Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1899-11-17
OUR NEW YORK LETTER,
JOseffy, the Famous Pianist. and
His Coming Temperance.

50 Rafael Joseffy, the violinist who was
considered a rival quite worthy of tbe
long haired Paderewslli's attention n few
years ago, is going to venture before the
public again.
To those VINO may hear and see Joseffv
upon the platform before the keyboard
this season for the first time his peculiar
poses at the piano and his methods of
playing will be novel, not to say star
Ting. They are quite equal to the meth
DDS of De Pachmann, the Russo-Turkish
performer, now in this country.
JoseGy Before the Keyboard.
For, while the music Joseffy elicits is
enhancing, he is not a graceful perform
er to look upon. He is slightly round
shouldcrCd, to begin with, and this phys
ical defect will be apparent the moment
he steps into view. 1t will be visibly en-
HANGED when the performer seats him
self, for then he will drop his head al
most to the level of his shoulders. and
his entire attitude will be decidedly
though interestingly awkward. And if
he should be an interesting spectacle be-
fore he has begun playing he will prove
doubly so the moment he puts his hands
to the keys.
At the beginning all his action will
quite in keeping with the orthodox teach
ings as to action. AS he warns up to his
work and the music grows more intense
his head sinks lower and lower till it APP
pears to be actually between his shout
ders, while at the same time he wags it
vigorously to and fro. Meanwhile the
pure wrist motion is displaced gradually
by the much condemned action from the
shoulders.
Several times in the course of each
number he will bend his head so low that
his nose will be only little higher than
the bottom of the music rack, and at the
completion of each piece his hands will
fly up from the keyboard almost to the
level of the top of his head, as if animat-
ed by a spring that has just been releas-
ed, and he will then lean back in his
chair, as who should say:
1T is finished at last, and a mighty
good performance it has been"
Josehy is held by some ultra critical
listeners to play without poetic fervor,
but if that be true, which his partisans
have never admitted, he makes up for
the lack and more by intense earnestness.
JOseTy's story.
Joseffy is Hungarian by birth, and he
came to America in 1879. He won in
slant recognition in New York and in
every other town he appeared in. His
admirers declared him to be the greatest
pianist the world had ever heard, with
the possible exception of Rubinstein,
and, saving that master, Paderewski and
possibly Gottschalk, his earnings exceed
ed those of any other performer. No
one knows their aggregate, of course, but
they were certainly enormous. The mon
eli, for
flowed in upon him in such astonishing
abundance. 1t was the magnitude of his
financial intake that did up Joseffy for a
time.
Unlike Paderewski, Joseffy was not
built for prosperity. At first he simply
allowed the dollars to accumulate on his
hands, but presently he learned how to
get rid of it and for years abandoned
music for occupations that did not bring
in money His wife, a Hungarian WON
an of humble birth, whom he had met be-
fore he came to America and prosperity
did everything in her power to keep him
before the public, but without avail
Then she died, and this threw the art
list into the depths of despair. He de
clared then to his friends he should never
play again in public and forthwith retir
ed to a rented country place near larry
town. There, despite his announced in
tention to play no more, he devoted his
days to steady practice, to the great
wonderment of his neighbors. He re
scinded his vow later and has appeared
several times on the platform within the
past few years, but his nervousness has
been so great that he could not stand the
strain of a long drawn out season. His
friends now affirm that his health has re
nd hot hanaafnrfh % UiI SHIN
unsteady as brightly as ever.
A New Star Pianist.
While yet the current engagement o
Vladimir de Pachmann is young and be
fore Joseffy has shown how thorough,
he has reformed himself new star plan
list is being brought to our attention.
He is Mark Hamburg, a protege o
Paderewski. Hamburg is young-not s
young as was Josef Holman when b
first appeared in America, but still S
young that his manager had to make hi
contract with the youngsters father
Hamburg has already begun his Amer
can engagement in Boston. Like so man
other pianists, he is Russian. he ais
has long hair and likewise wears glasses
The fact that he is unmarried may ad
to his vogue with the women. They tax
more kindly than men to pianists any
way, and Hambourg's friends say he wi
make as big a stir among his fair az
ditors as Paderewski ever did. Han
bourg will remain in America for tn
entire season.
A KipIing story.
Kipling stories are always IN orde
This one may have seen print BEFORE
dates back to the days when the la'
Wolcott Balestier, whose sister is no
Mrs. Kipling, was much better know
than his Anglo-Indian friend. hiplln
and Balestier were together late one Sa
urday night in Philadelphia. It wa
summer, and they were naturally thirst
Their craving did not necessarily deman
spurious liquors, but they wanted som
thing besides water to drink, and the
wanted it lot. The saloons all BEN
closed, they stepped into drug store Ju
as the employees were closing up al
made their wants known.
Sorry can't accommodate you, sa
the chief soda jerker, but it's AFTER
and our rules are against il"
But" said Kipling, you surely w
not refuse to serve the well known move
ist Balestier with quencher.
us this Wolcott BalestierT querl'
the soda magnate, who had been readii
Wolcott's stories in The Century Mag
zine. Balestier nodded. Proud to me
you, Mr.. Balestier, and happy TO ma
you drink a glass of soda with me-