New-York tribune., 1918-01-06

majority of the pianoforte players
whom he mentions. There are a few
comments, however, which may be
made upon his letter toward further
elucidation of the subject, if not for
correction. We have often deplored
the tendency Of pianoforte players to
play in the orchestral style and to
disregard the limitations of the instru-
ment. Why Mr. Moderwell should, by
implication at least, make distinction
between the harpsichord and the clave-
Gin style we cannot comprehend, since
the two words designate the same in
strument. Some one, long ago, de-
scrlbed the tone Of the harpsichord
as "a scratch with note at the end
OF it''; the pianoforte tone is musical
sound with thump at the beginning
Of it--a musical tone with the drum
beat. This drum beat, by emphasizing
the rhythm (when properly cmployed)
has charm for some people-hearer
as we'll as players. Under Liszt's in
fuence, however, and the development
of musical monster promoted by
Liszt's style of playing and compost
ton, too many players have become
sons of Anak, with pulses Of a Ttan's
heart" and the style of composition
as we'll as of playing has kept pace
with the development of the instru-
ment. Mr.. Bauer has done good ser
vice In seeking to restore ideals as thew
existed before the pianoforte became
what it is now-espccially in seeking
to disclose the beauty of Bach's music
as it was before, under the influence
of List, it became sophisticated to
meet the supposed requirements of the
planoforte of to-day. The best answer
to Llszt's pretensions of ability to re-
produce the effects of an orchestra
which | can recall was that made bv
Mcndclssohn, l believe, who said, "Let
me hear him reproduce the effect of the
violas in the first eight measures of
the Andante in Mozart's G minor sym-
phony and l will believe him." Some
day, it may be, we shall again have an
instrument like that for which Rec
thoven, for instance, composed his
sonatas, and then, perhaps, we shall
again hear the sonatas as he conceived
them and as they sounded when he
played them, before he, too, began to
belabor the pianofortc in an effort to
hear them with his physical ear
AS for Padcrcwski, though he has
frequently made the judicous gricvc
because Of his abuse Of the pianoforte.
the charm of his playing, let us say.
OF Beethoven's last sonata, is due not
at all to his personality, but to his
Incompatible exposition of the sub
limated poetry of the composition, the
music qua music, almost in defiance of
the stylistic requirements of the in
strument At his best Mr.. Paderewski
is the greatest Of our pianistic poets.
by reason Of his assimilation Of the
@sthetical and emotional contents of
the music which he plays the most
Of it, at any rate), and the manner in
which he vitalizes it with his own emo
tions. AS for color, has any one found
lack Of it in variety, beauty, business
Of distribution, in his playing? Is
there want of analytical exposition in
his performance of the classics? Let
him pound out the Rhapsodcs of Liszt
if hc wants to; most of them were
made to be pounded SO that the sparks
might fly.
A query as to facts: Did Mr.. Dol
metsch teach US anything about harp
sichord playing? l once had him show
me the mechanism Of the instrument
which he brought to America, but the
person who played upon it for the
delectation Of the public was first his
wife and afterward that wife's sue
cessor. H. L. X.