New-York tribune., 1905-11-21
r.tonaes Brahms Portrayed by a
Deroted Pupil.

pa
.sef,,l writing of the life of a musi-
lD' arr by itself, which few authors, at
caA : have possessed. There is always the
any = aene either rhapsodical or pedantic;
ta's -, fs ART to take his subject or him
.st ss,io,lslv. Writers Ike the late Sir
SCI Grove. Tor example. whose sane en-
eT7 vas only equalled by his knowledge,
ihus~ -,,, rare We are not altogether
ST therefore, to find Miss Nays book
SUI --s-,r-ss Era Inns a production of doubt
s.Ins she was a pupil of his pupil so
u ~ On learning that he liked the scent
IT, se-oo,oene she used surreptitiously TO
~ kevs of the piano with it when ne
"As- inq and this anecdote indicates the
:, which she has set about the 1idrrauoh
S career. She writes a hero worshipper'
q ,fe she does not indulge in the hysteTlcal
S+s S usually expected of the type. she
V' the equally characteristic want OF the
- of proportion filing more than six hun
-.ges with matter that might easily have
- - -resented in less than half the space. 1t
~ he the fate of Brahms that, having
occused Of dulness by many critics While
,,rsa he should be pursued by that a1fiicuon
- his death, even in what must be taken
: most Loyalty written biography
racts. however have their own power ana
.... Miss May outlines the essential points IN
:, ,,n,noser's life. she is sometimes interesting
,-..,,-e Of herself. She gives. TO begin with,
...fr nirture Of Brahms in his boyhood. de
,-.s en infant prodigy. the son of poor n1u-
,a.n who had the wit to divine his potential
,bA very outset. There is 2 photograph
= this volume Of the ancient Hamburg teEe-
- n which Brahms was born. Il is a
Ia
:, +be coraDoser's birth. more than seventy years
NO II must have been even less edifying. MISS
No has explored the apartment occupied by
,.tob Brahms and has found It so very cir
,rrscrIted that she wonders where he kept h-s
,cstrunents. and how lie managed to practise
i sborr the voung Johannes started with next
n no advantages in the ordinary sense Of the
vor5 But MS father was an adequate player
~ tba double bass. and doubtless his standing
ss musician. along with his sons cfeverness.
b4lped the latter when he was taken, in his
seventh wear. 10 Otto Cossel. for instruction on
The riano. Cossel did his best by the boy, and
vas in fact. so ambitious for him that he
psrsuaded Edward Marxseu. in due course, to
take full charge Of his musical career. The en-
thusisstic teacher was unselfshness Itself. All
he wanted was TO keep Johannes in the right
path Mss May gives droll account of what
bsnvened when Jakob Brahms listened TO the
proposals Of an inpresario who wanted to take
the hov about as q small wonder. COssel ex-
1loded and moved heaven and earth TO block the
scheme. Il IS pleasant to know that Brahms
rever ceased to remember his old protector with
gratitude. Under Marxsen, he made rapid
progress aOne Gay" says the teacher, 4 gave
him a composition of Weber's going carefully
through II with him. At the following lesson he
PLAYED il 10 ne so blamelessly and SO exactly
as I wished, that I praised him I have also
practised it in another way he said, and played
ms the right hand part with the left hand
Miss May adds that it was part Of Marxsen's S
discipline TO accuetom Johannes TO transpose
long pieces at sight and she gives more than
one Illustration Of what the experience meant to
him In after years
The profound learning. the. sound constructive
qualities which We know so well in his music,
are foreshadowed by the everyday life he lived
as pupil Difficulties scarcely existed for him,
partly because his grasp Of them was instructive
and partly because all the elements in his nature
conspired 10 make him dogged struggler
against every obstacle. In his teens he began
10 earn money by playing in dance halls and
restaurants. yet the slipshod habits which
might easily have been developed under such
circumstances he never acquired. Even then
he practised with the assiduity Of a virtuoso,
and though virtuosity as it is commonly under
stood was never his goal he preserved, down to
the end, the same energy in keeping himself in
full command Of his instrument Quiet but deep
devotion, great strength of brain. these are the
traits which the reader Of his biography soon
begins to associate with him, and never for
gets. Il IS a little odd To find him making his
first concert tour with performer like Remenyi.
type of Hungarian dash and fire. and il is
perfectly natural to read Of his disclosing in the
partnership the musicianly resource illustrated
IN the following anecdote:
Al Celie there was sensation. The two artists
Eoig, On the morning Of 8Iay > 10 rr their pieces
n the concert room were dismayed 70 find that
u-e only p.anoforle Of which ii boasted was in
Tsa rsaoe ioT Their purpose Classical concerts were
- sttAss In Ae!r. and z had occurred TO no one
70 ooabt The excellence of the Instrument; piano
should be made curing the few hours fbaT re-
vas actually discovered and sent in Just a The
hour nae arrived for the concert 10 begin. But a
1Iokeo 10 be nearly semitone below pitch. and
Ee3enyi refused - make so considerable q chang
p u ne tuning of his violin What was to be done.
, ah- prsetised and intrepid Johannes made short
hddle slightly ur 50 as 20 tri-, It q true sel7itonc
ogte aot ne piano he himself would transpose his
~ .. ne Bee thOFen sonata semitone higher
Sior- l-lior- No sooner SAID than done. The Youne
.Asl,aI performed the feat without turning hair
LL5~Ea - Is colleague allowed him quEte-, and
- ly l2rnance was applauded 70 fhe echo
s,y".ti-44 cehaved well on this occasions. Address
- IN, audience he related the circumstances i
n,l-t-. ne and his companion had found themselves
psee1 and said that all approval belonged by
.Ls". 20 lSTahns. whose rnusicanship had save
n SITUATION for every one concerned History
SSGss hol relate whether the young hero transposet
I,s ~, parts throughout the evening or whether th'
oia INSTRUMENT was sufficiently servtceable for th'
accom- lIa1lI1eE-s Cf the violin solos, and the ques
Ion does not appear 70 have suggested itself unit
1Tr4a VVia ssgn 10
laLnes himself seems fe have thought but little q
ms achievement writing presently To let MarXse,
know how he was getting on. he mentioned tn
Incident not as worthy of comment, but as on
among others
All that Miss May has TO say serves but Il
expand the implication of this story. the hero o.
which was first and last q thorough workman
As an artist, as creative writer. he becomes