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TALKS WITH MASTER PIANISTS AND TEACHERS

AN ACCOUNT OF A VON BÜLOW CLASS, HINTS ON INTERPRETATION, BY TWO AMERICAN TEACHERS (DR. WILLIAM MASON AND WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD) AND A SUMMARY BY THE AUTHOR

BY

HARRIETTE BROWER

Author of "The Art of the Pianist"

WITH SIXTEEN PORTRAITS

NEW YORK FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY PUBLISHERS

1915

CONTENTS

ILLUSTRATIONS

PRELUDE

TO AMERICAN PIANO TEACHERS AND STUDENTS

I.

IGNACE JAN PADEREWSKI

CLEARNESS A MUST PRINCIPLE

FINGERING

CORRECT MOTION

STUDYING EFFECTS

INTERPRETATION

II.

ERNEST SCHELLING

THE HAND OF A PIANIST

III.

ERNESTO CONSOLO

MAKING THE PIANO A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT

IV.

SIGISMOND STOJOWSKI

MIND IN PIANO STUDY

NATURAL TECHNIC

KEEPING UP A REPERTOIRE

FILLING IN A PASSAGE

V.

RUDOLPH GANZ

CONSERVING ENERGY IN PIANO PRACTISE

VI.

TINA LERNER

AN AUDIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER

VII.

ETHEL LEGINSKA

RELAXATION THE KEYNOTE OF MODERN PIANO PLAYING

VIII.

BERTHA FIERING TAPPER

MASTERING PIANISTIC PROBLEMS

IX.

CARL M. ROEDER

PROBLEMS OF PIANO TEACHERS

FOUNDATIONAL EXERCISES

USE OF STUDIES

BOOKS THAT ARE HELPFUL

IN REGARD TO INTERPRETATION

QUESTION OF PERSONALITY

X.

KATHARINE GOODSON

AN ARTIST AT HOME

MEMORIZING BY ANALYSIS

A PIANO HAND

XI.

MARK HAMBOURG

FORM, TECHNIC, AND EXPRESSION

LOW HAND POSITION

AMOUNT OF PRACTISE

XII.

TOBIAS MATTHAY

WATCHING THE ARTIST TEACHER AT WORK

XIII.

HAROLD BAUER

THE QUESTION OF PIANO TONE

VARIETY OF TONE

AVOID RESTRICTING RULES

THE QUESTION OF VELOCITY

OBTAINING POWER

XIV.

A VISIT TO RAOUL PUGNO

TRAINING THE CHILD

TRAINING THE CHILD

XV.

THUEL BURNHAM

THE "MELODY" AND "COLORATURA" HAND

PRINCIPLES OF TOUCH

MELODY HAND

THE TECHNICAL HAND

ASSIMILATION OF PRINCIPLES

MEMORIZING

OCTAVE STUDIES

KEEPING UP REPERTOIRE

DETAILS OF PRACTISE

XVI.

EDWIN HUGHES

SOME ESSENTIALS OF PIANO PLAYING

TONE PRODUCTION

RHYTHM IN PIANO PLAYING

ABOUT MEMORIZING

KEEPING TECHNIC IN REPAIR

AMERICAN VERSUS EUROPEAN CONDITIONS

XVII.

FERRUCCIO BUSONI

AN ARTIST AT HOME

XVIII.

ADELE AUS DER OHE

ANOTHER ARTIST AT HOME

LETTING THE HAND FIND ITSELF

XIX.

ELEANOR SPENCER

MORE LIGHT ON LESCHETIZKY'S IDEAS

MEMORIZING

POWER AND VELOCITY

XX.

ARTHUR HOCHMAN

HOW THE PIANIST CAN COLOR TONE WITH ACTION AND EMOTION

FOUR REQUISITES FOR PIANISTS

MAKING CLIMAXES PIANISSIMO

WE DO NOT WANT CUT-AND-DRIED PERFORMANCES

DISSECTION OF DETAILS

XXI.

TERESA CARREÑO

EARLY TECHNICAL TRAINING

580 TECHNICAL EXERCISES

VALUE OF TRANSPOSING

XXII.

WILHELM BACHAUS

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS DISCUSSED

OVERHAULING ONE'S TECHNIC

MODERN PIANO MUSIC

A BRAHMS CONCERTO

XXIII.

ALEXANDER LAMBERT

AMERICAN AND EUROPEAN TEACHERS

POWER WITHOUT EFFORT

XXIV.

FANNIE BLOOMFIELD ZEISLER

THE SCOPE OF PIANO TECHNIC

WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES

EACH PUPIL A DIFFERENT PROBLEM

HARMONY STUDY

ACCORDING TO RULE

ON INTERPRETATION

MUSICAL CONDITIONS IN AMERICA

A GROUP OF QUESTIONS

XXV.

AGNES MORGAN

SIMPLICITY IN PIANO TEACHING

INSPIRATION FROM AN AMERICAN TEACHER

SIMPLICITY

FINGER ACTION

QUESTIONS OF PEDALING

XXVI.

EUGENE HEFFLEY

MODERN TENDENCIES IN PIANO MUSIC

XXVII.

GERMAINE SCHNITZER

MODERN METHODS IN PIANO STUDY

TONE WHICH VIBRATES THROUGH THE WHOLE BODY

ON MEMORIZING

ABSTRACT TECHNIC

XXVIII.

OSSIP GABRILOWITSCH

CHARACTERISTIC TOUCH ON THE PIANO

TECHNICAL STUDY

VELOCITY

POWER

MEMORIZING

HANS VON BÜLOW AS TEACHER AND INTERPRETER

HINTS ON INTERPRETATION FROM TWO AMERICAN TEACHERS

WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD AND DR. WILLIAM MASON

WILLIAM H. SHERWOOD

DR. WILLIAM MASON

VITAL POINTS IN PIANO PLAYING

COMPOSITE PRINCIPLES DEDUCED FROM TALKS WITH EMINENT PIANISTS AND TEACHERS

SECTION I

ESSENTIALS OF PIANISM

THE DESIRE FOR REAL KNOWLEDGE

SEARCHING FOR TRUTH

SECTION II

Hand Position, Finger Action, and Artistic Touch

WHAT TECHNIC INCLUDES

HAND POSITION

FINGER ACTION

ARTISTIC TOUCH

MELODY AND COLORATURA HANDS

SECTION III

The Art of Practise

THE PIANIST A MECHANIC

INVENTING EXERCISES

SLOW PRACTISE

A FEW EXCEPTIONS

SECTION IV

How to Memorize

ONE YEAR'S MEMORIZING

PHRASE BY PHRASE

CONSTANT REPAIRS NECESSARY

SECTION V

SECTION V

Rhythm and Tone Color in Piano Playing

THE METRONOME

TONE COLOR

TONAL VARIETY