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Page 15
"My great longing and ambition is to write music, to become a composer.
With this end in view, I give whatever time I am able to the study of
composition. I hope some day to create something that will be worthy the
high aim I have before me."
VIII
BERTHA FIERING TAPPER
MASTERING PIANISTIC PROBLEMS
If environment and atmosphere are inspirational aids to piano teaching
and playing, the students of Mrs. Thomas Tapper have the incentives of
both in their lesson hours. Her apartments on the Drive have the glory
of sunlight all the long afternoons. Outside the Hudson shimmers in blue
and gold; indoors all is harmonious and home-like. In the large
music-room, facing the river, two grand pianos stand side by side; there
are many portraits and mementoes of the great in music; fresh flowers,
books--everything to uplift thought; while in the midst of it all is
Mrs. Tapper herself, the serious, high-minded, inspiring teacher; the
"mother confessor" to a large number of young artists and teachers.
"Music study means so much more than merely exercising the fingers," she
said; "the student should have a good all-round education. When young
people come to me for instruction, I ask what they are doing in school.
If they say they have left school in order to devote their whole time to
the piano, I say, 'Go back to your school, and come to me later, when
you have finished your school course.' It is true that in rare cases it
may be advisable for the student to leave school, but he should then
pursue general or special studies at home. I often wish the music
student's education in this country could be arranged as it is in at
least one of the great music schools in Russia. There the mornings are
given to music, while general studies are taken up later in the day. It
is really a serious problem, here in America, this fitting in music with
other studies. Both public and private schools try to cover so much
ground that there is very little time left for music or anything else.
The music pupil also needs to know musical literature, history and
biography, to be familiar with the lives and writings of the great
composers. Take the letters and literary articles of Robert Schumann,
for instance. How interesting and inspiring they are!
"In regard to methods in piano study my principles are based wholly upon
my observations of Leschetizky's work with me personally, or with
others. What I know he has taught me; what I have achieved I owe to
him. My first eight weeks in Vienna were spent in learning, first, to
control position and condition of hands and arms according to the law of
balance; secondly, to direct each motion with the utmost accuracy and
speed. To accomplish this I began with the most elementary exercises in
five-finger position, using one finger at a time. Then came the
principles of the scale, arpeggios, chords and octaves. All these things
were continued until every principle was mastered. I practised at first
an hour a day, then increased the amount as my hands grew stronger and
the number of exercises increased.
"Next came the study of tone production in various forms, a good quality
invariably being the result of a free condition of the arm combined with
strength of fingers and hands.
"The Leschetizky principles seem to me the most perfect and correct in
every particular. Yes, there are several books of the method, by
different authors, but I teach the principles without a book. The
principles themselves are the essential things. I aim to build up the
hand, to make it strong and dependable in every part, to fill out the
weak places and equalize it. That this may be thoroughly and
successfully accomplished, I require that nothing but technical
exercises be used for the first nine, ten, or twelve weeks. We begin
with the simplest exercises, one finger at a time, then two, three and
so on through the hand. I believe in thus devoting all the practise time
to technic, for a certain period, so that the mind is free to master the
principles, undisturbed by piece playing. When the principles have been
assimilated, the attention can then be directed to the study of music
itself. If any weak places appear in the hand from time to time, they
can be easily corrected.
"If a pupil comes to me who has played a great deal but with no idea of
the principles of piano playing, who does not know how to handle herself
or the keyboard, it is absolutely necessary to stop everything and get
ready to play. If you attempt even a simple sonata with no legato touch,
no idea of chord or scale playing, you can not make the piece sound like
anything. It is like a painter trying to paint without brushes, or an
artist attempting to make a pen and ink drawing with a blunt lead
pencil; to do good work you must have the tools to work with.
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