Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1919-01-18
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
Musical in Discrimindt.
ing Philadelphia

N
"A Toscha Seidel. the former in con-
certo with orchestra and the latter both
in a concerto with orchestra accom-
paniment and in recital with only a
piano accompaniment, the consensus OF
opinion Of Philadelphia violinists is that
the palm Of modern violin pedagogy
must be awarded TO Leopold Auer. Not
only has he reduced these young violin
prodigies within the last few years
In the shadow of the worlds most ter
rible war, and done II from a country
torn internally and pattitioned external
yby that war nut he has added them
to list including already some OF the
best yiolinists now before the public,
among them Mischa Elman, Kathleen
Parlow an Efrem Zimbalist
1t is not alone that he has taught all
his pupils facility of mechanical exc
cution that the pupils of few other great
teachers have and a variety of technique
not shown by those who have studied
under other masters. In these days an
almost unlimited technique is taken for
granted among yiolnists and pianists
especially. Indeed the requirements for
admission TO the violin and, in fact, all
the string sections Of the great SYM
phony orchcstras of the country make
technical demands which, not so many
years ago, would alone have sufiiced 10
put its possessor upon the solo plat
form.
In the woodwind and brass instru-
ments tone quality and control are the
prime essentials. being rated above IA
cility of execution, but. except in the
case of the French horn. one is very
rarely achieved without the other. III
the strings, however, owing to the de
mands made upon orchestral players by
Wagner, Strauss and the modern French
and Russian composers, technique is
required that makes the average con-
certo easy to play. Therefore, with brill
liant techniques as common as they are
among violinists, it is not the ability to
teach this feature alone, especially to a
series of unusually talented pupils,
which distinguishes Mr. Aucr.
TNHE main po7it in his teaching which
l. distinguishes it from that of So many
other great instructors is that his pupils,
without exception. retain their own per-
sonalities. In the five viOlinists mem
toned above no two of them play in
the same way outside Of the mechanical
execution of the works. Ii is true that
In a general way the five may be di-
nisyirg ~ vim Mic. 80 pa-,am msSIS -. UI Iioun
Zimbalist inclined tovprd Tho rae,,,,i,,,,i
style and Elman and SeideI toward n
fiery and impetuous INTERPRETATION The
latter method is. perhans tho marc con.
Nincing at first hearing. but IT has its
dangers also, especially in that II cam
not be carried to the ultimate lengths
of artistic Interpretation that the other
style can
1t is rarely indeed in the history IF
violin playing that a teacher has turned
out five so great players and had each
retain TO tho utmost his own individ
uality. The plan followed by Auer an |
pears to have been first to teach his ,
pupils to play with mechanical perfec.
tion, and when they were aualified in
this respect to let them do their own
thinking and form their own concep-
tions of the works which they we're 10
perform.
In this he appears to differ radically
with his great riva, Sevcik, both Of
whose best pupils who have Dlayed i'm
this country displaying not only a terb-
nique exactly similar. but also uoraI
leled each other in musical Thought
and musical individuality. and herCa in
INTERPRETATION although thav ,vare ~
radically different casts Of mind parsnr-
ally.
THE duty Of a teacher towards the
development Of a great executive
talent Is q serious ono and tho ,.,,,,..
is confronted y,,tb ,,a,,,. ,,.,,'I.,,,s ,,,
of the most vital Of which ie hoy, fa.
he shall go in d;r.,,iu,y b;s .,,I,.a,,,,''',
nuni1s tou,rd rcrtai, i,',,,.,,...s,,a
tbe master y,orl,e Gov ,,is irs,.,,,,,a,,, y,
,be aco,,ire,,or, of a V,,ist,ai ,,,,tni,.,,I
a. CO.'S ,ritto,,t sa,.,, .bo, ".'t-5
NJ The ,rastar ,,,vs, he a hs,i,,,o -. ~
ra,,rsa ns ~ ,oao,,a. So -, W
,,iu,a hos hac, acbia,.,, q, ~. -
90 as,. ''0' ''""E'
=, is r,tzbr,. ao.t,,,,. .,a. a..
s,,.t1,,a,i., ,t -, ''
t,,;a ,-ar.c,,o,i., r,'a''Leu a, @ pN'
a. .,,ir,i,, o. O"s olI',
n,,,.t ,,.m az ~ "r ,Ic Houns
80. III nv ,e, s.T,t esPr,.'"E ~
80, 60 =. ,i.oo. 49, ~ ~ ~. IT,
ad,,an,od r,u,,iIs nior- tt. ,i. ., ~ ,.''
.nd sourL ,,usinoI ,bor,b, e., -.
mechahiCal equipment Is compete ana
10 le' 'ne uet|"s "I ,'onS ."
stLl!e' , ~ c"'n a,."'..ns w ms own
't,,';,i .s',' nj i'e','' l""!-
49, l,,,'S ',,H - 49,,
'.,, - -"
pupn9 ~ -. ,,,,.,.,,,St,,, IT.
49, aars,,,,t ,,,a,,,o- 20 1i,,'haIi,, a.
~ ta,.ar e,,aI .o,. 49,, toa,t,,..,,
no5norto tban .be r-ora for,, e,,Io os
Eloan or SeideI who in turn viii find
IN ,he Tschaikowsky Concerto the ideal
r,od,,,,,, Gov N. cxrrnssior ~ tb,ir
,nusicaI personalities
However whatever NAV have boer
,ha method Of Mr. Auer in directing Nh.
,nental procasses of Iis great puniis