The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-02-06
A TALK WITH PRUDENTIAL

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Il believe I gave concerts even then.
/ 1 have had a busy musical life. Tour,
tour tour until sometimes l become
4 weary. Only on my last European
tour. 1 started from Berlin, went TO
/ Copenhagen. The Hague. to London,
( then back to Paris, down to Lisbon
/ and Madrid, across to Morocco, Tunls
! and Algiers, then across to Sicily ana
/ Greece. then to Constantinople, to the
+ Balkans, then into Russia, TO Moscow
+ and St. Petersburg just touching ST.
/ IBERIA, through Roumania. TO Moscow
and then to Berlin again.
while at Constantinople I wanted
( to give up my Russian tour and go TO
I Servia. Had I done so 1 would have
arrived in Belgrade two days before
/ the assassination of King Alexander
/ and Queen Draga. A year before that
tragedy I was in Belgrade and gave
| a concert before their Majesties. Ma
/ talie, the Queens mother, was then in
the capital. I had an amusing time
too. I was asked to give concert
in the Palace. I had my own piano,
but when 1 went to the Palace to see
about placing it, I found the room too
small, for the royal piano could not
be taken out. I tried it and found 1t
an abominable instrument. However,
a tuner and myself put it in fair shape.
That evening their majesties and a
brilliant assemblage were present.
When I sat down to the piano l found
to my horror that 1 had forgotten dur
ing the day to test the pedals. They
wouldn't work. - There was a Distress
ing and embarrassing wait until the
pedals could be fixed. but I doubt
whether their majesties were not more
embarrassed than I. OF course, be-
cause one plays before king or queen
it is not significant that the crowned
head is musician. However, Prince
Ferdinand of Bulgaria, is a fine must
clan. Ach! he is grand.
Twice I played before the Sultan
of Turkey at the Yildiz Palace. No,
did not take my own instrument there.
I played on the Sultan's piano. Mine
would be supposed to contain dynamite
and his Majesty is too much afraid
of assassination to permit a strange
piano to enter his palace. The Sultan
enjoys music and his sons play well,
one upon the flute and the other on the
violin. The Sultan bestowed a deco
ration upon me at my last recital-the
order of Medijiz I have also decora-
ton from the Osmanian order. The
royal houses of Spain, Portugal, Rou-
mania and Austria have presented me
with orders, but I'm democratic and
rarely wear them+
when Kalakaua was on the throne
interjected Captain Berger, "decora-
tons used to be easy to get, if you
had the money. The king sent me a
decoration once and I was told it would
cost me $3.50, so I sent it back to His
Majesty"
I asked Prudential how he managed
about pianos, and was informed that
he always carries two pianos with him.
On his present trip, not intending to
play much, he had the instruments
shipped to Australia via the SueZ
canal. Otherwise he tests several
pianos and on finding one that responds
fairly well to his touch if the tone |
is acceptable, gives his concert
upon it. He prefers, however, to use |
his own pianos.
Prudential was born September 25, |
1852, at Bromberg, a provincial town !
in northeast Germany, but he says he
pays his taxes in Berlin. He studied :
under Steinbrunn and Theodor Kullak. |
Since then he has travelled all over !
oouIn America, the OrleHe, AuSIfdAdsld'
Europe and Asia.
Ate present Prudential is regarded |
as one of the most prominent among !
living pianists and without doubt
many peculiar features of his art are
He speaks no less than
nine modern languages fiuently. He :
has also occupied himself with literary
works and articles from his pen have |
oeen published by the most prominent |
papers of Germany and Austria Der