New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-04
JOSEF HOFFMAN, THE vIRrUoso

I, was ten years ago on the last day OF Noyer
Der that The Tribune discussed the inertia Of
Josef Hoffman,. the prodigy" u scarcely SCENE
so long for the Incidents Of the two months that
followed are still fresh In the memory Of the re-
viewer and must have come up In many minds
when the lad. grown TO be youth. took ais seat
AZ tho pianotorte Tuesday evening az The Net.
ropotan Opera House. and again yesterday after.
noon at Carnegie Hall. lie has grown older ~
a decade OF course and the childish grace % his
walk and stage conduct have given place 10 some-
thing akin to the awkwardness generally found IA
one who is considerably more than boy. but little
less than man The panoforte seems FAR away
when he steps upon the platform. and he swings
toward It with unnatural strides. as n a sest IA
front OF 1t were essential 70 his comfort But
in the company OF the keys the ease and pretty
familiarity return, and can observe TOW much
OF the old expression still fingers IN MS face albeit
modified by tho seriousness which tells N rscog.
milton OF mission. the magnitude ana earnest.
ness OF which had not even begun 20 dawn on him
when with his feats he first astounded me koow.
ing and made the Historically sentimental de-
lirious with delight. The prodigy Is become rhs
vrtuoso.
Have the promises Of a decade ago been reallzeif
Most assuredly yes-all OF them that were based
on intelligent judgment. That mas already been
demonstrated by the first concert with orchestra
and the first recital It seems also likely that
successes
will have for parallel only the extraordinary
,riumphs OF Mr. Paderewski Some OF the external
evidences were exhibited yesterday by the audi.
ence-its size its character and It's behavior; and
OF course they were not permitted To pass uniu'
tied by the young artist and his MANAGEMENT mo
signs OF enthusiasm were quite az poisterous a.
the end OF the recital they were al the begin
ming OF Mr. Paderewski's American career bu, tho
crowang forward Of admirng women 70 hear an
additional piece standing. which began umldy IN
the case OF the older artist and grew INTO an
inevitable feature OF his rectas without losing mo
sembance OF spontaneity. was done yesterday as u
with conscious and predetermined purpose. YET u
looked like a perfectly natural tribute; the young
virtuoso played brilliantly from the beginning Of
his recital 10 the end but It VAS only Win MS ast
nieces-the show pieces of ripe vT'uoSo-
that he swept his hearers on theH Zee.
Ten years ago the confident ease VIM
which the lad o, eleven attacked Ms 'ass
caused establishment which rapidly gre" INTO au'
riration at his nimbleness and strength OF nnzeF'
bis command OF the mechanical elements or piano
,or,o nayins his tone production in respect OF botn
quality and quantity. the nice sense OF symmetry
which marked his scales and arpegsios ana hs
mastery OF dynamic effects and tone coicr' IL "A'
Main then that. however Ill the lad might Dear
.o,,,arison with such prodigies as Mozart ana
vendelssohn from purely musical point OF view,
he was prodigy Of equal calibre az pianelor's
ntaver Popular Judgment having resigned ia sea'
in the excitement OF the moment teneEgeteahy
nursed by the boys manager. there vas ot OK
talk also about the emotional deptn OF MS "'lA'
but this vas all hysterical outpourins hdo 'hs
lad been emotionay conscious at all ne "oula never
have survived the ordeal 10 which ne vas slo-
,ects5. he would have been as close 10 nervous ana
mental bankruptcy as he was to physical when 10
was rescued from the clutches OF Mr. Aooey' lao
Tribune. it may be remembered. made serious
effort at the time discover the extent OF MS s2
officially musical gifts. and among other tnihzs
printed his harmoniZation and treatment or ht'"
melody which the boy Mozart had composed al tns
age OF six years. But all such demonstrations
we're rendered vaueless by the exhibition OF the !aa
as a composer for orchestra after II had pseh
learned that he had never had instruction even ID
composing for the pianoforte. Then the eohc.uso'
was forced upon the udicious that while ne douoe''
played original pieces they were brought 10 pap
by another's hand II unfamiliar with the techn'qu'
O. composition how should ne have written lo' a.
orchestra-a performance requiring KNOWLEDGE "
still another branch of musical scienceE e"0"
circus methods contributed the action the VIZ
dom OF which has now been briH'hus 0o -.
by the fact that he has been saved ior n''''S'
himself and for tine world JOSEF Iio'iha"
turned out what The Trbunes reaie's .,.
vi,ed 70 expect-a "pianistic" genus "''e
or not he Is more must be left for future o.,
lion He was. indeed prelestlned Dy nature -
the career as was indicated in one parU'u" ~ -
structure Of his hand \ decade aso II ~ =.
seem ahnormally large. but all WHO nav -, -.
to study II impressed 10y 'he %. =. ;,
muscles nerves and snews seemed "'Jus -,
for the special purpose OF sraSp'ns ,,.sar,,v
nronelling his fingers powerfully and indeps".e,
Nar,,r hos no, curtatled that advantage, ana prse
tce has developed IT, until now 1t lay DC SOW
his physical outfit is adequate 70 inc me- a. 81.
requirement Of the pianoforte coinPo'''
old virtues were apparent In ms peIlo' 'na"S
terday augmented by the results OF stuus "a" y
ercise heightened In effectiveness oy "'e', 80
ployment In greater problems an" 's''' .,..A
Election. In addition to all this. ne mas sa'"e
many things which are OF the highest usefulness
him who aspires to be A virtuoso IN the n.O"
sense He has acquired greater muscular s"e"e'
and with il a knowledge that power IL Oe''
pended In the production OF a sohor"s ""'N" =.
remain musical. no matter 10 what eA'e"
carried. He has also learned that equality OF "
,ef, md ia hest shown by subordination OF 'hs
narro,,, s,ructure upon which the melody res's
IN the right hand which is oftenest the exponent
OF the melody. When the music Invites sueh 'e"'.
ment his left hand is adorable-as PaderewsN niS'
showed us his TO be In the Ballade IN major "
Chopin But when IL comes 10 tour de io've'
the same left hand is marvel OF asser'Nehess AZ
the matter OF emotional depth. Of conception OF
IN. poetical contents of the music which he plays.
ne 1. attn undeveloped. though he has learned .
great deal: and therefore he must still De sSe
down as more pianist than musician. ms 'hS'
seemed to US 10 be proclaimed yesterday from one
end to tho other OF his programme In MS trea''
ment OF the device OF rubato. Whenever ne APP
piled Il in the accompaniment 1t was admirao"
effective: when he used il in the melody-exeep' N
the case OF the Rubinstein barcarolle In mihor-
Il left opportunity for questions OF taste oi'eh
his song seemed dry, and sometimes II was o's-
torted to the destruction OF the essential charm
OF the composition The pianist was thinking Oh
his instrument. not OF the musical idea. IL was
in the cases where the composer had been under inc
sway OF similar considerations that his specM'
genius as a performer came most convincinsy "
the fore These observations are general pu'
they are sed on his work In an EXTENDED P'o.
sramme They mean that Josef Hofmann Is -
pianoforte player OF the very nrst rank, not onE
as compared with what We are privileged 10 near
this season but as compared with what we nave