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Page 22
"I have been so frequently asked to write on the subject of technic that
I have done so in a few articles which have been printed in a small
booklet. From these you may see what my ideas are on these points. I do
very little teaching myself--just a few talented pupils; they must be
something out of the ordinary. You see, I do not live in London
continuously; I am here only about four months of the year; the rest of
the time is spent traveling all over the world. Only that small part of
the year when I am stationary can I do any solid work. Here it is
generally quiet enough: the Zoological Garden is not far away, however,
and sometimes I have the roaring of the lions as an accompaniment to my
piano.
"I am always increasing my repertoire, though I find the public does not
care for new things; it prefers the old. It may listen to the new if
forced to, but it will not attend a recital unless various familiar
things are on the program.
"I have made several tours in America. The rush of travel from place to
place over there, is fatiguing, but I feel that your people are very
appreciative. You demand the best, and concert giving in America is so
costly that a manager can afford to exploit only the highest artists.
Here in London, where the expense is only about two hundred dollars,
say, to get up a recital, almost any one can scrape together that sum
and bring himself or herself before the public. In America the outlay is
four or five times greater. No wonder that only a very good artist can
take the risk."
On leaving, Mr. Hambourg took us to another room, where he showed us
with much satisfaction, a very valuable painting of the old Italian
school, by Ghirlandajo, of which he is very fond.
XII
TOBIAS MATTHAY
WATCHING THE ARTIST TEACHER AT WORK
One of the first things accomplished after my arrival in London was to
seek out Tobias Matthay, the composer and teacher, for an echo of his
fame had reached me across the water.
Matthay has done much to make the principles of piano technic so clear
and simple that even a child can understand them. If he has stated facts
in a way which seems to some revolutionary it is because these facts are
seldom understood by the rank and file of piano teachers. The work he
has done has compelled attention and admiration; his ideas are now
accepted as undeniable truths by those who at first repudiated them. The
writings of Mr. Matthay will doubtless be better known in America a
little later on than they are at present. They consist in part of an
exhaustive work on _The Act of Touch in all its Diversity; First
Principles of Piano Playing; Relaxation Studies; The Child's First Steps
in Piano Playing; The Principles of Fingering and Laws of Pedaling;
Forearm Rotation Principle;_ and, in press, _The Principles of Teaching
Interpretation_. These very titles are inspiring and suggestive, and
show Matthay to be a deep thinker along educational lines.
[Illustration: Cordially Yours, Tobias Matthay]
Matthay's activities are enormous. He is professor of advanced piano
playing at the Royal Academy of Music; also founder and head of his own
school of piano playing. So occupied early and late is he, that it is
almost impossible to get a word with him. I was fortunate enough,
however, to obtain an hour's audience, and also permission to attend
various private classes at the Royal Academy, and hear a number of
pupils in recital.
In appearance Matthay is a striking personality. His head and features
recall pictures of Robert Louis Stevenson. His tall, muscular form has
the stoop of the scholar; and little wonder when one remembers he must
sit in his chair at work day in and day out. His somewhat brusk manner
melts into kind amiability when discussing the topics in which he is
vitally interested. In his intercourse with students he is ever kind,
sympathetic and encouraging. They, on their part, treat him with
profound respect.
Matthay believes, and rightly, that the beginning pupil should learn
essentials of note values, rhythm, time, ear-training and so on, before
attempting to play anything at the piano. When first taken to the
instrument, its mechanism is carefully explained to the learner, and
what he must do to make a really musical tone. He says _(Child's First
Steps)_: "Before you take the very first step in tone production, be
sure to understand that you must never touch the piano without trying to
make music. It is only too easy to sound notes without making music at
all. To make music we must make all the sounds mean something, just as
it is no use to pretend to speak unless the sounds we make with our lips
mean something, that is unless they form reasoned phrases and
sentences."
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