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Page 47
"_Pianissimo_ is one of the later things to teach. A beginner should not
attempt it too soon, for then it will only result in flabbiness. A true
_pianissimo_ is not the result of weakness but of strength.
MUSICAL CONDITIONS IN AMERICA
"America has made marvelous progress in the understanding and
appreciation of music; even the critics, many of them, know a great deal
about music. The audiences, even in small towns, are a pleasure and
delight to play to. I am asked sometimes why I attempt the last sonata
of Beethoven in a little town. But just such audiences listen to that
work with rapt attention; they hang on every note. How are they to learn
what is best in music unless we are willing to give it to them?
"The trouble with America is that it does not at all realize how much it
knows--how much talent is here. We are so easily tricked with a foreign
name and title; our serious and talented musicians are constantly being
pushed to the wall by some unknown with a name ending in _ski_. These
are the people who tour America (for one season at least), who get the
best places in our music schools and colleges, crowding out our native
musicians. It makes me very bitter against this utterly mistaken and
fallacious idea of ours. I have many talented students, who come to me
from all over the country. Some of them become most excellent concert
artists. If I recommend them to managers or institutions, should not my
word count for something? Ought I not to know what my students can do,
and what is required of a concert artist? But instead of their securing
an engagement, with such a recommendation, a foreigner with the
high-sounding name is the one invariably chosen. When I first started on
my career I endeavored in every way to get a proper hearing in America.
But not until I had made a name for myself in Europe was I recognized
here, in my own land. All honor to those who are now fighting for the
musical independence of America!"
A GROUP OF QUESTIONS
Not long after the above conversation with Mme. Zeisler, I jotted down
some questions, leading to further elucidation of her manner of teaching
and playing, and sent them to her. The artist was then fully occupied
with her long and arduous tours and later went to Europe. My questions
remained unanswered for nearly a year. When she next played in New York,
she sent for me to come to her hotel. As she entered the room to greet
me, she held in her hand the paper containing the questions. I expressed
surprise that she had preserved the bit of paper so long.
"I am very conscientious," she answered; "I have kept this ever since
you sent it, and now we will talk over the topics you suggest."
(1) What means do you favor for gaining power?
"I can say--none. There is no necessity for using special means to
acquire power; when everything is right you will have sufficient power;
you cannot help having it. If you know the piece thoroughly, your
fingers have acquired the necessary strength through efficient practise,
so that when the time comes to make the desired effects, you have the
strength to make them, provided everything is as it should be with your
technic. Power is a comparative term at best; one pianist may play on a
larger scale than another. I am reminded of an amusing incident in this
connection. My son Paul, when a little fellow, was fond of boasting
about his mother; I could not seem to break him of it. One day he got
into an argument with another boy, who asserted that his father, an
amateur pianist, could play better than Paul's mother, because he 'could
play louder, anyway.' I don't know whether they fought it out or not;
but my boy told me about the dispute afterward.
"'What do you think makes a great player?' I asked him.
"'If you play soft enough and loud enough, slow enough and fast enough,
and it sounds nice,' was his answer. It is the whole thing in a
nutshell: and he was such a little fellow at the time!
"As I said, you must have everything right with your technic, then both
power and velocity will come almost unconsciously."
(2) What do you do for weak finger joints?
"They must be made strong at once. When a new pupil comes to me the
first thing we do is to get the hand into correct position, and the
fingers rounded and firm. If the pupil is intelligent and quick, this
can be accomplished in a few weeks; sometimes it takes several months.
But it must be done. Of what use is it to attempt a Beethoven sonata
when the fingers are so weak that they cave in. The fingers must keep
their rounded position and be strong enough to bear up under the weight
you put upon them. As you say, this work can be done at a table, but I
generally prefer the keyboard; wood is so unresponsive.
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