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Page 28
"An audience has been arranged for you to-day, with M. Raoul Pugno; he
will await you at four o'clock, in his Paris studio." Thus wrote the
courteous representative of _Musical America_ in Paris.
It had been very difficult to make appointments with any of the famous
French musicians, owing to their being otherwise engaged, or out of the
city. I therefore welcomed this opportunity for meeting at least one of
the great pianists of France.
At the appointed hour that afternoon, we drove through the busy rue de
Clicy, and halted at the number which had been indicated. It proved to
be one of those unpromising French apartment buildings, which present,
to the passer-by, a stern fa�ade of flat wall, broken by rows of
shuttered windows, which give no hint of what may be hidden behind them.
In this case we did not find the man we sought in the front portion of
the building, but were directed to cross a large, square court. The
house was built around this court, as was the custom in constructing the
older sort of dwellings.
At last we discovered the right door, which was opened by a neat
housekeeper.
"M. Pugno is not here, he lives in the country," she said, in answer to
our inquiry. (How difficult these French musicians are to find; they
seem to be one and all "in the country"!)
"But, madame, we have an appointment with M. Pugno; will you not be good
enough to see if he is not here after all?"
She left us standing, but returned almost immediately with the message
that M. Pugno had only that moment entered his studio, to which she
would conduct us.
[Illustration: RAOUL PUGNO]
In another moment we had crossed the tiny foyer and were standing within
the artist's sanctuary. At first glance one felt as though in an
Oriental chamber of some Eastern monarch. Heavy gold and silver Turkish
embroideries hung over doors and windows. The walls were covered with
many rare paintings; rich _objets d'art_ were scattered about in
profusion; an open door led out into a pretty garden, where flowers
bloomed, and a fountain _dripped_ into its marble basin. A raised dais
at one side of the room held a divan, over which were draperies of
Oriental stuffs. On this divan, as on a throne, sat the great pianist we
had come to see. He made a stately and imposing figure as he sat there,
with his long silvery beard and his dignified bearing. Near him sat a
pretty young woman, whom we soon learned was Mlle. Nadia Boulanger, a
composer and musician of brilliant attainments.
"I regret that I am unable to converse with you in English, as I speak
no language but my own," began M. Pugno, with a courteous wave of the
hand for us to be seated.
"You wish to know some of my ideas on piano playing--or rather on
teaching. I believe a child can begin to study the piano at a very early
age, if he show any aptitude for it; indeed the sooner he begins the
better, for then he will get over some of the drudgery by the time he is
old enough to understand a little about music.
TRAINING THE CHILD
"Great care must be taken with the health of the child who has some
talent for music, so that he shall not overdo in his piano study. After
all a robust physical condition is of the first importance, for without
it one can do little.
"A child in good health can begin as early as five or six years. He must
be most judiciously trained from the start. As the ear is of such prime
importance in music, great attention should be paid to tone study--to
listening to and distinguishing the various sounds, and to singing them
if possible, in solfeggio.
"At the outset a good hand position must be secured, with correct finger
movements. Then there must be a thorough drill in scales, arpeggios,
chords, and a variety of finger exercises, before any kind of pieces are
taken up. The young student in early years, is expected to play various
�tudes, as well as the technic studies I have mentioned--Czerny, Cramer,
Clementi, and always Bach. In my position, as member of the faculty of
the Conservatoire, a great many students pass before me. If I personally
accept any pupils, they naturally must be talented and advanced, as I
cannot give my time to the children. Still it is interesting to see the
child-thought develop."
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