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Page 42
"This quality of my playing must have impressed Breithaupt, for, as you
perhaps know, it was after he heard me play that he wrote his famous
book on 'Weight Touch,' which is dedicated to me. A second and revised
edition of this work, by the way, is an improvement on the first. Many
artists and musicians have told me I have a special quality of tone; if
this is true I am convinced this quality is the result of controlled
relaxation."
I referred to the artist's hand as being of exceptional adaptability for
the piano.
"Yes," she answered, "and it resembles closely the hand of Rubinstein.
This brings to mind a little incident. As a small child, I was taken to
London, and on one occasion played in the presence of Rubinstein; he was
delighted, took me under his wing, and introduced me all about as his
musical daughter. Years afterward we came to New York, and located at
the old Clarendon Hotel, which has housed so many men of note. The first
day at lunch, my aunt and I were seated at a table mostly occupied by
elderly ladies, who stared at us curiously. I was a shy slip of a girl,
and hardly ventured to raise my eyes after the first look around the
room. Beside me sat a gentleman. I glanced at his hand as it rested on
the table--then I looked more closely; how much it reminded me of
Rubinstein's hand! My eyes traveled slowly up to the gentleman's
face--it was Rubinstein! He was looking at me; then he turned and
embraced me, before all those observing ladles!"
We spoke of Berlin, the home of the pianist, and of its musical life,
mentioning von B�low and Klindworth. "Both good friends of mine," she
commented. "What a wonderful work Klindworth has accomplished in his
editions of Beethoven and Chopin! As Goethe said of himself, we can say
of Klindworth--he has carved his own monument in this work. We should
revere him for the great service he has done the pianistic world.
"I always love to play in America, and each time I come I discover how
much you have grown. The musical development here is wonderful. This
country is very far from being filled with a mercenary and commercial
spirit. If Europeans think so it is because they do not know the
American at home. Your progress in music is a marvel! There is a great
deal of idealism here, and idealism is the very heart and soul of music.
"I feel the artist has such a beautiful calling--a glorious message--to
educate a people to see the beauty and grandeur of his art--of the
ideal!"
XXII
WILHELM BACHAUS
TECHNICAL PROBLEMS DISCUSSED
"How do I produce the effects which I obtain from the piano?"
The young German artist, Willielm Bachaus, was comfortably seated in his
spacious apartments at the Ritz, New York, when this question was asked.
A grand piano stood close at hand, and the pianist ran his fingers
lightly over its keys from time to time, or illustrated some technical
point as he talked.
"In answer I would say I produce them by listening, criticizing,
judging--working over the point, until I get it as I want it. Then I can
reproduce it at will, if I want to make just the same effect; but
sometimes I want to change and try another.
[Illustration: WILHELM BACHAUS]
"I am particular about the seat I use at the piano, as I sit lower than
most amateurs, who in general are apt to sit too high. My piano stool
has just been taken out for a few repairs, or I could show you how low
it is. Then I am old-fashioned enough to still believe in scales and
arpeggios. Some of the players of the present day seem to have no use
for such things, but I find them of great importance. This does not
necessarily mean that I go through the whole set of keys when I practise
the scales; but I select a few at a time, and work at those. I start
with ridiculously simple forms--just the hand over the thumb, and the
thumb under the hand--a few movements each way, especially for
arpeggios. The principle I have referred to is the difficult point; a
few doses of this remedy, however, bring the hand up into order again."
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