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GREAT PIANISTS ON PIANO PLAYING

Study Talks with Foremost Virtuosos

by

JAMES FRANCIS COOKE

A Series of Personal Educational Conferences with Renowned Masters
of the Keyboard, Presenting the Most Modern Ideas upon the Subjects
of Technic, Interpretation, Style and Expression







[Illustration]


Theo. Presser Co.
Philadelphia, Pa.

Copyright, 1913, by Theo. Presser Co.
International Copyright Secured




CONTENTS


                                                                      PAGE

1. THE ARTIST'S LIFE                                                     5

2. ARE PIANISTS BORN OR MADE?                                           24

3. THE STORY OF A WONDER-CHILD          _Pepito Arriola_                41

4. THE PIANIST OF TO-MORROW             _Wilhelm Bachaus_               52

5. ARTISTIC ASPECTS OF PIANO STUDY      _Harold Bauer_                  64

6. APPEARING IN PUBLIC                  _Fannie Bloomfield-Zeisler_     80

7. IMPORTANT DETAILS IN PIANO STUDY     _Ferruccio Busoni_              97

8. DISTINCTIVE PIANO PLAYING            _Teresa Carreno_               109

9. ESSENTIALS OF TOUCH                  _Ossip Gabrilowitsch_          122

10. THE REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF TECHNIC    _Leopold Godowsky_             133

11. ANALYZING MASTERPIECES              _Katharine Goodson_            144

12. PROGRESS IN PIANO STUDY             _Josef Hofmann_                158

13. PIANO STUDY IN RUSSIA               _Josef Lhevinne_               170

14. SEEKING ORIGINALITY                 _Vladimir de Pachmann_         182

15. MODERN PIANISTIC PROBLEMS           _Max Pauer_                    197

16. ESSENTIALS OF ARTISTIC PLAYING      _S. V. Rachmaninoff_           208

17. SYSTEMATIC MUSICAL TRAINING         _A. Reisenauer_                222

18. THE TRAINING OF THE VIRTUOSO        _E. Sauer_                     236

19. ECONOMY IN MUSIC STUDY              _X. Scharwenka_                252

20. LEARNING A NEW PIECE                _E. Schelling_                 267

21. WHAT INTERPRETATION REALLY IS       _S. Stojowski_                 279




I

THE ARTIST'S LIFE

THE VIRTUOSO'S CAREER AS IT REALLY IS


The father of a young woman who was preparing to become a virtuoso once
applied to a famous musical educator for advice regarding the future
career of his daughter. "I want her to become one of the greatest
pianists America has ever produced," he said. "She has talent, good
health, unlimited ambition, a good general education, and she is
industrious." The educator thought for awhile, and then said, "It is
very likely that your daughter will be successful in her chosen field,
but the amount of grinding study she will be obliged to undergo to meet
the towering standards of modern pianism is awful to contemplate. In the
end she will have the flattery of the multitude, and, let us hope, some
of their dollars as well. In return, she may have to sacrifice many of
the comforts and pleasures which women covet. The more successful she
is, the more of a nomad she must become. She will know but few days for
years when she will not be compelled to practice for hours. She becomes
a kind of chattel of the musical public. She will be harassed by
ignorant critics and perhaps annoyed by unreliable managers. In return
she has money and fame, but, in fact, far less of the great joy and
purpose of life than if she followed the customary domestic career with
some splendid man as her husband. When I was younger I used to preach
quite an opposite sermon, but the more I see of the hardships of the
artist's life the less I think of the dollars and the fame it brings. It
is hard enough for a man, but it is twice as hard for a woman."


GOLDEN BAIT

Some cynic has contended that the much-despised "Almighty Dollar" has
been the greatest incentive to the struggling virtuoso in European music
centers. Although this may be true