Omaha daily bee., 1884-04-16
Thalberg.
Temple Bar.


He was an innovator on the piano,
though not of the first rank; he invented
forms, notably effects. He had wonder
fully formed fingers, the tips of which
were real little cushions. This formation
and very persevering study enabled Thai
berg to produce such wonderful legatos
that Liszt said of him: "Thalberg est lie
seul artistic, qui joue dn violou sur le
clavier." When he played for the first
time in public, in Vienna, in 1923, his
touch and his expression at ono con-
quered the audience, but even then prin.
cipally the ladies. In Paris his winning
manners and his scientific mode of educa-
ton, which, with a very adroit modesty,
he knew how to show, though seeming
to conceal it contributed as much as his
talents to render him the talk of the day.
1t must not, however, be surmised that
his execution, although it could not stand
the test of comparison with that of the
Attila of the piano, List, nor the dreamy,
attractive poetry of Chopin, was by any
means ordinary, 1t is not true that, as
another great calembouriste pretended,
Thalberg, ''playingly" attained his high
position Zen ~jouant.) He was 80 fond of
music that he overcame Prince Dietrich
STEMS proconceived idea of a diplomatic
career, only by dint of earnest study and
determination. He often left his bed at
3 o'clock in the morning to practice on
his piano, and those who heard him pri-
vately and knew him intimately were
much more able to appreciate the extra
ordinary difficulties he was able to over
come, than those who only heard him
play his compositions in public. 1t
was one of the reproaches which
classical but tedious players heaped upon
him, that The did not play the great
masters, but that he only shone in public
with his own compositions" Yet when
he played Beethoven it did not ''amuse'
the audiences of that day, and he lived
before all for his success, for his own per
sonality. Among all great piano players,
it should be said of him what Catalan
said of Sontag: "His genre was not
great, but he was great in his genre"
He was amiable, both as a man and as q
performer. His position, highly recon-
mended as no was, and supported in
society by Prince Dietrichstein, who en-
dowed him with his powerful connections,
was of course an exceptional one. IL was
one of the curious anomalies SO often OBJ
servable in life, that although he 80
earnestly preached against the mania
of the century of sacrificing
everything to effect, the gist OF
his art, the aim and purpose of
all his musical studies, was nothing
but to produce effect. That he was, mu-
sically speaking, of a most sympathetic,
attractive, even irresistible organization,
i. would be difficult to deny; but 1t is,
above all, skill and education, which his
piano compositions show, which, although
influenced by Iiszt's brilliancy and Cho-
pins horid style, are nevertheless more
valuable than his orchestral aud operate
compositions, which totally failed. He
was a celebrated man for many reasons,
one of which only was his executive
talent, and for the successful endesvor to
sing on the piano 1t is a we'll known
fact that Nine. Malibran, after hearing
him play N evening, sang in a name
which astonished even her most ardent
admirers. She made no secret of the
reason Of this extraordinary effort, which
was caused by the excitement which she
brilliancy and elegance of T~halberg's per-
formance had engered in her.