New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-10-16

o. +h;rk that 2 little too much importance was
attached to tranquility of manner and evenness
of touch in the early school of pianoforte play
ing but these qualities, combined with heetness
of finger and correct taste, suffced to give utter
ance to most of the music Of that period outside
of the dramatic compositions OF Beethoven
Studies were then exercises for the mastery OF
technique and no one thought Of reading deeper
purposes into them. This fact finds Illustration
in Won Lenz's interesting story of his meeting
with Cramer. 1t in 1872 and the Russian
pianist and writer had hidden Cramer to din
ner in Paris and, seeking the way to the veneer
able masters confidence through his stomach
and vanity, had set before him a feast of English
viands (Cramer had lived long in England and
banished all music from the room except the
complete works of his guest. He told Cramer
of the continued popularity of his compositions
in Russia and played some of them Then he
asked the old man to play and he complied with
the first three of his studies Won LEM was
amazed and disappointed; everything. he says,
dry, wooden, rough, without cantllena IN
the third study in D major, but we'll rounded
and nagisterial' Won LEM tried to conceal his
disappointment, but confesses that he was thor
oughly dislusioned. He asked il an absolute
legatO was not indicated in the third study. In
which Cramer had simply put the groups in the
upper voice to the sword and neglected even to
tie the bass progressions.
1--WE were not anxious" replied Cramer;
Eve did not put much into the music. These
are exercises. haven't your accents and inten-
lions. Clement played his 'Gradus ad Parnas-
sum in the same way. We knew no better and
no one sang more beautifully than Field. who
was pupil Of Clement My model was Mozart
Nobody composed more beautifully than he!
Now 1 am forgotten and poor elementary
teacher if suburb Of Paris. where they play
r mi 1,hic T hov rnoff IN
You can hear them if you want to-eight pianos
at once!"
Yet in his day Beethoven valued Cramer SO
highly that he did not think any other artist
worthy Of being compared with him.
AS a boy Hummel lived two years in Mozart's
household and studied with him; afterward
Haydn, Salieri, Clement and Albrechtsberger
/ had hand in his musical education. Compar-
ing his playing with that of Beethoven. Czerny
wrote: IF Beethoven's playing was marked by
immense power, individual character and I'M
heard-of brdrura and dexterity, HummePs on
the contrary was model of purity, clarity and
distinctness, of insinuating elegance and deli
cacy." Salaman heard Hummel in 1880, after ne
had been absent from London forty years; yet
he says of his playing:
With ease and tranquil concentrated power,
with undertaking accuracy, richness OF tone ana
delicacy OF touch he executed passages IN single
and double notes and in Octaves of enormous
technical difficulty Above all, his playing pos
sessed the indefinable quality Of charm
Don't talk to me about these passage play
ers,' said Beethoven, angrily. when somebody
mentioned the name of Moscheles. The remark
which sounds ungracious. and even unjust in
view of the position which Moscheles came to
occupy later in the musical world, receives an
illuminating gloss from Salaman's estimate
(He heard Moscheles in 1926:
Moscheles had taken Europe by storm and
initiated his great reputation by his wonderful
performance of the extraordinary bfduurG varia
tons he had written the French popular
piece, 1.-The Fall of Paris So complete
" did this style captivate the popular taste
that he soon had a following, and became recog
niZcd as the founder Of school which continued
in fashion for some years. Later on, however.
Moschees eniancipated himself from the brdpHrd
into a classical pianist and composer. 1 heard
Philharmonic, his and other concerts; and
than once 1 had the honor of appearing
the programme with him. I always
admired his mastery command of all the re-
sources of his instrument and the genuine art
of his playing; but I confess that he seldom
quite charmed me, never deeply moved me.
I never remember feeling in listening to
the accomplished performances of Moscheles
that q temperament speaking to mine
through the medium of the pianoforte felt
with Mendelssohn, with List, with Chopin, with
Thalberg and later with Rubinstein.
OF Field Mendelssohn Chopin and Henselt it
be said that their achievements compos-