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Page 10
[Illustration: Rudolph Ganz]
"One of the most necessary things is the conserving of vital energy in
piano practise," said the pianist Rudolph Ganz to me one day. "The wrong
way is to continually practise the piece as though you were playing it
in public--that is to say, with all possible energy and emotion. Some of
the pianists now before the public do this, and it always makes me sorry
for them, for I know what a needless waste of energy and vital force it
is. An actor, studying his lines, does not need to continually shout
them in order to learn how they should be interpreted. Neither does the
lyric actress practise her roles with full tones, for she is well used
to saving her voice. Why then should the pianist exhaust himself and
give out his whole strength merely in the daily routine of practise? I
grant this principle of saving one's self may not be easy to learn, but
it should be acquired by all players, great and small. I think a
pianist should be able to practise five or six hours daily without
fatigue. If the player is accustomed to husband his vital force during
the daily routine of practise, he can play a long, exacting program in
public without weariness. In every day practise one often does not need
to play _forte_ nor use the pedals; a tone of medium power is
sufficient. Suppose, for instance, you are studying the Chopin �tude Op.
10, No. 12, with the left hand arpeggio work. Every note and finger must
be in place, every mark of phrasing obeyed; but during practise hours
you need not give the piece all its dashing vigor and bravura at every
repetition. Such a course would soon exhaust the player. Yet every
effect you wish to make must be thoroughly studied, must be in mind, and
used at intervals whenever a complete performance of the piece is
desired.
"As I said before, it is often difficult to control the impulse to 'let
loose,' if the work is an exciting one. At a recent rehearsal with the
Symphony Orchestra, I told the men I would quietly run through the
concerto I was to play, merely indicating the effects I wanted. We
began, but in five minutes I found myself playing with full force and
vigor.
"In regard to methods in piano study there seems to be a diversity of
opinion, resulting, I think, from the various ways of touching the
keys--some players using the tip and others the ball of the finger.
Busoni may be cited as one who employs the end of the finger--Pauer
also; while the Frenchman, Cort�t, who has an exquisite tone, plays with
the hand almost flat on the keys, a method which certainly insures
weight of hand and arm. Of course players generally, and teachers also,
agree on the employment of arm weight in playing. The principles of
piano technic are surely but few. Was it not Liszt who said: 'Play the
right key with the right finger, the right tone and the right
intention--that is all!' It seems to me piano technic has been pushed to
its limit, and there must be a reversal; we may return to some of the
older methods of touch and technic.
"The vital thing in piano playing is to bring out the composer's
meaning, plus your own inspiration and feeling. You must study deeply
into the composer's idea, but you must also put your own feeling,
intensity and emotion into the piece. And not only must you feel the
meaning yourself, but you must play it in a way to touch others. There
are many pianists who are not cultured musicians; who think they know
their Beethoven because they can play a few sonatas. In music 'knowledge
is power.' We need all possible knowledge, but we also need to feel the
inspiration. One of the greatest teachers of our time holds that
personal inspiration is not necessary; for the feeling is all in the
music itself. All we have to do is to play with such and such a dynamic
quality of tone. Like a country doctor measuring out his drugs, this
master apportions so many grains of power for _forte_, for _mezzo_, for
_piano_, and so on. This plan puts a damper on individuality and
enthusiasm, for it means that everything must be coldly calculated. Such
playing does not really warm the heart.
"I believe in teaching tonal contrasts and tone color even to a
beginner. Why should not the child form a concept of _forte_ and
_piano_, and so get away from the deadly monotony of _mezzo_? I have
written some little descriptive piano pieces, and my small boy learned
one of them to play for me. There is a closing phrase like this," and
Mr. Ganz illustrated at the piano; "it is to be played _forte_, and is
followed by a few notes to be touched very softly, like an echo. It was
really beautiful to see how the little fellow reached out for the pedal
to make the loud part more emphatic, and then played the echo very
softly and neatly. He had grasped the first principle of tone
color--namely tone contrast, and also a poetic idea.
"There are so many wonder children in these days, and many marvels are
accomplished by infant prodigies. Very often however, these wonder
children develop no further; they fail to fulfil their early promise, or
the expectations held of them.
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