recollecting one of the most impressive and significant events of my
entire career. When I was taken to Europe as a child, for further study,
it was my good fortune to meet and play for the immortal Franz Liszt. He
seemed deeply interested in my playing, and with the kindliness for
which he was always noted he gave me his blessing, a kind of artistic
sacrament that has had a tremendous influence upon all my work as an
artist. He laid his hand upon my head and among other things said:
"Little girl, with time you will be one of us. Don't imitate anyone.
Keep yourself true to yourself. Cultivate your individuality and do not
follow blindly in the paths of others."
In this one thought Liszt embodied a kind of a pedagogical sermon which
should be preached every day in all the schools, conservatories and
music studios of the world. Nothing is so pitiful as the evidences of a
strong individuality crushed out by an artificial educational system
which makes the system itself of paramount importance and the individual
of microbic significance.
The signs of individuality may be observed in little folks at a very
early age. With some children they are not very pronounced, and the
child seems like hundreds of others without any particular inclination,
artistic or otherwise. It is then that the teacher's powers of
divination should be brought into play. Before any real progress can be
made the nature of the child must be studied carefully. In the case of
other children, the individuality is very marked at an early age. As a
rule, the child with the marked individuality is the one from whom the
most may be expected later in life. Sometimes this very individuality is
mistaken for precocity. This is particularly the case with musicians. In
a few instances the individuality of the master has been developed late
in life, as was the case of Richard Wagner, whose early individual
tendencies were toward the drama rather than music.
NEW PROBLEMS AT EVERY STEP
The teacher in accepting a new pupil should realize that there at once
arises new problems at every step. The pupil's hand, mind, body and soul
may be in reality different from those of every other pupil the teacher
has taught. The individual peculiarities of the hand should be carefully
considered. If the hand has long, tapering fingers, with the fingers
widely separated, it will need quite different treatment from that of
the pupil with a short, compact, muscular hand. If the pupil's mind
indicates mental lethargy or a lack of the proper early educational
training, this must be carefully considered by the teacher.
If the pupil's body is frail and the health uncertain, surely the
teacher will not think of prescribing the same work she would prescribe
for a robust, energetic pupil who appears never to have had a sick day.
One pupil might be able to practice comfortably for four and five hours
a day, while another would find her energy and interest exhausted in two
hours. In fact, I would consider the study of individuality the
principal care or study of the teacher.
The individuality of different virtuoso performers is very marked.
Although the virtuoso aspires to encompass all styles--that is, to be
what you would call an "all-around" player--it is, nevertheless, the
individuality of the player that adds the additional charm to the
piano-recital. You hear a great masterpiece executed by one virtuoso,
and when you hear the same composition played by another you will detect
a difference, not of technical ability or of artistic comprehension, but
rather of individuality. Rembrandt, Rubens and Vandyke might have all
painted from the same model, but the finished portrait would have been
different, and that difference would have been a reflection of the
individuality of the artist.
THE TEACHER'S RESPONSIBILITY
Again let me emphasize the necessity for the correct "diagnosis" of the
pupil's individuality upon the part of the teacher. Unless the right
work is prescribed by the teacher, the pupil will rarely ever survive
artistically. It is much the same as with the doctor. If the doctor
gives the wrong medicine and the patient dies, surely the doctor is to
blame. It makes no difference whether the doctor had good intentions or
not. The patient is dead and that is the end of all. I have little
patience with these people who have such wonderful intentions, but who
have neither the ability, courage nor willingness to carry out these
intentions. Many teachers would like to accomplish a very great deal for
their pupils, but alas! they are either not able or they neglect those
very things which make the teacher's work a mission. One of the
teacher's greatest responsibilities lies in determining at first upon a
rational educational course by divining the pupil's individuality.
Remember that pupils are not all like sheep to be shorn in the same
identical fashion with the same identical shears.
EDWARD MACDOWELL'S INDIVIDUALITY
One of the most remarkable cases of a pronounced musical individuality
was that of the late Edward MacDowell, who came to me for instruction
for a considerable time. He was then quite youthful, and his motives
from the very first were of the highest and noblest. His ideals were so
lofty that he required little stimulation or urging of any kind. Here it
was necessary to study the pupil's nature very carefully, and provide
work that would develop his keenly artistic individuality. I remember
that he was extremely fond of Grieg, and the marked and original
character of the Norwegian tone-poet made a deep impression upon him. He
was poetical, and loved to study and read poetry. To have repressed
MacDowell in a harsh or didactic manner would have been to have
demolished those very characteristics which, in later years, developed
in such astonishing fashion that his compositions have a distinctiveness
and a style all their own.
It gives me great pleasure to place his compositions upon my programs
abroad, and I find that they are keenly appreciated by music lovers in
the old world. If MacDowell had not had a strong individuality, and if
he had not permitted this individuality to be developed along normal
lines, his compositions would not be the treasures to our art that they
are.
DEVELOPING INDIVIDUALITY THROUGH POETRY
If the teacher discovers a pupil with apparent musical talent, but whose
nature has not been developed to appreciate the beautiful and romantic
in this wonderful world of ours, he will find it quite impossible to
alter the pupil's individuality in this respect by work at the keyboard
alone. The mundane, prosaic individual who believes that the sole aim of
musical study is the acquisition of technic, or the magic of digital
speed, must be brought to realize that this is a fault of individuality
which will mar his entire career unless it is intelligently corrected.
Years and years spent in practice will not make either a musician or a
virtuoso out of one who can conceive of nothing more than how many times
he can play a series of notes within the beats of the metronome, beating
208 times a minute.
Speed does not constitute virtuosity, nor does the ability to unravel
the somewhat intricate keyboard puzzles of Bach and Brahms make in
itself fine piano playing. The mind of the artist must be cultured; in
fact, quite as cultured as that of the composer who conceived the music.
Culture comes from the observation of many things: Nature, architecture,
science, machinery, sculpture, history, men and women, and poetry. I
advise aspiring music students to read a great deal of poetry.
I find great inspiration in Shakespeare, inspiration which I know is
communicated to my interpretations of musical masterpieces at my
concerts. Who can remain unmoved by the mystery and psychology of
_Hamlet_, the keen suffering and misery of _King Lear_, the bitter hate
and revenge of _Othello_, the sweet devotion of _Romeo and Juliet_, the
majesty of _Richard III_, and the fairy beauty of _A Midsummer Night's
Dream_? In this wonderful kaleidoscope of all the human passions one can
find a world of inspiration. I am also intensely fond of Goethe, Heine,
and Alfred de Musset. It gives me pleasure to compare them to the great
masters of music. Shakespeare I compare to Brahms, Goethe to Bach and
Beethoven, and Heine and Musset to Chopin and Liszt.
CULTIVATING VIVACITY AND BRILLIANCY
Vivacity and brilliancy in playing are largely matters of temperament
and a fluent technic. I owe a great deal in this respect to Gottschalk.
When he came back to America fresh from the hands of the inimitable
Chopin, he took the most minute pains to cultivate this characteristic
in my playing. Chopin's own playing was marked by delicacy and an
intensity that was apart from the bravura playing of most of the artists
of his time. Gottschalk was a keen observer, and he did everything
possible to impart this style to me. I have used the studies of Czerny,
Liszt, Henselt and Clementi to develop brilliancy with pupils.
It should be remembered that the root of all brilliant playing lies in
one thing--accuracy. Without accuracy any attempt at brilliancy must
result in "mussiness." It is impossible to explain these things by means
of books and theories. Remember what Goethe says: "Alle Theorie is grau,
mein Freund" (all theory is foggy or hard to comprehend). One can say
fifty times as much in twenty minutes as one can put in a book. Books
are necessary, but by no means depend entirely upon books for technical
instruction.
Individuals who are careless possess a trait that will seriously mar
their individuality as musicians and artists. Carelessness is so often
taken for "abandon" in playing. "Abandon" is something quite different
and pertains to that unconsciousness of technical effort which only
comes to the artist after years of practice. To play with "abandon" and
miss a few notes in this run, play a few false notes in the next, strike
the wrong bass note here and there, mumble trills and overlook the
correct phrasing entirely, with the idea that you are doing the same
thing you have seen some great virtuoso do, is simply the superlative
degree of carelessness.
To one whose individuality is marred by carelessness let me recommend
very slow playing, with the most minute attention to detail. Technically
speaking, Czerny and Bach are of great value in correcting carelessness.
In Czerny the musical structure of the compositions is so clearly and
openly outlined that any error is easily detected, while in Bach the
structure is so close and compact that it is difficult to make an error
without interrupting the movement of some other voice that will reveal
the error. The main consideration, however, is personal carefulness, and
it makes little difference what the study is, so long as the student
himself takes great pains to see that he is right, and exactly right,
before he attempts to go ahead. Most musicians, however, would say that
Bach was the one great stone upon which our higher technical structure
must firmly stand.
Some individuals are so superficial and so "frothy" that it is difficult
to conceive of their doing anything serious or really worth while. It is
very hard for the teacher to work with such a pupil, because they have
not realized themselves as yet. They have not looked into their lives
and discerned those things which make life of most importance. Life is
not all play, nor is it all sorrow. But sorrow often does much to
develop the musician's character, to make him look into himself and
discover his more serious purposes. This might also be accomplished by
some such means of self-introspection as "Christian Science." Although I
am not a "Christian Scientist," I am a great believer in its wonderful
principles.
The greatest care must be taken in developing the individualities of the
superficial pupils. To give them Bach or Brahms at the outstart would be
to irritate them. They must be led to a fondness for music of a deeper
or more worthy character by gradual steps in that direction. In my own
case I was fortunate in having the advice of mature and famous
musicians, and as a child was given music of a serious order only. I
have always been grateful for this experience. At one of my first New
York concerts I had the honor of having Theodore Thomas as first
violinist, and I well remember his natural bent for music of a serious
order, which was in a decided contrast to the popular musical taste of
the times.
THE IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING MUSICAL HISTORY
Every composer has a pronounced individuality. To the experienced
musician this individuality becomes so marked that he can often detect
the composer's style in a composition which he has never heard. The
artist studies the individuality of the composer through the study of
his biography, through the study of musical history in general and
through the analysis of individual compositions.
Every music student should be familiar with the intensely necessary and
extremely valuable subject of musical history. How else can he become
familiar with the personal individualities of the great composers? The
more I know of Chopin, Beethoven, Scarlatti or Mendelssohn as men, and
the more I know of the times in which they lived, the closer I feel to
the manner in which they would have wished their compositions
interpreted. Consider how markedly different are the individualities of
Wagner and Haydn, and how different the interpretations of the works of
these masters should be.
Strauss and Debussy are also very different in their methods of
composition. Strauss seems to me a tremendous genius who is inventing a
new musical language as he goes. Debussy does not appeal to me in the
same manner. He always seems to be groping for musical ideas, while with
Strauss the greatness of his ideas is always evident and all-compelling.
In closing, let me say that _Time_, _Experience_ and _Work_ are the
moulders of all individuality. Few of us close our days with the same
individualities which become evident in our youth. We are either
growing better or worse all the time. We rarely stand still. To the
musician work is the great sculptor of individuality. As you work and as
you think, so will you be. No deed, no thought, no hope is too
insignificant to fail to influence your nature. As through work we
become better men and women, so through work do we become better
musicians. Carlyle has beautifully expressed this thought in "Past and
Present" thus: "The latest Gospel in this world is, 'Know thy work and
do it.' Blessed is he who has found his work; let him ask no other
blessedness. He has a WORK, a life purpose; he has found it and will
follow it."
QUESTIONS ON STYLE, INTERPRETATION, EXPRESSION
AND TECHNIC OF PIANO PLAYING
SERIES VI
TERESA CARREÑO
1. Why should imitation be avoided?
2. Should individuality in playing be developed at an early age?
3. Should individual physical peculiarities be taken into consideration?
4. In what way was Edward MacDowell's individuality marked?
5. How may individuality be developed through poetry?
6. What studies are particularly useful in the cultivation of brilliant
playing?
7. What is the best remedy for careless playing?
8. How must superficial pupils be treated?
9. Why is the study of musical history so important?
10. What may be called the sculptor of individuality in music?
[Illustration: O. GABRILOWITSCH]
OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH
BIOGRAPHICAL
Ossip Gabrilowitsch was born in St. Petersburg, February 8, 1878. His
father was a well-known jurist of the Russian capital. His brothers were
musical and his first teacher was one of his brothers. Later, he was
taken to Anton Rubinstein who earnestly advocated a career as a
virtuoso. Accordingly he entered the classes of Victor Tolstoff at the
St. Petersburg Conservatory, then under the supervision of Rubinstein
himself. His frequent personal conferences with the latter were of
immense value to him. Thereafter he went to Vienna and studied with
Leschetizky for two years. He has made many tours of Europe and America
as a piano virtuoso and has also appeared as an orchestral conductor
with pronounced success. He was a great friend of the late Mark Twain
(Samuel L. Clemens) and married one of his daughters.
(The following conference was conducted in English.)
IX
ESSENTIALS OF TOUCH
OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH
"Modern pianoforte teachers in many instances seem to make deliberate
attempts to complicate the very simple matter of touch. In the final
analyses the whole study of touch may be resolved into two means of
administering force to the keyboard, _i. e._, weight and muscular
activity. The amount of pressure brought to bear upon the keys depends
upon the amount of arm weight and upon the quickness with which the
muscles of the hand, forearm, full-arm and back permit the key to be
struck. Upon these two means of administering force must depend whatever
differentiation in dynamic power and tonal quality the player desires to
produce. The various gradations of tone which the virtuoso's hand and
arm are trained to execute are so minute that it is impossible for me to
conceive of a scientific instrument or scale to measure them.
Physiologists have attempted to construct instruments to do this, but
little of value has come from such experiments.
A RIGID ARM UNDESIRABLE
"Only a comparatively few years ago thousands of teachers were insisting
upon having their pupils keep the arms in a still, even rigid, condition
during practice. This naturally resulted in the stiffest imaginable
kind of a touch, and likewise in a mechanical style of playing that made
what has come to be known in later days as 'tone color' impossible.
"At this day the finger touch as it was formerly known has almost gone
out of existence. By finger touch I refer to the old custom of holding
the hand and forearm almost rigid and depending upon the muscular
strength of the fingers for all tonal effects. In fact, I so rarely
employ the finger touch, except in combination with the arm touch, that
it is almost an insignificant factor as far as my own playing is
concerned. By this the reader must not think that the training of the
fingers, and particularly the finger tips, is to be neglected. But this
training, to my mind, is not so much a matter of acquiring digital
strength to produce force as to accustom the fingers to strike the notes
with the greatest possible accuracy and speed. This belongs rather to
the realm of technic than to that of touch, and behind all technic is
the intellect of the player. Technic is a matter of training the finger
tips to attack and leave the keys under the absolute discipline of the
brain. Touch has a much broader and wider significance. It is touch that
reveals the soul of the player.
TOUCH A DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTIC
"Touch is the distinguishing characteristic which makes one player's
music sound different from that of another, for it is touch that
dominates the player's means of producing dynamic shading or tone
quality. I know that many authorities contend that the quality of tone
depends upon the instrument rather than upon the performer.
Nevertheless, I am reasonably confident that if I were to hear a number
of pianists play in succession upon the same instrument behind a screen
and one of these performers were to be my friend, Harold Bauer, I could
at once identify his playing by his peculiarly individual touch. In
fact, the trained ear can identify different individual characteristics
with almost the same accuracy that we identify different voices. One
could never forget Leschetizky's touch, or that of many another
contemporary pianist.
"No matter how wonderful the pianist's technic--that is, how rapidly and
accurately he can play passages of extraordinary difficulty, it is quite
worthless unless he possesses that control over his touch which enables
him to interpret the composer's work with the right artistic shading. A
fine technic without the requisite touch to liberate the performer's
artistic intelligence and 'soul' is like a gorgeous chandelier without
the lights. Until the lights are ignited all its beauty is obscured in
darkness. With an excellent technic and a fine touch, together with a
broad musical and general education and artistic temperament, the young
player may be said to be equipped to enter the virtuoso field.
COMBINING DIFFERENT TOUCHES
"As I have intimated, if the fingers are used exclusively a terribly dry
tone must result. The full-arm touch, in which I experience a complete
relaxation of the arm from the shoulder to the finger tips, is the
condition I employ at most times. But the touches I use are combinations
of the different finger, hand and arm touches. These lead to myriads of
results, and only the experienced performer can judge where they should
be applied to produce desired effects.
"You will observe by placing your hand upon my shoulder that even with
the movement of the single finger a muscular activity may be detected at
the shoulder. This shows how completely relaxed I keep my entire arm
during performance. It is only in this way that I can produce the right
kind of singing tone in cantabile passages. Sometimes I use one touch in
one voice and an entirely different touch in another voice. The
combinations are kaleidoscopic in their multiplicity.
MECHANICAL METHODS DANGEROUS
"I have never been in favor of the many automatic and mechanical methods
of producing touch. They are all dangerous to my mind. There is only one
real way of teaching, and that is through the sense of hearing of the
pupil. The teacher should go to the piano and produce the desired tonal
effect, and the pupil should listen and watch the teacher. Then the
pupil should be instructed to secure a similar result, and the teacher
should persevere until the audible effect is nearly the same. If the
pupil, working empirically, does not discover the means leading to this
effect, the teacher should call the pupil's attention to some of the
physical conditions leading to the result. If the teacher is unable to
play well enough to illustrate this, and to secure the right kind of
touch from his pupils, he has no business to be a teacher of advanced
students. All the theory in the world will never lead to the proper
results.
"Rubinstein paid little or no attention to the theory of touch, and, in
fact, he frequently stated that he cared little about such things, but
who could hear Rubinstein's touch without being benefited? I believe
that in teaching touch the teacher should first give his model of the
touch required and then proceed from this positive ideal, by means of
the so-called Socratic method of inducing the pupil to produce a similar
result through repeated questions. In this way the pupil will not be
obliged to resign his individuality, as would be the case if he followed
strict technical injunctions and rules.
STUDENTS SHOULD HEAR VIRTUOSOS
"For the same reason it is advisable for the pupil to hear many fine
pianists. He should never miss an opportunity to attend the concerts of
great virtuosos. I can frankly say that I have learned as much from
hearing the concerts of great performers as I have from any other source
of educational inspiration. The pupil should listen intelligently and
earnestly. When he hears what appeals to him as a particularly fine
tonal effect, he should endeavor to note the means the pianist employs
to produce this effect.
"He must, however, learn to discriminate between affection or needless
movement and the legitimate means to an end. Consequent upon a relaxed
full arm is the occasional dropping of the wrist below the level of the
keyboard. A few great players practice this at a public recital, and lo!
and behold! a veritable cult of 'wrist-droppers' arises and we see
students raising and lowering the wrist with exaggerated mechanical
stiffness and entirely ignoring the important end in which this wrist
dropping was only an incident.
METHODS, AND STILL MORE METHODS