Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1899-02-02
PADEREWSKI AS A STUDENT.
After He Had Won Fame as a Virtuoso
He Practiced All Day for Months.

When Paderewski came to Lesche-
tlzky,n Vienna, some 10 years ago, it
was as concert performer who had
already achieved success in Russia
and mastered an extensive repertoire"
writes Cleveland Moffett of The Man
who taught PadereWski," in the Jan
uary Ladies Home Journal "Lesche-
tizky heard him play for while and
then said: You have some very bad
faults, but you have talent You have
played too many things, and nothing
well enough. Your wrist is hard and
stiff. If you come to me you must
forget for six months that you have a
repertoire; you must play nothing but
exercises for technic, six hours a day
of exercises, and nothing else.
'PadereWski thought the matter
over and decided that he had the
strength Of Will for this severe test, and
put himself entirely in Leschetizkys
han0s. All day long for six months
this finished concert performer worked
away at the mechanics Of piano play
ing, at exercises specially devised for
him by LeschetiZky, and some devised
by himself with reference to peculiar
Tues OF his own hands. Every evening
he took a lesson at the professor
this being a mark for special favor, for
viii ordinary pupils all lessons end al
in the afternoon, and one lesson in
two weeks is the best that even the
most proficient may attain. One hour,
two hours, three hours, these nightly
lessons lasted, for LeSchetizky gives
no heed to time once his serious in
terest is aroused. These two men
were together constantly; they took
long walks; they played hard fought
games Of billiards, both being adopts
at the game; they talked necessarily,
for LescheLiZky has a fluent tongue,
and what the older man knew OF the
sounding art he gave freely to the
younger man, and that the disciple has
given to the world
AS to the number of hours that
should be spent in daily practice, Les
chetizky says it depends very much
upon the pupils power of concentrat-
are dOing-fYe hours he would call a
maximum, and less is better. Don't
practice SO many hours" he is always
saying, "but use your brain more
while you are practicing. Learn to
listen to what you are playing-to
listeni How few there are who know
to listen!" And then, to illustrate his
meaning, he will strike two notes n
succession, say G and D, and show
what changes and shadows Of mean
ing may be effected by varying the
time and ton quality. A little strength
ening here, holding back there, the
quickening of pulse, the change Of
an accent-these make all the differ
ence between soul and clay, between
art and artifce, but it takes listening
brain to feel them. Perhaps-and in
deed it is SO regarded-this habit is
one of the most precious of the many
really precious things that Leschetizky
develops in his pupils.
And then there is the habit he is al
ways counseling of practicing away
from the piano; not practicing with
the hands, but with the mind, by
out a piece note by note, pas
sage by passage, until distinct and
original idea of it has been obtained.
This work may be done, he says, at al
most any time once the habit is
ormed, and may be done with or with
,ut notes.