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diff --git a/43915-8.txt b/43915-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index b681ffe..0000000 --- a/43915-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2148 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Theodor Leschetizky, by Annette Hullah - -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: Theodor Leschetizky - -Author: Annette Hullah - -Release Date: October 8, 2013 [EBook #43915] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEODOR LESCHETIZKY *** - - - - -Produced by Richard J. Shiffer and the Distributed -Proofreading volunteers at http://www.pgdp.net for Project -Gutenberg. (This file was produced from images generously -made available by The Internet Archive Libraries.) - - - - - -[Transcriber's Note: Every effort has been made to replicate this -text as faithfully as possible, including obsolete and variant -spellings and other inconsistencies. Text that has been changed is -noted at the end of this ebook. - -Illustrations have been moved to appear between paragraphs, which may -be on a different page than originally published. Page numbers listed -in the illustrations section of the table of contents reflect their -position in the original text.] - - - LIVING MASTERS OF MUSIC - EDITED BY ROSA NEWMARCH - - - - - THEODOR LESCHETIZKY - - - - - "If you choose to play!--is my principle - Let a man contend to the uttermost - For his life's set prize, be it what it will." - BROWNING - - -[Illustration: _Photo. by H. S. Mendelssohn, London, IV._ -Theodor Leschetizky (signature)] - - - - - THEODOR - LESCHETIZKY - - BY ANNETTE HULLAH - - - - [Illustration] - - - - LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD - NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY. MCMVI - - - Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO. LIMITED - Tavistock Street, London - - - - -CONTENTS - - - PAGE - - I. 1830-1862 1 - - II. 1862-1905 14 - - III. THE EVOLUTION OF THE METHOD 25 - - IV. THE METHOD 39 - - V. THE LESSONS 51 - - VI. THE CLASS 66 - - VII. THE CENTRE OF THE CIRCLE 75 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - - LESCHETIZKY AT THE PIANO _Frontispiece_ - _From a copyright photograph by - Mr. H. S. Mendelssohn, London, W._ - - _To face - page_ - LESCHETIZKY'S VILLA IN THE CARL LUDWIG - STRASSE, VIENNA 14 - - LESCHETIZKY IN 1903 18 - - ON THE KAHLENBERG 22 - - DR. ARNE (OLD SCHOOL) 26 - - A GROUP OF PUPILS 50 - - LESCHETIZKY AND MARK HAMBOURG 70 - - LESCHETIZKY AT KARLSBAD 76 - - THE PROFESSOR'S BIRTHDAY 80 - - - - -CHAPTER I - -1830 TO 1862 - - -Theodor Leschetizky was born in Poland at the Castle of Lancut, near -Lemberg, June 22, 1830. His father, a Bohemian by birth, held the -position of music-master to the family of Potocka. His mother, Theresa -von Ullmann, was a Pole. - -The Potocki had luxurious tastes. They were cultivated people, who -cared for beautiful things, and were rich enough to have them. The -Castle itself, a fine old building, stood in the middle of a large -park, surrounded by trees and plenty of open land; it contained a -picture-gallery and a private theatre. This was the home in which -Leschetizky passed his childhood, seeing life as a delightful thing, -full of grace and ease, which might have been quite perfect had there -been no music lessons. But at the age of five he began to learn the -piano, and had to study two hours a day from the beginning. He loved -music intensely, and might even have loved practising; but his father, -according to the parental custom of the day, was so extremely severe -that the lessons were a misery to both, and, but for his mother's -gentle help, might have ended in his hating the instrument altogether. - -In spite of such troubles, his progress was extraordinary. In four -years he was ready to play in public, and made his first appearance at -an orchestral concert in Lemberg. He played a Concertino of Czerny, -and created a considerable sensation; "but," he says, "I cannot -remember very much about the music, because at the time my mind was -entirely taken up with the rats." Concerts were given so rarely in -those days that any place was considered fit to play in. Leschetizky's -first concert-room--probably a little more primitive than most--was -built of wood; the light came in through the cracks, and the floor was -full of holes, through which climbed the aforesaid rats in hundreds, -running about fearlessly, not only during rehearsal, but at the -concert itself. - -After this exciting début Leschetizky went about playing everywhere, -and very quickly became famous as a "wonder-child." Everybody talked -about him and wanted to hear him; great ladies borrowed him for their -salons when they could, and fęted and spoilt him, as great ladies -always do--all of which he enjoyed as much as they did. - -When he was ten, his father, pensioned by the Potocka, took his family -to live in Vienna, where they were already accustomed to spend the -winter. Joseph Leschetizky's post in the Potocka household had given -him the opportunity of meeting all the great artists of the time who -frequented their salon; and in this way Theodore had been able to hear -the best music from his earliest boyhood. For a year the boy continued -to study at home with his father, after which he went to the great -Czerny, whose school was so famous in those days, and to which many -of the greatest artists, such as Liszt, Thalberg, Döhler, Kullak, and -Hiller, had belonged. - -Himself a fine pianist, Czerny had been a pupil of Clementi and an -intimate friend and pupil of Beethoven; "a fact of which he was very -proud," says Leschetizky. "So often, indeed, did he speak of him to -me that I always felt as if I had known him myself." In the same -indirect way he became spiritually acquainted with Chopin, whose pupil -Filtsch was his great friend. A little older than Leschetizky, Filtsch -was already a beautiful player, whom Chopin loved, of whom he thought -highly, and who would assuredly have become famous had he lived. -Leschetizky's readings of the lighter compositions of Chopin are for -the most part inspired by the remembrance of what he assimilated -from this gifted boy, and he has changed his rendering very little -since those days. Czerny cared little for Chopin, either as pianist -or composer, nor did he willingly teach his music. His mind was too -limited to understand subtlety, and he felt for it the contempt the -plain man always feels for what he cannot grasp. - -At fourteen Leschetizky began to take pupils himself, and seems to -have been a prodigy in teaching as well as in playing, for he had -soon so much to do that his time was quite filled up. His father -took two rooms for him next door, so that he might carry on his -musical work without disturbing the household. He was very busy, for, -besides the teaching and his own practice, there were lessons from -Sechter in counterpoint and, until his voice broke, he sang in a -church choir two or three times a week. He played everywhere. He was -known in Metternich's salon, to Thalberg, to the great Liszt, whom -he worshipped, to the Court, to Donizetti, who encouraged his early -attempts at composition, in fact to all the great artists who passed -through Vienna. - -It was at this time that he heard Schulhoff play one evening -at Dessauer's house. It was a new experience. Hitherto he had -heard nothing like it. To phenomenal technique he was quite -accustomed--fireworks could no longer disturb his equanimity--but -the poetry, exquisite finish and simplicity of Schulhoff's playing -touched something within him that till then had lain dormant, and he -recognised at once the incompleteness of his own work. - -Schulhoff, though not a pupil of Chopin, knew him well in Paris, and -had caught something of his manner; yet it was not this--already -familiar to Leschetizky through Filtsch--but his marvellous power of -making the piano "sing" that brought to the boy the vision of a new -world. The public did not understand Schulhoff at first. They rather -despised this pianist, who played to them in a perfectly simple way. -They missed their runs and trills and surging octave passages, and -found him dull. Not so Leschetizky. Here was a pianist who had gone -further, and attained to something higher than the rest. He too must -reach the same plane. For months he worked, refusing to play in public -till he had gained what he had been searching for, and when he emerged -from his exile, not only his playing, but his point of view had -entirely altered. - -Up to this time, in spite of Filtsch's influence, he had, like others, -been satisfied that "the perfect finger" was the desirable thing; now -he recognised a finer ideal. The change in him was to be of farther -reaching influence than he dreamt of at the time, for it filtered -through him to his pupils and created in them the germ of what -developed later into the famous Leschetizky School. Schulhoff's visit -marked an epoch in Leschetizky's life. - -In the same year he took a course in law at the University; and this -together with his pupils kept him so busy that he was obliged to read -hard into the early morning hours to get through the double work. - -When the Revolution of 1848 came--putting an end to all music in the -city for the time being--he was ready for a holiday. Having also hurt -his arm in a duel, therefore unable to practise, he decided to take -this opportunity of seeing something of the world. He did not see much -of it, for he went to Italy, and promptly fell so deeply in love with -everything--and everybody--there, that he had to be removed from the -source of danger; and a faithful friend hastily took him back to the -Austrian mountains and kept him there, till both his mind and his city -were calm enough to permit a safe return to ordinary life. - -For four years he worked away steadily at his teaching, playing much -besides, and leading the gay social life his genial nature loved. He -also composed his first opera, "Die Bruder von San Marco." Meyerbeer, -to whom he played it, thought it showed great promise, and urged -him to finish it, but this he never cared to do, and the work still -remains as he left it then. - -In 1852 Leschetizky decided to go to Russia, and set out in September -of that year. - -His début at the Michael Theatre in St. Petersburg resulted in a small -circle of pupils, which very soon grew into a large one. His fame as a -pianist had already preceded him, and shortly after his arrival he was -commanded to play before Nicholas I. - -He tells of the magnificent carriage sent to convey him to the palace, -of the sumptuous apartment and dainty supper to greet him when he -got there and, alas, of the intolerable piano, upon which he flatly -refused to play, and went home instead. Expecting to be ordered out -of Russia, a little later on he received to his surprise a second -invitation, accompanied this time by no beautiful carriage, and graced -by only a very meagre supper served in a miserable little bedroom. But -the piano was all he could wish, and he played on it so much to their -Majesties' satisfaction that, his sins forgiven, bedtime discovered -him once more in the gorgeous apartment of his first visit. - -He was very happy in his Russian life. He had many friends, and among -them Anton Rubinstein. As boys they had played together in Vienna, -now as young men they were to work together in St. Petersburg. -Rubinstein was concert-master at the Court of the Grand Duchess Helen, -the sister of the Emperor Nicholas. Soon after Leschetizky came to -Russia, Rubinstein wishing to go on tour, asked him to take his place -until his return. Leschetizky agreed to do so, on the understanding -that he could live in his own rooms instead of staying in the palace, -and be allowed to go on with his private teaching at home. Life would -have been intolerable to him had his freedom been curtailed. His -duties were to arrange all the music at Court, to give singing lessons -to the daughter of the Grand Duchess, and to one of her Maids of -Honour--Madlle. de Fridebourg, who possessed one of the most beautiful -voices he had ever heard. In 1856 he married this lady. Sixteen years -later they were divorced. - -Leschetizky's connection with the Grand Duchess brought him into touch -with all the great artists who visited St. Petersburg. The Grand -Duchess Helen was a remarkable woman, who exercised considerable -influence over the political affairs of Russia and made her palace -the centre of culture in the capital. Of wide sympathies and -unusual intellectual gifts, she was fitted to be the leader of any -sphere she might choose to rule. Men and women from all parts of -Europe--military, diplomatic, artistic--visited her salon. She it -was who started the Russian Imperial Musical Society which, under -Rubinstein's directorship, eventually founded the Conservatoire; and -it was in a large measure owing to her influence that Rubinstein, -Kologrivov, and others were able to carry out their schemes for -educating the people to a knowledge of good music. - -St. Petersburg was very far behind the rest of Europe in regard to the -status of the musical profession when Leschetizky first went there. It -was not regarded as an honourable career at all, nor even as a serious -study. The rich patronised it because it was fashionable; the bargeman -on the river chanted his song as he went because he loved it; but its -cultivation as an art was in no sense a conscious necessity of Russian -life. - -Outside aristocratic circles there was little or no music, scarcely -any one who thought it worth while to make it his life-work. No one -knew anything about the generation of young native composers then -growing up. Even Glinka's popularity had waned, and Dargomijsky and -Balakirev were hardly more than names. The orchestra of the Symphony -Concerts--given but two or three times in the year by the Court -Chapel--was made up of students, clerks, or any one who could play, -and liked to spend his leisure in that way. Till 1850, when Rubinstein -inaugurated the Sunday Concerts, there were no public orchestral -performances outside the Court at all; and even twelve years later, -when the Conservatoire was started, musical life was but just -awakening, and a little knowledge of the art spreading through the -city. The ignorance of people in general was incredible. Leschetizky -tells an amusing story to illustrate this. - -One day a rich tradesman came to one of his musical friends to ask -what his terms would be for giving pianoforte lessons to his daughter. -He named his price. "Well," said the tradesman, "that certainly is -expensive--but does it include the black keys as well as the white?" - -In a comparatively short time the condition of musical affairs -improved immensely, for the people at once took advantage of the -opportunity to hear and learn, and Leschetizky's popularity as a -teacher increased so rapidly that very soon it became impossible for -him to take all the pupils himself, and he found it necessary to train -some of them to work under him as assistants. - -In 1862, when the St. Petersburg Conservatoire was opened with Anton -Rubinstein as director, Leschetizky transferred his class there. -Though among the pioneers who actively interested themselves in its -development as a means of popularising the study of music, Leschetizky -was more taken up with pupils in particular than pupils in general. -He sympathised to a certain extent with Rubinstein's plans for the -improvement of the musical condition of the country; at the same -time his nature, more individualist and less philanthropic than his -friend's, preferred to work in a smaller field. He could devote -himself heart and soul to watching and tending the unfolding of any -young talent, but not to the education of the masses; and it is well -that it was so, for otherwise a specialist would have been lost to -the world. His chief care was that each pupil entrusted to him should -develop to the best of his ability; if pianism in general incidentally -benefited by the system of study he had built up, so much the better. - - - - -CHAPTER II - -1862-1905 - - -During these years Leschetizky played a great deal in public. He was -famous all over Russia, Austria, and Germany, both as pianist and -teacher, and pupils collected to join his class from every part of -Europe. - -[Illustration: LESCHETIZKY'S HOUSE IN VIENNA] - -In his capacity as Capellmeister he had also to fill the part of -conductor. In speaking of this part of his career he says: "Conducting -is not difficult. It is harder to play six bars well on the piano -than to conduct the whole of the Ninth Symphony of Beethoven." In -illustration of this view he relates how, when he was once conducting -the Schumann Concerto, Rubinstein, who was taking the solo, suddenly -forgot the music so completely that Leschetizky was obliged to stop -the orchestra. On rushed Rubinstein, playing anything that came into -his head, till he found himself in the Cadenza, when Leschetizky -at once passed the word round the orchestra to be ready to come in -with the theme, if Rubinstein ever got there. Rubinstein did get -there. Leschetizky brought down the stick, and all went merrily to -the end. On another occasion he had to conduct an overture that he -had never seen; but he ran it over in his mind before the concert -began, and it went without a hitch. He thinks far too much is -said about a conductor's difficulties. He protests also against -"virtuoso-conducting." "Why should the orchestra rise? Why should -so much be said about the way in which things are done? It is the -_composer_ who should have the applause, not the _conductor_." When a -concert is over, he would have all the lights put out, the portrait of -the composer thrown by a lantern on a screen, and make the audience -applaud that. Leschetizky's own career as a conductor ended when -Rubinstein came back to take up his position as "Janitor of Music" at -the Court. Since then he has not sought the opportunity of carrying -these ideas into practice. - -In 1864 he visited England for the first time, making his _début_ at -one of Ella's Musical Union Concerts, where he played the Schumann -Quintet and some of his own compositions. Mr. Kuhe happened to be in -the artists' room at the time, and says that at rehearsal there arose -a considerable discussion as to the _tempo_ at which the Quintet -should be taken. Leschetizky, it seems, was accustomed to play it much -more brilliantly and at a greater speed than Joachim--the first violin -on this occasion--and nothing would induce him to play it in any other -way. "I play it so, or not at all." "Very well," replied Joachim, "but -mind the responsibility rests with _you_." They played it according -to Leschetizky's rendering, and so great was its success that the new -_tempo_ became universally popular. - -Whatever Leschetizky made up his mind to do he carried through in -spite of all obstacles. Once, on arriving at a town where he was to -play in the evening, he found the impresario anxious to give up the -concert, because that very day another pianist had already played the -Concerto chosen by Leschetizky. "No matter," said Leschetizky quite -calmly, "I will play it all the same. The audience will come to hear -how I do it after the other man." And they did. In England it was -still the fashion to give extremely long concerts--although not quite -as long as in the Mendelssohn era, when it is recorded that Benedict -arranged a concert of thirty-eight numbers. Mr. Kuhe was one of the -most generous of impresarios in this respect, and Leschetizky never -lost an opportunity of rallying him on the subject. - -While Leschetizky was staying in London Mr. Kuhe gave one of these -lengthy concerts at Brighton, and the former went down to hear it. But -when he arrived he was tired after the journey and in the mood for -a quiet evening; the armchair was comfortable; it began to rain--he -did not go. Next morning he was walking about the parade enjoying the -sunshine and the sea air, quite happy and entirely oblivious of the -concert for the moment, when up came Mr. Kuhe, weary and reproachful: -"Why did you not come to my concert last night?" Leschetizky stared -at him, apparently horror-struck, "The concert! Good heavens," he -exclaimed, "you don't mean to say it is over already!" - -Leschetizky came to London two or three times afterwards, but never -stayed very long. The atmosphere of solidity, musical and climatic, -depressed him, and he was always glad to get away again to lands where -the sky was blue and the sun shone. - -Among those who had worked with him in St. Petersburg was Annette -Essipoff. She came to him when she was twelve years old, and he grew -to be prouder of her than almost any other pupil. "I would have given -my life, could it have brought her nearer the goal," he says. "She had -a talent that is met with once in a lifetime--oh, if you could but -have heard how she played to me sometimes." Later his pride grew into -love, and she became his second wife. - -In 1878, partly on account of her health and his own--weakened by an -attack of typhoid fever--and partly for the sake of his father, who -had been living alone for many years, Leschetizky made up his mind to -leave Russia and settle permanently in Vienna. During the twenty-six -years that had elapsed since it had been his home, great changes had -taken place there. - -[Illustration: LESCHETIZKY IN 1903] - -Vienna had always had a reputation as a musical city. Yet in 1838 -Schumann, though finding it delightfully gay and the opera "splendid, -surpassing any other," added in his letters home, "... in vain do I -look for musicians, that is musicians who can play passably well on -one or two instruments, and who are cultivated men." With the people -themselves he is pleased enough: "Of all Germans," he writes, "they -spare their hands the least, and even in their idolatry have been -known to split their gloves with clapping so much." Incidentally it -is curious to compare with this Mendelssohn's description of a Berlin -audience a few years earlier: "When a piece of music comes to an -end, the whole company sit in solemn silence, each considering what -his opinion is to be, nobody giving a sign of applause or pleasure, -and all the while the performer in the most painful embarrassment -not knowing whether, nor in what spirit, he has been listened to." -Enthusiastic as Vienna evidently was by nature, her enthusiasm did -not carry her to the same level as other German cities, where music -was an every-day occurrence, for she was as much behind Leipzig, for -instance, as she was in advance of Russia. - -At the time of Leschetizky's birth--1830--Vienna had just lost two of -her greatest composers, Beethoven and Schubert, and for the moment no -one remained to carry on her tradition as the home of great musicians. -Schumann and Mendelssohn, it is true, came to and fro. Spohr had -been there--Paganini, Vieuxtemps, Hummel, Meyerbeer, Cherubini, and -a host of other executant-composers, including Liszt and Chopin. But -no great composer was actually living there--nor was to live there -for many years to come. Her creative spirit seemed to have gone to -sleep and left her rich only in virtuosi. In 1878, when Leschetizky -returned from Russia, it was to find her once more restored to her -former glory. Brahms had come. Goldmark, Brückner, Brüll, Volkmann, -Johann Strauss were there. For thirty years she had been but a city of -players. She was again a city of composers. - -Leschetizky bought a house and settled down, thinking to rest -from teaching for a time. But no sooner was it known that he had -established himself in Vienna, than the inevitable pupils assailed -him with petitions for lessons, and almost immediately he was hard at -work again. - -He had by now published a considerable number of compositions, many of -which had become popular; but, never able to devote his whole energies -to composing, most of his works are valuable solely as admirable -pianoforte studies, wherein he has expressed his perfect knowledge of -the instrument. Everything he writes is full of charm and handled with -a delicacy that is peculiarly his own. Though difficult to play well, -his works are all effective and repay the trouble of study. - -In 1882 his second opera, "Die Erste Falte," was brought out at -Mannheim. The composer was not present on the first night, for it -happened that Liszt arrived just as he was starting, and Leschetizky, -in the joy of seeing his old friend again--they had not met for many -years--talked on till long after the only train had gone. This opera -was produced with success in several other German towns, and finally -in Vienna, under Richter. Vienna was full of interesting musicians -at this time, all of whom Leschetizky knew: Pauline Lucca, Mariana -Brandt, Schütt, Richter, Navratil, Rosenthal, Fischof, Grünfeld, -Brahms, and many more. The Ton-Künstler Verein--a new musical -club--became the centre where they all met, and where they produced -and discussed each other's compositions with the freedom of old -friends. - -Leschetizky saw Brahms more often at Ischyl than in Vienna, and spent -many an evening with him for, though they could not abide each other's -music, they were excellent friends. - -Leschetizky relates how, when he was sitting at the piano composing -one morning, Brahms walked in and looked over his shoulder to see -what he was doing. "Ha! What sort of things are you writing this -morning? I see--quite _little_ things, _little_ things, of course, -yes." "_Little_ things? Yes, they are, but ten times more amusing than -yours, I can tell you." - -Every great artist who stayed in Vienna came to see Leschetizky, -and he and Mme. Essipoff were welcomed everywhere as the central -figures of a brilliant, gifted circle in which it was a privilege to -be included. In 1892 they separated. Two years later he married his -secretary, Mme. Donnimirska. - -[Illustration: ON THE KAHLENBERG] - -Leschetizky had long since definitely given up appearing in public. He -lost his delight in applause and all the excitements connected with -platform life very early. Soon, his interests, more and more absorbed -by his pupils, the ambition to play gradually died out, and he gave -his whole time to helping those who cared for a public career more -than he did himself. His last appearance in public was in Frankfort -in 1887, where he played the E flat Concerto of Beethoven. He says: -"I did not care for their enthusiasm at all. Nor did I read their -criticisms, though I was told they were good. If they had been bad I -would have read them, for bad criticism is very wholesome. We learn -much from the disagreeable things critics say, for they make us think, -whereas the good things only make us glad." - -Once only during his visit to London in September 1897 he allowed -himself to be persuaded into playing in public by one of his pupils. -This was at Mr. Daniel Mayer's reception at the Salle Erard, where -Leschetizky gave some of his own compositions: "L'Aveu," "La Source," -"Barcarolle," and the "Mazurka" in E flat. The storm of applause when -he finished made speech impossible; but, ever critical of himself, he -inquired anxiously in a whisper of those intimate friends around him: -"Oh, children, have I played badly--oh, tell me, have I played badly?" - -He stayed a few weeks only, but this time he was so sorry to leave -London that he has been making plans to come back ever since. - -He spends part of every summer at Ischyl, where many years ago he -bought a beautiful villa, and where for months he lives content -amongst trees and mountains and the company of an occasional -sympathetic friend. - -Sometimes he goes to Carlsbad for a few weeks, sometimes to -Wiesbaden, but the winter always find him at home in Vienna, for -his working year begins in November and--except for a day or two at -Christmas--continues without a break until the following June. - - - - -CHAPTER III - -THE EVOLUTION OF THE METHOD - - -Over a hundred and fifty years ago, in the year 1747, John Sebastian -Bach went to Potsdam to visit Frederick the Great, and while there he -was asked to try over some of the new fortepianos that had recently -been made for the King by Silbermann. He did so, and disliked the -noise extremely. His ears, too long accustomed to the gentle tinkle -of his beloved clavichord, could not accept this harsh, modern -instrument, and he returned home thankful that Providence had not -brought him up on such an abominable invention. - -But his son, Carl Philip Emanuel, in the service of the King, and -having therefore the opportunity to study the Fortepiano at his -leisure, became so much interested in it that he wrote a book on the -art of playing it--the first book that exists on piano technique. -His father's instructions for the clavichord advised players to keep -the hand as quiet as possible, "to wipe a note off the keys with -the end-joint of the finger only, as if taking up a coin from a -table"--"not to be too lavish in the employment of the thumb." Carl -Philip Emanuel transferred what he could of this to his own book, -putting in a plea for certain necessary innovations--he thought they -might look on the thumb with a little more favour: on rare occasions a -note might be struck, it was inadvisable now to pass the fingers over -each other backwards if they could do without. They must, above all -things, maintain an elegant tranquillity, a quiet deportment, being -careful to sit precisely before the middle of the keyboard, using -their fingers softly, caressing - - Those dancing chips - O'er whom thy fingers walk with gentle gait. - -[Illustration: DR. ARNE (SKETCH BY BARTOLOZZI) - _Old style of playing, for new style see Frontispiece_] - -In Bach's time, and long afterwards, people never played vigorously. -They could not. If they had attempted to do so the piano would have -collapsed at once. They were very delicate instruments, unfitted -for any but the most tender treatment--which, indeed, is all they ever -had. - -Playing must have been anxious work in those days. There was no pedal -to swell the sound, or cover up defective technique. The note died -away immediately after it was struck, making--what distressed Mozart -so much--"cantabile playing" an impossibility. The touch of the -keyboard was something like that of a harpsichord, the keys jumping up -and down with a little jerk; and when the instrument went out of tune -it was a serious matter. - -By the beginning of the nineteenth century all this had changed. The -mechanism was so much improved that it had developed into a responsive -medium worth the trouble of studying. Clementi was the first who -composed specially for the piano; for Mozart and Haydn, concerning -themselves little with its mechanical resources (what they wrote -serving equally well for the clavichord or harpsichord), treated it -merely as a vehicle for the expression of their ideas, well suited to -the inspiration of the moment. Clementi--whose inspirations were few -and far between--regarded it from an entirely different standpoint. -He was interested in the instrument itself; he experimented with it, -tried what effects could be got out of it, and composed to introduce -these effects rather than for any other reason. He considered the -pianist more than the musician, and, in so doing, became the founder -of a school of playing that regarded mechanical skill as a study in -itself. - -By degrees the piano and its players, developing side by side, -diverged into two distinct styles--the English and the Viennese. -The English school grew up, so to speak, of the masculine sex, the -Viennese of the feminine--their respective instruments being in a -large measure responsible for the heavy, vigorous qualities of the -one, and the delicacy and lightness of the other. As long as Mozart -lived, the Viennese held to their old-time gentleness and quaint -dignity, but after his death they became more and more brilliant; -so that, in his "Music in Germany," Dr. Burney could write of them -as the "most remarkable people for fire and invention" (by which he -probably meant improvisation) that he had ever heard. In spite of this -reputation, the manner of performance in those days, tried by present -standards, would have seemed very dry indeed. Correct, accurate, -redolent of propriety and good manners, the goal of perfection -exemplified by such men as Herz, Hunten, and Steibelt, cannot have -been very interesting. Clementi himself, though no doubt angular and -stiff, did try to some extent to shake off prim custom. At any rate, -his was a wider mind, genuinely interested in striving to infuse some -warmth and colour into his art. He pioneered his cause to the utmost, -talking about it, writing studies for it, and setting every one -else doing the same. His ideas were worked out still further by his -pupils Field and Cramer, who, having a faint inkling of the mysteries -of "tone-effects," tried to "make the piano sing"--as Field's -compositions show. - -As yet no one had in the least realised what the instrument could -be made to do. Quantity of notes, not quality, was the chief -concern; fluency, not beauty of tone, the aim of a good player. The -perpendicular finger of the Bach era--a relic of the clavichord -touch--was still fashionable; indeed, up to this time, there was no -reason why it should not be so, for the music of the day called for -nothing more forcible. But there were signs that this dull code of dry -formulć was soon to become too narrow, and the complaisant pedagogue -to be driven from his throne. There was need of a change, and the man -destined to effect it was at hand. - -Wiping out their stiffness, poking fun at their propriety, it was -Beethoven who broke through their foolish little rules and gave them -something deeper and more vital to think of. Full of dramatic power, -of orchestral effects, of changing moods, his music outstretched their -limits entirely. It created a new element and offered them a new -problem: the study of tone. He demanded of the piano what had never -been demanded of it before; both the instrument and its players were -forced to change. Henceforward the art of pianism stood on an entirely -different level. A new school was growing up. - -Weber, who was an immense admirer of Beethoven, and a great influence -in the musical world, went into the question with enthusiasm--indeed, -some of his own Sonatas showed a faint dramatic tendency, new figures, -and a more complicated technique. - -Kalkbrenner, a follower of Clementi and famous teacher, was at work -in Paris. Dussek, and Berger (Mendelssohn's master) helped elsewhere. -Schubert in his compositions afforded food for experiment too. - -On the other side Czerny, Woelffl, Herz, Steibelt, and even -Hummel--who was considered a good enough pianist to be put forward as -Beethoven's rival--upheld the prim style of their youth. Thus began -the usual struggle between old and new, ending in the invariable -victory for the new. Moscheles and Mendelssohn, though educated in -the old traditions, sympathised with modern views, so welding a link -between the past and "the wonderful things reported of a Pole--Chopin -by name," of whom Schumann told the world in his journal. - -In about eighty years both players and instruments had developed -beyond recognition, virtuosity became an art in itself, and the -piano so increased in importance that instead of being regarded as -little worse than an accompaniment, it had become popular as a solo -instrument, and long recitals, without the relief of song or strings, -were given for it alone. - -Partly to avoid the monotony of this one-man entertainment, and -partly to induce the public to stop to the end, great pianists, -such as Thalberg, Liszt, and Dreyschock began to do strange and -wonderful gymnastic tricks. They passed one hand over the other with -extraordinary rapidity; divided the melody between two hands and made -it sound as if they had not; played octaves glissando; jumped with -marvellous agility from one end of the piano to the other; wrote -horrible and difficult fantasias of interminable length; played -without the music; in short, they did everything they could think of -to make a sensation and astonish the public. Vienna and Paris, where -the audiences came from gay and sprightly circles and much preferred -being amused to being instructed, were delighted. Sober-minded Germany -was less so, for--although Liszt created a _furore_ there as well as -elsewhere--she had Mendelssohn to keep her in the way she should go. -Europe was divided into two distinct camps--the one brilliant, the -other scholarly. To the former belonged Leschetizky. - -In 1830, the year of his birth, Rubinstein was but a baby; Von Bulow -a few months old; Clara Schumann had just given her first concert -at the age of ten--(her programme is interesting as showing the kind -of music popular at the time: "Rondo Brilliant," by Kalkbrenner, -"Variations Brilliantes," by Herz, "Variations" on a thema of -her own); Saint-Saëns was born five--Tausig eleven--years later. -Dreyschock was already twelve; Henselt sixteen; Thalberg eighteen; -Liszt nineteen. - -All these artists and many more visited Vienna, and Leschetizky heard -them often. They were the source from which he drew inspiration as a -young teacher, and whose playing served him as material from which, -later on, to build up a system of his own. It is from them, from -Schulhoff his friend, and from Czerny his master, that he has worked -out the principles known as "The Leschetizky Method." - -The explanation of the technical part of this method without practical -illustration--that is, without a piano at hand--is impossible; for the -description would have to cover not only the account of the manual -exercises themselves, but of their application to the instrument. The -art of playing the piano cannot be taught by correspondence; although -the development of the hand may be. The instrument must be there to -give value to the statement. To describe a pianoforte method by the -pen does as much good to the pianist as the "Absent Treatment" of a -Christian Scientist does to his patient. Indeed, the treatment might, -by a rare chance, cure a patient furnished with a fertile imagination; -whereas no amount of imagination will make anybody play the piano, -even if he read all the treatises written, from the naďve simplicity -of Philip Emanuel Bach's "True Art of Piano Playing," to the wonderful -complexity of Tobias Mathay, on "The Act of Touch." - -With regard to methods in general, Leschetizky is very broad-minded. -If a method can teach the pupil to accomplish what is necessary, the -process by which it has been done is quite immaterial. Any suggestion -that makes for progress would be welcome to him, and though he seems -to have drawn all that is serviceable and important into his own -system, he says: "I have thought over these things all my life, but if -you can find better ways than mine I will adopt them--yes, and I will -take two lessons of you and give you a thousand gulden a lesson." - -Nearly every one can do something well if they are told exactly what -to do. Leschetizky does not expect to make a silver goblet out of -a pewter-pot, but he takes the trouble to make the pewter-pot as -perfect in its way as possible. He does not think the world is made -for genius. He sees that it is made for the ordinary man. Not in the -least imbued with "that appreciation of mediocrity that the Creator of -all things must evidently possess,"--as Ehlert puts it--he knows that -those who can "reach the heaven" and "come back and tell the world" -are very few, and it is the cry of the weaker talent that has to be -answered, and for whom (unfortunately) methods must be worked out. -Genius has called forth no system. It will express itself well, no -matter what means it may elect to use. - -Broadly speaking, Leschetizky's plan is to cultivate the pupil's -special gifts, whatever they may be; to leave those things that lie -beyond his capacity almost entirely alone. He prefers the narrower -and more perfect field, to unfinished work on a large scale. To spend -time wrestling with details in which glory can never be attained is -a waste of energy. The struggle merely serves to emphasise incapacity -in one direction to the detriment of natural talents in others, and -generally ends in making the player so nervous that the very thought -of being asked to play overwhelms him with terror. - -People are very ingenious in finding excuses when they do not want -to play, or when they have played badly. "A bad instrument" is one -of them. "Artists say too much about the materials they have to -use," says Leschetizky. "It is hard to find the tools unresponsive -or uncertain, but do not accustom yourselves to a first-rate piano. -If you do, it will lead you to think you are responsible for the -beautiful sounds that come out of it; whereas very likely it is but -its natural tone--independent of your skill. At home you think: 'What -a lovely touch I have.' Then you come to me. You play abominably, and -say it is the fault of my piano. It is not my piano at all. It is you. -Your hand is not under control, you have not learnt the principles -of things. If you really know how to produce a certain effect--and -produce it as the result of your knowledge--not of your piano--you -can face almost any instrument with a clear conscience. If you leave -anything to chance, you will be the first to feel it--your audience -will be the second. A good pianist should be able to make any passable -instrument sound well, for his knowledge will be so accurate that he -can calculate to a very fine point how much he must allow for the -difference and quality of touch." - -In Leschetizky's young days even more depended on the player's -scientific knowledge of how things should be done than now, for people -were asked to play upon very strange instruments. The mere remembrance -of them makes him indignant. "When one was invited somewhere to -dinner," he expostulated one evening when reminiscences brought up -the subject, "the plates given you to eat upon were not cracked, the -wine-glasses to drink out of were not dirty, the hostess was not in -rags, but decked out in her finest, and she gave you the best she -had to give. That was _at_ dinner. But _after_ dinner! _Mein Gott_, -she wanted music. She had a piano, but--one or two notes stuck a -little--could you manage? The pedal squeaked--well, you need not -use it much, need you? The things on the top of the piano jingled -rather--but then they were such a bother to move. The tuner came -yesterday, but he said it is not as good as it used to be--which -is _so_ strange, for it has scarcely been played upon these twenty -years--but do play us something! They say times have changed in this -respect,--perhaps so--but my pupils don't seem to go with the times, -for they tell me they meet with these things still." - - - - -CHAPTER IV - -THE METHOD - - -"The Leschetizky Method" conveys to most people the idea of a -technical system by which pianists can be taught to play the piano -well. Probably this is so because technical perfection is one of the -most obvious characteristics of his school, and a quality immediately -comprehensible to the average audience. Virtuosity is, after all, but -a high development of the natural use of the hands, to which, in a -less skilled form, every one is habituated from childhood up; common -ground, whereon all sorts of people, from the prizefighter to the -juggler, from the juggler to the virtuoso, can meet, it is suitable -food for even the least intelligent; and unusual feats of execution -will be marked out long before those points which are of higher -importance to the interpretation of art strike home. - -For this reason certain technical characteristics noticeable in -Leschetizky's pupils--emphasised rhythm, clearness, inaudible -pedalling, brilliance in staccato passages--having become associated -with his teaching, are popularly regarded as the chief things taught -in his school, and the attainment of them the chief object which his -pupils have in view. - -The majority of students, coming to him in the single expectation of -finding untold treasures of pianistic wisdom, are surprised to find -that these treasures play but a small part in his scheme of work, -and that the larger proportion of their time must be devoted, not -to the development of manual skill, but to the art of studying the -music written for the piano. This question of study is the principal -point of difference between Leschetizky's and other methods. His is -not a technical system, including advice on musical matters, but a -system which makes its primary aim the study of the music written for -the piano; its second, that of the effects to be obtained from the -instrument; its third, that of the development of the hand. - -Though the development of the hand comes last in the three sections, -Leschetizky in no way depreciates the value of technical ability--it -is impossible to use the higher faculties without it--but he looks -upon the period of apprenticeship to its attainment merely as work -done to perfect a necessary medium for adequate interpretation. - -The technical qualities indicative of his teaching have come in -process of time to be labelled "The Leschetizky Method." Leschetizky -himself objects to the term, for he has no established technical -method. The name originated from his assistants, who, having collected -the most valuable and frequently needed technical exercises, have -pieced them together and arranged them logically into a connected -series, through which they put the pupils to be prepared for him. - -"I have no technical method," says Leschetizky; "there are certain -ways of producing certain effects, and I have found those which -succeed best; but I have no iron rules. How is it possible one -should have them? One pupil needs this, another that; the hand of -each differs; the brain of each differs. There can be no rule. I am -a doctor to whom my pupils come as patients to be cured of their -musical ailments, and the remedy must vary in each case. There is but -one part of my teaching that may be called a "Method," if you like; -and that is the way in which I teach my pupils to learn a piece of -music. This is invariably the same for all, whether artist or little -child; it is the way Mme. Essipoff studies, the way _we_ study--and -_we_ have much talent." - -With reference to technique, the gist of what Leschetizky considers -physically necessary is this: the hand, wrist, and arm must be under -such complete control that whatever part be called upon to play, it -shall be able to do so independently of its neighbour. It should be -possible to contract one part, while leaving the other relaxed; to -hold one part taut while the other is slack; to put one part in motion -while the other is at rest. He lays special stress on a few points: -the development of strength and sensitiveness in the finger-tips; -clear distinction between the many varieties of touch; the necessity -of an immaculate pedalling. - -There are exercises to obtain these various results, and those of -which the pupil stands most in need have to be gone through before -the musical part of his work can be thought of. - -As soon as the technical threads are drawn into order they are -worked into a piece, and the pupil enters on the second stage of -his study--that which concerns the manipulation of the instrument. -He will probably begin with some simple composition such as one of -Mendelssohn's "Songs Without Words," where he can be taught how a -melody should be played and accompanied. This may be followed by -something to illustrate the different kinds of staccato and legato -playing; the many varieties of rhythm, special pedal effects, &c.: an -example to which every technical detail that has been learnt can be -applied. - -In the very first composition the pupil studies, he learns how to -work in the new way, which is as follows: he takes the first bar, or -phrase (according to the amount he can grasp and retain), and dissects -it till every marking is clear to him. He decides how he will play -it--with what fingering, touch, pedalling, accent, &c. He practises -each detail as he comes to it. He puts all the parts together, -learning it by heart as he goes, finishing one section, making it as -perfect as he can in every respect, both technically and musically, -before he attempts the next. What is required of him is, that he shall -study every piece of music so thoroughly that he knows every detail in -it, can play any part of it accurately, beginning at any point, and -that he can visualise the whole without the music--that is, see in his -mind what is written, without either notes or instrument. - -Every pupil must study in this way--bar by bar, slowly and -deliberately engraving each point on his mind as on a map. "One page a -day so learnt will give you a trunk-full of music for your répertoire -at the end of the year," says Leschetizky, "and, moreover, it will -remain securely in your memory." - -Any one with the power of concentration can learn to play by heart--no -matter how intricate a composition may be--if he will take the trouble -to study it according to this plan. If, after a work has been studied, -not only the melody, but the entire composition in detail--_i.e._, -every note, rest, marking of any kind--cannot be seen and heard by -the mind's eye and ear, it has never been thoroughly and accurately -learnt. A lack of exactitude in this respect is the reason why so -many people who can play quite well when they are alone are absolutely -stranded before an audience. The presence of other people compels them -to concentrate their attention on what they are doing, and they find -they do not actually know what that is. When alone it will probably be -of little consequence whether they know the music (in Leschetizky's -interpretation of the word) or not; their fingers having acquired the -habit of the notes, and their ears of the sound, generally suffice to -carry them comfortably through. So long as the fingers can go their -well-worn way, unconscious of what they do, without the hindrance of -thought, they will be fairly safe; but if for any reason they become -self-conscious, losing their instinct, they fail instantly. - -A blind man on first recovering his sight can no longer locate -himself. He does not know the meaning of his surroundings. The -unaccustomed light has obliterated for the moment his only -safeguard--the sense of touch--and so altered the condition of -familiar things that they have become strange to him. The player who -has absorbed the sound and feeling of the notes into his ears and -fingers, and not into his thinking brain, is in the same case; for if -the mental faculty is unexpectedly called into action it paralyses for -the moment the instinctive motor faculties on which he usually relies. -The learner must therefore thread his way so carefully through the -network of complications which a musical composition presents, that he -emerges familiar with every detail; then, if the manual memory fail -him, the visual or audital one will take its place. Any lapse on the -part of nature after all these precautions can only be regarded as the -Act of God, against which no insurance can be taken. - -The pupil having now gone through the necessary training to develop -his hands and to apply them to the best result upon his instrument, -and having learnt also how to study the music written for it, has -arrived at the really interesting part of his work--the musical part. - -Leschetizky seldom gives the greatest compositions to those whom he -feels to be still immature. He sees the unfitness of expecting young, -untried natures to deal with what is an expression of the deepest -influences of life. They cannot understand. They can only imitate, -and he shrinks from the task of trying to convey to them what they -cannot possibly realise in its fullest and most intimate meaning. He -gives what lies within, or at most just beyond their grasp, so that -they may have the satisfaction of discovering what they _can_ do, as -well as what they _cannot_ do. His pupils study several compositions -at the same time, sometimes variations on some particular difficulty, -sometimes differing entirely from each other. Development is more -equable and the mind keeps fresher for its work, if energy can be -turned into several channels instead of being concentrated along -one. The more varied the material, the less chance of the faculties -becoming wearied by the monotony of continued effort in one direction, -and the better for endurance as a whole. - -For this concentrated way of study, this mosaic work, is extremely -exhausting at first. It needs much patience to analyse everything so -minutely that the mental picture lacks no detail; but it is worth the -trouble. Not only is the result good and immediate, but it remains -firmly fixed in the memory. - -Leschetizky, even in the maturity of his career, never practised -more than three hours a day. He considers that four, or at most five -hours, should be enough for any one. If it is not, the requisite -qualities to make a pianist must be lacking. Hours and hours of -practice do compel certain results in a shorter time than they could -normally be produced, and, were the supply of energy unlimited, no one -would hesitate to devote his entire day to practising, in order to -shorten the road to the goal. But this supply being exhaustible, if -the student draws it out at a greater speed, or in a greater quantity -than can naturally be refunded, it will fail prematurely and leave -his nervous organisation without vitality. Technical power means the -ability of the hand to carry out the suggestions of the brain, and -this will be great or small according to the speed at which the hand -can understand and translate these suggestions into action. - -Overwork tends rather to retard than to accelerate the telegraphic -message, deadening the susceptibility of the wire, and exhausting the -nervous force to be transmitted. - -The newspapers tell of a wonderful man who has acquired such control -over the different parts of his body that he can contract any muscle -at will and move his internal organs about as he feels inclined. -Leschetizky does not require these results in his pupils, but he does -require the concentration that produces them. - -Concentrated thought is the basis of his principles, the corner-stone -of his method. Without it nothing of any permanent value can be -obtained, either in art or anything else. No amount of mechanical -finger-work can take its place; and the player who repeats the same -passage, wearily expectant that he will accomplish it in process of -time, is a lost soul on a hopeless quest. Leschetizky enumerates the -essential qualities of good work as follows: First, an absolutely -clear comprehension of the principal points to be studied in the music -on hand; a clear perception of where the difficulties lie, and of the -way in which to conquer them; the mental realisation of these three -facts _before_ they are carried out by the hands. - -"Decide exactly _what_ it is you want to do in the first place," he -impresses on every one; "then _how_ you will do it; then play it. Stop -and think if you played it in the way you meant to do; then only, if -sure of this, go ahead. Without concentration, remember, you can do -nothing. The brain must guide the fingers, not the fingers the brain." - -This is a rough indication of the method of study through which -Leschetizky's pupils have gained so much. - -His _logia_ are simple and few, for he cares more for what is _done_ -than for what is _said_. To his mind the making of many maxims is an -impossibility in the study of art. There is but one note penetrating -throughout all his advice, and one point on which he is inexorable: -the necessity of concentrated thought. - -[Illustration: A GROUP OF LESCHETIZKY'S PUPILS] - - - - -CHAPTER V - -THE LESSONS - - -One day a stranger came to ask Leschetizky for a few finishing -lessons. "Will a mud pie give you a fair idea of a mountain?" was the -Professor's reply. "No," said the stranger, "but then I don't want -the mountain." "Well, you must go somewhere else for your mud pie; we -don't keep them here." - -The stranger went away to supply his needs elsewhere. Any one in -Vienna could have told him that Leschetizky inexorably refuses to dole -out a slice of his system of study. It is not to be had in a popular -and abridged edition. It is a course of work for serious students, and -can only be commanded in its entirety. - -Leschetizky will only acknowledge as his "qualified pupils" those -who have had regular lessons with him for at least two years, and -preferably longer. He considers it impossible for any pupil, however -gifted, to grasp more than the grammar of his teaching in a few -months--as some pianists have tried to do. "For," he says, "your house -still remains to be built when the foundations are laid." - -Giving but three lessons a day, he himself is able to undertake very -few of the hundred and fifty pupils studying his method, and these few -must necessarily be chosen from among the best. The others have to -content themselves with the crumbs that fall from his assistants, till -they are considered ready to join the elect. This preparation may last -a few weeks, a few months, a year or even longer, the time varying -with the pupils' progress. - -Every now and then they play to the Professor, who, according to -the stage at which they have arrived, agrees to give them lessons -fortnightly, monthly--or perhaps not at all for the present. - -In former days, when he had more strength, he took the most talented -of his pupils through the technical training himself; but the present -plan is better, for he is not naturally of a patient disposition. -Emerson says a man should be judged by his intentions. If that is -so, Leschetizky stands high in the scale, for he is full of good -intentions. They are with him always; but, as a dilapidated American -was heard to murmur at the end of a bad lesson: "They must have paved -a considerable stretch of the side-walks in hell by now," for they -invariably leave him at the moment when they are most wanted. - -The Professor intends to make allowances for all difficulties. He -knows how tenaciously bad habits will stick, how hard they are to -dislodge, and how long the fingers retain their old established ways, -in spite of the best will in the world to train them to the new. He -quite realises what a tax this minute and detailed method of analysis -is to the unpractised mind, and how irksome are the first steps on -the road to it. He is full of benevolent sympathy. But when the time -for the lesson comes, everything but the immediate need of getting -the thing done in the right way is obliterated from his mind, and in -the enthusiasm of the moment all traces of this benevolence speedily -disappear. He forgets the pupil is full of original sin and cannot -wait for the signs of grace. - -This leads to misunderstanding. It leads also to the sudden exit -of the pupil; to the slamming of doors; to the crushing of music -on the floor; to grim remarks about a future better spent "in -tomato-planting." Once it led to total darkness. In the intensity of -his feelings the master arose, hastily put out the gas, rushed away, -and left his pupils sitting round the class in silence and gloom until -things were patched up by some comforting soul outside. - -Leschetizky loves his pupils as if they were his own children; but, -as a good father, he considers his duty better done through the -aid of discipline than of sympathy, believing the scourge to be of -greater profit to their musical souls than the prop. Especially -if he sees they are suffering from parental pampering. He is much -troubled by parents. They come to him imbued with the notion that -their particular offspring is quite unusually and supremely gifted, -and the offspring himself is still more imbued with that notion. It -is expedient, therefore, to remove these parents to a distance, in -order that the mist of adoration may disperse, and leave the field -clear for the child to find his true level. Otherwise valuable time -may be wasted in making headway against the inability of the parent to -view discipline in any light but that of cruelty, and of the pupil to -consider himself other than a sacrifice on the altar of his master's -whims. - -Leschetizky makes unsparing use of his power to analyse character in -his teaching, unhesitatingly saying anything, however hard to bear, -that he thinks may be a spur to the pupil's development. He has the -gift of insight to a very remarkable degree, and although his own -nature is not pliable enough to unbend to every other, he makes few -mistakes in his summing up as a whole. Like all highly-strung people -he is extremely sensitive to personality. This sensibility affects -him in various ways. In the morning when the door-bell announces the -arrival of the first pupil, should the Professor chance to be in a -fastidious frame of mind, he steals downstairs to find out who it -is, and if on peeping surreptitiously into the room he sees some one -antipathetic to him, he promptly steals upstairs again and stays there -a quarter of an hour or more to recover the blow. If the pupil has -caught a glimpse of his face, he would generally prefer to go home, -but knowing that if he does, he may never have another lesson, he -elects to face the worst and wait till the Professor feels inclined to -come down again. When he comes down--if he has resigned himself to the -inevitable, and if the pupil be of a tactful disposition--all may yet -go well; the sinner be received into favour again, and sent home proud -in the knowledge that he has gained the day and left a legacy of happy -relations behind him after all. - -The early lessons with Leschetizky are at once a revelation and -an ordeal. If the quality of the pupil's intellect be at all -strained--and his horizon too circumscribed for him to have found it -out before--it will now be made quite clear to him. - -In the first place he is expected to make all his corrections on the -spot, for to Leschetizky's rapid brain comprehension is synonymous -with performance--to understand is to be able to do. He is expected -to hold these corrections firmly in his head, and to have the wit -to apply them to new cases immediately. Nerve, quick observation, -retentive memory, presence of mind must all be his. He must be -neither too quick nor too slow, being careful not to step in before -the master has finished what he has to say and the illustration is -complete, lest there be a sudden pause, and Leschetizky, regarding -him with a baleful eye, sit back with folded hands, and inquire which -of the two is to play: "Are you giving the lesson, or am I?" He must -follow the different kinds of touch, the pedalling, the fingering, the -variety of effects that may be drawn out of the instrument--all so -difficult and puzzling in the initial stages--and be able to reproduce -them on the spot. The most vivid and concentrated interest is exacted -from him in every detail, infinite patience and unwearied effort. - -Leschetizky cannot endure half-heartedness. Caring so intensely for -music and for all that concerns it, an apathetic attitude is as -unbearable to him, as disloyalty to his country would be to a patriot, -and he resents it with his whole nature. Nor does he hesitate to show -it. Enthusiasm he must and will have. A temperament devoid of it is -an enigma he cannot solve. He expects a ready appreciation. He likes -people to talk, to ask him questions, to be cheerful. He cannot bear -dismal solemnity. If the pupil be of a taciturn order, Leschetizky is -quite sure something must be seriously wrong with his mind; or that he -has not understood what he has been told, and is afraid to say so; or, -what is most probable, that he possesses a very disagreeable character. - -With one of these unfortunate dispositions--feminine, strange to -say--it is on record that Leschetizky once went through an hour -without a single word. She would not speak, he said, so why should -he? On coming into the room he softly closed the door, tip-toed to -the piano, bowed to the pupil, sat down and gave her the whole lesson -in solemn and mysterious silence, indicating all he wanted by signs -and dumb show. When the hour was over he rose, bowed with impressive -gravity as before, glided to the door, and disappeared as silently as -he had come in. - -He enjoys experimenting with his pupils, and inventing special -fingerings, or special exercises for unusual cases. - -He had a pupil who played so accurately by ear that she could not be -persuaded to study in any other way. It served her faithfully for -a long time, until one day, when playing in the class, her memory -failed, and she could not collect herself. Nemesis came at the next -lesson, for Leschetizky shut down the cover of her keyboard, and left -her, bereft of all sound, to learn a page of unfamiliar music by means -of her eyes alone. Another, who was unnerved by the merest trifle, he -cured by accustoming her to shocks. One day, suddenly jumping up from -the piano, he stared intently into the garden, exclaiming, "Ha! what -is that I see out there?" Of course the pupil hurried to the window, -but, seeing nothing exciting, turned back, startled and perplexed. -"It's all right," nodded the master suddenly; "go on _exactly_ where -you left off." This kind of treatment continued till she could stand -any disturbance with composure. - -To another, whose ear was not fine enough to distinguish exactly what -notes made up a chord when he heard it, Leschetizky taught an entire -composition by playing it to him bar by bar, bit by bit, until he -realised it all, both piecemeal and in combination. The harder the -patient's case, the keener the doctor's interest. Nothing gives him -greater satisfaction than to find the remedy for some unusual defect. -He is as proud and pleased as a gleeful child with a new toy, and as -delightful to watch. - -Buried deep in contemplation of the difficulty, he sits perfectly -silent, motionless save for a periodic puff at his cigar. Presently a -smile steals cautiously over his face--the clue is signalled. For an -instant, still tentative and expectant, his hand poised in mid-air, -he awaits discovery, then all at once up goes the head, out comes the -pencil, and with an exultant shout he announces: "Now I've got it!" -As simply and clearly as it can be put, he then explains the point in -question and why this is its best solution. - -One explanation ought to suffice for all time, and the pupil is -expected to adopt it at once. If he cannot do this and the same -mistake is made twice, the Professor begins to feel offended; if a -third time, he shuts up the music in disgust; a fourth (having opened -it again), he hurls it far away; a fifth (if the pupil is still -there) one of the two invariably leaves the room. Sometimes, a little -remorseful, the Professor comes back and stands half hesitating at -the door of the dining-room, looking sweet and sorry, wishing things -could have been otherwise, but quite unable for the moment to say -a single word of comfort to the sufferer. His own powers of memory, -and of doing instantly with his hands what his brain suggests, are so -remarkable that he cannot realise in the least what it means to be -less highly gifted. - -He appreciates courage, and respects the buoyant nature that can right -itself after every rebuff, and bravely holds on, whatever happens, -seeing in this a token of the best kind of self-confidence. With -Stevenson he agrees that most of a man's opinions about himself are -true, and he who finds himself most comfortable on the footstool is -probably in his right place. - -By reason of the Professor's own strong individuality, the adaptable -pupil has, as a rule, calmer lessons than the more original nature -that cannot amalgamate itself easily with another person's views. -Leschetizky's powers of discernment seldom fail him in prophesying who -will make a stir in the world, and it is precisely by these few that -his keenest interest is excited, and with whom the storm bursts out -most easily. - -He does not always use his singularly penetrating qualities to -sad issues. When the initial steps have been overcome, and the -difficulties thinned out a little, the lesson is a delight from -beginning to end. - -Full of apt similes, weaving them in at every turn, Leschetizky has -a knack of hitting upon exactly the appropriate figure to make a -suggestion intelligible and permanent in the mind. - -"To make an effective _accelerando_ you must glide into rapidity -as steadily as a train increases its speed when steaming out of a -station." - -"Teach yourself to make a _rallentando_ evenly by watching the drops -of water cease as you turn off a tap." - -"A player with an unbalanced rhythm reminds me of an intoxicated man -who cannot walk straight." - -"Your fingers are like capering horses, spirited and willing, but -ignorant of where to go without a guide. Put on your bridle and curb -them in till they learn to obey you, or they will not serve you well." - -On the whole he theorises very little. Everything he says is -practical, to the point, and can be immediately used to some good end. - -"If you are going to play a scale, place your hand in readiness on the -keyboard in the same position as you would if you were going to write -a letter--or to take a pinch of snuff." - -"The bystander ought to know by the attitude of your hand what chord -you are going to play _before_ you play it, for each chord has its own -physiognomy." - -"If you play wrong notes, either you do not know _where_ the note is -or _what_ the note is." - -"If there is anything you cannot do after a fair trial, either there -is something the matter with your hand, or with the way you are -practising." - -"If your wrists are weak, go and roll the grass in the garden." - -"If you want to develop strength and sensitiveness in the tips of your -fingers, use them in every-day life. For instance, when you go out for -a walk, hold your umbrella with the tips instead of in the palm of -your hand." - -"Practise your technical exercises on a cushion or upon a table -sometimes. You do not always need the piano to strengthen your -muscles." - -And so on, intermingling advice with illustration, until the lesson -becomes as entertaining as instructive. - -When all goes well, a lesson with Leschetizky is a really wonderful -experience. His point of view is so interesting, the depth of his -comprehension so profound, his power of clear exposition so great, -the parallels he draws between art and life so unexpected, that his -listener is held under a spell of wondering enthusiasm throughout. -Both his ear and his memory are very remarkable. He is able to retain -accurately in his mind every detail in a piece of music on hearing -it for the first time; and not only to play it through immediately -afterwards, but to discuss points in it, making a suggestion here, an -alteration there, exactly as if the music were before his eyes. He -plays a great deal during the lesson in a fragmentary way, but rarely -anything straight through. His piano is on the left of the pupil, the -two instruments standing side by side, their keyboards level. - -He sits very still and very straight, never stooping over the keys, -or swaying about. His hands, often partially resting on the notes, -are almost flat, the wrists low, the fingers doing all the work, his -whole figure taut with the tension of concentrated thought. - -His playing is as difficult to describe as himself, for it is the -translation of his nature into sound. Then, as at no other time, his -varied temperament discloses itself, its contrasts finding in music -their best interpretation. These sonorous chords weighed out by so -masterful a hand; this steady beat of measured emphasis; the lilt and -swing of the rhythm; the fine-pointed staccato; the piquant charm -with which the dainty notes come dancing off the keys; the melancholy -tenderness of the soft caressing tone, stealing in unawares--these -tell the story, more faithfully than any other language, of his -nature, not only as a musician, but as a man. - - - - -CHAPTER VI - -THE CLASS - - -At five o'clock on a Wednesday afternoon the pupils begin to assemble -for the class. For the time being, the salon, crammed with chairs, -has the appearance of a concert-hall; the seats for the students, who -number over two hundred, cover the whole floor; there is not an inch -of room to spare. - -In former days when there were but fifty or so, the class was quite -informal. Given solely for the pupils, it had the character of a -private lesson. Each one played what he knew, and had it corrected -just as though he were alone; except that the corrections were -probably fewer and less detailed. No strangers were admitted then, -as the object of the class was work, and Leschetizky found that the -presence of outsiders limited his freedom in criticism. The pupils -were forbidden to clap--because the less talented became discouraged -when they obtained no applause. The shortcomings of the bad pupil were -freely commented upon, and discussed comprehensively, without much -regard to his feelings, this apparent hard-heartedness being designed -as part of the training. "For," said Leschetizky, "if a pupil has not -sufficient courage to stand buffetings from me, how will he stand them -later on from the world?" No peculiarity escaping his vigilant eye, he -forthwith made some appropriate remark about it, and if he found its -possessor impervious to a mild hint, very plain words followed. - -The Professor knew exactly who was there and who was not, and whoever -failed to put in an appearance heard about it at the next lesson. -Every one sat where he or she liked, either round the pianos or at the -opposite end of the room, where the black sheep were tactfully herded -out of sight if possible. - -If all went well, and there were many to play, Professor occasionally -called "halt!" In the middle of the evening, the music stopped for -a few moments and talk and laughter--and sometimes coffee--took its -place. A rest was very necessary in those days, for the class often -lasted four or five hours, and no one cared to leave before the end. - -When the numbers increased and enlarged this family circle beyond -all possibility of intimacy, it lost its private character and was -transformed into a kind of concert--a rehearsal, in fact, for public -performance. - -Now it takes place once a fortnight--formerly once a week--attendance -is optional instead of obligatory, and it has been found necessary -to ask a fee. Only the best pupils play; the Professor criticises -leniently; and guests are very often invited to listen. - -Should any great artist be passing through Vienna, Leschetizky is -delighted if he can induce him to play at one of these evenings--a -somewhat formidable honour, for the audience has been brought up to a -very high standard. In truth a great many of the pupils themselves are -gifted artists, who have already played in public and know enough to -be appreciative in the most valuable sense. - -In this respect it differs from all other pianoforte classes, -in which, as a rule, the pupils have not yet emerged from the -Conservatoire shell into public life. Liszt's class was the nearest -approach to it; but this again differed from it, inasmuch as Liszt's -gathering was drawn together for the _love_ of music, whereas -Leschetizky's is entirely for the _study_ of music. Tausig founded -one on the same lines as Leschetizky, but he had not the patience to -carry it on for more than a very short time, in spite of the enormous -success it had during its lifetime. Leschetizky's class now stands -quite alone, the only assemblage of its kind. - -In the year of his Jubilee, 1894, Rubinstein came, and gave the pupils -two hours of his best. They have heard Liszt, not only at the class, -but unofficially, for when he came he would often stay on, playing -for them to dance to afterwards. Naturally Mme. Essipoff frequently -played. A fragment from the diary of one of Leschetizky's pupils tells -of one particularly delightful time: "After the two English girls had -played--(Miss Rihll, Leschetizky's 'Wellen und Wogen' Etuden, and Miss -Goodson Rameau's 'Gavotte and Variations in A minor,' which they did -wonderfully well, for the first time)--Professor went upstairs to -find Mme. Essipoff. She came down a few moments later, and gave us the -'Handel-Brahms Variations.' It was one majestic sweep from beginning -to end. Professor sat quite still the whole time, drinking it in, his -face lit up with tender pride as he listened. When she rose from the -piano he took both her hands and kissed them reverently, but without a -single word, for he could not speak, and his eyes were full of tears." -The Professor very seldom becomes visibly enthusiastic. It takes a -great deal to draw more than "gut, ganz gut" and a little nod out of -him; but when by any chance he _is_ roused to show his satisfaction, -he shows it in a whole-hearted outpouring of praise, immediately -explaining to every one exactly why he finds the performance so good. - -[Illustration: LESCHETIZKY AND MARK HAMBOURG] - -To attend the class when the best pupils play is a delightful and -interesting experience. The diary, already quoted, contains an account -of one such occasion:--"Now began the really exciting part of the -evening, for it was little Mark Hambourg's turn. He marched up to the -piano and sat down as usual, with a jerk, looking like a juvenile -thundercloud. They went right through the Hummel Septet together -(Professor taking the second piano part) in such perfect sympathy -that one could hardly distinguish one from the other. Mark excelled -himself to-night and put every one else in the shade. There seems to -be nothing he cannot do, and his electricity is absolutely phenomenal. -When he stopped, we burst into a storm of applause, but, grim little -hero that he is, he was off into the dining-room almost before we -began to clap. Professor turned round to us and murmured, 'he has -a future--he _can_ play.' The salon was quite dark except where -Professor sat at the piano. He looked most strange. The light from -above caught the silver in his hair and made his head sparkle every -time he moved. His eyes gleamed like two red-brown balls, and though -he was absolutely motionless you could see he was quivering with -intensity." - -"It was the last class this year, and in spite of Madame Donnimirska's -protests that there was not enough to go round, Professor insisted on -several of us staying to supper. We were all too excited and exhausted -to eat much, but he was as gay and lively as if he had just got up, -instead of having given a four hours' class; and some of the boys had -to stay and play billiards with him. They are probably at it still, -for it is only 3 A.M." - -The class is cosmopolitan. A patchwork of nationalities, where no -one element permanently prevails. Held in an Austrian city, there -are but few Austrians there; at present Americans in great numbers, -a few English, many Russians and Poles, one or two French, Germans, -an occasional Italian or Swede, a sprinkling of the Balkan nations, -rarely a Greek or a Spaniard. This motley crew interests Leschetizky -immensely. He catalogues them all, and knows by the country whence the -specimen hails what its gifts are likely to be. - -From the English he expects good musicians, good workers, and bad -executants; doing by work what the Slav does by instinct; their heads -serving them better than their hearts. - -The Americans he finds more spontaneous. Accustomed to keep all their -faculties in readiness for the unexpected, their perceptions are -quick, and they possess considerable technical facility. They study -perhaps more for the sake of being up to date than for the love of -music. - -The Russians stand first in Leschetizky's opinion. United to a -prodigious technique, they have passion, dramatic power, elemental -force, and extraordinary vitality. Turbulent natures, difficult to -keep within bounds, but making wonderful players when they have the -patience to endure to the end. - -The Pole, less strong and rugged than the Russian, leans more to the -poetical side of music. Originality is to be found in all he does; -refinement, an exquisite tenderness, and instinctive rhythm. - -The French he compares to birds of passage, flying lightly up in -the clouds, unconscious of what lies below. They are dainty, crisp, -clear-cut in their playing, and they phrase well. - -The Germans he respects for their earnestness, their patient devotion -to detail, their orderliness, and intense and humble love of their -art. But their outlook is a little grey. - -The gentle Swedes, in whom he finds much talent, are more sympathetic -to him; and the Italian he loves, because he _is_ Italian--though he -cannot, as a rule, play the piano in the very least. - -"Ah! what a marvel I could make, could I mix you all up!" he says; -"what a marvel I could make!" So many of his pupils have become famous -that it is not possible to speak of more than a few. The few shall be -those already known to England. - -Paderewski, Slivinski, Friedmann represent Poland. Mark Hambourg--whom -Rubinstein pointed out as his successor--Gabrilowitch, Mme. Essipoff, -and Mme. Stepanoff are from Russia. Fanny Bloomfield--"my electric -wonder"--Otto Voss, Ethel Newcomb, from America. Helen Hopekirk--"the -finest woman musician I have ever known"--is from Scotland. Paula -Sjalit, and Schütt--best known as a composer--are Austrians; Schwabel -and Richard Buhlig are Germans; Franchetti is an Italian. Katherine -Goodson--one of the best pupils Leschetizky has ever had--Evelyn -Suart, Marie St. Angelo, Douglas Boxall, Ada Thomas, Frank Merrick, -and Ethel Liggins are all English. - - - - -CHAPTER VII - -THE CENTRE OF THE CIRCLE - - -Of Leschetizky's interests apart from his career there is little to -be said. They are but the accompaniment to the song. His pupils are -the axle on which his thoughts turn, the rule by which his day is -measured. About twelve o'clock he comes down to his work, devoting -the early hour to the less gifted, or to the beginners, in order to -give them the benefit of his most tranquil frame of mind. The lessons -last an hour or more, according to the virtue of the pupil and the -Professor's own mood. Very often, having forgotten all about time, he -goes on till some one comes in with a gentle reminder that another -patient on the verge of nervous prostration is waiting for him in -the study. Nominally he takes three pupils in the day, but sometimes -after dinner a spare hour or two is filled up by some one who studies -with him unofficially. Knowing how difficult it is for some of the -poorer pupils to find money to pay their expenses, if it comes to his -knowledge that any of them are in need of funds, he is sure to find -some tactful and charming way of playing Santa Claus. For one whom he -loved, a little bank was piled up week by week, the Professor putting -aside the fees as he received them throughout the whole period of -study. When the time was over and the boy, packed and ready to start -on his journey, went to say good-bye, out came the treasure--"just a -souvenir"--to speed him on his way. - -Most of the pupils who come back for a periodic polish receive the -privilege of friendship, and Leschetizky is quite hurt if they dare to -raise the question of payment: "Am I not your friend, then? Why do you -bring me this?" - -[Illustration: LESCHETIZKY AT CARLSBAD] - -Everything concerning the students is of interest to him. He likes -to know how they live, how they spend their day, who they see apart -from their musical life--not in the least from a sense of domestic -responsibility towards them, but rather from a certain naďve, -childlike curiosity, a desire to know all about everything that -comes his way. - -Few people realise in what an inspiring atmosphere a great teacher's -life is passed. The centre of an ever-changing stream of ardent young -natures, filled with high aspiration, he is always in contact with -the human being at its noblest and happiest, when life is still a -fairy-tale, tinged with the promise of a marvellous future. Bound up -in the service of their art, confident of reaching the goal they have -promised themselves, these boys and girls form a constant inspiration -to those who dwell in their midst, and make every other world seem -prosaic and dull beside their own. Living in such a circle and finding -therein all the novelty he needs, Leschetizky sees little of outside -society now. - -Though he is seventy-five he can still tire out most of his friends. -He seems to possess an inexhaustible power of renewing his energies -and remaining eternally young. Day after day, giving out the nervous -force of two ordinary people, he yet holds a fund in reserve. - -After the day's work is over he can entertain a table-full of people -for several hours in the evening, begin to play billiards at -midnight, go to bed at 3 or 4 a.m., and turn up fresh for the lesson -next morning at 12. After breakfast it is his habit to go out for an -hour or so with his dog, not so much for the sake of exercise as to -calm and refresh his mind. He does nothing special to keep himself -elastic and vigorous; gymnastics, he says, are excellent in theory, -but what intelligent person could possibly put them into practice? -"Imagine wasting twenty minutes a day shooting out one's arms and legs -into positions nobody uses in every-day life!" - -About four o'clock the lessons are over, and the Professor is ready -for dinner; afterwards he usually goes to some café in the town, -and often, if there are no billiards or cards at home, stays there -chatting and smoking till long after midnight. The thought of a quiet -evening at home fills him with dismay. Brilliantly-lit halls, bright -colours, laughter, and gaiety are the very breath of life to him. He -explores every form of entertainment, serious or frivolous, that he -can find. He even enjoys a crowd. - -When he was in London one of his greatest pleasures was to ride into -the City on the top of an omnibus, watching the life of the streets as -he went. He liked the turmoil and the stir and the endless vista of -new faces. - -Yet he loves outdoor life. Often in the summer-time he and some of his -favourite pupils make long excursions together, and spend delightful -hours on the hills, far away from the noise of the town; and there for -awhile, sitting idle beneath the lights and shades of the beeches, -they listen to the whispering of the stirring branches. In winter -there are sleigh-rides, the skaters to watch, and festivals to be kept -both at home and abroad. - -Leschetizky spends Christmas in the old-fashioned German way, enjoying -it afresh each time it comes round. For a week beforehand he is hard -at it, buying gifts, tying them up, writing on names, choosing the -tree, ordering the candles, bustling about and making everybody's -life a burden, in order that everything should be quite perfectly and -beautifully done. All this is a profound secret to every one else in -the house. When the evening comes, the guests are hurried upstairs -on their arrival, lest they should catch a premature glimpse of the -wonderful things prepared for them below. Presently the organ peals, -the doors of the salon are thrown open, and they go down, passing in -silently and carefully, for everything is dark inside, and in the -dimness only the outline of a shadowy figure seated at the organ is -visible. The music, soft at first, grows gradually louder, brighter, -and more triumphant, until suddenly, when it swells out into a glory -of sound, some one draws back the curtain of the inner room; and the -tree, sparkling in a blaze of light, is disclosed to view. No one -speaks until the music dies away, and Leschetizky closes the organ -to break the spell. "Now for the presents! The youngest first." -Notepaper, fans, paper-knives, gloves, calendars, a silk blouse--every -sort of gift is there, each chosen specially for the donee with -much care and thought by the Father Christmas of the ceremonies. -Congratulations over, chairs are cleared away, rugs taken up and the -room made ready for dancing till supper, Leschetizky playing for at -least part of the evening. Toasts, speeches, stories, and laughter -fill the hours till early morning, when, about 5 a.m., a happy, but -exhausted, procession streams homeward, stopping on the way at some -café--if it is not yet 6 o'clock--to make sure the hall-porter, with -his dripping candle and everlasting demand for his ten-kreutzer fee, -will be safely gone to his lair. - -[Illustration: THE PROFESSOR'S BIRTHDAY] - -Leschetizky's birthday, his Name-Day, New Year, and Twelfth Night, -are all opportunities for festivals; so, too, in a small way, are the -fortnightly suppers after the class. - -Entering completely into all that is going on, Leschetizky is a most -delightful host; the very embodiment of fun, his presence in itself is -entertainment enough. As a _raconteur_ he stands almost unrivalled, -and his powers of mimicry are in themselves sufficient to justify a -career. He is the most appreciative of listeners and the easiest of -guests, finding pleasure in everything, charming and genial from first -to last. - -Aristocrat in life, as well as in music, he exacts from those around -him gentle manners and delicate observances. The rough diamond does -not attract him. His natural love of order desires everything to be in -its place and suitable to the moment. - -Leschetizky is of small build, extremely wiry and highly-strung, -magnetic from top to toe. The whole man is charged with electricity, -which sparkles out of him whenever anything evokes it. He gives -the impression of being the very essence of nervous force, rather -than the possessor of great physical energy. A certain aristocratic -spirit reveals itself in the fierceness of his eye, and in his short -quick step. Of iron will, he waits for no man. He knows what he -wants and intends to have it. He is, in fact, peremptory. His orders -must be carried out instantly. If the slave is not up to time--off -with his head! If he imagines any one to be endowed with a certain -characteristic, nothing will dissuade him from the notion. Whether -the person really has this quality or not is beside the question. -Leschetizky's imagination is so strong that it entirely obliterates -reality, and the idea that has taken hold of his mind for the time -being becomes so fixed that argument to the contrary is worse than -useless. Justice implies dispassionate criticism, and this he reserves -for musical matters only. - -Like all individualistic natures he desires the monopoly of certain -emotions. He may be sad, but others must not be so. Whatever their -inward thoughts, externally they must be gay. He must be weaned from -sadness. The sight of a dismal face affects his entire mood. He -would ignore the darker side of things entirely, if he could. Not -because his is a frivolous or superficial nature, merely varied by an -occasional streak of earnestness, as the whimsical flitting to and fro -of his fancies might suggest, but because he is a man upon whom has -flashed at moments a certain comprehension of the unfathomable mystery -of the world, and who would fain turn away from its solemn to its -lighter aspects. - -He has experienced ill winds and dark days, but they have made him -neither cynical nor old, nor yet resigned. There is no trace of the -philosopher in his composition. Platitudes about the imperfection -of human life, or the need of endurance, bore him inexpressibly. He -cannot enter into the emotions of the middle-aged. Years have not in -the least tempered the eagerness of his outlook. He drinks of life now -as fervently as in his youth. - -Mobile and impressionable, therefore always ready for a new friend, -at the same time he holds loyally to the comrades of old--a rare -combination in a nature of this type. - -Like all people of strong constitution, he lives in continual -expectation of death; a cold in his head--he is a doomed man; a little -extra fatigue--his days are closing in; a slight cough--he is ready -to say good-bye. But sympathy will do much to woo him back to health; -a sweet face will tide him over the danger, and a good story even -restore him to life. - -Transparent as a child, his face is the index of his mood. There--and -indeed not only there, but in his whole figure, which unconsciously -obeys the trend of his mind--his thoughts are inevitably reflected. -In two or three moments he will become as many different people; dry, -derisive, dejected, gentle, earnest, even tender--his waywardness is -difficult to follow. It is rare to meet with a temperament so rich in -contrasts, so full of unexpected developments. He lives a thousand -lives, going through sufficient experiences in a year to enrich an -ordinary person's lifetime. Yet beneath this kaleidoscopic surface -lie those qualities that have made his work what it is: unfailing -patience, earnestness, inflexible will, keen interest, and complete, -unswerving concentration. - -His whole being is bound up in his music, and his ideals of it are -as bright now as they were fifty years ago. The Principles of Music -Study are to him as important and interesting as the Principles of the -Universe were to Newton or Herbert Spencer; and it is this firm belief -in the necessity of his work, and his loving devotion to it, that have -made him the greatest teacher of the piano that the world has ever had. - - * * * * * - -[Transcriber's Notes: - -The transcriber made these changes to the text: - - p. 41, himelf --> himself - p. 44, music or your --> music for your - p. 67, training." --> training. - p. 69, Variations in A minor," --> Variations in A minor,' - p. 76, apart rom --> apart from - -End of Transcriber's Notes] - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Theodor Leschetizky, by Annette Hullah - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THEODOR LESCHETIZKY *** - -***** This file should be named 43915-8.txt or 43915-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/9/1/43915/ - -Produced by Richard J. 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