this naturally they should have a master who will teach them how. It is
not easy to fix the mind upon one thing and at the same time drive every
other thought away. With some young pupils this takes much practice.
Some never acquire it--it is not in them. Concentration is the vertebræ
of musical success. The student who cannot concentrate had better
abandon musical study. In fact, the young person who cannot concentrate
is not likely to be a conspicuous success in any line of activity. The
study of music cultivates the pupil's powers of concentration perhaps
more than any other study. The notes to be played must be recognized
instantaneously and correctly performed. In music the mind has no time
to wander. This is one of the reasons why music is so valuable even for
those who do not ever contemplate a professional career.
One hour of concentrated practice with the mind fresh and the body
rested is better than four hours of dissipated practice with the mind
stale and the body tired. With a fatigued intellect the fingers simply
dawdle over the keys and nothing is accomplished. I find in my own daily
practice that it is best for me to practice two hours in the morning and
then two hours later in the day. When I am finished with two hours of
hard study I am exhausted from close concentration. I have also noted
that any time over this period is wasted. I am too fatigued for the
practice to be of any benefit to me.
THE NECESSITY FOR A GOOD GENERAL EDUCATION
Parents make a great mistake in not insuring the general education of
the child who is destined to become a concert performer. I can imagine
nothing more stultifying or more likely to result in artistic disaster
than the course that some parents take in neglecting the child's school
work with an idea that if he is to become a professional musician he
need only devote himself to music. This one-sided cultivation should be
reserved for idiots who can do nothing else. The child-wonder is often
the victim of some mental disturbance.
I remember once seeing a remarkable child mathematician in Hungary. He
was only twelve years of age and yet the most complicated mathematical
problems were solved in a few seconds without recourse to paper. The
child had water on the brain and lived but a few years. His usefulness
to the world of mathematics was limited solely to show purposes. It is
precisely the same with the so-called musical precocities. They are
rarely successful in after life, and unless trained by some very wise
and careful teacher, they soon become objects for pity.
The child who is designed to become a concert pianist should have the
broadest possible culture. He must live in the world of art and letters
and become a naturalized citizen. The wider the range of his
information, experience and sympathies, the larger will be the audience
he will reach when he comes to talk to them from the concert platform.
It is the same as with a public speaker. No one wants to hear a speaker
who has led a narrow, crabbed intellectual existence, but the man who
has seen and known the world, who has become acquainted with the great
masterpieces of art and the wonderful achievements of science, has
little difficulty in securing an audience providing he has mastered the
means of expressing his ideas.
CLEAN PLAYING VS. SLOVENLY PLAYING
In the matter of technical preparation there is, perhaps, too little
attention being given to-day to the necessity for clean playing. Of
course, each individual requires a different treatment. The pupil who
has a tendency to play with stiffness and rigidity may be given studies
which will develop a more fluent style. For these pupils' studies, like
those of Heller, are desirable in the cases of students with only
moderate technical ability, while the splendid "etudes" of Chopin are
excellent remedies for advanced pupils with tendencies toward hard,
rigid playing. The difficulty one ordinarily meets, however, is ragged,
slovenly playing rather than stiff, rigid playing. To remedy this
slovenliness, there is nothing like the well-known works of Czerny,
Cramer or Clementi.
I have frequently told pupils in my "Meisterschule" in Vienna, before I
abandoned teaching for my work as a concert pianist, that they must
learn to draw before they learn to paint. They will persist in trying to
apply colors before they learn the art of making correct designs. This
leads to dismal failure in almost every case. Technic first--then
interpretation. The great concert-going public has no use for a player
with a dirty, slovenly technic no matter how much he strives to make
morbidly sentimental interpretations that are expected to reach the
lovers of sensation. For such players a conscientious and exacting study
of Czerny, Cramer, Clementi and others of similar design is good
musical soap and water. It washes them into respectability and technical
decency. The pianist with a bungling, slovenly technic, who at the same
time attempts to perform the great masterpieces, reminds me of those
persons who attempt to disguise the necessity for soap and water with
nauseating perfume.
HEALTH A VITAL FACTOR
Few people realize what a vital factor health is to the concert pianist.
The student should never fail to think of this. Many young Americans who
go abroad to study break down upon the very vehicle upon which they must
depend in their ride to success through the indiscretions of overwork or
wrong living. The concert pianist really lives a life of privation. I
always make it a point to restrict myself to certain hygienic rules on
the day before a concert. I have a certain diet and a certain amount of
exercise and sleep, without which I cannot play successfully.
In America one is overcome with the kindness of well-meaning people who
insist upon late suppers, receptions, etc. It is hard to refuse kindness
of this description, but I have always felt that my debt to my audiences
was a matter of prime importance, and while on tour I refrain from
social pleasures of all kinds. My mind and my body must be right or
failure will surely result.
I have often had people say to me after the performance of some
particularly brilliant number "Ah! You must have taken a bottle of
champagne to give a performance like that." Nothing could be further
from the truth. A half a bottle of beer would ruin a recital for me. The
habit of taking alcoholic drinks with the idea that they lead to a more
fiery performance is a dangerous custom that has been the ruin of more
than one pianist. The performer who would be at his best must live a
very careful, almost abstemious life. Any unnatural excess is sure to
mar his playing and lead to his downfall with the public. I have seen
this done over and over again, and have watched alcohol tear down in a
few years what had taken decades of hard practice and earnest study to
build up.
JUDICIOUS USE OF TECHNICAL EXERCISES
The field of music is so enormous that I have often thought that the
teacher should be very careful not to overdo the matter of giving
technical exercises. Technical exercises are, at best, short cuts. They
are necessary for the student. He should have a variety of them, and not
be kept incessantly pounding away at one or two exercises. As Nicholas
Rubinstein once said to me, "Scales should never be dry. If you are not
interested in them work with them until you become interested in them."
They should be played with accents and in different rhythms. If they are
given in the shapeless manner in which some teachers obliged their
unfortunate pupils to practice them they are worthless. I do not
believe in working out technical exercises at a table or with a dumb
piano. The brain must always work with the fingers, and without the
sound of the piano the imagination must be enormously stretched to get
anything more than the most senseless, toneless, soulless touch.
Technic with many is unmistakably a gift. I say this after having given
the matter much careful thought. It is like the gift of speech. Some
people are fluent talkers, precisely as some people can do more in two
hours' technical work at the keyboard than others could accomplish with
four. Of course, much can be accomplished with persistent practice, and
a latent gift may be awakened, but it is certainly not given to all to
become able technicalists. Again some become very proficient from the
technical standpoint, but are barren, soulless, uninspired and vapid
when it comes to the artistic and musicianly interpretation of a piece.
There comes a time to every advanced pianist when such exercises as the
scales, arpeggios, the studies of Czerny and Cramer are unnecessary. I
have not practiced them for some years, but pray do not think that I
attempt to go without exercises. These exercises I make by selecting
difficult parts of famous pieces and practicing them over and over. I
find the concertos of Hummel particularly valuable in this connection,
and there are parts of some of the Beethoven concertos that make
splendid musical exercises that I can practice without the fatal
diminution of interest which makes a technical exercise valueless.
STUDY ABROAD
In the matter of foreign study I think that I may speak without bias, as
I am engaged in teaching and am not likely to resume for some years. I
am _absolutely convinced_ that there are many teachers in America who
are as good as the best in Europe. Nevertheless, I would advise the
young American to secure the best instruction possible in his native
land, and then to go abroad for a further course. It will serve to
broaden him in many ways.
I believe in patriotism, and I admire the man who sticks to his
fatherland. But, in art there is no such thing as patriotism. As the
conservatory of Paris provides, through the "Prix de Rome," for a three
years' residence in Italy and other countries for the most promising
pupil, so the young American music students should avail themselves of
the advantages of Old World civilization, art, and music. There is much
to be learned from the hustle and vigorous wholesome growth of your own
country that would be of decided advantage to the German students who
could afford a term of residence here. It is narrowing to think that one
should avoid the Old World art centers from the standpoint of American
patriotism.
VERSATILITY
Few people recognize the multifarious requirements of the concert
pianist. He must adjust himself to all sorts of halls, pianos and living
conditions. The difference between one piano and another is often very
remarkable. It sometimes obliges the artist to readjust his technical
methods very materially. Again, the difference in halls is noteworthy.
In a great hall, like the Albert Hall of London, one can only strive for
very broad effects. It is not possible for one to attempt the delicate
shadings which the smaller halls demand. Much is lost in the great hall,
and it is often unjust to determine the pianist's ability by his
exclusively bravura performances in very large auditoriums.
CULTIVATING FINGER STRENGTH
The concert pianist must have great endurance. His fingers must be as
strong as steel, and yet they must be as elastic and as supple as willow
wands. I have always had great faith in the "Kleine Pischna" and the
"Pischna Exercises" in cultivating strength. These exercises are now
world famous, and it would be hard for me to imagine anything better for
this particular purpose. They are somewhat voluminous, but necessarily
so. One conspicuous difficulty with which teachers have to contend is
that pupils attempt pieces requiring great digital strength without ever
having gone through such a course as I advocate above. The result is
that they have all sorts of troubles with their hands through strain.
Some of these troubles are irremediable, others are curable, but cause
annoying delays. I have never had anything of this sort and attribute my
immunity from weeping sinews, etc., to correct hand positions, a loose
wrist and slow systematic work in my youth.
VELOCITY
Velocity depends more upon natural elasticity than strength. Some people
seem to be born with the ability to play rapidly. It is always a matter
of the fingers, but is more a matter of the brain. Some people have the
ability to think very rapidly, and when these people have good supple
hands they seem to be able to play rapidly with comparatively little
study. When you fail to get velocity at first, do not hesitate to lay
the piece aside for several weeks, months or years. Then you will
doubtless find that the matter of velocity will not trouble you. Too
much study upon a piece that fails for the time being to respond to
earnest effort is often a bad thing. Be a little patient. It will all
come out right in the end. If you fuss and fume for immediate results
you may be sadly disappointed.
TALENT
Talent is great and immutable. Take the case of Liszt, for instance. I
recently heard from a reliable source the following interesting story:
One day Liszt was called away from his class at Wiemar by an invitation
to visit the Grand Duke. Von Bülow, then a mature artist, was present,
and he was asked by Liszt to teach the class for the day. Liszt left the
room, and a young student was asked to play one of Liszt's own
compositions. Von Bülow did not like the youth's interpretation, as he
had been accustomed to play the same work on tour in a very different
manner. Consequently he abused the student roundly, and then sat at the
keyboard and was playing to his great satisfaction when the tottering
old master broke in the room and with equal severity reprimanded Von
Bülow, and sat down at the keyboard and gave an interpretation that was
infinitely superior to that of Von Bülow. It was simply a case of
superiority of talent that enabled the aged and somewhat infirm Liszt to
excel his younger contemporary.
BE NATURAL
In closing, let me enjoin all young American music students to strive
for naturalness. Avoid ostentatious movements in your playing. Let your
playing be as quiet as possible. The wrist should be loose. The hands,
to my mind, should be neither high nor low, but should be in line with
the forearm. One should continually strive for quietness. Nothing should
be forced. Ease in playing is always admirable, and comes in time to all
talented students who seek it. The Deppe method of hand position, while
pedantic and unnecessarily long, is interesting and instructive.
Personally, I advocate the use of the Etudes of Chopin, Moscheles and
the _Etudes Transcendante_ to all advanced pupils. I have used them with
pupils with invariable success. I have also a series of thirteen Etudes
of my own that I have made for the express purpose of affording pupils
material for work which is not adequately covered in the usual course.
Young Americans have a great future before them. The pupils I have had
have invariably been ones who progress with astonishing rapidity. They
show keenness and good taste, and are willing to work faithfully and
conscientiously, and that, after all, is the true road to success.
TALENT COUNTS
If you think that talent does not count you are very greatly mistaken.
We not infrequently see men who have been engaged in one occupation with
only very moderate success suddenly leap into fame in an entirely
different line. Men who have struggled to be great artists or
illustrators like du Maurier astonish the world with a previously
concealed literary ability. It is foolish not to recognize the part that
talent must play in the careers of artists. Sometimes hard work and
patient persistence will stimulate the mind and soul, and reveal talents
that were never supposed to exist, but if the talent does not exist it
is as hopeless to hunt for it as it is to seek for diamonds in a bowl of
porridge.
Talented people seem to be born with the knack or ability to do certain
things twice as well and twice as quickly as other people can do the
same things. I well remember that when all Europe was wild over the
"Diabolo" craze my little girl commenced to play with the sticks and the
little spool. It looked interesting and I thought that I would try it a
few times and then show her how to do it. The more I tried the more
exasperated I became. I simply could not make it go, and before I knew
it I had wasted a whole morning upon it. My little daughter took it up
and in a few minutes' practice she was able to do it as well as an
expert. It is precisely the same at the keyboard. What takes some pupils
hours to accomplish others can do in a few seconds with apparently less
effort. The age of the pupil seems to have little to do with musical
comprehension. What does count is talent, that peculiar qualification
which seems to lead the student to see through complex problems as if he
had been solving them through different generations for centuries.
QUESTIONS IN STYLE, INTERPRETATION, EXPRESSION
AND TECHNIC OF PIANOFORTE PLAYING
SERIES XVI
EMIL SAUER
1. Can missed practice periods ever be made up?
2. Does piano study cultivate concentration?
3. What is a good arrangement of practice hours?
4. What are some remedies for slovenly playing?
5. How is one's playing affected by health?
6. Are stimulants good or bad?
7. Is listening important in pianoforte playing?
8. How may finger strength be cultivated?
9. Upon what does velocity depend?
10. What part does talent play in the artist's success?
[Illustration: X. SCHARWENKA]
XAVER SCHARWENKA
BIOGRAPHICAL
Franz Xaver Scharwenka was born at Samter, Posen (Polish Prussia),
January 6, 1850. He was a pupil of Kullak and Würst at Kullak's Academy
in Berlin, from which he graduated in 1868. Shortly thereafter he was
appointed a teacher in the same institution. The next year he made his
début as a virtuoso at the _Singakademie_. For many years thereafter he
gave regular concerts in Berlin in connection with Sauret and Grünfeld.
In 1874 he gave up his position in the famous Berlin music school and
commenced the career of the touring virtuoso. In 1880 he founded the
Scharwenka Conservatory in Berlin together with his brother Philipp
Scharwenka, an able composer.
In 1891 Scharwenka came to New York to establish a conservatory there.
This, however, was closed in 1898 when Scharwenka returned to Berlin as
Director of the Klindworth-Scharwenka conservatory. He has been the
recipient of numerous honors from the governments of Austria and
Germany. He received the title of "Professor" from the King of Prussia
(Emperor Wilhelm II) and that of Court Pianist from the emperor of
Austria.
His many concert tours in America and in Europe have established his
fame as a pianist of great intellectual strength as well as strong
poetical force. His compositions, including his four Concertos, have
been widely played, and his opera, _Mataswintha_, has received important
productions. One of his earlier works, the _Polish Dance_, has been
enormously popular for a quarter of a century.
(The following conference was conducted in German and English.)
XIX
ECONOMY IN MUSIC STUDY
XAVER SCHARWENKA
It is somewhat of a question whether any time spent in music study is
actually wasted, since all intellectual activity is necessarily
accompanied by an intellectual advance. However, it soon becomes
apparent to the young teacher that results can be achieved with a great
economy of time if the right methods are used. By the use of the words
"right methods" I do not mean to infer that only one right method
exists. The right method for one pupil might be quite different from
that which would bring about the best results with another pupil. In
these days far more elasticity of methods exists than was generally
sanctioned in the past, and the greatness of the teacher consists very
largely of his ability to invent, adapt, and adjust his pedagogical
means to the special requirements of his pupil. Thus it happens that the
teacher, by selecting only those exercises, etudes and teaching pieces
demanded by the obvious needs of the pupil, and by eliminating
unnecessary material, a much more rapid rate of advancement may be
obtained. One pupil, for instance, might lack those qualities of
velocity and dexterity which many of the etudes of Czerny develop in
such an admirable manner, while another pupil might be deficient in the
singing tone, which is almost invariably improved by the study of
certain Chopin etudes.
TIME LOST IN EARLY STUDY
Although my educational work for many years has been almost exclusively
limited to pupils preparing for careers as teachers and as concert
pianists, I nevertheless have naturally taken a great interest in those
broad and significant problems which underlie the elementary training of
the young music student. I have written quite extensively upon the
subject, and my ideas have been quite definitely expressed in my book,
_Methodik des Klavierspiels: Systematische Darstellung der technischen
und æsthetischen Erfordernisse für einen rationellen Lehrgang_. I have
also come in close contact with this branch of musical work in the
Klindworth-Scharwenka Conservatory in Berlin.
My observations have led to the firm conviction that much of the time
lost in music study could be saved if the elementary training of the
pupil were made more comprehensive and more secure. It is by no means an
economy of time to hurry over the foundation work of the pupil. It is
also by no means an economy of money to place the beginner in the hands
of a second-rate teacher. There is just as much need for the specialist
to train the pupil at the start as there is for the head of the
"meisterschule" to guide the budding virtuoso. How can we expect the
pupil to make rapid progress if the start is not right? One might as
well expect a broken-down automobile to win a race. The equipment at the
beginning must be of the kind which will carry the pupil through his
entire career with success. If any omissions occur, they must be made up
later on, and the difficulty in repairing this neglect is twice as great
as it would have been had the student received the proper instruction at
the start.
EAR-TRAINING
The training of the ear is of great importance, and if teachers would
only make sure that their pupils studied music with their sense of
hearing as well as with their fingers, much time would be saved in later
work. Young pupils should be taught to listen by permitting them to hear
good music, which is at the same time sufficiently simple to insure
comprehension. Early musical education is altogether too one-sided. The
child is taken to the piano and a peculiar set of hieroglyphics known as
notation is displayed to him. He is given a few weeks to comprehend that
these signs refer to certain keys on the keyboard. He commences to push
down these keys faithfully and patiently and his musical education is
thus launched in what many consider the approved manner. Nothing is said
about the meaning of the piece, its rhythm, its harmonies, its æsthetic
beauties. Nothing is told of the composer, or of the period in which the
piece was written. It would be just about as sensible to teach a pupil
to repeat the sounds of the Chinese language by reading the Chinese
word-signs, but without comprehending the meaning of the sounds and
signs. Is it any wonder that beginners lose interest in their work, and
refuse to practise except when compelled to do so?
I am most emphatically in favor of a more rational, a more broad, and a
more thorough training of the beginner. Time taken from that ordinarily
given to the senseless, brainless working up and down of the fingers at
the keyboard, and devoted to those studies such as harmony, musical
history, form, and in fact, any study which will tend to widen the
pupil's knowledge and increase his interest, will save much time in
later work.
WASTE IN TECHNICAL STUDY