The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-09-18
United States Has Become
Mecca for Music Students
Spell Which Produced Belief Musical Education Could
Not Be Obtained in This Country Has Been Broken
) at Last-Leading American Music Schools Are
Bound to Supersede European Ones.
by ELINOR COMsTOCK,
Comstock school of Music, New York city.

- letters and art have no place. OUR
United States has suddenly been turned
into a haven for all the talent and
genius Of Europe.
one by one they have come to our
hospitable shores, bringing with them
Europe's artistic atmosphere. and leav.
In. the former Mecca for students as
empty OF musical glory as the exploded
shells which litter its soil.
We have Il all at our own door. a
yeritable galaxy Of the talent of the
world. and there is no more reason for
us to search abroad for what we have
at nome. o
In New York now at our concerts one
can see by searching at least five or SIX
OF the greatest Of the musical opponents
OF our time scattered through our audi
ences. No city in Europe can boast
Of audiences as intelligent and as in
tcilectually appreCiatiNe OF music as
ours are row., permeated as they are by
such an atmosphere OF real knowledge
and expert criticism.
The spell has at last been broken
which hypnotized all Americans for so
long. the belief that a musical educa-
ton could not be obtained at home. 1t
has been forced on us, 1t IL true, by a
great calamity, but the good results for
students will be far reaching.
Having known personally OF such
disastrous results from sending young
people abroad TO study, | cannot help
feeling that it will prove a general
blessing 10 our country that the tide
has turned.
The most talentcd ones who have gone
over, being generally too poor to afford
the proper chaperonage. have felt the
consequences of the sudden freedom.
The misunderstanding by foreign men
OF the free manner of our American
girls. the fascinat!ons of the bohemian
art life. the resulting love affairs, up
setting the emotional life and interfer-
ing diSastrously with concentration Of
thought and study. The utter failures
have known. resulting from the above
reasons. ave been yeritable tragedies.
Then there has been the unprincipled
sydrice of the foreign tea her, who has
regarded Americans as his natural prey
and who by Establishments and subtle
compliments kept them as pupils re-
~gariloss OF whether their talent war
rantcd the outlay OF money and time or
not. Those of us who know personally
OF the conditions which nave existed
over there among students realize that
II has been pernicious and dis!ntegrating
IN its effects. Even the young men have
not escaped. The sudden plunge into
the freedom OF the artist world, whore
bohemian!sm is often mistaken for i'm
morality. let's down the bars and they
lose their sense Of proposition. All
standards and ideals are thrown aside.
To he sure they often swing back into
balance again, but this rebound depends
largely on their native strength and
integrity of character.
Formerly. 1t is true, there have been
several great pedagogues in Europe,
standing quite alone and isolated in
their superiority. Joachim. List,
Marches, Lamperti. Rub!nstein. great
magnates in the art world! To get TO
these was worth sacrificing something.
Among the master teachers Of piano,
one OF the greatest was Theodore Les
chetizky. who for thirty years has
swayed the piano world by his genius
But old age has forced this great ar
list pedagogue to abdicate his throne,
and there is no one to take his place
there. Artists we have many, but the
Interpretive artist Is seldom a peda-
gogue, and has neither time nor lnClina-
ton for the task. Leschetizky was an
exception to this rule. He had a
psychological. dissecting. critical mind
which enabled him TO tell with accuracy
how results in touch, tone and technique
were obtained. Possessing also an over
powering personality, a colossal intel
let, a keen edged wit and a lighting
Ike perception, he welded a power over
his students which made him feared
as we'll as loved. And those who were
privileged TO near him play never for
got IL. His touch was ~ncomparabI BIZ
magnetic. Behind his strength and i'm
mense technique was a power that
moved the very soul, a tenderness and
idealty which seemed incredible from
81 stern an exterior. The exception was
that this great artist, possessed of such
large ina ination and creative ability,
was able, with his keen and logical
brain. to evolve principles out OF the
chaos of piano playing and to think
out short methods and sure roads 10
certain definite results. A great artist
gets these results in his own playing
by the sheer force of his genius. desiring
certain effects. but as a rule he cannot
tell another low 10 do It. That which
made Leschetizky the great pedagogue
was that he did analyze the results OF
genius and laid down certain principles
which work out accurately.
Great artists are few and far be.
tween, but the piano players in the
world number legion. In every family
In every town the world over young
people with one accord are put at piano
Playing. With what results? Does one
often hear good amateur piano playing
Hardly ever, Why?
II this is so there must be somethinp
una mentally wrong in the teaching OF
an art so universally practlsed hut
winch fails so signally TO produce re-
suits.
Leschetizky used TO say that this fail.
ure lay in the astonishing lack of knowl-
edge OF fundamental principles and in
me lack Of Importance attached to the
laying Of a technical foundation neces-
sary TO interpret an art which is de-
pendent on mechanics for It's means OF
expression.
Harold Bauer has said that purely
technical work is not necessary to make
a pianist. Mr.. Bauer has worked on
ms own salvation in his own origina.
way, but Mr.. Bauer Is one of those
great artists who by the force of his
OWL genius had hewn his own paths,
MI. Hofmann Is another. Apparently
NJ. Hufmann learned to play the piano
when he learned to walk, quite easily
and naturally.
But these are exceptions. Others, as
e at, have had to labor heroically fol
lhr mechanics.
Given great principles, like those Of
l.r.'uetizky, IL is far better to work then
out hy themselves. gaining complete mus
I'D" ooutrOl and agility. before attempt
.rs Interpretive work. Bad habits arr
formed II a pupil is set to play difficult
music before his muscles are trained
ana his technical principles understood
Ia. AAanlN O. .Ln w.N. haae .Aar do ~