Evening journal., 1914-01-03
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
How GuiImant Learned to
ImprOviSe
BY Holland.

When Felix Alexandra Cuilmant, the
renowned French organist, visited the
United States professionally some wears
ago hc was received everywhere with fhe
tributes of admiration which his achieve
ments as master Of the organ and as
a yirtuoao and composer fully justified.
Huimant was probably the only cr-
gamst OF Europe whose namo was ia-
miliar 10 almost every one in the United
States. There was a sort of romantic
association with him. The stories OF the
revelation of his genius when still lad
were Of wide circulation.
Furthermore he was acknowledged to
be great master not only of technical
organ playing, but of the combination of
very beautiful orchestral qualities and of
a kind which was especially pleasing not
only to musicians, but TO the general
public.
AT one of Guilmant's concerts in New
York city IL was known that he would
improrise for n theme put before him
only moment before the improvisation
began. Guilmant himself did not know
what the theme WIS to be- nor, in fact.
did the musical authority who was asked
to select a theme. This authority chose
one at random. He selected the first
bars Of hymn. This was passed up TO
Guilmant He looked at The notes
moment and then nodded his head as
though. after n momentary communion
with himself, he had mapped out in his
mind, as though by a flash of inspira-
ton the treatment which he would give
70 this theme
lie began with light prelude, in
which no especial attempt was made to
display the resources of the great organ.
Every musician who saw him knew that
his mind was many bars ahead of this
pre- Jude. Tie was, in fact, composing
a canon. At last he began playing this
improvised canon based unon the theme
which had been put before him. To play
a canon entails intense mental concen-
tration, for the two hands do not play
in unison. Guilmant. however, added to
the complications by using the pedals in
such way as TO make the canon as he
played IL really trio. As an illustra-
tion of the power of the mind intensely
TO concentrate itself upon single sub
iect, and that difficult one. this was
an example unsurpassed in the expert
encc of any OF the musicians who heard
il.
Having played the canon upon the
theme Cuilmant then played a fugue,
which he must have composed while
playing the canon. The achievement was
regarded as wonderful, although Gull
mant had long been recognized as the
greatest of all of those who have eX-
hibited their gift for improvisation upon
a given theme.
After the concert was over a group of
musicians of New York, all of whom
were highly esteemed as organists, sur
rounded Ouilmant and one of them ven
tured to speak of his great gilt at inn
provisation.
TO him Cuilmant responded: II may
have gift which enables me to impro-
wise. would say TO YOU that | never
improyise without having instantly com
posed the entire improvisation from
start TO finish. But my gift would have
availed me little il it had not been for
something else. / will tell you this; !
spent twenty years OF my life in earnest
and constant study of improvisation. |
never improNiscd in public until after
these twenty years OF training and study
and discipline had at last made me, as
| far as possible. a master of impro,isa-
| tion. N ] have pleased YOU this after
noon YOU may be sure that IL is due 10
| the twenty years of study and discipline
| which / expended upon the science and
art of Improvisation, always IN pri-
Yate"
Then there was sudden revelation OF
what. after all had made Guilmant the
greatest organist of his time, perhaps
of any time.
Copyright. 1914. by L. }. Edwards. All
rights reserved.)