The San Francisco call., 1904-10-09

ster by the way-gravely subjoined the
Following: MY first appreciation of
music-and recollect it distinctly
was Of a hand organ. 1t was below the
window in the street and ] ran to listen
TO ii. At the same time 1 discovered
that I could hear it better if 1 put my
ear against the glass. And 1 was just
three years Old
That was In Cracow, where the plan
ist was born. Later Hofmann went to
Warsaw, capital of the still unhappy
Poland. 1t was at three and a half
that little Hofmann's" fate was de-
cided. He decided it thus remarkably
himself. His father went to Warsaw
to become a professor in the Warsaw
Conservatory and sold his piano before
going. Not being sure of staying very
long in Warsaw he thought that he
would not buy another instrument
Master Josef decided otherwise
II said to my father-he has told me
Of ii since quite frequently" related
the son-"that you would better buy
a piano or you will regret it oncel' and
It so struck him that he bought one"
Hofmann laughed.
And that, with mother teaching to
begin with, then some years with his
artist-father, put Josef Holman upon
the concert stage at nine years old, al
ready a remarkable little virtuoso. One
sister he has, who used to play WELL"
but. married now, prefers the music
of her children"
Somehow we fell then upon the mod
ern composers. inevitably upon the
Russian school. Little for piano liter
ature, Josef Hofmann considers, is
composing anywhere outside of Rus
sia- Medtner, Liadow, Scriabine, par
ticularly, Sternberg and Rachmanin-
off he instanced as the greater men Of
the school 1 remarked upon the coin
cident literary eff1orescence. also the
art development, with the internal po-
litical and social strife of the en-
pire.
Art is the child of struggle" Hof-
mann remarked, mo strife, no art.
There must be compensations." His
after-sketch of the Russo-Japanese
conflict belongs rather to the editorial
page than here. 1t came with delight
full oddity from the boyish Ips-a
rapid, acute picture Of conditions-Ger-
many await to see which side wins
and treaty-bound TO Russia, France
also furtively watching Our dear
cousin the Gar" the possibility Of a
Chino-Japanese alliance. and so on.
He came back to Italy after that
with Sgambati as instance of the few
big modern composers for the piano
outside of Russia.
What of the little Strauss?" asked;
the sonatas?"
Too big a canvas-orchestral, not
piano literature Hofmann catalogued
1t; more color than fOrm-decorative
art"
From Strauss TO programme music
was but a step. 1 advanced that some
programme music was much worth
while.
''But'-Hofmann spread deprecatory
hands 'tisn't absolute music One OBJ
jects TO sign posts all over ones music.
This is this, that is that. Too much
too much policeman! This you shall
feel. and this you shall not feel. Bah!
It is like being in a picture gallery
where a man at your elbow tells you all
the time what to think. / like to think
what I like to think when I see pictures
or hear music. Imagine to be told what
to feelr'
He went on: I'm real music it is left
open TO one what to feel. And to each,
according to his temperament, it ap-
peals differently. One makes ones own
pictures. 1t is free art. Again. Take
away the programme Of your pro-
gramme music and it ceases to inter
est. 1t is no longer beautiful You
have been making the beauty yourself.
You need the advertisement with it,
And the actual thing can never be ex-
pressed in music" he added.
Almost" 1 ventured, thinking of the
orchestral water that laps over the
audience with the first measures of the
"Rheingold."
Nay" and the philosopher looked