comprehend my meaning,' he asks, 'that you understand
+    what I am talking about, if you say nothing?' At first a
+    student may be silent from nervousness, but if he is bright he
+    will soon 'catch on,' and see what is expected of him.
+    Leschetizky says sometimes: 'When the Lord made the ten
+    commandments He omitted <a name="page133"
+       id="page133"></a> the eleventh, "Thou shalt not be stupid."'
+       If one is not very quick, one may have a hard time with this
+       master.</p>
+
+    <p>"As a high school in technic I use Joseffy's <i>School of
+    Advanced Piano Playing</i> with my pupils. This work leads to
+    the highest possible technical development at the keyboard, and
+    I consider it the last word in piano technic. The hundreds of
+    exercises have been devised with most wonderful ingenuity, and
+    the musicianship of the author stands out on every page. The
+    book is not a dry series of technics but has vital connection
+    with all the big technical problems found in the literature of
+    the piano.</p>
+
+    <p>"In teaching, I consider a second piano an absolute
+    necessity. There are so many things in piano playing which
+    cannot be put into words, and the teacher must constantly
+    illustrate. How can one teach the interpretation of a Chopin
+    nocturne, for instance, by merely talking about it. I can say,
+    'play loud here&mdash;soft there'; but how far do such
+    directions go toward an artistic conception of the piece? One
+    cannot indicate the swell of a melody, the tonal and rhythmic
+    <i>nuance</i> of a <i>groupetto</i>&mdash;and a thousand other
+    things in any other way than by the living example. Through
+    imitation <a name="page134"
+       id="page134"></a> one learns rapidly and surely, until one
+       reaches the point where the wings of one's own individuality
+       begin to sprout.</p>
+
+    <h3>ABOUT MEMORIZING</h3>
+
+    <p>"On the subject of memorizing who can lay down rules for
+    this inexplicable mental process, which will hold good for
+    every one? For myself, I hear the notes mentally, and know
+    their position on the keyboard. In actual performance much must
+    be left to finger memory, but one must actually have the notes
+    in his mind as well as in his fingers. Before a concert I go
+    over all my program mentally, and find this an excellent method
+    of practise when traveling from one city to another. To those
+    who study with me I say, you must try various methods of
+    memorizing; there is no universal way; each must find out by
+    experiment which is most suited to his individual case.</p>
+
+    <p>"With some pianists visual memory of the printed page plays
+    the principal r&ocirc;le in memorizing; with others visual
+    memory of the notes on the keyboard; with still others
+    ear-memory, or memory of the harmonic progressions. I believe
+    in making the pupil familiar with all these different ways, so
+    that he may find out which one is most helpful to him.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page135"
+       id="page135"></a>For pupils with weak hands and arms I
+       recommend simple gymnastic exercises to be done morning and
+       evening. Physical strength is a very necessary essential for
+       a brilliant technic; the student who would accomplish big
+       things must possess it in order to succeed.</p>
+
+    <h3>KEEPING TECHNIC IN REPAIR</h3>
+
+    <p>"The only way to keep one's technic in repair is to be
+    constantly working at it. Technic is the mechanical part of
+    music-making; to keep it in good working order one must be
+    constantly tinkering with it, just as the engine driver tinkers
+    with his locomotive or the chauffeur with his automobile. In
+    the course of his technical study every intelligent pupil will
+    recognize certain exercises which are particularly important
+    for the mechanical well-being of his playing; from these
+    exercises he will plan his daily schedule of technical
+    practise.</p>
+
+    <p>"In order to keep a large repertoire going at the same time,
+    one must have a weekly practise plan, which will allow for a
+    frequent repetition of the pieces. Those pieces which have been
+    recently added to one's list will require more frequent
+    repetition, while those which have been played for a longer
+    period may be left for an occasional brushing up. Frequent
+    <a name="page136"
+       id="page136"></a>playing before others, either publicly or
+       privately, is above everything else to be recommended to the
+       pianist, as the greatest incentive to keeping up his
+       repertoire and toward growing in his art.</p>
+
+    <h3>AMERICAN VERSUS EUROPEAN CONDITIONS</h3>
+
+    <p>"In America many people who have little talent study music,
+    intending to make it their profession; whereas in Europe there
+    is such a profusion of music and music-making that only those
+    of more than average gifts think of making music their life
+    work. In America we are still 'in the making,' from a musical
+    standpoint, and although we have accomplished much there is
+    still much to be done. It is the office of the piano teacher in
+    America to make music study easy and interesting to pupils of
+    moderate ability. Just these conditions have brought about very
+    excellent methods of piano and music study for American
+    children, which have no counterpart in Europe."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page137"
+          id="page137"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XVII_FERRUCCIO_BUSONI"
+       id="XVII_FERRUCCIO_BUSONI"></a>XVII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>FERRUCCIO BUSONI</h2>
+
+    <h3>AN ARTIST AT HOME</h3>
+
+    <p>As a man's surroundings and environment are often
+    reflections of his character, it is always a matter of deep
+    interest to get in touch with the surroundings of the creative
+    or executive musician. To meet him away from the glare of the
+    footlights, in the privacy and seclusion of the home, gives one
+    a far more intimate knowledge of the artist as a man. Knowing
+    how difficult it often is to obtain such an opportunity, I can
+    be the more thankful that this privilege has been granted me
+    many times, even with those artists who hold themselves most
+    aloof. I was told Busoni was exceedingly difficult to approach,
+    and the only way I could see him was to call at his house quite
+    unannounced, when I might have the good fortune to find him at
+    home and willing to see me. Not wishing to take him by storm in
+    this way, I quietly waited, until I received the following
+    note: "While I am not fond of <a name="page138"
+       id="page138"></a>interviews, if you will come to tea on
+       Thursday afternoon, you will be welcome."</p>
+
+    <p>Busoni is located in a stately <i>Wohnung</i> overlooking
+    the handsome Victoria Luise Platz, in the newer western section
+    of Berlin. Mme. Busoni met us as we arrived, and conducted us
+    to the master, who rose from a cozy nook in a corner of the
+    library to greet us. Tea was soon brought in and our little
+    party, which included a couple of other guests, was soon
+    chatting gaily in a mixture of French, German and English.</p>
+
+    <p>During the sprightly chat I could not help glancing from
+    time to time around the great library in which we sat, noting
+    its artistic furnishings, and the rows upon rows of volumes in
+    their costly bindings, which lined the walls. One appreciates
+    what Dr. Johnson meant when he said that whenever he saw
+    shelves filled with books he always wanted to get near enough
+    to them to read their titles, as the choice of books indicates
+    character.</p>
+
+    <p>Presently Busoni turned to me: "I am composing a rhapsodie
+    on American Indian themes."</p>
+
+    <p>"And where did you capture the themes?" he was
+    asked.</p><a name="Ferruccio_Busoni"
+          id="Ferruccio_Busoni"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/156.png"
+             alt="Ferruccio Busoni"
+             title="Ferruccio Busoni" />
+
+        <h5>Ferruccio Busoni</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"From a very charming lady, a countrywoman <a name="page139"
+       id="page139"></a> of yours, Miss Natalie Curtis. She has
+       taken great interest in the idea and has been most helpful
+       to me."</p>
+
+    <p>"One of the German music papers announced that you are about
+    to leave Berlin, and have accepted an offer elsewhere&mdash;was
+    it in Spain?"</p>
+
+    <p>"I intend leaving Berlin for a time," he admitted, "and will
+    go to Bologna&mdash;perhaps you thought that was in Spain,"
+    with a sly side glance and a humorous twinkle in his eyes. "My
+    offer from Bologna appears most flattering. I am appointed head
+    of the great conservatory, but I am not obliged to live in the
+    city, nor even to give lessons. I shall, however, go there for
+    a time, and shall probably teach. I am to conduct six large
+    orchestral concerts during the season, but aside from this I
+    can be absent as much as I wish. We shall probably close up our
+    house here and go to Italy in the autumn. Living is very cheap
+    in Bologna; one can rent a real palace for about $250 a
+    year."</p>
+
+    <p>Mme. Busoni now invited us to inspect other parts of the
+    house. We passed to the adjoining room, which contains many
+    rare old prints and paintings and quaint old
+    furniture&mdash;"everything old," as Mme. Busoni said, with
+    <a name="page140"
+       id="page140"></a>a smile. In this room stands a harpsichord,
+       with its double keyboard and brilliant red case. It is not
+       an antique but an excellent copy made by Chickering.</p>
+
+    <p>Farther on is a veritable musician's den, with upright
+    piano, and with a large desk crowded with pictures and
+    mementoes. On the walls hang rare portraits chiefly of Chopin
+    and Liszt. Beyond this room came the salon, with its two grand
+    pianos side by side. This is the master's teaching and recital
+    room, and here are various massive pieces of richly carved
+    furniture. Mme. Busoni called our attention to the elaborate
+    chandelier in old silver, of exquisite workmanship, which, she
+    said, had cost her a long search to find. There are several
+    portraits here of the composer-pianist in his youth&mdash;one
+    as a boy of twelve, a handsome lad&mdash;<i>bildsch&ouml;n</i>,
+    with his curls, his soulful eyes and his big white collar.</p>
+
+    <p>Busoni soon joined us in the salon and the conversation was
+    turned to his activities in the new field.</p>
+
+    <p>"When you have finished the new rhapsodie you will come and
+    play it to us in America&mdash;and in London also," he was
+    urged.</p>
+
+    <p>"Ah, London! I am almost homesick for London; it is
+    beautiful there. I am fond of <a name="page141"
+       id="page141"></a> America, too. You know I lived there for
+       some years; my son was born there; he is an American
+       citizen. Yes, I will return, though just when I do not yet
+       know, and then I will assuredly play the rhapsodie."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page142"
+          id="page142"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XVIII_ADELE_AUS_DER_OHE"
+       id="XVIII_ADELE_AUS_DER_OHE"></a>XVIII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>ADELE AUS DER OHE</h2>
+
+    <h3>ANOTHER ARTIST AT HOME</h3>
+
+    <p>Another opportunity to see the home of an artist was
+    afforded me when Frl. Aus der Ohe invited me to visit her in
+    her Berlin home. She also lives in the newer western portion of
+    the city, where so many other artists are located. One feels on
+    entering the spacious rooms that this home has the true German
+    atmosphere. Adele Aus der Ohe, whose personality is well
+    remembered in America, on account of her various pianistic
+    tours, now wears her brown hair softly drawn down over her
+    ears, in Madonna fashion, a mode which becomes her vastly.</p>
+
+    <p>"My time is divided between playing in concert, composing,
+    and my own studies," began the artist. "I give almost no
+    lessons, for I have not time for them. I never have more than a
+    couple of pupils studying with me at one time; they must be
+    both talented and eager. The amount of time I consider
+    necessary for <a name="page143"
+       id="page143"></a>practise depends, of course, on quickness
+       of comprehension. In general, I may say four, or at most
+       five hours are quite sufficient, If used with absolute
+       concentration. The quality of practise is the great
+       essential. If the passage under consideration is not
+       understood, a thousand times going over it will be only vain
+       repetitions; therefore, understand the construction and
+       meaning of the passage in the beginning, and then a thousand
+       repetitions ought to make it perfect.</p>
+
+    <p>"There is so much practise which can be done away from the
+    instrument, by reading the notes from the printed page and
+    thinking about them. Is this understood in America? Always
+    <i>listen</i> to your playing, to every note you make on the
+    piano; I consider this point of the very first importance. My
+    pupils are generally well advanced or are those who intend
+    making music a profession. I have, however, occasionally taken
+    a beginner. This point of listening to every note, of training
+    the ear, should stand at the very foundation.</p>
+
+    <h3>LETTING THE HAND FIND ITSELF</h3>
+
+    <p>"In regard to hand position, I endeavor not to be narrow and
+    pedantic. If pupils play with good tone and can make reasonably
+    good <a name="page144"
+       id="page144"></a>effects, I take them, at the point where
+       they are and try to bring them forward, even if the hand
+       position is not just what I would like. If I stop everything
+       and let them do nothing but hand position, they will be
+       discouraged and think they are beginning all over again.
+       This beginning again is sometimes detrimental. To take a
+       pupil at his present point, and carry him along was also
+       Liszt's idea. He did not like to change a hand position to
+       which the player has grown accustomed for one which seems
+       unnatural, and which the pianist has to work a long time to
+       acquire. He felt that one's time could be spent to more
+       advantage. There are so many legitimate positions, each hand
+       is a separate study, and is apt to take the position most
+       natural to itself.</p>
+
+    <p>"I shall play numerous concerts and recitals in Europe the
+    coming season, but shall not be in America. I know your country
+    well as I have made several tours and have lived there. I left
+    it the last time under sad circumstances, as my sister, who
+    always accompanied me, had just passed away after quite a long
+    illness. So you see I have not much zest to return.</p>
+
+    <p>"However I am fond of America, and admire the great progress
+    you are making in <a name="page145"
+       id="page145"></a>music and art. And you have the courage of
+       your convictions; you do not admire a musical work simply
+       because some one else says you should, or the critics tell
+       you to. You do not ask your neighbor's opinion before you
+       applaud it. If you do not like it you are not afraid to say
+       so. Even when it is only ragtime that pleases you, you are
+       not afraid to own up to it. When you learn what is better
+       you say so. It Is this honesty which leads to progressive
+       results. You are rapidly becoming competent to judge what is
+       best. I have found the most appreciative audiences in
+       America."</p>
+
+    <p>Miss Aus der Ohe had much to relate of the Woman's Lyceum.
+    The Department of Music was founded by Aus der Ohe herself. Not
+    long ago there was an exhibition of woman's work in music.
+    Women composers from all over the country sent examples of
+    their work. Our own Mrs. H.A.A. Beach, who has been located for
+    some time in Munich, was well represented. There are branches
+    of this institution in other German cities.</p>
+
+    <p>Several paintings of large size and striking originality
+    hang on the walls of the pianist's home. They all illustrate
+    religious themes <a name="page146"
+       id="page146"></a>and are the work of Herr Aus der Ohe, the
+       pianist's only brother, who passed away at the height of his
+       career.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes," said the composer, "my mother, brother and sister
+    have been taken away, since I was last in America, and now I am
+    quite alone; but I have my art."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page147"
+          id="page147"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XIX_ELEANOR_SPENCER"
+       id="XIX_ELEANOR_SPENCER"></a>XIX.</h2>
+
+    <h2>ELEANOR SPENCER</h2>
+
+    <h3>MORE LIGHT ON LESCHETIZKY'S IDEAS</h3>
+
+    <p>Eleanor Spencer, whose first American tour is announced for
+    the coming season, happened to be in Berlin during my visit
+    there. I found her in her charming apartments in the
+    Sch&ouml;nberg section of the city, far away from the noise and
+    bustle of traffic. Her windows look out upon a wide inner court
+    and garden, and she seems to have secured the quiet, peaceful
+    environment so essential to an artist's development. Indeed
+    Miss Spencer has solved the problems of how to keep house, with
+    all the comforts of an American home, in a great German
+    city.</p>
+
+    <p>"I grew so tired of living in <i>pensions</i> that I took
+    this little apartment over two years ago," she said, "and I
+    like it so much better.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have been away from America for nine years, so the
+    foreign cities where I have lived seem almost more like home to
+    me than my native land, to which I have only paid two short
+    <a name="page148"
+       id="page148"></a>visits during those nine years. But I love
+       America, and perhaps you can imagine how eagerly I am
+       looking forward to my coming tour.</p>
+
+    <p>"The first eight years of my life were spent in Chicago, and
+    then my family moved to New York. Here I studied with Dr.
+    William Mason. When I was about fifteen I went to Europe for
+    further study, and although I had another master at first, it
+    was not so very long before I went to Vienna, to Leschetizky,
+    for I felt the need of more thorough preparation than I had yet
+    had. There is nothing like a firm technical foundation; it is a
+    rock to build upon; one cannot do great things without it. I
+    have had to labor hard for what I have attained, and am not
+    ashamed to say so. I practise 'all my spare time,' as one of my
+    colleagues expresses it; though, of course, if one studies with
+    the necessary concentration one cannot practise more than five
+    hours to advantage.</p><a name="Eleanor_Spencer"
+          id="Eleanor_Spencer"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/167.png"
+             alt="To Miss Brower in appreciation and pleasant remembrance of our Berlin meeting ...ELEANOR SPENCER"
+             title="To Miss Brower in appreciation and pleasant remembrance of our Berlin meeting ...ELEANOR SPENCER" />
+
+
+        <h5>To Miss Brower in appreciation and pleasant remembrance
+        of our Berlin meeting ...ELEANOR SPENCER</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"I thoroughly believe in practising technic outside of
+    pieces; I have always done so and still continue to do it. This
+    brings the hand into condition, and keeps it up to the mark, so
+    that difficult compositions are more readily within the grasp,
+    and the technical requirements <a name="page149"
+       id="page149"></a> in them are more easily met. When the hand
+       is in fine condition, exhaustive technical practise in
+       pieces is not necessary, and much wear and tear of nerve
+       force is saved. In this technical practise, to which I give
+       an hour or more daily, I use very simple exercises, but each
+       one contains some principle of touch, movement or condition.
+       Hand over thumb and thumb under hand; different qualities of
+       tone; staccato or clinging touch; scales, arpeggios and
+       various other forms are used. Part of the technic study
+       period is always given to Bach.</p>
+
+    <p>"I began my studies in Vienna with Mme. Bree, to get the
+    preparatory foundation, but before long combined her lessons
+    with those of the professor, and later went to him
+    entirely."</p>
+
+    <p>"Just here I should like to mention a trifling point, yet it
+    seems one not understood in America by those who say they are
+    teachers of the Leschetizky method. These teachers claim that
+    the professor wishes the fingers placed on a straight line at
+    the edge of the keys, and in some cases they place the tip of
+    the thumb in the middle of its key, so that it extends
+    considerably beyond the tips of the other fingers. Is this the
+    position taught by the <i>Vorbereiters</i>, or favored by
+    Leschetizky?"<a name="page150"
+       id="page150"></a></p>
+
+    <p>Miss Spencer's laugh rang out merrily.</p>
+
+    <p>"This is the first I have ever heard of the idea! Such a
+    position must seem very strained and unnatural. Leschetizky, on
+    the contrary, wishes everything done in the most easy, natural
+    way. Of course, at first, when one is seeking to acquire
+    strength and firmness of hand and fingers, one must give time
+    and thought to securing an arched hand and steady first joints
+    of fingers. Later, when these conditions have been thoroughly
+    established, the hand can take any position required.
+    Leschetizky's hand often lies quite flat on the keys. He has a
+    beautiful piano hand; the first joints of the fingers have so
+    long been held firmly curved, that they always keep their
+    position, no matter what he is doing; if he only passes his
+    fingers through his hair, his hand is in shape.</p>
+
+    <p>"Leschetizky is indeed a wonderful teacher! The player,
+    however, must divine how to be receptive, how to enter into the
+    master's thought, or it may go hard with him. If he does not
+    understand, nor grasp the master's words he may suffer terribly
+    during the ordeal of the lessons. I have witnessed such scenes!
+    Those who are equal to the situation receive most illuminative
+    instruction.<a name="page151"
+       id="page151"></a></p>
+
+    <p>"I trust I do not give you the impression of being so
+    devoted to, and enthusiastic in, the work I enjoyed with my
+    venerated master that I wish to exclude other masters and
+    schools. I think narrowness one of the most unpleasant of
+    traits, and one I should dread to be accused of. I see so much
+    good in others, <i>their</i> ways and ideas, that, to me, all
+    things great and beautiful in art seem very closely
+    related.</p>
+
+    <h3>MEMORIZING</h3>
+
+    <p>"How do I memorize a composition? I first play it over a few
+    times to become somewhat familiar with its form and shape. Then
+    I begin to analyze and study it, committing it by phrases, or
+    <i>ideas</i>, one or two measures at a time. I do not always
+    take each hand alone, unless very intricate; sometimes it is
+    easier to learn both hands together. It is a good thing to
+    study out the melodic line, to build each phrase, to work with
+    it till you get it to suit you. Then come the larger
+    proportions, the big climaxes, which have to be thought out and
+    prepared for in advance. A composition should be so thoroughly
+    your own that you can play it at any time, if your hand is in
+    condition. Or, if it has been laid aside for a long
+    <a name="page152"
+       id="page152"></a>time, a couple of days should bring it
+       back.</p>
+
+    <p>"The subject of forming a repertoire is one often overlooked
+    or not understood. The repertoire should be comprehensive and
+    built on broad lines. A pupil intending to make music a
+    profession should know the literature of the piano, not only
+    the small and unimportant works of the great composers (as is
+    too often the case), but the big works as well. If one is well
+    grounded in the classics at an early age, it is of great
+    benefit afterwards.</p>
+
+    <h3>POWER AND VELOCITY</h3>
+
+    <p>"For gaining power, heavy chords are very beneficial;
+    combinations of five notes that take in all the fingers are
+    most useful.</p>
+
+    <p>"The principle of velocity is the doing away with all
+    unnecessary movement&mdash;raising the fingers as little as
+    possible, and so on. But in early stages of study, and at all
+    times for slow practise, exactness and clearness, the fingers
+    must be raised, Leschetizky <i>is a great believer in finger
+    action; he holds it to be absolutely necessary for finger
+    development</i>.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have been concertizing for the last three years, and
+    studying alone. This does not mean I have learned all the
+    masters can teach, but only that I have come to a place where
+    <a name="page153"
+       id="page153"></a> I felt I had to go alone, that I must work
+       out what is in me. No master can teach us that; we have to
+       find ourselves alone.</p>
+
+    <p>"I shall probably play considerably with orchestra next
+    season. There is a Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakow which is quite
+    short, only one movement. It Is charming and brilliant, and I
+    think has not yet been played in America. There is also a new
+    work by Stavenhagen for piano and orchestra, which is a novelty
+    on the other side. I greatly enjoy playing with orchestra, but
+    of course I shall play various recitals as well."</p>
+
+    <p>Miss Spencer has appeared with the best orchestras in
+    England and on the continent, and has everywhere received
+    commendation for her pure, singing tone, plastic touch, and
+    musical temperament. She is certain to have success in America,
+    and to win hosts of friends there.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page154"
+          id="page154"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XX_ARTHUR_HOCHMAN"
+       id="XX_ARTHUR_HOCHMAN"></a>XX.</h2>
+
+    <h2>ARTHUR HOCHMAN</h2>
+
+    <h3>HOW THE PIANIST CAN COLOR TONE WITH ACTION AND EMOTION</h3>
+
+    <p>"A pianist, like a painter, should have an infinitude of
+    colors on his palette," remarked Arthur Hochman, the young
+    Russian pianist, in a recent chat about piano playing. He
+    should paint pictures at the keyboard, just as the artist
+    depicts them upon the canvas. The piano is capable of a
+    wonderful variety of tonal shading, and its keys will respond
+    most ideally to the true musician who understands how to awaken
+    and bring forth all this tonal beauty from the instrument.</p>
+
+    <p>"The modern pianist is often lacking in two important
+    essentials&mdash;phrasing and shading. Inability to grasp the
+    importance of these two points may be the cause of artistic
+    failure. An artist should so thoroughly make his own the
+    composition which he plays, and be so deeply imbued with its
+    spirit, that he will know the phrasing and dynamics which best
+    express the meaning of the piece. When he has risen
+    <a name="page155"
+       id="page155"></a>to such heights, he is a law to himself in
+       the matter of phrasing, no matter what marks may stand upon
+       the printed page. As a rule the editing of piano music is
+       extremely inadequate, though how can it really be otherwise?
+       How is it possible, with a series of dots, lines, dashes and
+       accents, to give a true idea of the interpretation of a work
+       of musical art? It is <i>not</i> possible; there are
+       infinite shadings between <i>piano</i> and
+       <i>forte</i>&mdash;numberless varieties of touch which have
+       not been tabulated by the schools. Great editors like von
+       B&uuml;low, Busoni and d'Albert have done much to make the
+       classics clearer to the student; yet they themselves realize
+       there are a million gradations of touch and tone, which can
+       never be expressed by signs nor put into words.</p>
+
+    <h3>FOUR REQUISITES FOR PIANISTS</h3>
+
+    <p>"Four things are necessary for the pianist who would make an
+    artistic success in public. They are: Variety of tone color;
+    Individual and artistic phrasing; True feeling; Personal
+    magnetism. Colors mean so much to me; some are so beautiful,
+    the various shades of red, for instance; then the golden
+    yellows, rich, warm browns, and soft liquid blues. We can make
+    as wonderful combinations with them as <a name="page156"
+       id="page156"></a>ever the painters do. To me dark red speaks
+       of something tender, heart-searching, mysterious." Here Mr.
+       Hochman illustrated his words at the piano with an
+       expressive fragment full of deep feeling. "On the other
+       hand, the shades of yellow express gaiety and brightness";
+       here the illustrations were all life and fire, in crisp,
+       brilliant staccatos. Other colors were just as effectively
+       represented.</p>
+
+    <p>"What I have just indicated at the keyboard," continued the
+    artist, "gives a faint idea of what can be done with tone
+    coloring, and why I feel that pianists who neglect this side of
+    their art, or do not see this side of it, are missing just so
+    much beauty. I could name one pianist, a great name in the
+    world of music&mdash;a man with an absolutely flawless technic,
+    yet whose playing to me, is dry and colorless; it gives you no
+    ideas, nothing you can carry away: it is like
+    water&mdash;water. Another, with great variety of tonal beauty,
+    gives me many ideas&mdash;many pictures of tone. His name is
+    Gabrilowitsch; he is for me the greatest pianist.</p>
+
+    <h3>MAKING CLIMAXES PIANISSIMO</h3>
+
+    <p>"In my own playing, when I color a phrase, I do not work up
+    to a climax and make that the loudest note, as most pianists
+    do, but <a name="page157"
+       id="page157"></a>rather the soft note of the phrase; this
+       applies to lyric playing. I will show you what I mean. Here
+       is a fragment of two measures, containing a soulful melody.
+       I build up the crescendo, as you see, and at the highest
+       point, which you might expect to be the loudest, you find
+       instead that it is soft: the sharpness has been taken out of
+       it, the thing you did not expect has happened; and so there
+       are constant surprises, tonal surprises&mdash;tone colors
+       not looked for.</p>
+
+    <p>"It is generally thought that a pianist should attend many
+    recitals and study the effects made by other pianists; I, on
+    the contrary, feel I gain more from hearing a great singer. The
+    human voice is the greatest of all instruments, and the player
+    can have no more convincing lesson in tone production and tone
+    coloring, than he can obtain from listening to a great
+    emotional singer. The pianist should hear a great deal of
+    opera, for there he will learn much of color, of effect, light
+    and shade, action and emotion.</p>
+
+    <h3>WE DO NOT WANT CUT-AND-DRIED PERFORMANCES</h3>
+
+    <p>"The third requisite for the pianist, as I have said, is
+    true feeling. I have no sympathy <a name="page158"
+       id="page158"></a> with dry, mechanical performance, where
+       every effect is coldly calculated beforehand, and the player
+       always strives to do it the same way. How can he always play
+       the same way when he does not feel the same? If he simply
+       seeks for uniformity where does the inspiration come in?</p>
+
+    <p>"The true artist will never give a mechanical performance.
+    At one time he may be in a tender, melting mood; at another in
+    a daring or exalted one. He must be free to play as he feels,
+    and he will be artist enough never to overstep bounds. The
+    pianist who plays with true feeling and 'heart' can never play
+    the same composition twice exactly alike, for he can never feel
+    precisely the same twice. This, of course, applies more
+    especially to public performance and playing for others.</p>
+
+    <p>"Another essential is breath control. Respiration must be
+    easy and natural, no matter how much physical strength is
+    exerted. In <i>fortissimo</i> and all difficult passages, the
+    lips must be kept closed and respiration taken through the
+    nostrils, as it always ought to be.</p>
+
+    <h3>DISSECTION OF DETAILS</h3>
+
+    <p>"Yes, I do a great deal of teaching, but prefer to take only
+    such pupils as are intelligent <a name="page159"
+       id="page159"></a>and advanced. With pupils I am very
+       particular about hand position and touch. The ends of the
+       fingers must be firm, but otherwise the hand, wrist and arm,
+       from the shoulder, are all relaxed. In teaching a
+       composition, I am immensely careful and particular about
+       each note. Everything is dissected and analyzed. When all is
+       understood and mastered, it is then ready for the stage
+       setting, the actors, the lights, and the colors!"</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>"I was intended for a pianist from the first. Born in
+    Russia, I afterward came to Berlin, studying seven or eight
+    years with Xaver Scharwenka, then with d'Albert, Stavenhagen
+    and others. But when one has all that can be learned from
+    others, a man's greatest teacher is himself. I have done a
+    great deal of concert work and recital playing in Europe, and
+    have appeared with the leading orchestras in the largest cities
+    of America."</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Hochman has done considerable work in composition.
+    Numerous songs have been published and doubtless larger works
+    may be expected later.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page160"
+          id="page160"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXI_TERESA_CARRENO"
+       id="XXI_TERESA_CARRENO"></a>XXI.</h2>
+
+    <h2>TERESA CARRE&Ntilde;O</h2>
+
+    <h3>EARLY TECHNICAL TRAINING</h3>
+
+    <p>A music critic remarked, "That ever youthful and fascinating
+    pianist, Teresa Carre&ntilde;o is with us again."</p>
+
+    <p>I well remember how fascinated I was, as a young girl, with
+    her playing the first time I heard it&mdash;it was so full of
+    fire, enthusiasm, brilliancy and charm. How I longed and
+    labored to imitate it&mdash;to be able to play like that! I not
+    only loved her playing but her whole appearance, her gracious
+    manner as she walked across the stage, her air of buoyancy and
+    conscious mastery as she sat at the piano; her round white arms
+    and wrists, and&mdash;the red sash she wore!</p>
+
+    <p>During a recent talk with Mme. Carre&ntilde;o, I recalled
+    the above incident, which amused her, especially the memory of
+    the sash.</p><a name="Teresa_Carreno"
+          id="Teresa_Carreno"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/180.png"
+             alt="TERESA CARRE&Ntilde;O" />
+
+        <h5>TERESA CARRE&Ntilde;O</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"I assure you that at heart I feel no older now than in the
+    days when I wore it," she said. The conversation then turned to
+    questions of mastering the piano, with particular reference
+    <a name="page161"
+       id="page161"></a>to the remarkable technic of the artist
+       herself.</p>
+
+    <p>"The fact that I began my studies at a very early age was a
+    great advantage to me," she said. "I loved the sound of the
+    piano, and began to pick out bits of tunes when I was little
+    more than three. At six and a half I began to study seriously,
+    so that when I was nine I was playing such pieces as Chopin's
+    Ballade in A flat. Another fact which was of the utmost
+    advantage to me was that I had an ideal teacher in my father.
+    He saw that I loved the piano, and decided I must be properly
+    taught. He was passionately fond of music, and if he had not
+    been a statesman, laboring for the good of his country, he
+    would undoubtedly have been a great musician. He developed a
+    wonderful system for teaching the piano, and the work he did
+    with me I now do with my pupils. For one thing he invented a
+    series of stretching and gymnastic exercises which are
+    splendid; they did wonders for me, and I use them constantly in
+    my teaching. But, like everything else, they must be done in
+    the right way, or they are not beneficial.</p>
+
+    <h3>580 TECHNICAL EXERCISES</h3>
+
+    <p>"My father wrote out for me a great many technical
+    exercises; to be exact, there were 580 <a name="page162"
+       id="page162"></a>of them! Some consisted of difficult
+       passages from the great composers&mdash;perhaps originally
+       written for one hand&mdash;which he would arrange for two
+       hands, so that each hand had the same amount of work to do.
+       Thus both my hands had equal training, and I find no
+       difference between them. These 580 exercises took just three
+       days to go through. Everything must be played in all keys,
+       and with every possible variety of touch&mdash;legato,
+       staccato, half-staccato, and so on; also, with all kinds of
+       shading."</p>
+
+    <p>(Think of such a drill in pure technic, O ye teachers and
+    students, who give little or no time to such matters outside of
+    &eacute;tudes and pieces!)</p>
+
+    <p>"Part of my training consisted in being shown how to
+    criticize myself. I learned to listen, to be critical, to judge
+    my own work; for if it was not up to the mark I must see what
+    was the matter and correct it myself. The earlier this can be
+    learned the better. I attribute much of my subsequent success
+    to this ability. I still carry out this plan, for there on the
+    piano you will find all the notes for my coming recitals, which
+    I work over and take with me everywhere. This method of study I
+    always try to instill into my pupils.<a name="page163"
+       id="page163"></a> I tell them any one can make a lot of
+       <i>noise</i> on the piano, but I want them, to make the
+       piano <i>speak</i>! I can do only a certain amount for them;
+       the rest they must do for themselves.</p>
+
+    <h3>VALUE OF TRANSPOSING</h3>
+
+    <p>"Another item my zealous teacher insisted upon was
+    transposing. I absorbed this idea almost unconsciously, and
+    hardly know when I learned to transpose, so natural did it seem
+    to me. My father was a tactful teacher; he never commanded, but
+    would merely say, 'You can play this in the key of C, but I
+    doubt if you can play it in the key of D.' This doubt was the
+    spur to fire my ambition and pride: I would show him I could
+    play it in the key of D, or in any other key; and I did!</p>
+
+    <p>"With all the technic exercises, I had many &eacute;tudes
+    also; a great deal of Czerny. Each &eacute;tude must also be
+    transposed, for it would never do to play an &eacute;tude twice
+    in the same key for my father. So I may say that whatever I
+    could perform at all, I was able to play in any key.</p>
+
+    <p>"For one year I did nothing but technic, and then I had my
+    first piece, which was nothing less than the Capriccio of
+    Mendelssohn, Op. 22. So you see I had been well grounded;
+    <a name="page164"
+       id="page164"></a>indeed I have been grateful all my life for
+       the thorough foundation which was laid for me. In these days
+       we hear of so many 'short cuts,' so many new methods,
+       mechanical and otherwise, of studying the piano; but I fail
+       to see that they arrive at the goal any quicker, or make any
+       more thorough musicians than those who come by the royal
+       road of intelligent, well-directed hard work."</p>
+
+    <p>Asked how she obtained great power with the least
+    expenditure of physical strength, Mme. Carre&ntilde;o
+    continued:</p>
+
+    <p>"The secret of power lies in relaxation; or I might say,
+    power <i>is</i> relaxation. This word, however, is apt to be
+    misunderstood. You tell pupils to relax, and if they do not
+    understand how and when they get nowhere. Relaxation does not
+    mean to flop all over the piano; it means, rather, to loosen
+    just where it is needed and nowhere else. For the heavy chords
+    in the Tschaikowsky Concerto my arms are absolutely limp from
+    the shoulder; in fact, I am not conscious I have arms. That is
+    why I can play for hours without the slightest fatigue. It is
+    really mental relaxation, for one has to think it; it must be
+    in the mind first before it can be worked out in arms and
+    hands. We have to think it and then act it.<a name="page165"
+       id="page165"></a></p>
+
+    <p>"This quality of my playing must have impressed Breithaupt,
+    for, as you perhaps know, it was after he heard me play that he
+    wrote his famous book on 'Weight Touch,' which is dedicated to
+    me. A second and revised edition of this work, by the way, is
+    an improvement on the first. Many artists and musicians have
+    told me I have a special quality of tone; if this is true I am
+    convinced this quality is the result of controlled
+    relaxation."</p>
+
+    <p>I referred to the artist's hand as being of exceptional
+    adaptability for the piano.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes," she answered, "and it resembles closely the hand of
+    Rubinstein. This brings to mind a little incident. As a small
+    child, I was taken to London, and on one occasion played in the
+    presence of Rubinstein; he was delighted, took me under his
+    wing, and introduced me all about as his musical daughter.
+    Years afterward we came to New York, and located at the old
+    Clarendon Hotel, which has housed so many men of note. The
+    first day at lunch, my aunt and I were seated at a table mostly
+    occupied by elderly ladies, who stared at us curiously. I was a
+    shy slip of a girl, and hardly ventured to raise my eyes after
+    the first look around the room. Beside me sat a gentleman. I
+    glanced at his hand as it <a name="page166"
+       id="page166"></a>rested on the table&mdash;then I looked
+       more closely; how much it reminded me of Rubinstein's hand!
+       My eyes traveled slowly up to the gentleman's face&mdash;it
+       was Rubinstein! He was looking at me; then he turned and
+       embraced me, before all those observing ladles!"</p>
+
+    <p>We spoke of Berlin, the home of the pianist, and of its
+    musical life, mentioning von B&uuml;low and Klindworth. "Both
+    good friends of mine," she commented. "What a wonderful work
+    Klindworth has accomplished in his editions of Beethoven and
+    Chopin! As Goethe said of himself, we can say of
+    Klindworth&mdash;he has carved his own monument in this work.
+    We should revere him for the great service he has done the
+    pianistic world.</p>
+
+    <p>"I always love to play in America, and each time I come I
+    discover how much you have grown. The musical development here
+    is wonderful. This country is very far from being filled with a
+    mercenary and commercial spirit. If Europeans think so it is
+    because they do not know the American at home. Your progress in
+    music is a marvel! There is a great deal of idealism here, and
+    idealism is the very heart and soul of music.</p>
+
+    <p>"I feel the artist has such a beautiful
+    calling&mdash;<a name="page167"
+       id="page167"></a>a glorious message&mdash;to educate a
+       people to see the beauty and grandeur of his art&mdash;of
+       the ideal!"</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page168"
+          id="page168"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXII_WILHELM_BACHAUS"
+       id="XXII_WILHELM_BACHAUS"></a>XXII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>WILHELM BACHAUS</h2>
+
+    <h3>TECHNICAL PROBLEMS DISCUSSED</h3>
+
+    <p>"How do I produce the effects which I obtain from the
+    piano?"</p>
+
+    <p>The young German artist, Willielm Bachaus, was comfortably
+    seated in his spacious apartments at the Ritz, New York, when
+    this question was asked. A grand piano stood close at hand, and
+    the pianist ran his fingers lightly over its keys from time to
+    time, or illustrated some technical point as he talked.</p>
+
+    <p>"In answer I would say I produce them by listening,
+    criticizing, judging&mdash;working over the point, until I get
+    it as I want it. Then I can reproduce it at will, if I want to
+    make just the same effect; but sometimes I want to change and
+    try another.</p><a name="Wilhelm_Bachaus"
+          id="Wilhelm_Bachaus"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/189.png"
+             alt="WILHELM BACHAUS"
+             title="WILHELM BACHAUS" />
+
+        <h5>WILHELM BACHAUS</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"I am particular about the seat I use at the piano, as I sit
+    lower than most amateurs, who in general are apt to sit too
+    high. My piano stool has just been taken out for a few repairs,
+    or I could show you how low it is.<a name="page169"
+       id="page169"></a> Then I am old-fashioned enough to still
+       believe in scales and arpeggios. Some of the players of the
+       present day seem to have no use for such things, but I find
+       them of great importance. This does not necessarily mean
+       that I go through the whole set of keys when I practise the
+       scales; but I select a few at a time, and work at those. I
+       start with ridiculously simple forms&mdash;just the hand
+       over the thumb, and the thumb under the hand&mdash;a few
+       movements each way, especially for arpeggios. The principle
+       I have referred to is the difficult point; a few doses of
+       this remedy, however, bring the hand up into order
+       again."</p>
+
+    <p>The pianist turned to the keyboard and illustrated the point
+    very clearly.</p>
+
+    <p>"As you see, I slant the hand considerably across the keys,"
+    he said, "but this oblique position is more comfortable, and
+    the hand can accommodate itself to the intervals of the
+    arpeggio, or to the passing of the thumb in scales. Some may
+    think I stick out the elbow too much, but I don't care for
+    that, if by this means the scale becomes smooth and even.</p>
+
+    <h3>OVERHAULING ONE'S TECHNIC</h3>
+
+    <p>"I have to overhaul my technic once or twice a week, to see
+    that everything is all <a name="page170"
+       id="page170"></a>right&mdash;and of course the scales and
+       arpeggios come in for their share of criticism. I practise
+       them in legato, staccato and in other touches, but mostly in
+       legato, as that is somewhat more difficult and more
+       beautiful than the others.</p>
+
+    <p>"Perhaps I have what might be called a natural technic; that
+    is I have a natural aptitude for it, so that I could acquire it
+    easily, and it stays with me. Hofmann has that kind of natural
+    technic; so has d'Albert. Of course I have to practise technic;
+    I would not allow it to lapse; I love the piano too much to
+    neglect any part of the work. An artist owes it to himself and
+    the public to keep himself up in perfect condition&mdash;for he
+    must never offer the public anything but the best. I only mean
+    to say I do not have to work at it as laboriously as some
+    others have to do. However, I practise technic daily, and will
+    add that I find I can do a great deal in a short time. When on
+    tour I try to give one hour a day to it, not more."</p>
+
+    <p>Speaking of the action of fingers, Mr. Bachaus
+    continued:</p>
+
+    <p>"Why, yes, I raise my fingers whenever and wherever
+    necessary&mdash;no more. Do you <a name="page171"
+       id="page171"></a>know Breithaupt? Well, he does not approve
+       of such technical exercises as these (illustrating); holding
+       down some fingers and lifting others, for technical
+       practise, but I do. As for the metronome, I approve of it to
+       cultivate the sense of rhythm in those who are lacking in
+       this particular sense. I sometimes use it myself, just to
+       see the difference between the mechanical rhythm and the
+       musical rhythm&mdash;for they are not always the same by any
+       means.</p>
+
+    <p>"Do you know these Technical Exercises of Brahms? I think a
+    great deal of them, and, as you see, carry them around with me;
+    they are excellent.</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask me about octaves. It is true they are easy for me
+    now, but I can remember the time when they were difficult. The
+    only alternative is to work constantly at them. Of course they
+    are more difficult for small hands; so care must be taken not
+    to strain nor over-tire the hand. A little at a time, in
+    frequent doses, ought in six months to work wonders. Rowing a
+    boat is good to develop wrists for octave playing.</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask if I can tell how I obtain power. That is a very
+    difficult question. Why does <a name="page172"
+       id="page172"></a>one child learn to swim almost immediately,
+       while another cannot master it for a long time? To the first
+       it comes naturally&mdash;he has the <i>knack</i>, so to
+       speak. And it is just so with the quality of power at the
+       piano. It certainly is not due to physique, nor to brute
+       strength, else only the athlete would have sufficient power.
+       No, it is the 'knack,' or rather it is the result of
+       relaxation, as you suggest.</p>
+
+    <p>"Take the subject of velocity. I never work for that special
+    thing as some do. I seldom practise with great velocity, for it
+    interferes with clearness. I prefer to play more slowly, giving
+    the greatest attention to clearness and good tone. By pursuing
+    this course I find that when I need velocity I have it.</p>
+
+    <p>"I am no pedagogue and have no desire to be one. I have no
+    time for teaching; my own studies and concert work fill all my
+    days. I do not think that one can both teach and play
+    successfully. If I were teaching I should no doubt acquire the
+    habit of analyzing and criticizing the work of others; of
+    explaining and showing just how a thing should be done. But I
+    am not a critic nor a teacher, so I do not always know how I
+    produce effects. I play 'as the bird sings,' to quote an old
+    German song.<a name="page173"
+       id="page173"></a></p>
+
+    <h3>MODERN PIANO MUSIC</h3>
+
+    <p>"Your MacDowell has written some nice music, some pretty
+    music; I am familiar with his Concerto in D minor, some of the
+    short pieces and the Sonatas. As for modern piano concertos
+    there are not many, it is quite true. There is the
+    Rachmaninoff, the MacDowell I mentioned, the D minor of
+    Rubinstein, and the Saint-Saens in G minor. There is also a
+    Concerto by Neitzel, which is a most interesting work; I do not
+    recall that it has been played in America. I have played it on
+    the other side, and I may bring it out here during my present
+    tour. This Concerto is a fine work, into which the author has
+    put his best thought, feeling and power."</p>
+
+    <h3>A BRAHMS CONCERTO</h3>
+
+    <p>As I listened to the eloquent reading of the Brahms second
+    Concerto, which Mr. Bachaus gave soon afterward with the New
+    York Symphony, I was reminded of a memorable event which
+    occurred during my student days in Berlin. It was a special
+    concert, at which the honored guest and soloist was the great
+    Brahms himself. Von B&uuml;low conducted the orchestra, and
+    Brahms played his second Con<a name="page174"
+       id="page174"></a>certo. The Hamburg master was not a
+       virtuoso, in the present acceptance of the term: his touch
+       on the piano was somewhat hard and dry; but he played the
+       work with commendable dexterity, and made an imposing figure
+       as he sat at the piano, with his grand head and his long
+       beard. Of course his performance aroused immense enthusiasm;
+       there was no end of applause and cheering, and then came a
+       huge laurel wreath. I mentioned this episode to Mr. Bachaus
+       a few days later.</p>
+
+    <p>"I first played the Brahms Concerto in Vienna under Hans
+    Richter; he had counseled me to study the work. The Americans
+    are beginning to admire and appreciate Brahms; he ought to have
+    a great vogue here.</p>
+
+    <p>"In studying such a work, for piano and orchestra, I must
+    not only know my own part but all the other parts&mdash;what
+    each instrument is doing. I always study a concerto with the
+    orchestral score, so that I can see it all before me."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page175"
+          id="page175"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXIII_ALEXANDER_LAMBERT"
+       id="XXIII_ALEXANDER_LAMBERT"></a>XXIII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>ALEXANDER LAMBERT</h2>
+
+    <h3>AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TEACHERS</h3>
+
+    <p>Among American teachers Alexander Lambert takes high rank.
+    For over twenty-five years he has held aloft the standard of
+    sound musicianship in the art of teaching and playing. A
+    quarter of a century of thorough, conscientious effort along
+    these lines must have left its impress upon the whole rising
+    generation of students and teachers in this country, and made
+    for the progress and advancement of American art.</p>
+
+    <p>It means much to have a native-born teacher of such high
+    aims living and working among us; a teacher whom no flattery
+    nor love of gain can influence nor render indifferent to the
+    high aim ever in view. There is no escaping a sound and
+    thorough course of study for those who come under Mr. Lambert's
+    supervision. Scales must be, willingly or unwillingly, the
+    daily bread of the player; the hand must be put in
+    <a name="page176"
+       id="page176"></a>good shape, the finger joints rendered
+       firm, the arms and body supple, before pieces are thought
+       of. Technical study must continue along the whole course,
+       hand in hand with piece playing; technic for its own sake,
+       outside the playing of compositions. And why not? Is the
+       technic of an art ever quite finished? Can it ever be laid
+       away on the shelf and considered complete? Must it not
+       always be kept in working order?</p>
+
+    <p>"Have you not seen many changes in the aims of students, and
+    in the conditions of piano teaching in New York, during the
+    years you have taught here?" I asked Mr. Lambert, in the course
+    of a recent conversation.</p>
+
+    <p>"Some changes, it is true, I have seen," he answered; "but I
+    must also say that the conditions attending piano teaching in
+    America are peculiar. We have some excellent teachers here,
+    teachers who can hold their own anywhere, and are capable of
+    producing finished artists. Yet let a pupil go to the best
+    teacher in this country, and the chances are that he or she is
+    still looking forward to 'finishing' with some European artist.
+    They are not satisfied until they have secured the foreign
+    stamp of approval. While this is true of the advanced pianist,
+    it is even more in <a name="page177"
+       id="page177"></a> evidence in the mediocre player. He, too,
+       is dreaming of the 'superior advantages,' as he calls them,
+       of European study. He may have no foundation to build
+       upon&mdash;may not even be able to play a scale correctly,
+       but still thinks he must go abroad!</p>
+
+    <p>"You ask if I think students can obtain just as good
+    instruction here as in Europe? That is a little difficult to
+    answer off-hand. I fully believe we have some teachers in
+    America as able as any on the other side; in some ways they are
+    better. For one thing they are morally better&mdash;I repeat,
+    <i>morally</i> better. For another they are more thorough: they
+    take more interest in their pupils and will do more for them.
+    When such a teacher is found, he certainly deserves the deep
+    respect and gratitude of the American student. But alas, he
+    seldom experiences the gratitude. After he has done everything
+    for the pupil&mdash;fashioned him into a well-equipped artist,
+    the student is apt to say: 'Now I will go abroad for lessons
+    with this or that famous European master!' What is the result?
+    He may never amount to anything&mdash;may never be heard of
+    afterward. On the other hand, I have pupils coming to me, who
+    have been years with some of the greatest foreign masters, yet
+    who are <a name="page178"
+       id="page178"></a>full of faults of all kinds, faults which
+       it takes me years to correct. Some of them come with hard
+       touch, with tense position and condition of arms and body,
+       with faulty pedaling, and with a lack of knowledge of some
+       of the fundamental principles of piano playing.</p>
+
+    <h3>POWER WITHOUT EFFORT</h3>
+
+    <p>"How do I teach them to acquire power with little effort?
+    Relaxation is the whole secret. Your arm is really quite heavy,
+    it weighs considerable. Act on this principle then: let the
+    arms fall with their full weight on the keys, and you will have
+    all the power you need, provided the fingers are rounded and
+    firm. That is the other half of the secret. The finger joints
+    must be firm, especially the third joint. It stands to reason
+    there can be no power, no brilliancy when this joint is
+    wavering and wobbling.</p>
+
+    <p>"I teach arched hand position, and, for children and
+    beginners, decided finger action; the fingers are to be raised,
+    in the beginning, though not too high. Some teachers may not
+    teach finger action, because they say artists do not use it.
+    But the artist, if questioned, would tell you he had to learn
+    finger action in the beginning. There are so many stages in
+    piano <a name="page179"
+       id="page179"></a>playing. The beginner must raise his
+       fingers in order to acquire finger development and a good,
+       clear touch. In the middle stage he has secured enough
+       finger control to play the same passage with less action,
+       and still perform it with sufficient clearness; while in the
+       more finished stage the passage may be played with scarcely
+       any perceptible motion, so thoroughly do the fingers respond
+       to every mental requirement.</p>
+
+    <p>"Sometimes pupils come to me who do not know scales, though
+    they are playing difficult compositions. I insist on a thorough
+    knowledge of scales and arpeggios, and a serious study of Bach.
+    I use almost everything Bach ever wrote for the piano; the Two
+    and Three Part Inventions, French and English Suites,
+    Well-tempered Clavichord, and the organ Preludes and Fugues,
+    arranged by Liszt."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page180"
+          id="page180"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXIV_FANNIE_BLOOMFIELD_ZEISLER"
+       id="XXIV_FANNIE_BLOOMFIELD_ZEISLER"></a>XXIV.</h2>
+
+    <h2>FANNIE BLOOMFIELD ZEISLER</h2>
+
+    <h3>THE SCOPE OF PIANO TECHNIC</h3>
+
+    <p>Each year, as Mme. Bloomfleld Zeisler plays for us, we feel
+    the growth of a deeper experience, a clearer insight into human
+    nature, a broader outlook and grasp on art and life. Such a
+    mentality, ever seeking for truth and the sincerest expression
+    of it, must continually progress, until&mdash;as now&mdash;the
+    greatest heights are reached. Mme. Zeisler is no keyboard
+    dreamer, no rhapsodist on Art. She is a thoroughly practical
+    musician, able to explain as well as demonstrate, able to talk
+    as well as play. Out of the fulness of a rich experience, out
+    of the depth of deepest sincerity and conviction the artist
+    speaks, as she plays, with authority and
+    enthusiasm.</p><a name="FannieZeisler"
+          id="FannieZeisler"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/202.png"
+             alt="With sincerest good wishes Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler Chicago Dec 30 '14"
+             title="With sincerest good wishes Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler Chicago Dec 30 '14" />
+
+
+        <h5>With sincerest good wishes Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
+        Chicago Dec 30 '14</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>"The first thing to be done for a pupil is to see that the
+    hand is in correct position. I explain that the wrist should be
+    about on a level with the second joint of the middle finger,
+    when the fingers are properly rounded. The <a name="page181"
+       id="page181"></a>knuckles will then be somewhat elevated; in
+       fact they will naturally take care of themselves, other
+       points of the hand being correct. Two things are of supreme
+       importance: namely, firm finger joints and loose wrists;
+       these must be insisted on from the very beginning. I
+       sometimes use firm wrists in my own playing, if I wish to
+       make a certain effect; but I can safely affirm, I think,
+       that no one has ever seen me play with weak, bending
+       fingers.</p>
+
+    <h3>WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES</h3>
+
+    <p>"Piano technic includes so much; everything goes into
+    it&mdash;arithmetic, grammar, diction, language study, poetry,
+    history, and painting! In the first stages there are rules to
+    be learned, just as in any other study. In school we had to
+    learn the rules of grammar and mathematics. Just such rules are
+    applicable to musical performance. I must know the rules of
+    versification in order to scan poetic stanzas; so I must know
+    the laws of rhythm and meter to be able to punctuate musical
+    phrases and periods. Pupils who have long passed the stage of
+    division and fractions do not seem able to determine the
+    time-values of the various notes and groups of
+    <a name="page182"
+       id="page182"></a>notes used in music; they do not know what
+       must be done with triplets, dotted notes, and so on. So you
+       see 'just technic' includes a multitude of things; it is a
+       very wide subject.</p>
+
+    <h3>EACH PUPIL A DIFFERENT PROBLEM</h3>
+
+    <p>"Each pupil presents a different problem as to physical
+    formation of hand and body, intelligence and talent. Those who
+    are the most talented do not always prove the most satisfactory
+    students. They grasp the composer's ideas quickly enough, it is
+    true, so that sometimes in a few days, they can take up a
+    difficult composition and clash it off with such showy effect
+    as to blind the eyes of the superficial listener; but these
+    students are not willing to work out the fine points of the
+    piece and polish it artistically. Neither are they willing to
+    get right down, to the bed rock of technic and work at that
+    seriously and thoroughly. If this course is suggested they grow
+    restive, think they are being held back, and some times prefer
+    to study with a more superficial teacher. The consequence is
+    they never really amount to anything; whereas if these same
+    players possessed perseverance along with their talent they
+    could become great artists. I would rather have an intelligent,
+    earnest, serious <a name="page183"
+       id="page183"></a>pupil, who is obedient and willing to work,
+       than a very gifted pupil. The two seldom go together. When
+       you find both in one person, a marvelous musician is the
+       result, if assisted by the right sort of training.</p>
+
+    <h3>HARMONY STUDY</h3>
+
+    <p>"One thing a teacher should insist upon, and that is that
+    the pupil should study harmony. He should have a practical
+    working knowledge of keys, chords, and progressions. There may
+    be no need for him to study orchestration or composition, but
+    he must know the foundation and structure of the material of
+    music. My pupil must be familiar with the various chords of the
+    scale and know how to analyze them, before I can make clear to
+    him the rules of pedaling. Without this knowledge, my words
+    about the use of the pedals are as so much Greek to him. He
+    must go and learn this first, before coming to me.</p>
+
+    <h3>ACCORDING TO RULE</h3>
+
+    <p>"Experience counts for much with the teacher, but much, more
+    with the pianist. The beginner must go according to rule, until
+    he has thoroughly mastered the rules. He must <a name="page184"
+       id="page184"></a>not think because he sees a great artist
+       holding his hands a certain way at times&mdash;turning under
+       his unemployed fingers for octaves perhaps, or any other
+       seeming eccentricity, that he himself is at liberty to do
+       the same things. No, he must learn to play in a normal, safe
+       way before attempting any tricks. What may seem eccentric to
+       the inexperienced student may be quite a legitimate means of
+       producing certain effects to the mature artist, who through
+       wide experience and study knows just the effect he wants and
+       the way to make it. The artist does many things the pupil
+       should not attempt. The artist knows the capabilities of his
+       own hand; his technic is, in a certain sense, individual; it
+       should not be imitated by the learner of little or no
+       experience. If I play a chord passage with high wrist, that
+       I may bring out a certain effect or quality of tone at that
+       point, the thoughtless student might be under the impression
+       that a high wrist was habitual with me, which is not true.
+       For this reason I do not give single lessons to any one, nor
+       coach on single pieces. In the case of the interpretation of
+       a piece, a student can get the ideas of it from hearing it
+       in recital, if he can grasp and assimilate
+       them.<a name="page185"
+       id="page185"></a></p>
+
+    <h3>ON INTERPRETATION</h3>
+
+    <p>"Interpretation! That is a wide subject; how can it be
+    defined? I try to arouse the imagination of the student first
+    of all. We speak of the character of the piece, and try to
+    arrive at some idea of its meaning. Is it
+    <i>largo</i>&mdash;then it is serious and soulful; is it
+    <i>scherzo</i>&mdash;then it should be blithe and gay. We
+    cannot depend on metronome tempi, for they are not reliable.
+    Those given in Schumann are generally all wrong. We try to feel
+    the rhythm of the music, the swing of it, the spirit of it. In
+    giving out the opening theme or subject, I feel it should be
+    made prominent, to arrest attention, to make it clear to the
+    listener; when it appears at other times in the piece, it can
+    be softened or varied. Variety of effect we must have; but
+    whether a passage is played with decreasing or increasing tone,
+    whether this run is soft and the next loud, or vice versa, does
+    not matter so much as to secure variety and individuality. I
+    may look at it one way, another player an opposite way. One
+    should be broad-minded enough to see the beauty of each
+    interpretation. I do not expect my pupils to copy me or do
+    things just as I do them. I show them how I do it,
+    <a name="page186"
+       id="page186"></a>then leave them to work it out as they see
+       it.</p>
+
+    <p>"<i>Pianissimo</i> is one of the later things to teach. A
+    beginner should not attempt it too soon, for then it will only
+    result in flabbiness. A true <i>pianissimo</i> is not the
+    result of weakness but of strength.</p>
+
+    <h3>MUSICAL CONDITIONS IN AMERICA</h3>
+
+    <p>"America has made marvelous progress in the understanding
+    and appreciation of music; even the critics, many of them, know
+    a great deal about music. The audiences, even in small towns,
+    are a pleasure and delight to play to. I am asked sometimes why
+    I attempt the last sonata of Beethoven in a little town. But
+    just such audiences listen to that work with rapt attention;
+    they hang on every note. How are they to learn what is best in
+    music unless we are willing to give it to them?</p>
+
+    <p>"The trouble with America is that it does not at all realize
+    how much it knows&mdash;how much talent is here. We are so
+    easily tricked with a foreign name and title; our serious and
+    talented musicians are constantly being pushed to the wall by
+    some unknown with a name ending in <i>ski</i>. These are the
+    people who tour America (for one season at least), who get the
+    best places in our music schools and <a name="page187"
+       id="page187"></a> colleges, crowding out our native
+       musicians. It makes me very bitter against this utterly
+       mistaken and fallacious idea of ours. I have many talented
+       students, who come to me from all over the country. Some of
+       them become most excellent concert artists. If I recommend
+       them to managers or institutions, should not my word count
+       for something? Ought I not to know what my students can do,
+       and what is required of a concert artist? But instead of
+       their securing an engagement, with such a recommendation, a
+       foreigner with the high-sounding name is the one invariably
+       chosen. When I first started on my career I endeavored in
+       every way to get a proper hearing in America. But not until
+       I had made a name for myself in Europe was I recognized
+       here, in my own land. All honor to those who are now
+       fighting for the musical independence of America!"</p>
+
+    <h3>A GROUP OF QUESTIONS</h3>
+
+    <p>Not long after the above conversation with Mme. Zeisler, I
+    jotted down some questions, leading to further elucidation of
+    her manner of teaching and playing, and sent them to her. The
+    artist was then fully occupied with her long and arduous tours
+    and later went to <a name="page188"
+       id="page188"></a> Europe. My questions remained unanswered
+       for nearly a year. When she next played in New York, she
+       sent for me to come to her hotel. As she entered the room to
+       greet me, she held in her hand the paper containing the
+       questions. I expressed surprise that she had preserved the
+       bit of paper so long.</p>
+
+    <p>"I am very conscientious," she answered; "I have kept this
+    ever since you sent it, and now we will talk over the topics
+    you suggest."</p>
+
+    <p>(1) What means do you favor for gaining power?</p>
+
+    <p>"I can say&mdash;none. There is no necessity for using
+    special means to acquire power; when everything is right you
+    will have sufficient power; you cannot help having it. If you
+    know the piece thoroughly, your fingers have acquired the
+    necessary strength through efficient practise, so that when the
+    time comes to make the desired effects, you have the strength
+    to make them, provided everything is as it should be with your
+    technic. Power is a comparative term at best; one pianist may
+    play on a larger scale than another. I am reminded of an
+    amusing incident in this connection. My son Paul, when a little
+    fellow, was fond of boasting about his mother; I could not seem
+    to <a name="page189"
+       id="page189"></a>break him of it. One day he got into an
+       argument with another boy, who asserted that his father, an
+       amateur pianist, could play better than Paul's mother,
+       because he 'could play louder, anyway.' I don't know whether
+       they fought it out or not; but my boy told me about the
+       dispute afterward.</p>
+
+    <p>"'What do you think makes a great player?' I asked him.</p>
+
+    <p>"'If you play soft enough and loud enough, slow enough and
+    fast enough, and it sounds nice,' was his answer. It is the
+    whole thing in a nutshell: and he was such a little fellow at
+    the time!</p>
+
+    <p>"As I said, you must have everything right with your
+    technic, then both power and velocity will come almost
+    unconsciously."</p>
+
+    <p>(2) What do you do for weak finger joints?</p>
+
+    <p>"They must be made strong at once. When a new pupil comes to
+    me the first thing we do is to get the hand into correct
+    position, and the fingers rounded and firm. If the pupil is
+    intelligent and quick, this can be accomplished in a few weeks;
+    sometimes it takes several months. But it must be done. Of what
+    use is it to attempt a Beethoven sonata when the fingers are so
+    weak that they cave in. The fingers must keep their rounded
+    position <a name="page190"
+       id="page190"></a> and be strong enough to bear up under the
+       weight you put upon them. As you say, this work can be done
+       at a table, but I generally prefer the keyboard; wood is so
+       unresponsive.</p>
+
+    <p>"I think, for this work, children are easier to handle than
+    their elders; they have no faults to correct; they like to hold
+    their hands well and make them look pretty. They ought to have
+    a keyboard adapted to their little delicate muscles, with
+    action much less heavy than two ounces, the minimum weight of
+    the clavier. As they grow and gain strength, the weight can be
+    increased. If they should attempt to use my instrument with its
+    heavy action, they would lame the hand in a few moments or
+    their little fingers could not stand up under the weight."</p>
+
+    <p>(3) Do you approve of finger action?</p>
+
+    <p>"Most emphatically. Finger action is an absolute essential
+    in playing the piano. We must have finger development. As you
+    say, we can never make the fingers equal in themselves; we
+    might practise five hundred years without rendering the fourth
+    finger as strong as the thumb. Rather let us learn to so adjust
+    the weight and pressure of each finger, that all will sound
+    equal, whenever we wish <a name="page191"
+       id="page191"></a>them to do so. I tell my pupils that in
+       regard to strength, their fingers are in this relation to
+       each other," and the pianist drew with her pencil four
+       little upright lines on the paper, representing the relative
+       natural weight of the four fingers. "The fifth finger," she
+       said, "figures very little in scale or passage playing. By
+       correct methods of study the pupil learns to lighten the
+       pressure of the stronger fingers and proportionately
+       increase the weight of the weaker fingers."</p>
+
+    <p>(4) Do you approve of technic practise outside of
+    pieces?</p>
+
+    <p>"I certainly do. The amount of time given to technic study
+    varies with the pupil's stage of advancement. In the beginning,
+    the whole four hours must be devoted to technic practise. When
+    some degree of facility and control have been attained, the
+    amount may be cut down to two hours. Later one hour is
+    sufficient, and when one is far advanced a very short time will
+    suffice to put the hand in trim; some rapid, brilliant
+    arpeggios, or an &eacute;tude with much finger work may be all
+    that is necessary.</p>
+
+    <p>"The player gains constantly in strength and technical
+    control while studying pieces, provided correct methods are
+    pursued. Every <a name="page192"
+       id="page192"></a>piece is first of all a study in technic.
+       The foundation must be rightly laid; the principles can then
+       be applied to &eacute;tude and piece."</p>
+
+    <p>(5) What do you consider the most vital technical
+    points?</p>
+
+    <p>"That is a difficult question, involving everything about
+    piano playing. There are the scales of all kinds, in single and
+    double notes. Arpeggios are of great importance, because, in
+    one form or another, they constantly occur. Octaves, chords,
+    pedaling, and so on."</p>
+
+    <p>"The trill, too," I suggested.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, the trill; but, after all, the trill is a somewhat
+    individual matter. Some players seem to have it naturally, or
+    have very little trouble with it; others always have more or
+    less difficulty. They do not seem able to play a rapid, even
+    trill. Many are unable to finish it off deftly and
+    artistically. They can trill for a certain number of
+    repetitions; when they become accustomed to the monotonous
+    repetition it is not so easy to go into the ending without a
+    break."</p>
+
+    <p>(6) What means do you advise to secure velocity?</p>
+
+    <p>"I make the same answer to this question that I made to the
+    first&mdash;none. I never work <a name="page193"
+       id="page193"></a>for velocity, nor do I work <i>up</i>
+       velocity. That is a matter that generally takes care of
+       itself. If you know the piece absolutely, know what it means
+       and the effects you want to make, there will be little
+       difficulty in getting over the keys at the tempo required.
+       Of course this does not apply to the pupil who is playing
+       wrong, with weak fingers, uncertain touch and all the rest
+       of the accompanying faults. I grant that these faults may
+       not be so apparent in a piece of slow tempo. A pupil may be
+       able to get through Handel's Largo, for instance; though his
+       fingers are uncertain he can make the theme sound half-way
+       respectable, while a piece in rapid tempo will be quite
+       beyond him. The faults were in the Largo just the same, but
+       they did not show. Rapid music reveals them at once. Certain
+       composers require almost a perfect technical equipment in
+       order to render their music with adequate effect. Mozart is
+       one of these. Much of his music looks simple, and is really
+       quite easy to read; but to play it as it should be played is
+       another thing entirely. I seldom give Mozart to my pupils.
+       Those endless scales, arpeggios and passages, which must be
+       flawless, in which you dare not blur or miss a single note!
+       To play this music with just the right spirit, you must
+       <a name="page194"
+       id="page194"></a>put yourself <i>en rapport</i> with the
+       epoch in which it was written&mdash;the era of crinoline,
+       powdered wigs, snuffboxes and mincing minuets. I don't mean
+       to say Mozart's music is not emotional; it is filled with
+       it, but it is not the emotion of to-day, but of yesterday,
+       of more than a century back.</p>
+
+    <p>"For myself, I love Mozart's music. One of my greatest
+    successes was in a Mozart concerto with the Chicago Orchestra.
+    I afterward remarked to one of my colleagues that it had been
+    one of the most difficult tasks I had ever accomplished. 'Yes,
+    when one plays Mozart one is so <i>exposed</i>,' was his clever
+    rejoinder."</p>
+
+    <p>(7) How do you keep repertoire in repair?</p>
+
+    <p>"If you mean my own, I would answer that I don't try to keep
+    all my pieces up, for I have hundreds and hundreds of them, and
+    I must always save time to study new works. A certain number
+    are always kept in practise, different programs, according to
+    the requirements of the hour. My method of practise is to play
+    slowly through the piece, carefully noting the spots that are
+    weak and need special treatment. To these I give a certain
+    number of repetitions, and then repeat the <a name="page195"
+       id="page195"></a>whole to see if the weak places are equal
+       in smoothness to the rest. If not, they must have more
+       study. But always slow practise. Only occasionally do I go
+       through the piece at the required velocity.</p>
+
+    <p>"My pupils are always counseled to practise slowly. If they
+    bring the piece for a first hearing, it must be slowly and
+    carefully played; if for a second or third hearing, and they
+    know it well enough to take it up to time, they can play it
+    occasionally at this tempo before coming to me. But to
+    constantly play a piece in rapid tempo is very harmful; it
+    precludes all thought of analysis, of <i>how</i> you are doing
+    it. When you are playing at concert speed, you have no time to
+    think of fingering, movement or condition&mdash;you are beyond
+    all that. It is only in slow practise that you have time and
+    opportunity to think of everything.</p>
+
+    <p>"As an illustration, take the case of a pianist in a
+    traveling concert company. He must play the same pieces night
+    after night, with no opportunity to practise between. For the
+    first few days the pieces go well; then small errors and weak
+    spots begin to appear. There is no time for slow practise, so
+    each nightly repetition increases the uncertainty. In a few
+    months his playing degenerates so it is hardly
+    <a name="page196"
+       id="page196"></a>fit to listen to. This is the result of
+       constant fast playing."</p>
+
+    <p>(8) How do you keep technic up to the standard?</p>
+
+    <p>"If one is far advanced a few arpeggios and scales, or a
+    brilliant &eacute;tude will put the hand in condition. After
+    one has rested, or had a vacation, some foundational exercises
+    and finger movements may be necessary, to limber up the muscles
+    and regain control and quickness. One may often have to review
+    first principles, but technical facility is soon regained if it
+    has once been thoroughly acquired. If one has stopped practise
+    for quite a period, the return is slower, and needs to be more
+    carefully prepared.</p>
+
+    <p>"I use considerable Czerny for technical purposes, with my
+    pupils. Op. 299, of course, and even earlier or easier ones;
+    then Op. 740. A few of the latter are most excellent for
+    keeping up one's technic. The Chopin Studies, too, are daily
+    bread."</p>
+
+    <p>(9) The best way to study chords?</p>
+
+    <p>"From the wrist and with fingers of steel Small hands must
+    of course begin with smaller positions."</p>
+
+    <p>(10) What gymnastic exercises do you suggest?</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page197"
+       id="page197"></a>Whatever seems necessary for the special
+       hand. Tight hands need to be massaged to limber the fingers
+       and stretch the web of flesh between them. The loose, flabby
+       hand may also be strengthened and rendered firm by massage;
+       but this is often a more difficult task than to stretch the
+       right hand. If technical training is properly given, it is
+       sure to render the hand flexible and strong."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page198"
+          id="page198"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXV_AGNES_MORGAN"
+       id="XXV_AGNES_MORGAN"></a>XXV.</h2>
+
+    <h2>AGNES MORGAN</h2>
+
+    <h3>SIMPLICITY IN PIANO TEACHING</h3>
+
+    <p>One of the busiest of New York piano teachers, whose list of
+    students taking private lessons in a season, almost touches the
+    hundred mark, is Mrs. Agnes Morgan. Mrs. Morgan has been
+    laboring in this field for more than two decades, with ever
+    increasing success. And yet so quietly and unobtrusively is all
+    this accomplished, that the world only knows of the teacher
+    through the work done by her pupils. The teacher has now risen
+    to the point where she can pick and choose her own pupils,
+    which is a great comfort to her, for it dispels much of the
+    drudgery of piano teaching, and is one of the reasons why she
+    loves her work.</p>
+
+    <p>When one teaches from nine in the morning till after six
+    every day of the season, it is not easy to find a leisure hour
+    in which to discuss means and methods. By a fortunate chance,
+    however, such an interview was recently possible.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="page199"
+       id="page199"></a>The questions had been borne in upon me: By
+       what art or influence has this teacher attracted so large a
+       following? What is it which brings to her side not only the
+       society girl but the serious art-student and young teacher?
+       What is the magnet which draws so many pupils to her that
+       five assistants are needed to prepare those who are not yet
+       ready to profit by her instruction? When I came in touch
+       with this modest, unassuming woman, who greeted me with
+       simple cordiality, and spoke with quiet dignity of her work,
+       I felt that the only magnet was the ability to impart
+       definite ideas in the simplest possible way.</p>
+
+    <p>"Dr. William Mason, with whom I studied," began Mrs. Morgan,
+    "used to say that a musical touch was born, not made; but I
+    have found it possible to so instruct a pupil that she can make
+    as beautiful a tone as can be made; even a child can do this.
+    The whole secret lies in arm and wrist relaxation, with arched
+    hand, and firm nail joint.</p>
+
+    <h3>INSPIRATION FROM AN AMERICAN TEACHER</h3>
+
+    <p>"I feel that Dr. Mason himself was the one who made me see
+    the reason of things. I had always played more or less
+    brilliantly, for <a name="page200"
+       id="page200"></a>technic came rather easy to me. I had
+       studied in Leipsic, where I may say I learned little or
+       nothing about the principles of piano playing, but only
+       'crammed' a great number of difficult compositions. I had
+       been with Moszkowski also; but it was really Dr. Mason, an
+       American teacher, who first set me thinking. I began to
+       think so earnestly about the reason for doing things that I
+       often argued the points out with him, until he would laugh
+       and say, 'You go one way and I go another, but we both reach
+       the same point in the end.' And from that time I have gone
+       on and on until I have evolved my own system of doing
+       things. A teacher cannot stand still. I would be a fool not
+       to profit by the experience gained through each pupil, for
+       each one is a separate study. This has been a growth of
+       perhaps twenty-five years&mdash;as the result of my effort
+       to present the subject of piano technic in the most concise
+       form. I have been constantly learning what is not essential,
+       and what can be omitted.</p>
+
+    <h3>SIMPLICITY</h3>
+
+    <p>"Simplicity Is the keynote of my work. I try to teach only
+    the essentials. There are so many &eacute;tudes and studies
+    that are good, Czerny, for instance, is splendid. I believe in
+    <a name="page201"
+       id="page201"></a>it all, but there is not time for much of
+       it. So with Bach. I approve of studying everything we have
+       of his for piano, from the 'Little Pieces' up to the big
+       Preludes and Fugues. Whenever I can I use Bach. But here
+       again we have not time to use as much of Bach as we should
+       like. Still I do the best I can. Even with those who have
+       not a great deal of time to practise, I get in a Bach
+       Invention whenever possible.</p>
+
+    <p>"When a new pupil comes who is just starting, or has been
+    badly taught, she must of course begin with hand formation. She
+    learns to form the arch of the hand and secure firm finger
+    joints, especially the nail joint. I form the hand away from
+    the piano, at a table. Nothing can be done toward playing till
+    these things are accomplished. I often have pupils who have
+    been playing difficult music for years, and who consider
+    themselves far advanced. When I show them some of these simple
+    things, they consider them far too easy until they find they
+    cannot do them. Sometimes nothing can be done with such pupils
+    until they are willing to get right down to rock bottom, and
+    learn how to form the hand. As to the length of time required,
+    it depends on the mentality of the pupil and the kind of
+    <a name="page202"
+       id="page202"></a>hand. Some hands are naturally very soft
+       and flabby, and of course it is more difficult to render
+       them strong.</p>
+
+    <h3>FINGER ACTION</h3>
+
+    <p>"When the arch of the hand is formed, we cultivate
+    intelligent movement in the finger tips, and for this we must
+    have a strong, dependable nail joint. Of course young students
+    must have knuckle action of the fingers, but I disapprove of
+    fingers being raised too high. As we advance, and the nail
+    joint becomes firmer and more controlled, there is not so great
+    need for much finger action. Velocity is acquired by less and
+    less action of the fingers; force is gained by allowing arm
+    weight to rest on the fingers; lightness and delicacy by taking
+    the arm weight off the fingers&mdash;holding it back.</p>
+
+    <p>"I use no instruction books for technical drill, but give my
+    own exercises, or select them from various sources. Certain
+    principles must govern the daily practise, from the first. When
+    they are mastered in simple forms later work is only
+    development. Loose wrist exercises, in octaves, sixths, or
+    other forms, should form a part of the daily routine. So should
+    scale playing, for I am a firm believer in scales
+    <a name="page203"
+       id="page203"></a>of all kinds. Chords are an important item
+       of practise. How few students, uninstructed in their
+       principles, ever play good chords? They either flap the hand
+       down from the wrist, with a weak, thin tone, or else they
+       play with stiff, high wrists and arms, making a hard, harsh
+       tone. In neither case do they use any arm weight. It often
+       takes some time to make them see the principles of arm
+       weight and finger grasp.</p>
+
+    <h3>QUESTIONS OF PEDALING</h3>
+
+    <p>"Another point which does not receive the attention it
+    deserves is pedaling. Few students have a true idea of the
+    technic of the foot on the pedal. They seem to know only one
+    way to use the damper pedal, and that is to come down hard on
+    it, perhaps giving it a thump at the same time. I give special
+    preparatory exercises for pedal use. Placing the heel on the
+    floor, and the forepart of the foot on the pedal, they learn to
+    make one depression with every stroke of the metronome; when
+    this can be done with ease, then two depressions to the beat,
+    and so on. In this exercise the pedal is not pressed fully
+    down; on the contrary there is but a slight depression; this
+    vibration on the pedal has the effect of a con<a name="page204"
+       id="page204"></a>stant shimmering of light upon the tones,
+       which is very beautiful." Here the artist illustrated most
+       convincingly with a portion of a Chopin Prelude. "One needs
+       a flexible ankle to use the pedal properly; indeed the ankle
+       should be as pliant as the wrist. I know of no one else who
+       uses the pedal in just this fashion; so I feel as though I
+       had discovered it.</p>
+
+    <p>"Yes, I have numbers of pupils among society people; girls
+    who go out a good deal and yet find time to practise a couple
+    hours a day. The present tendency of the wealthy is to take a
+    far more serious view of music study than was formerly the
+    case. They feel its uplifting and ennobling influence, respect
+    its teachers, and endeavor to do carefully and well whatever
+    they attempt.</p>
+
+    <p>"While necessary and important, the technical foundation is
+    after all but a small part compared to the training for
+    rhythmic sense, and for the knowledge of how to produce good
+    and beautiful results in musical interpretation."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page205"
+          id="page205"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXVI_EUGENE_HEFFLEY"
+       id="XXVI_EUGENE_HEFFLEY"></a>XXVI.</h2>
+
+    <h2>EUGENE HEFFLEY</h2>
+
+    <h3>MODERN TENDENCIES IN PIANO MUSIC</h3>
+
+    <p>Eugene Heffley, the Founder and first President of the
+    MacDowell Club, of New York, a pianist and teacher of high
+    ideals and most serious aims, came to New York from Pittsburg,
+    in 1900, at the suggestion of MacDowell himself. He came to
+    make a place for himself in the profession of the metropolis,
+    and has proved himself a thoroughly sincere and devoted
+    teacher, as well as a most inspiring master; he has trained
+    numerous young artists who are winning success as pianists and
+    teachers.</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Heffley, while entertaining reverence for the older
+    masters, is very progressive, always on the alert to discover a
+    new trend of thought, a new composer, a new gospel in musical
+    art. He did much to make known and arouse enthusiasm for
+    MacDowell's compositions, when they were as yet almost unheard
+    of in America. In an equally broad <a name="page206"
+       id="page206"></a>spirit does he introduce to his students
+       the works of the ultra modern school, Debussy, Rachmaninoff,
+       Florent Schmitt, Reger, Liadow, Poldini and others.</p>
+
+    <p>"My students like to learn these new things, and the
+    audiences that gather here in the studio for our recitals, come
+    with the expectation of being enlightened in regard to new and
+    seldom heard works, and we do not disappoint them. Florent
+    Schmitt, in spite of his German surname, is thoroughly French
+    in his manner and idiom, though they are not of the style of
+    Debussy; he has written some beautiful things for the piano; a
+    set of short pieces which are little gems. I rank Rachmaninoff
+    very highly, and of course use his Preludes, not only the
+    well-known ones&mdash;the C and G minor&mdash;but the set of
+    thirteen in one opus number; they are most interesting. I use a
+    good deal of Russian music; Liadow has composed some beautiful
+    things; but Tschaikowsky, in his piano music, is too
+    complaining and morbid, as a rule, though he is occasionally in
+    a more cheerful mood. It seems as though music has said all it
+    can say along consonant lines, and regular rhythms. We must
+    look for its advancement in the realm of Dissonance; not only
+    in this but in the way of variety <a name="page207"
+       id="page207"></a>in Rhythm. How these modern composers vary
+       their rhythms, sometimes three or four different ones going
+       at once! It is the unexpected which attracts us in musical
+       and literary art, as well as in other things: we don't want
+       to know what is coming next; we want to be surprised.</p>
+
+    <p>"Of the classic literature, I use much Bach, when I can. I
+    used to give more Mozart than I do now; latterly I have
+    inclined toward Haydn; his Variations and Sonatas are fine; my
+    students seem to prefer Haydn also. I thoroughly believe in the
+    value of polyphonic music as a mental study; it is a necessity.
+    And Bach is such a towering figure, such a rock of strength in
+    musical art. Bach was essentially a Christian, and this element
+    of devoutness, of worship, shines out in everything he wrote. I
+    do not believe that music, without this element of worship,
+    will live. Tschaikowsky did not have it, nor Berlioz, nor even
+    Mozart, for Mozart wrote merely from the idea of sheer beauty
+    of sound; in that sense he was a pagan. I doubt if Strauss has
+    it. One cannot foresee how the future will judge the music of
+    to-day; what will it think of Sch&ouml;nberg? I am holding in
+    abeyance any opinion I might form regarding his work till
+    <a name="page208"
+       id="page208"></a> I have had more time to know it better. I
+       can only say I have heard his string Quartet three times.
+       The first time I found much in it to admire; the second time
+       I was profoundly moved by certain parts of it, and on the
+       third occasion I felt that the work, especially the latter
+       part, contained some of the most beautiful music I had ever
+       listened to.</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to the technical training my pupils receive, it
+    is not so easy to formulate my manner of teaching. Each pupil
+    is a separate study, and is different from every other. As you
+    well know, I am not a 'method man': I have little use for the
+    so-called piano method. To be a true teacher of the piano is a
+    high calling indeed; for there are many pedagogues but
+    comparatively few real teachers. I make a distinction between
+    the two. A pedagogue is one who, filled with many rules and
+    much learning, endeavors to pour his knowledge into the pupil;
+    whereas the true teacher seeks to draw out what is in the
+    pupil. He strives to find what the pupil has aptitude for, what
+    he likes to do and can do best. The teacher must be something
+    of a psychologist, or how can he correctly judge of the pupil's
+    temperament, his tastes, his mentality, and what to do for
+    him?</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page209"
+       id="page209"></a>When a new pupil comes, I must make a
+       mental appraisement of his capacity, his likelihood to grasp
+       the subject, his quickness of intelligence, his health, and
+       so on. No two pupils can be treated in the same way. One who
+       has little continuity, who has never followed out a serious
+       line of thought in any direction, must be treated quite
+       differently from one of an opposite mentality and
+       experience. It would be useless to give Bach to the first
+       pupil, it would only be a waste of time and patience: he
+       could not comprehend the music in any sense; he would have
+       no conception of the great things that Bach stands for. Such
+       a course of treatment would only make him hate music;
+       whereas to one of a more serious and thoughtful turn of
+       mind, you might give any amount of Bach.</p>
+
+    <p>"A student with a poor touch and undeveloped hand, must go
+    through a regular course of training. The hand is first placed
+    in position, either at the keyboard or on a table; the fingers
+    are taught to start with up movements, as the lifting muscles
+    need special attention. A muscle or a finger, is either
+    <i>taut</i>, <i>flabby</i> or <i>stiff</i>; it is the taut
+    condition I strive for&mdash;to make the finger responsive,
+    like a fine steel spring.<a name="page210"
+       id="page210"></a></p>
+
+    <p>"It is absolutely necessary to establish correct finger
+    action at the outset; for the sake of finger development,
+    clearness, and accuracy. When single fingers can make accurate
+    up and down movements, we can put two fingers together and
+    acquire a perfect legato. I teach three kinds of
+    legato&mdash;the <i>passage</i> legato, the <i>singing</i>
+    legato, and the <i>accompanying</i> legato; the pupil must
+    master the first before attempting the others. I advise technic
+    practise with each hand alone, for you must know I am a firm
+    believer in the study of pure technic outside of pieces.</p>
+
+    <p>"As the student advances we take up chord playing with
+    different touches, scales, arpeggios and octaves. I institute
+    quite early what I call polyphonic technic&mdash;one hand doing
+    a different movement or touch from the other. This works out in
+    scales and arpeggios with a variety of touches&mdash;one hand
+    playing a passage or scale staccato while the other plays
+    legato, and vice versa."</p>
+
+    <p>Asked if he taught technical material without a book, Mr.
+    Heffley replied:</p>
+
+    <p>"No, I generally use the Heinrich Germer work, as it covers
+    the ground very satisfactorily; it is compact, concise, and
+    complete in one volume. I also use Mertke to some
+    <a name="page211"
+       id="page211"></a>extent. Every form of exercise must be
+       worked out in all keys; I find the books useful for all
+       kinds of students. I may add that I use comparatively few
+       &eacute;tudes.</p>
+
+    <p>"If the student seems to have a very imperfect rhythmic
+    sense, I use the metronome, but as sparingly as possible, for I
+    want to establish the inner sense of rhythm.</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to memorizing. I give no special advice, but
+    counsel the student to employ the way which is easiest and most
+    natural to him. There are three distinct ways of committing
+    music: the Analytic, Photographic, and Muscular. The Analytic
+    memory picks the passage apart and learns just how it is
+    constructed, and why; the Photographic memory can see the
+    veritable picture of the passage before the mind's eye; while
+    the Muscular memory lets the fingers find the notes. This is
+    not a very reliable method, but some pupils have to learn in
+    this way. Of course the Analytical memory is the best; when the
+    pupil has the mental ability to think music in this way, I
+    strongly recommend it.</p>
+
+    <p>"One point I make much of in my teaching, and that is Tone
+    Color, as a distinct factor in musical interpretation. It is
+    not merely a question of using the marks of expression,
+    <a name="page212"
+       id="page212"></a>such as FF, MF, PP, and so on; it is more
+       subtle than that&mdash;it is the <i>quality</i> of tone I
+       seek after. Sometimes I work with a pupil for several
+       minutes over a single tone, until he really comprehends what
+       he has to do to produce the right quality of tone, and can
+       remember how he did it. The pedal helps wonderfully, for it
+       is truly the 'soul of the piano.'</p>
+
+    <p>"Some pupils have fancy but no imagination, and vice versa.
+    The terms are not synonymous. Reading poetry helps to develop
+    the aesthetic sense; pictures help also, and nature. I must
+    necessarily take into account the pupil's trend of temperament
+    while instructing him.</p>
+
+    <p>"Interpretative expression is not a positive but a relative
+    quantity. One player's palette is covered with large blotches
+    of color, and he will paint the picture with bold strokes;
+    another delights in delicate miniature work. Each will conceive
+    the meaning and interpretation of a composition through the
+    lens of his own temperament. I endeavor to stimulate the
+    imagination of the pupil through reading, through knowledge of
+    art, through a comprehension of the correlation of all the
+    arts.</p>
+
+    <p>"The musical interpreter has a most difficult, exacting and
+    far-reaching task to <a name="page213"
+       id="page213"></a>perform. An actor plays one part night
+       after night; a painter is occupied for days and weeks with a
+       single picture; a composer is absorbed for the time being on
+       one work only. The pianist, on the other hand, must, during
+       a recital, sweep over the whole gamut of expression: the
+       simple, the pastoral, the pathetic, the passionate, the
+       spiritual&mdash;he is called upon to portray every phase of
+       emotion. This seems to me a bigger task than is set before
+       any other class of art-workers. The pianist must be able to
+       render with appropriate sentiment the simplicity and fresh
+       na&iuml;vet&eacute; of the earlier classics, Haydn, Mozart;
+       the grandeur of Bach; the heroic measures of Beethoven; the
+       morbid elegance of Chopin; the romanticism of Schumann; the
+       magnificent splendor of Liszt.</p>
+
+    <p>"In choosing musical food for my pupils, I strive to keep
+    away from the beaten track of the hackneyed. The mistake made
+    by many teachers is to give far too difficult music. Why should
+    I teach an old war-horse which the pupil has to struggle over
+    for six months without being really able to master, and which
+    he will thoroughly hate at the end of that time? The Scherzo
+    Op. 31, of Chopin, and the Liszt Rhapsodies he can hear in the
+    concert room, where he can become familiar with most of the
+    <a name="page214"
+       id="page214"></a>famous piano compositions. Why should he
+       not learn to know many less hackneyed pieces, which do not
+       so frequently appear on concert programs?</p>
+
+    <p>"Herein lies one of the great opportunities for the
+    broad-minded teacher&mdash;to be individual in his work.
+    According to his progressive individuality will his work be
+    valued."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page215"
+          id="page215"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXVII_GERMAINE_SCHNITZER"
+       id="XXVII_GERMAINE_SCHNITZER"></a>XXVII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>GERMAINE SCHNITZER</h2>
+
+    <h3>MODERN METHODS IN PIANO STUDY</h3>
+
+    <p>"It is difficult to define such a comprehensive term as
+    technic, for it means so much," remarked Germaine Schnitzer the
+    French pianist to me one day, when we were discussing pianistic
+    problems. "There is no special sort or method of technic that
+    will do for all players, for every mentality is different;
+    every hand is peculiar to itself, and different from every
+    other. Not only is each player individual in this particular,
+    but one's right hand may differ from one's left; therefore each
+    hand may require separate treatment.</p>
+
+    <p>"An artistic technic can be acquired only by those who have
+    an aptitude for it, plus the willingness to undertake the
+    necessary drudgery; practise alone, no matter how arduous, is
+    not sufficient. Technic is evolved from thought, from hearing
+    great music, from much listening to great players; intent
+    listening to one's own playing, and to the effects one
+    <a name="page216"
+       id="page216"></a>strives to make. It is often said that the
+       pianist cannot easily judge of the tonal effects he is
+       producing, as he is too near the instrument. With me this is
+       not the case. My hearing is so acute that I know the exact
+       dynamics of every tone, every effect of light and shade;
+       thus I do not have to stand at a distance, as the painter
+       does, even if I could do so, in order to criticize my work,
+       for I can do this satisfactorily at close range.</p>
+
+    <p>"I hardly know when I learned technic; at all events it was
+    not at the beginning. At the start I had some lessons with
+    quite a simple woman teacher. We lived near Paris, and my elder
+    sister was then studying with Raoul Pugno; she was a good
+    student and practised industriously. She said she would take me
+    to the master, and one day she did so. I was a tiny child of
+    about seven, very small and thin&mdash;not much bigger than a
+    fly. The great man pretended he could hardly see me. I was
+    perched upon the stool, my feet, too short to reach the floor,
+    rested on the extension pedal box which I always carried around
+    with me, I went bravely through some Bach Inventions. When I
+    finished, Pugno regarded me with interest. He said he would
+    teach me; told me to prepare some more Inventions, some
+    <a name="page217"
+       id="page217"></a> Czerny studies and the Mendelssohn
+       Capriccio, Op. 22, and come to him in four weeks. Needless
+       to say, I knew every note of these compositions by heart
+       when I took my second lesson. Soon I was bidden to come to
+       him every fortnight, then every week, and finally he gave me
+       two lessons a week.</p>
+
+    <p>"For the first five years of my musical experience, I simply
+    played the piano. I played everything&mdash;sonatas,
+    concertos&mdash;everything; large works were absorbed from one
+    lesson to the next. When I was about twelve I began to awake to
+    the necessity for serious study; then I really began to
+    practise in earnest. My master took more and more interest in
+    my progress and career: he was at pains to explain the meaning
+    of music to me&mdash;the ideas of the composers. Many
+    fashionable people took lessons of him, for to study with Pugno
+    had become a fad; but he called me his only pupil, saying that
+    I alone understood him. I can truly say he was my musical
+    father; to him I owe everything. We were neighbors in a suburb
+    of Paris, as my parents' home adjoined his; we saw a great deal
+    of him and we made music together part of every day. When he
+    toured in America and other countries, he wrote me frequently;
+    I could show <a name="page218"
+       id="page218"></a>you many letters, for I have preserved a
+       large number&mdash;letters filled with beautiful and exalted
+       thoughts, expressed in noble and poetic language. They show
+       that Pugno possessed a most refined, superior mind, and was
+       truly a great artist.</p>
+
+    <p>"I studied with Pugno ten years. At the end of that time he
+    wished me to play for Emil Saur. Saur was delighted with my
+    work, and was anxious to teach me certain points. From him I
+    acquired the principles of touch advocated by his master,
+    Nicholas Rubinstein. These I mastered in three months' time, or
+    I might say in two lessons.</p>
+
+    <p>"According to Nicholas Rubinstein, the keys are not to be
+    struck with high finger action, nor is the direct end of the
+    finger used. The point of contact is rather just back of the
+    tip, between that and the ball of the finger. Furthermore we do
+    not simply strive for plain legato touch. The old instruction
+    books tell us that legato must be learned first, and is the
+    most difficult touch to acquire. But legato does not bring the
+    best results in rapid passages, for it does not impart
+    sufficient clarity. In the modern idea something more crisp,
+    scintillating and brilliant is needed. So we use a half
+    staccato touch. The tones, when sepa<a name="page219"
+       id="page219"></a>rated a hair's breadth from each other,
+       take on a lighter, more vibrant, radiant quality; they are
+       really like strings of pearls. Then I also use pressure
+       touch, pressing and caressing the keys&mdash;feeling as it
+       were for the quality I want; I think it, I hear it mentally,
+       and I can make it. With this manner of touching the keys,
+       and this constant search for quality of tone, I can make any
+       piano give out a beautiful tone, even if it seems to be only
+       a battered tin pan.</p>
+
+    <h3>TONE WHICH VIBRATES THROUGH THE WHOLE BODY</h3>
+
+    <p>"Weight touch is of course a necessity; for it I use not
+    only arms and shoulders, but my whole body feels and vibrates
+    with the tones of the piano. Of course I have worked out many
+    of these principles for myself; they have not been acquired
+    from any particular book, set of exercises, or piano method; I
+    have made my own method from what I have acquired and
+    experienced in ways above mentioned.</p>
+
+    <h3>ON MEMORIZING</h3>
+
+    <p>"In regard to memorizing piano music I have no set method.
+    The music comes to me I know not how. After a period of deep
+    <a name="page220"
+       id="page220"></a>concentration, of intent listening, it is
+       mine, a permanent possession. You say Leschetizky advises
+       his pupils to learn a small portion, two or four measures,
+       each hand alone and away from the piano. Other pianists tell
+       me they have to make a special study of memorizing. All this
+       is not for me&mdash;it is not my way. When I have studied
+       the piece sufficiently to play it, I know it&mdash;every
+       note of it. When I play a concerto with orchestra I am not
+       only absolutely sure of the piano part, but I also know each
+       note that the other instruments play. Of course I am
+       listening intently to the piano and to the whole orchestra
+       during a performance; if I allowed myself to think of
+       anything else, I should be lost. This absolute concentration
+       is what conquers all difficulties.</p>
+
+    <h3>ABSTRACT TECHNIC</h3>
+
+    <p>"About practising technic for itself alone: this will not be
+    necessary when once the principles of technic are mastered. I,
+    at least, do not need to do so. I make, however, various
+    technical exercises out of all difficult passages in pieces. I
+    scarcely need to look at the printed pages of pieces I place on
+    my recital programs. I have them with me, to be sure, but they
+    are seldom taken out of their boxes.<a name="page221"
+       id="page221"></a> What I do is to think the pieces through
+       and do mental work with them, and for this I must be quiet
+       and by myself. An hour's actual playing at the piano each
+       day is sufficient to prepare for a recital.</p>
+
+    <p>"It must not be thought that I do not study very seriously.
+    I do not work less than six hours a day; if on any day I fail
+    to secure this amount of time, I make it up at the earliest
+    moment. During the summer months, when I am preparing new
+    programs for the next season, I work very hard. As I said, I
+    take the difficult passages of a composition and make the
+    minutest study of them in every detail, making all kinds of
+    technical exercises out of a knotty section, sometimes playing
+    it in forty or fifty different ways. For example, take the
+    little piece out of Schumann's <i>Carneval</i>, called 'The
+    Reconnaissance.' That needed study. I gave three solid days to
+    it; that means from nine to twelve in the morning, and from one
+    to five in the afternoon. At the end of that time I knew it
+    perfectly and was satisfied with it. From that day to this I
+    have never had to give a thought to that number, for I am
+    confident I know it utterly. I have never had an accident to
+    that or to any of my pieces when playing in public. In my
+    <a name="page222"
+       id="page222"></a>opinion a pianist has a more difficult task
+       to accomplish than any other artist. The singer has to sing
+       only one note at a time; the violinist or 'cellist need use
+       but one hand for notes. Even the orchestral conductor who
+       aspires to direct his men without the score before him, may
+       experience a slip of memory once in awhile, yet he can go on
+       without a break. A pianist, however, has perhaps half a
+       dozen notes in each hand to play at once; every note must be
+       indelibly engraved on the memory, for one dares not make a
+       slip of any kind.</p>
+
+    <p>"An artist playing in London, Paris or New York&mdash;I
+    class these cities together&mdash;may play about the same sort
+    of programs in each. The selections will not be too heavy in
+    character. In Madrid or Vienna the works may be even more
+    brilliant. It is Berlin that demands heavy, solid meat. I play
+    Bach there, Beethoven and Brahms. It is a severe test to play
+    in Berlin and win success.</p>
+
+    <p>"I have made several tours in America. This is a wonderful
+    country. I don't believe you Americans realize what a great
+    country you have, what marvelous advantages are here, what fine
+    teachers, what great orchestras, what opera, what audiences!
+    The critics, too, are so well informed and so just. All these
+    things <a name="page223"
+       id="page223"></a>impress a foreign artist&mdash;the love for
+       music that is here, the knowledge of it, and the enthusiasm
+       for it. A worthy artist can make a name and success in
+       America more quickly and surely than in any country in the
+       world.</p>
+
+    <p>"For one thing America is one united country from coast to
+    coast, so it is much easier getting about here than in Europe.
+    For another thing I consider you have the greatest orchestras
+    in the world, and I have played with the orchestras of all
+    countries. I also find you have the most enthusiastic audiences
+    to be found anywhere.</p>
+
+    <p>"In Europe a musical career offers few advantages. People
+    often ask my advice about making a career over there, and I try
+    to dissuade them. It sometimes impresses me as a lions' den,
+    and I have the desire to cry out 'Beware' to those who may be
+    entrapped into going over before they are ready, or know what
+    to expect. Of course there are cases of phenomenal success, but
+    they are exceptions to the general rule.</p>
+
+    <p>"People go to Europe to get atmosphere (stimmung)&mdash;that
+    much abused term! I could tell them they make their own
+    atmosphere wherever they are. I have lived in music all my
+    life, but I can say I find musical <a name="page224"
+       id="page224"></a>atmosphere right here in America. If I
+       listen to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, or to the Kneisel
+       Quartet, when these organizations are giving an incomparable
+       performance of some masterpiece, I am entirely wrapt up in
+       the music; am I not then in a musical atmosphere? Or if I
+       hear a performance of a Wagner opera at the Metropolitan,
+       where Wagner is given better even than in Bayreuth, am I not
+       also in a musical atmosphere? To be sure, if I am in
+       Bayreuth I may see some reminiscences of Wagner the man, or
+       if I am in Vienna I can visit the graves of Beethoven and
+       Schubert. But these facts of themselves do not create a
+       musical atmosphere.</p>
+
+    <p>"You in America can well rejoice over your great country,
+    your fine teachers and musicians and your musical growth. After
+    a while you may be the most musical nation in the world."</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page225"
+          id="page225"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="XXVIII_OSSIP_GABRILOWITSCH"
+       id="XXVIII_OSSIP_GABRILOWITSCH"></a>XXVIII.</h2>
+
+    <h2>OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH</h2>
+
+    <h3>CHARACTERISTIC TOUCH ON THE PIANO</h3>
+
+    <p>Arthur Hochman, Russian pianist and composer, once remarked
+    to me, in reference to the quality of tone and variety of tonal
+    effects produced by the various artists now before the
+    public:</p>
+
+    <p>"For me there is one pianist who stands above them
+    all&mdash;his name is Gabrilowitsch."</p>
+
+    <p>The quality of tone which this rare artist draws from his
+    instrument, is unforgettable. I asked him one morning, when he
+    was kind enough to give me the opportunity for a quiet chat,
+    how he produced this luscious singing quality of tone.</p>
+
+    <p>"A beautiful tone? Ah, that is difficult to describe,
+    whether in one hour or in many hours. It is first a matter of
+    experiment, of individuality, then of experience and memory. We
+    listen and create the tone, modify it until it expresses our
+    ideal, then we try to remember how we did it.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page226"
+       id="page226"></a>I cannot say that I always produce a
+       beautiful tone; I try to produce a characteristic tone, but
+       sometimes it may not be beautiful: there are many times when
+       it may be anything but that. I do not think there can be any
+       fixed rule or method in tone production, because people and
+       hands are so different. What does for one will not do for
+       another. Some players find it easier to play with high
+       wrist, some with low. Some can curve their fingers, while
+       others straighten them out. There are of course a few
+       foundation principles, and one is that arms and wrists must
+       be relaxed. Fingers must often be loose also, but not at the
+       nail joint; that must always be firm. I advise adopting the
+       position of hand which is most comfortable and convenient.
+       In fact all forms of hand position can be used, if for a
+       right purpose, so long as the condition is never cramped or
+       stiff. I permit either a high or low position of the wrist,
+       so long as the tone is good. As I said, the nail joint must
+       remain firm, and never be crushed under by the weight of
+       powerful chords, as is apt to be the case with young players
+       whose hands are weak and delicate.<a name="page227"
+       id="page227"></a></p><a name="Ossip_Gabrilowitsch"
+          id="Ossip_Gabrilowitsch"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/249.png"
+             alt="TO MISS HARRIETTE BROWER, OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH"
+             title="TO MISS HARRIETTE BROWER, OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH" />
+
+
+        <h5>TO MISS HARRIETTE BROWER, OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <h3>TECHNICAL STUDY</h3>
+
+    <p>"Yes, I am certainly in favor of technical practise outside
+    of pieces. There must be scale and arpeggio study, in which the
+    metronome can be used. But I believe in striving to make even
+    technical exercises of musical value. If scales are played they
+    should be performed with a beautiful quality and variety of
+    tone; if one attempts a Czerny &eacute;tude, it should be
+    played with as much care and finish as a Beethoven sonata.
+    Bring out all the musical qualities of the &eacute;tude. Do not
+    say, 'I'll play this measure sixteen times, and then I'm done
+    with it.' Do nothing for mechanical ends merely, but everything
+    from a musical standpoint. Yes, I give some Czerny to my
+    students; not many &eacute;tudes however. I prefer Chopin and
+    Rubinstein. There is a set of six Rubinstein Studies which I
+    use, including the Staccato &Eacute;tude.</p>
+
+    <p>"In regard to technical forms and material, each player may
+    need a different tonic. I have found many useful things in a
+    work by your own Dr. William Mason, <i>Touch and Technic</i>. I
+    have used this to a considerable extent. To my knowledge he was
+    the first to illustrate the principle of weight, which is now
+    <a name="page228"
+       id="page228"></a>pretty generally accepted here as well as
+       in Europe.</p>
+
+    <p>"An ancient and famous philosopher, Seneca, is said to have
+    remarked that by the time a man reaches the age of twenty-five,
+    he should know enough to be his own physician, or he is a fool.
+    We might apply this idea to the pianist. After studying the
+    piano for a number of years he should be able to discover what
+    sort of technical exercises are most beneficial; if he cannot
+    do so he must be a fool. Why should he always depend on the
+    exercises made by others? There is no end to the list of method
+    books and technical forms; their name is legion. They are
+    usually made by persons who invent exercises to fit their own
+    hands; this does not necessarily mean that they will fit the
+    hands of others. I encourage my pupils to invent their own
+    technical exercises. They have often done so with considerable
+    success, and find much more pleasure in them than in those made
+    by others.</p>
+
+    <p>"Two of the most important principles in piano playing are:
+    full, round, exact tone; distinct phrasing. The most common
+    fault is indistinctness&mdash;slurring over or leaving out
+    notes. Clearness in piano playing is absolutely essential. If
+    an actor essays the r&ocirc;le <a name="page229"
+       id="page229"></a>of Hamlet, he must first of all speak
+       distinctly and make himself clearly understood; otherwise
+       all his study and characterization are in vain. The pianist
+       must likewise make himself understood; he therefore must
+       enunciate clearly.</p>
+
+    <h3>VELOCITY</h3>
+
+    <p>"You speak of velocity as difficult for some players to
+    acquire. I have found there is a general tendency to play
+    everything too fast, to rush headlong through the piece,
+    without taking time to make it clear and intelligible. When the
+    piece is quite clear in tone and phrasing, it will not sound as
+    fast as it really is, because all the parts are in just
+    relation to each other. As an illustration of this fact, there
+    is a little Gavotte of mine, which I had occasion to play
+    several times in Paris. A lady, a very good pianist, got the
+    piece, learned it, then came and asked me to hear her play it.
+    She sat down to the piano, and rushed through the piece in a
+    way that so distorted it I could hardly recognize it. When she
+    finished I remonstrated, but she assured me that her tempo was
+    exactly like mine as she had heard me play the piece three
+    times. I knew my own tempo exactly and showed her
+    <a name="page230"
+       id="page230"></a>that while it did not differ so greatly
+       from hers, yet my playing sounded slower because notes and
+       phrasing were all clear, and everything rightly
+       balanced.</p>
+
+    <h3>POWER</h3>
+
+    <p>"How do I gain power? Power does not depend on the size of
+    the hand or arm; for persons of quite small physique have
+    enough of it to play with the necessary effect. Power is a
+    nervous force, and of course demands that arms and wrists be
+    relaxed. The fingers must be so trained as to be strong enough
+    to stand up under this weight of arms and hands, and not give
+    way. I repeat, the nail joint must remain firm under all
+    circumstances. It is so easy to forget this; one must be
+    looking after it all the time.</p>
+
+    <h3>MEMORIZING</h3>
+
+    <p>"In regard to memorizing, I have no special rule or method.
+    Committing to memory seems to come of its own accord. Some
+    pieces are comparatively easy to learn by heart; others, like a
+    Bach fugue, require hard work and close analysis. The surest
+    way to learn a difficult composition, is to write it out from
+    memory. There is a great deal of benefit in <a name="page231"
+       id="page231"></a>that. If you want to remember the name of a
+       person or a place, you write it down. When the eye sees it,
+       the mind retains a much more vivid impression. This is
+       visual memory. When I play with orchestra, I of course know
+       every note the orchestra has to play as well as my own part.
+       It is a much greater task to write out a score from memory
+       than a piano solo, yet it is the surest way to fix the
+       composition in mind. I find that compositions I learned in
+       early days are never forgotten, they are always with me,
+       while the later pieces have to be constantly looked after.
+       This is doubtless a general experience, as early impressions
+       are most enduring.</p>
+
+    <p>"An orchestral conductor should know the works he conducts
+    so thoroughly that he need not have the score before him. I
+    have done considerable conducting the past few years. Last
+    season I gave a series of historical recitals, tracing the
+    growth of the piano concerto, from Mozart down to the present.
+    I played nineteen works in all, finishing with the Rachmaninoff
+    Concerto."</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Gabrilowitsch has entirely given up teaching, and
+    devotes his time to recital and concert, conducting, and
+    composing.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page232"
+          id="page232"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="HANS_VON_BULOW_AS_TEACHER_AND_INTERPRETER"
+       id="HANS_VON_BULOW_AS_TEACHER_AND_INTERPRETER"></a>HANS VON
+       B&Uuml;LOW AS TEACHER AND INTERPRETER</h2>
+
+    <p>Those who heard Hans von B&uuml;low in recital during his
+    American tour, in 1876, listened to piano playing that was at
+    once learned and convincing. A few years before, in 1872,
+    Rubinstein had come and conquered. The torrential splendor of
+    his pianism, his mighty crescendos and whispering diminuendos,
+    his marvelous variety of tone&mdash;all were in the nature of a
+    revelation; his personal magnetism carried everything before
+    it. American audiences were at his feet.</p><a name="Hansvon"
+          id="Hansvon"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/256.png"
+             alt="HANS VON B&Uuml;LOW" />
+
+        <h5>HANS VON B&Uuml;LOW</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>In Von B&uuml;low was found a player of quite a different
+    caliber. Clarity of touch, careful exactness down to the
+    minutest detail caused the critics to call him cold. He was a
+    deep thinker and analyzer; as he played one saw, as though
+    reflected in a mirror, each note, phrase and dynamic mark of
+    expression to be found in the work. From a Rubinstein recital
+    the listener came away subdued, awed, inspired, uplifted, but
+    disinclined to open the piano or touch the keys that had been
+    made to burn and <a name="page233"
+       id="page233"></a>scintillate under those wonderful hands.
+       After hearing Von B&uuml;low, on the other hand, the impulse
+       was to hasten to the instrument and reproduce what had just
+       seemed so clear and logical, so simple and attainable. It
+       did not seem to be such a difficult thing to play the
+       piano&mdash;like <i>that</i>! It was as though he had said:
+       "Any of you can do what I am doing, if you will give the
+       same amount of time and study to it that I have done. Listen
+       and I will teach you!"</p>
+
+    <p>Von B&uuml;low was a profound student of the works of
+    Beethoven; his edition of the sonatas is noted for recondite
+    learning, clearness and exactness in the smallest details.
+    Through his recitals in America he did much to make these works
+    better known and understood. Nor did he neglect Chopin, and
+    though his readings of the music of the great Pole may have
+    lacked in sensuous beauty of touch and tone, their
+    interpretation was always sane, healthy, and beautiful.</p>
+
+    <p>Toward the end of a season during the eighties, it was
+    announced that Von B&uuml;low would come to Berlin and teach an
+    artist class in the Klindworth Conservatory. This was an
+    unusual opportunity to obtain lessons from so famous a musician
+    and pedagogue, and about <a name="page234"
+       id="page234"></a>twenty pianists were enrolled for the
+       class. A few of these came with the master from Frankfort,
+       where he was then located.</p>
+
+    <p>Carl Klindworth, pianist, teacher, critic, editor of Chopin
+    and Beethoven, was then the Director of the school. The two men
+    were close friends, which is proved by the fact that Von
+    B&uuml;low was willing to recommend the Klindworth Edition of
+    Beethoven, in spite of the fact that he himself had edited many
+    of the sonatas. Another proof is that he was ready to leave his
+    work in Frankfort, and come to Berlin, in order to shed the
+    luster of his name and fame upon the Klindworth
+    school&mdash;the youngest of the many musical institutions of
+    that music-ridden, music-saturated capital.</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>It was a bright May morning when the Director entered the
+    music-room with his guest, and presented him to the class. They
+    saw in him a man rather below medium height, with large
+    intellectual head, beneath whose high, wide forehead shone
+    piercing dark eyes, hidden behind glasses.</p>
+
+    <p>He bowed to the class, saying he was pleased to see so many
+    industrious students. His movements, as he looked around the
+    room, were quick and alert; he seemed to see everything
+    <a name="page235"
+       id="page235"></a> at once, and the students saw that nothing
+       could escape that active mentality.</p>
+
+    <p>The class met four days in each week, and the lessons
+    continued from nine in the morning until well on toward one
+    o'clock. It was announced that only the works of Brahms, Raff,
+    Mendelssohn and Liszt would be taught and played, so nothing
+    else need be brought to the class; indeed Brahms was to have
+    the place of honor.</p>
+
+    <p>While many interesting compositions were discussed and
+    played, perhaps the most helpful thing about these hours spent
+    with the great pedagogue was the running fire of comment and
+    suggestion regarding technic, interpretation, and music and
+    musicians in general. Von B&uuml;low spoke in rapid, nervous
+    fashion, with a mixture of German and English, often repeating
+    in the latter tongue what he had said in the former, out of
+    consideration for the Americans and English present.</p>
+
+    <p>In teaching, Von B&uuml;low required the same qualities
+    which were so patent in his playing. Clearness of touch,
+    exactness in phrasing and fingering were the first
+    requirements; the delivery of the composer's idea must be just
+    as he had indicated it&mdash;no liberties with the text were
+    ever permitted. He was so honest, so <a name="page236"
+       id="page236"></a>upright in his attitude toward the makers
+       of good music, that it was a sin in his eyes to alter
+       anything in the score, though he believed in adding any
+       marks of phrasing or expression which would elucidate the
+       intentions of the composer. Everything he said or did showed
+       his intellectual grasp of the subject; and he looked for
+       some of the same sort of intelligence on the part of the
+       student. A failure in this respect, an inability to
+       apprehend at once the ideas he endeavored to convey, would
+       annoy the sensitive and nervous little Doctor; he would
+       become impatient, sarcastic and begin to pace the floor with
+       hasty strides. When in this state he could see little that
+       was worthy in the student's performance, for a small error
+       would be so magnified as to dwarf everything that was
+       excellent. When the lion began to roar, it behooved the
+       players to be circumspect and meek. At other times, when the
+       weather was fair in the class-room, things went with
+       tolerable smoothness. He did not trouble himself much about
+       technic, as of course a pupil coming to him was expected to
+       be well equipped on the technical side; his chief concern
+       was to make clear the content and interpretation of the
+       composition. In the lessons he often played detached phrases
+       and <a name="page237"
+       id="page237"></a>passages for and with the student, but
+       never played an entire composition.</p>
+
+    <p>One of the most remarkable things about this eccentric man
+    was his prodigious memory. Nearly every work for piano which
+    could be mentioned he knew and could play from memory. He often
+    expressed the opinion that no pianist could be considered an
+    artist unless he or she could play at least two hundred pieces
+    by heart. He, of course, more than fulfilled this requirement,
+    not only for piano but for orchestral music. As conductor of
+    the famous Meiningen orchestra, he directed every work given
+    without a note of score before him&mdash;considered a great
+    feat in those days. He was a ceaseless worker, and his eminence
+    in the world of music was more largely due to unremitting labor
+    than to genius.</p>
+
+    <p>From the many suggestions to the Berlin class, the following
+    have been culled.</p>
+
+    <p>"To play correctly is of the first importance; to play
+    beautifully is the second requirement. A healthy touch is the
+    main thing. Some people play the piano as if their fingers had
+    <i>migrane</i> and their wrists were rheumatic. Do not play on
+    the sides of the finger nor with a sideways stroke, for then
+    the touch will be weak and uncertain.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page238"
+       id="page238"></a>Clearness we must first have; every line
+       and measure, every note must be analyzed for touch, tone,
+       content and expression.</p>
+
+    <p>"You are always your first hearer; to be one's own critic is
+    the most difficult of all.</p>
+
+    <p>"When a new theme enters you must make it plain to the
+    listener; all the features of the new theme, the new figure,
+    must be plastically brought out.</p>
+
+    <p>"Brilliancy does not depend on velocity but on clarity. What
+    is not clear cannot scintillate nor sparkle. Make use of your
+    strongest fingers in brilliant passages, leaving out the fourth
+    when possible. A scale to be brilliant and powerful must not be
+    too rapid. Every note must be round and full and not too
+    legato&mdash;rather a mezzo legato&mdash;so that single tones,
+    played hands together, shall sound like octaves. One of the
+    most difficult things in rhythm, is to play passages where two
+    notes alternate with triplets. Scales may be practised in this
+    way alternating three notes with two.</p>
+
+    <p>"We must make things sound well&mdash;agreeably, in a way to
+    be admired. A seemingly discordant passage can be made to sound
+    well by ingeniously seeking out the best that is in it and
+    holding that up in the most favorable <a name="page239"
+       id="page239"></a>light. Practise dissonant chords until they
+       please the ear in spite of their sharpness. Think of the
+       instruments of the orchestra and their different qualities
+       of tone, and try to imitate them on the piano. Think of
+       every octave on the piano as having a different color; then
+       shade and color your playing. (<i>Also bitte
+       coloriren</i>)!"</p>
+
+    <p>If B&uuml;low's musical trinity, Bach, Beethoven, and
+    Brahms, had a fourth divinity added, it would surely have been
+    Liszt. The first day's program contained chiefly works by the
+    Hungarian master; among them <i>Au bord d'une Source</i>,
+    Scherzo and March, and the Ballades. The player who rendered
+    the Scherzo was advised to practise octaves with light,
+    flexible wrist; the Kullak Octave School was recommended,
+    especially the third book; the other books could be read
+    through, practising whatever seemed difficult and passing over
+    what was easy. Of the Ballades the first was termed more
+    popular, the second finer and more earnest&mdash;though neither
+    makes very much noise.</p>
+
+    <p>The <i>Annees de Pelerinage</i> received much attention.
+    Among the pieces played were, <i>Les Cloches</i>, <i>Chasse
+    Neige</i>, <i>Eclogue</i>, <i>Cloches de Geneva</i>,
+    <i>Eroica</i>, <i>Feux Follets</i> and
+    <i>Ma</i><a name="page240"
+       id="page240"></a><i>zeppa</i>. Also the big Polonaise in E,
+       the two &Eacute;tudes, <i>Waldesrauschen</i> and
+       <i>Gnomenreigen</i>; the Mazourka, Valse Impromptu, and the
+       first &Eacute;tude, of which last he remarked: "You can all
+       play this; thirty years have passed since it was composed
+       and people are only just finding out how fine it is. Such is
+       the case with many of Liszt's works. We wonder how they ever
+       could have been considered unmusical. Yet the way some
+       people play Liszt the hearer is forced to exclaim, 'What an
+       unmusical fellow Liszt was, to be sure, to write like
+       that!'</p>
+
+    <p>"Exactness in everything is of the greatest importance," he
+    was fond of saying. "We must make the piano speak. As in
+    speaking we use a separate movement of the lips for each word,
+    so in certain kinds of melody playing, the hand is taken up
+    after each note. Then, too, we cannot make the piano speak
+    without very careful use of the pedals."</p>
+
+    <p>The Mazourka of Liszt was recommended as one of the most
+    delightful of his lighter pieces. The <i>Waldesrauschen</i>
+    also, was termed charming, an excellent concert number. "Begin
+    the first figure somewhat louder and slightly slower, then
+    increase the movement and subdue the tone. <i>Everything
+    which</i><a name="page241"
+       id="page241"></a> <i>is to be played softly should be
+       practised forte."</i></p>
+
+    <p>Of Joachim Raff the Suite Op. 91 held the most important
+    place. Each number received minute attention, the Giga being
+    played by Ethelbert Nevin. The <i>Metamorphosen</i> received a
+    hearing, also the Valse Caprice, Op. 116, of which the master
+    was particular about the staccato left hand against the legato
+    right. Then came the Scherzo Op. 74, the Valse Caprice and the
+    Polka, from Suite Op. 71. Von B&uuml;low described the little
+    group of notes in left hand of middle section as a place where
+    the dancers made an unexpected slip on the floor, and suggested
+    it be somewhat emphasized. "We must make this little
+    witticism," he said, as he illustrated the passage at the
+    piano.</p>
+
+    <p>"Raff showed himself a pupil of Mendelssohn in his earlier
+    compositions; his symphonies will find more appreciation in the
+    coming century&mdash;which cannot be said of the Ocean
+    Symphony, for instance."</p>
+
+    <p>Of Mendelssohn the Capriccios Op. 5 and 22 were played, also
+    the Prelude and Fugue in E. Von B&uuml;low deplored the neglect
+    which was overtaking the works of Mendelssohn,
+    <a name="page242"
+       id="page242"></a>and spoke of the many beauties of his piano
+       compositions. "There should be no sentimentality about the
+       playing of Mendelssohn's music," he said; "the notes speak
+       for themselves.</p>
+
+    <p>"The return to a theme, in every song or instrumental work
+    of his is particularly to be noticed, for it is always
+    interesting; this Fugue in E should begin as though with the
+    softest register of the organ."</p>
+
+    <p>The subject of Brahms has been deferred only that it may be
+    spoken of as a whole. His music was the theme of the second,
+    and a number of the following lessons. B&uuml;low was a close
+    friend of the Hamburg master, and kept in touch with him while
+    in Berlin. One morning he came in with a beaming face, holding
+    up a sheet of music paper in Beethoven's handwriting, which
+    Brahms had discovered and forwarded to him. It seemed that
+    nothing could have given B&uuml;low greater pleasure than to
+    receive this relic.</p><a name="Dr._William_Mason"
+          id="Dr._William_Mason"></a>
+
+    <div class="center">
+        <img src="images/267.png"
+             alt="DR. WILLIAM MASON"
+             title="DR. WILLIAM MASON" />
+
+        <h5>DR. WILLIAM MASON</h5>
+    </div>
+
+    <p>The first work taken up in class was Brahms' Variations on a
+    Handel theme. Von B&uuml;low was in perfect sympathy with this
+    noble work of Brahms and illumined many passages with clear
+    explanations. He was very exact about the phrasing, "What
+    cannot <a name="page243"
+       id="page243"></a> be sung in one breath cannot be played in
+       one breath," he said; "many composers have their own terms
+       for expression and interpretation; Brahms is very exact in
+       these points&mdash;next to him comes Mendelssohn. Beethoven
+       not at all careful about markings and Schumann extremely
+       careless. Brahms, Beethoven, and Wagner have the right to
+       use their own terms. Brahms frequently uses the word
+       <i>sostenuto</i> where others would use
+       <i>ritardando</i>."</p>
+
+    <p>Of the Clavier St&uuml;cke, Op. 76, Von B&uuml;low said:
+    "The Capriccio, No. 1 must not be taken too fast. First page is
+    merely a prelude, the story begins at the second page. How
+    wonderfully is this melody formed, so original yet so regular.
+    Compare it with a Bach gigue. Remember, andante does not mean
+    dragging (<i>schleppando</i>), it means going (<i>gehend</i>)."
+    To the player who gave the Capriccio, No. 5 he said: "You play
+    that as if it were a Tarantelle of Stephan Heller's. Agitation
+    in piano playing must be carefully thought out; the natural
+    sort will not do at all. We do not want <i>blind</i> agitation,
+    but <i>seeing</i> agitation (<i>aufregung</i>). A diminuendo of
+    several measures should be divided into stations, one each for
+    F, MF, M, P, and PP.<a name="page244"
+       id="page244"></a> Visit the Zoological Gardens, where you
+       can learn much about legato and staccato from the
+       kangaroos."</p>
+
+    <p>The Ballades were taken up in these lessons, and the light
+    thrown upon their poetical content was often a revelation. The
+    gloomy character of the <i>Edward Ballade</i>, Op. 10, No. 1,
+    the source of the Scottish poem, the poetic story, were dwelt
+    upon. The opening of this first Ballade is sad, sinister and
+    mysterious, like the old Scotch story. The master insisted on
+    great smoothness in playing it&mdash;the chords to sound like
+    muffled but throbbing heartbeats. A strong climax is worked up
+    on the second page, which dies away on the third to a
+    <i>pianissimo</i> of utter despair. From the middle of this
+    page on to the end, the descending chords and octaves were
+    likened to ghostly footsteps, while the broken triplets in the
+    left hand accompaniment seem to indicate drops of blood.</p>
+
+    <p>The third Ballade also received an illumination from Von
+    B&uuml;low. This is a vivid tone picture, though without motto
+    or verse. Starting with those fateful fifths in the bass, it
+    moves over two pages fitfully gloomy and gay, till at the end
+    of the second page a descending passage leads to three chords
+    so full <a name="page245"
+       id="page245"></a>of grim despair as to impart the atmosphere
+       of a dungeon. The player was hastily turning the leaf.
+       "Stop!" cried the excited voice of the master, who had been
+       pacing restlessly up and down, and now hurried from the end
+       of the salon. "Wait! We have been in prison&mdash;but now a
+       ray of sunshine pierces the darkness. You must always pause
+       here to make the contrast more impressive. There is more
+       music in this little piece than in whole symphonies by some
+       of the modern composers."</p>
+
+    <p>Both Rhapsodies Op. 79 were played; the second, he said, has
+    parts as passionate as anything in the
+    <i>G&ouml;tterdammerung</i>. Both are fine and interesting
+    works.</p>
+
+    <p>Again and again the players were counseled to make
+    everything sound well. Some intervals, fourths for instance,
+    are harsh; make them as mild as possible. For one can play
+    correctly, but horribly! Some staccatos should be shaken out of
+    the sleeve as it were.</p>
+
+    <p>The first time a great work is heard there is so much to
+    occupy the attention that only a small amount of pleasure can
+    be derived from it. At the second hearing things are easier and
+    by the twelfth time one's pleasure is complete. The pianist
+    must consider the <a name="page246"
+       id="page246"></a>listener in a first rendering, and endeavor
+       to soften the sharp discords.</p>
+
+    <p>With a group of five notes, play two and then three&mdash;it
+    sounds more distinguished. Remember that unlearning gives much
+    more trouble than learning.</p>
+    <hr style='width: 45%;' />
+
+    <p>In this brief r&eacute;sum&eacute; of the Von B&uuml;low
+    lessons, the desire has been to convey some of the hints and
+    remarks concerning the music and its interpretation. The
+    master's fleeting sentences were hurriedly jotted down during
+    the lessons, with no thought of their ever being seen except by
+    the owner. But as B&uuml;low's fame as a teacher became so
+    great, these brief notes may now be of some value to both
+    teacher and student.</p>
+
+    <p>If it were only possible to create a picture of that Berlin
+    music-room, with its long windows opening out to a green
+    garden&mdash;the May sunshine streaming in; the two grand
+    pianos in the center, a row of anxious, absorbed students about
+    the edge of the room&mdash;and the short figure of the little
+    Doctor, pacing up and down the polished floor, or seating
+    himself at one piano now and then, to illustrate his
+    instruction. This mental picture is the lifelong possession of
+    each of those players who were so <a name="page247"
+       id="page247"></a>fortunate as to be present at the sessions.
+       It can safely be affirmed, I think, that the principles of
+       artistic rectitude, of exactness and thorough musicianship
+       which were there inculcated, ever remained with the members
+       of that class, as a constant incentive and inspiration.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page248"
+          id="page248"></a>
+
+    <h2>
+    <a name="HINTS_ON_INTERPRETATION_FROM_TWO_AMERICAN_TEACHERS"
+       id="HINTS_ON_INTERPRETATION_FROM_TWO_AMERICAN_TEACHERS"></a>HINTS
+       ON INTERPRETATION FROM TWO AMERICAN TEACHERS</h2>
+
+    <h3>WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD AND DR. WILLIAM MASON</h3>
+
+    <h4>WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD</h4>
+
+    <p>While a young student the opportunity came to attend a
+    Summer Music School, founded by this eminent pianist and
+    teacher. He had surrounded himself with others well known for
+    their specialties in voice, violin and diction; but the
+    director himself was the magnet who attracted pianists and
+    teachers from the four corners of the land.</p>
+
+    <p>Perhaps the most intimate way to come in touch with a famous
+    teacher, is to study with him during the summer months, in some
+    quiet, retired spot. Here the stress of the metropolis, with
+    its rush and drive, its exacting hours, its remorseless round
+    of lesson giving, is exchanged for the freedom of rural life.
+    Hours may still be exact, but a part of each day, or of each
+    week, is given over to <a name="page249"
+       id="page249"></a> relaxation, to be spent in the open, with
+       friends and pupils.</p>
+
+    <p>It was under such conditions that I first met Mr. Sherwood.
+    I had never even heard him play, and was glad the session
+    opened with a piano recital. His playing delighted me; he had
+    both power and delicacy, and his tone impressed me as being
+    especially mellow and fine. There was deep feeling as well as
+    poetry in his reading of both the Chromatic Fantaisie of Bach,
+    and the Chopin Fantaisie in F minor which were on the program.
+    This opinion was strengthened at each subsequent hearing, for
+    he gave frequent recitals and concerts during the season.</p>
+
+    <p>My summer study with Mr. Sherwood consisted mainly in
+    gaining ideas on the interpretation of various pieces. Many of
+    these ideas seem to me beautiful and inspiring, and I will set
+    them down as fully as I can from the brief notes jotted down at
+    the time. I trust I may be pardoned a few personal references,
+    which are sometimes necessary to explain the situation.</p>
+
+    <p>With advanced students Mr. Sherwood gave great attention to
+    tone study and interpretation, even from the first lesson. He
+    laid much stress on the use of slow, gentle <a name="page250"
+       id="page250"></a>motions in practise and in playing; on the
+       spiritualization of the tones, of getting behind the notes
+       to find the composer's meaning. He had, perhaps, a more
+       poetic conception of piano playing than any master I have
+       known, and was able to impart these ideas in clear and
+       simple language.</p>
+
+    <p>The first composition considered was Schumann's
+    Nachtst&uuml;ck, the fourth of the set. He had a peculiar way
+    of turning the hand on the middle finger, as on a pivot, for
+    the extended chords, at the same time raising the whole outer
+    side of the hand, so that the fifth finger should be able to
+    play the upper melody notes round and full. In the middle
+    section he desired great tenderness and sweetness of tone.
+    "There are several dissonances in this part," he said, "and
+    they ought to be somewhat accented&mdash;suspensions I might
+    call them. In Bach and Handel's time, the rules of composition
+    were very strict&mdash;no suspensions were allowed; so they
+    were indicated where it was not permitted to write them."</p>
+
+    <p>Chopin's &eacute;tude in sixths came up for analysis. "This
+    study needs a very easy, quiet, limpid touch&mdash;the motions
+    all gliding and sliding rather than pushing and forceful. I
+    would advise playing it at first <i>pianissimo</i>;
+    <a name="page251"
+       id="page251"></a>the wrist held rather low, the knuckles
+       somewhat high, and the fingers straightened. In preparation
+       for each pair of notes raise the fingers and let them
+       down&mdash;not with a hard brittle touch, if I may use the
+       word, but with a soft, velvety one. A composition like this
+       needs to be idealized, spiritualized, taken out of everyday
+       life. Take, for instance, the Impromptu Op. 36, Chopin; the
+       first part of it is something like this &eacute;tude, soft,
+       undulating&mdash;smooth as oil. There is something very
+       uncommon, spiritual, heavenly, about the first page of that
+       Impromptu&mdash;very little of the earth, earthy. The second
+       page is in sharp contrast to the first, it comes right down
+       to the hard, everyday business of life&mdash;it is full of
+       harsh, sharp tones. Well, the idea of that first page we get
+       in this study in sixths. I don't want the bare tones that
+       stand there on the printed page; I want them
+       spiritualized&mdash;that is what reveals the artist. In the
+       left hand the first note should have a clear, brittle
+       accent, with firm fifth finger, and the double sixths played
+       with the creeping, clinging movement I have indicated. If I
+       should practise this &eacute;tude for half an hour, you
+       might be surprised at the effects I could produce. Perhaps
+       it might take ten hours, but in the end I <a name="page252"
+       id="page252"></a>am confident I could produce this floating,
+       undulating effect. I heard Liszt play nearly all these
+       &eacute;tudes at one time; I stood by and turned the pages.
+       In this &eacute;tude he doubled the number of sixths in each
+       measure; the effect was wonderful and beautiful.</p>
+
+    <p>"The Chopin Octave study, number 22, needs firm, quiet
+    touch, elevating the wrist for black keys (as Kullak explains)
+    and depressing it for white keys. The hand must be well arched,
+    the end fingers firm and strong, and the touch very pressing,
+    clinging, and grasping. You always want to cling whenever there
+    is any chance for clinging in piano playing. The second part of
+    this &eacute;tude should have a soft, flowing, poetic touch in
+    the right hand, while the left hand part is well brought out.
+    The thumb needs a special training to enable it to creep and
+    slide from one key to another with snake-like movements.</p>
+
+    <p>"Rubinstein's Barcarolle in G major. The thirds on the first
+    page are very soft and gentle. I make a good deal of extra
+    motion with these thirds, raising the fingers quite high and
+    letting them fall gently on the keys. The idea of the first
+    page of this barcarolle is one of utter quietness,
+    colorlessness; one is alone on the water; the evening is quiet
+    and still; <a name="page253"
+       id="page253"></a>not a sound breaks the hushed silence. The
+       delicate tracery of thirds should be very soft,
+       thin&mdash;like an airy cloud. The left hand is soft too,
+       but the first beat should be slightly accented, the second
+       not; the first is positive, the second negative. Herein lies
+       the idea of the barcarolle, the ebb and flow, the undulation
+       of each measure.</p>
+
+    <p>"Begin the first measure very softly, the second measure a
+    trifle louder, the third louder still, the fourth falling off
+    again. As you stand on the shore and watch the great waves
+    coming in, you see some that are higher and larger than others;
+    so it is here. The concluding passage in sixths should
+    diminish&mdash;like a little puff of vapor that ends
+    in&mdash;nothing. On the second page we come upon something
+    more positive; here is a tangible voice speaking to us. The
+    melody should stand out clear, broad, beautiful; the
+    accompanying chords should preserve the same ebb and flow, the
+    advancing and receding wave-like movement. The exaggerated
+    movement I spoke of a moment ago, I use in many ways. Any one
+    can hit the piano, with a sharp, incisive touch; but what I
+    refer to is the reaching out of the fingers for the notes, the
+    passing of the hand in the air and the final gentle fall on
+    <a name="page254"
+       id="page254"></a>the key, not in haste to get there, but
+       with confidence of reaching the key in time. If you throw a
+       stone up in the air it will presently fall back again with a
+       sharp thud; a bird rising, hovers a moment and descends
+       gently. This barcarolle is not at all easy; there is plenty
+       of work in it for flexible hands; it is a study in
+       <i>pianissimo</i>&mdash;in power controlled, held back,
+       restrained."</p>
+
+    <p>Taking up the Toccatina of Rheinberger, Mr. Sherwood said:
+    "I like this piece, there is good honest work in it; it is very
+    effective, and most excellent practise. You ought to play this
+    every day of the year. It is written in twelve-eighths, which
+    give four beats to the measure, but I think that gives it too
+    hard and square a character. I would divide each measure into
+    two parts and slightly accent each. Though your temperament is
+    more at home in the music of Chopin and Schumann, I recommend
+    especially music of this sort, and also the music of Bach;
+    these give solidity and strength to your conception of musical
+    ideas."</p>
+
+    <p>We went through the Raff Suite, Op. 94. "The Preludio is
+    very good," he said; "I like it. The Menuetto is, musically,
+    the least strong of any of the numbers, but it has a certain
+    elegance, and is the most popular of them <a name="page255"
+       id="page255"></a>all. The Romanza is a great favorite of
+       mine, it is very graceful, flowing and melodious. The
+       concluding Fugue is a fine number; you see how the theme is
+       carried from one hand to the other, all twisted about, in a
+       way old Bach and Handel never thought of doing. I consider
+       this Raff fugue one of the best examples of modern fugue
+       writing."</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Sherwood was fond of giving students the Josef
+    Wieniawski Valse, for brilliancy. "There are many fine effects
+    which can be made in this piece; one can take liberties with
+    it&mdash;the more imagination you have the better it will go. I
+    might call it a <i>stylish</i> piece; take the Prelude as
+    capriciously as you like; put all the effect you can into it.
+    The Valse proper begins in a very pompous style, with right
+    hand very staccato; all is exceedingly coquettish. On the fifth
+    page you see it is marked <i>amoroso</i>, but after eight
+    measures the young man gives the whole thing away to his
+    father! The beginning of the sixth page is very <i>piano</i>
+    and light&mdash;it is nothing more than a breath of smoke, an
+    airy nothing. But at the <i>poco piu lento</i>, there is an
+    undercurrent of reality; the two parts are going at the same
+    time&mdash;the hard, earthly part, with accents, and the
+    spiritual, thin as air. To realize these qualities
+    <a name="page256"
+       id="page256"></a>in playing is the very idealization of
+       technic."</p>
+
+    <p>The Chopin-Liszt <i>Maiden's Wish</i>, was next considered.
+    "The theme here is often overlaid and encrusted with the
+    delicate lace-like arabesques that seek to hide it; but it must
+    be found and brought out. There is so much in being able to
+    find what is hidden behind the notes. You must get an insight
+    into the inner idea; must feel it. This is not technic, not
+    method even; it is the spiritualization of playing. There are
+    pieces that will sound well if the notes only are played, like
+    the little F minor Moment Musicale of Schubert; yet even in
+    this there is much behind the notes, which, if brought out,
+    will make quite another thing of the piece.</p>
+
+    <p>"Schumann's Andante, for two pianos, should have a very
+    tender, caressing touch for the theme. The place where the
+    four-sixteenths occur, which make rather a square effect, can
+    be softened down. On the second page, be sure and do not accent
+    the grace notes; let the accent come on the fifth finger every
+    time. For the variation containing chords, use the grasping
+    touch, which might be described as a certain indrawing of force
+    in the end of the finger, as though taking a long breath. The
+    variation in triplets seems at <a name="page257"
+       id="page257"></a>first sight almost a caricature, a
+       burlesque on the theme, but I don't think that Schumann had
+       any such idea. On the contrary he meant it as a very sweet,
+       gentle, loving thought. The last page has something
+       ethereal, ideal about it; it should be breathed out, growing
+       fainter and fainter to the end.</p>
+
+    <p>"The G minor Ballade, of Chopin, begins slowly, with much
+    dignity. The opening melody is one of sadness, almost gloom.
+    The <i>a tempo</i> on second page contains four parts going on
+    at the same time. At the <i>piu forte,</i> care must be taken
+    to have the outer side of the hand well raised, and moved from
+    the wrist. The idea here is one of great agitation and unrest.
+    The fifth page needs great power and the legato octaves well
+    connected and sustained. The feeling of unrest is here
+    augmented until it becomes almost painful, and not until the
+    <i>animato</i> does a restful feeling come. This should be
+    played lightly and delicately, the left hand giving the rhythm.
+    The <i>presto</i> demands great power and dash. Let the wrist
+    be low when beginning the chords, raise it after the first and
+    let it fall after the second. Always accent the second chord.
+    Begin the final double runs slowly and increase in speed and
+    tone. So, too, with <a name="page258"
+       id="page258"></a>the octaves, begin slowly and increase in
+       power and fire."</p>
+
+    <p>Numerous other compositions were analyzed, but the ones
+    already quoted stand out in memory, and give some idea of Mr.
+    Sherwood's manner of teaching.</p>
+
+    <h4>DR. WILLIAM MASON</h4>
+
+    <p>Years after the foregoing experiences I had the privilege of
+    doing some work with the dean of all American piano masters,
+    Dr. William Mason. I had spent several years in European study,
+    with Scharwenka, Klindworth and von B&uuml;low, and had
+    returned to my own land to join its teaching and playing force.
+    My time soon became so largely occupied with teaching that I
+    feared my playing would be entirely pushed to the wall unless I
+    were under the guidance of some master. With this thought in
+    mind, I presented myself to Dr. Mason.</p>
+
+    <p>"You have studied with Sherwood," he began. "He has
+    excellent ideas of touch and technic. Some of these ideas came
+    from me, though I don't wish to claim too much in the matter.
+    Sherwood has the true piano touch. Very few pianists have it;
+    Klindworth did not have it, nor von B&uuml;low, nor even Liszt,
+    en<a name="page259"
+       id="page259"></a>tirely, for he as well as the others,
+       sought for a more orchestral manner of playing. Sherwood has
+       this touch; Tausig had it, and de Pachmann and Rubinstein
+       most of all. It is not taught in Germany as it should be.
+       The best American teachers are far ahead in this respect; in
+       a few years the Europeans will come to us to learn these
+       things." (This was Sherwood's idea also.)</p>
+
+    <p>The first composition played to Dr. Mason was the G minor
+    Rhapsodie of Brahms, with which, as it happened, he was
+    unfamiliar. I played the entire piece through without
+    interruption, and he seemed pleased.</p>
+
+    <p>"You have a beautiful tone&mdash;a really beautiful tone,
+    and you play very artistically; much of this must be natural to
+    you, you could not have acquired it. You also have an
+    excellently trained hand. I may say that in my forty years of
+    teaching I have never had any one come to me with a better
+    position, or more natural and normal condition. Now, what do
+    you think I can do for you?"</p>
+
+    <p>I explained that I needed some new ideas in my teaching, and
+    wished to keep up my own practise.</p>
+
+    <p>"I will explain my theories to you, and we will then study
+    some compositions together.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page260"
+       id="page260"></a>There is everything in knowing how to
+       practise, but it is something that cannot be taught. I
+       played in public ten years before I found out the
+       secret.</p>
+
+    <p>"Practise slowly and in sections. Not only must all the
+    notes be there, they must be dwelt on. There must be a firm and
+    rock-like basis for piano playing; such a foundation can only
+    be laid by patient and persevering slow practise. If the player
+    has not the control over his fingers to play a piece slowly, he
+    certainly cannot play it fast. Slow practise&mdash;one
+    difficulty at a time&mdash;one hand at a time; Napoleon's
+    tactics, 'one division at a time,' applies to music study.
+    Above all do not hurry in fugue playing, a universal fault.
+    Bach needs a slower trill than modern music. Chords are not to
+    be played with percussion but with pressure. The main things in
+    piano playing are tone and sentiment. When you take up a new
+    piece, practise a few measures slowly, till you know them, then
+    play faster; take the next few measures in the same way; but at
+    first do not practise the whole piece through at once.</p>
+
+    <p>"Just as in life every experience of great joy or great
+    grief leaves one better or more callous, so every time you
+    practise you have <a name="page261"
+       id="page261"></a>either advanced or gone back. Right
+       playing, like good manners in a well-trained child, becomes
+       habitual from always doing right. As we are influenced for
+       good or evil by those we associate with, so are we
+       influenced by the character and quality of the tones we make
+       and hear. Be in earnest; put your heart, your whole soul,
+       your whole self into your playing."</p>
+
+    <p>Among other pieces we studied together was the Schumann
+    sonata in F minor, the <i>Eusebius Sonata</i>&mdash;a glorious
+    work! In the opening movement the left hand should be very
+    serious and ponderous, with the hand and fingers held close to
+    the keys; using arm weight. The melody in octaves in right hand
+    is beseeching, pleading, imploring. In many places the touch is
+    very elastic. The second movement begins very softly, as though
+    one heard something faintly in the distance, and did not quite
+    know what it was, but thought it might be music. The accents in
+    this movement are to be understood in a comparative degree, and
+    are not as strong as the marks seem to indicate. The Scherzo is
+    extremely pompous and is to be played with heavy accents and a
+    great deal of vim and go; the chords with the utmost freedom
+    and dash. One must use the <a name="page262"
+       id="page262"></a>"letting-go" principle, which Paderewski
+       has to perfection.</p>
+
+    <p>We next took up the Grieg Concerto; the Peter's edition of
+    this work has been corrected by the composer. At the first
+    lesson, Dr. Mason accompanied on a second piano, and seemed
+    pleased with the work I had done, making no corrections, except
+    to suggest a somewhat quicker tempo. "Not that I would do
+    anything to impair your carefulness and accuracy, but you must
+    take a risk, and from the beginning, too. I am reminded of the
+    young man who has been very carefully brought up. When the time
+    comes for him to strike out and take his chance in life, he
+    holds back and is afraid, while another with more courage,
+    steps in and takes away his opportunity."</p>
+
+    <p>We discussed the slow movement at great length. "Note in
+    this movement the slow, dreamy effect that can be made at the
+    ending of the second solo, and the artistic use of the pedal in
+    the following chords. The third movement must have great swing
+    and 'go'; the octave passage cadenza should be practised in
+    rhythmical groups, and the final Andante must be fast."</p>
+
+    <p>The third time we played the concerto I had
+    <a name="page263"
+       id="page263"></a>it well in hand. Dr. Mason accompanied as
+       only he could do, and at the close praised me on the way I
+       had worked it up, and the poetry and fire I was able to put
+       into it. Who could help playing with fire and enthusiasm
+       when led by such a master!</p>
+
+    <p>Dr. Mason was a most inspiring teacher, quick to note and
+    praise what was good, and equally vigilant in correcting what
+    was blameworthy. His criticisms were of the utmost value, for
+    he had such wide experience, and such a large acquaintance with
+    music and musicians. Best of all he was a true artist, always
+    ready to demonstrate his art for the benefit of the pupil,
+    always encouraging, always inspiring.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+    <a name="page264"
+          id="page264"></a>
+
+    <h2><a name="VITAL_POINTS_IN_PIANO_PLAYING"
+       id="VITAL_POINTS_IN_PIANO_PLAYING"></a>VITAL POINTS IN PIANO
+       PLAYING</h2>
+
+    <h3>COMPOSITE PRINCIPLES DEDUCED FROM TALKS WITH EMINENT
+    PIANISTS AND TEACHERS</h3>
+
+    <h3>SECTION I</h3>
+
+    <p>How things are done, how others do them, and the reasons for
+    the doing of them in one way and not in another, used to occupy
+    my thoughts back as far as I can remember. As a child I was
+    fond of watching any one doing fine needlework or beautiful
+    embroidery, and tried to imitate what I saw, going into
+    minutest details. This fondness for exactness and detail, when,
+    applied to piano study, led me to question many things; to
+    wonder why I was told to do thus and so, when other people
+    seemed to do other ways; in fact I began to discover that every
+    one who played the piano played it in a different fashion. Why
+    was there not one way?</p>
+
+    <p>One memorable night I was taken to hear Anton Rubinstein.
+    What a marvelous instrument the piano was, to be sure, when its
+    <a name="page265"
+       id="page265"></a>keys were moved by a touch that was at one
+       moment all fire and flame, and the next smooth as velvet or
+       soft and light as thistle-down. What had my home piano in
+       common with this wonder? Why did all the efforts at piano
+       playing I had hitherto listened to sink into oblivion when I
+       heard this master? What was the reason of it all?</p>
+
+    <p>More artists of the piano came within my vision, Mehlig,
+    Joseffy, Mason, and others. As I listened to their performances
+    it was brought to me more clearly than ever that each master
+    played the piano in the manner which best suited himself; at
+    the same time each and every player made the instrument utter
+    tones and effects little dreamed of by the ordinary learner.
+    What was the secret? Was it the manner of moving the keys, the
+    size of hand, the length of finger, or the great strength
+    possessed by the player? I had always been taught to play
+    slowly and carefully, so that I should make no mistakes; these
+    great pianists had wonderful fearlessness; Rubinstein at least
+    did not seem to care whether or not he hit a few wrong notes
+    here and there, if he could only secure the speed and effect
+    desired. Whence came his fearless velocity, his tremendous
+    power?<a name="page266"
+       id="page266"></a></p>
+
+    <h3>ESSENTIALS OF PIANISM</h3>
+
+    <p>Little by little I began to realize the essentials of
+    effective piano playing were these: clear touch, intelligent
+    phrasing, all varieties of tone, all the force the piano would
+    stand, together with the greatest delicacy and the utmost
+    speed. These things the artists possessed as a matter of
+    course, but the ordinary student or teacher failed utterly to
+    make like effects, or to play with sufficient clearness and
+    force. What was the reason?</p>
+
+    <p>In due course I came under the supervision of various piano
+    pedagogues. To the first I gave implicit obedience, endeavoring
+    to do exactly as I was told. The next teacher said I must begin
+    all over again, as I had been taught "all wrong." I had never
+    learned hand position nor independence of fingers&mdash;these
+    must now be established. The following master told me finger
+    independence must be secured in quite a different fashion from
+    the manner in which I had been taught, which was "all wrong."
+    The next professor said I must bend the finger squarely from
+    the second joint, and not round all three joints, as I had been
+    doing. This so-called fault took several months to
+    correct.<a name="page267"
+       id="page267"></a></p>
+
+    <p>To the next I am indebted for good orthodox (if somewhat
+    pedantic) ideas of fingering and phrasing, for which he was
+    noted. The hobby of the next master was slow motions with soft
+    touch. This course was calculated to take all the vim out of
+    one's fingers and all the brilliancy out of one's playing in
+    less than six months. To the next I owe a comprehension of the
+    elastic touch, with devitalized muscles. This touch I practised
+    so assiduously that my poor piano was ruined inside of a year,
+    and had to be sent to the factory for a new keyboard. The next
+    master insisted on great exactness of finger movements, on
+    working up velocity with metronome, on fine tone shading and
+    memorizing.</p>
+
+    <h3>THE DESIRE FOR REAL KNOWLEDGE</h3>
+
+    <p>Such, in brief, has been my experience with pedagogues and
+    teachers of the piano. Having passed through it (and in passing
+    having tried various so-called and unnamed methods) I feel I
+    have reached a vantage ground upon which I can stand and look
+    back over the course. The desire to know the experience of the
+    great artists of the keyboard is as strong within me as ever.
+    What did they not have to go through to master their
+    instrument?<a name="page268"
+       id="page268"></a> And having mastered it, what do they
+       consider the vital essentials of piano technic and piano
+       playing? Surely they must know these things if any one can
+       know them. They can tell, if they will, what to do and what
+       to avoid, what to exclude as unnecessary or unessential and
+       what to concentrate upon.</p>
+
+    <p>The night Rubinstein's marvelous tones fell upon my childish
+    ears I longed to go to him, clasp his wonderful hands in my
+    small ones and beg him to tell me how he did it all. I now know
+    he could not have explained how, for the greater the
+    genius&mdash;the more spontaneous its expression&mdash;the less
+    able is such an one to put into words the manner of its
+    manifestation. In later years the same impulse has come when
+    listening to Paderewski, Hofmann and others. If they could only
+    tell us exactly what is to be done to master the piano, what a
+    boon it would be to those who are awake enough to profit by and
+    follow the directions and experiences of such masters.</p>
+
+    <p>In recognition of the strength of this desire, months after
+    a half-forgotten wish had been expressed by me, came a request
+    by <i>Musical America</i> to prepare a series of interviews
+    with the world famed pianists who were visiting our shores, and
+    also with prominent teachers <a name="page269"
+       id="page269"></a>who were making good among us, and who were
+       proving by results attained that they were safe and
+       efficient guides.</p>
+
+    <h3>SEARCHING FOR TRUTH</h3>
+
+    <p>Never was an interesting and congenial labor undertaken with
+    more zest. The artists were plied with questions which to them
+    may have seemed prosaic, but which to the interrogator were the
+    very essence of the principles of piano technic and piano
+    mastery. It is not a light task for an artist to sit down and
+    analyze his own methods. Some found it almost impossible to put
+    into language their ideas on these subjects. They had so long
+    been concerned with the highest themes of interpretation that
+    they hardly knew how the technical effects were produced, nor
+    could they put the manner of making them into words. They could
+    only say, with Rubinstein, "I do it this way," leaving the
+    questioner to divine how and then to give an account of it.
+    However, with questions leading up to the points I was anxious
+    to secure light upon, much information was elicited.</p>
+
+    <p>One principle was ever before me, namely the Truth. I
+    desired to find out the truth about each subject and then
+    endeavored to <a name="page270"
+       id="page270"></a>set down what was said, expressed in the
+       way I felt would convey the most exact meaning. In
+       considering the vital points or heads under which to group
+       the subjects to be considered, the following seem to cover
+       the ground pretty thoroughly:</p>
+
+    <p>1. Artistic piano technic; how acquired and retained. 2. How
+    to practise. 3. How to memorize. 4. Rhythm and tone color in
+    piano playing.</p>
+    <hr style="width: 65%;" />
+
+    <h2><a name="SECTION_II"
+       id="SECTION_II"></a>SECTION II</h2>
+
+    <h3><i>Hand Position, Finger Action, and Artistic
+    Touch</i></h3>
+
+    <h3>WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES</h3>
+
+    <p>When we listen to a piano recital by a world-famous artist,
+    we think&mdash;if we are musicians&mdash;primarily of the
+    interpretation of the compositions under consideration. That
+    the pianist has a perfect technic almost goes without saying.
+    He must have such a technic to win recognition as an artist. He
+    would not be an artist without a great technic, without
+    <a name="page271"
+       id="page271"></a>a complete command over the resources of
+       the instrument and over himself.</p>
+
+    <p>Let us use the word technic in its large sense, the sense
+    which includes all that pertains to the executive side of piano
+    playing. It is in this significance that Harold Bauer calls
+    technic "an art in itself." Mme. Bloomfield Zeisler says:
+    "Piano technic includes so much! Everything goes into it:
+    arithmetic, grammar, diction, language study, poetry, history
+    and painting. In the first stages there are rules to be
+    learned, just as in any other study. I must know the laws of
+    rhythm and meter to be able to punctuate musical phrases and
+    periods. Pupils who have long since passed the arithmetic stage
+    have evidently forgotten all about fractions and division, for
+    they do not seem to grasp the time values of notes and groups
+    of notes used in music; they do not know what must be done with
+    triplets, dotted notes and so on. Thus you see technic includes
+    a multitude of things; it is a very wide subject."</p>
+
+    <h3>HAND POSITION</h3>
+
+    <p>The first principle a piano teacher shows his pupil is that
+    of hand position. It has been my effort to secure a definite
+    expression on this point from various artists. Most of them
+    <a name="page272"
+       id="page272"></a>agree that an arched position with rounded
+       finger joints is the correct one. It was Paderewski who
+       said, "Show me how the player holds his hands at the piano,
+       and I will tell you what kind of player he is"&mdash;showing
+       the Polish pianist considers hand position of prime
+       importance.</p>
+
+    <p>"I hold the hand arched and very firm,"&mdash;Ernest
+    Schelling.</p>
+
+    <p>"The hand takes an arched position, the finger-tips forming
+    a curve on the keys, the middle finger being placed a little
+    farther in on the key than is natural for the first and
+    fifth."&mdash;Katharine Goodson.</p>
+
+    <p>"The hand is formed on the keys in its five-finger position,
+    with arched knuckles."&mdash;Ethel Leginska.</p>
+
+    <p>"The hand is formed in an arched position, with curved
+    fingers, and solidified."&mdash;Carl Roeder.</p>
+
+    <p>"The hand, in normal playing position, must stand up in well
+    arched form, with fingers well rounded."&mdash;Thuel
+    Burnham.</p>
+
+    <p>"I first establish an arched hand position, with firm
+    fingers."&mdash;Edwin Hughes.</p>
+
+    <p>"I teach arched hand position."&mdash;Alexander Lambert.</p>
+
+    <p>"<a name="page273"
+       id="page273"></a>One must first secure an arched hand, with
+       steady first joints of the fingers."&mdash;Eleanor
+       Spencer.</p>
+
+    <p>"The first thing to do for a pupil is to see that the hand
+    is in correct position; the knuckles will be somewhat elevated
+    and the fingers properly rounded."&mdash;Bloomfield
+    Zeisler.</p>
+
+    <p>"A pupil must first form the arch of the hand and secure
+    firm finger joints. I form the hand away from the piano, at a
+    table."&mdash;Agnes Morgan.</p>
+
+    <p>Leschetizky teaches arched hand position, with rounded
+    fingers, and all who have come under his instruction advocate
+    this form. It is the accepted position for passage playing. A
+    few pianists, notably Alfred Cort&ocirc;t and Tina Lerner, play
+    their passage work with flat fingers, but this, in Miss
+    Lerner's case, is doubtless caused by the small size of the
+    hand.</p>
+
+    <p>It is clear from the above quotations, and from many other
+    opinions which could be cited, that the authorities agree the
+    hand should be well arched, the end of the finger coming in
+    contact with the key; furthermore there should be no weakness
+    nor giving in at the nail joint.<a name="page274"
+       id="page274"></a></p>
+
+    <h3>FINGER ACTION</h3>
+
+    <p>The question of lifting the fingers seems to be one on which
+    various opinions are held. Some pianists, like Godowsky for
+    instance, will tell you they do not approve of raising the
+    fingers&mdash;that the fingers must be kept close to the keys.
+    It is noticeable, however, that even those who do not speak
+    favorably of finger action, use it themselves when playing
+    passages requiring distinctness and clearness. Other players
+    are rather hazy on the subject, but these are generally persons
+    who have not gone through the routine of teaching.</p>
+
+    <p>The accepted idea of the best teachers is that at the
+    beginning of piano study positive finger movements must be
+    acquired; finger action must be so thoroughly grounded that it
+    becomes second nature, a very part of the player, something he
+    can never forget nor get away from. So fixed should it become
+    that no subsequent laxity, caused by the attention being wholly
+    centered on interpretation can disturb correct position,
+    condition, or graceful, plastic movement.</p>
+
+    <p>"For passage work I insist on finger action; the fingers
+    must be raised and active to insure proper development. I think
+    one certainly <a name="page275"
+       id="page275"></a>needs higher action when practising technic
+       and technical pieces than one would use when playing the
+       same pieces before an audience."&mdash;Clarence Adler.</p>
+
+    <p>Alexander Lambert speaks to the point when he says: "I teach
+    decided finger action in the beginning. Some teachers may not
+    teach finger action because they say artists do not use it. But
+    the artist, if questioned, would tell you he had to acquire
+    finger action in the beginning. There are so many stages in
+    piano playing. The beginner must raise his fingers in order to
+    acquire finger development and a clear touch. In the middle
+    stage he has secured enough finger control to play the same
+    passages with less action, yet still with sufficient clearness,
+    while in the more or less finished stages the passage may be
+    played with scarcely any perceptible motion, so thoroughly do
+    the fingers respond to every mental requirement."</p>
+
+    <p>It is this consummate mastery and control of condition and
+    movement that lead the superficial observer to imagine that the
+    great artist gives no thought to such things as position,
+    condition and movements. Never was there a greater mistake. The
+    finest perfection of technic has been acquired with painstaking
+    <a name="page276"
+       id="page276"></a>care, with minute attention to exacting
+       detail. At some period of his career, the artist has had to
+       come down to foundation principles and work up. Opinions may
+       differ as to the eminence of Leschetizky as a teacher, but
+       the fact remains that many of the pianists now before the
+       public have been with him at one time or another. They all
+       testify that the Viennese master will have nothing to do
+       with a player until he has gone through a course of rigorous
+       preparation spent solely in finger training, and can play a
+       pair of Czerny &eacute;tudes with perfect control and
+       effect.</p>
+
+    <h3>ARTISTIC TOUCH</h3>
+
+    <p>One of the greatest American teachers of touch was Dr.
+    William Mason, who made an exhaustive study of this subject.
+    His own touch was noted for its clear, bell-like, elastic
+    quality. He remarked on one occasion, in regard to playing in
+    public: "It is possible I may be so nervous that I can hardly
+    walk to the piano; but once I have begun to play I shall hold
+    the audience still enough to hear a pin drop, simply by the
+    beauty of my touch and tone." Dr. Mason's touch specialties
+    were "pressure" and "elastic" or "drawing-off" touches. He
+    found these gave <a name="page277"
+       id="page277"></a>both weight and crisp lightness to the
+       tones.</p>
+
+    <p>Mr. Tobias Matthay, of London, has given much time and
+    thought to the study of touch and key mechanism. He says: "The
+    two chief rules of technic, as regards the key are: Always feel
+    how much the key resists you, feel how much the key
+    <i>wants</i> for every note. Second, always listen for the
+    moment each sound begins, so that you may learn to direct your
+    effort to the sound only and not to the key bed. It is only by
+    making the hammer end of the key move that you can make a
+    sound. The swifter the movement, the louder the sound. The more
+    gradual the movement the more beautiful the quality of sound.
+    For brilliant tone, you may hit the string by means of the key,
+    but do not, by mistake, hit the key instead."</p>
+
+    <p>Thuel Burnham, a pupil of Mason and Leschetizky, has welded
+    the ideas of these two masters into his own experience, and
+    simplifies the matter of piano touch as follows:</p>
+
+    <h3>MELODY AND COLORATURA HANDS</h3>
+
+    <p>"The position and condition of the hand varies according to
+    the character of the music and the quality of tone you wish to
+    produce. If you give out a melody, you want a full,
+    <a name="page278"
+       id="page278"></a>luscious tone, the weight of arm on the
+       key, everything relaxed and a clinging, caressing pressure
+       of finger. Here you have the 'Melody Hand,' with
+       outstretched, flat fingers. On the contrary, if you wish
+       rapid passage work, with clear, bright, articulate touch,
+       the hand must stand up in well-arched, normal playing
+       position, with fingers well rounded and good finger action.
+       Here you have the 'Technical' or 'Coloratura Hand.'"</p>
+
+    <p>The distinction made by Mr. Burnham clears up the
+    uncertainty about arched hand and articulate touch, or low hand
+    and flat fingers. Both are used in their proper place,
+    according to the demands of the music. The player, however, who
+    desires a clean, reliable technic, should first acquire a
+    coloratura hand before attempting a melody hand.</p>
+
+    <h2><a name="SECTION_III"
+       id="SECTION_III"></a>SECTION III</h2>
+
+    <h3><i>The Art of Practise</i></h3>
+
+    <p>We have seen that if the pianist hopes to perfect himself in
+    his art he must lay the foundation deep down in the
+    fundamentals of hand position, body condition, correct finger
+    <a name="page279"
+       id="page279"></a>movements and in careful attention to the
+       minutest details of touch and tone production.</p>
+
+    <p>The remark is often heard, from persons who have just
+    listened to a piano recital: "I would give anything in the
+    world to play like that!" But would they even give the
+    necessary time, to say nothing of the endless patience,
+    tireless energy and indomitable perseverance which go to the
+    making of a virtuoso.</p>
+
+    <p>How much time does the artist really require for study?
+    Paderewski owns to devoting <i>all</i> his time to it during
+    the periods of preparation for his recital tours. At certain
+    seasons of the year most of the artists give a large portion of
+    each day to the work. Godowsky is an incessant worker; Burnham
+    devotes his entire mornings to piano study; Germaine Schnitzer
+    gives six hours daily to her work, and if interrupted one day
+    the lost time is soon made up. Eleanor Spencer "practises all
+    her spare time," as she quaintly puts it. A professional
+    pianist must give a number of hours each day to actual practise
+    at the keyboard, besides what is done away from it. The work is
+    mentally going on continually, whether one really sits at the
+    instrument or not.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="page280"
+       id="page280"></a>The point which most concerns us is: How
+       shall one practise so as to make the most of the time and
+       accomplish the best results? What &eacute;tudes, if any,
+       shall we use, and what technical material is the most useful
+       and effectual?</p>
+
+    <p>Wilhelm Bachaus, whose consummate technic we have so often
+    admired, says: "I am old-fashioned enough to still believe in
+    scales and arpeggios. Some of the players of the present day
+    seem to have no use for such things, but I find them of great
+    importance. This does not necessarily mean that I go through
+    the whole set of keys when I practise the scales. I select a
+    few at a time and work at those. I start with ridiculously
+    simple forms&mdash;just the thumb under the hand and the hand
+    over the thumb&mdash;a few movements each way, but these put
+    the hand in trim for scales and arpeggios. I practise the
+    latter about half an hour a day. I have to overhaul my technic
+    once or twice a week to see that everything is in order. Scales
+    and arpeggios come in for their share of criticism. I practise
+    them in various touches, but oftener in <i>legato</i>, as that
+    is more difficult and also more beautiful than the others. I
+    practise technic, when possible, an hour a day, including
+    Bach."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="page281"
+       id="page281"></a>Sigismond Stojowski considers that scales
+       and arpeggios must form a part of the daily routine.</p>
+
+    <p>Thuel Burnham says: "Of my practise hours at least one is
+    given to technic, scales, arpeggios, octaves, chords, and Bach!
+    I believe in taking one selection of Bach and perfecting
+    it&mdash;transposing it in all keys and polishing it to the
+    highest point possible. So with &eacute;tudes, it is better to
+    perfect a few than to play <i>at</i> so many."</p>
+
+    <h3>THE PIANIST A MECHANIC</h3>
+
+    <p>Edwin Hughes, the American pianist and teacher in Munich,
+    remarks: "Technic is the mechanical part of music making; to
+    keep it in running order one must be constantly tinkering with
+    it, just as the engine driver with his locomotive or the
+    chauffeur with his automobile. Every intelligent player
+    recognizes certain exercises as especially beneficial to the
+    mechanical well-being of his playing; from these he will plan
+    his daily schedule of technical practise."</p>
+
+    <p>Teresa Carre&ntilde;o asserts she had in the beginning many
+    technical exercises which her teacher wrote out for her, from
+    difficult passages taken from the great composers. There
+    <a name="page282"
+       id="page282"></a>were hundreds of them, so many that it took
+       just three days to go the rounds. She considers them
+       invaluable, and constantly uses them in her own practise and
+       in her teaching. Each exercise must be played in all keys
+       and with every possible variety of touch and tone.</p>
+
+    <p>Paderewski gives much time daily to pure technic practise.
+    He has been known to play scales and arpeggios in a single key
+    for three quarters of an hour at a stretch. These were played
+    with every variety of touch, velocity, dynamic shading and so
+    on.</p>
+
+    <p>It is seen from the instances quoted that many great
+    pianists believe in daily technic practise, or the study of
+    pure technic apart from pieces. Many more testify that scales,
+    chords, arpeggios and octaves constitute their daily bread.
+    Some have spoken to me especially of octave practise as being
+    eminently beneficial. They feel these things are essential to
+    the acquiring of a fine technic, and keeping it up to concert
+    pitch.</p>
+
+    <p>Some artists are partial to certain technical studies.
+    Bachaus highly recommends those of Brahms, for instance. All
+    artists use Bach in connection with their technic practise; in
+    fact the works of Bach may be considered to em<a name="page283"
+       id="page283"></a>body pure technic principles, and pianists
+       and teachers consider them a daily necessity.</p>
+
+    <h3>INVENTING EXERCISES</h3>
+
+    <p>Together with their studies in pure technic alone, the
+    artists invent exercises out of the pieces they study, either
+    by playing passages written for both hands with one hand, by
+    turning single notes into octaves, by using more difficult
+    fingering than necessary, thus bringing into use the weaker
+    fingers, changing the rhythm, and in numerous other ways
+    increasing the effort of performance, so that when the passage
+    is played as originally written, it shall indeed seem like
+    child's play.</p>
+
+    <p>Another means to acquire technical mastery is through
+    transposition. One would think Bach's music difficult enough
+    when performed as written, but the artists think nothing of
+    putting it through the different keys. Burnham relates that
+    during early lessons with Dr. Mason, that master gave him a
+    Bach Invention to prepare, casually remarking it might be well
+    to memorize it. The simple suggestion was more than sufficient,
+    for the ambitious pupil presented himself at the next lesson
+    with not only that particular Invention learned
+    <a name="page284"
+       id="page284"></a>by heart, but likewise the whole set! De
+       Pachmann, in his eagerness to master the technic and
+       literature of the piano, says that when a Bach Prelude and
+       Fugue was on one occasion assigned him by his teacher, he
+       went home and learned the whole twenty-four, which he was
+       able to play in every key for the next lesson!</p>
+
+    <h3>SLOW PRACTISE</h3>
+
+    <p>The question is often put to artists: "Do you deem it
+    necessary to work for velocity, or do you practise the
+    composition much at the required speed?" Many pianists practise
+    very slowly. This was William H. Sherwood's custom. Harold
+    Bauer believes velocity to be inherent in the individual, so
+    that when the passage is thoroughly comprehended it can be
+    played at the necessary rate of speed. Bachaus testifies he
+    seldom works for velocity, saying that if he masters the
+    passage he can play it at any required tempo. "I never work for
+    velocity as some do," he remarks. "I seldom practise fast, for
+    it interferes with clearness. I prefer to play more slowly,
+    giving the greatest attention to clearness and good tone. By
+    pursuing this course I find that when I need velocity I have
+    it."</p>
+
+    <p><a name="page285"
+       id="page285"></a>Clarence Adler counsels pupils always to
+       begin by practising slowly&mdash;faster tempo will develop
+       later, subconsciously. Velocity is only to be employed after
+       the piece has been thoroughly learned, every mark of
+       expression observed, all fingering, accents and dynamic
+       marks mastered. "You would scarcely believe," he adds, "how
+       slowly I practise myself."</p>
+
+    <h3>A FEW EXCEPTIONS</h3>
+
+    <p>There are very few exceptions to the general verdict in
+    favor of technic practise apart from pieces. Godowsky asserts
+    he never practises scales. Bauer cares little for pure technic
+    practise, believing the composition itself contains sufficient
+    material of a technical nature.</p>
+
+    <p>Whether or not these brilliant exceptions merely prove the
+    rule, the thoughtful student of the piano must decide for
+    himself. He has already discovered that modern piano playing
+    requires a perfect technic, together with the personal equation
+    of vigorous health, serious purpose and many-sided mentality.
+    Mme. Rider-Possart says: "Technic is something an artist has to
+    put in the background as something of secondary importance, yet
+    if he does <a name="page286"
+       id="page286"></a>not possess it he is nowhere." The student
+       will not overlook the fact that to acquire the necessary
+       technical control he must devote time and thought to it
+       outside of piece playing. He must understand the principles
+       and follow out a certain routine in order to secure the best
+       results in the quickest and surest way. While each one must
+       work out his own salvation, it is an encouragement to know
+       that even the greatest artists must toil over their technic,
+       must keep eternally at it, must play slowly, must memorize
+       bit by bit. The difference between the artist and the
+       talented amateur often lies in the former's absolute
+       concentration, perseverance and devotion to the highest
+       ideals.</p>
+
+    <h2><a name="SECTION_IV"
+       id="SECTION_IV"></a>SECTION IV</h2>
+
+    <h3><i>How to Memorize</i></h3>
+
+    <p>At the present stage of pianistic development, an artist
+    does not venture to come before the public and "use his notes."
+    No artist who values his reputation would attempt it.
+    Everything must be performed from memory&mdash;solos,
+    concertos, even accompaniments. The pianist must know every
+    note of the music <a name="page287"
+       id="page287"></a>he performs. The star accompanist aspires
+       to the same mastery when he plays for a famous singer or
+       instrumentalist. We also have the artist conductor, with
+       opera, symphony or concerto at his finger-tips. Hans von
+       B&uuml;low, who claimed that a pianist should have more than
+       two hundred compositions in his repertoire, was himself
+       equally at home in orchestral music. He always conducted his
+       Meiningen Orchestra without notes.</p>
+
+    <p>Let us say, then, that the present-day pianist ought to have
+    about two hundred compositions in his repertoire, all of which
+    must be played without notes. The mere fact of committing to
+    memory such a quantity of pages is no small item in the
+    pianist's equipment. The problem is to discover the best means
+    of memorizing music quickly and surely. Here again we are
+    privileged to inquire of the artist and of the artist teacher.
+    His knowledge and experience will be practical, for he has
+    evolved it and proved it over and over again.</p>
+
+    <p>It is a well-known fact that Leschetizky advises memorizing
+    away from the instrument. This method at once shuts the door on
+    all useless and thoughtless repetition employed by so many
+    piano students, who repeat a passage endlessly, to avoid
+    thinking it out. Then they <a name="page288"
+       id="page288"></a>wonder why they cannot commit to memory!
+       The Viennese master suggests that a short passage of two or
+       four measures be learned with each hand alone, then tried on
+       the piano. If not yet quite fixed in consciousness the
+       effort should be repeated, after which it may be possible to
+       go through the passage without an error. The work then
+       proceeds in the same manner throughout the composition.</p>
+
+    <h3>ONE YEAR'S MEMORIZING</h3>
+
+    <p>A player who gives five or six hours daily to study, and who
+    has learned how to memorize, should be able to commit one page
+    of music each day. This course, systematically pursued, would
+    result in the thorough assimilation of at least fifty
+    compositions in one year. This is really a conservative
+    estimate, though at first glance it may seem rather large. If
+    we cut the figure in half, out of consideration for the
+    accumulative difficulties of the music, there will still remain
+    twenty-five pieces, enough for two programs and a very
+    respectable showing for a year's study.</p>
+
+    <p>It may be that Leschetizky's principle of memorizing will
+    not appeal to every one. The player may find another path to
+    the goal, one <a name="page289"
+       id="page289"></a>more suited to his peculiar temperament.
+       Or, if he has not yet discovered the right path, let him try
+       different ways till he hits upon one which will do the work
+       in the shortest and most thorough manner. All masters agree
+       that analysis and concentration are the prime factors in the
+       process of committing music to memory.</p>
+
+    <p>Michael von Zadora, pianist and teacher, said to me
+    recently: "Suppose you have a difficult passage to learn by
+    heart. The ordinary method of committing to memory is to play
+    the passage over and over, till the fingers grow accustomed to
+    its intervals. That is not my manner of teaching. The only way
+    to master that passage is to analyze it thoroughly, know just
+    what the notes are, the sequences of notes, if you will, their
+    position on the keyboard, the fingering, the positions the
+    hands must take to play these notes, so that you know just
+    where the fingers have to go before you put them on the keys.
+    When you thus thoroughly understand the passage or piece, have
+    thought about it, lived with it, so that it is in the blood, we
+    might say, the fingers can play it. There will be no difficulty
+    about it and no need for senseless
+    repetitions."<a name="page290"
+       id="page290"></a></p>
+
+    <h3>PHRASE BY PHRASE</h3>
+
+    <p>Most of the artists agree that memorizing must be done
+    phrase by phrase, after the composition has been thoroughly
+    analyzed as to keys, chords, and construction. This is
+    Katharine Goodson's way, and also Eleanor Spencer's and Ethel
+    Leginska's, three of Leschetizky's pupils now before the
+    public. "I really know the composition so thoroughly that I can
+    play it in another key just as well as the one in which it is
+    written, though I do not always memorize it each hand alone,"
+    says Miss Goodson. "I first play the composition over a few
+    times to become somewhat familiar with its form and shape,"
+    says Eleanor Spencer, "then I begin to analyze and study it,
+    committing it by phrases, or ideas, one or two measures at a
+    time. I do not always take the hands alone, unless the passage
+    is very intricate, for sometimes it is easier to learn both
+    hands together." Germaine Schnitzer avers that she keeps at a
+    difficult passage until she really knows it perfectly, no
+    matter how long it takes. "What is the use of going on," she
+    says, "until you are absolutely sure of the work in hand."</p>
+
+    <p>It is plain from the opinions already cited
+    <a name="page291"
+       id="page291"></a>and from many I have heard expressed that
+       the artists waste no time over useless repetitions. They
+       fully realize that a piece is not assimilated nor learned
+       until it is memorized. When they have selected the
+       composition they wish to learn, they begin at once to
+       memorize from the start. The student does not always bring
+       to his work this definiteness of aim; if he did, much
+       precious time would be saved. The ability to memorize ideas
+       expressed in notes grows with use, just as any other
+       aptitude grows with continued effort.</p>
+
+    <p>Instead, then, of playing <i>with</i> a piece, why do you
+    not at once begin to make it your own? Look at the phrases so
+    intently that they become as it were, photographed on your
+    mind. Ruskin said: "Get the habit of looking intently at
+    words." We might say the same of notes. Look at the phrase with
+    the conviction that it can be remembered after a glance or two.
+    It is only an indication of indolence and mental inertness to
+    look continually at the printed page or passage and keep on
+    playing it over and over, without trying to fix it indelibly in
+    the mind.</p>
+
+    <p>In my work as teacher I constantly meet students, and
+    teachers too, who do little or no memorizing. Some do not even
+    approve of it, <a name="page292"
+       id="page292"></a>though it is difficult to conceive how any
+       one in his right mind can disapprove knowing a thing
+       thoroughly. The only way to know it thoroughly is to know it
+       by heart.</p>
+
+    <h3>CONSTANT REPAIRS NECESSARY</h3>
+
+    <p>A repertoire once committed must be constantly kept in
+    repair. The public player, in his seasons of study, generally
+    has a regular system of repetition, so that all compositions
+    can be gone over at least once a week. One artist suggests that
+    the week be started with the classics and concluded with modern
+    compositions and concerted numbers. Thus each day will have its
+    allotted task. The pieces are not merely to be played over, but
+    really overhauled, and all weak places treated to a dose of
+    slow, careful practise, using the printed pages. Artists on
+    tour, where consecutive practise is difficult or unattainable,
+    always carry the printed notes of their repertoire with them,
+    and are ceaselessly studying, repairing, polishing their
+    phrases, thinking out their effects.</p>
+
+    <p>To those who wish to become pianists, I would say: "Keep
+    your memory active through constant use. Be always learning by
+    heart; do it systematically, a little at a
+    time.<a name="page293"
+       id="page293"></a> So it will be daily progress. So your
+       repertoire is built!"</p>
+
+    <h3>SECTION V</h3>
+
+    <h2><a name="SECTION_V"
+       id="SECTION_V"></a>SECTION V</h2>
+
+    <h3><i>Rhythm and Tone Color in Piano Playing</i></h3>
+
+    <p>How shall two such opposites as rhythm and tone color be
+    connected, even in name, some will ask. One belongs to the
+    mechanical side of piano playing, while the other appertains to
+    the ideal, the poetic, the soulful. The two subjects, however,
+    are not so wide apart as might at first appear; for the beauty
+    and variety of the second depends largely upon the mastery of
+    the first. You must play rhythmically before you can play
+    soulfully; you must first be able to keep time before you can
+    attempt to express color and emotion through any fluctuation of
+    rhythm. One depends on the other, therefore time and rhythm
+    come first; when these are well under control, not before, we
+    can go further and enter the wider field of tonal variety.</p>
+
+    <p>Rhythm is one of the pianist's most important assets,
+    something he cannot do without. It might be said that the
+    possession of a well-developed rhythmic sense is one point in
+    which <a name="page294"
+       id="page294"></a>the artist differs greatly from the
+       amateur. The latter thinks nothing of breaking the rhythm at
+       any time and place that suits his fancy; while the artist is
+       usually conscientious about such matters, because his time
+       sense is more highly developed. A perfect time sense is
+       often inherent in the artist, a part of the natural gift
+       which he has cultivated to such a high state of achievement.
+       It may be he has never had any difficulty with this
+       particular point in piano playing, while the amateur has
+       constantly to struggle with problems of time and rhythm.</p>
+
+    <h3>THE METRONOME</h3>
+
+    <p>When the subject of using such a mechanical aid as the
+    metronome to cultivate rhythmic sense, is broached to the
+    executive artist, it does not always meet with an assenting
+    response. With such bred-in-the-bone sense of time as the
+    artist commands, it is little wonder he takes no great interest
+    in mechanical time-beating. Josef Hofmann's censure of the
+    metronome was probably due to his inborn rhythmic and artistic
+    sense; yet his words have doubtless had their effect on many
+    students, who, lacking his sense of rhythm, would have been
+    greatly benefited by its use.</p>
+
+    <p><a name="page295"
+       id="page295"></a>Godowsky, when asked his opinion of the
+       metronome, replied: "I assuredly approve of its use; I have
+       even devoted a chapter to the metronome in the
+       <i>Progressive Series</i>, my great work on piano playing."
+       Edwin Hughes remarks: "If pupils have naturally a poor sense
+       of rhythm, there is no remedy equal to practising with the
+       metronome, using it daily until results are evident, when
+       there can be a judicious letting up of the discipline. The
+       mechanical sense of rhythm, the ability to count and to
+       group the notes of a piece correctly, can be taught to any
+       person, if one has the patience; but for the delicate
+       rhythmic <i>nuances</i> required by a Chopin Mazourka or a
+       Viennese Valse, a special rhythmic gift is necessary."</p>
+
+    <p>Artists and teachers who have come under Leschetizky's
+    influence and use his principles, are generally in favor of the
+    metronome, according to their own testimony. The fact is, they
+    as teachers often find such deficiency in their pupils on the
+    subject of time sense and accuracy in counting, that they are
+    forced to institute strict measures to counteract this lack of
+    rhythmic comprehension.</p>
+
+    <p>Granting, then, that the correct use, not the abuse, of the
+    metronome is of great assistance <a name="page296"
+       id="page296"></a>in establishing firm rhythmic sense, let us
+       turn our thought to the fascinating subject of&mdash;</p>
+
+    <h3>TONE COLOR</h3>
+
+    <p>When De Pachmann affirmed that he uses certain fingers to
+    create certain effects, the idea was thought to be one of the
+    eccentric pianist's peculiar fancies. Other players, however,
+    have had the same thought, and have worked along the same
+    line&mdash;the thought that on the fingering used depends the
+    quality of tone. For instance you might not play an expressive
+    melody with a consecutive use of the fifth finger, which is
+    called a "cold finger" by Thuel Burnham. He would use instead
+    the third, a "warm finger," to give out a soulful melody.</p>
+
+    <h3>TONAL VARIETY</h3>
+
+    <p>The pianist who desires to play effectively, must
+    continually strive for variety of tone, for tonal coloring.
+    These can be studied in scales, chords, arpeggios and other
+    technical forms. The singer seeks to make a tone of resonant
+    color, not a straight, flat tone; the pianist, on his part,
+    endeavors to give color and variety to his playing in the same
+    way. Harold Bauer thinks variety must be secured by the
+    contrast of one tone with another. Even a <a name="page297"
+       id="page297"></a>very harsh tone may be beautiful in its
+       right place, owing to its relation to other tones, and its
+       ability to express an idea. To render the playing expressive
+       by the contrast of light and shade, by tonal gradations, by
+       all varieties of touch, by all the subtleties of
+       <i>nuance</i>, is a great art, and only the most gifted ever
+       master it in its perfection. These are the things that
+       enchant us in Paderewski's performance, and in the tonal
+       coloring of Gabrilowitsch. Hofmann's playing is a marvel of
+       atmosphere and color; such playing is an object lesson to
+       students, a lesson in variety of light and shade, the
+       shifting of exquisite tonal tints.</p>
+
+    <p>The sensitive musician is highly susceptible to color
+    effects in nature, in art or in objects about him. Certain
+    colors attract him, for he sees an affinity between them and
+    the tonal effects he strives to produce. Other colors repel,
+    perhaps for the opposite reason. Brilliant red is a warlike
+    color, and finds analogous expression in such pieces as
+    Chopin's Polonaise <i>Militaire</i>, and MacDowell's Polonaise.
+    We cannot help seeing, feeling the color red, when playing such
+    music. Soft pink and rose for love music, tender blues and
+    shades of gray for nocturnes and night pieces are some of the
+    affinities of tone and color. Warm shades of <a name="page298"
+       id="page298"></a>yellow and golden brown suggest an
+       atmosphere of early autumn, while delicate or vivid greens
+       give thoughts of spring and luscious summer. Certain pieces
+       of Mozart seem to bring before us the rich greens of a
+       summer landscape; the Fantaisie in C minor, and the
+       Pastorale Varie are of this type.</p>
+
+    <p>Arthur Hochman says: "Colors mean so much to me; some are so
+    beautiful, the various shades of red for instance, then the
+    golden yellows, rich warm browns, and liquid blues. We can make
+    as wonderful combinations in tone color as ever painter put
+    upon canvas. To me dark red speaks of something tender,
+    heart-searching, mysterious. On the other hand the shades of
+    yellow express gaiety and brightness."</p>
+
+    <p>It has been said that a pianist should study color effects
+    in order to express them in his playing. He can do this to
+    special advantage at the theater or opera, where he can see
+    unrolled before him the greatest possible variety in light and
+    shade, in colors, and in the constantly changing panorama of
+    action and emotion.</p>
+
+    <p>The pianist can receive many ideas of tone color when
+    listening to a great singer, and watching the infinite tonal
+    gradations <a name="page299"
+       id="page299"></a>produced on the "greatest of all
+       instruments," the human voice.</p>
+
+    <p>In short the pianist draws from many sources the experience,
+    the feeling and emotion with which he strives to inspire the
+    tones he evokes from his instrument. The keener his
+    perceptions, the more he labors, suffers, and <i>lives</i>, the
+    more he will be able to express through his chosen
+    medium&mdash;the piano!</p>
+
+    <p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+    <p>&nbsp;</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
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@@ -0,0 +1,6728 @@
+The Project Gutenberg eBook, Piano Mastery, by Harriette Brower
+
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+
+
+
+Title: Piano Mastery
+       Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers
+
+
+Author: Harriette Brower
+
+Release Date: April 11, 2005  [eBook #15604]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
+
+
+***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK PIANO MASTERY***
+
+
+E-text prepared by Chuck Greif and the Project Gutenberg Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team from page images generously provided by the
+Internet Archive Million Book Project
+
+
+
+Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this
+      file which includes the original illustrations.
+      See 15604-h.htm or 15604-h.zip:
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/5/6/0/15604/15604-h/15604-h.htm)
+      or
+      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/5/6/0/15604/15604-h.zip)
+
+
+
+
+
+PIANO MASTERY
+
+Talks with Master Pianists and Teachers
+and
+an Account of a Von Buelow Class, Hints on Interpretation, by Two
+American Teachers (Dr. William Mason and William H. Sherwood) and a
+Summary by the Author
+
+by
+
+HARRIETTE BROWER
+
+Author of _The Art of the Pianist_
+
+With Sixteen Portraits
+
+Frederick A. Stokes Company
+The Musical Observer Company
+
+1915
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: Photo Copyright By Marran IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI]
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS
+
+
+PRELUDE
+
+IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI
+
+ERNEST SCHELLING.....The Hand of a Pianist
+
+ERNESTO CONSOLO.....Making the Piano a Musical Instrument
+
+SIGISMOND STOJOWSKI.....Mind in Piano Study.
+
+RUDOLPH GANZ.....Conserving Energy in Piano Practise
+
+TINA LERNER.....An Audience the Best Teacher
+
+ETHEL LEGINSKA.....Relaxation the Keynote of Modern Piano Playing
+
+BERTHA FIERING TAPPER.....Mastering Piano Problems
+
+CARL M. ROEDER.....Problems of Piano Teachers
+
+KATHARINE GOODSON.....An Artist at Home
+
+MARK HAMBOURG.....Form, Technic, and Expression
+
+TOBIAS MATTHAY.....Watching the Artist Teacher at Work
+
+HAROLD BAUER.....The Question of Piano Tone
+
+RAOUL PUGNO.....Training the Child
+
+THUEL BURNHAM.....The "Melody" and "Coloratura" Hand
+
+EDWIN HUGHES.....Some Essentials of Piano Playing
+
+FERRUCCIO BUSONI.....An Artist at Home
+
+ADELE AUS DER OHE.....Another Artist at Home
+
+ELEANOR SPENCER.....More Light on Leschetizky's Ideas
+
+ARTHUR HOCHMAN.....How the Pianist Can Color Tone with Action and
+                   Emotion
+
+TERESA CARRENO.....Early Technical Training
+
+WILHELM BACHAUS.....Technical Problems Discussed
+
+ALEXANDER LAMBERT.....American and European Teachers
+
+FANNIE BLOOMFIELD ZEISLER.....The Scope of Piano Technic
+
+AGNES MORGAN.....Simplicity in Piano Teaching
+
+EUGENE HEFFLEY.....Modern Tendencies
+
+GERMAINE SCHNITZER.....Modern Methods in Piano Study
+
+OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH.....Characteristic Touch on the Piano
+
+HANS VON BUeLOW.....Teacher and Interpreter
+
+WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD AND DR. WILLIAM MASON.....Hints on Interpretation
+
+POSTLUDE.....Vital Points in Piano Playing
+
+
+
+
+ILLUSTRATIONS
+
+
+Ignace Jan Paderewski
+
+Sigismond Stojowski
+
+Rudolph Ganz
+
+Katharine Goodson
+
+Mark Hambourg
+
+Tobias Matthay
+
+Harold Bauer
+
+Raoul Pugno
+
+Ferruccio Busoni
+
+Eleanor Spencer
+
+Teresa Carreno
+
+Wilhelm Bachaus
+
+Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
+
+Ossip Gabrilowitsch
+
+Hans von Buelow
+
+Dr. William Mason
+
+
+
+
+PRELUDE
+
+TO AMERICAN PIANO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS
+
+
+The following "Talks" were obtained at the suggestion of the Editor of
+_Musical America_, and have all, with one or two exceptions, appeared in
+that paper. They were secured with the hope and intention of benefiting
+the American teacher and student.
+
+Requests have come from all over the country, asking that the interviews
+be issued in book form. In this event it was the author's intention to
+ask each artist to enlarge and add to his own talk. This, however, has
+been practicable only in certain cases; in others the articles remain
+very nearly as they at first appeared.
+
+The summer of 1913 in Europe proved to be a veritable musical
+pilgrimage, the milestones of which were the homes of the famous
+artists, who generously gave of their time and were willing to discuss
+their methods of playing and teaching.
+
+The securing of the interviews has given the author satisfaction and
+delight. She wishes to share both with the fellow workers of her own
+land.
+
+The Talks are arranged in the order in which they were secured.
+
+
+
+
+PIANO MASTERY
+
+
+
+
+PIANO MASTERY
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI
+
+
+One of the most consummate masters of the piano at the present time is
+Ignace Jan Paderewski. Those who were privileged to hear him during his
+first season in this country will never forget the experience. The
+Polish artist conquered the new world as he had conquered the old; his
+name became a household word, known from coast to coast; he traveled
+over our land, a Prince of Tones, everywhere welcomed and honored. Each
+succeeding visit deepened the admiration in which his wonderful art was
+held.
+
+The question has often been raised as to the reason of Paderewski's
+remarkable hold on an audience; wherein lay his power over the musical
+and unmusical alike. Whenever he played there was always the same
+intense hush over the listeners, the same absorbed attention, the same
+spell. The superficial attributed these largely to his appearance and
+manner; the more thoughtful looked deeper. Here was a player who was a
+thoroughly trained master in technic and interpretation; one who knew
+his Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann and Liszt. These things of
+themselves would not hold an audience spellbound, for there were other
+artists equally well equipped. In a final analysis it was doubtless
+Paderewski's wonderful _piano tone_, so full of variety and color, so
+vital with numberless gradations of light and shade, that charmed and
+enthralled his listeners. It mattered to no one--save the critics--that
+he frequently repeated the same works. What if we heard the Chromatic
+Fantaisie a score of times? In his hands It became a veritable Soliloquy
+on Life and Destiny, which each repetition invested with new meaning and
+beauty. What player has ever surpassed his poetic conception of
+Schumann's _Papillons_, or the Chopin Nocturnes, which he made veritable
+dream poems of love and ecstasy. What listener has ever forgotten the
+tremendous power and titanic effect of the Liszt Rhapsodies, especially
+No. 2? When Paderewski first came to us, in the flush of his young
+manhood, he taught us what a noble instrument the piano really is in the
+hands of a consummate master. He showed us that he could make the piano
+speak with the delicacy and power of a Rubinstein, but with more
+technical correctness; he proved that he could pierce our very soul with
+the intensity of his emotion, the poignant, heart-searching quality of
+his tones, the poetry and beauty of his interpretation.
+
+Paderewski is known as composer and pianist, only rarely does he find
+time to give instruction on his instrument. Mme. Antoinette Szumowska,
+the Polish pianist and lecturer was at one time termed his "only pupil."
+Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the Polish composer, pianist and teacher has
+also studied with him. Both can testify as to his value as an
+instructor.
+
+Mme. Szumowska says:
+
+"Paderewski lays great stress on legato playing, and desires everything
+to be studied slowly, with deep touch and with full, clear tone. For
+developing strength he uses an exercise for which the hand is pressed
+against the keyboard while the wrist remains very low and motionless and
+each finger presses on a key, bringing, or drawing out as much tone as
+possible.
+
+"Paderewski advises studying scales and arpeggios with accents, for
+instance, accenting every third note, thus enabling each finger in turn
+to make the accent impulse: this will secure evenness of touch. Double
+passages, such as double thirds and sixths, should be divided and each
+half practised separately, with legato touch. Octaves should be
+practised with loose wrists and staccato touch. As a preparatory study
+practise with thumb alone. The thumb must always be kept curved, with
+joints well rounded out; it should touch the keys with its tip, so as to
+keep it on a level with the other fingers. Paderewski is very particular
+about this point.
+
+"It is difficult to speak of Paderewski's manner of teaching expression,
+for here the ideas differ with each composer and with every composition.
+As to tonal color, he requires all possible variety in tone production.
+He likes strong contrasts, which are brought out, not only by variety of
+touch but by skilful use of the pedals.
+
+"My lessons with Paderewski were somewhat irregular. We worked together
+whenever he came to Paris. Sometimes I did not see him for several
+months, and then he would be in Paris for a number of weeks; at such
+seasons we worked together very often. Frequently these lessons, which
+were given in my cousin's house, began very late in the evening--around
+ten o'clock--and lasted till midnight, or even till one in the morning.
+
+"Paderewski the teacher is as remarkable as Paderewski the pianist. He
+is very painstaking; his remarks are clear and incisive: he often
+illustrates by playing the passage in question, or the whole
+composition. He takes infinite trouble to work out each detail and bring
+it to perfection. He is very patient and sweet tempered, though he can
+occasionally be a little sarcastic. He often grows very enthusiastic
+over his teaching, and quite forgets the lapse of time. In general,
+however, he does not care to teach, and naturally has little time for
+it."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mr. Stojowski, when questioned in regard to his work with the Polish
+pianist, said:
+
+"Paderewski is a very remarkable teacher. There are teachers who attempt
+to instruct pupils about what they do not understand, or cannot do
+themselves: there are others who are able to do the thing, but are not
+able to explain how they do it. Paderewski can both do it and explain
+how it is done. He knows perfectly what effects he wishes to produce,
+how they are to be produced, the causes which underlie and bring them
+about; he can explain and demonstrate these to the pupil with the
+greatest exactness and detail.
+
+"As you justly remark the quality of tone and the variety of tonal
+gradations are special qualities of Paderewski's playing. These must be
+acquired by aid of the ear, which tests and judges each shade and
+quality of tone. He counsels the student to listen to each tone he
+produces, for quality and variety.
+
+
+CLEARNESS A MUST PRINCIPLE
+
+"The player, as he sits at the piano, his mind and heart filled with the
+beauty of the music his fingers are striving to produce, vainly imagines
+he is making the necessary effects. Paderewski will say to him: 'No
+doubt you feel the beauty of this composition, but I hear none of the
+effects you fancy you are making; you must deliver everything much more
+clearly: distinctness of utterance is of prime importance.'' Then he
+shows how clearness and distinctness may be acquired. The fingers must
+be rendered firm, with no giving in at the nail joint. A technical
+exercise which he gives, and which I also use in my teaching, trains the
+fingers in up and down movements, while the wrist is held very low and
+pressed against the keyboard. At first simple five-finger forms are
+used; when the hand has become accustomed to this tonic, some of the
+Czerny Op. 740 can be played, with the hand in this position. Great care
+should be taken when using this principle, or lameness will result. A
+low seat at the piano is a necessity for this practise; sitting low is
+an aid to weight playing: we all know how low Paderewski himself sits at
+the instrument.
+
+"You ask what technical material is employed. Czerny, Op. 740; not
+necessarily the entire opus; three books are considered sufficient. Also
+Clementi's _Gradus_. Of course scales must be carefully studied, with
+various accents, rhythms and tonal dynamics; arpeggios also. Many
+arpeggio forms of value may be culled from compositions.
+
+"There are, as we all know, certain fundamental principles that underlie
+all correct piano study, though various masters may employ different
+ways and means to exemplify these fundamentals. Paderewski studied with
+Leschetizky and inculcates the principles taught by that master, with
+this difference, that he adapts his instruction to the physique and
+mentality of the student; whereas the Vorbereiters of Leschetizky
+prepare all pupils along the same lines, making them go through a
+similar routine, which may not in every instance be necessary.
+
+
+FINGERING
+
+"One point Paderewski is very particular about, and that is fingering.
+He often carefully marks the fingering for a whole piece; once this is
+decided upon it must be kept to. He believes in employing a fingering
+which is most comfortable to the hand, as well as one which, in the long
+run, will render the passage most effective. He is most sensitive to the
+choice of fingering the player makes, and believes that each finger can
+produce a different quality of tone. Once, when I was playing a
+Nocturne, he called to me from the other end of the room: 'Why do you
+always play that note with the fourth finger? I can _hear_ you do it;
+the effect is bad,' He has a keen power of observation; he notices
+little details which pass unheeded by most people; nothing escapes him.
+This power, directed to music, makes him the most careful and
+painstaking of teachers. At the same time, in the matter of fingering,
+he endeavors to choose the one which can be most easily accomplished by
+the player. The Von Buelow editions, while very erudite, are apt to be
+laborious and pedantic; they show the German tendency to
+over-elaboration, which, when carried too far becomes a positive fault.
+
+
+CORRECT MOTION
+
+"Another principle Paderewski considers very important is that of
+appropriate motion. He believes in the elimination of every unnecessary
+movement, yet he wishes the whole body free and supple. Motions should
+be as carefully studied as other technical points. It is true he often
+makes large movements of arm, but they are all thought out and have a
+dramatic significance. He may lift the finger off a vehement staccato
+note by quick up-arm motion, in a flash of vigorous enthusiasm; but the
+next instant his hand is in quiet position for the following phrase.
+
+
+STUDYING EFFECTS
+
+"The intent listening I spoke of just now must be of vital assistance to
+the player in his search for tonal variety and effect. Tone production
+naturally varies according to the space which is to be filled. Greater
+effort must be put forth in a large hall, to make the tone carry over
+the footlights, to render the touch clear, the accents decisive and
+contrasts pronounced. In order to become accustomed to these
+conditions, the studio piano can be kept closed, and touch must
+necessarily be made stronger to produce the desired power.
+
+
+INTERPRETATION
+
+"A great artist's performance of a noble work ought to sound like a
+spontaneous improvisation; the greater the artist the more completely
+will this result be attained. In order to arrive at this result,
+however, the composition must be dissected in minutest detail.
+Inspiration comes with the first conception of the interpretation of the
+piece. Afterward all details are painstakingly worked out, until the
+ideal blossoms into the perfectly executed performance. Paderewski
+endeavors uniformly to render a piece in the manner and spirit in which
+he has conceived it. He relates that after one of his recitals, a lady
+said to him:
+
+"'Why, Mr. Paderewski, you did not play this piece the same as you did
+when I heard you before,'
+
+"'I assure you I intended to,' was the reply.
+
+"'Oh, it isn't necessary to play it always the same way; you are not a
+machine,' said the lady.
+
+"This reply aroused his artist-nature.
+
+"'It is just because I am an artist that I ought at all times to play
+in the same way. I have thought out the conception of that piece, and am
+in duty bound to express my ideal as nearly as possible each time I
+perform it.'
+
+"Paderewski instructs, as he does everything else, with magnificent
+generosity. He takes no account of time. I would come to him for a
+stipulated half-hour, but the lesson would continue indefinitely, until
+we were both forced to stop from sheer exhaustion. I have studied with
+him at various times. One summer especially stands out in my memory,
+when I had a lesson almost every day."
+
+Speaking of the rarely beautiful character of Paderewski's piano
+compositions, Mr. Stojowski said:
+
+"I feel that the ignorance of this music among piano teachers and
+students is a crying shame. What modern piano sonata have we to-day, to
+compare with his? I know of none. And the songs--are they not wonderful!
+I love the man and his music so much that I am doing what lies in my
+power to make these compositions better known. There is need of pioneer
+work in this matter, and I am glad to do some of it."
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+ERNEST SCHELLING
+
+THE HAND OF A PIANIST
+
+
+As I sat in the luxurious salon of the apartments near the Park, where
+Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Schelling were spending the winter, sounds of
+vigorous piano practise floated out to me from a distant chamber. It was
+unusual music, and seemed to harmonize with the somewhat Oriental
+atmosphere and coloring of the music-room, with its heavily beamed
+ceiling of old silver, its paintings and tapestries.
+
+The playing ceased and soon the artist appeared, greeting the visitor
+with genial friendliness of manner. He was accompanied by the "lord of
+the manor," a beautiful white bull terrier, with coat as white as snow.
+This important personage at once curled himself up in the most
+comfortable arm-chair, a quiet, profound observer of all that passed. In
+the midst of some preliminary chat, the charming hostess entered and
+poured tea for us.
+
+The talk soon turned upon the subject in which I was deeply
+interested--the technical training of a pianist.
+
+"Technic is such an individual matter," began Mr. Schelling; "for it
+depends on so many personal things: the physique, the mentality, the
+amount of nervous energy one has, the hand and wrist. Perhaps the
+poorest kind of hand for the piano is the long narrow one, with long
+fingers. Far better to have a short, broad one with short fingers. Josef
+Hofmann has a wonderful hand for the piano; rather small, yes, but so
+thick and muscular. The wrist, too, is a most important factor. Some
+pianists have what I call a 'natural wrist,' that is they have a natural
+control of it; it is no trouble for them to play octaves, for instance.
+Mme. Carreno has that kind of wrist; she never had difficulty with
+octaves, they are perfect, Hofmann also has a marvelous wrist. I am
+sorry to say I have not that kind of wrist, and therefore have been much
+handicapped on that account. For I have had to work tremendously to
+develop not only the wrist but the whole technic. You see I was a wonder
+child, and played a great deal as a small boy. Then from fifteen to
+twenty I did not practise anything like what I ought to have done. That
+is the period when the bones grow, muscles develop--everything grows.
+Another thing against me is the length of my fingers. When the fingers
+are longer than the width of the hand across the knuckle joint, it is
+not an advantage but a detriment. The extra length of finger is only so
+much dead weight that the hand has to lift. This is another disadvantage
+I have had to work against. Yes, as you say, it is a rather remarkable
+hand in regard to size and suppleness. But I hardly agree that it is
+like Liszt's; more like Chopin's, judging from the casts I have seen of
+his hand.
+
+"As for technical routine, of course I play scales a good deal and in
+various ways. When I 'go into training,' I find the best means to attain
+velocity is to work with the metronome. One can't jump at once into the
+necessary agility, and the metronome is a great help in bringing one up
+to the right pitch. You see by the firmness of these muscles at the back
+and thumb side of my hand, that I am in good trim now; but one soon
+loses this if one lets up on the routine.
+
+"Then I practise trills of all kinds, and octaves. Yes, I agree that
+octaves are a most necessary and important factor in the player's
+technical equipment."
+
+Going to the piano and illustrating as he talked, Mr. Schelling
+continued:
+
+"Merely flopping the hand up and down, as many do, is of little use--it
+does not lead to strength or velocity. As you see, I hold the hand
+arched and very firm, and the firmness is in the fingers as well; the
+hand makes up and down movements with loose wrist; the result is a full,
+bright, crisp tone. One can play these octaves slowly, using weight, or
+faster with crisp, staccato touch. I play diatonic or chromatic octave
+scales, with four repetitions or more, on each note--using fourth finger
+for black keys.
+
+"I sit low at the piano, as I get better results in this way; though it
+is somewhat more difficult to obtain them. I confess it is easier to sit
+high and bear down on the hands. Yes, I thoroughly approve of 'weight
+touch,' and it is the touch I generally use. Sometimes it is a certain
+pressure on the key after it is played, using arm weight.
+
+"Ah, you are right. The young teacher or player, in listening to the
+artist, and noticing he does not lift his fingers to any extent, and
+that he always plays with weight, hastily concludes these are the
+principles with which he must begin to study or teach the piano. It is
+a mistake to begin in that way. Very exact finger movements must be
+learned in the beginning. As I said before, technic is such an
+individual matter, that after the first period of foundational training,
+one who has the desire to become an artist, must work out things for
+himself. There should be no straight-laced methods. Only a few general
+rules can be laid down, such as will fit most cases. The player who
+would rise to any distinction must work out his own salvation.
+
+"In regard to memorizing piano music, it may be said this can be
+accomplished in three ways: namely, with the eye, with the ear, and with
+the hand. For example: I take the piece and read it through with the
+eye, just as I would read a book. I get familiar with the notes in this
+way, and see how they look in print. I learn to know them so well that I
+have a mental photograph of them, and if necessary could recall any
+special measure or phrase so exactly that I could write it. All this
+time my mental ear has been hearing those notes, and is familiar with
+them. Then the third stage arrives; I must put all this on the keyboard,
+my fingers must have their training; impressions must pass from the mind
+to the fingers; then all is complete."
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+ERNESTO CONSOLO
+
+MAKING THE PIANO A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT
+
+
+In a long conversation with Ernesto Consolo, the eminent pianist and
+instructor, many points of vital importance to the player and teacher
+were touched upon. Among other things Mr. Consolo said:
+
+"It is absolutely necessary that the piano teacher should take his
+profession very seriously. In my opinion there is most excellent
+instruction to be secured right here in America, with such teachers as
+are willing to take their work seriously. The time is not far away, I
+think, when America will enjoy a very prominent position in the matter
+of musical instruction, and perhaps lead the world in musical
+advantages. The time is not here just yet, but it is surely coming. You
+are still young in this country, though you are wonderfully progressive.
+
+"If I have spoken of the serious aims of many teachers of piano, I
+cannot say as much for the students: they are often superficial and want
+to go too quickly; they are apt to be in a hurry and want to make a
+show, without being willing to spend the necessary years on preparation.
+No art can be hurried. Students of painting, sculpture, architecture or
+music must all learn the technique of their art; they must all learn to
+go deep into the mysteries and master technic as the means to the end,
+and no one requires exhaustive preparation more than the executive
+musician. The person who would fence, box or play baseball must know the
+technic of these things; how much more must the pianist be master of the
+technique of his instrument if he would bring out the best results.
+
+"At the very bottom and heart of this subject of mastery lies
+Concentration: without that, little of value can be accomplished.
+Students think if they sit at the piano and 'practise' a certain number
+of hours daily, it is sufficient. A small portion of that time, if used
+with intense concentration, will accomplish more. One player will take
+hours to learn a page or a passage which another will master in a
+fraction of the time. What is the difference? It may be said one has
+greater intelligence than the other. The greater the intelligence, the
+stronger the power of concentration.
+
+"If a pupil comes to me whose powers of concentration have not been
+awakened or developed, I sometimes give him music to read over very
+slowly, so slowly that every note, phrase and finger mark can be
+distinctly seen. Not being used to thinking intently, mistakes occur, in
+one hand or the other, showing that the mind was not sufficiently
+concentrated. It is the mind every time that wins. Without using our
+mental powers to their fullest extent we fail of the best that is in us.
+
+"In regard to technical equipment and routine, I do different work with
+each pupil, for each pupil is different. No two people have the same
+hands, physique or mentality; so why should they all be poured into the
+same mold? One student, for example, has splendid wrists and not very
+good fingers. Why should I give him the same amount of wrist practise
+that I give his brother who has feeble wrists; it would only be a waste
+of time. Again, a pupil with limited ideas of tonal quality and dynamics
+is advised to study tone at the piano in some simple melody of Schubert
+or Chopin, trying to realize a beautiful tone--playing it in various
+ways until such a quality Is secured. The piano is a responsive
+instrument and gives back what you put into it. If you attack it with a
+hard touch, it will respond with a harsh tone. It rests with you whether
+the piano shall be a musical instrument or not.
+
+"A student who comes to me with a very poor touch must of course go back
+to first principles and work up. Such an one must learn correct
+movements and conditions of hands, arms and fingers; and these can be
+acquired at a table. Along with these, however, I would always give some
+simple music to play, so that the tonal and musical sense shall not be
+neglected.
+
+"Of course I advise comprehensive scale practise; scales in all keys and
+in various rhythms and touches. There is an almost endless variety of
+ways to play scales. Those in double thirds and sixths I use later,
+after the others are under control. Arpeggios are also included in this
+scale practise.
+
+"I have said that Concentration is the keynote of piano mastery. Another
+principle which goes hand in hand with it is Relaxation. Unless this
+condition is present in arms, wrist and shoulders, the tone will be hard
+and the whole performance constrained and unmusical. There is no need
+of having tired muscles or those that feel strained or painful. If this
+condition arises it is proof that there is stiffness, that relaxation
+has not taken place. I can sit at the piano and play _forte_ for three
+hours at a time and not feel the least fatigue in hands and arms.
+Furthermore, the playing of one who is relaxed, who knows how to use his
+anatomy, will not injure the piano. We must remember the piano is a
+thing of joints; the action is so delicately adjusted that it moves with
+absolute freedom and ease. The player but adds another joint, which
+should equal in ease and adjustment the ones already there. On the other
+hand a person with stiff joints and rigid muscles, thumping ragtime on a
+good piano, can ruin it in a week; whereas under the fingers of a player
+who understands the laws of relaxation, it would last for many years.
+
+"This principle of relaxation is exemplified in the athlete, baseball
+player, and others. They have poise and easy adjustment in every part of
+the body: they never seem to fall into strained or stiff attitudes, nor
+make angular or stiff movements. Arms, shoulders, wrists and fingers are
+all relaxed and easy. The pianist needs to study these principles as
+well as the athlete, I believe in physical exercises to a certain
+extent. Light-weight dumb-bells can be used; it is surprising how light
+a weight is sufficient to accomplish the result. But it must be one
+movement at a time, exercising one muscle at a time, and not various
+muscles at once.
+
+"For memorizing piano music I can say I have no method whatever. When I
+know the piece technically or mechanically, I know it by heart. I really
+do not know when the memorizing takes place. The music is before me on
+the piano; I forget to turn the pages, and thus find I know the piece.
+In playing with orchestra I know the parts of all instruments, unless it
+be just a simple chord accompaniment; it would not interest me to play
+with orchestra and not know the music in this way. On one occasion I was
+engaged to play the Sgambatti concerto, which I had not played for some
+time. I tried it over on the piano and found I could not remember it. My
+first idea was to get out the score and go over it; the second was to
+try and recall the piece from memory. I tried the latter method, with
+the result that in about three hours and a half I had the whole concerto
+back in mind. I played the work ten days later without having once
+consulted the score. This goes to prove that memory must be absolute and
+not merely mechanical.
+
+"Students think they cannot memorize, when it would be quite easy if
+they would apply themselves in the right way. I ask them to look
+intently at a small portion, two measures, or even one, and afterward to
+play it without looking at the notes. Of course, as you say, this can be
+done away from the piano; the notes can even be recited; but there are
+other signs and marks to be considered and remembered, so when one can
+be at the piano I consider it better.
+
+"Piano playing is such an individual and complex thing. I do not require
+nor expect my pupils to play as I do, nor interpret as I interpret, for
+then I would only see just so many replicas of myself, and their
+individuality would be lost. I often hear them play a composition in a
+different way and with a different spirit from the one I find in it. But
+I don't say to them, 'That is wrong; you must play it as I do,' No, I
+let them play it as they see and feel it, so long as there is no sin
+against artistic taste.
+
+"I trust these few points will be helpful to both player and teacher.
+The latter needs all the encouragement we artists can give, for in most
+cases he is doing a good work.
+
+"Volumes might be added to these hurried remarks, but for that my time
+is too limited."
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+SIGISMOND STOJOWSKI
+
+MIND IN PIANO STUDY
+
+
+Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the eminent Polish pianist and composer, was
+found one morning in his New York studio, at work with a gifted pupil.
+He was willing to relax a little, however, and have a chat on such
+themes as might prove helpful to both teacher and student.
+
+"You ask me to say something on the most salient points in piano
+technic; perhaps we should say, the points that are most important to
+each individual; for no two students are exactly alike, nor do any two
+see things in precisely the same light. This is really a psychological
+matter. I believe the subject of psychology is a very necessary study
+for both teacher and student. We all need to know more about mental
+processes than we do. I am often asked how to memorize, for instance--or
+the best means for doing this; another psychological process. I
+recommend students to read William James' _Talks on Psychology_; a very
+helpful book.
+
+"The most vital thing in piano playing is to learn to think. Has it ever
+occurred to you what infinite pains people will take to avoid thinking?
+They will repeat a technical illustration hundreds of times it may be,
+but with little or no thought directed to the performance. Such work is
+absolutely useless. Perhaps that is a little too strong. With countless
+repetitions there may at last come to be a little improvement, but it
+will be very small.
+
+"There is quite a variety of views as to what the essentials of piano
+technic are; this is a subject on which teachers, unluckily, do not
+agree. For instance, on the point of finger lifting there is great
+diversity of opinion. Some believe in raising the fingers very high,
+others do not. Lifting the fingers high is not good for the tone, though
+it may be used for velocity playing. I use quite the reverse where I
+wish beautiful, singing, tone quality. The young pupil, at the
+beginning, must of course learn to raise fingers and make precise
+movements; when greater proficiency is reached, many modifications of
+touch are used. That the best results are not more often obtained in
+piano teaching and study, is as much the fault of the teacher as the
+pupil. The latter is usually willing to be shown and anxious to learn.
+It is for the teacher to correctly diagnose the case and administer the
+most efficient remedy.
+
+[Illustration: To Miss Harriett Brower with the kindest of remembrances,
+Sigismond Stojowski New York, April 1913]
+
+
+NATURAL TECHNIC
+
+"There is a certain amount of what I might call 'natural technic'
+possessed by every one--some one point which is easy for him. It Is
+often the trill. It has frequently come under my notice that players
+with little facility in other ways, can make a good trill. Some singers
+have this gift; Mme. Melba is one who never had to study a trill, for
+she was born with a nightingale in her throat. I knew a young man in
+London who was evidently born with an aptitude for octaves. He had
+wonderful wrists, and could make countless repetitions of the octave
+without the least fatigue. He never had to practise octaves, they came
+to him naturally.
+
+"The teacher's work is both corrective and constructive. He must see
+what is wrong and be able to correct it. Like a physician, he should
+find the weak and deficient parts and build them up. He should have some
+remedy at his command that will fit the needs of each pupil.
+
+"I give very few etudes, and those I administer in homeopathic doses. It
+is not necessary to play through a mass of etudes to become a good
+pianist. Much of the necessary technic may be learned from the pieces
+themselves, though scales and arpeggios must form part of the daily
+routine.
+
+
+KEEPING UP A REPERTOIRE
+
+"In keeping a large number of pieces in mind, I may say that the pianist
+who does much teaching is in a sense taught by his pupils. I have many
+advanced pupils, and in teaching their repertoire I keep up my own. Of
+course after a while one grows a little weary of hearing the same pieces
+rendered by students; the most beautiful no longer seem fresh. My own
+compositions are generally exceptions, as I do not often teach those. To
+the thoughtful teacher, the constant hearing of his repertoire by
+students shows him the difficulties that younger players have to
+encounter, and helps him devise means to aid them to conquer these
+obstacles. At the same time there is this disadvantage: the pianist
+cannot fail to remember the places at which such and such a student had
+trouble, forgot or stumbled. This has happened to me at various times.
+In my recitals I would be playing ahead, quite unconscious that anything
+untoward could occur--wholly absorbed in my work; when, at a certain
+point, the recollection would flash over me--this is where such or such
+a pupil stumbled. The remembrance is sometimes so vivid that I am at
+some effort to keep my mental balance and proceed with smoothness and
+certainty.
+
+"Yes, I go over my pieces mentally, especially if I am playing an
+entirely new program which I have never played before; otherwise I do
+not need to do so much of it.
+
+
+FILLING IN A PASSAGE
+
+"You suggest that a composer may fill in or make up a passage, should he
+forget a portion of the piece when playing in public. True; but
+improvising on a well-known work is rather a dangerous thing to do in
+order to improve a bad case. Apropos of this, I am reminded of an
+incident which occurred at one of my European recitals. It was a wholly
+new program which I was to give at Vevay. I had been staying with
+Paderewski, and went from Morges to Vevay, to give the recital. In my
+room at the hotel I was mentally reviewing the program, when in a
+Mendelssohn Fugue, I found I had forgotten a small portion. I could
+remember what went before and what came after, but this particular
+passage had seemingly gone. I went down to the little parlor and tried
+the fugue on the piano, but could not remember the portion in question.
+I hastened back to my room and constructed a bridge which should connect
+the two parts. When the time came to play the fugue at the recital, it
+all went smoothly till I was well over the weak spot, which, it seems, I
+really played as Mendelssohn wrote it. As I neared the last page, the
+question suddenly occurred to me, what had I done with that doubtful
+passage? What had really happened I could not remember; and the effort
+to recall whether I had played Mendelssohn or Stojowski nearly brought
+disaster to that last page.
+
+"As soon as my season closes here I shall go to London and bring out my
+second piano concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra, under Nikisch.
+I shall also play various recitals."
+
+It was my good fortune to be present at the orchestral concert at
+Queen's Hall, when Mr. Stojowski was the soloist. It was pleasant to
+see the enthusiasm aroused by the concerto itself, and the performance
+of it by the artist.
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+RUDOLPH GANZ
+
+CONSERVING ENERGY IN PIANO PRACTISE
+
+
+[Illustration: Rudolph Ganz]
+
+"One of the most necessary things is the conserving of vital energy in
+piano practise," said the pianist Rudolph Ganz to me one day. "The wrong
+way is to continually practise the piece as though you were playing it
+in public--that is to say, with all possible energy and emotion. Some of
+the pianists now before the public do this, and it always makes me sorry
+for them, for I know what a needless waste of energy and vital force it
+is. An actor, studying his lines, does not need to continually shout
+them in order to learn how they should be interpreted. Neither does the
+lyric actress practise her roles with full tones, for she is well used
+to saving her voice. Why then should the pianist exhaust himself and
+give out his whole strength merely in the daily routine of practise? I
+grant this principle of saving one's self may not be easy to learn, but
+it should be acquired by all players, great and small. I think a
+pianist should be able to practise five or six hours daily without
+fatigue. If the player is accustomed to husband his vital force during
+the daily routine of practise, he can play a long, exacting program in
+public without weariness. In every day practise one often does not need
+to play _forte_ nor use the pedals; a tone of medium power is
+sufficient. Suppose, for instance, you are studying the Chopin Etude Op.
+10, No. 12, with the left hand arpeggio work. Every note and finger must
+be in place, every mark of phrasing obeyed; but during practise hours
+you need not give the piece all its dashing vigor and bravura at every
+repetition. Such a course would soon exhaust the player. Yet every
+effect you wish to make must be thoroughly studied, must be in mind, and
+used at intervals whenever a complete performance of the piece is
+desired.
+
+"As I said before, it is often difficult to control the impulse to 'let
+loose,' if the work is an exciting one. At a recent rehearsal with the
+Symphony Orchestra, I told the men I would quietly run through the
+concerto I was to play, merely indicating the effects I wanted. We
+began, but in five minutes I found myself playing with full force and
+vigor.
+
+"In regard to methods in piano study there seems to be a diversity of
+opinion, resulting, I think, from the various ways of touching the
+keys--some players using the tip and others the ball of the finger.
+Busoni may be cited as one who employs the end of the finger--Pauer
+also; while the Frenchman, Cortot, who has an exquisite tone, plays with
+the hand almost flat on the keys, a method which certainly insures
+weight of hand and arm. Of course players generally, and teachers also,
+agree on the employment of arm weight in playing. The principles of
+piano technic are surely but few. Was it not Liszt who said: 'Play the
+right key with the right finger, the right tone and the right
+intention--that is all!' It seems to me piano technic has been pushed to
+its limit, and there must be a reversal; we may return to some of the
+older methods of touch and technic.
+
+"The vital thing in piano playing is to bring out the composer's
+meaning, plus your own inspiration and feeling. You must study deeply
+into the composer's idea, but you must also put your own feeling,
+intensity and emotion into the piece. And not only must you feel the
+meaning yourself, but you must play it in a way to touch others. There
+are many pianists who are not cultured musicians; who think they know
+their Beethoven because they can play a few sonatas. In music 'knowledge
+is power.' We need all possible knowledge, but we also need to feel the
+inspiration. One of the greatest teachers of our time holds that
+personal inspiration is not necessary; for the feeling is all in the
+music itself. All we have to do is to play with such and such a dynamic
+quality of tone. Like a country doctor measuring out his drugs, this
+master apportions so many grains of power for _forte_, for _mezzo_, for
+_piano_, and so on. This plan puts a damper on individuality and
+enthusiasm, for it means that everything must be coldly calculated. Such
+playing does not really warm the heart.
+
+"I believe in teaching tonal contrasts and tone color even to a
+beginner. Why should not the child form a concept of _forte_ and
+_piano_, and so get away from the deadly monotony of _mezzo_? I have
+written some little descriptive piano pieces, and my small boy learned
+one of them to play for me. There is a closing phrase like this," and
+Mr. Ganz illustrated at the piano; "it is to be played _forte_, and is
+followed by a few notes to be touched very softly, like an echo. It was
+really beautiful to see how the little fellow reached out for the pedal
+to make the loud part more emphatic, and then played the echo very
+softly and neatly. He had grasped the first principle of tone
+color--namely tone contrast, and also a poetic idea.
+
+"There are so many wonder children in these days, and many marvels are
+accomplished by infant prodigies. Very often however, these wonder
+children develop no further; they fail to fulfil their early promise, or
+the expectations held of them.
+
+"A youthful wonder in the field of composition is Eric Korngold, whose
+piano sonata I played in my New York recital. I have played this work
+eight times in all, during my present tour, often by request. To me it
+is most interesting. I cannot say it is logical in the development of
+its ideas; it often seems as though the boy threw in chords here and
+there with no particular reason. Thus the effort of memorizing is
+considerable, for I must always bear in mind that this C major chord has
+a C sharp in it, or that such and such a chord is changed into a most
+unusual one. One cannot predict whether the boy will develop further. As
+you say, Mozart was an infant prodigy, but if we judge from the first
+little compositions that have been preserved, he began very simply and
+worked up, whereas Korngold begins at Richard Strauss. His compositions
+are full of the influence of Strauss. The critics have much to say for
+and against these early works. I do not know the young composer
+personally, though he has written me. In a recent letter which I have
+here, he expresses the thought that, though the critics have found many
+things to disapprove of in the sonata, the fact that I have found it
+worth studying and bringing out more than compensates him for all
+adverse criticism. To make the work known in the great musical centers
+of America is surely giving it wide publicity."
+
+On a later occasion, Mr. Ganz said:
+
+"I thoroughly believe in preserving one's enthusiasm for modern music,
+even though, at first glance, it does not attract one, or indeed seems
+almost impossible. I enjoy studying new works, and learning what is the
+modern trend of thought in piano work; it keeps me young and buoyant.
+
+"One of the novelties lately added to my repertoire is the Haydn sonata
+in D. On the same program I place the Korngold sonata. A hundred years
+and more divide the two works. While I revere the old, it interests me
+to keep abreast of the new thought in musical art and life."
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+TINA LERNER
+
+AN AUDIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER
+
+
+Between the many engagements that crowded upon the close of her long
+American tour, Miss Tina Lerner found time to talk over certain topics
+of significance which bear upon pianistic problems.
+
+We began by referring to the different methods of holding the hands,
+moving the fingers and touching the keys, as exemplified by the various
+pianists now before the public.
+
+"It is true that I play with the ball of the finger on the key, which
+necessitates a flat position of hand, with low wrist." Here the pianist
+illustrated the point by playing several pearly scales with straight,
+outstretched fingers. "I never realized, however, that I played in this
+way, until Mr. Ernest Hutcheson, the pianist, of Baltimore, recently
+called my attention to it. The fact is, I have always taken positions of
+body, arms, hands and fingers, which seemed to me the most natural and
+easy. This I did when I began, at the age of five, and I have always
+kept to them, in spite of what various teachers have endeavored to do
+for me. Fortunately my early teachers were sensible and careful; they
+kept me at the classics, and did not give too difficult pieces. The
+principles followed by most great pianists I believe are correct; but I
+have always kept to my own natural way. In hand position, therefore, I
+am individual; perhaps no one else plays with such a finger position, so
+in this I am unique.
+
+"For some reason unknown to me, it has come to be imagined that I have
+studied with Leschetizky; this is entirely refuted when I say I have
+never been in Vienna. It seems we are getting away from the idea of
+helping ourselves out with the name of some great teacher. The question
+should be: What has the player in himself, what can he accomplish? not,
+Whose pupil is he? We know of some of Leschetizky's famous pupils, but
+we never hear of the thousands he must have had, who have come to
+nothing. A teacher can only do a certain amount for you; he can give you
+new ideas, which each pupil works out for himself in his own way. The
+piano student learns from so many different sources. He attends a piano
+recital and acquires many ideas of touch, tone, phrasing and
+interpretation; he hears a great singer or violinist and absorbs a
+wholly new set of thoughts, or he listens to a grand orchestra, and
+gains more than from all the others. Then there is life to study from:
+experience--living--loving: all go into the work of the musician. A
+musical career is indeed the most exacting one that can be chosen.
+
+"I have been asked whether I prefer to play for an audience of
+'music-lovers' or one of 'music knowers.' Perhaps an equal mixture is
+the happy medium. Of the two sorts it seems to me the music-knowers are
+preferable, for even if they are very critical, they also recognize the
+various points you make; they see and appreciate what you are striving
+for. They are not inclined to say, 'I don't like such or such a player';
+for the music-knower understands the vast amount of time and energy,
+labor and talent that go to make a pianist. He rather says, 'I prefer
+the playing of such or such an artist.' The word 'like' in connection
+with a great artist seems almost an affront. What does it matter if his
+work is not 'liked' by some? He knows it can stand for what it is--the
+utmost perfection of his powers--of himself. And after all the audience
+is the greatest teacher an artist can have; I have learned more from
+this teacher than from any other. In this school I learn what moves and
+touches an audience; how to improve this or that passage; how to make a
+greater climax here, or more sympathetic coloring there. For in
+conceiving how a work should sound, I get--in my study of it--a general
+idea of the whole, and make it as nearly perfect as I am able. But it
+has to be tested and tried--an audience must pass its opinion--must set
+the seal of approval upon it. When the work has been polished by
+repeated trials in this school, interpretation then becomes crystallized
+in the mind and the piece can always be given in nearly the same way. A
+painter does not change nor repaint his picture each time he exhibits
+it; why need the musician change his idea of the interpretation at each
+repetition? To trust too much to the inspiration of the moment might
+injure the performance as a whole. When I have my ideal of the
+interpretation worked out in mind, it becomes my sacred duty to play it
+always in this spirit--always to give my best. I can never think that
+because I am playing in Boston or New York, I must strive harder for
+perfection than if I play in a little town. No, I must give the highest
+that is in me, no matter where it may be. People sometimes ask me if I
+am nervous before a recital. It is not that I am afraid of people; but I
+am always anxious about being able to realize my ideal, when the moment
+comes.
+
+"I can say I prefer playing in America to anywhere else in the world;
+for there are more real appreciation and understanding here than in any
+other country. Of course the great music centers all over the world are
+about the same; but the difference lies in the smaller cities, which in
+America are far more advanced musically than in Europe. I have proved
+this to be the case repeatedly. Not long ago I was booked for a couple
+of recitals in a small town of not more than two thousand inhabitants.
+When I arrived at the little place, and saw the barn of a hotel, I
+wondered what these people could want with piano recitals. But when I
+came to the college where I was to play and found such a large,
+intelligent audience gathered, some of whom had traveled many miles to
+be present, it proved in what estimation music was held. The teacher of
+this school was a good musician, who had studied nine years with
+Leschetizky, in Vienna; the pupils understood the numbers on the
+program, were wide awake, and well informed as to what was going on in
+the world of music.
+
+"One handicap the present day pianist encounters, who plays much with
+orchestra, and that is the dearth of modern concertos. The familiar ten
+or dozen famous ones are played over and over, and one seldom hears
+anything new. There are new ones written, to be sure, but the public has
+not learned to care for them. The beautiful second concerto of
+Rachmaninoff has not made a success, even in the great music centers,
+where the most intelligent audiences have heard it. I believe that if an
+audience of the best musicians could be assembled in a small room and
+this work could be played to them, they could not fail to be impressed
+with its beauties. I am now studying a new concerto by Haddon Wood,
+which you see in manuscript there on the piano; it is one I find very
+beautiful."
+
+A subsequent conversation with the artist elicited the following:
+
+"I might say that I began my music when about four years old, by playing
+the Russian National Hymn, on a toy piano containing eight keys, which
+had been given me. My older sister, who was studying the piano, noticed
+this, showed me a few things about the notes, and I constantly picked
+out little tunes and pieces on the real piano. Finally one day my
+sister's teacher, Rudolph Heim, came to the house, mainly on my account.
+This was in Odessa, in the south of Russia, where I was born and where I
+spent my early years. On this occasion, he wanted to look at me and see
+what I could do. Unluckily a sudden fit of shyness overcame me and I
+began to cry; the exhibition could not take place, as nothing could be
+made out of me that day. You see I was headstrong even at that early
+age," said the young pianist, with one of her charming smiles.
+
+"Soon after this incident, I was taken to the Professor's studio. He
+examined me, considered I had talent, and thought it should be
+cultivated. So he took me in hand. I was then five, and my real musical
+education began at that time.
+
+"From the very first I adopted a position of hand which seemed to me
+most convenient and comfortable, and no amount of contrary instruction
+and advice has ever been able to make me change it. I play scales and
+passages with low hand and flat fingers because that position seems the
+most favorable for my hand. When practising, I play everything very
+slowly, raising my fingers high and straight from the knuckle joint.
+This gives me great clearness and firmness. In rapid passage work the
+action is reduced, but the position remains. I am said to have a clear,
+pearly touch, with quite sufficient power at my command for large works.
+
+"After five years of study with my first teacher, Rudolph Heim, a pupil
+of Moscheles, I entered the Moscow Conservatory, and continued my
+studies under Professor Pabst, brother and teacher of the composer of
+that name. I was then ten years old. Professor Pabst was very
+conservative, very strict, and kept me at work on the music of the older
+masters. This kind of music suits me, I think; at least I enjoy it. Even
+here I still clung to my ideas of holding my hands and of touching the
+keys, and always expect to do so.
+
+"I remained with this professor about six years and then began my public
+career.
+
+"You ask about my present studies, and how I regulate my practise.
+During my periods of rest from concert work, I practise a great deal--I
+wish I could say all the time, but that is not quite possible. I give an
+hour or more a day to technical practise. As to the material, I use
+Chopin's Etudes constantly, playing them with high-raised, outstretched
+fingers, in very slow tempo. One finds almost every technical problem
+illustrated in these etudes; octaves, arpeggios, scales in double thirds
+and sixths, repeated notes, as in number 7, broken chords and passage
+work. I keep all these etudes in daily practise, also using some of the
+Liszt _Etudes Transcendantes_, and, of course, Bach. The advantage of
+using this sort of material is that one never tires of it; it is always
+interesting and beautiful. With this material well in hand, I am always
+ready for recital, and need only to add special pieces and modern music.
+
+"In learning a new work I first study it very slowly, trying to become
+familiar with its meaning. I form my concept of it and _live_ with it
+for months before I care to bring it forward. I try to form an ideal
+conception of the piece, work this out in every detail, then always
+endeavor to render it as closely like the ideal as possible."
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+ETHEL LEGINSKA
+
+RELAXATION THE KEYNOTE OF MODERN PIANO PLAYING
+
+
+The brilliant young pianist, Ethel Leginska, who is located for a time
+in America, was seen in her Carnegie Hall studio, on her return from a
+concert tour. The young English girl is a petite brunette; her face is
+very expressive, her manner at once vivacious and serious. The firm
+muscles of her fine, shapely hands indicate that she must spend many
+hours daily at the keyboard.
+
+"Yes, I have played a great deal in public--all my life, in fact--ever
+since I was six. I began my musical studies at Hull, where we lived; my
+first teacher was a pupil of McFarren. Later I was taken to London,
+where some rich people did a great deal for me. Afterward I went to
+Leschetizky, and was with him several years, until I was sixteen; I also
+studied in Berlin. Then I began my career, and concertized all over
+Europe; now I am in America for a time. I like it here; I am fond of
+your country already.
+
+"The piano is such a wonderful instrument to me; I feel we are only
+beginning to fathom its possibilities; not in a technical sense, but as
+a big avenue for expression. For me the piano is capable of reflecting
+every mood, every feeling; all pathos, joy, sorrow--the good and the
+evil too--all there is in life, all that one has lived." (This recalls a
+recently published remark of J. S. Van Cleve: "The piano can sing, march,
+dance, sparkle, thunder, weep, sneer, question, assert, complain,
+whisper, hint; in one word it is the most versatile and plastic of
+instruments.")
+
+"As for the technic of the piano, I think of it only as the
+material--only as a means to an end. In fact I endeavor to get away from
+the thought of the technical material, in order that I may get at the
+meaning of the music I wish to interpret. I am convinced there is a
+great future for the piano and its music. Even now we are taking piano
+music very seriously, and are trying to interpret it in a far deeper and
+broader sense than the pianists of, say, fifty years ago ever thought of
+doing. I fancy if Clara Schumann, for instance, could return and play
+to us, or even Liszt himself, we should not find their playing suited to
+this age at all. Some of us yet remember the hand position Mme. Schumann
+had, the lack of freedom in fingers and arms. It was not the fashion of
+her time to play with the relaxed freedom, with the breadth and depth of
+style which we demand of artists to-day. In those days relaxation had
+not received the attention it deserved, therefore we should probably
+find the playing of the greatest artists of a former generation stiff
+and angular, in spite of all we have heard of their wonderful
+performances.
+
+"Relaxation is a hobby with me; I believe in absolute freedom in every
+part of the arm anatomy, from the shoulder down to the finger-tips.
+Stiffness seems to me the most reprehensible thing in piano playing, as
+well as the most common fault with all kinds of players. When people
+come to play for me, that is the thing I see first in them, the
+stiffness. While living in Berlin, I saw much of Mme. Teresa Carreno,
+and she feels the same as I do about relaxation, not only at the
+keyboard, but when sitting, moving about or walking. She has thought
+along this line so constantly, that sometimes, if carrying something in
+hand, she will inadvertently let it drop, without realizing it--from
+sheer force of the habit of relaxation.
+
+"You ask how I would begin with a young pupil who never has had lessons.
+I use the principle of relaxation first of all, loosening arms and
+wrists. This principle can be taught to the youngest pupil. The wrist is
+elevated and lowered, as the hand is formed on the keys in its five
+finger position, with arched knuckles. It does not take long to acquire
+this relaxed condition; then come the finger movements. I do not believe
+in lifting the fingers high above the keys; this takes time and
+interferes with velocity and power. I lift my fingers but little above
+the keys, yet I have plenty of power, all the critics agree on that. In
+chords and octaves I get all the power I need by grasping the keys with
+weight and pressure. I do not even prepare the fingers in the air,
+before taking the chord; I do not find it necessary." Here the pianist
+played a succession of ringing chords, whose power and tonal quality
+bore out her words; the fingers seemed merely to press and cling; there
+was no striking nor percussion.
+
+"To return to the beginning pupil. As for a book to start with, I often
+use the one by Damm, though any foundational work may be employed, so
+long as correct principles are taught. It is said by Leschetizky that he
+has no method. That may be understood to mean a book, for he certainly
+has what others would call a method. There are principles and various
+sets of exercises to be learned; but it is quite true that none of the
+Vorbereiters use a book.
+
+"In teaching the piano, as you know, every pupil is different; each has
+his or her own peculiar hand, and a different degree of intelligence. So
+each pupil must be treated differently. This is really an advantage to
+the teacher; for it would be very monotonous if all pupils were alike.
+
+"The piano is such a revealer of character; I need only to hear a person
+play to know what sort of character he has. If one is inclined to much
+careful detail in everything, it comes out in the playing. If one is
+indolent and indifferent, it is seen the moment one touches the keys; or
+if one is built on broad, generous lines, and sees the dramatic point in
+life and things, all this is revealed at the piano.
+
+"To refer again to the subject of finger action. I do not believe in the
+so-called finger stroke; on the contrary I advocate fingers close to the
+keys, clinging to them whenever you can. This is also Arthur Schnabel's
+idea. You should hear Schnabel; all Berlin is wild over him, and
+whenever he gives a concert the house is sold out. He has quantities of
+pupils also, and is quite a remarkable teacher. One point I insist upon
+which he doesn't: I will not allow the joint of the finger next the tip
+to break or give in. I can not stand that, but Schnabel doesn't seem to
+care about it; his mind is filled with only the big, broad things of
+music.
+
+"In regard to memorizing piano compositions. I do it phrase by phrase,
+and at the instrument, unless I am traveling or unable to get to a
+piano, in which case I think it out from the notes. If the piece is very
+difficult I take a short passage of two or three measures and play each
+hand separately and then together; but generally I play the passage
+complete--say half a dozen times with the notes, and then repeat it the
+same number of times from memory. Perhaps the next day I have forgotten
+it, so the work has to be done over again; the second time, however, it
+generally sticks.
+
+"My great longing and ambition is to write music, to become a composer.
+With this end in view, I give whatever time I am able to the study of
+composition. I hope some day to create something that will be worthy the
+high aim I have before me."
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+
+BERTHA FIERING TAPPER
+
+MASTERING PIANISTIC PROBLEMS
+
+
+If environment and atmosphere are inspirational aids to piano teaching
+and playing, the students of Mrs. Thomas Tapper have the incentives of
+both in their lesson hours. Her apartments on the Drive have the glory
+of sunlight all the long afternoons. Outside the Hudson shimmers in blue
+and gold; indoors all is harmonious and home-like. In the large
+music-room, facing the river, two grand pianos stand side by side; there
+are many portraits and mementoes of the great in music; fresh flowers,
+books--everything to uplift thought; while in the midst of it all is
+Mrs. Tapper herself, the serious, high-minded, inspiring teacher; the
+"mother confessor" to a large number of young artists and teachers.
+
+"Music study means so much more than merely exercising the fingers," she
+said; "the student should have a good all-round education. When young
+people come to me for instruction, I ask what they are doing in school.
+If they say they have left school in order to devote their whole time to
+the piano, I say, 'Go back to your school, and come to me later, when
+you have finished your school course.' It is true that in rare cases it
+may be advisable for the student to leave school, but he should then
+pursue general or special studies at home. I often wish the music
+student's education in this country could be arranged as it is in at
+least one of the great music schools in Russia. There the mornings are
+given to music, while general studies are taken up later in the day. It
+is really a serious problem, here in America, this fitting in music with
+other studies. Both public and private schools try to cover so much
+ground that there is very little time left for music or anything else.
+The music pupil also needs to know musical literature, history and
+biography, to be familiar with the lives and writings of the great
+composers. Take the letters and literary articles of Robert Schumann,
+for instance. How interesting and inspiring they are!
+
+"In regard to methods in piano study my principles are based wholly upon
+my observations of Leschetizky's work with me personally, or with
+others. What I know he has taught me; what I have achieved I owe to
+him. My first eight weeks in Vienna were spent in learning, first, to
+control position and condition of hands and arms according to the law of
+balance; secondly, to direct each motion with the utmost accuracy and
+speed. To accomplish this I began with the most elementary exercises in
+five-finger position, using one finger at a time. Then came the
+principles of the scale, arpeggios, chords and octaves. All these things
+were continued until every principle was mastered. I practised at first
+an hour a day, then increased the amount as my hands grew stronger and
+the number of exercises increased.
+
+"Next came the study of tone production in various forms, a good quality
+invariably being the result of a free condition of the arm combined with
+strength of fingers and hands.
+
+"The Leschetizky principles seem to me the most perfect and correct in
+every particular. Yes, there are several books of the method, by
+different authors, but I teach the principles without a book. The
+principles themselves are the essential things. I aim to build up the
+hand, to make it strong and dependable in every part, to fill out the
+weak places and equalize it. That this may be thoroughly and
+successfully accomplished, I require that nothing but technical
+exercises be used for the first nine, ten, or twelve weeks. We begin
+with the simplest exercises, one finger at a time, then two, three and
+so on through the hand. I believe in thus devoting all the practise time
+to technic, for a certain period, so that the mind is free to master the
+principles, undisturbed by piece playing. When the principles have been
+assimilated, the attention can then be directed to the study of music
+itself. If any weak places appear in the hand from time to time, they
+can be easily corrected.
+
+"If a pupil comes to me who has played a great deal but with no idea of
+the principles of piano playing, who does not know how to handle herself
+or the keyboard, it is absolutely necessary to stop everything and get
+ready to play. If you attempt even a simple sonata with no legato touch,
+no idea of chord or scale playing, you can not make the piece sound like
+anything. It is like a painter trying to paint without brushes, or an
+artist attempting to make a pen and ink drawing with a blunt lead
+pencil; to do good work you must have the tools to work with.
+
+"For application of all principles, the studies of Czerny, Op. 299, 740,
+and others, offer unequaled opportunity. They are simple, direct, and
+give the student a chance for undivided attention to every position
+taken and to every motion made.
+
+"What happens afterward is altogether according to the individual
+characteristics of the student. How to recognize these and deal with
+them to the best advantage is the interesting task of my great master
+(and those who try to follow in his steps)--the man of keenest
+intelligence, of profound learning and experience. To learn this lesson
+from him has been my greatest aim, and to see him at work, as it has
+been my privilege to do for several summers, has been of the greatest
+influence and inspiration in my own work.
+
+"My chief endeavor is to create a desire for good musicianship. To this
+end I insist upon the study of theory, harmony, ear-training and
+analysis. In the piano lessons I do not have sufficient time to teach
+these things. I have assistant teachers who help me with these subjects
+and also with the technical training. Once a month during the season, my
+assistant teachers bring their pupils to play for me, and we have a
+class in piano teaching. There are sometimes eighteen or twenty students
+who come to a class. I can in this way supervise all the work done, and
+keep in touch with my teachers, their work, and with all the students.
+
+"On the first Saturday of the month I have my own pupils here for a
+class; they play for me and for each other. Everything is played from
+memory, not a printed note is used. Students tell me it is very
+difficult to play here, where all listen so intently. Especially is it
+difficult the first time a student plays in class, to keep the mind
+wholly on what he is doing, with sufficient concentration. Later on, at
+the end of the season, it comes easier.
+
+"This idea of separating the technical work at the outset from the study
+of music itself, secures, in my opinion, the most perfect foundation,
+and later on the best results. It is sometimes wonderful how, with
+proper training, the hand will improve and develop in a comparatively
+short time. I often marvel at it myself."
+
+The writer had the privilege of being one of the guests at the last
+audition of the season. Eight or nine young artists played a long and
+difficult program. Among the numbers were a Beethoven sonata, entire;
+Chopin's Ballade in A flat major; Cesar Franck, Prelude, Fugue and
+Variations; a Mozart Fantaisie; Grieg Concerto, first movement; Weber's
+Concertstueck, and Chopin's Scherzo in E. The recital was most
+instructive from an educational point of view. All the players had
+repose and concentration, and there were no noticeable slips, though
+every piece was played from memory. Hands were well arched at the
+knuckles, fingers curved--with adequate action at the knuckle joint;
+wrists in normal position, and extremely loose; the whole arm swung from
+the shoulder and poised over the keys, thus adjusting itself to every
+requirement of the composition. Every note had its amount of hand or arm
+weight. The tone quality was full and singing. These points were
+exemplified even in the playing of the youngest pupils. Furthermore they
+had an intelligent grasp of the meaning of the music they played, and
+brought it out with conviction, power, and brilliancy.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+CARL M. ROEDER
+
+PROBLEMS OF PIANO TEACHERS
+
+
+"The progressive teacher's method must be one of accretion," said Carl
+Roeder, when interviewed between lesson hours in his delightful studio
+in Carnegie Hall. "He gains ideas from many methods and sources, and
+these he assimilates and makes practical for his work. At the same time
+he must originate and work out things for himself. This has been my
+experience.
+
+"I was something of a wonder child, and at an early age developed
+considerable facility and brilliancy. After knocking about as a pupil of
+various private teachers and conservatories, I became, while quite a
+young lad, the pupil of de Konstki, then a lion of the day." The speaker
+joined in the laugh his remark called up, which brought to mind the
+Chevalier's famous battle-horse, "The Awakening of the Lion."
+
+"De Konstki's style was very brilliant and I endeavored to imitate him
+in this respect. I did quite a little concert work at that time.
+Realizing, however, that a pianist's income must be rather precarious, I
+decided to teach. In those youthful days I had the idea that the teacher
+of the piano had an easy life. I remembered one of my professors, a man
+of considerable reputation, who took the duties of his profession very
+lightly. His method of giving a lesson was to place the music upon the
+piano, start the pupil going, then retire to a comfortable couch, light
+his pipe and smoke at ease, troubling himself little about the pupil's
+doings, except occasionally to call out 'Falsch!'
+
+"So I, too, began to teach the piano. But I soon discovered that
+teaching was something quite different from what I had imagined it to
+be, and that it was something I knew very little about. I now set myself
+to learn how to teach--how to help those pupils who came to me.
+
+"One of my first discoveries was that most of the pupils were afflicted
+with stiff wrists and arms, and that this stiffness must be remedied. My
+own playing had always been free, due to one of my early teachers having
+thoroughly inculcated the principle of 'weight,' so often acclaimed in
+these days as a modern discovery. But how to bring about this condition
+in others was a great problem. I studied the Mason method, and found
+many helpful, illuminating ideas in regard to relaxation and
+devitalization. I had some lessons with S.B. Mills, and later did
+considerable valuable work with Paolo Gallico, who opened up to me the
+great storehouse of musical treasure, and revealed to me among other
+things the spiritual technic of the pianist's art. Subsequently I
+investigated the Virgil and Leschetizky methods. Mr. Virgil has done
+some remarkable things in the way of organizing and systematizing
+technical requirements, and for this we owe him much. Such analyses had
+not before been made with anything like the care and minuteness, and his
+work has been of the greatest benefit to the profession. My subsequent
+studies with Harold Bauer revealed him to be a deep musical thinker and
+a remarkable teacher of the meaning of music itself.
+
+"In my teaching I follow many of the ideas of Leschetizky, modified and
+worked out in the manner which I have found most useful to my own
+technic and to that of my pupils. I have formulated a method of my own,
+based on the principles which form a dependable foundation to build the
+future structure upon. Each pupil at the outset is furnished with a
+blank book, in which are written the exercises thus developed as adapted
+to individual requirements.
+
+
+FOUNDATIONAL EXERCISES
+
+"We begin with table work. I use about ten different exercises which
+embody, as it were, in a nutshell, the principles of piano playing. The
+hand is first formed in an arched position, with curved fingers, and
+solidified. The thumb has to be taught to move properly, for many people
+have never learned to control it at all.
+
+"With the hand in firm, solid position, and the arm hanging freely from
+the shoulder, I begin to use combined arm and wrist movements, aiming to
+get the weight of the arm as well as its energy at the complete disposal
+of the finger tip. Each finger in turn is held firmly in a curved
+position and played with a rotary movement of arm and wrist. When this
+can be done we next learn hand action at the wrist from which results
+the staccato touch. In this form of hand staccato there is an element of
+percussion, as you see, but this element gives directness and precision
+to the staccato touch, which in my opinion are necessary. After this we
+come to finger action itself. This principle is taken up thoroughly,
+first with one finger, then with two, three, four, and five--in all
+possible combinations. In this way we come down from the large free-arm
+movements to the smaller finger movements; from the 'general to the
+particular,' instead of working from the smaller to the larger. I find
+it most necessary to establish relaxation first, then strengthen and
+build up the hand, before finger action to any extent is used. When
+these foundational points have been acquired, the trill, scales,
+arpeggios, chords, octaves and double notes follow in due course. At the
+same time the rhythmic sense is developed, all varieties of touch and
+dynamics introduced, and harmonic and structural analysis dwelt upon.
+
+
+USE OF STUDIES
+
+"Above the third or fourth grade I make frequent use of studies,
+selecting them from various books. Duvernoy, Op. 120; Berens, Op. 61;
+Czerny, Op. 740 I find far more interesting than the threadbare 299.
+Heller is indispensable, so melodious and musical. Arthur Foote's
+studies, Op. 27, are very useful; also MacDowell's, Op. 39 and 46.
+Sometimes I use a few of Cramer's and the Clementi 'Gradus,' though
+these seem rather old-fashioned now.
+
+"For more advanced pupils I find Harberbier, Op. 53 especially
+applicable; there is beautiful work in them. Kessler, Op. 20, and the
+Moszkowski studies, Op. 72, have splendid material for the advanced
+player, and prepare for Henselt, Rubinstein, Chopin and Liszt etudes. I
+find that studies are valuable for application of technical principles,
+for reacting purposes, and for the cultivation of all the refinements of
+playing. Some teachers believe in applying the technic directly to
+pieces, and use almost no studies; but I think a study is often more
+valuable than a piece, because a definite technical principle is treated
+in every kind of way. Though I do not require studies to be memorized,
+they must be played with all the finish of a piece, if the pupil is to
+derive the maximum of benefit from them.
+
+
+BOOKS THAT ARE HELPFUL
+
+"As aids to my studies in the art of teaching, several books have been
+most helpful. Among these are two volumes by Dr. Herman H. Home, _The
+Philosophy of Education_, and _The Psychology of Education_. Another
+book, from which I have profited much is William James' _Talks to
+Teachers on Psychology_. Every teacher should possess it.
+
+"You ask what method I pursue with new pupils who have played a great
+deal of music but with little idea of correct principles of piano study.
+Let us take, for instance, one who has had lessons for years but is in
+ignorance of first principles. Arms and wrists are stiff, hands and
+fingers held in cramped position; no freedom anywhere. My first move is
+to have the pupil stand and learn to relax arms, shoulders and body;
+then learn to breathe. But relaxation, even at first, is not the only
+thing; after devitalization comes organization, firmness and
+solidity--in the right places. It must be understood at the very
+beginning that piano playing is far more than sitting before the
+instrument working the fingers six or seven hours a day. The mechanical
+side is only preliminary. Some one has said that the factors in playing
+are a trinity of H's--head, hand and heart. I try at once to awaken
+thought, to give a wider outlook, to show that piano playing is the
+expression, through the medium of tone, of all that the poet, painter
+and philosopher are endeavoring to show through other means: to this
+end I endeavor to stimulate interest in the wonders of the visible
+universe, the intellectual achievements of men and the deep things of
+spiritual discernment.
+
+
+IN REGARD TO INTERPRETATION
+
+"On this subject I think we should avoid pedantry; not to say to the
+pupil, you must play this piece a certain way; but rather say, I see or
+feel it in this way, and give the reasons underlying the conception. I
+believe the successful teacher should be a pianist. He should understand
+every point and be able to _do_ the thing, else how can he really show
+the manner of the doing? Many of the _nuances_, subtleties of color and
+phrase, effects of charm or of bravura, cannot be explained; they must
+be illustrated. And furthermore, only he who has been over the road can
+be a safe or sympathetic guide. Tolstoi realized he could not be of
+service to the people he would uplift unless he lived among them, shared
+their trials and experienced their needs. The time has gone by when the
+musician and composer was considered a sort of freak, knowing music and
+nothing else. We know the great composers were men of the highest
+intelligence and learning, men whose aim was to work out their genius
+to the utmost perfection. Nothing less than the highest would satisfy
+them. As George Eliot said, 'Genius is the capacity for taking infinite
+pains.' Think of the care Beethoven took with every phrase, how many
+times he did it over, never leaving it till he was satisfied."
+
+In speaking of the great European teachers Mr. Roeder continued:
+
+"We hear much of the Leschetizky method; but with that master technic is
+quite a secondary matter over which, when once the principles are
+mastered, he troubles himself but little. It is the conception of the
+work as a whole which concerns him, how to project it, so to say, most
+effectively to an audience. He brings into prominence now this part, now
+that, accenting here, slightly exaggerating there, in order to make the
+picture more vivid to the listener. Harold Bauer is another illuminating
+master for those who have a technical equipment adequate to the
+performance of great works of piano literature. Some go to him who are
+not ready for what he has to give, but to those who can direct attention
+to the meaning of the music, he is a wonderful inspirational force.
+First he will point out a phrase here, another there, and so on through
+the piece, showing how the same idea takes on various aspects in the
+composer's thought. Then he shows how to gather up these different
+threads to form the perfect pattern which the author of the work had in
+mind; and finally the master teacher reaches down below the surface of
+form and design to the vital significance of the composition, and the
+disciple feels the glow and power of the revelation.
+
+"There is no gainsaying the fact that this age is superficial, and the
+great office of art is to cultivate that idealism which will uplift and
+inspire. In an important sense the teacher must be a preacher of
+righteousness. He knows that 'beautiful things are fashioned from clay,
+but it has first to pass through the fire,' and only those who can
+endure that scorching can hope to achieve success.
+
+
+QUESTION OF PERSONALITY
+
+"If asked to what extent a player's personality enters into the
+performance, my answer would be: Only in so far as the performance
+remains true to the composer's intention. So long as personality
+illumines the picture and adds charm, interest, and effectiveness to it,
+it is to be applauded; but when it obstructs the view and calls
+attention to itself it should not be tolerated. It is not art; it is
+vanity.
+
+"Yes, I teach both high finger action and pressure touch, once the
+principle of arm weight is thoroughly established, although I use high
+finger action only to develop finger independence and precision, and for
+passages where sharp delineation is required. I believe in freedom of
+body, arm and wrist, a firm, solid arched hand and set fingers. That
+freedom is best which insures such control of the various playing
+members as to enable the player to produce at will any effect of power,
+velocity or delicacy desired; thereby placing the entire mechanical
+apparatus under complete subjection to the mind, which dominates the
+performance. In other words, I am neither an anarchist who wants no
+government, namely unrestrained devitalization, nor a socialist, whose
+cry is for all government--that is, restriction and rigidity. In piano
+playing, as in all else, 'Virtue is the happy mean between two vices.'"
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+KATHARINE GOODSON
+
+AN ARTIST AT HOME
+
+
+When one has frequently listened to a favorite pianist in the concert
+room, and has studied impersonally, so to speak, the effects of touch,
+tone and interpretation produced during a recital, it is a satisfaction
+and delight to come into personal touch with the artist in the inner
+circle of the home; to be able to speak face to face with one who has
+charmed thousands from the platform, and to discuss freely the points
+which impress one when listening to a public performance.
+
+[Illustration: Katharine Goodson]
+
+It has been my recent privilege thus to come into intimate touch with
+the artist pair, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Hinton, the latter being known all
+over the world as Katharine Goodson. They have a quiet, beautiful home
+in London--a true artist's home. One feels at once on entering and
+enjoying its hospitality, that here at least is one instance where two
+musicians have perfect harmony in the home life. Mr. Hinton, as is
+widely known, is a composer and also a violinist and pianist. The
+beautiful music-room, which has been added to one side of the house and
+leads into the garden, contains two grand pianos on its raised platform.
+This music-room is Miss Goodson's own sanctum and workroom, and here
+piano concertos, with orchestral accompaniment supplied on the second
+piano, can be studied _ad infinitum_. Mr. Hinton has his own studio at
+the top of the house.
+
+The garden music-room is lighted at one end by a great arched window, so
+placed that the trees of the garden are seen through its panes. It is
+easy to imagine one's self in some lovely sylvan retreat--which is
+indeed true! All the appointments of this room, and indeed of the whole
+house, every article of furniture and each touch of color, betoken the
+artistic sense for fitness and harmony. Miss Goodson has a keen and
+exquisite sense for harmony in colors as well as for color in the
+harmonies she brings from her instrument.
+
+"My coming tour will be the fifth I have made in America," she said. "I
+enjoy playing in your country immensely; the cities of New York, Boston,
+Chicago, and Philadelphia are the most appreciative in the world. It is
+true we have masses of concerts in London, but few of them are really
+well attended and people are not so thoroughly acquainted with piano
+music as you are in America. And you are so appreciative of the
+best--even in the smaller cities.
+
+"I can recall a recital which I gave in a city of not more than forty
+thousand, in the West. The recital was arranged by a musical club; they
+asked for the program some time in advance, studied it up and thus knew
+every piece I was to play. There was an enormous audience, for people
+came from all the country round. I remember three little elderly ladies
+who greeted me after the recital; in parting they said, 'You will see us
+to-morrow,' I thought it over afterward and wondered what they meant,
+for I was to play at a place many miles from there the next night. What
+was my surprise to be greeted by the same ladles the following evening.
+'You see, we are here; we told you we would come.' Fancy taking a trip
+from London to Edinburgh just to hear a concert! For it was a journey
+like that. Such incidents show the enthusiasm in America for music--and
+for piano music.
+
+"I hope to play both the Brahms and Paderewski concertos in America. To
+me the latter is a beautiful work--the slow movement is exquisite. I
+have as yet scarcely done anything with the composition, for I have been
+on a long tour through Norway, Sweden, and Finland. It was most
+inspiring to play for these people; they want me to come back to them
+now, but I cannot do so, nor can I go next season, but after that I
+shall go. I returned home greatly in need of rest. I shall now begin
+work in earnest, however, as summer is really the only time I have for
+study throughout the year. I shall have six full weeks now before we
+take our usual holiday in the Grindelwald. On the way there we shall
+stop at Morges and visit Paderewski, and then I will go over the
+concerto with him and get his ideas as to interpretation.
+
+
+MEMORIZING BY ANALYSIS
+
+"You ask how I memorize. First I go over the work several times to get a
+general idea of the whole. Then I analyze it, for I feel it absolutely
+necessary to know keys, chords, and construction. A work should be so
+well understood along these lines that it can be played in another key
+as well as in the one in which it is written. For the actual memorizing
+of the piece I generally do it phrase by phrase, not always 'each hand
+alone,' though occasionally I do this also. I remember learning the Bach
+A minor Prelude and Fugue in this way. If I were now asked to play any
+measure or passage in any part of it I could do so; it is mine forever,
+never to be forgotten."
+
+Asked about the different ways of teaching the Leschetizky method by
+various teachers, Miss Goodson said:
+
+"As we all know, people claim to understand and teach the Leschetizky
+principles who are not competent to do so. I do not recall, for
+instance, that the professor requires the tips of the fingers to form a
+straight line on the edge of the keys. I myself have never done this. I
+believe in a perfectly easy and natural position of hand at the
+keyboard. When this is the case the finger-tips form a curve, the middle
+fingers being placed a little farther in on the keys than is natural for
+the first and fifth. Of course the hand takes an arched position and the
+joints nearest the tip of the fingers must be firm; there should be no
+wavering nor giving in there. The whole arm, of course, is relaxed, and
+swings easily from the shoulder.
+
+
+A PIANO HAND
+
+"I have, as you say, a good hand for the piano; much depends on that; I
+have always had a good deal of what is called a natural technic. Thus
+when I am obliged to forego practising I do not lose my facility; an
+hour's work puts the hand in condition again. What do I do to accomplish
+this? Different things. First some finger movements, perhaps with
+fingers in an extended chord position; then some scales and arpeggios;
+then a Chopin etude, and so on. When practising regularly, I do not
+generally work at the piano more than four hours a day; it seems to me
+that amount is sufficient, if used with absolute concentration."
+
+Later we adjourned to the pretty garden back of the music-room, and here
+we were joined by a beautiful gray Angora cat, the pet and pride of his
+mistress, and a very important personage indeed. He has a trick of
+climbing to Miss Goodson's shoulder, from which point of vantage he
+surveys the world about him with all the complaisance of which an animal
+of such high degree is capable.
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+MARK HAMBOURG
+
+FORM, TECHNIC, AND EXPRESSION
+
+
+[Illustration: MARK HAMBOURG]
+
+In one of the most quiet, secluded quarters of London can be found the
+home of the Russian pianist, Mark Hambourg. Mr. Hambourg lives on a
+terrace, "far from the madding crowd," and difficult enough of access to
+keep mere curiosity seekers at a distance. One can scarcely picture to
+one's self, without an actual sight of them, the quaint charm of these
+short passages or streets, usually termed "terraces," or "gardens." This
+particular terrace looks out on a restful green park, where luxuriant
+trees make long shadows on the sunlit turf. The house is large and
+comfortable--built over a hundred years ago; its rooms are spacious, and
+the drawing-room and library, which lead one into the other, form a fine
+music salon. Surely, amid such surroundings, with priceless pictures and
+_objets d'art_ all about, with exquisite colors, with space and quiet,
+an artist must find an ideal spot for both work and play. I expressed
+this thought to Mr. Hambourg when he entered; then we soon fell to
+discussing the necessary equipment of the teacher and pianist.
+
+"I agree with you," he said, "that it is the beginning of piano study
+which is the most difficult of all; this is where the teacher has such
+great responsibility and where so many teachers are so incompetent.
+Perhaps there are more poor teachers for the piano than for the voice.
+The organs of voice production cannot be seen, they can only be guessed
+at; so there may be a little more excuse for the vocal teacher; but for
+the piano we have the keys and the fingers. It should not therefore be
+such a very difficult thing to learn to play intelligently and
+correctly! Yet few seem to have got hold of the right principles or know
+how to impart them."
+
+"I have heard a number of the young pianists here," I remarked, "and
+they all play with very little finger action--with fingers close to the
+keys. Do you advocate this?"
+
+
+LOW HAND POSITION
+
+"Do not forget that for centuries England has been a country of
+organists; without doubt organ playing has had some effect on the piano
+touch. Some schools of piano playing advise lifting the fingers high
+above the keys, with a view to producing greater power; but I think the
+tone thus produced is often of a somewhat harsh and disagreeable
+quality. Then, too, high lifting interferes with smoothness and
+velocity. For myself I advocate keeping the fingers close to the
+keyboard, and pressing the keys, which gives the tone a warmer and more
+elastic quality."
+
+"A point in hand position I should like to ask you about. Some teachers
+advise placing the finger-tips close to the edge of the keys, forming a
+straight line with them; it seems to me such a position is forced and
+unnatural."
+
+Mr. Hambourg smiled assent.
+
+"I do not advocate anything forced and unnatural," he answered. "So many
+people think that a beautiful touch is 'born, not made,' but I do not
+agree with them. One can acquire, I am sure, a fine piano touch with the
+proper study. The principal requirement is, first of all, a loose wrist.
+This point seems simple enough, but it is a point not sufficiently
+considered nor understood. No matter how much the player may _feel_ the
+meaning of the music, he cannot express this meaning with stiff wrists
+and arms. Some people have a natural flexibility, and to such the
+securing of a musical tone presents far less difficulty; but with time,
+patience, and thought, I fully believe all can arrive at this goal.
+
+
+AMOUNT OF PRACTISE
+
+"In regard to practise I do not think it wise for the aspiring pianist
+to spend such a great amount of time at the piano. Four hours of
+concentrated work daily seems to me sufficient. Of course it is the
+quality of practise that counts. The old saying, 'Practise makes
+perfect,' does not mean constant repetition merely, but constant
+thinking and listening. I advise students to stop after playing a
+passage several times, and think over what the notes mean. This pause
+will rest ears and hands; in a few moments work can be resumed with
+fresh vigor.
+
+"I have been so frequently asked to write on the subject of technic that
+I have done so in a few articles which have been printed in a small
+booklet. From these you may see what my ideas are on these points. I do
+very little teaching myself--just a few talented pupils; they must be
+something out of the ordinary. You see, I do not live in London
+continuously; I am here only about four months of the year; the rest of
+the time is spent traveling all over the world. Only that small part of
+the year when I am stationary can I do any solid work. Here it is
+generally quiet enough: the Zoological Garden is not far away, however,
+and sometimes I have the roaring of the lions as an accompaniment to my
+piano.
+
+"I am always increasing my repertoire, though I find the public does not
+care for new things; it prefers the old. It may listen to the new if
+forced to, but it will not attend a recital unless various familiar
+things are on the program.
+
+"I have made several tours in America. The rush of travel from place to
+place over there, is fatiguing, but I feel that your people are very
+appreciative. You demand the best, and concert giving in America is so
+costly that a manager can afford to exploit only the highest artists.
+Here in London, where the expense is only about two hundred dollars,
+say, to get up a recital, almost any one can scrape together that sum
+and bring himself or herself before the public. In America the outlay is
+four or five times greater. No wonder that only a very good artist can
+take the risk."
+
+On leaving, Mr. Hambourg took us to another room, where he showed us
+with much satisfaction, a very valuable painting of the old Italian
+school, by Ghirlandajo, of which he is very fond.
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+TOBIAS MATTHAY
+
+WATCHING THE ARTIST TEACHER AT WORK
+
+
+One of the first things accomplished after my arrival in London was to
+seek out Tobias Matthay, the composer and teacher, for an echo of his
+fame had reached me across the water.
+
+Matthay has done much to make the principles of piano technic so clear
+and simple that even a child can understand them. If he has stated facts
+in a way which seems to some revolutionary it is because these facts are
+seldom understood by the rank and file of piano teachers. The work he
+has done has compelled attention and admiration; his ideas are now
+accepted as undeniable truths by those who at first repudiated them. The
+writings of Mr. Matthay will doubtless be better known in America a
+little later on than they are at present. They consist in part of an
+exhaustive work on _The Act of Touch in all its Diversity; First
+Principles of Piano Playing; Relaxation Studies; The Child's First Steps
+in Piano Playing; The Principles of Fingering and Laws of Pedaling;
+Forearm Rotation Principle;_ and, in press, _The Principles of Teaching
+Interpretation_. These very titles are inspiring and suggestive, and
+show Matthay to be a deep thinker along educational lines.
+
+[Illustration: Cordially Yours, Tobias Matthay]
+
+Matthay's activities are enormous. He is professor of advanced piano
+playing at the Royal Academy of Music; also founder and head of his own
+school of piano playing. So occupied early and late is he, that it is
+almost impossible to get a word with him. I was fortunate enough,
+however, to obtain an hour's audience, and also permission to attend
+various private classes at the Royal Academy, and hear a number of
+pupils in recital.
+
+In appearance Matthay is a striking personality. His head and features
+recall pictures of Robert Louis Stevenson. His tall, muscular form has
+the stoop of the scholar; and little wonder when one remembers he must
+sit in his chair at work day in and day out. His somewhat brusk manner
+melts into kind amiability when discussing the topics in which he is
+vitally interested. In his intercourse with students he is ever kind,
+sympathetic and encouraging. They, on their part, treat him with
+profound respect.
+
+Matthay believes, and rightly, that the beginning pupil should learn
+essentials of note values, rhythm, time, ear-training and so on, before
+attempting to play anything at the piano. When first taken to the
+instrument, its mechanism is carefully explained to the learner, and
+what he must do to make a really musical tone. He says _(Child's First
+Steps)_: "Before you take the very first step in tone production, be
+sure to understand that you must never touch the piano without trying to
+make music. It is only too easy to sound notes without making music at
+all. To make music we must make all the sounds mean something, just as
+it is no use to pretend to speak unless the sounds we make with our lips
+mean something, that is unless they form reasoned phrases and
+sentences."
+
+Here nothing is left vague. Matthay shows clearly how all musical Form
+and Shape imply Movement and Progression: the movement of a phrase
+toward its cadence; the movement of a group of notes toward a beat or
+pulse ahead, or the movement of a whole piece toward its climax, etc.
+This original view of his regarding form, which he has advocated for
+the last twenty years, is now being accepted generally by the more
+up-to-date of the English theorists and teachers.
+
+In regard to key mechanism and what must be done to produce all
+varieties of touch and tone, Matthay has made exhaustive studies. He
+says (_First Principles of Piano Playing_): "The two chief rules of
+technic, as regards the key, are, therefore: Always feel how much the
+key resists you: feel how much the key _wants_ for every note. Second,
+Always listen for the moment each sound begins, so that you may learn to
+direct your effort to the sound only, and not to the key bed. You must
+never hit a key down, nor hit _at_ it. The finger-tip may fall on the
+key, and in gently reaching the key you may follow up such fall by
+acting against the key. This action against the key must be for the sole
+purpose of making it move--in one of the many ways which each give us
+quite a different kind of sound. And you must always direct such action
+to the point in key descent where the sound begins."
+
+I quote also this little summary from the same work:
+
+"(a) It is only by making the hammer-end of the key move that you can
+make a sound. (b) The swifter the movement the louder the sound. (c)
+The more gradual this swiftness is obtained the more beautiful the
+quality of sound. (d) For brilliant tone you may hit the string by means
+of the key, but do not, by mistake, hit the key instead. (e) You must
+'aim' the key to the _beginning_ of each sound, because the hammer falls
+off the string as you hear that beginning, and it is too late then to
+influence the sound except its continuance. (f) It is wrong to squeeze
+the key beds, because it prevents tone, impairs musical result, impedes
+agility, and is, besides, fatiguing. (g) You must feel the 'giving way
+point' of the key, so that you may be able to tell how much force is
+required for each note. Never, therefore, really hit the keys."
+
+Mr. Matthay as minutely gives directions as to the muscular problems of
+touch and technique. For instance, he explains how all varieties of
+tone, good and bad, are caused, all inflections of Duration, and the
+laws which govern the attainment of Agility and ease of Technique; and
+also explains the nature of incorrect muscular actions which prevent the
+attainment of all these things. He shows where the released arm weight
+should be applied, and again, where it should be eliminated; makes
+clear the two opposite forms of technic implied by "flat" and "bent"
+finger actions, and he goes exhaustively into the little-understood
+question of forearm rotary exertions, the correct application of which
+he proves to be necessary for every note we play.
+
+In speaking of methods in piano teaching, Mr. Matthay said to me:
+
+"I can say I have no method _of playing_, and moreover I have not much
+faith in people who have. My teachings merely show how all playing, good
+or bad, is accomplished. There are certain principles, however, which
+every player should know, but which, I am sorry to say, are as yet
+scarcely apprehended even by the best teachers. The great pianists have
+experimented till they have hit upon effects which they can repeat if
+all conditions are favorable, and they are in the mood. As a rule they
+do not know the laws underlying these effects. You may ask the greatest
+pianists, for example, how to play octaves. 'Oh, I play them
+thus'--illustrating. Just what to do to attain this result they cannot
+explain. In my own case I have done much experimenting, but always with
+the view to discovering _how_ things are done--the facts and laws
+governing actual tone production and interpretation. I made a study of
+Rubinstein's playing, for I found he played a great deal better than I
+did. So I discovered many things in listening to him, which he perhaps
+could not have explained to me. These facts are incontrovertible and I
+have brought many of my colleagues to see the truth of them. More than
+this, I have brought many even of my older colleagues who had a
+life-time of wrong mental habits to impede them, to realize the truth of
+my teachings.
+
+"The work of a teacher should speak for itself. For my own part I never
+advertise, for I can point to hundreds of pupils--this is no
+exaggeration in the least!--who are constantly before the public, as
+concert pianists and successful teachers.
+
+"If there is one thing that rouses me deeply, it is the incompetence of
+so many teachers of piano. They say to the pupil: 'You play badly, you
+must play better'; but they do not tell the pupil _how_ to play better.
+They give doses of etudes, sonatas and pieces, yet never get at the
+heart of the matter at all. It is even worse than the fake singing
+teachers; I feel like saying it is damnable!"
+
+It was my privilege to be present at some of Mr. Matthay's private
+lessons, given at the Royal Academy. Several young men were to try for
+one of the medals, and were playing the same piece, one of the
+Strauss-Tausig Valse Caprices.
+
+Matthay listens to a complete performance of the work in hand, then
+turns back to the beginning and goes over it again for corrections and
+suggestions. He enters into it with absolute devotion, directing with
+movements of head and hands as a conductor might direct an orchestra;
+sometimes he dashes down a chord in the treble to urge more force; at
+other times lays a restraining hand on the player's arm, where the tone
+should be softer. His blue pencil is often busy adding phrasing marks.
+In the pauses he talks over with the pupil the character of the piece,
+and the effects he thinks should be made. In short his lessons are most
+helpful and illuminating.
+
+I also had the opportunity to attend a pupils' "Practise Concert," and
+here the results attained were little short of marvelous. Small
+children, both boys and girls, played difficult pieces, like the Grieg
+Variations for two pianos, the Weber _Invitation to the Dance_, and
+works by Chopin and Liszt, with accuracy and fluency. Almost every
+selection was played from memory. The tone was always musical and often
+of much power, and the pupils seemed thoroughly to understand what they
+were doing and the meaning of the music. They certainly exemplified the
+professor's maxim:
+
+"Never touch the piano without trying to make music."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Not long afterward I received a copy of the new book, which had just
+come from the press. Its comprehensive title is _Musical Interpretation,
+its Laws and Principles, and their Application in Teaching and
+Performing_. The material was first presented in the form of lectures;
+on repeated requests it has been issued in book form. The author at the
+outset claims no attempt to treat such a complex problem exhaustively;
+he has, however, selected the following seven points for elucidation:
+
+1. The difference between Practise and Strumming.
+2. The difference between Teaching and Cramming.
+3. How one's mind can be brought to bear on one's work.
+4. Correct ideas of Time and Shape.
+5. Elements of Rubato and its application.
+6. Elements of Duration and Pedaling and their application.
+7. Some details as to the application of the Element of Tone-variety.
+
+Such themes must cause the thoughtful reader to pause and think. They
+are treated with illuminating originality. The great aim of the teacher
+must ever be to awaken thought along correct lines; the pupil must be
+assisted to concentrate his thought on what he is doing: to constantly
+think and listen. Teaching does not consist merely in pointing out
+faults; the teacher must make clear the _cause_ of each fault and the
+way to correct it. That section of the book devoted to the Element of
+Rubato, is illustrated with many examples from well-known compositions,
+by which the principle is explained. He shows how frequently this
+principle is misunderstood by the inexperienced, who seem to think that
+rubato means breaking the time; whereas true rubato is the _bending_ of
+the time, but not _breaking_ it. If we give extra time to certain notes,
+we must take some time from other notes, in order to even things up.
+
+The subject of Pedaling is aptly explained by means of numerous
+illustrations. The author deplores the misuse of the damper pedal,
+which can be made to ruin all the care and effort bestowed on phrasing
+and tonal effects by the fingers. The fault can, in most cases, be
+traced to inattention to the sounds coming from the piano.
+
+There are quotable paragraphs on every page, which in their sincerity
+and earnestness, their originality of expression, stamp themselves on
+the reader's imagination. Every teacher who is serious in his work and
+has the best interests of his pupils at heart, should read and ponder
+these pages.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+HAROLD BAUER
+
+THE QUESTION OF PIANO TONE
+
+
+Buried deep in the heart of old Paris, in one of the narrow, busy
+thoroughfares of the city, stands the ancient house in which the master
+pianist, Harold Bauer, has made a home.
+
+One who is unfamiliar with Paris would never imagine that behind those
+rows of uninviting buildings lining the noisy, commercial street, there
+lived people of refined and artistic tastes. All the entrances to the
+buildings look very much alike--they seem to be mere slits in the walls.
+I stopped before one of the openings, entered and crossed a paved
+courtyard, climbed a winding stone stairway, rang at a plain wooden
+doorway, and was ushered into the artist's abode. Once within, I hardly
+dared to speak, lest what I saw might vanish away, as with the wave of a
+fairy's wand. Was I not a moment before down in that dusty, squalid
+street, and here I am now in a beautiful room whose appointments are
+all of quiet elegance--costly but in exquisite taste, and where absolute
+peace and quiet reign. The wide windows open upon a lovely green garden,
+which adds the final touch of restful repose to the whole picture.
+
+Mr. Bauer was giving a lesson in the music salon beyond, from which
+issued, now and again, echoes of well-beloved themes from a Chopin
+sonata. When the lesson was over he came out to me.
+
+"Yes, this is one of the old houses, of the sort that are fast passing
+away in Paris," he said, answering my remark; "there are comparatively
+few of them left. This building is doubtless at least three hundred
+years old. In this quarter of the city--in the rue de Bac, for
+instance--you may find old, forbidding looking buildings, that within
+are magnificent--perfect palaces; at the back of them, perhaps, will be
+a splendid garden; but the whole thing is so hidden away that even the
+very existence of such grandeur and beauty would never be suspected from
+without."
+
+He then led the way to the music-room, where we had an hour's talk.
+
+[Illustration: HAROLD BAUER]
+
+"I was thinking as I drove down here," I began, "what the trend of our
+talk might be, for you have already spoken on so many subjects for
+publication. It occurred to me to ask how you yourself secure a
+beautiful tone on the piano, and how you teach others to make it?"
+
+Mr. Bauer thought an instant.
+
+"I am not sure that I do make it; in fact I do not believe in a single
+beautiful tone on the piano. Tone on the piano can only be beautiful in
+the right place--that is, in relation to other tones. You or I, or the
+man in the street, who knows nothing about music, may each touch a piano
+key, and that key will sound the same, whoever moves it, from the nature
+of the instrument. A beautiful tone may result when two or more notes
+are played successively, through their _difference of intensity_, which
+gives variety. A straight, even tone is monotonous--a dead tone. Variety
+is life. We see this fact exemplified even in the speaking voice; if one
+speaks or reads in an even tone it is deadly monotonous.
+
+
+VARIETY OF TONE
+
+"Now the singer or the violinist can make a single tone on his
+instrument beautiful through variety; for it is impossible for him to
+make even _one_ tone which does not have shades of variation in it,
+however slight they may be, which render it expressive. But you cannot
+do this on the piano: you cannot color a single tone; but you can do
+this with a succession of tones, through their difference, through their
+relation to each other. On the other hand you may say any tone is
+beautiful if in the right place, no matter how harsh it may be. The
+singer's voice may break from emotion, or simulated emotion, in an
+impassioned phrase. The exact note on which it breaks may not be a
+beautiful one, it may even be very discordant, but we do not think of
+that, for we are moved by the meaning back of the tones. So on the piano
+there may be one note in a phrase which, if heard alone, would sound
+harsh and unpleasant, but in its relation to other tones it sounds
+beautiful, for it gives the right meaning and effect. Thus it is the
+_relation of tones_ which results in a 'beautiful tone' on the piano.
+
+"The frequent trouble is that piano teachers and players generally do
+not understand their instrument. A singer understands his, a violinist,
+flutist or drummer knows his, but not a pianist. As he only has keys to
+put down and they are right under his hand, he does not bother himself
+further. To obviate this difficulty, for those who come to me, I have
+had this complete model of piano-key mechanism made. You see I can
+touch the key in a variety of ways, and the results will be different
+each time. It is necessary for the pianist to look into his instrument,
+learn its construction, and know what happens inside when he touches a
+key.
+
+"As you say, there are a great many methods of teaching the piano, but
+to my mind they are apt to be long, laborious, and do not reach the
+vital points. The pianist may arrive at these after long years of study
+and experimenting, but much of his time will be wasted in useless labor.
+
+"In my own case, I was forced by necessity to make headway quickly. I
+came to Paris years ago as a violinist, but there seemed no opening for
+me then in that direction. There was opportunity, however, for ensemble
+work with a good violinist and 'cellist. So I set to work to acquire
+facility on the piano as quickly as possible. I consulted all the
+pianists I knew--and I knew quite a number--as to what to do. They told
+me I must spend many months on technic alone before I could hope to play
+respectably, but I told them I had no time for that. So I went to work
+to study out the effects I needed. It didn't matter to me _how_ my hand
+looked on the keyboard; whether my fingers were curved, flat, or stood
+on end. I was soon able to get my effects and to convince others that
+they were the effects I wanted. Later on, when I had more leisure, I
+took more thought about the position of hand and fingers. But I am
+convinced that much time is spent uselessly on externals, which do not
+reach the heart of the matter.
+
+"For instance, players struggle for years to acquire a perfectly even
+scale. Now I don't believe in that at all. I don't believe a scale ever
+should be even, either in tone or in rhythm. The beginner's untrained
+efforts at a scale sound like this"--the speaker illustrated at the
+piano with a scale in which all the tones were blurred and run into each
+other; then he continued, "After a year's so-called 'correct training,'
+his scale sounds like this"--again he illustrated, playing a succession
+of notes with one finger, each tone standing out by itself. "To my
+thinking such teaching is not only erroneous, it is positively
+poisonous--yes, _poisonous_!"
+
+"Is it to be inferred that you do not approve of scale practise?"
+
+"Oh, I advise scale playing surely, for facility in passing the thumb
+under and the hand over is very necessary. I do not, however, desire
+the even, monotonous scale, but one that is full of variety and life.
+
+"In regard to interpretation, it should be full of tonal and rhythmic
+modifications. Briefly it may be said that expression may be exemplified
+in four ways: loud, soft, fast, and slow. But within these crude
+divisions what infinite shades and gradations may be made! Then the
+personal equation also comes in. Variety and differentiation are of
+supreme importance--they are life!
+
+"I go to America next season, and after that to Australia; this will
+keep me away from my Paris home for a long time to come. I should like
+to give you a picture to illustrate this little talk. Here is a new one
+which was taken right here in this room, as I sat at the piano, with the
+strong sunlight pouring in at the big window at my left."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+On a subsequent occasion, Mr. Bauer spoke further on some phases of his
+art.
+
+"As you already know I do not believe in so-called 'piano technic,'
+which must be practised laboriously outside of pieces. I do not believe
+in spending a lot of time in such practise, for I feel it is time wasted
+and leads nowhere. I do not believe, for instance, in the struggle to
+play a perfectly even scale. A scale should never be 'even,' for it must
+be full of variety and life. A perfectly even scale is on a dead level;
+it has no life; it is machine-made. The only sense in which the word
+'even' may be applied to a scale is for its rhythmic quality; but even
+in this sense a beautiful scale has slight variations, so that it is
+never absolutely regular, either in tone or rhythm.
+
+"Then I do not believe in taking up a new composition and working at the
+technical side of it first. I study it in the first place from the
+musical side. I see what may be the meaning of the music, what ideas it
+seeks to convey, what was in the composer's mind when he wrote it. In
+other words, I get a good general idea of the composition as a whole;
+when I have this I can begin to work out the details.
+
+"In this connection I was interested in reading a statement made by
+Ruskin in his _Modern Painters_. The statement, which, I think, has
+never been refuted, is that while the great Italian painters, Raphael,
+Coreggio, and the rest have left many immature and imperfect pictures
+and studies in color, their drawings are mature and finished, showing
+that they made many experiments and studies in color before they thought
+of making the finished black and white drawing. It seems they put the
+art thought first before the technical detail. This is the way I feel
+and the way I work.
+
+
+AVOID RESTRICTING RULES
+
+"Because our ancestors were brought up to study the piano a certain way,
+and we--some of us--have been trained along the same rigid lines, does
+not mean there are no better, broader, less limited ways of reaching the
+goal we seek. We do not want to limit ourselves or our powers. We do not
+need to say: 'Now I have thought out the conception of this composition
+to my present satisfaction; I shall always play it the same way.' How
+can we feel thus? It binds us at once with iron shackles. How can I play
+the piece twice exactly alike? I am a different man to-day from what I
+was yesterday, and shall be different to-morrow from what I am to-day.
+Each day is a new world, a new life. Don't you see how impossible it is
+to give two performances of the piece which shall be identical in every
+particular? It _is_ possible for a machine to make any number of
+repetitions which are alike, but a human, with active thought and
+emotion, has a broader outlook.
+
+"The question as to whether the performer must have experienced every
+emotion he interprets is as old as antiquity. You remember in the
+Dialogues of Plato, Socrates was discussing with another sage the point
+as to whether an actor must have felt every emotion he portrayed in
+order to be a true artist. The discussion waxed warm on both sides.
+Socrates' final argument was, If the true artist must have lived through
+every experience in order to portray it faithfully, then, if he had to
+act a death scene he would have to die first in order to picture it with
+adequate fidelity!"
+
+
+THE QUESTION OF VELOCITY
+
+In speaking of velocity in piano playing and how it is to be acquired,
+Mr. Bauer continued:
+
+"I believe the quality of velocity is inherent--an integral part of
+one's thought. Even a child, if he has this inherent quality, can play a
+simple figure of five notes as fast as they need to be played. People of
+the South--not on this side of the water--but of Spain and Italy, are
+accustomed to move quickly; they gesticulate with their hands and are
+full of life and energy. It is no trouble for them to think with
+velocity. Two people will set out to walk to a given point; they may
+both walk fast, according to their idea of that word, but one will
+cover the ground much more quickly than the other. I think this idea of
+a time unit is again a limiting idea. There can be _no_ fixed and fast
+rule as to the tempo of a composition; we cannot be bound by such rules.
+The main thing is: Do I understand the meaning and spirit of the
+composition, and can I make these clear to others? Can I so project this
+piece that the picture is alive? If so, the fact as to whether it is a
+few shades slower or faster does not enter into the question at all.
+
+
+OBTAINING POWER
+
+"Many players totally mistake in what power consists. They think they
+must exert great strength in order to acquire sufficient power. Many
+women students have this idea; they do not realize that power comes from
+contrast. This is the secret of the effect of power. I do not mean to
+say that we must not play with all the force we have at times; we even
+have to pound and bang occasionally to produce the needed effects. This
+only proves again that a tone may be beautiful, though in itself harsh,
+if this harshness comes in the right time and place.
+
+"As with velocity so with power; there is _no_ fixed and infallible rule
+in regard to it, for that would only be another limitation to the
+feeling, the poetry, the emotion of the executant's _thought_. The
+quality and degree of power are due to contrast, and the choice of the
+degree to be used lies with the player's understanding of the content of
+the piece and his ability to bring out this content and place it in all
+its perfection and beauty before the listener. This is his opportunity
+to bring out the higher, the spiritual meaning."
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+A VISIT TO RAOUL PUGNO
+
+TRAINING THE CHILD
+
+
+"An audience has been arranged for you to-day, with M. Raoul Pugno; he
+will await you at four o'clock, in his Paris studio." Thus wrote the
+courteous representative of _Musical America_ in Paris.
+
+It had been very difficult to make appointments with any of the famous
+French musicians, owing to their being otherwise engaged, or out of the
+city. I therefore welcomed this opportunity for meeting at least one of
+the great pianists of France.
+
+At the appointed hour that afternoon, we drove through the busy rue de
+Clicy, and halted at the number which had been indicated. It proved to
+be one of those unpromising French apartment buildings, which present,
+to the passer-by, a stern facade of flat wall, broken by rows of
+shuttered windows, which give no hint of what may be hidden behind them.
+In this case we did not find the man we sought in the front portion of
+the building, but were directed to cross a large, square court. The
+house was built around this court, as was the custom in constructing the
+older sort of dwellings.
+
+At last we discovered the right door, which was opened by a neat
+housekeeper.
+
+"M. Pugno is not here, he lives in the country," she said, in answer to
+our inquiry. (How difficult these French musicians are to find; they
+seem to be one and all "in the country"!)
+
+"But, madame, we have an appointment with M. Pugno; will you not be good
+enough to see if he is not here after all?"
+
+She left us standing, but returned almost immediately with the message
+that M. Pugno had only that moment entered his studio, to which she
+would conduct us.
+
+[Illustration: RAOUL PUGNO]
+
+In another moment we had crossed the tiny foyer and were standing within
+the artist's sanctuary. At first glance one felt as though in an
+Oriental chamber of some Eastern monarch. Heavy gold and silver Turkish
+embroideries hung over doors and windows. The walls were covered with
+many rare paintings; rich _objets d'art_ were scattered about in
+profusion; an open door led out into a pretty garden, where flowers
+bloomed, and a fountain _dripped_ into its marble basin. A raised dais
+at one side of the room held a divan, over which were draperies of
+Oriental stuffs. On this divan, as on a throne, sat the great pianist we
+had come to see. He made a stately and imposing figure as he sat there,
+with his long silvery beard and his dignified bearing. Near him sat a
+pretty young woman, whom we soon learned was Mlle. Nadia Boulanger, a
+composer and musician of brilliant attainments.
+
+"I regret that I am unable to converse with you in English, as I speak
+no language but my own," began M. Pugno, with a courteous wave of the
+hand for us to be seated.
+
+"You wish to know some of my ideas on piano playing--or rather on
+teaching. I believe a child can begin to study the piano at a very early
+age, if he show any aptitude for it; indeed the sooner he begins the
+better, for then he will get over some of the drudgery by the time he is
+old enough to understand a little about music.
+
+
+TRAINING THE CHILD
+
+"Great care must be taken with the health of the child who has some
+talent for music, so that he shall not overdo in his piano study. After
+all a robust physical condition is of the first importance, for without
+it one can do little.
+
+"A child in good health can begin as early as five or six years. He must
+be most judiciously trained from the start. As the ear is of such prime
+importance in music, great attention should be paid to tone study--to
+listening to and distinguishing the various sounds, and to singing them
+if possible, in solfeggio.
+
+"At the outset a good hand position must be secured, with correct finger
+movements. Then there must be a thorough drill in scales, arpeggios,
+chords, and a variety of finger exercises, before any kind of pieces are
+taken up. The young student in early years, is expected to play various
+etudes, as well as the technic studies I have mentioned--Czerny, Cramer,
+Clementi, and always Bach. In my position, as member of the faculty of
+the Conservatoire, a great many students pass before me. If I personally
+accept any pupils, they naturally must be talented and advanced, as I
+cannot give my time to the children. Still it is interesting to see the
+child-thought develop."
+
+The conversation turned upon the charming studio with its lovely
+garden--where absolute quiet could be secured in spite of the noise and
+bustle of one of the busiest quarters of Paris. The studio itself, we
+were told, had formerly belonged to the painter Decamps, and some of the
+pictures and furnishings were once his. A fine portrait of Pugno, life
+size, filling the whole space above the piano, claimed our attention. He
+kindly rose, as we admired the painting, and sought a photograph copy.
+When it was found--the last one he possessed--he presented it with his
+compliments.
+
+We spoke of Mlle. Boulanger's work in composition, a subject which
+seemed deeply to interest M. Pugno.
+
+"Yes, she is writing an opera; in fact we are writing it together; the
+text is from a story of d'Annunzio. I will jot down the title for you."
+
+Taking a paper which I held in my hand, he wrote,
+
+_"La Ville Morte, 4 Acts de d'Annuncio; Musique de Nadia Boulanger et
+Raoul Pugno"_
+
+"You will certainly have it performed in America, when it is finished; I
+will tell them so," I said.
+
+The great pianist smiled blandly and accepted the suggestion with
+evident satisfaction.
+
+"Yes, we will come to America and see the work performed, when it is
+completed," he said.
+
+With many expressions of appreciation we took our leave of the Oriental
+studio and its distinguished occupants; and, as we regained the busy,
+noisy rue de Clicy, we said to ourselves that we had just lived through
+one of the most unique experiences of our stay in Paris.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+(The above is the last interview ever taken from this great French
+artist, who passed away a few months later.)
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+The following items concerning M. Pugno's manner of teaching and
+personal traits, were given me by Mme. Germaine Schnitzer, the
+accomplished French pianist and the master's most gifted pupil.
+
+"Pugno had played the piano almost from infancy, and in early youth had
+taken several piano prizes. Later, however, he gave much more of his
+time to the organ, to the seeming neglect of the former instrument. How
+his serious attention was reverted to the piano happened in this wise.
+It was announced that Edward Grieg, the noted Norwegian, was coming to
+Paris. Pugno was one day looking over his piano Concerto which had
+recently appeared. 'Why don't you play the work for the composer when
+he comes?' asked a friend. 'I am no pianist,' objected Pugno. 'Why not?'
+said his friend; 'you know enough about the piano, and there are still
+four weeks in which to learn the Concerto.' Pugno took the advice,
+practised up the work, played it in the concert given by Grieg, and
+scored a success. He was then thirty-nine years of age. This appearance
+was the beginning; other engagements and successes followed, and thus he
+developed into one of the great pianists of France.
+
+"Pugno was a born pianist; he had a natural gift for technic, and
+therefore never troubled himself much about teaching technical exercises
+nor practising them. If the work of a pupil contained technical faults,
+he made no remarks nor explanations, but simply closed the music book
+and refused to listen any further. The pupil, of course, retired in
+discomfiture. He was fond of playing along with the pupil (generally
+with the left hand), or singing the melodies and themes, in order to
+give him ideas of the meaning and interpretation of the music. This gave
+independence to the pupils, though it often afforded them much
+amusement.
+
+"With advanced students Pugno spoke much about music and what it could
+express; he translated themes and passages back into the feelings and
+emotions which had originated them; he showed how all emotions find
+their counterpart in tones. 'Above all let kindness and goodness control
+you,' he once wrote; 'if you are filled with kindness, your tone will be
+beautiful!'
+
+"Pugno's instruction took the form of talks on the inner meaning of the
+composition, and the art of interpreting it, rather than any training on
+the technical side; about the latter he concerned himself very little.
+It goes without saying that only talented pupils made progress under
+such a master; indeed those without talent interested him not at all. He
+was a wonderful teacher for those who had the insight to read between
+the lines, and were able to follow and absorb his artistic enthusiasms.
+
+"I have said that Pugno did not concern himself about teaching the
+technical side of piano playing. Even with me, his best pupil, he rarely
+touched upon technical points. I must mention a notable exception. He
+gave me one technical principle, expressed in a few simple exercises,
+which I have never heard of from any one else. The use of this
+principle has helped me amazingly to conquer many knotty passages. I
+have never given these exercises to any one; I am willing however, to
+jot them down for you."
+
+(The following is a brief plan of the exercises, as sketched by Mme.
+Schnitzer)
+
+[Illustration: EXERCISES]
+
+"Pugno wished the thirty-seconds and sixty-fourths to be played with the
+utmost quickness. This idea is not alone applicable to all scales, but
+can be used with any difficult passage found in a composition.
+
+"Pugno took a keen interest in my work, my progress and career. A few
+sentences culled here and there from the many letters of his which I
+have preserved, may serve to throw more light on the inner nature of the
+man:
+
+"'I have endeavored to make clear to your young mind the thoughts
+expressed in music, so that your understanding and your emotions also
+might grow; all this has created a link of gratitude in you and an
+affection within me. I have opened the windows for you and have given
+you light, and I have reaped the satisfaction of my sowing.'
+
+"'Hear all the music you can--do not miss any of the pianists either
+good or bad; there is always something to be learned, even from a poor
+player--if it is only what to avoid! Study great works, but even in
+those there are some figures and phrases which need not be brought into
+the foreground, lest they attain too much significance.'
+
+"(After playing with Hans Richter's Orchestra): 'What intoxication of
+sound--what exhilaration and collaboration in music! What a force within
+us, which sways us and throbs through us, developing and expressing
+each sentiment and instinct! What art can be compared to music, which
+finds expression through this medium, called an orchestra. I feel myself
+greater amid the orchestra, for I have a giant to converse with. I keep
+pace with him, I lead him where I will--I calm him and I embrace him. We
+supplement each other; in a moment of authority I become his master and
+subdue him. The piano alone is too small for me; it does not tempt me to
+play it except under such conditions--with a grand orchestra!'"
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+THUEL BURNHAM
+
+THE "MELODY" AND "COLORATURA" HAND
+
+
+A prominent figure in the musical life of Paris is Thuel Burnham,
+pianist and teacher.
+
+Mr. Burnham is an American, who for a number of years has made his home
+in Paris. He has studied with the greatest masters of his instrument on
+both sides of the water. More than this he is a musical thinker who has
+worked out things for himself, amalgamating what he has found best in
+other methods with what he has discovered in his own experience. He has
+been able to simplify the whole fabric of technical material, so there
+is no time lost in useless labor.
+
+As a pianist Mr. Burnham takes high rank. Technical difficulties do not
+exist for him. He has come to the last turning of the road; before him
+rise the heights of supreme spiritual mastery. A touch that is limpid,
+clear, and capable of many gradations of tints; splendid power in
+_fortissimo_; delicacy, velocity and variety are all his; together with
+all this he has a sympathetic insight into the mood and meaning of the
+composer. Of late he has been giving several recitals of a semi-private
+nature, at which he has brought out some of the larger works in his
+repertoire. These recitals have taken place in his charming studios, and
+it was my good fortune to be present when two concertos were played, the
+MacDowell in D minor, and the Grieg in A minor. Mr. Burnham is a warm
+admirer of the works of our great American composer, and has prepared an
+entire program of MacDowell's music, which included the Tragica Sonata,
+Polonaise, and many of the shorter pieces.
+
+In a conversation with Mr. Burnham in regard to methods of teaching, he
+gave many helpful points, explaining how he had reduced technical
+difficulties to a minimum through the exercise of a few simple
+principles.
+
+
+PRINCIPLES OF TOUCH
+
+"The position and condition of the hand varies according to the
+character of the music, and the tone you wish to produce. If you give
+out a melody, you want a full, luscious tone, the weight of arm on the
+key, everything relaxed, and a clinging, caressing pressure of finger.
+Here then, you have the 'Melody Hand,' with outstretched, flat fingers.
+If, on the contrary, you want rapid passage work, with clear, bright,
+articulate touch, the hand must stand up in well-arched, normal playing
+position, with fingers well rounded and good finger action. Here you
+have the 'Technical' or 'Coloratura Hand.'
+
+
+MELODY HAND
+
+
+"The Melody Hand is weighty and 'dead,' so to speak. The touch is made
+with flat fingers; the ball of the finger comes in contact with the key,
+the whole arm, hand and fingers are relaxed--as loose as possible. You
+caress the keys as though you loved them, as though they were a very
+part of you; you cling to them as to something soft, velvety or
+downy--with pressure, pressure, pressure, always."
+
+(This illustration recalled to the listener's mind one of Kitty
+Cheatham's stories, the one about the little girl caressing a pet
+kitten. She was asked which she loved best--her mother or the kitten.
+"Of course I love her best," was the rather hesitating answer; "but I
+love kitty too--and she has _fur_!")
+
+"To acquire the melody touch, I teach it with the simplest exercises,
+sometimes with only single tones. When the idea is apprehended, the
+pupil works it out in some lyric piece, like a _Song without Words_, by
+Mendelssohn.
+
+"There are three touches for melody playing: First, the _down touch_,
+made by descending arm and hand; second, the _up touch_, made by
+elevating the wrist, while the finger lies upon the key; third, the
+_wiping-off touch_, which draws the finger off the key, with an arm and
+hand movement.
+
+
+THE TECHNICAL HAND
+
+"The technical hand employs finger touch and finger action; the hand is
+held up, in military position, so to speak; the finger movements are
+quick, alert and exact; the hand is _alive_, not dead and heavy, as is
+the melody hand. The two ways of playing are quite opposite in their
+fundamental character, but they can be modified and blended in endless
+ways.
+
+"For the technical or coloratura touch, the hand is in arched position,
+the five fingers are well rounded and curved, their tips are on the
+keys, everything is rounded. When a finger is lifted, it naturally
+assumes a more rounded position until it descends to the same spot on
+the key from which it was lifted, as though there were five little
+imaginary black spots on the keys, showing exactly where the finger-tips
+should rest. The fingers are lifted cleanly and evenly and _fall_ on the
+keys--no hitting nor striking. I make a great distinction between the
+coloratura touch and the melody touch. The first is for rapid, brilliant
+passage work, sparkling, glittering, iridescent--what you will--but
+cold. It is made, as I said, with arched hand and raised finger action.
+Melody touch expresses warmth and feeling; is from the heart. Then there
+are the down and up arm movements, for chords, and, of course, scale and
+arpeggio work, with coloratura touch. I generally expect pupils who come
+to me to go through a short course of preparatory study with my
+assistant, Miss Madeleine Prosser, who has been with me for years, and
+does most thorough work in this line.
+
+
+ASSIMILATION OF PRINCIPLES
+
+"Many pupils come to me with no very definite ideas as to touch and what
+they may express through it. They think if they _feel_ a passage
+sufficiently, they will be able to use the right touch for it. Sometimes
+they may be able to hit upon the effect they want, but they don't know
+quite how they got it, nor can they repeat it another time at will. I
+believe the principles governing certain touches can be so thoroughly
+learned and assimilated that _when the player sees a certain passage, he
+knows at once what touch is required to express it._ A great actor
+illustrates what I mean--he knows how to employ his features and body to
+express the thought of his lines. When you go to the Theatre Francais in
+Paris, you know every member of the company is thoroughly trained in
+every phase of his art. You are aware that each actor has studied
+expression to such an extent that the features naturally fall into the
+required lines and curves whenever a certain emotion comes up for
+expression. So with the pianist--he should have the various touches at
+his finger-tips. The step beyond is to express himself, which he will do
+easily and naturally, when his has such a preparation as I have referred
+to.
+
+
+MEMORIZING
+
+"I am often questioned on the subject of memorizing. Some pupils think
+if they play the piece a sufficient number of times they will know it;
+then are troubled because they cannot at all times remember the notes.
+Such players must know every note of the piece away from the piano, and
+be able to recite them. I have students who are able to learn their
+music away from the instrument, and can play it to me without having
+tried it on the piano. I require the piece so thoroughly memorized that
+if I correct a measure or phrase, the pupil can go right on from that
+point, without being obliged to start farther back, or at the beginning.
+In some cases, however, if the pupil has her own method of committing to
+memory, and it is successful, I have no desire to change it.
+
+
+OCTAVE STUDIES
+
+"For octave study, form the hand with the 'octave grimace,'--that is
+with arched hand, the unemployed fingers slightly curved. In staccato
+touch of course use light wrist. Begin with one beat in sixteenths and
+finish with the 'wiping off' touch. Build up more and more beats in
+notes of the same value, always ending the passage with the same touch,
+as above mentioned. This exercise can be played the full length of the
+keyboard, in all keys, and also chromatically. It can be played in the
+same fashion, using four-voiced chords instead of octaves. When such an
+exercise can be prolonged for twenty minutes at a time, octave passages
+in pieces have no terrors for the pianist. For the octaves in Chopin's
+Polonaise Op. 53, he would merely have to learn the notes, which can be
+done away from the piano; there is no need for exhaustive practise of
+the passage.
+
+
+KEEPING UP REPERTOIRE
+
+"In order to keep repertoire in repair, one should have it arranged so
+that old pieces are gone over once a week. Group your repertoire into
+sections and programs. It might be well to begin the week with Chopin,
+playing through the whole list; after which pick out the weak places,
+and practise those. Tuesday, take Schumann, and treat him in the same
+way. Then comes Liszt, Russian music, modern composers, concertos, and
+chamber music. In this systematic way the whole repertoire is kept up.
+
+
+DETAILS OF PRACTISE
+
+"My mornings are given up to practise, my afternoons to teaching. Of
+these practise hours, at least one hour is given to technic, scales,
+arpeggios, octaves, chords--and Bach! I believe in taking one selection
+of Bach, say a Two-voiced Invention, and perfecting it, playing it in
+various ways--transposing it into all keys and polishing it to the
+highest degree possible. The B flat Invention is a useful one for this
+treatment. So with etudes; instead of playing _at_ so many, is it not
+better to perfect a few and bring them up to the highest degree of
+completeness?
+
+"I am very susceptible to color, anywhere, in anything--especially in
+pictures. Music should express color. Certain compositions seem to
+embody certain colors. As you suggest, red is certainly the motif of
+Chopin's great Polonaise, Op. 53."
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Mr. Burnham should certainly look forward to success in his visit to his
+native land. His fine touch and tone, sincere and musicianly style, and
+buoyant, genial personality will make friends for his art and himself
+everywhere.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+EDWIN HUGHES
+
+SOME ESSENTIALS OF PIANO PLAYING
+
+
+When one has read with pleasure and profit the published ideas of a
+musical worker and thinker, it is always an interesting experience to
+meet such an one personally, and have the opportunity to discuss points
+of special import, particularly when the meeting can take place in some
+ideal spot in the old world. Such was my thought in visiting Mr. Edwin
+Hughes, an American who has made a name and place for himself among the
+pianists and teachers of Europe. After years of study in Vienna with
+Leschetizky, where he also acted as one of the _Vorbereiters_, he has
+established himself in Munich, where he feels he has found a true home
+of music and art. Here, amid beautiful and artistic surroundings, he
+lives and works, dividing his time between teaching and concert playing.
+As a pianist Mr. Hughes has met with gratifying success in the most
+important cities of Germany, while as a teacher he has been sought by
+students from almost every State in America, from Maine to Texas, and
+also from Canada. What has given him special satisfaction is that during
+the past year a number of pupils have come to him from the Conservatory
+here in Munich. They have been greatly pleased with their progress, only
+regretting they had not come to him before.
+
+As to whether he uses the Leschetizky method in its entirety, Mr. Hughes
+testified in the affirmative.
+
+"If you were to ask Leschetizky about the 'Leschetizky Method,' he would
+probably laugh and tell you he has no method, or he would tell you his
+'method' consists of only two things--firm fingers and pliable wrist.
+
+"These are the principles upon which I base the technical training of my
+pupils. I first establish an arched hand position, and then test the
+firmness of the fingers and knuckle joints by tapping them. At first the
+joints, particularly the nail joints, are very apt to sink in when
+tapped by a lead pencil; but by having the pupil continue the tapping
+process at home, it is not long before he acquires the feeling of
+conscious firmness in his fingers.
+
+"Along with this exercise it is most important to begin at once with
+wrist exercises, as otherwise, from the effort to acquire firmness of
+finger, the wrist may become stiff and unwieldy. The wrist exercises
+consist in raising and lowering this joint, with the hand and arm
+supported first on each finger separately, then on two, three, four and
+five fingers. The wrist should not be so limp as to be incapable of
+resistance; but rather it should be like a fine steel spring--a
+'spring-wrist,' I call it--capable of every degree of resistance or
+non-resistance the quality of tone demands.
+
+"High finger action is not so necessary for beginners as most piano
+teachers imagine. It is much easier to teach pupils to raise their
+fingers high, than it is to teach them the acquisition of the _legato_
+touch at the piano, which is only to be attained by playing close to the
+keys, without raising the fingers. It is difficult to get pupils to play
+a perfect _legato_ who have had years of training with high finger
+action, something which should be taken up for _non-legato_ and
+_staccato_ finger work _after_ the more difficult _legato_ touch has
+been mastered.
+
+
+TONE PRODUCTION
+
+"The subject of tone production is one which is much neglected by piano
+teachers. Viewed from this standpoint the piano is an instrument apart
+from every other, except in some respects the organ. A young violinist,
+'cellist or flutist has to study for some time before he can produce a
+tone of good musical quality on his instrument. Think what the beginner
+on the violin has to go through before he can make a respectable middle
+C; but anybody, even a totally unmusical person, can play middle C on
+the piano without the least trouble. It is just this ease in tone
+production at the piano which leads to carelessness as to the _kind_ of
+tone produced; and so piano teachers, above all others, complain they
+cannot get their pupils to listen to what they are playing. Pupils
+should be made to listen, by means of a special course in tone
+production, which should go hand in hand with the technical exercises
+used at the very beginning. Otherwise they imagine they are making music
+when they place the printed page on the rack, and set the correct keys
+in motion.
+
+"There is no other instrument with which it is so easy to 'bluff' a
+large part of the audience; for the character of the piano is such that
+the general public often think it fine music if the player makes a big
+noise. Pianists of considerable reputation often take advantage of this
+lack of discrimination on the part of piano-recital audiences, which,
+above all the other audiences, seem peculiarly incapable of judging
+correctly the musical value of a performance.
+
+"Of the hundreds of piano recitals which take place yearly in the
+musical centers of Europe, only a comparatively small number are of real
+musical interest. In many cases it seems as though the players were
+merely repeating something learned by rote, in an unknown language; just
+as though I should repeat a poem in Italian. The words I might pronounce
+after a fashion, but the meaning of most of them would be a blank to
+me--so how could I make others understand them.
+
+
+RHYTHM IN PIANO PLAYING
+
+"The subject of rhythm is an important one, and more attention should be
+given it. Leschetizky once said that tones and rhythm are the only
+things which can keep the piano alive as a solo instrument. I find in
+pupils who come to me so much deficiency in these two subjects, that I
+have organized classes in ear-training and rhythm.
+
+"If pupils have naturally a poor sense of rhythm, there is no remedy
+equal to practising with a metronome, using this instrument of torture
+daily until results are evident, when, of course, there must be a
+judicious slowing down in its use. The mechanical sense of rhythm, the
+ability to count three or four to a measure, and to group the notes of a
+piece correctly, can be taught to any person, if one has the patience;
+but for those delicate rhythmic _nuances_ required by a Chopin mazurka
+or a Viennese waltz, a specific rhythmic gift must be possessed by the
+pupil.
+
+"Leschetizky says little to his pupils on the subject of technic; I
+cannot remember his having spoken a dozen words to me on the subject,
+during all the time I have known him. His interest, of course, lies
+wholly in the matter of interpretation, and technic comes into
+consideration only as a means and never as an end.
+
+"Leschetizky likes to have the player talk to him, ask questions, do
+anything but sit still and not speak. 'How do I know you comprehend my
+meaning,' he asks, 'that you understand what I am talking about, if you
+say nothing?' At first a student may be silent from nervousness, but if
+he is bright he will soon 'catch on,' and see what is expected of him.
+Leschetizky says sometimes: 'When the Lord made the ten commandments He
+omitted the eleventh, "Thou shalt not be stupid."' If one is not very
+quick, one may have a hard time with this master.
+
+"As a high school in technic I use Joseffy's _School of Advanced Piano
+Playing_ with my pupils. This work leads to the highest possible
+technical development at the keyboard, and I consider it the last word
+in piano technic. The hundreds of exercises have been devised with most
+wonderful ingenuity, and the musicianship of the author stands out on
+every page. The book is not a dry series of technics but has vital
+connection with all the big technical problems found in the literature
+of the piano.
+
+"In teaching, I consider a second piano an absolute necessity. There are
+so many things in piano playing which cannot be put into words, and the
+teacher must constantly illustrate. How can one teach the interpretation
+of a Chopin nocturne, for instance, by merely talking about it. I can
+say, 'play loud here--soft there'; but how far do such directions go
+toward an artistic conception of the piece? One cannot indicate the
+swell of a melody, the tonal and rhythmic _nuance_ of a _groupetto_--and
+a thousand other things in any other way than by the living example.
+Through imitation one learns rapidly and surely, until one reaches the
+point where the wings of one's own individuality begin to sprout.
+
+
+ABOUT MEMORIZING
+
+"On the subject of memorizing who can lay down rules for this
+inexplicable mental process, which will hold good for every one? For
+myself, I hear the notes mentally, and know their position on the
+keyboard. In actual performance much must be left to finger memory, but
+one must actually have the notes in his mind as well as in his fingers.
+Before a concert I go over all my program mentally, and find this an
+excellent method of practise when traveling from one city to another. To
+those who study with me I say, you must try various methods of
+memorizing; there is no universal way; each must find out by experiment
+which is most suited to his individual case.
+
+"With some pianists visual memory of the printed page plays the
+principal role in memorizing; with others visual memory of the notes on
+the keyboard; with still others ear-memory, or memory of the harmonic
+progressions. I believe in making the pupil familiar with all these
+different ways, so that he may find out which one is most helpful to
+him.
+
+"For pupils with weak hands and arms I recommend simple gymnastic
+exercises to be done morning and evening. Physical strength is a very
+necessary essential for a brilliant technic; the student who would
+accomplish big things must possess it in order to succeed.
+
+
+KEEPING TECHNIC IN REPAIR
+
+"The only way to keep one's technic in repair is to be constantly
+working at it. Technic is the mechanical part of music-making; to keep
+it in good working order one must be constantly tinkering with it, just
+as the engine driver tinkers with his locomotive or the chauffeur with
+his automobile. In the course of his technical study every intelligent
+pupil will recognize certain exercises which are particularly important
+for the mechanical well-being of his playing; from these exercises he
+will plan his daily schedule of technical practise.
+
+"In order to keep a large repertoire going at the same time, one must
+have a weekly practise plan, which will allow for a frequent repetition
+of the pieces. Those pieces which have been recently added to one's list
+will require more frequent repetition, while those which have been
+played for a longer period may be left for an occasional brushing up.
+Frequent playing before others, either publicly or privately, is above
+everything else to be recommended to the pianist, as the greatest
+incentive to keeping up his repertoire and toward growing in his art.
+
+
+AMERICAN VERSUS EUROPEAN CONDITIONS
+
+"In America many people who have little talent study music, intending to
+make it their profession; whereas in Europe there is such a profusion of
+music and music-making that only those of more than average gifts think
+of making music their life work. In America we are still 'in the
+making,' from a musical standpoint, and although we have accomplished
+much there is still much to be done. It is the office of the piano
+teacher in America to make music study easy and interesting to pupils of
+moderate ability. Just these conditions have brought about very
+excellent methods of piano and music study for American children, which
+have no counterpart in Europe."
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+FERRUCCIO BUSONI
+
+AN ARTIST AT HOME
+
+
+As a man's surroundings and environment are often reflections of his
+character, it is always a matter of deep interest to get in touch with
+the surroundings of the creative or executive musician. To meet him away
+from the glare of the footlights, in the privacy and seclusion of the
+home, gives one a far more intimate knowledge of the artist as a man.
+Knowing how difficult it often is to obtain such an opportunity, I can
+be the more thankful that this privilege has been granted me many times,
+even with those artists who hold themselves most aloof. I was told
+Busoni was exceedingly difficult to approach, and the only way I could
+see him was to call at his house quite unannounced, when I might have
+the good fortune to find him at home and willing to see me. Not wishing
+to take him by storm in this way, I quietly waited, until I received the
+following note: "While I am not fond of interviews, if you will come to
+tea on Thursday afternoon, you will be welcome."
+
+Busoni is located in a stately _Wohnung_ overlooking the handsome
+Victoria Luise Platz, in the newer western section of Berlin. Mme.
+Busoni met us as we arrived, and conducted us to the master, who rose
+from a cozy nook in a corner of the library to greet us. Tea was soon
+brought in and our little party, which included a couple of other
+guests, was soon chatting gaily in a mixture of French, German and
+English.
+
+During the sprightly chat I could not help glancing from time to time
+around the great library in which we sat, noting its artistic
+furnishings, and the rows upon rows of volumes in their costly bindings,
+which lined the walls. One appreciates what Dr. Johnson meant when he
+said that whenever he saw shelves filled with books he always wanted to
+get near enough to them to read their titles, as the choice of books
+indicates character.
+
+Presently Busoni turned to me: "I am composing a rhapsodie on American
+Indian themes."
+
+"And where did you capture the themes?" he was asked.
+
+[Illustration: Ferruccio Busoni]
+
+"From a very charming lady, a countrywoman of yours, Miss Natalie
+Curtis. She has taken great interest in the idea and has been most
+helpful to me."
+
+"One of the German music papers announced that you are about to leave
+Berlin, and have accepted an offer elsewhere--was it in Spain?"
+
+"I intend leaving Berlin for a time," he admitted, "and will go to
+Bologna--perhaps you thought that was in Spain," with a sly side glance
+and a humorous twinkle in his eyes. "My offer from Bologna appears most
+flattering. I am appointed head of the great conservatory, but I am not
+obliged to live in the city, nor even to give lessons. I shall, however,
+go there for a time, and shall probably teach. I am to conduct six large
+orchestral concerts during the season, but aside from this I can be
+absent as much as I wish. We shall probably close up our house here and
+go to Italy in the autumn. Living is very cheap in Bologna; one can rent
+a real palace for about $250 a year."
+
+Mme. Busoni now invited us to inspect other parts of the house. We
+passed to the adjoining room, which contains many rare old prints and
+paintings and quaint old furniture--"everything old," as Mme. Busoni
+said, with a smile. In this room stands a harpsichord, with its double
+keyboard and brilliant red case. It is not an antique but an excellent
+copy made by Chickering.
+
+Farther on is a veritable musician's den, with upright piano, and with a
+large desk crowded with pictures and mementoes. On the walls hang rare
+portraits chiefly of Chopin and Liszt. Beyond this room came the salon,
+with its two grand pianos side by side. This is the master's teaching
+and recital room, and here are various massive pieces of richly carved
+furniture. Mme. Busoni called our attention to the elaborate chandelier
+in old silver, of exquisite workmanship, which, she said, had cost her a
+long search to find. There are several portraits here of the
+composer-pianist in his youth--one as a boy of twelve, a handsome
+lad--_bildschoen_, with his curls, his soulful eyes and his big white
+collar.
+
+Busoni soon joined us in the salon and the conversation was turned to
+his activities in the new field.
+
+"When you have finished the new rhapsodie you will come and play it to
+us in America--and in London also," he was urged.
+
+"Ah, London! I am almost homesick for London; it is beautiful there. I
+am fond of America, too. You know I lived there for some years; my son
+was born there; he is an American citizen. Yes, I will return, though
+just when I do not yet know, and then I will assuredly play the
+rhapsodie."
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+ADELE AUS DER OHE
+
+ANOTHER ARTIST AT HOME
+
+
+Another opportunity to see the home of an artist was afforded me when
+Frl. Aus der Ohe invited me to visit her in her Berlin home. She also
+lives in the newer western portion of the city, where so many other
+artists are located. One feels on entering the spacious rooms that this
+home has the true German atmosphere. Adele Aus der Ohe, whose
+personality is well remembered in America, on account of her various
+pianistic tours, now wears her brown hair softly drawn down over her
+ears, in Madonna fashion, a mode which becomes her vastly.
+
+"My time is divided between playing in concert, composing, and my own
+studies," began the artist. "I give almost no lessons, for I have not
+time for them. I never have more than a couple of pupils studying with
+me at one time; they must be both talented and eager. The amount of time
+I consider necessary for practise depends, of course, on quickness of
+comprehension. In general, I may say four, or at most five hours are
+quite sufficient, If used with absolute concentration. The quality of
+practise is the great essential. If the passage under consideration is
+not understood, a thousand times going over it will be only vain
+repetitions; therefore, understand the construction and meaning of the
+passage in the beginning, and then a thousand repetitions ought to make
+it perfect.
+
+"There is so much practise which can be done away from the instrument,
+by reading the notes from the printed page and thinking about them. Is
+this understood in America? Always _listen_ to your playing, to every
+note you make on the piano; I consider this point of the very first
+importance. My pupils are generally well advanced or are those who
+intend making music a profession. I have, however, occasionally taken a
+beginner. This point of listening to every note, of training the ear,
+should stand at the very foundation.
+
+
+LETTING THE HAND FIND ITSELF
+
+"In regard to hand position, I endeavor not to be narrow and pedantic.
+If pupils play with good tone and can make reasonably good effects, I
+take them, at the point where they are and try to bring them forward,
+even if the hand position is not just what I would like. If I stop
+everything and let them do nothing but hand position, they will be
+discouraged and think they are beginning all over again. This beginning
+again is sometimes detrimental. To take a pupil at his present point,
+and carry him along was also Liszt's idea. He did not like to change a
+hand position to which the player has grown accustomed for one which
+seems unnatural, and which the pianist has to work a long time to
+acquire. He felt that one's time could be spent to more advantage. There
+are so many legitimate positions, each hand is a separate study, and is
+apt to take the position most natural to itself.
+
+"I shall play numerous concerts and recitals in Europe the coming
+season, but shall not be in America. I know your country well as I have
+made several tours and have lived there. I left it the last time under
+sad circumstances, as my sister, who always accompanied me, had just
+passed away after quite a long illness. So you see I have not much zest
+to return.
+
+"However I am fond of America, and admire the great progress you are
+making in music and art. And you have the courage of your convictions;
+you do not admire a musical work simply because some one else says you
+should, or the critics tell you to. You do not ask your neighbor's
+opinion before you applaud it. If you do not like it you are not afraid
+to say so. Even when it is only ragtime that pleases you, you are not
+afraid to own up to it. When you learn what is better you say so. It Is
+this honesty which leads to progressive results. You are rapidly
+becoming competent to judge what is best. I have found the most
+appreciative audiences in America."
+
+Miss Aus der Ohe had much to relate of the Woman's Lyceum. The
+Department of Music was founded by Aus der Ohe herself. Not long ago
+there was an exhibition of woman's work in music. Women composers from
+all over the country sent examples of their work. Our own Mrs. H.A.A.
+Beach, who has been located for some time in Munich, was well
+represented. There are branches of this institution in other German
+cities.
+
+Several paintings of large size and striking originality hang on the
+walls of the pianist's home. They all illustrate religious themes and
+are the work of Herr Aus der Ohe, the pianist's only brother, who passed
+away at the height of his career.
+
+"Yes," said the composer, "my mother, brother and sister have been taken
+away, since I was last in America, and now I am quite alone; but I have
+my art."
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+ELEANOR SPENCER
+
+MORE LIGHT ON LESCHETIZKY'S IDEAS
+
+
+Eleanor Spencer, whose first American tour is announced for the coming
+season, happened to be in Berlin during my visit there. I found her in
+her charming apartments in the Schoenberg section of the city, far away
+from the noise and bustle of traffic. Her windows look out upon a wide
+inner court and garden, and she seems to have secured the quiet,
+peaceful environment so essential to an artist's development. Indeed
+Miss Spencer has solved the problems of how to keep house, with all the
+comforts of an American home, in a great German city.
+
+"I grew so tired of living in _pensions_ that I took this little
+apartment over two years ago," she said, "and I like it so much better.
+
+"I have been away from America for nine years, so the foreign cities
+where I have lived seem almost more like home to me than my native land,
+to which I have only paid two short visits during those nine years. But
+I love America, and perhaps you can imagine how eagerly I am looking
+forward to my coming tour.
+
+"The first eight years of my life were spent in Chicago, and then my
+family moved to New York. Here I studied with Dr. William Mason. When I
+was about fifteen I went to Europe for further study, and although I had
+another master at first, it was not so very long before I went to
+Vienna, to Leschetizky, for I felt the need of more thorough preparation
+than I had yet had. There is nothing like a firm technical foundation;
+it is a rock to build upon; one cannot do great things without it. I
+have had to labor hard for what I have attained, and am not ashamed to
+say so. I practise 'all my spare time,' as one of my colleagues
+expresses it; though, of course, if one studies with the necessary
+concentration one cannot practise more than five hours to advantage.
+
+[Illustration: To Miss Brower in appreciation and pleasant remembrance
+of our Berlin meeting ...ELEANOR SPENCER]
+
+"I thoroughly believe in practising technic outside of pieces; I have
+always done so and still continue to do it. This brings the hand into
+condition, and keeps it up to the mark, so that difficult compositions
+are more readily within the grasp, and the technical requirements in
+them are more easily met. When the hand is in fine condition, exhaustive
+technical practise in pieces is not necessary, and much wear and tear of
+nerve force is saved. In this technical practise, to which I give an
+hour or more daily, I use very simple exercises, but each one contains
+some principle of touch, movement or condition. Hand over thumb and
+thumb under hand; different qualities of tone; staccato or clinging
+touch; scales, arpeggios and various other forms are used. Part of the
+technic study period is always given to Bach.
+
+"I began my studies in Vienna with Mme. Bree, to get the preparatory
+foundation, but before long combined her lessons with those of the
+professor, and later went to him entirely."
+
+"Just here I should like to mention a trifling point, yet it seems one
+not understood in America by those who say they are teachers of the
+Leschetizky method. These teachers claim that the professor wishes the
+fingers placed on a straight line at the edge of the keys, and in some
+cases they place the tip of the thumb in the middle of its key, so that
+it extends considerably beyond the tips of the other fingers. Is this
+the position taught by the _Vorbereiters_, or favored by Leschetizky?"
+
+Miss Spencer's laugh rang out merrily.
+
+"This is the first I have ever heard of the idea! Such a position must
+seem very strained and unnatural. Leschetizky, on the contrary, wishes
+everything done in the most easy, natural way. Of course, at first, when
+one is seeking to acquire strength and firmness of hand and fingers, one
+must give time and thought to securing an arched hand and steady first
+joints of fingers. Later, when these conditions have been thoroughly
+established, the hand can take any position required. Leschetizky's hand
+often lies quite flat on the keys. He has a beautiful piano hand; the
+first joints of the fingers have so long been held firmly curved, that
+they always keep their position, no matter what he is doing; if he only
+passes his fingers through his hair, his hand is in shape.
+
+"Leschetizky is indeed a wonderful teacher! The player, however, must
+divine how to be receptive, how to enter into the master's thought, or
+it may go hard with him. If he does not understand, nor grasp the
+master's words he may suffer terribly during the ordeal of the lessons.
+I have witnessed such scenes! Those who are equal to the situation
+receive most illuminative instruction.
+
+"I trust I do not give you the impression of being so devoted to, and
+enthusiastic in, the work I enjoyed with my venerated master that I wish
+to exclude other masters and schools. I think narrowness one of the most
+unpleasant of traits, and one I should dread to be accused of. I see so
+much good in others, _their_ ways and ideas, that, to me, all things
+great and beautiful in art seem very closely related.
+
+
+MEMORIZING
+
+"How do I memorize a composition? I first play it over a few times to
+become somewhat familiar with its form and shape. Then I begin to
+analyze and study it, committing it by phrases, or _ideas_, one or two
+measures at a time. I do not always take each hand alone, unless very
+intricate; sometimes it is easier to learn both hands together. It is a
+good thing to study out the melodic line, to build each phrase, to work
+with it till you get it to suit you. Then come the larger proportions,
+the big climaxes, which have to be thought out and prepared for in
+advance. A composition should be so thoroughly your own that you can
+play it at any time, if your hand is in condition. Or, if it has been
+laid aside for a long time, a couple of days should bring it back.
+
+"The subject of forming a repertoire is one often overlooked or not
+understood. The repertoire should be comprehensive and built on broad
+lines. A pupil intending to make music a profession should know the
+literature of the piano, not only the small and unimportant works of the
+great composers (as is too often the case), but the big works as well.
+If one is well grounded in the classics at an early age, it is of great
+benefit afterwards.
+
+
+POWER AND VELOCITY
+
+"For gaining power, heavy chords are very beneficial; combinations of
+five notes that take in all the fingers are most useful.
+
+"The principle of velocity is the doing away with all unnecessary
+movement--raising the fingers as little as possible, and so on. But in
+early stages of study, and at all times for slow practise, exactness and
+clearness, the fingers must be raised, Leschetizky _is a great believer
+in finger action; he holds it to be absolutely necessary for finger
+development_.
+
+"I have been concertizing for the last three years, and studying alone.
+This does not mean I have learned all the masters can teach, but only
+that I have come to a place where I felt I had to go alone, that I must
+work out what is in me. No master can teach us that; we have to find
+ourselves alone.
+
+"I shall probably play considerably with orchestra next season. There is
+a Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakow which is quite short, only one movement.
+It Is charming and brilliant, and I think has not yet been played in
+America. There is also a new work by Stavenhagen for piano and
+orchestra, which is a novelty on the other side. I greatly enjoy playing
+with orchestra, but of course I shall play various recitals as well."
+
+Miss Spencer has appeared with the best orchestras in England and on the
+continent, and has everywhere received commendation for her pure,
+singing tone, plastic touch, and musical temperament. She is certain to
+have success in America, and to win hosts of friends there.
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+ARTHUR HOCHMAN
+
+HOW THE PIANIST CAN COLOR TONE WITH ACTION AND EMOTION
+
+
+"A pianist, like a painter, should have an infinitude of colors on his
+palette," remarked Arthur Hochman, the young Russian pianist, in a
+recent chat about piano playing. He should paint pictures at the
+keyboard, just as the artist depicts them upon the canvas. The piano is
+capable of a wonderful variety of tonal shading, and its keys will
+respond most ideally to the true musician who understands how to awaken
+and bring forth all this tonal beauty from the instrument.
+
+"The modern pianist is often lacking in two important
+essentials--phrasing and shading. Inability to grasp the importance of
+these two points may be the cause of artistic failure. An artist should
+so thoroughly make his own the composition which he plays, and be so
+deeply imbued with its spirit, that he will know the phrasing and
+dynamics which best express the meaning of the piece. When he has risen
+to such heights, he is a law to himself in the matter of phrasing, no
+matter what marks may stand upon the printed page. As a rule the editing
+of piano music is extremely inadequate, though how can it really be
+otherwise? How is it possible, with a series of dots, lines, dashes and
+accents, to give a true idea of the interpretation of a work of musical
+art? It is _not_ possible; there are infinite shadings between _piano_
+and _forte_--numberless varieties of touch which have not been tabulated
+by the schools. Great editors like von Buelow, Busoni and d'Albert have
+done much to make the classics clearer to the student; yet they
+themselves realize there are a million gradations of touch and tone,
+which can never be expressed by signs nor put into words.
+
+
+FOUR REQUISITES FOR PIANISTS
+
+"Four things are necessary for the pianist who would make an artistic
+success in public. They are: Variety of tone color; Individual and
+artistic phrasing; True feeling; Personal magnetism. Colors mean so much
+to me; some are so beautiful, the various shades of red, for instance;
+then the golden yellows, rich, warm browns, and soft liquid blues. We
+can make as wonderful combinations with them as ever the painters do.
+To me dark red speaks of something tender, heart-searching, mysterious."
+Here Mr. Hochman illustrated his words at the piano with an expressive
+fragment full of deep feeling. "On the other hand, the shades of yellow
+express gaiety and brightness"; here the illustrations were all life and
+fire, in crisp, brilliant staccatos. Other colors were just as
+effectively represented.
+
+"What I have just indicated at the keyboard," continued the artist,
+"gives a faint idea of what can be done with tone coloring, and why I
+feel that pianists who neglect this side of their art, or do not see
+this side of it, are missing just so much beauty. I could name one
+pianist, a great name in the world of music--a man with an absolutely
+flawless technic, yet whose playing to me, is dry and colorless; it
+gives you no ideas, nothing you can carry away: it is like water--water.
+Another, with great variety of tonal beauty, gives me many ideas--many
+pictures of tone. His name is Gabrilowitsch; he is for me the greatest
+pianist.
+
+
+MAKING CLIMAXES PIANISSIMO
+
+"In my own playing, when I color a phrase, I do not work up to a climax
+and make that the loudest note, as most pianists do, but rather the
+soft note of the phrase; this applies to lyric playing. I will show you
+what I mean. Here is a fragment of two measures, containing a soulful
+melody. I build up the crescendo, as you see, and at the highest point,
+which you might expect to be the loudest, you find instead that it is
+soft: the sharpness has been taken out of it, the thing you did not
+expect has happened; and so there are constant surprises, tonal
+surprises--tone colors not looked for.
+
+"It is generally thought that a pianist should attend many recitals and
+study the effects made by other pianists; I, on the contrary, feel I
+gain more from hearing a great singer. The human voice is the greatest
+of all instruments, and the player can have no more convincing lesson in
+tone production and tone coloring, than he can obtain from listening to
+a great emotional singer. The pianist should hear a great deal of opera,
+for there he will learn much of color, of effect, light and shade,
+action and emotion.
+
+
+WE DO NOT WANT CUT-AND-DRIED PERFORMANCES
+
+"The third requisite for the pianist, as I have said, is true feeling. I
+have no sympathy with dry, mechanical performance, where every effect
+is coldly calculated beforehand, and the player always strives to do it
+the same way. How can he always play the same way when he does not feel
+the same? If he simply seeks for uniformity where does the inspiration
+come in?
+
+"The true artist will never give a mechanical performance. At one time
+he may be in a tender, melting mood; at another in a daring or exalted
+one. He must be free to play as he feels, and he will be artist enough
+never to overstep bounds. The pianist who plays with true feeling and
+'heart' can never play the same composition twice exactly alike, for he
+can never feel precisely the same twice. This, of course, applies more
+especially to public performance and playing for others.
+
+"Another essential is breath control. Respiration must be easy and
+natural, no matter how much physical strength is exerted. In
+_fortissimo_ and all difficult passages, the lips must be kept closed
+and respiration taken through the nostrils, as it always ought to be.
+
+
+DISSECTION OF DETAILS
+
+"Yes, I do a great deal of teaching, but prefer to take only such pupils
+as are intelligent and advanced. With pupils I am very particular about
+hand position and touch. The ends of the fingers must be firm, but
+otherwise the hand, wrist and arm, from the shoulder, are all relaxed.
+In teaching a composition, I am immensely careful and particular about
+each note. Everything is dissected and analyzed. When all is understood
+and mastered, it is then ready for the stage setting, the actors, the
+lights, and the colors!"
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"I was intended for a pianist from the first. Born in Russia, I
+afterward came to Berlin, studying seven or eight years with Xaver
+Scharwenka, then with d'Albert, Stavenhagen and others. But when one has
+all that can be learned from others, a man's greatest teacher is
+himself. I have done a great deal of concert work and recital playing in
+Europe, and have appeared with the leading orchestras in the largest
+cities of America."
+
+Mr. Hochman has done considerable work in composition. Numerous songs
+have been published and doubtless larger works may be expected later.
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+TERESA CARRENO
+
+EARLY TECHNICAL TRAINING
+
+
+A music critic remarked, "That ever youthful and fascinating pianist,
+Teresa Carreno is with us again."
+
+I well remember how fascinated I was, as a young girl, with her playing
+the first time I heard it--it was so full of fire, enthusiasm,
+brilliancy and charm. How I longed and labored to imitate it--to be able
+to play like that! I not only loved her playing but her whole
+appearance, her gracious manner as she walked across the stage, her air
+of buoyancy and conscious mastery as she sat at the piano; her round
+white arms and wrists, and--the red sash she wore!
+
+During a recent talk with Mme. Carreno, I recalled the above incident,
+which amused her, especially the memory of the sash.
+
+[Illustration: TERESA CARRENO]
+
+"I assure you that at heart I feel no older now than in the days when I
+wore it," she said. The conversation then turned to questions of
+mastering the piano, with particular reference to the remarkable
+technic of the artist herself.
+
+"The fact that I began my studies at a very early age was a great
+advantage to me," she said. "I loved the sound of the piano, and began
+to pick out bits of tunes when I was little more than three. At six and
+a half I began to study seriously, so that when I was nine I was playing
+such pieces as Chopin's Ballade in A flat. Another fact which was of the
+utmost advantage to me was that I had an ideal teacher in my father. He
+saw that I loved the piano, and decided I must be properly taught. He
+was passionately fond of music, and if he had not been a statesman,
+laboring for the good of his country, he would undoubtedly have been a
+great musician. He developed a wonderful system for teaching the piano,
+and the work he did with me I now do with my pupils. For one thing he
+invented a series of stretching and gymnastic exercises which are
+splendid; they did wonders for me, and I use them constantly in my
+teaching. But, like everything else, they must be done in the right way,
+or they are not beneficial.
+
+
+580 TECHNICAL EXERCISES
+
+"My father wrote out for me a great many technical exercises; to be
+exact, there were 580 of them! Some consisted of difficult passages
+from the great composers--perhaps originally written for one hand--which
+he would arrange for two hands, so that each hand had the same amount of
+work to do. Thus both my hands had equal training, and I find no
+difference between them. These 580 exercises took just three days to go
+through. Everything must be played in all keys, and with every possible
+variety of touch--legato, staccato, half-staccato, and so on; also, with
+all kinds of shading."
+
+(Think of such a drill in pure technic, O ye teachers and students, who
+give little or no time to such matters outside of etudes and pieces!)
+
+"Part of my training consisted in being shown how to criticize myself. I
+learned to listen, to be critical, to judge my own work; for if it was
+not up to the mark I must see what was the matter and correct it myself.
+The earlier this can be learned the better. I attribute much of my
+subsequent success to this ability. I still carry out this plan, for
+there on the piano you will find all the notes for my coming recitals,
+which I work over and take with me everywhere. This method of study I
+always try to instill into my pupils. I tell them any one can make a
+lot of _noise_ on the piano, but I want them, to make the piano _speak_!
+I can do only a certain amount for them; the rest they must do for
+themselves.
+
+
+VALUE OF TRANSPOSING
+
+"Another item my zealous teacher insisted upon was transposing. I
+absorbed this idea almost unconsciously, and hardly know when I learned
+to transpose, so natural did it seem to me. My father was a tactful
+teacher; he never commanded, but would merely say, 'You can play this in
+the key of C, but I doubt if you can play it in the key of D.' This
+doubt was the spur to fire my ambition and pride: I would show him I
+could play it in the key of D, or in any other key; and I did!
+
+"With all the technic exercises, I had many etudes also; a great deal of
+Czerny. Each etude must also be transposed, for it would never do to
+play an etude twice in the same key for my father. So I may say that
+whatever I could perform at all, I was able to play in any key.
+
+"For one year I did nothing but technic, and then I had my first piece,
+which was nothing less than the Capriccio of Mendelssohn, Op. 22. So you
+see I had been well grounded; indeed I have been grateful all my life
+for the thorough foundation which was laid for me. In these days we hear
+of so many 'short cuts,' so many new methods, mechanical and otherwise,
+of studying the piano; but I fail to see that they arrive at the goal
+any quicker, or make any more thorough musicians than those who come by
+the royal road of intelligent, well-directed hard work."
+
+Asked how she obtained great power with the least expenditure of
+physical strength, Mme. Carreno continued:
+
+"The secret of power lies in relaxation; or I might say, power _is_
+relaxation. This word, however, is apt to be misunderstood. You tell
+pupils to relax, and if they do not understand how and when they get
+nowhere. Relaxation does not mean to flop all over the piano; it means,
+rather, to loosen just where it is needed and nowhere else. For the
+heavy chords in the Tschaikowsky Concerto my arms are absolutely limp
+from the shoulder; in fact, I am not conscious I have arms. That is why
+I can play for hours without the slightest fatigue. It is really mental
+relaxation, for one has to think it; it must be in the mind first before
+it can be worked out in arms and hands. We have to think it and then act
+it.
+
+"This quality of my playing must have impressed Breithaupt, for, as you
+perhaps know, it was after he heard me play that he wrote his famous
+book on 'Weight Touch,' which is dedicated to me. A second and revised
+edition of this work, by the way, is an improvement on the first. Many
+artists and musicians have told me I have a special quality of tone; if
+this is true I am convinced this quality is the result of controlled
+relaxation."
+
+I referred to the artist's hand as being of exceptional adaptability for
+the piano.
+
+"Yes," she answered, "and it resembles closely the hand of Rubinstein.
+This brings to mind a little incident. As a small child, I was taken to
+London, and on one occasion played in the presence of Rubinstein; he was
+delighted, took me under his wing, and introduced me all about as his
+musical daughter. Years afterward we came to New York, and located at
+the old Clarendon Hotel, which has housed so many men of note. The first
+day at lunch, my aunt and I were seated at a table mostly occupied by
+elderly ladies, who stared at us curiously. I was a shy slip of a girl,
+and hardly ventured to raise my eyes after the first look around the
+room. Beside me sat a gentleman. I glanced at his hand as it rested on
+the table--then I looked more closely; how much it reminded me of
+Rubinstein's hand! My eyes traveled slowly up to the gentleman's
+face--it was Rubinstein! He was looking at me; then he turned and
+embraced me, before all those observing ladles!"
+
+We spoke of Berlin, the home of the pianist, and of its musical life,
+mentioning von Buelow and Klindworth. "Both good friends of mine," she
+commented. "What a wonderful work Klindworth has accomplished in his
+editions of Beethoven and Chopin! As Goethe said of himself, we can say
+of Klindworth--he has carved his own monument in this work. We should
+revere him for the great service he has done the pianistic world.
+
+"I always love to play in America, and each time I come I discover how
+much you have grown. The musical development here is wonderful. This
+country is very far from being filled with a mercenary and commercial
+spirit. If Europeans think so it is because they do not know the
+American at home. Your progress in music is a marvel! There is a great
+deal of idealism here, and idealism is the very heart and soul of music.
+
+"I feel the artist has such a beautiful calling--a glorious message--to
+educate a people to see the beauty and grandeur of his art--of the
+ideal!"
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+WILHELM BACHAUS
+
+TECHNICAL PROBLEMS DISCUSSED
+
+
+"How do I produce the effects which I obtain from the piano?"
+
+The young German artist, Willielm Bachaus, was comfortably seated in his
+spacious apartments at the Ritz, New York, when this question was asked.
+A grand piano stood close at hand, and the pianist ran his fingers
+lightly over its keys from time to time, or illustrated some technical
+point as he talked.
+
+"In answer I would say I produce them by listening, criticizing,
+judging--working over the point, until I get it as I want it. Then I can
+reproduce it at will, if I want to make just the same effect; but
+sometimes I want to change and try another.
+
+[Illustration: WILHELM BACHAUS]
+
+"I am particular about the seat I use at the piano, as I sit lower than
+most amateurs, who in general are apt to sit too high. My piano stool
+has just been taken out for a few repairs, or I could show you how low
+it is. Then I am old-fashioned enough to still believe in scales and
+arpeggios. Some of the players of the present day seem to have no use
+for such things, but I find them of great importance. This does not
+necessarily mean that I go through the whole set of keys when I practise
+the scales; but I select a few at a time, and work at those. I start
+with ridiculously simple forms--just the hand over the thumb, and the
+thumb under the hand--a few movements each way, especially for
+arpeggios. The principle I have referred to is the difficult point; a
+few doses of this remedy, however, bring the hand up into order again."
+
+The pianist turned to the keyboard and illustrated the point very
+clearly.
+
+"As you see, I slant the hand considerably across the keys," he said,
+"but this oblique position is more comfortable, and the hand can
+accommodate itself to the intervals of the arpeggio, or to the passing
+of the thumb in scales. Some may think I stick out the elbow too much,
+but I don't care for that, if by this means the scale becomes smooth and
+even.
+
+
+OVERHAULING ONE'S TECHNIC
+
+"I have to overhaul my technic once or twice a week, to see that
+everything is all right--and of course the scales and arpeggios come in
+for their share of criticism. I practise them in legato, staccato and in
+other touches, but mostly in legato, as that is somewhat more difficult
+and more beautiful than the others.
+
+"Perhaps I have what might be called a natural technic; that is I have a
+natural aptitude for it, so that I could acquire it easily, and it stays
+with me. Hofmann has that kind of natural technic; so has d'Albert. Of
+course I have to practise technic; I would not allow it to lapse; I love
+the piano too much to neglect any part of the work. An artist owes it to
+himself and the public to keep himself up in perfect condition--for he
+must never offer the public anything but the best. I only mean to say I
+do not have to work at it as laboriously as some others have to do.
+However, I practise technic daily, and will add that I find I can do a
+great deal in a short time. When on tour I try to give one hour a day to
+it, not more."
+
+Speaking of the action of fingers, Mr. Bachaus continued:
+
+"Why, yes, I raise my fingers whenever and wherever necessary--no more.
+Do you know Breithaupt? Well, he does not approve of such technical
+exercises as these (illustrating); holding down some fingers and lifting
+others, for technical practise, but I do. As for the metronome, I
+approve of it to cultivate the sense of rhythm in those who are lacking
+in this particular sense. I sometimes use it myself, just to see the
+difference between the mechanical rhythm and the musical rhythm--for
+they are not always the same by any means.
+
+"Do you know these Technical Exercises of Brahms? I think a great deal
+of them, and, as you see, carry them around with me; they are excellent.
+
+"You ask me about octaves. It is true they are easy for me now, but I
+can remember the time when they were difficult. The only alternative is
+to work constantly at them. Of course they are more difficult for small
+hands; so care must be taken not to strain nor over-tire the hand. A
+little at a time, in frequent doses, ought in six months to work
+wonders. Rowing a boat is good to develop wrists for octave playing.
+
+"You ask if I can tell how I obtain power. That is a very difficult
+question. Why does one child learn to swim almost immediately, while
+another cannot master it for a long time? To the first it comes
+naturally--he has the _knack_, so to speak. And it is just so with the
+quality of power at the piano. It certainly is not due to physique, nor
+to brute strength, else only the athlete would have sufficient power.
+No, it is the 'knack,' or rather it is the result of relaxation, as you
+suggest.
+
+"Take the subject of velocity. I never work for that special thing as
+some do. I seldom practise with great velocity, for it interferes with
+clearness. I prefer to play more slowly, giving the greatest attention
+to clearness and good tone. By pursuing this course I find that when I
+need velocity I have it.
+
+"I am no pedagogue and have no desire to be one. I have no time for
+teaching; my own studies and concert work fill all my days. I do not
+think that one can both teach and play successfully. If I were teaching
+I should no doubt acquire the habit of analyzing and criticizing the
+work of others; of explaining and showing just how a thing should be
+done. But I am not a critic nor a teacher, so I do not always know how I
+produce effects. I play 'as the bird sings,' to quote an old German
+song.
+
+
+MODERN PIANO MUSIC
+
+"Your MacDowell has written some nice music, some pretty music; I am
+familiar with his Concerto in D minor, some of the short pieces and the
+Sonatas. As for modern piano concertos there are not many, it is quite
+true. There is the Rachmaninoff, the MacDowell I mentioned, the D minor
+of Rubinstein, and the Saint-Saens in G minor. There is also a Concerto
+by Neitzel, which is a most interesting work; I do not recall that it
+has been played in America. I have played it on the other side, and I
+may bring it out here during my present tour. This Concerto is a fine
+work, into which the author has put his best thought, feeling and
+power."
+
+
+A BRAHMS CONCERTO
+
+As I listened to the eloquent reading of the Brahms second Concerto,
+which Mr. Bachaus gave soon afterward with the New York Symphony, I was
+reminded of a memorable event which occurred during my student days in
+Berlin. It was a special concert, at which the honored guest and soloist
+was the great Brahms himself. Von Buelow conducted the orchestra, and
+Brahms played his second Concerto. The Hamburg master was not a
+virtuoso, in the present acceptance of the term: his touch on the piano
+was somewhat hard and dry; but he played the work with commendable
+dexterity, and made an imposing figure as he sat at the piano, with his
+grand head and his long beard. Of course his performance aroused immense
+enthusiasm; there was no end of applause and cheering, and then came a
+huge laurel wreath. I mentioned this episode to Mr. Bachaus a few days
+later.
+
+"I first played the Brahms Concerto in Vienna under Hans Richter; he had
+counseled me to study the work. The Americans are beginning to admire
+and appreciate Brahms; he ought to have a great vogue here.
+
+"In studying such a work, for piano and orchestra, I must not only know
+my own part but all the other parts--what each instrument is doing. I
+always study a concerto with the orchestral score, so that I can see it
+all before me."
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+ALEXANDER LAMBERT
+
+AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TEACHERS
+
+
+Among American teachers Alexander Lambert takes high rank. For over
+twenty-five years he has held aloft the standard of sound musicianship
+in the art of teaching and playing. A quarter of a century of thorough,
+conscientious effort along these lines must have left its impress upon
+the whole rising generation of students and teachers in this country,
+and made for the progress and advancement of American art.
+
+It means much to have a native-born teacher of such high aims living and
+working among us; a teacher whom no flattery nor love of gain can
+influence nor render indifferent to the high aim ever in view. There is
+no escaping a sound and thorough course of study for those who come
+under Mr. Lambert's supervision. Scales must be, willingly or
+unwillingly, the daily bread of the player; the hand must be put in
+good shape, the finger joints rendered firm, the arms and body supple,
+before pieces are thought of. Technical study must continue along the
+whole course, hand in hand with piece playing; technic for its own sake,
+outside the playing of compositions. And why not? Is the technic of an
+art ever quite finished? Can it ever be laid away on the shelf and
+considered complete? Must it not always be kept in working order?
+
+"Have you not seen many changes in the aims of students, and in the
+conditions of piano teaching in New York, during the years you have
+taught here?" I asked Mr. Lambert, in the course of a recent
+conversation.
+
+"Some changes, it is true, I have seen," he answered; "but I must also
+say that the conditions attending piano teaching in America are
+peculiar. We have some excellent teachers here, teachers who can hold
+their own anywhere, and are capable of producing finished artists. Yet
+let a pupil go to the best teacher in this country, and the chances are
+that he or she is still looking forward to 'finishing' with some
+European artist. They are not satisfied until they have secured the
+foreign stamp of approval. While this is true of the advanced pianist,
+it is even more in evidence in the mediocre player. He, too, is
+dreaming of the 'superior advantages,' as he calls them, of European
+study. He may have no foundation to build upon--may not even be able to
+play a scale correctly, but still thinks he must go abroad!
+
+"You ask if I think students can obtain just as good instruction here as
+in Europe? That is a little difficult to answer off-hand. I fully
+believe we have some teachers in America as able as any on the other
+side; in some ways they are better. For one thing they are morally
+better--I repeat, _morally_ better. For another they are more thorough:
+they take more interest in their pupils and will do more for them. When
+such a teacher is found, he certainly deserves the deep respect and
+gratitude of the American student. But alas, he seldom experiences the
+gratitude. After he has done everything for the pupil--fashioned him
+into a well-equipped artist, the student is apt to say: 'Now I will go
+abroad for lessons with this or that famous European master!' What is
+the result? He may never amount to anything--may never be heard of
+afterward. On the other hand, I have pupils coming to me, who have been
+years with some of the greatest foreign masters, yet who are full of
+faults of all kinds, faults which it takes me years to correct. Some of
+them come with hard touch, with tense position and condition of arms and
+body, with faulty pedaling, and with a lack of knowledge of some of the
+fundamental principles of piano playing.
+
+
+POWER WITHOUT EFFORT
+
+"How do I teach them to acquire power with little effort? Relaxation is
+the whole secret. Your arm is really quite heavy, it weighs
+considerable. Act on this principle then: let the arms fall with their
+full weight on the keys, and you will have all the power you need,
+provided the fingers are rounded and firm. That is the other half of the
+secret. The finger joints must be firm, especially the third joint. It
+stands to reason there can be no power, no brilliancy when this joint is
+wavering and wobbling.
+
+"I teach arched hand position, and, for children and beginners, decided
+finger action; the fingers are to be raised, in the beginning, though
+not too high. Some teachers may not teach finger action, because they
+say artists do not use it. But the artist, if questioned, would tell you
+he had to learn finger action in the beginning. There are so many stages
+in piano playing. The beginner must raise his fingers in order to
+acquire finger development and a good, clear touch. In the middle stage
+he has secured enough finger control to play the same passage with less
+action, and still perform it with sufficient clearness; while in the
+more finished stage the passage may be played with scarcely any
+perceptible motion, so thoroughly do the fingers respond to every mental
+requirement.
+
+"Sometimes pupils come to me who do not know scales, though they are
+playing difficult compositions. I insist on a thorough knowledge of
+scales and arpeggios, and a serious study of Bach. I use almost
+everything Bach ever wrote for the piano; the Two and Three Part
+Inventions, French and English Suites, Well-tempered Clavichord, and the
+organ Preludes and Fugues, arranged by Liszt."
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+FANNIE BLOOMFIELD ZEISLER
+
+THE SCOPE OF PIANO TECHNIC
+
+
+Each year, as Mme. Bloomfleld Zeisler plays for us, we feel the growth
+of a deeper experience, a clearer insight into human nature, a broader
+outlook and grasp on art and life. Such a mentality, ever seeking for
+truth and the sincerest expression of it, must continually progress,
+until--as now--the greatest heights are reached. Mme. Zeisler is no
+keyboard dreamer, no rhapsodist on Art. She is a thoroughly practical
+musician, able to explain as well as demonstrate, able to talk as well
+as play. Out of the fulness of a rich experience, out of the depth of
+deepest sincerity and conviction the artist speaks, as she plays, with
+authority and enthusiasm.
+
+[Illustration: With sincerest good wishes Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler
+Chicago Dec 30 14]
+
+"The first thing to be done for a pupil is to see that the hand is in
+correct position. I explain that the wrist should be about on a level
+with the second joint of the middle finger, when the fingers are
+properly rounded. The knuckles will then be somewhat elevated; in fact
+they will naturally take care of themselves, other points of the hand
+being correct. Two things are of supreme importance: namely, firm finger
+joints and loose wrists; these must be insisted on from the very
+beginning. I sometimes use firm wrists in my own playing, if I wish to
+make a certain effect; but I can safely affirm, I think, that no one has
+ever seen me play with weak, bending fingers.
+
+
+WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES
+
+"Piano technic includes so much; everything goes into it--arithmetic,
+grammar, diction, language study, poetry, history, and painting! In the
+first stages there are rules to be learned, just as in any other study.
+In school we had to learn the rules of grammar and mathematics. Just
+such rules are applicable to musical performance. I must know the rules
+of versification in order to scan poetic stanzas; so I must know the
+laws of rhythm and meter to be able to punctuate musical phrases and
+periods. Pupils who have long passed the stage of division and fractions
+do not seem able to determine the time-values of the various notes and
+groups of notes used in music; they do not know what must be done with
+triplets, dotted notes, and so on. So you see 'just technic' includes a
+multitude of things; it is a very wide subject.
+
+
+EACH PUPIL A DIFFERENT PROBLEM
+
+"Each pupil presents a different problem as to physical formation of
+hand and body, intelligence and talent. Those who are the most talented
+do not always prove the most satisfactory students. They grasp the
+composer's ideas quickly enough, it is true, so that sometimes in a few
+days, they can take up a difficult composition and clash it off with
+such showy effect as to blind the eyes of the superficial listener; but
+these students are not willing to work out the fine points of the piece
+and polish it artistically. Neither are they willing to get right down,
+to the bed rock of technic and work at that seriously and thoroughly. If
+this course is suggested they grow restive, think they are being held
+back, and some times prefer to study with a more superficial teacher.
+The consequence is they never really amount to anything; whereas if
+these same players possessed perseverance along with their talent they
+could become great artists. I would rather have an intelligent, earnest,
+serious pupil, who is obedient and willing to work, than a very gifted
+pupil. The two seldom go together. When you find both in one person, a
+marvelous musician is the result, if assisted by the right sort of
+training.
+
+
+HARMONY STUDY
+
+"One thing a teacher should insist upon, and that is that the pupil
+should study harmony. He should have a practical working knowledge of
+keys, chords, and progressions. There may be no need for him to study
+orchestration or composition, but he must know the foundation and
+structure of the material of music. My pupil must be familiar with the
+various chords of the scale and know how to analyze them, before I can
+make clear to him the rules of pedaling. Without this knowledge, my
+words about the use of the pedals are as so much Greek to him. He must
+go and learn this first, before coming to me.
+
+
+ACCORDING TO RULE
+
+"Experience counts for much with the teacher, but much, more with the
+pianist. The beginner must go according to rule, until he has thoroughly
+mastered the rules. He must not think because he sees a great artist
+holding his hands a certain way at times--turning under his unemployed
+fingers for octaves perhaps, or any other seeming eccentricity, that he
+himself is at liberty to do the same things. No, he must learn to play
+in a normal, safe way before attempting any tricks. What may seem
+eccentric to the inexperienced student may be quite a legitimate means
+of producing certain effects to the mature artist, who through wide
+experience and study knows just the effect he wants and the way to make
+it. The artist does many things the pupil should not attempt. The artist
+knows the capabilities of his own hand; his technic is, in a certain
+sense, individual; it should not be imitated by the learner of little or
+no experience. If I play a chord passage with high wrist, that I may
+bring out a certain effect or quality of tone at that point, the
+thoughtless student might be under the impression that a high wrist was
+habitual with me, which is not true. For this reason I do not give
+single lessons to any one, nor coach on single pieces. In the case of
+the interpretation of a piece, a student can get the ideas of it from
+hearing it in recital, if he can grasp and assimilate them.
+
+
+ON INTERPRETATION
+
+"Interpretation! That is a wide subject; how can it be defined? I try to
+arouse the imagination of the student first of all. We speak of the
+character of the piece, and try to arrive at some idea of its meaning.
+Is it _largo_--then it is serious and soulful; is it _scherzo_--then it
+should be blithe and gay. We cannot depend on metronome tempi, for they
+are not reliable. Those given in Schumann are generally all wrong. We
+try to feel the rhythm of the music, the swing of it, the spirit of it.
+In giving out the opening theme or subject, I feel it should be made
+prominent, to arrest attention, to make it clear to the listener; when
+it appears at other times in the piece, it can be softened or varied.
+Variety of effect we must have; but whether a passage is played with
+decreasing or increasing tone, whether this run is soft and the next
+loud, or vice versa, does not matter so much as to secure variety and
+individuality. I may look at it one way, another player an opposite way.
+One should be broad-minded enough to see the beauty of each
+interpretation. I do not expect my pupils to copy me or do things just
+as I do them. I show them how I do it, then leave them to work it out
+as they see it.
+
+"_Pianissimo_ is one of the later things to teach. A beginner should not
+attempt it too soon, for then it will only result in flabbiness. A true
+_pianissimo_ is not the result of weakness but of strength.
+
+
+MUSICAL CONDITIONS IN AMERICA
+
+"America has made marvelous progress in the understanding and
+appreciation of music; even the critics, many of them, know a great deal
+about music. The audiences, even in small towns, are a pleasure and
+delight to play to. I am asked sometimes why I attempt the last sonata
+of Beethoven in a little town. But just such audiences listen to that
+work with rapt attention; they hang on every note. How are they to learn
+what is best in music unless we are willing to give it to them?
+
+"The trouble with America is that it does not at all realize how much it
+knows--how much talent is here. We are so easily tricked with a foreign
+name and title; our serious and talented musicians are constantly being
+pushed to the wall by some unknown with a name ending in _ski_. These
+are the people who tour America (for one season at least), who get the
+best places in our music schools and colleges, crowding out our native
+musicians. It makes me very bitter against this utterly mistaken and
+fallacious idea of ours. I have many talented students, who come to me
+from all over the country. Some of them become most excellent concert
+artists. If I recommend them to managers or institutions, should not my
+word count for something? Ought I not to know what my students can do,
+and what is required of a concert artist? But instead of their securing
+an engagement, with such a recommendation, a foreigner with the
+high-sounding name is the one invariably chosen. When I first started on
+my career I endeavored in every way to get a proper hearing in America.
+But not until I had made a name for myself in Europe was I recognized
+here, in my own land. All honor to those who are now fighting for the
+musical independence of America!"
+
+
+A GROUP OF QUESTIONS
+
+Not long after the above conversation with Mme. Zeisler, I jotted down
+some questions, leading to further elucidation of her manner of teaching
+and playing, and sent them to her. The artist was then fully occupied
+with her long and arduous tours and later went to Europe. My questions
+remained unanswered for nearly a year. When she next played in New York,
+she sent for me to come to her hotel. As she entered the room to greet
+me, she held in her hand the paper containing the questions. I expressed
+surprise that she had preserved the bit of paper so long.
+
+"I am very conscientious," she answered; "I have kept this ever since
+you sent it, and now we will talk over the topics you suggest."
+
+(1) What means do you favor for gaining power?
+
+"I can say--none. There is no necessity for using special means to
+acquire power; when everything is right you will have sufficient power;
+you cannot help having it. If you know the piece thoroughly, your
+fingers have acquired the necessary strength through efficient practise,
+so that when the time comes to make the desired effects, you have the
+strength to make them, provided everything is as it should be with your
+technic. Power is a comparative term at best; one pianist may play on a
+larger scale than another. I am reminded of an amusing incident in this
+connection. My son Paul, when a little fellow, was fond of boasting
+about his mother; I could not seem to break him of it. One day he got
+into an argument with another boy, who asserted that his father, an
+amateur pianist, could play better than Paul's mother, because he 'could
+play louder, anyway.' I don't know whether they fought it out or not;
+but my boy told me about the dispute afterward.
+
+"'What do you think makes a great player?' I asked him.
+
+"'If you play soft enough and loud enough, slow enough and fast enough,
+and it sounds nice,' was his answer. It is the whole thing in a
+nutshell: and he was such a little fellow at the time!
+
+"As I said, you must have everything right with your technic, then both
+power and velocity will come almost unconsciously."
+
+(2) What do you do for weak finger joints?
+
+"They must be made strong at once. When a new pupil comes to me the
+first thing we do is to get the hand into correct position, and the
+fingers rounded and firm. If the pupil is intelligent and quick, this
+can be accomplished in a few weeks; sometimes it takes several months.
+But it must be done. Of what use is it to attempt a Beethoven sonata
+when the fingers are so weak that they cave in. The fingers must keep
+their rounded position and be strong enough to bear up under the weight
+you put upon them. As you say, this work can be done at a table, but I
+generally prefer the keyboard; wood is so unresponsive.
+
+"I think, for this work, children are easier to handle than their
+elders; they have no faults to correct; they like to hold their hands
+well and make them look pretty. They ought to have a keyboard adapted to
+their little delicate muscles, with action much less heavy than two
+ounces, the minimum weight of the clavier. As they grow and gain
+strength, the weight can be increased. If they should attempt to use my
+instrument with its heavy action, they would lame the hand in a few
+moments or their little fingers could not stand up under the weight."
+
+(3) Do you approve of finger action?
+
+"Most emphatically. Finger action is an absolute essential in playing
+the piano. We must have finger development. As you say, we can never
+make the fingers equal in themselves; we might practise five hundred
+years without rendering the fourth finger as strong as the thumb. Rather
+let us learn to so adjust the weight and pressure of each finger, that
+all will sound equal, whenever we wish them to do so. I tell my pupils
+that in regard to strength, their fingers are in this relation to each
+other," and the pianist drew with her pencil four little upright lines
+on the paper, representing the relative natural weight of the four
+fingers. "The fifth finger," she said, "figures very little in scale or
+passage playing. By correct methods of study the pupil learns to lighten
+the pressure of the stronger fingers and proportionately increase the
+weight of the weaker fingers."
+
+(4) Do you approve of technic practise outside of pieces?
+
+"I certainly do. The amount of time given to technic study varies with
+the pupil's stage of advancement. In the beginning, the whole four hours
+must be devoted to technic practise. When some degree of facility and
+control have been attained, the amount may be cut down to two hours.
+Later one hour is sufficient, and when one is far advanced a very short
+time will suffice to put the hand in trim; some rapid, brilliant
+arpeggios, or an etude with much finger work may be all that is
+necessary.
+
+"The player gains constantly in strength and technical control while
+studying pieces, provided correct methods are pursued. Every piece is
+first of all a study in technic. The foundation must be rightly laid;
+the principles can then be applied to etude and piece."
+
+(5) What do you consider the most vital technical points?
+
+"That is a difficult question, involving everything about piano playing.
+There are the scales of all kinds, in single and double notes. Arpeggios
+are of great importance, because, in one form or another, they
+constantly occur. Octaves, chords, pedaling, and so on."
+
+"The trill, too," I suggested.
+
+"Yes, the trill; but, after all, the trill is a somewhat individual
+matter. Some players seem to have it naturally, or have very little
+trouble with it; others always have more or less difficulty. They do not
+seem able to play a rapid, even trill. Many are unable to finish it off
+deftly and artistically. They can trill for a certain number of
+repetitions; when they become accustomed to the monotonous repetition it
+is not so easy to go into the ending without a break."
+
+(6) What means do you advise to secure velocity?
+
+"I make the same answer to this question that I made to the first--none.
+I never work for velocity, nor do I work _up_ velocity. That is a
+matter that generally takes care of itself. If you know the piece
+absolutely, know what it means and the effects you want to make, there
+will be little difficulty in getting over the keys at the tempo
+required. Of course this does not apply to the pupil who is playing
+wrong, with weak fingers, uncertain touch and all the rest of the
+accompanying faults. I grant that these faults may not be so apparent in
+a piece of slow tempo. A pupil may be able to get through Handel's
+Largo, for instance; though his fingers are uncertain he can make the
+theme sound half-way respectable, while a piece in rapid tempo will be
+quite beyond him. The faults were in the Largo just the same, but they
+did not show. Rapid music reveals them at once. Certain composers
+require almost a perfect technical equipment in order to render their
+music with adequate effect. Mozart is one of these. Much of his music
+looks simple, and is really quite easy to read; but to play it as it
+should be played is another thing entirely. I seldom give Mozart to my
+pupils. Those endless scales, arpeggios and passages, which must be
+flawless, in which you dare not blur or miss a single note! To play this
+music with just the right spirit, you must put yourself _en rapport_
+with the epoch in which it was written--the era of crinoline, powdered
+wigs, snuffboxes and mincing minuets. I don't mean to say Mozart's music
+is not emotional; it is filled with it, but it is not the emotion of
+to-day, but of yesterday, of more than a century back.
+
+"For myself, I love Mozart's music. One of my greatest successes was in
+a Mozart concerto with the Chicago Orchestra. I afterward remarked to
+one of my colleagues that it had been one of the most difficult tasks I
+had ever accomplished. 'Yes, when one plays Mozart one is so _exposed_,'
+was his clever rejoinder."
+
+(7) How do you keep repertoire in repair?
+
+"If you mean my own, I would answer that I don't try to keep all my
+pieces up, for I have hundreds and hundreds of them, and I must always
+save time to study new works. A certain number are always kept in
+practise, different programs, according to the requirements of the hour.
+My method of practise is to play slowly through the piece, carefully
+noting the spots that are weak and need special treatment. To these I
+give a certain number of repetitions, and then repeat the whole to see
+if the weak places are equal in smoothness to the rest. If not, they
+must have more study. But always slow practise. Only occasionally do I
+go through the piece at the required velocity.
+
+"My pupils are always counseled to practise slowly. If they bring the
+piece for a first hearing, it must be slowly and carefully played; if
+for a second or third hearing, and they know it well enough to take it
+up to time, they can play it occasionally at this tempo before coming to
+me. But to constantly play a piece in rapid tempo is very harmful; it
+precludes all thought of analysis, of _how_ you are doing it. When you
+are playing at concert speed, you have no time to think of fingering,
+movement or condition--you are beyond all that. It is only in slow
+practise that you have time and opportunity to think of everything.
+
+"As an illustration, take the case of a pianist in a traveling concert
+company. He must play the same pieces night after night, with no
+opportunity to practise between. For the first few days the pieces go
+well; then small errors and weak spots begin to appear. There is no time
+for slow practise, so each nightly repetition increases the uncertainty.
+In a few months his playing degenerates so it is hardly fit to listen
+to. This is the result of constant fast playing."
+
+(8) How do you keep technic up to the standard?
+
+"If one is far advanced a few arpeggios and scales, or a brilliant etude
+will put the hand in condition. After one has rested, or had a vacation,
+some foundational exercises and finger movements may be necessary, to
+limber up the muscles and regain control and quickness. One may often
+have to review first principles, but technical facility is soon regained
+if it has once been thoroughly acquired. If one has stopped practise for
+quite a period, the return is slower, and needs to be more carefully
+prepared.
+
+"I use considerable Czerny for technical purposes, with my pupils. Op.
+299, of course, and even earlier or easier ones; then Op. 740. A few of
+the latter are most excellent for keeping up one's technic. The Chopin
+Studies, too, are daily bread."
+
+(9) The best way to study chords?
+
+"From the wrist and with fingers of steel Small hands must of course
+begin with smaller positions."
+
+(10) What gymnastic exercises do you suggest?
+
+"Whatever seems necessary for the special hand. Tight hands need to be
+massaged to limber the fingers and stretch the web of flesh between
+them. The loose, flabby hand may also be strengthened and rendered firm
+by massage; but this is often a more difficult task than to stretch the
+right hand. If technical training is properly given, it is sure to
+render the hand flexible and strong."
+
+
+
+
+XXV
+
+AGNES MORGAN
+
+SIMPLICITY IN PIANO TEACHING
+
+
+One of the busiest of New York piano teachers, whose list of students
+taking private lessons in a season, almost touches the hundred mark, is
+Mrs. Agnes Morgan. Mrs. Morgan has been laboring in this field for more
+than two decades, with ever increasing success. And yet so quietly and
+unobtrusively is all this accomplished, that the world only knows of the
+teacher through the work done by her pupils. The teacher has now risen
+to the point where she can pick and choose her own pupils, which is a
+great comfort to her, for it dispels much of the drudgery of piano
+teaching, and is one of the reasons why she loves her work.
+
+When one teaches from nine in the morning till after six every day of
+the season, it is not easy to find a leisure hour in which to discuss
+means and methods. By a fortunate chance, however, such an interview was
+recently possible.
+
+The questions had been borne in upon me: By what art or influence has
+this teacher attracted so large a following? What is it which brings to
+her side not only the society girl but the serious art-student and young
+teacher? What is the magnet which draws so many pupils to her that five
+assistants are needed to prepare those who are not yet ready to profit
+by her instruction? When I came in touch with this modest, unassuming
+woman, who greeted me with simple cordiality, and spoke with quiet
+dignity of her work, I felt that the only magnet was the ability to
+impart definite ideas in the simplest possible way.
+
+"Dr. William Mason, with whom I studied," began Mrs. Morgan, "used to
+say that a musical touch was born, not made; but I have found it
+possible to so instruct a pupil that she can make as beautiful a tone as
+can be made; even a child can do this. The whole secret lies in arm and
+wrist relaxation, with arched hand, and firm nail joint.
+
+
+INSPIRATION FROM AN AMERICAN TEACHER
+
+"I feel that Dr. Mason himself was the one who made me see the reason of
+things. I had always played more or less brilliantly, for technic came
+rather easy to me. I had studied in Leipsic, where I may say I learned
+little or nothing about the principles of piano playing, but only
+'crammed' a great number of difficult compositions. I had been with
+Moszkowski also; but it was really Dr. Mason, an American teacher, who
+first set me thinking. I began to think so earnestly about the reason
+for doing things that I often argued the points out with him, until he
+would laugh and say, 'You go one way and I go another, but we both reach
+the same point in the end.' And from that time I have gone on and on
+until I have evolved my own system of doing things. A teacher cannot
+stand still. I would be a fool not to profit by the experience gained
+through each pupil, for each one is a separate study. This has been a
+growth of perhaps twenty-five years--as the result of my effort to
+present the subject of piano technic in the most concise form. I have
+been constantly learning what is not essential, and what can be omitted.
+
+
+SIMPLICITY
+
+"Simplicity Is the keynote of my work. I try to teach only the
+essentials. There are so many etudes and studies that are good, Czerny,
+for instance, is splendid. I believe in it all, but there is not time
+for much of it. So with Bach. I approve of studying everything we have
+of his for piano, from the 'Little Pieces' up to the big Preludes and
+Fugues. Whenever I can I use Bach. But here again we have not time to
+use as much of Bach as we should like. Still I do the best I can. Even
+with those who have not a great deal of time to practise, I get in a
+Bach Invention whenever possible.
+
+"When a new pupil comes who is just starting, or has been badly taught,
+she must of course begin with hand formation. She learns to form the
+arch of the hand and secure firm finger joints, especially the nail
+joint. I form the hand away from the piano, at a table. Nothing can be
+done toward playing till these things are accomplished. I often have
+pupils who have been playing difficult music for years, and who consider
+themselves far advanced. When I show them some of these simple things,
+they consider them far too easy until they find they cannot do them.
+Sometimes nothing can be done with such pupils until they are willing to
+get right down to rock bottom, and learn how to form the hand. As to the
+length of time required, it depends on the mentality of the pupil and
+the kind of hand. Some hands are naturally very soft and flabby, and of
+course it is more difficult to render them strong.
+
+
+FINGER ACTION
+
+"When the arch of the hand is formed, we cultivate intelligent movement
+in the finger tips, and for this we must have a strong, dependable nail
+joint. Of course young students must have knuckle action of the fingers,
+but I disapprove of fingers being raised too high. As we advance, and
+the nail joint becomes firmer and more controlled, there is not so great
+need for much finger action. Velocity is acquired by less and less
+action of the fingers; force is gained by allowing arm weight to rest on
+the fingers; lightness and delicacy by taking the arm weight off the
+fingers--holding it back.
+
+"I use no instruction books for technical drill, but give my own
+exercises, or select them from various sources. Certain principles must
+govern the daily practise, from the first. When they are mastered in
+simple forms later work is only development. Loose wrist exercises, in
+octaves, sixths, or other forms, should form a part of the daily
+routine. So should scale playing, for I am a firm believer in scales of
+all kinds. Chords are an important item of practise. How few students,
+uninstructed in their principles, ever play good chords? They either
+flap the hand down from the wrist, with a weak, thin tone, or else they
+play with stiff, high wrists and arms, making a hard, harsh tone. In
+neither case do they use any arm weight. It often takes some time to
+make them see the principles of arm weight and finger grasp.
+
+
+QUESTIONS OF PEDALING
+
+"Another point which does not receive the attention it deserves is
+pedaling. Few students have a true idea of the technic of the foot on
+the pedal. They seem to know only one way to use the damper pedal, and
+that is to come down hard on it, perhaps giving it a thump at the same
+time. I give special preparatory exercises for pedal use. Placing the
+heel on the floor, and the forepart of the foot on the pedal, they learn
+to make one depression with every stroke of the metronome; when this can
+be done with ease, then two depressions to the beat, and so on. In this
+exercise the pedal is not pressed fully down; on the contrary there is
+but a slight depression; this vibration on the pedal has the effect of a
+constant shimmering of light upon the tones, which is very beautiful."
+Here the artist illustrated most convincingly with a portion of a Chopin
+Prelude. "One needs a flexible ankle to use the pedal properly; indeed
+the ankle should be as pliant as the wrist. I know of no one else who
+uses the pedal in just this fashion; so I feel as though I had
+discovered it.
+
+"Yes, I have numbers of pupils among society people; girls who go out a
+good deal and yet find time to practise a couple hours a day. The
+present tendency of the wealthy is to take a far more serious view of
+music study than was formerly the case. They feel its uplifting and
+ennobling influence, respect its teachers, and endeavor to do carefully
+and well whatever they attempt.
+
+"While necessary and important, the technical foundation is after all
+but a small part compared to the training for rhythmic sense, and for
+the knowledge of how to produce good and beautiful results in musical
+interpretation."
+
+
+
+
+XXVI
+
+EUGENE HEFFLEY
+
+MODERN TENDENCIES IN PIANO MUSIC
+
+
+Eugene Heffley, the Founder and first President of the MacDowell Club,
+of New York, a pianist and teacher of high ideals and most serious aims,
+came to New York from Pittsburg, in 1900, at the suggestion of MacDowell
+himself. He came to make a place for himself in the profession of the
+metropolis, and has proved himself a thoroughly sincere and devoted
+teacher, as well as a most inspiring master; he has trained numerous
+young artists who are winning success as pianists and teachers.
+
+Mr. Heffley, while entertaining reverence for the older masters, is very
+progressive, always on the alert to discover a new trend of thought, a
+new composer, a new gospel in musical art. He did much to make known and
+arouse enthusiasm for MacDowell's compositions, when they were as yet
+almost unheard of in America. In an equally broad spirit does he
+introduce to his students the works of the ultra modern school, Debussy,
+Rachmaninoff, Florent Schmitt, Reger, Liadow, Poldini and others.
+
+"My students like to learn these new things, and the audiences that
+gather here in the studio for our recitals, come with the expectation of
+being enlightened in regard to new and seldom heard works, and we do not
+disappoint them. Florent Schmitt, in spite of his German surname, is
+thoroughly French in his manner and idiom, though they are not of the
+style of Debussy; he has written some beautiful things for the piano; a
+set of short pieces which are little gems. I rank Rachmaninoff very
+highly, and of course use his Preludes, not only the well-known
+ones--the C and G minor--but the set of thirteen in one opus number;
+they are most interesting. I use a good deal of Russian music; Liadow
+has composed some beautiful things; but Tschaikowsky, in his piano
+music, is too complaining and morbid, as a rule, though he is
+occasionally in a more cheerful mood. It seems as though music has said
+all it can say along consonant lines, and regular rhythms. We must look
+for its advancement in the realm of Dissonance; not only in this but in
+the way of variety in Rhythm. How these modern composers vary their
+rhythms, sometimes three or four different ones going at once! It is the
+unexpected which attracts us in musical and literary art, as well as in
+other things: we don't want to know what is coming next; we want to be
+surprised.
+
+"Of the classic literature, I use much Bach, when I can. I used to give
+more Mozart than I do now; latterly I have inclined toward Haydn; his
+Variations and Sonatas are fine; my students seem to prefer Haydn also.
+I thoroughly believe in the value of polyphonic music as a mental study;
+it is a necessity. And Bach is such a towering figure, such a rock of
+strength in musical art. Bach was essentially a Christian, and this
+element of devoutness, of worship, shines out in everything he wrote. I
+do not believe that music, without this element of worship, will live.
+Tschaikowsky did not have it, nor Berlioz, nor even Mozart, for Mozart
+wrote merely from the idea of sheer beauty of sound; in that sense he
+was a pagan. I doubt if Strauss has it. One cannot foresee how the
+future will judge the music of to-day; what will it think of Schoenberg?
+I am holding in abeyance any opinion I might form regarding his work
+till I have had more time to know it better. I can only say I have
+heard his string Quartet three times. The first time I found much in it
+to admire; the second time I was profoundly moved by certain parts of
+it, and on the third occasion I felt that the work, especially the
+latter part, contained some of the most beautiful music I had ever
+listened to.
+
+"In regard to the technical training my pupils receive, it is not so
+easy to formulate my manner of teaching. Each pupil is a separate study,
+and is different from every other. As you well know, I am not a 'method
+man': I have little use for the so-called piano method. To be a true
+teacher of the piano is a high calling indeed; for there are many
+pedagogues but comparatively few real teachers. I make a distinction
+between the two. A pedagogue is one who, filled with many rules and much
+learning, endeavors to pour his knowledge into the pupil; whereas the
+true teacher seeks to draw out what is in the pupil. He strives to find
+what the pupil has aptitude for, what he likes to do and can do best.
+The teacher must be something of a psychologist, or how can he correctly
+judge of the pupil's temperament, his tastes, his mentality, and what to
+do for him?
+
+"When a new pupil comes, I must make a mental appraisement of his
+capacity, his likelihood to grasp the subject, his quickness of
+intelligence, his health, and so on. No two pupils can be treated in the
+same way. One who has little continuity, who has never followed out a
+serious line of thought in any direction, must be treated quite
+differently from one of an opposite mentality and experience. It would
+be useless to give Bach to the first pupil, it would only be a waste of
+time and patience: he could not comprehend the music in any sense; he
+would have no conception of the great things that Bach stands for. Such
+a course of treatment would only make him hate music; whereas to one of
+a more serious and thoughtful turn of mind, you might give any amount of
+Bach.
+
+"A student with a poor touch and undeveloped hand, must go through a
+regular course of training. The hand is first placed in position, either
+at the keyboard or on a table; the fingers are taught to start with up
+movements, as the lifting muscles need special attention. A muscle or a
+finger, is either _taut_, _flabby_ or _stiff_; it is the taut condition
+I strive for--to make the finger responsive, like a fine steel spring.
+
+"It is absolutely necessary to establish correct finger action at the
+outset; for the sake of finger development, clearness, and accuracy.
+When single fingers can make accurate up and down movements, we can put
+two fingers together and acquire a perfect legato. I teach three kinds
+of legato--the _passage_ legato, the _singing_ legato, and the
+_accompanying_ legato; the pupil must master the first before attempting
+the others. I advise technic practise with each hand alone, for you must
+know I am a firm believer in the study of pure technic outside of
+pieces.
+
+"As the student advances we take up chord playing with different
+touches, scales, arpeggios and octaves. I institute quite early what I
+call polyphonic technic--one hand doing a different movement or touch
+from the other. This works out in scales and arpeggios with a variety of
+touches--one hand playing a passage or scale staccato while the other
+plays legato, and vice versa."
+
+Asked if he taught technical material without a book, Mr. Heffley
+replied:
+
+"No, I generally use the Heinrich Germer work, as it covers the ground
+very satisfactorily; it is compact, concise, and complete in one volume.
+I also use Mertke to some extent. Every form of exercise must be worked
+out in all keys; I find the books useful for all kinds of students. I
+may add that I use comparatively few etudes.
+
+"If the student seems to have a very imperfect rhythmic sense, I use the
+metronome, but as sparingly as possible, for I want to establish the
+inner sense of rhythm.
+
+"In regard to memorizing. I give no special advice, but counsel the
+student to employ the way which is easiest and most natural to him.
+There are three distinct ways of committing music: the Analytic,
+Photographic, and Muscular. The Analytic memory picks the passage apart
+and learns just how it is constructed, and why; the Photographic memory
+can see the veritable picture of the passage before the mind's eye;
+while the Muscular memory lets the fingers find the notes. This is not a
+very reliable method, but some pupils have to learn in this way. Of
+course the Analytical memory is the best; when the pupil has the mental
+ability to think music in this way, I strongly recommend it.
+
+"One point I make much of in my teaching, and that is Tone Color, as a
+distinct factor in musical interpretation. It is not merely a question
+of using the marks of expression, such as FF, MF, PP, and so on; it is
+more subtle than that--it is the _quality_ of tone I seek after.
+Sometimes I work with a pupil for several minutes over a single tone,
+until he really comprehends what he has to do to produce the right
+quality of tone, and can remember how he did it. The pedal helps
+wonderfully, for it is truly the 'soul of the piano.'
+
+"Some pupils have fancy but no imagination, and vice versa. The terms
+are not synonymous. Reading poetry helps to develop the aesthetic sense;
+pictures help also, and nature. I must necessarily take into account the
+pupil's trend of temperament while instructing him.
+
+"Interpretative expression is not a positive but a relative quantity.
+One player's palette is covered with large blotches of color, and he
+will paint the picture with bold strokes; another delights in delicate
+miniature work. Each will conceive the meaning and interpretation of a
+composition through the lens of his own temperament. I endeavor to
+stimulate the imagination of the pupil through reading, through
+knowledge of art, through a comprehension of the correlation of all the
+arts.
+
+"The musical interpreter has a most difficult, exacting and far-reaching
+task to perform. An actor plays one part night after night; a painter
+is occupied for days and weeks with a single picture; a composer is
+absorbed for the time being on one work only. The pianist, on the other
+hand, must, during a recital, sweep over the whole gamut of expression:
+the simple, the pastoral, the pathetic, the passionate, the
+spiritual--he is called upon to portray every phase of emotion. This
+seems to me a bigger task than is set before any other class of
+art-workers. The pianist must be able to render with appropriate
+sentiment the simplicity and fresh naivete of the earlier classics,
+Haydn, Mozart; the grandeur of Bach; the heroic measures of Beethoven;
+the morbid elegance of Chopin; the romanticism of Schumann; the
+magnificent splendor of Liszt.
+
+"In choosing musical food for my pupils, I strive to keep away from the
+beaten track of the hackneyed. The mistake made by many teachers is to
+give far too difficult music. Why should I teach an old war-horse which
+the pupil has to struggle over for six months without being really able
+to master, and which he will thoroughly hate at the end of that time?
+The Scherzo Op. 31, of Chopin, and the Liszt Rhapsodies he can hear in
+the concert room, where he can become familiar with most of the famous
+piano compositions. Why should he not learn to know many less hackneyed
+pieces, which do not so frequently appear on concert programs?
+
+"Herein lies one of the great opportunities for the broad-minded
+teacher--to be individual in his work. According to his progressive
+individuality will his work be valued."
+
+
+
+
+XXVII
+
+GERMAINE SCHNITZER
+
+MODERN METHODS IN PIANO STUDY
+
+
+"It is difficult to define such a comprehensive term as technic, for it
+means so much," remarked Germaine Schnitzer the French pianist to me one
+day, when we were discussing pianistic problems. "There is no special
+sort or method of technic that will do for all players, for every
+mentality is different; every hand is peculiar to itself, and different
+from every other. Not only is each player individual in this particular,
+but one's right hand may differ from one's left; therefore each hand may
+require separate treatment.
+
+"An artistic technic can be acquired only by those who have an aptitude
+for it, plus the willingness to undertake the necessary drudgery;
+practise alone, no matter how arduous, is not sufficient. Technic is
+evolved from thought, from hearing great music, from much listening to
+great players; intent listening to one's own playing, and to the effects
+one strives to make. It is often said that the pianist cannot easily
+judge of the tonal effects he is producing, as he is too near the
+instrument. With me this is not the case. My hearing is so acute that I
+know the exact dynamics of every tone, every effect of light and shade;
+thus I do not have to stand at a distance, as the painter does, even if
+I could do so, in order to criticize my work, for I can do this
+satisfactorily at close range.
+
+"I hardly know when I learned technic; at all events it was not at the
+beginning. At the start I had some lessons with quite a simple woman
+teacher. We lived near Paris, and my elder sister was then studying with
+Raoul Pugno; she was a good student and practised industriously. She
+said she would take me to the master, and one day she did so. I was a
+tiny child of about seven, very small and thin--not much bigger than a
+fly. The great man pretended he could hardly see me. I was perched upon
+the stool, my feet, too short to reach the floor, rested on the
+extension pedal box which I always carried around with me, I went
+bravely through some Bach Inventions. When I finished, Pugno regarded me
+with interest. He said he would teach me; told me to prepare some more
+Inventions, some Czerny studies and the Mendelssohn Capriccio, Op. 22,
+and come to him in four weeks. Needless to say, I knew every note of
+these compositions by heart when I took my second lesson. Soon I was
+bidden to come to him every fortnight, then every week, and finally he
+gave me two lessons a week.
+
+"For the first five years of my musical experience, I simply played the
+piano. I played everything--sonatas, concertos--everything; large works
+were absorbed from one lesson to the next. When I was about twelve I
+began to awake to the necessity for serious study; then I really began
+to practise in earnest. My master took more and more interest in my
+progress and career: he was at pains to explain the meaning of music to
+me--the ideas of the composers. Many fashionable people took lessons of
+him, for to study with Pugno had become a fad; but he called me his only
+pupil, saying that I alone understood him. I can truly say he was my
+musical father; to him I owe everything. We were neighbors in a suburb
+of Paris, as my parents' home adjoined his; we saw a great deal of him
+and we made music together part of every day. When he toured in America
+and other countries, he wrote me frequently; I could show you many
+letters, for I have preserved a large number--letters filled with
+beautiful and exalted thoughts, expressed in noble and poetic language.
+They show that Pugno possessed a most refined, superior mind, and was
+truly a great artist.
+
+"I studied with Pugno ten years. At the end of that time he wished me to
+play for Emil Saur. Saur was delighted with my work, and was anxious to
+teach me certain points. From him I acquired the principles of touch
+advocated by his master, Nicholas Rubinstein. These I mastered in three
+months' time, or I might say in two lessons.
+
+"According to Nicholas Rubinstein, the keys are not to be struck with
+high finger action, nor is the direct end of the finger used. The point
+of contact is rather just back of the tip, between that and the ball of
+the finger. Furthermore we do not simply strive for plain legato touch.
+The old instruction books tell us that legato must be learned first, and
+is the most difficult touch to acquire. But legato does not bring the
+best results in rapid passages, for it does not impart sufficient
+clarity. In the modern idea something more crisp, scintillating and
+brilliant is needed. So we use a half staccato touch. The tones, when
+separated a hair's breadth from each other, take on a lighter, more
+vibrant, radiant quality; they are really like strings of pearls. Then I
+also use pressure touch, pressing and caressing the keys--feeling as it
+were for the quality I want; I think it, I hear it mentally, and I can
+make it. With this manner of touching the keys, and this constant search
+for quality of tone, I can make any piano give out a beautiful tone,
+even if it seems to be only a battered tin pan.
+
+
+TONE WHICH VIBRATES THROUGH THE WHOLE BODY
+
+"Weight touch is of course a necessity; for it I use not only arms and
+shoulders, but my whole body feels and vibrates with the tones of the
+piano. Of course I have worked out many of these principles for myself;
+they have not been acquired from any particular book, set of exercises,
+or piano method; I have made my own method from what I have acquired and
+experienced in ways above mentioned.
+
+
+ON MEMORIZING
+
+"In regard to memorizing piano music I have no set method. The music
+comes to me I know not how. After a period of deep concentration, of
+intent listening, it is mine, a permanent possession. You say
+Leschetizky advises his pupils to learn a small portion, two or four
+measures, each hand alone and away from the piano. Other pianists tell
+me they have to make a special study of memorizing. All this is not for
+me--it is not my way. When I have studied the piece sufficiently to play
+it, I know it--every note of it. When I play a concerto with orchestra I
+am not only absolutely sure of the piano part, but I also know each note
+that the other instruments play. Of course I am listening intently to
+the piano and to the whole orchestra during a performance; if I allowed
+myself to think of anything else, I should be lost. This absolute
+concentration is what conquers all difficulties.
+
+
+ABSTRACT TECHNIC
+
+"About practising technic for itself alone: this will not be necessary
+when once the principles of technic are mastered. I, at least, do not
+need to do so. I make, however, various technical exercises out of all
+difficult passages in pieces. I scarcely need to look at the printed
+pages of pieces I place on my recital programs. I have them with me, to
+be sure, but they are seldom taken out of their boxes. What I do is to
+think the pieces through and do mental work with them, and for this I
+must be quiet and by myself. An hour's actual playing at the piano each
+day is sufficient to prepare for a recital.
+
+"It must not be thought that I do not study very seriously. I do not
+work less than six hours a day; if on any day I fail to secure this
+amount of time, I make it up at the earliest moment. During the summer
+months, when I am preparing new programs for the next season, I work
+very hard. As I said, I take the difficult passages of a composition and
+make the minutest study of them in every detail, making all kinds of
+technical exercises out of a knotty section, sometimes playing it in
+forty or fifty different ways. For example, take the little piece out of
+Schumann's _Carneval_, called 'The Reconnaissance.' That needed study. I
+gave three solid days to it; that means from nine to twelve in the
+morning, and from one to five in the afternoon. At the end of that time
+I knew it perfectly and was satisfied with it. From that day to this I
+have never had to give a thought to that number, for I am confident I
+know it utterly. I have never had an accident to that or to any of my
+pieces when playing in public. In my opinion a pianist has a more
+difficult task to accomplish than any other artist. The singer has to
+sing only one note at a time; the violinist or 'cellist need use but one
+hand for notes. Even the orchestral conductor who aspires to direct his
+men without the score before him, may experience a slip of memory once
+in awhile, yet he can go on without a break. A pianist, however, has
+perhaps half a dozen notes in each hand to play at once; every note must
+be indelibly engraved on the memory, for one dares not make a slip of
+any kind.
+
+"An artist playing in London, Paris or New York--I class these cities
+together--may play about the same sort of programs in each. The
+selections will not be too heavy in character. In Madrid or Vienna the
+works may be even more brilliant. It is Berlin that demands heavy, solid
+meat. I play Bach there, Beethoven and Brahms. It is a severe test to
+play in Berlin and win success.
+
+"I have made several tours in America. This is a wonderful country. I
+don't believe you Americans realize what a great country you have, what
+marvelous advantages are here, what fine teachers, what great
+orchestras, what opera, what audiences! The critics, too, are so well
+informed and so just. All these things impress a foreign artist--the
+love for music that is here, the knowledge of it, and the enthusiasm for
+it. A worthy artist can make a name and success in America more quickly
+and surely than in any country in the world.
+
+"For one thing America is one united country from coast to coast, so it
+is much easier getting about here than in Europe. For another thing I
+consider you have the greatest orchestras in the world, and I have
+played with the orchestras of all countries. I also find you have the
+most enthusiastic audiences to be found anywhere.
+
+"In Europe a musical career offers few advantages. People often ask my
+advice about making a career over there, and I try to dissuade them. It
+sometimes impresses me as a lions' den, and I have the desire to cry out
+'Beware' to those who may be entrapped into going over before they are
+ready, or know what to expect. Of course there are cases of phenomenal
+success, but they are exceptions to the general rule.
+
+"People go to Europe to get atmosphere (stimmung)--that much abused
+term! I could tell them they make their own atmosphere wherever they
+are. I have lived in music all my life, but I can say I find musical
+atmosphere right here in America. If I listen to the Boston Symphony
+Orchestra, or to the Kneisel Quartet, when these organizations are
+giving an incomparable performance of some masterpiece, I am entirely
+wrapt up in the music; am I not then in a musical atmosphere? Or if I
+hear a performance of a Wagner opera at the Metropolitan, where Wagner
+is given better even than in Bayreuth, am I not also in a musical
+atmosphere? To be sure, if I am in Bayreuth I may see some reminiscences
+of Wagner the man, or if I am in Vienna I can visit the graves of
+Beethoven and Schubert. But these facts of themselves do not create a
+musical atmosphere.
+
+"You in America can well rejoice over your great country, your fine
+teachers and musicians and your musical growth. After a while you may be
+the most musical nation in the world."
+
+
+
+
+XXVIII
+
+OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH
+
+CHARACTERISTIC TOUCH ON THE PIANO
+
+
+Arthur Hochman, Russian pianist and composer, once remarked to me, in
+reference to the quality of tone and variety of tonal effects produced
+by the various artists now before the public:
+
+"For me there is one pianist who stands above them all--his name is
+Gabrilowitsch."
+
+The quality of tone which this rare artist draws from his instrument, is
+unforgettable. I asked him one morning, when he was kind enough to give
+me the opportunity for a quiet chat, how he produced this luscious
+singing quality of tone.
+
+"A beautiful tone? Ah, that is difficult to describe, whether in one
+hour or in many hours. It is first a matter of experiment, of
+individuality, then of experience and memory. We listen and create the
+tone, modify it until it expresses our ideal, then we try to remember
+how we did it.
+
+"I cannot say that I always produce a beautiful tone; I try to produce
+a characteristic tone, but sometimes it may not be beautiful: there are
+many times when it may be anything but that. I do not think there can be
+any fixed rule or method in tone production, because people and hands
+are so different. What does for one will not do for another. Some
+players find it easier to play with high wrist, some with low. Some can
+curve their fingers, while others straighten them out. There are of
+course a few foundation principles, and one is that arms and wrists must
+be relaxed. Fingers must often be loose also, but not at the nail joint;
+that must always be firm. I advise adopting the position of hand which
+is most comfortable and convenient. In fact all forms of hand position
+can be used, if for a right purpose, so long as the condition is never
+cramped or stiff. I permit either a high or low position of the wrist,
+so long as the tone is good. As I said, the nail joint must remain firm,
+and never be crushed under by the weight of powerful chords, as is apt
+to be the case with young players whose hands are weak and delicate.
+
+[Illustration: TO MISS HARRIETTE BROWER, OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH]
+
+
+TECHNICAL STUDY
+
+"Yes, I am certainly in favor of technical practise outside of pieces.
+There must be scale and arpeggio study, in which the metronome can be
+used. But I believe in striving to make even technical exercises of
+musical value. If scales are played they should be performed with a
+beautiful quality and variety of tone; if one attempts a Czerny etude,
+it should be played with as much care and finish as a Beethoven sonata.
+Bring out all the musical qualities of the etude. Do not say, 'I'll play
+this measure sixteen times, and then I'm done with it.' Do nothing for
+mechanical ends merely, but everything from a musical standpoint. Yes, I
+give some Czerny to my students; not many etudes however. I prefer
+Chopin and Rubinstein. There is a set of six Rubinstein Studies which I
+use, including the Staccato Etude.
+
+"In regard to technical forms and material, each player may need a
+different tonic. I have found many useful things in a work by your own
+Dr. William Mason, _Touch and Technic_. I have used this to a
+considerable extent. To my knowledge he was the first to illustrate the
+principle of weight, which is now pretty generally accepted here as
+well as in Europe.
+
+"An ancient and famous philosopher, Seneca, is said to have remarked
+that by the time a man reaches the age of twenty-five, he should know
+enough to be his own physician, or he is a fool. We might apply this
+idea to the pianist. After studying the piano for a number of years he
+should be able to discover what sort of technical exercises are most
+beneficial; if he cannot do so he must be a fool. Why should he always
+depend on the exercises made by others? There is no end to the list of
+method books and technical forms; their name is legion. They are usually
+made by persons who invent exercises to fit their own hands; this does
+not necessarily mean that they will fit the hands of others. I encourage
+my pupils to invent their own technical exercises. They have often done
+so with considerable success, and find much more pleasure in them than
+in those made by others.
+
+"Two of the most important principles in piano playing are: full, round,
+exact tone; distinct phrasing. The most common fault is
+indistinctness--slurring over or leaving out notes. Clearness in piano
+playing is absolutely essential. If an actor essays the role of Hamlet,
+he must first of all speak distinctly and make himself clearly
+understood; otherwise all his study and characterization are in vain.
+The pianist must likewise make himself understood; he therefore must
+enunciate clearly.
+
+
+VELOCITY
+
+"You speak of velocity as difficult for some players to acquire. I have
+found there is a general tendency to play everything too fast, to rush
+headlong through the piece, without taking time to make it clear and
+intelligible. When the piece is quite clear in tone and phrasing, it
+will not sound as fast as it really is, because all the parts are in
+just relation to each other. As an illustration of this fact, there is a
+little Gavotte of mine, which I had occasion to play several times in
+Paris. A lady, a very good pianist, got the piece, learned it, then came
+and asked me to hear her play it. She sat down to the piano, and rushed
+through the piece in a way that so distorted it I could hardly recognize
+it. When she finished I remonstrated, but she assured me that her tempo
+was exactly like mine as she had heard me play the piece three times. I
+knew my own tempo exactly and showed her that while it did not differ
+so greatly from hers, yet my playing sounded slower because notes and
+phrasing were all clear, and everything rightly balanced.
+
+
+POWER
+
+"How do I gain power? Power does not depend on the size of the hand or
+arm; for persons of quite small physique have enough of it to play with
+the necessary effect. Power is a nervous force, and of course demands
+that arms and wrists be relaxed. The fingers must be so trained as to be
+strong enough to stand up under this weight of arms and hands, and not
+give way. I repeat, the nail joint must remain firm under all
+circumstances. It is so easy to forget this; one must be looking after
+it all the time.
+
+
+MEMORIZING
+
+"In regard to memorizing, I have no special rule or method. Committing
+to memory seems to come of its own accord. Some pieces are comparatively
+easy to learn by heart; others, like a Bach fugue, require hard work and
+close analysis. The surest way to learn a difficult composition, is to
+write it out from memory. There is a great deal of benefit in that. If
+you want to remember the name of a person or a place, you write it down.
+When the eye sees it, the mind retains a much more vivid impression.
+This is visual memory. When I play with orchestra, I of course know
+every note the orchestra has to play as well as my own part. It is a
+much greater task to write out a score from memory than a piano solo,
+yet it is the surest way to fix the composition in mind. I find that
+compositions I learned in early days are never forgotten, they are
+always with me, while the later pieces have to be constantly looked
+after. This is doubtless a general experience, as early impressions are
+most enduring.
+
+"An orchestral conductor should know the works he conducts so thoroughly
+that he need not have the score before him. I have done considerable
+conducting the past few years. Last season I gave a series of historical
+recitals, tracing the growth of the piano concerto, from Mozart down to
+the present. I played nineteen works in all, finishing with the
+Rachmaninoff Concerto."
+
+Mr. Gabrilowitsch has entirely given up teaching, and devotes his time
+to recital and concert, conducting, and composing.
+
+
+
+
+HANS VON BUeLOW AS TEACHER AND INTERPRETER
+
+
+Those who heard Hans von Buelow in recital during his American tour, in
+1876, listened to piano playing that was at once learned and convincing.
+A few years before, in 1872, Rubinstein had come and conquered. The
+torrential splendor of his pianism, his mighty crescendos and whispering
+diminuendos, his marvelous variety of tone--all were in the nature of a
+revelation; his personal magnetism carried everything before it.
+American audiences were at his feet.
+
+[Illustration: HANS VON BUeLOW]
+
+In Von Buelow was found a player of quite a different caliber. Clarity of
+touch, careful exactness down to the minutest detail caused the critics
+to call him cold. He was a deep thinker and analyzer; as he played one
+saw, as though reflected in a mirror, each note, phrase and dynamic mark
+of expression to be found in the work. From a Rubinstein recital the
+listener came away subdued, awed, inspired, uplifted, but disinclined to
+open the piano or touch the keys that had been made to burn and
+scintillate under those wonderful hands. After hearing Von Buelow, on
+the other hand, the impulse was to hasten to the instrument and
+reproduce what had just seemed so clear and logical, so simple and
+attainable. It did not seem to be such a difficult thing to play the
+piano--like _that_! It was as though he had said: "Any of you can do
+what I am doing, if you will give the same amount of time and study to
+it that I have done. Listen and I will teach you!"
+
+Von Buelow was a profound student of the works of Beethoven; his edition
+of the sonatas is noted for recondite learning, clearness and exactness
+in the smallest details. Through his recitals in America he did much to
+make these works better known and understood. Nor did he neglect Chopin,
+and though his readings of the music of the great Pole may have lacked
+in sensuous beauty of touch and tone, their interpretation was always
+sane, healthy, and beautiful.
+
+Toward the end of a season during the eighties, it was announced that
+Von Buelow would come to Berlin and teach an artist class in the
+Klindworth Conservatory. This was an unusual opportunity to obtain
+lessons from so famous a musician and pedagogue, and about twenty
+pianists were enrolled for the class. A few of these came with the
+master from Frankfort, where he was then located.
+
+Carl Klindworth, pianist, teacher, critic, editor of Chopin and
+Beethoven, was then the Director of the school. The two men were close
+friends, which is proved by the fact that Von Buelow was willing to
+recommend the Klindworth Edition of Beethoven, in spite of the fact that
+he himself had edited many of the sonatas. Another proof is that he was
+ready to leave his work in Frankfort, and come to Berlin, in order to
+shed the luster of his name and fame upon the Klindworth school--the
+youngest of the many musical institutions of that music-ridden,
+music-saturated capital.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+It was a bright May morning when the Director entered the music-room
+with his guest, and presented him to the class. They saw in him a man
+rather below medium height, with large intellectual head, beneath whose
+high, wide forehead shone piercing dark eyes, hidden behind glasses.
+
+He bowed to the class, saying he was pleased to see so many industrious
+students. His movements, as he looked around the room, were quick and
+alert; he seemed to see everything at once, and the students saw that
+nothing could escape that active mentality.
+
+The class met four days in each week, and the lessons continued from
+nine in the morning until well on toward one o'clock. It was announced
+that only the works of Brahms, Raff, Mendelssohn and Liszt would be
+taught and played, so nothing else need be brought to the class; indeed
+Brahms was to have the place of honor.
+
+While many interesting compositions were discussed and played, perhaps
+the most helpful thing about these hours spent with the great pedagogue
+was the running fire of comment and suggestion regarding technic,
+interpretation, and music and musicians in general. Von Buelow spoke in
+rapid, nervous fashion, with a mixture of German and English, often
+repeating in the latter tongue what he had said in the former, out of
+consideration for the Americans and English present.
+
+In teaching, Von Buelow required the same qualities which were so patent
+in his playing. Clearness of touch, exactness in phrasing and fingering
+were the first requirements; the delivery of the composer's idea must be
+just as he had indicated it--no liberties with the text were ever
+permitted. He was so honest, so upright in his attitude toward the
+makers of good music, that it was a sin in his eyes to alter anything in
+the score, though he believed in adding any marks of phrasing or
+expression which would elucidate the intentions of the composer.
+Everything he said or did showed his intellectual grasp of the subject;
+and he looked for some of the same sort of intelligence on the part of
+the student. A failure in this respect, an inability to apprehend at
+once the ideas he endeavored to convey, would annoy the sensitive and
+nervous little Doctor; he would become impatient, sarcastic and begin to
+pace the floor with hasty strides. When in this state he could see
+little that was worthy in the student's performance, for a small error
+would be so magnified as to dwarf everything that was excellent. When
+the lion began to roar, it behooved the players to be circumspect and
+meek. At other times, when the weather was fair in the class-room,
+things went with tolerable smoothness. He did not trouble himself much
+about technic, as of course a pupil coming to him was expected to be
+well equipped on the technical side; his chief concern was to make clear
+the content and interpretation of the composition. In the lessons he
+often played detached phrases and passages for and with the student,
+but never played an entire composition.
+
+One of the most remarkable things about this eccentric man was his
+prodigious memory. Nearly every work for piano which could be mentioned
+he knew and could play from memory. He often expressed the opinion that
+no pianist could be considered an artist unless he or she could play at
+least two hundred pieces by heart. He, of course, more than fulfilled
+this requirement, not only for piano but for orchestral music. As
+conductor of the famous Meiningen orchestra, he directed every work
+given without a note of score before him--considered a great feat in
+those days. He was a ceaseless worker, and his eminence in the world of
+music was more largely due to unremitting labor than to genius.
+
+From the many suggestions to the Berlin class, the following have been
+culled.
+
+"To play correctly is of the first importance; to play beautifully is
+the second requirement. A healthy touch is the main thing. Some people
+play the piano as if their fingers had _migrane_ and their wrists were
+rheumatic. Do not play on the sides of the finger nor with a sideways
+stroke, for then the touch will be weak and uncertain.
+
+"Clearness we must first have; every line and measure, every note must
+be analyzed for touch, tone, content and expression.
+
+"You are always your first hearer; to be one's own critic is the most
+difficult of all.
+
+"When a new theme enters you must make it plain to the listener; all the
+features of the new theme, the new figure, must be plastically brought
+out.
+
+"Brilliancy does not depend on velocity but on clarity. What is not
+clear cannot scintillate nor sparkle. Make use of your strongest fingers
+in brilliant passages, leaving out the fourth when possible. A scale to
+be brilliant and powerful must not be too rapid. Every note must be
+round and full and not too legato--rather a mezzo legato--so that single
+tones, played hands together, shall sound like octaves. One of the most
+difficult things in rhythm, is to play passages where two notes
+alternate with triplets. Scales may be practised in this way alternating
+three notes with two.
+
+"We must make things sound well--agreeably, in a way to be admired. A
+seemingly discordant passage can be made to sound well by ingeniously
+seeking out the best that is in it and holding that up in the most
+favorable light. Practise dissonant chords until they please the ear in
+spite of their sharpness. Think of the instruments of the orchestra and
+their different qualities of tone, and try to imitate them on the piano.
+Think of every octave on the piano as having a different color; then
+shade and color your playing. (_Also bitte coloriren_)!"
+
+If Buelow's musical trinity, Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, had a fourth
+divinity added, it would surely have been Liszt. The first day's program
+contained chiefly works by the Hungarian master; among them _Au bord
+d'une Source_, Scherzo and March, and the Ballades. The player who
+rendered the Scherzo was advised to practise octaves with light,
+flexible wrist; the Kullak Octave School was recommended, especially the
+third book; the other books could be read through, practising whatever
+seemed difficult and passing over what was easy. Of the Ballades the
+first was termed more popular, the second finer and more earnest--though
+neither makes very much noise.
+
+The _Annees de Pelerinage_ received much attention. Among the pieces
+played were, _Les Cloches_, _Chasse Neige_, _Eclogue_, _Cloches de
+Geneva_, _Eroica_, _Feux Follets_ and _Ma__zeppa_. Also the big
+Polonaise in E, the two Etudes, _Waldesrauschen_ and _Gnomenreigen_; the
+Mazourka, Valse Impromptu, and the first Etude, of which last he
+remarked: "You can all play this; thirty years have passed since it was
+composed and people are only just finding out how fine it is. Such is
+the case with many of Liszt's works. We wonder how they ever could have
+been considered unmusical. Yet the way some people play Liszt the hearer
+is forced to exclaim, 'What an unmusical fellow Liszt was, to be sure,
+to write like that!'
+
+"Exactness in everything is of the greatest importance," he was fond of
+saying. "We must make the piano speak. As in speaking we use a separate
+movement of the lips for each word, so in certain kinds of melody
+playing, the hand is taken up after each note. Then, too, we cannot make
+the piano speak without very careful use of the pedals."
+
+The Mazourka of Liszt was recommended as one of the most delightful of
+his lighter pieces. The _Waldesrauschen_ also, was termed charming, an
+excellent concert number. "Begin the first figure somewhat louder and
+slightly slower, then increase the movement and subdue the tone.
+_Everything which_ _is to be played softly should be practised forte."_
+
+Of Joachim Raff the Suite Op. 91 held the most important place. Each
+number received minute attention, the Giga being played by Ethelbert
+Nevin. The _Metamorphosen_ received a hearing, also the Valse Caprice,
+Op. 116, of which the master was particular about the staccato left hand
+against the legato right. Then came the Scherzo Op. 74, the Valse
+Caprice and the Polka, from Suite Op. 71. Von Buelow described the little
+group of notes in left hand of middle section as a place where the
+dancers made an unexpected slip on the floor, and suggested it be
+somewhat emphasized. "We must make this little witticism," he said, as
+he illustrated the passage at the piano.
+
+"Raff showed himself a pupil of Mendelssohn in his earlier compositions;
+his symphonies will find more appreciation in the coming century--which
+cannot be said of the Ocean Symphony, for instance."
+
+Of Mendelssohn the Capriccios Op. 5 and 22 were played, also the Prelude
+and Fugue in E. Von Buelow deplored the neglect which was overtaking the
+works of Mendelssohn, and spoke of the many beauties of his piano
+compositions. "There should be no sentimentality about the playing of
+Mendelssohn's music," he said; "the notes speak for themselves.
+
+"The return to a theme, in every song or instrumental work of his is
+particularly to be noticed, for it is always interesting; this Fugue in
+E should begin as though with the softest register of the organ."
+
+The subject of Brahms has been deferred only that it may be spoken of as
+a whole. His music was the theme of the second, and a number of the
+following lessons. Buelow was a close friend of the Hamburg master, and
+kept in touch with him while in Berlin. One morning he came in with a
+beaming face, holding up a sheet of music paper in Beethoven's
+handwriting, which Brahms had discovered and forwarded to him. It seemed
+that nothing could have given Buelow greater pleasure than to receive
+this relic.
+
+[Illustration: DR. WILLIAM MASON]
+
+The first work taken up in class was Brahms' Variations on a Handel
+theme. Von Buelow was in perfect sympathy with this noble work of Brahms
+and illumined many passages with clear explanations. He was very exact
+about the phrasing, "What cannot be sung in one breath cannot be
+played in one breath," he said; "many composers have their own terms for
+expression and interpretation; Brahms is very exact in these
+points--next to him comes Mendelssohn. Beethoven not at all careful
+about markings and Schumann extremely careless. Brahms, Beethoven, and
+Wagner have the right to use their own terms. Brahms frequently uses the
+word _sostenuto_ where others would use _ritardando_."
+
+Of the Clavier Stuecke, Op. 76, Von Buelow said: "The Capriccio, No. 1
+must not be taken too fast. First page is merely a prelude, the story
+begins at the second page. How wonderfully is this melody formed, so
+original yet so regular. Compare it with a Bach gigue. Remember, andante
+does not mean dragging (_schleppando_), it means going (_gehend_)." To
+the player who gave the Capriccio, No. 5 he said: "You play that as if
+it were a Tarantelle of Stephan Heller's. Agitation in piano playing
+must be carefully thought out; the natural sort will not do at all. We
+do not want _blind_ agitation, but _seeing_ agitation (_aufregung_). A
+diminuendo of several measures should be divided into stations, one each
+for F, MF, M, P, and PP. Visit the Zoological Gardens, where you can
+learn much about legato and staccato from the kangaroos."
+
+The Ballades were taken up in these lessons, and the light thrown upon
+their poetical content was often a revelation. The gloomy character of
+the _Edward Ballade_, Op. 10, No. 1, the source of the Scottish poem,
+the poetic story, were dwelt upon. The opening of this first Ballade is
+sad, sinister and mysterious, like the old Scotch story. The master
+insisted on great smoothness in playing it--the chords to sound like
+muffled but throbbing heartbeats. A strong climax is worked up on the
+second page, which dies away on the third to a _pianissimo_ of utter
+despair. From the middle of this page on to the end, the descending
+chords and octaves were likened to ghostly footsteps, while the broken
+triplets in the left hand accompaniment seem to indicate drops of blood.
+
+The third Ballade also received an illumination from Von Buelow. This is
+a vivid tone picture, though without motto or verse. Starting with those
+fateful fifths in the bass, it moves over two pages fitfully gloomy and
+gay, till at the end of the second page a descending passage leads to
+three chords so full of grim despair as to impart the atmosphere of a
+dungeon. The player was hastily turning the leaf. "Stop!" cried the
+excited voice of the master, who had been pacing restlessly up and down,
+and now hurried from the end of the salon. "Wait! We have been in
+prison--but now a ray of sunshine pierces the darkness. You must always
+pause here to make the contrast more impressive. There is more music in
+this little piece than in whole symphonies by some of the modern
+composers."
+
+Both Rhapsodies Op. 79 were played; the second, he said, has parts as
+passionate as anything in the _Goetterdammerung_. Both are fine and
+interesting works.
+
+Again and again the players were counseled to make everything sound
+well. Some intervals, fourths for instance, are harsh; make them as mild
+as possible. For one can play correctly, but horribly! Some staccatos
+should be shaken out of the sleeve as it were.
+
+The first time a great work is heard there is so much to occupy the
+attention that only a small amount of pleasure can be derived from it.
+At the second hearing things are easier and by the twelfth time one's
+pleasure is complete. The pianist must consider the listener in a first
+rendering, and endeavor to soften the sharp discords.
+
+With a group of five notes, play two and then three--it sounds more
+distinguished. Remember that unlearning gives much more trouble than
+learning.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+In this brief resume of the Von Buelow lessons, the desire has been to
+convey some of the hints and remarks concerning the music and its
+interpretation. The master's fleeting sentences were hurriedly jotted
+down during the lessons, with no thought of their ever being seen except
+by the owner. But as Buelow's fame as a teacher became so great, these
+brief notes may now be of some value to both teacher and student.
+
+If it were only possible to create a picture of that Berlin music-room,
+with its long windows opening out to a green garden--the May sunshine
+streaming in; the two grand pianos in the center, a row of anxious,
+absorbed students about the edge of the room--and the short figure of
+the little Doctor, pacing up and down the polished floor, or seating
+himself at one piano now and then, to illustrate his instruction. This
+mental picture is the lifelong possession of each of those players who
+were so fortunate as to be present at the sessions. It can safely be
+affirmed, I think, that the principles of artistic rectitude, of
+exactness and thorough musicianship which were there inculcated, ever
+remained with the members of that class, as a constant incentive and
+inspiration.
+
+
+
+
+HINTS ON INTERPRETATION FROM TWO AMERICAN TEACHERS
+
+WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD AND DR. WILLIAM MASON
+
+
+WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD
+
+While a young student the opportunity came to attend a Summer Music
+School, founded by this eminent pianist and teacher. He had surrounded
+himself with others well known for their specialties in voice, violin
+and diction; but the director himself was the magnet who attracted
+pianists and teachers from the four corners of the land.
+
+Perhaps the most intimate way to come in touch with a famous teacher, is
+to study with him during the summer months, in some quiet, retired spot.
+Here the stress of the metropolis, with its rush and drive, its exacting
+hours, its remorseless round of lesson giving, is exchanged for the
+freedom of rural life. Hours may still be exact, but a part of each day,
+or of each week, is given over to relaxation, to be spent in the open,
+with friends and pupils.
+
+It was under such conditions that I first met Mr. Sherwood. I had never
+even heard him play, and was glad the session opened with a piano
+recital. His playing delighted me; he had both power and delicacy, and
+his tone impressed me as being especially mellow and fine. There was
+deep feeling as well as poetry in his reading of both the Chromatic
+Fantaisie of Bach, and the Chopin Fantaisie in F minor which were on the
+program. This opinion was strengthened at each subsequent hearing, for
+he gave frequent recitals and concerts during the season.
+
+My summer study with Mr. Sherwood consisted mainly in gaining ideas on
+the interpretation of various pieces. Many of these ideas seem to me
+beautiful and inspiring, and I will set them down as fully as I can from
+the brief notes jotted down at the time. I trust I may be pardoned a few
+personal references, which are sometimes necessary to explain the
+situation.
+
+With advanced students Mr. Sherwood gave great attention to tone study
+and interpretation, even from the first lesson. He laid much stress on
+the use of slow, gentle motions in practise and in playing; on the
+spiritualization of the tones, of getting behind the notes to find the
+composer's meaning. He had, perhaps, a more poetic conception of piano
+playing than any master I have known, and was able to impart these ideas
+in clear and simple language.
+
+The first composition considered was Schumann's Nachtstueck, the fourth
+of the set. He had a peculiar way of turning the hand on the middle
+finger, as on a pivot, for the extended chords, at the same time raising
+the whole outer side of the hand, so that the fifth finger should be
+able to play the upper melody notes round and full. In the middle
+section he desired great tenderness and sweetness of tone. "There are
+several dissonances in this part," he said, "and they ought to be
+somewhat accented--suspensions I might call them. In Bach and Handel's
+time, the rules of composition were very strict--no suspensions were
+allowed; so they were indicated where it was not permitted to write
+them."
+
+Chopin's etude in sixths came up for analysis. "This study needs a very
+easy, quiet, limpid touch--the motions all gliding and sliding rather
+than pushing and forceful. I would advise playing it at first
+_pianissimo_; the wrist held rather low, the knuckles somewhat high,
+and the fingers straightened. In preparation for each pair of notes
+raise the fingers and let them down--not with a hard brittle touch, if I
+may use the word, but with a soft, velvety one. A composition like this
+needs to be idealized, spiritualized, taken out of everyday life. Take,
+for instance, the Impromptu Op. 36, Chopin; the first part of it is
+something like this etude, soft, undulating--smooth as oil. There is
+something very uncommon, spiritual, heavenly, about the first page of
+that Impromptu--very little of the earth, earthy. The second page is in
+sharp contrast to the first, it comes right down to the hard, everyday
+business of life--it is full of harsh, sharp tones. Well, the idea of
+that first page we get in this study in sixths. I don't want the bare
+tones that stand there on the printed page; I want them
+spiritualized--that is what reveals the artist. In the left hand the
+first note should have a clear, brittle accent, with firm fifth finger,
+and the double sixths played with the creeping, clinging movement I have
+indicated. If I should practise this etude for half an hour, you might
+be surprised at the effects I could produce. Perhaps it might take ten
+hours, but in the end I am confident I could produce this floating,
+undulating effect. I heard Liszt play nearly all these etudes at one
+time; I stood by and turned the pages. In this etude he doubled the
+number of sixths in each measure; the effect was wonderful and
+beautiful.
+
+"The Chopin Octave study, number 22, needs firm, quiet touch, elevating
+the wrist for black keys (as Kullak explains) and depressing it for
+white keys. The hand must be well arched, the end fingers firm and
+strong, and the touch very pressing, clinging, and grasping. You always
+want to cling whenever there is any chance for clinging in piano
+playing. The second part of this etude should have a soft, flowing,
+poetic touch in the right hand, while the left hand part is well brought
+out. The thumb needs a special training to enable it to creep and slide
+from one key to another with snake-like movements.
+
+"Rubinstein's Barcarolle in G major. The thirds on the first page are
+very soft and gentle. I make a good deal of extra motion with these
+thirds, raising the fingers quite high and letting them fall gently on
+the keys. The idea of the first page of this barcarolle is one of utter
+quietness, colorlessness; one is alone on the water; the evening is
+quiet and still; not a sound breaks the hushed silence. The delicate
+tracery of thirds should be very soft, thin--like an airy cloud. The
+left hand is soft too, but the first beat should be slightly accented,
+the second not; the first is positive, the second negative. Herein lies
+the idea of the barcarolle, the ebb and flow, the undulation of each
+measure.
+
+"Begin the first measure very softly, the second measure a trifle
+louder, the third louder still, the fourth falling off again. As you
+stand on the shore and watch the great waves coming in, you see some
+that are higher and larger than others; so it is here. The concluding
+passage in sixths should diminish--like a little puff of vapor that ends
+in--nothing. On the second page we come upon something more positive;
+here is a tangible voice speaking to us. The melody should stand out
+clear, broad, beautiful; the accompanying chords should preserve the
+same ebb and flow, the advancing and receding wave-like movement. The
+exaggerated movement I spoke of a moment ago, I use in many ways. Any
+one can hit the piano, with a sharp, incisive touch; but what I refer to
+is the reaching out of the fingers for the notes, the passing of the
+hand in the air and the final gentle fall on the key, not in haste to
+get there, but with confidence of reaching the key in time. If you throw
+a stone up in the air it will presently fall back again with a sharp
+thud; a bird rising, hovers a moment and descends gently. This
+barcarolle is not at all easy; there is plenty of work in it for
+flexible hands; it is a study in _pianissimo_--in power controlled, held
+back, restrained."
+
+Taking up the Toccatina of Rheinberger, Mr. Sherwood said: "I like this
+piece, there is good honest work in it; it is very effective, and most
+excellent practise. You ought to play this every day of the year. It is
+written in twelve-eighths, which give four beats to the measure, but I
+think that gives it too hard and square a character. I would divide each
+measure into two parts and slightly accent each. Though your temperament
+is more at home in the music of Chopin and Schumann, I recommend
+especially music of this sort, and also the music of Bach; these give
+solidity and strength to your conception of musical ideas."
+
+We went through the Raff Suite, Op. 94. "The Preludio is very good," he
+said; "I like it. The Menuetto is, musically, the least strong of any of
+the numbers, but it has a certain elegance, and is the most popular of
+them all. The Romanza is a great favorite of mine, it is very graceful,
+flowing and melodious. The concluding Fugue is a fine number; you see
+how the theme is carried from one hand to the other, all twisted about,
+in a way old Bach and Handel never thought of doing. I consider this
+Raff fugue one of the best examples of modern fugue writing."
+
+Mr. Sherwood was fond of giving students the Josef Wieniawski Valse, for
+brilliancy. "There are many fine effects which can be made in this
+piece; one can take liberties with it--the more imagination you have the
+better it will go. I might call it a _stylish_ piece; take the Prelude
+as capriciously as you like; put all the effect you can into it. The
+Valse proper begins in a very pompous style, with right hand very
+staccato; all is exceedingly coquettish. On the fifth page you see it is
+marked _amoroso_, but after eight measures the young man gives the whole
+thing away to his father! The beginning of the sixth page is very
+_piano_ and light--it is nothing more than a breath of smoke, an airy
+nothing. But at the _poco piu lento_, there is an undercurrent of
+reality; the two parts are going at the same time--the hard, earthly
+part, with accents, and the spiritual, thin as air. To realize these
+qualities in playing is the very idealization of technic."
+
+The Chopin-Liszt _Maiden's Wish_, was next considered. "The theme here
+is often overlaid and encrusted with the delicate lace-like arabesques
+that seek to hide it; but it must be found and brought out. There is so
+much in being able to find what is hidden behind the notes. You must get
+an insight into the inner idea; must feel it. This is not technic, not
+method even; it is the spiritualization of playing. There are pieces
+that will sound well if the notes only are played, like the little F
+minor Moment Musicale of Schubert; yet even in this there is much behind
+the notes, which, if brought out, will make quite another thing of the
+piece.
+
+"Schumann's Andante, for two pianos, should have a very tender,
+caressing touch for the theme. The place where the four-sixteenths
+occur, which make rather a square effect, can be softened down. On the
+second page, be sure and do not accent the grace notes; let the accent
+come on the fifth finger every time. For the variation containing
+chords, use the grasping touch, which might be described as a certain
+indrawing of force in the end of the finger, as though taking a long
+breath. The variation in triplets seems at first sight almost a
+caricature, a burlesque on the theme, but I don't think that Schumann
+had any such idea. On the contrary he meant it as a very sweet, gentle,
+loving thought. The last page has something ethereal, ideal about it; it
+should be breathed out, growing fainter and fainter to the end.
+
+"The G minor Ballade, of Chopin, begins slowly, with much dignity. The
+opening melody is one of sadness, almost gloom. The _a tempo_ on second
+page contains four parts going on at the same time. At the _piu forte,_
+care must be taken to have the outer side of the hand well raised, and
+moved from the wrist. The idea here is one of great agitation and
+unrest. The fifth page needs great power and the legato octaves well
+connected and sustained. The feeling of unrest is here augmented until
+it becomes almost painful, and not until the _animato_ does a restful
+feeling come. This should be played lightly and delicately, the left
+hand giving the rhythm. The _presto_ demands great power and dash. Let
+the wrist be low when beginning the chords, raise it after the first and
+let it fall after the second. Always accent the second chord. Begin the
+final double runs slowly and increase in speed and tone. So, too, with
+the octaves, begin slowly and increase in power and fire."
+
+Numerous other compositions were analyzed, but the ones already quoted
+stand out in memory, and give some idea of Mr. Sherwood's manner of
+teaching.
+
+
+DR. WILLIAM MASON
+
+Years after the foregoing experiences I had the privilege of doing some
+work with the dean of all American piano masters, Dr. William Mason. I
+had spent several years in European study, with Scharwenka, Klindworth
+and von Buelow, and had returned to my own land to join its teaching and
+playing force. My time soon became so largely occupied with teaching
+that I feared my playing would be entirely pushed to the wall unless I
+were under the guidance of some master. With this thought in mind, I
+presented myself to Dr. Mason.
+
+"You have studied with Sherwood," he began. "He has excellent ideas of
+touch and technic. Some of these ideas came from me, though I don't wish
+to claim too much in the matter. Sherwood has the true piano touch. Very
+few pianists have it; Klindworth did not have it, nor von Buelow, nor
+even Liszt, entirely, for he as well as the others, sought for a more
+orchestral manner of playing. Sherwood has this touch; Tausig had it,
+and de Pachmann and Rubinstein most of all. It is not taught in Germany
+as it should be. The best American teachers are far ahead in this
+respect; in a few years the Europeans will come to us to learn these
+things." (This was Sherwood's idea also.)
+
+The first composition played to Dr. Mason was the G minor Rhapsodie of
+Brahms, with which, as it happened, he was unfamiliar. I played the
+entire piece through without interruption, and he seemed pleased.
+
+"You have a beautiful tone--a really beautiful tone, and you play very
+artistically; much of this must be natural to you, you could not have
+acquired it. You also have an excellently trained hand. I may say that
+in my forty years of teaching I have never had any one come to me with a
+better position, or more natural and normal condition. Now, what do you
+think I can do for you?"
+
+I explained that I needed some new ideas in my teaching, and wished to
+keep up my own practise.
+
+"I will explain my theories to you, and we will then study some
+compositions together.
+
+"There is everything in knowing how to practise, but it is something
+that cannot be taught. I played in public ten years before I found out
+the secret.
+
+"Practise slowly and in sections. Not only must all the notes be there,
+they must be dwelt on. There must be a firm and rock-like basis for
+piano playing; such a foundation can only be laid by patient and
+persevering slow practise. If the player has not the control over his
+fingers to play a piece slowly, he certainly cannot play it fast. Slow
+practise--one difficulty at a time--one hand at a time; Napoleon's
+tactics, 'one division at a time,' applies to music study. Above all do
+not hurry in fugue playing, a universal fault. Bach needs a slower trill
+than modern music. Chords are not to be played with percussion but with
+pressure. The main things in piano playing are tone and sentiment. When
+you take up a new piece, practise a few measures slowly, till you know
+them, then play faster; take the next few measures in the same way; but
+at first do not practise the whole piece through at once.
+
+"Just as in life every experience of great joy or great grief leaves one
+better or more callous, so every time you practise you have either
+advanced or gone back. Right playing, like good manners in a
+well-trained child, becomes habitual from always doing right. As we are
+influenced for good or evil by those we associate with, so are we
+influenced by the character and quality of the tones we make and hear.
+Be in earnest; put your heart, your whole soul, your whole self into
+your playing."
+
+Among other pieces we studied together was the Schumann sonata in F
+minor, the _Eusebius Sonata_--a glorious work! In the opening movement
+the left hand should be very serious and ponderous, with the hand and
+fingers held close to the keys; using arm weight. The melody in octaves
+in right hand is beseeching, pleading, imploring. In many places the
+touch is very elastic. The second movement begins very softly, as though
+one heard something faintly in the distance, and did not quite know what
+it was, but thought it might be music. The accents in this movement are
+to be understood in a comparative degree, and are not as strong as the
+marks seem to indicate. The Scherzo is extremely pompous and is to be
+played with heavy accents and a great deal of vim and go; the chords
+with the utmost freedom and dash. One must use the "letting-go"
+principle, which Paderewski has to perfection.
+
+We next took up the Grieg Concerto; the Peter's edition of this work has
+been corrected by the composer. At the first lesson, Dr. Mason
+accompanied on a second piano, and seemed pleased with the work I had
+done, making no corrections, except to suggest a somewhat quicker tempo.
+"Not that I would do anything to impair your carefulness and accuracy,
+but you must take a risk, and from the beginning, too. I am reminded of
+the young man who has been very carefully brought up. When the time
+comes for him to strike out and take his chance in life, he holds back
+and is afraid, while another with more courage, steps in and takes away
+his opportunity."
+
+We discussed the slow movement at great length. "Note in this movement
+the slow, dreamy effect that can be made at the ending of the second
+solo, and the artistic use of the pedal in the following chords. The
+third movement must have great swing and 'go'; the octave passage
+cadenza should be practised in rhythmical groups, and the final Andante
+must be fast."
+
+The third time we played the concerto I had it well in hand. Dr. Mason
+accompanied as only he could do, and at the close praised me on the way
+I had worked it up, and the poetry and fire I was able to put into it.
+Who could help playing with fire and enthusiasm when led by such a
+master!
+
+Dr. Mason was a most inspiring teacher, quick to note and praise what
+was good, and equally vigilant in correcting what was blameworthy. His
+criticisms were of the utmost value, for he had such wide experience,
+and such a large acquaintance with music and musicians. Best of all he
+was a true artist, always ready to demonstrate his art for the benefit
+of the pupil, always encouraging, always inspiring.
+
+
+
+
+VITAL POINTS IN PIANO PLAYING
+
+
+COMPOSITE PRINCIPLES DEDUCED FROM TALKS WITH EMINENT PIANISTS AND
+TEACHERS
+
+
+SECTION I
+
+
+How things are done, how others do them, and the reasons for the doing
+of them in one way and not in another, used to occupy my thoughts back
+as far as I can remember. As a child I was fond of watching any one
+doing fine needlework or beautiful embroidery, and tried to imitate what
+I saw, going into minutest details. This fondness for exactness and
+detail, when, applied to piano study, led me to question many things; to
+wonder why I was told to do thus and so, when other people seemed to do
+other ways; in fact I began to discover that every one who played the
+piano played it in a different fashion. Why was there not one way?
+
+One memorable night I was taken to hear Anton Rubinstein. What a
+marvelous instrument the piano was, to be sure, when its keys were
+moved by a touch that was at one moment all fire and flame, and the next
+smooth as velvet or soft and light as thistle-down. What had my home
+piano in common with this wonder? Why did all the efforts at piano
+playing I had hitherto listened to sink into oblivion when I heard this
+master? What was the reason of it all?
+
+More artists of the piano came within my vision, Mehlig, Joseffy, Mason,
+and others. As I listened to their performances it was brought to me
+more clearly than ever that each master played the piano in the manner
+which best suited himself; at the same time each and every player made
+the instrument utter tones and effects little dreamed of by the ordinary
+learner. What was the secret? Was it the manner of moving the keys, the
+size of hand, the length of finger, or the great strength possessed by
+the player? I had always been taught to play slowly and carefully, so
+that I should make no mistakes; these great pianists had wonderful
+fearlessness; Rubinstein at least did not seem to care whether or not he
+hit a few wrong notes here and there, if he could only secure the speed
+and effect desired. Whence came his fearless velocity, his tremendous
+power?
+
+
+ESSENTIALS OF PIANISM
+
+Little by little I began to realize the essentials of effective piano
+playing were these: clear touch, intelligent phrasing, all varieties of
+tone, all the force the piano would stand, together with the greatest
+delicacy and the utmost speed. These things the artists possessed as a
+matter of course, but the ordinary student or teacher failed utterly to
+make like effects, or to play with sufficient clearness and force. What
+was the reason?
+
+In due course I came under the supervision of various piano pedagogues.
+To the first I gave implicit obedience, endeavoring to do exactly as I
+was told. The next teacher said I must begin all over again, as I had
+been taught "all wrong." I had never learned hand position nor
+independence of fingers--these must now be established. The following
+master told me finger independence must be secured in quite a different
+fashion from the manner in which I had been taught, which was "all
+wrong." The next professor said I must bend the finger squarely from the
+second joint, and not round all three joints, as I had been doing. This
+so-called fault took several months to correct.
+
+To the next I am indebted for good orthodox (if somewhat pedantic) ideas
+of fingering and phrasing, for which he was noted. The hobby of the next
+master was slow motions with soft touch. This course was calculated to
+take all the vim out of one's fingers and all the brilliancy out of
+one's playing in less than six months. To the next I owe a comprehension
+of the elastic touch, with devitalized muscles. This touch I practised
+so assiduously that my poor piano was ruined inside of a year, and had
+to be sent to the factory for a new keyboard. The next master insisted
+on great exactness of finger movements, on working up velocity with
+metronome, on fine tone shading and memorizing.
+
+
+THE DESIRE FOR REAL KNOWLEDGE
+
+Such, in brief, has been my experience with pedagogues and teachers of
+the piano. Having passed through it (and in passing having tried various
+so-called and unnamed methods) I feel I have reached a vantage ground
+upon which I can stand and look back over the course. The desire to know
+the experience of the great artists of the keyboard is as strong within
+me as ever. What did they not have to go through to master their
+instrument? And having mastered it, what do they consider the vital
+essentials of piano technic and piano playing? Surely they must know
+these things if any one can know them. They can tell, if they will, what
+to do and what to avoid, what to exclude as unnecessary or unessential
+and what to concentrate upon.
+
+The night Rubinstein's marvelous tones fell upon my childish ears I
+longed to go to him, clasp his wonderful hands in my small ones and beg
+him to tell me how he did it all. I now know he could not have explained
+how, for the greater the genius--the more spontaneous its
+expression--the less able is such an one to put into words the manner of
+its manifestation. In later years the same impulse has come when
+listening to Paderewski, Hofmann and others. If they could only tell us
+exactly what is to be done to master the piano, what a boon it would be
+to those who are awake enough to profit by and follow the directions and
+experiences of such masters.
+
+In recognition of the strength of this desire, months after a
+half-forgotten wish had been expressed by me, came a request by _Musical
+America_ to prepare a series of interviews with the world famed pianists
+who were visiting our shores, and also with prominent teachers who were
+making good among us, and who were proving by results attained that they
+were safe and efficient guides.
+
+
+SEARCHING FOR TRUTH
+
+Never was an interesting and congenial labor undertaken with more zest.
+The artists were plied with questions which to them may have seemed
+prosaic, but which to the interrogator were the very essence of the
+principles of piano technic and piano mastery. It is not a light task
+for an artist to sit down and analyze his own methods. Some found it
+almost impossible to put into language their ideas on these subjects.
+They had so long been concerned with the highest themes of
+interpretation that they hardly knew how the technical effects were
+produced, nor could they put the manner of making them into words. They
+could only say, with Rubinstein, "I do it this way," leaving the
+questioner to divine how and then to give an account of it. However,
+with questions leading up to the points I was anxious to secure light
+upon, much information was elicited.
+
+One principle was ever before me, namely the Truth. I desired to find
+out the truth about each subject and then endeavored to set down what
+was said, expressed in the way I felt would convey the most exact
+meaning. In considering the vital points or heads under which to group
+the subjects to be considered, the following seem to cover the ground
+pretty thoroughly:
+
+1. Artistic piano technic; how acquired and retained.
+
+2. How to practise.
+
+3. How to memorize.
+
+4. Rhythm and tone color in piano playing.
+
+
+
+
+SECTION II
+
+
+_Hand Position, Finger Action, and Artistic Touch_
+
+
+WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES
+
+When we listen to a piano recital by a world-famous artist, we think--if
+we are musicians--primarily of the interpretation of the compositions
+under consideration. That the pianist has a perfect technic almost goes
+without saying. He must have such a technic to win recognition as an
+artist. He would not be an artist without a great technic, without a
+complete command over the resources of the instrument and over himself.
+
+Let us use the word technic in its large sense, the sense which includes
+all that pertains to the executive side of piano playing. It is in this
+significance that Harold Bauer calls technic "an art in itself." Mme.
+Bloomfield Zeisler says: "Piano technic includes so much! Everything
+goes into it: arithmetic, grammar, diction, language study, poetry,
+history and painting. In the first stages there are rules to be learned,
+just as in any other study. I must know the laws of rhythm and meter to
+be able to punctuate musical phrases and periods. Pupils who have long
+since passed the arithmetic stage have evidently forgotten all about
+fractions and division, for they do not seem to grasp the time values of
+notes and groups of notes used in music; they do not know what must be
+done with triplets, dotted notes and so on. Thus you see technic
+includes a multitude of things; it is a very wide subject."
+
+
+HAND POSITION
+
+The first principle a piano teacher shows his pupil is that of hand
+position. It has been my effort to secure a definite expression on this
+point from various artists. Most of them agree that an arched position
+with rounded finger joints is the correct one. It was Paderewski who
+said, "Show me how the player holds his hands at the piano, and I will
+tell you what kind of player he is"--showing the Polish pianist
+considers hand position of prime importance.
+
+"I hold the hand arched and very firm,"--Ernest Schelling.
+
+"The hand takes an arched position, the finger-tips forming a curve on
+the keys, the middle finger being placed a little farther in on the key
+than is natural for the first and fifth."--Katharine Goodson.
+
+"The hand is formed on the keys in its five-finger position, with arched
+knuckles."--Ethel Leginska.
+
+"The hand is formed in an arched position, with curved fingers, and
+solidified."--Carl Roeder.
+
+"The hand, in normal playing position, must stand up in well arched
+form, with fingers well rounded."--Thuel Burnham.
+
+"I first establish an arched hand position, with firm fingers."--Edwin
+Hughes.
+
+"I teach arched hand position."--Alexander Lambert.
+
+"One must first secure an arched hand, with steady first joints of the
+fingers."--Eleanor Spencer.
+
+"The first thing to do for a pupil is to see that the hand is in correct
+position; the knuckles will be somewhat elevated and the fingers
+properly rounded."--Bloomfield Zeisler.
+
+"A pupil must first form the arch of the hand and secure firm finger
+joints. I form the hand away from the piano, at a table."--Agnes Morgan.
+
+Leschetizky teaches arched hand position, with rounded fingers, and all
+who have come under his instruction advocate this form. It is the
+accepted position for passage playing. A few pianists, notably Alfred
+Cortot and Tina Lerner, play their passage work with flat fingers, but
+this, in Miss Lerner's case, is doubtless caused by the small size of
+the hand.
+
+It is clear from the above quotations, and from many other opinions
+which could be cited, that the authorities agree the hand should be well
+arched, the end of the finger coming in contact with the key;
+furthermore there should be no weakness nor giving in at the nail
+joint.
+
+FINGER ACTION
+
+The question of lifting the fingers seems to be one on which various
+opinions are held. Some pianists, like Godowsky for instance, will tell
+you they do not approve of raising the fingers--that the fingers must be
+kept close to the keys. It is noticeable, however, that even those who
+do not speak favorably of finger action, use it themselves when playing
+passages requiring distinctness and clearness. Other players are rather
+hazy on the subject, but these are generally persons who have not gone
+through the routine of teaching.
+
+The accepted idea of the best teachers is that at the beginning of piano
+study positive finger movements must be acquired; finger action must be
+so thoroughly grounded that it becomes second nature, a very part of the
+player, something he can never forget nor get away from. So fixed should
+it become that no subsequent laxity, caused by the attention being
+wholly centered on interpretation can disturb correct position,
+condition, or graceful, plastic movement.
+
+"For passage work I insist on finger action; the fingers must be raised
+and active to insure proper development. I think one certainly needs
+higher action when practising technic and technical pieces than one
+would use when playing the same pieces before an audience."--Clarence
+Adler.
+
+Alexander Lambert speaks to the point when he says: "I teach decided
+finger action in the beginning. Some teachers may not teach finger
+action because they say artists do not use it. But the artist, if
+questioned, would tell you he had to acquire finger action in the
+beginning. There are so many stages in piano playing. The beginner must
+raise his fingers in order to acquire finger development and a clear
+touch. In the middle stage he has secured enough finger control to play
+the same passages with less action, yet still with sufficient clearness,
+while in the more or less finished stages the passage may be played with
+scarcely any perceptible motion, so thoroughly do the fingers respond to
+every mental requirement."
+
+It is this consummate mastery and control of condition and movement that
+lead the superficial observer to imagine that the great artist gives no
+thought to such things as position, condition and movements. Never was
+there a greater mistake. The finest perfection of technic has been
+acquired with painstaking care, with minute attention to exacting
+detail. At some period of his career, the artist has had to come down to
+foundation principles and work up. Opinions may differ as to the
+eminence of Leschetizky as a teacher, but the fact remains that many of
+the pianists now before the public have been with him at one time or
+another. They all testify that the Viennese master will have nothing to
+do with a player until he has gone through a course of rigorous
+preparation spent solely in finger training, and can play a pair of
+Czerny etudes with perfect control and effect.
+
+
+ARTISTIC TOUCH
+
+One of the greatest American teachers of touch was Dr. William Mason,
+who made an exhaustive study of this subject. His own touch was noted
+for its clear, bell-like, elastic quality. He remarked on one occasion,
+in regard to playing in public: "It is possible I may be so nervous that
+I can hardly walk to the piano; but once I have begun to play I shall
+hold the audience still enough to hear a pin drop, simply by the beauty
+of my touch and tone." Dr. Mason's touch specialties were "pressure" and
+"elastic" or "drawing-off" touches. He found these gave both weight and
+crisp lightness to the tones.
+
+Mr. Tobias Matthay, of London, has given much time and thought to the
+study of touch and key mechanism. He says: "The two chief rules of
+technic, as regards the key are: Always feel how much the key resists
+you, feel how much the key _wants_ for every note. Second, always listen
+for the moment each sound begins, so that you may learn to direct your
+effort to the sound only and not to the key bed. It is only by making
+the hammer end of the key move that you can make a sound. The swifter
+the movement, the louder the sound. The more gradual the movement the
+more beautiful the quality of sound. For brilliant tone, you may hit the
+string by means of the key, but do not, by mistake, hit the key
+instead."
+
+Thuel Burnham, a pupil of Mason and Leschetizky, has welded the ideas of
+these two masters into his own experience, and simplifies the matter of
+piano touch as follows:
+
+
+MELODY AND COLORATURA HANDS
+
+"The position and condition of the hand varies according to the
+character of the music and the quality of tone you wish to produce. If
+you give out a melody, you want a full, luscious tone, the weight of
+arm on the key, everything relaxed and a clinging, caressing pressure of
+finger. Here you have the 'Melody Hand,' with outstretched, flat
+fingers. On the contrary, if you wish rapid passage work, with clear,
+bright, articulate touch, the hand must stand up in well-arched, normal
+playing position, with fingers well rounded and good finger action. Here
+you have the 'Technical' or 'Coloratura Hand.'"
+
+The distinction made by Mr. Burnham clears up the uncertainty about
+arched hand and articulate touch, or low hand and flat fingers. Both are
+used in their proper place, according to the demands of the music. The
+player, however, who desires a clean, reliable technic, should first
+acquire a coloratura hand before attempting a melody hand.
+
+
+SECTION III
+
+
+_The Art of Practise_
+
+
+We have seen that if the pianist hopes to perfect himself in his art he
+must lay the foundation deep down in the fundamentals of hand position,
+body condition, correct finger movements and in careful attention to
+the minutest details of touch and tone production.
+
+The remark is often heard, from persons who have just listened to a
+piano recital: "I would give anything in the world to play like that!"
+But would they even give the necessary time, to say nothing of the
+endless patience, tireless energy and indomitable perseverance which go
+to the making of a virtuoso.
+
+How much time does the artist really require for study? Paderewski owns
+to devoting _all_ his time to it during the periods of preparation for
+his recital tours. At certain seasons of the year most of the artists
+give a large portion of each day to the work. Godowsky is an incessant
+worker; Burnham devotes his entire mornings to piano study; Germaine
+Schnitzer gives six hours daily to her work, and if interrupted one day
+the lost time is soon made up. Eleanor Spencer "practises all her spare
+time," as she quaintly puts it. A professional pianist must give a
+number of hours each day to actual practise at the keyboard, besides
+what is done away from it. The work is mentally going on continually,
+whether one really sits at the instrument or not.
+
+The point which most concerns us is: How shall one practise so as to
+make the most of the time and accomplish the best results? What etudes,
+if any, shall we use, and what technical material is the most useful and
+effectual?
+
+Wilhelm Bachaus, whose consummate technic we have so often admired,
+says: "I am old-fashioned enough to still believe in scales and
+arpeggios. Some of the players of the present day seem to have no use
+for such things, but I find them of great importance. This does not
+necessarily mean that I go through the whole set of keys when I practise
+the scales. I select a few at a time and work at those. I start with
+ridiculously simple forms--just the thumb under the hand and the hand
+over the thumb--a few movements each way, but these put the hand in trim
+for scales and arpeggios. I practise the latter about half an hour a
+day. I have to overhaul my technic once or twice a week to see that
+everything is in order. Scales and arpeggios come in for their share of
+criticism. I practise them in various touches, but oftener in _legato_,
+as that is more difficult and also more beautiful than the others. I
+practise technic, when possible, an hour a day, including Bach."
+
+Sigismond Stojowski considers that scales and arpeggios must form a
+part of the daily routine.
+
+Thuel Burnham says: "Of my practise hours at least one is given to
+technic, scales, arpeggios, octaves, chords, and Bach! I believe in
+taking one selection of Bach and perfecting it--transposing it in all
+keys and polishing it to the highest point possible. So with etudes, it
+is better to perfect a few than to play _at_ so many."
+
+
+THE PIANIST A MECHANIC
+
+Edwin Hughes, the American pianist and teacher in Munich, remarks:
+"Technic is the mechanical part of music making; to keep it in running
+order one must be constantly tinkering with it, just as the engine
+driver with his locomotive or the chauffeur with his automobile. Every
+intelligent player recognizes certain exercises as especially beneficial
+to the mechanical well-being of his playing; from these he will plan his
+daily schedule of technical practise."
+
+Teresa Carreno asserts she had in the beginning many technical exercises
+which her teacher wrote out for her, from difficult passages taken from
+the great composers. There were hundreds of them, so many that it took
+just three days to go the rounds. She considers them invaluable, and
+constantly uses them in her own practise and in her teaching. Each
+exercise must be played in all keys and with every possible variety of
+touch and tone.
+
+Paderewski gives much time daily to pure technic practise. He has been
+known to play scales and arpeggios in a single key for three quarters of
+an hour at a stretch. These were played with every variety of touch,
+velocity, dynamic shading and so on.
+
+It is seen from the instances quoted that many great pianists believe in
+daily technic practise, or the study of pure technic apart from pieces.
+Many more testify that scales, chords, arpeggios and octaves constitute
+their daily bread. Some have spoken to me especially of octave practise
+as being eminently beneficial. They feel these things are essential to
+the acquiring of a fine technic, and keeping it up to concert pitch.
+
+Some artists are partial to certain technical studies. Bachaus highly
+recommends those of Brahms, for instance. All artists use Bach in
+connection with their technic practise; in fact the works of Bach may be
+considered to embody pure technic principles, and pianists and teachers
+consider them a daily necessity.
+
+
+INVENTING EXERCISES
+
+Together with their studies in pure technic alone, the artists invent
+exercises out of the pieces they study, either by playing passages
+written for both hands with one hand, by turning single notes into
+octaves, by using more difficult fingering than necessary, thus bringing
+into use the weaker fingers, changing the rhythm, and in numerous other
+ways increasing the effort of performance, so that when the passage is
+played as originally written, it shall indeed seem like child's play.
+
+Another means to acquire technical mastery is through transposition. One
+would think Bach's music difficult enough when performed as written, but
+the artists think nothing of putting it through the different keys.
+Burnham relates that during early lessons with Dr. Mason, that master
+gave him a Bach Invention to prepare, casually remarking it might be
+well to memorize it. The simple suggestion was more than sufficient, for
+the ambitious pupil presented himself at the next lesson with not only
+that particular Invention learned by heart, but likewise the whole set!
+De Pachmann, in his eagerness to master the technic and literature of
+the piano, says that when a Bach Prelude and Fugue was on one occasion
+assigned him by his teacher, he went home and learned the whole
+twenty-four, which he was able to play in every key for the next lesson!
+
+
+SLOW PRACTISE
+
+The question is often put to artists: "Do you deem it necessary to work
+for velocity, or do you practise the composition much at the required
+speed?" Many pianists practise very slowly. This was William H.
+Sherwood's custom. Harold Bauer believes velocity to be inherent in the
+individual, so that when the passage is thoroughly comprehended it can
+be played at the necessary rate of speed. Bachaus testifies he seldom
+works for velocity, saying that if he masters the passage he can play it
+at any required tempo. "I never work for velocity as some do," he
+remarks. "I seldom practise fast, for it interferes with clearness. I
+prefer to play more slowly, giving the greatest attention to clearness
+and good tone. By pursuing this course I find that when I need velocity
+I have it."
+
+Clarence Adler counsels pupils always to begin by practising
+slowly--faster tempo will develop later, subconsciously. Velocity is
+only to be employed after the piece has been thoroughly learned, every
+mark of expression observed, all fingering, accents and dynamic marks
+mastered. "You would scarcely believe," he adds, "how slowly I practise
+myself."
+
+
+A FEW EXCEPTIONS
+
+There are very few exceptions to the general verdict in favor of technic
+practise apart from pieces. Godowsky asserts he never practises scales.
+Bauer cares little for pure technic practise, believing the composition
+itself contains sufficient material of a technical nature.
+
+Whether or not these brilliant exceptions merely prove the rule, the
+thoughtful student of the piano must decide for himself. He has already
+discovered that modern piano playing requires a perfect technic,
+together with the personal equation of vigorous health, serious purpose
+and many-sided mentality. Mme. Rider-Possart says: "Technic is something
+an artist has to put in the background as something of secondary
+importance, yet if he does not possess it he is nowhere." The student
+will not overlook the fact that to acquire the necessary technical
+control he must devote time and thought to it outside of piece playing.
+He must understand the principles and follow out a certain routine in
+order to secure the best results in the quickest and surest way. While
+each one must work out his own salvation, it is an encouragement to know
+that even the greatest artists must toil over their technic, must keep
+eternally at it, must play slowly, must memorize bit by bit. The
+difference between the artist and the talented amateur often lies in the
+former's absolute concentration, perseverance and devotion to the
+highest ideals.
+
+
+SECTION IV
+
+
+_How to Memorize_
+
+
+At the present stage of pianistic development, an artist does not
+venture to come before the public and "use his notes." No artist who
+values his reputation would attempt it. Everything must be performed
+from memory--solos, concertos, even accompaniments. The pianist must
+know every note of the music he performs. The star accompanist aspires
+to the same mastery when he plays for a famous singer or
+instrumentalist. We also have the artist conductor, with opera, symphony
+or concerto at his finger-tips. Hans von Buelow, who claimed that a
+pianist should have more than two hundred compositions in his
+repertoire, was himself equally at home in orchestral music. He always
+conducted his Meiningen Orchestra without notes.
+
+Let us say, then, that the present-day pianist ought to have about two
+hundred compositions in his repertoire, all of which must be played
+without notes. The mere fact of committing to memory such a quantity of
+pages is no small item in the pianist's equipment. The problem is to
+discover the best means of memorizing music quickly and surely. Here
+again we are privileged to inquire of the artist and of the artist
+teacher. His knowledge and experience will be practical, for he has
+evolved it and proved it over and over again.
+
+It is a well-known fact that Leschetizky advises memorizing away from
+the instrument. This method at once shuts the door on all useless and
+thoughtless repetition employed by so many piano students, who repeat a
+passage endlessly, to avoid thinking it out. Then they wonder why they
+cannot commit to memory! The Viennese master suggests that a short
+passage of two or four measures be learned with each hand alone, then
+tried on the piano. If not yet quite fixed in consciousness the effort
+should be repeated, after which it may be possible to go through the
+passage without an error. The work then proceeds in the same manner
+throughout the composition.
+
+
+ONE YEAR'S MEMORIZING
+
+A player who gives five or six hours daily to study, and who has learned
+how to memorize, should be able to commit one page of music each day.
+This course, systematically pursued, would result in the thorough
+assimilation of at least fifty compositions in one year. This is really
+a conservative estimate, though at first glance it may seem rather
+large. If we cut the figure in half, out of consideration for the
+accumulative difficulties of the music, there will still remain
+twenty-five pieces, enough for two programs and a very respectable
+showing for a year's study.
+
+It may be that Leschetizky's principle of memorizing will not appeal to
+every one. The player may find another path to the goal, one more
+suited to his peculiar temperament. Or, if he has not yet discovered the
+right path, let him try different ways till he hits upon one which will
+do the work in the shortest and most thorough manner. All masters agree
+that analysis and concentration are the prime factors in the process of
+committing music to memory.
+
+Michael von Zadora, pianist and teacher, said to me recently: "Suppose
+you have a difficult passage to learn by heart. The ordinary method of
+committing to memory is to play the passage over and over, till the
+fingers grow accustomed to its intervals. That is not my manner of
+teaching. The only way to master that passage is to analyze it
+thoroughly, know just what the notes are, the sequences of notes, if you
+will, their position on the keyboard, the fingering, the positions the
+hands must take to play these notes, so that you know just where the
+fingers have to go before you put them on the keys. When you thus
+thoroughly understand the passage or piece, have thought about it, lived
+with it, so that it is in the blood, we might say, the fingers can play
+it. There will be no difficulty about it and no need for senseless
+repetitions."
+
+
+PHRASE BY PHRASE
+
+Most of the artists agree that memorizing must be done phrase by phrase,
+after the composition has been thoroughly analyzed as to keys, chords,
+and construction. This is Katharine Goodson's way, and also Eleanor
+Spencer's and Ethel Leginska's, three of Leschetizky's pupils now before
+the public. "I really know the composition so thoroughly that I can play
+it in another key just as well as the one in which it is written, though
+I do not always memorize it each hand alone," says Miss Goodson. "I
+first play the composition over a few times to become somewhat familiar
+with its form and shape," says Eleanor Spencer, "then I begin to analyze
+and study it, committing it by phrases, or ideas, one or two measures at
+a time. I do not always take the hands alone, unless the passage is very
+intricate, for sometimes it is easier to learn both hands together."
+Germaine Schnitzer avers that she keeps at a difficult passage until she
+really knows it perfectly, no matter how long it takes. "What is the use
+of going on," she says, "until you are absolutely sure of the work in
+hand."
+
+It is plain from the opinions already cited and from many I have heard
+expressed that the artists waste no time over useless repetitions. They
+fully realize that a piece is not assimilated nor learned until it is
+memorized. When they have selected the composition they wish to learn,
+they begin at once to memorize from the start. The student does not
+always bring to his work this definiteness of aim; if he did, much
+precious time would be saved. The ability to memorize ideas expressed in
+notes grows with use, just as any other aptitude grows with continued
+effort.
+
+Instead, then, of playing _with_ a piece, why do you not at once begin
+to make it your own? Look at the phrases so intently that they become as
+it were, photographed on your mind. Ruskin said: "Get the habit of
+looking intently at words." We might say the same of notes. Look at the
+phrase with the conviction that it can be remembered after a glance or
+two. It is only an indication of indolence and mental inertness to look
+continually at the printed page or passage and keep on playing it over
+and over, without trying to fix it indelibly in the mind.
+
+In my work as teacher I constantly meet students, and teachers too, who
+do little or no memorizing. Some do not even approve of it, though it
+is difficult to conceive how any one in his right mind can disapprove
+knowing a thing thoroughly. The only way to know it thoroughly is to
+know it by heart.
+
+
+CONSTANT REPAIRS NECESSARY
+
+A repertoire once committed must be constantly kept in repair. The
+public player, in his seasons of study, generally has a regular system
+of repetition, so that all compositions can be gone over at least once a
+week. One artist suggests that the week be started with the classics and
+concluded with modern compositions and concerted numbers. Thus each day
+will have its allotted task. The pieces are not merely to be played
+over, but really overhauled, and all weak places treated to a dose of
+slow, careful practise, using the printed pages. Artists on tour, where
+consecutive practise is difficult or unattainable, always carry the
+printed notes of their repertoire with them, and are ceaselessly
+studying, repairing, polishing their phrases, thinking out their
+effects.
+
+To those who wish to become pianists, I would say: "Keep your memory
+active through constant use. Be always learning by heart; do it
+systematically, a little at a time. So it will be daily progress. So
+your repertoire is built!"
+
+
+SECTION V
+
+
+_Rhythm and Tone Color in Piano Playing_
+
+
+How shall two such opposites as rhythm and tone color be connected, even
+in name, some will ask. One belongs to the mechanical side of piano
+playing, while the other appertains to the ideal, the poetic, the
+soulful. The two subjects, however, are not so wide apart as might at
+first appear; for the beauty and variety of the second depends largely
+upon the mastery of the first. You must play rhythmically before you can
+play soulfully; you must first be able to keep time before you can
+attempt to express color and emotion through any fluctuation of rhythm.
+One depends on the other, therefore time and rhythm come first; when
+these are well under control, not before, we can go further and enter
+the wider field of tonal variety.
+
+Rhythm is one of the pianist's most important assets, something he
+cannot do without. It might be said that the possession of a
+well-developed rhythmic sense is one point in which the artist differs
+greatly from the amateur. The latter thinks nothing of breaking the
+rhythm at any time and place that suits his fancy; while the artist is
+usually conscientious about such matters, because his time sense is more
+highly developed. A perfect time sense is often inherent in the artist,
+a part of the natural gift which he has cultivated to such a high state
+of achievement. It may be he has never had any difficulty with this
+particular point in piano playing, while the amateur has constantly to
+struggle with problems of time and rhythm.
+
+
+THE METRONOME
+
+When the subject of using such a mechanical aid as the metronome to
+cultivate rhythmic sense, is broached to the executive artist, it does
+not always meet with an assenting response. With such bred-in-the-bone
+sense of time as the artist commands, it is little wonder he takes no
+great interest in mechanical time-beating. Josef Hofmann's censure of
+the metronome was probably due to his inborn rhythmic and artistic
+sense; yet his words have doubtless had their effect on many students,
+who, lacking his sense of rhythm, would have been greatly benefited by
+its use.
+
+Godowsky, when asked his opinion of the metronome, replied: "I
+assuredly approve of its use; I have even devoted a chapter to the
+metronome in the _Progressive Series_, my great work on piano playing."
+Edwin Hughes remarks: "If pupils have naturally a poor sense of rhythm,
+there is no remedy equal to practising with the metronome, using it
+daily until results are evident, when there can be a judicious letting
+up of the discipline. The mechanical sense of rhythm, the ability to
+count and to group the notes of a piece correctly, can be taught to any
+person, if one has the patience; but for the delicate rhythmic _nuances_
+required by a Chopin Mazourka or a Viennese Valse, a special rhythmic
+gift is necessary."
+
+Artists and teachers who have come under Leschetizky's influence and use
+his principles, are generally in favor of the metronome, according to
+their own testimony. The fact is, they as teachers often find such
+deficiency in their pupils on the subject of time sense and accuracy in
+counting, that they are forced to institute strict measures to
+counteract this lack of rhythmic comprehension.
+
+Granting, then, that the correct use, not the abuse, of the metronome is
+of great assistance in establishing firm rhythmic sense, let us turn
+our thought to the fascinating subject of--
+
+
+TONE COLOR
+
+When De Pachmann affirmed that he uses certain fingers to create certain
+effects, the idea was thought to be one of the eccentric pianist's
+peculiar fancies. Other players, however, have had the same thought, and
+have worked along the same line--the thought that on the fingering used
+depends the quality of tone. For instance you might not play an
+expressive melody with a consecutive use of the fifth finger, which is
+called a "cold finger" by Thuel Burnham. He would use instead the third,
+a "warm finger," to give out a soulful melody.
+
+
+TONAL VARIETY
+
+The pianist who desires to play effectively, must continually strive for
+variety of tone, for tonal coloring. These can be studied in scales,
+chords, arpeggios and other technical forms. The singer seeks to make a
+tone of resonant color, not a straight, flat tone; the pianist, on his
+part, endeavors to give color and variety to his playing in the same
+way. Harold Bauer thinks variety must be secured by the contrast of one
+tone with another. Even a very harsh tone may be beautiful in its right
+place, owing to its relation to other tones, and its ability to express
+an idea. To render the playing expressive by the contrast of light and
+shade, by tonal gradations, by all varieties of touch, by all the
+subtleties of _nuance_, is a great art, and only the most gifted ever
+master it in its perfection. These are the things that enchant us in
+Paderewski's performance, and in the tonal coloring of Gabrilowitsch.
+Hofmann's playing is a marvel of atmosphere and color; such playing is
+an object lesson to students, a lesson in variety of light and shade,
+the shifting of exquisite tonal tints.
+
+The sensitive musician is highly susceptible to color effects in nature,
+in art or in objects about him. Certain colors attract him, for he sees
+an affinity between them and the tonal effects he strives to produce.
+Other colors repel, perhaps for the opposite reason. Brilliant red is a
+warlike color, and finds analogous expression in such pieces as Chopin's
+Polonaise _Militaire_, and MacDowell's Polonaise. We cannot help seeing,
+feeling the color red, when playing such music. Soft pink and rose for
+love music, tender blues and shades of gray for nocturnes and night
+pieces are some of the affinities of tone and color. Warm shades of
+yellow and golden brown suggest an atmosphere of early autumn, while
+delicate or vivid greens give thoughts of spring and luscious summer.
+Certain pieces of Mozart seem to bring before us the rich greens of a
+summer landscape; the Fantaisie in C minor, and the Pastorale Varie are
+of this type.
+
+Arthur Hochman says: "Colors mean so much to me; some are so beautiful,
+the various shades of red for instance, then the golden yellows, rich
+warm browns, and liquid blues. We can make as wonderful combinations in
+tone color as ever painter put upon canvas. To me dark red speaks of
+something tender, heart-searching, mysterious. On the other hand the
+shades of yellow express gaiety and brightness."
+
+It has been said that a pianist should study color effects in order to
+express them in his playing. He can do this to special advantage at the
+theater or opera, where he can see unrolled before him the greatest
+possible variety in light and shade, in colors, and in the constantly
+changing panorama of action and emotion.
+
+The pianist can receive many ideas of tone color when listening to a
+great singer, and watching the infinite tonal gradations produced on
+the "greatest of all instruments," the human voice.
+
+In short the pianist draws from many sources the experience, the feeling
+and emotion with which he strives to inspire the tones he evokes from
+his instrument. The keener his perceptions, the more he labors, suffers,
+and _lives_, the more he will be able to express through his chosen
+medium--the piano!
+
+
+
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