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Page 39
"I shall probably play considerably with orchestra next season. There is
a Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakow which is quite short, only one movement.
It Is charming and brilliant, and I think has not yet been played in
America. There is also a new work by Stavenhagen for piano and
orchestra, which is a novelty on the other side. I greatly enjoy playing
with orchestra, but of course I shall play various recitals as well."
Miss Spencer has appeared with the best orchestras in England and on the
continent, and has everywhere received commendation for her pure,
singing tone, plastic touch, and musical temperament. She is certain to
have success in America, and to win hosts of friends there.
XX
ARTHUR HOCHMAN
HOW THE PIANIST CAN COLOR TONE WITH ACTION AND EMOTION
"A pianist, like a painter, should have an infinitude of colors on his
palette," remarked Arthur Hochman, the young Russian pianist, in a
recent chat about piano playing. He should paint pictures at the
keyboard, just as the artist depicts them upon the canvas. The piano is
capable of a wonderful variety of tonal shading, and its keys will
respond most ideally to the true musician who understands how to awaken
and bring forth all this tonal beauty from the instrument.
"The modern pianist is often lacking in two important
essentials--phrasing and shading. Inability to grasp the importance of
these two points may be the cause of artistic failure. An artist should
so thoroughly make his own the composition which he plays, and be so
deeply imbued with its spirit, that he will know the phrasing and
dynamics which best express the meaning of the piece. When he has risen
to such heights, he is a law to himself in the matter of phrasing, no
matter what marks may stand upon the printed page. As a rule the editing
of piano music is extremely inadequate, though how can it really be
otherwise? How is it possible, with a series of dots, lines, dashes and
accents, to give a true idea of the interpretation of a work of musical
art? It is _not_ possible; there are infinite shadings between _piano_
and _forte_--numberless varieties of touch which have not been tabulated
by the schools. Great editors like von B�low, Busoni and d'Albert have
done much to make the classics clearer to the student; yet they
themselves realize there are a million gradations of touch and tone,
which can never be expressed by signs nor put into words.
FOUR REQUISITES FOR PIANISTS
"Four things are necessary for the pianist who would make an artistic
success in public. They are: Variety of tone color; Individual and
artistic phrasing; True feeling; Personal magnetism. Colors mean so much
to me; some are so beautiful, the various shades of red, for instance;
then the golden yellows, rich, warm browns, and soft liquid blues. We
can make as wonderful combinations with them as ever the painters do.
To me dark red speaks of something tender, heart-searching, mysterious."
Here Mr. Hochman illustrated his words at the piano with an expressive
fragment full of deep feeling. "On the other hand, the shades of yellow
express gaiety and brightness"; here the illustrations were all life and
fire, in crisp, brilliant staccatos. Other colors were just as
effectively represented.
"What I have just indicated at the keyboard," continued the artist,
"gives a faint idea of what can be done with tone coloring, and why I
feel that pianists who neglect this side of their art, or do not see
this side of it, are missing just so much beauty. I could name one
pianist, a great name in the world of music--a man with an absolutely
flawless technic, yet whose playing to me, is dry and colorless; it
gives you no ideas, nothing you can carry away: it is like water--water.
Another, with great variety of tonal beauty, gives me many ideas--many
pictures of tone. His name is Gabrilowitsch; he is for me the greatest
pianist.
MAKING CLIMAXES PIANISSIMO
"In my own playing, when I color a phrase, I do not work up to a climax
and make that the loudest note, as most pianists do, but rather the
soft note of the phrase; this applies to lyric playing. I will show you
what I mean. Here is a fragment of two measures, containing a soulful
melody. I build up the crescendo, as you see, and at the highest point,
which you might expect to be the loudest, you find instead that it is
soft: the sharpness has been taken out of it, the thing you did not
expect has happened; and so there are constant surprises, tonal
surprises--tone colors not looked for.
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