Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-03-06
THE CRITIC TALKS
TO MUSIC LOVERS
Weekly Comment on Things
Musical in Discriminating
Philadelphia


old violinist, at the Academy Of Music
last week, brings up again the ever
interesting question OF the child musi-
cal prodigy. That there are many Of
them cannot be denied, and it Is equally
true that an incredibly large proper
tion Of those who show an apparently
overwhelming talent in extreme youth
"flivver" in late years as completely
as the perennial morning glory Of the
early baseball season.
Fritz Kreisler and Josef Hofmanu
are almost the only living exceptions
to this rule, for Il might almost be
called rule, so frequently does it come
to pass. Mr.. Kreisler showed re-
markable talent for the violin, or,
rather. for all music, as did also Mr..
Hoffman,, at very early age, and they
are two who have come to the most
complete and mature artistry. Others
have arrived at points of dazzling tech
nical achievement, but almost any man
who has an ordinary ear for sound. who
began young enough and who was will
ing to devote the necessary time to
practice. can become a great technical
performer on the violin or on any other
instrument.
HOWEVER. technique alone will not
l. L get performer along for more
than one season, or at the most, two.
This Is because when you hear the man
who has nothing but marvellous exc
cution for the first time, you have heard
all that he has to offer and no matter
IL he plays different selections at fu-
ture concerts, they all sound alike. In
single hearing he has given all that
he has to offer, while the real artist
Of the Kreisler or the Rachmaninoff
type can play the same composition re-
peatedly and yet he will give it new
meaning every time, or at least will
enable the listener to discover for him
self something that he has not heard
before.
But the most that can be expected
from q child in the way Of making
music is reasonably fluent technique
and some musical feeling, the latter de-
pendent upon the youth and the emo
tional nature Of the young performer.
Technique can be forced upon a child
incredibly young, but there are certain
features in playing which are appar :
ent to the experienced listener and
which cannot be taught. 1t is the de =
velopment of these features, which are
in every instance based upon person
ality and mentality, which designate
the potentialities of the future artist.
1t is the nondevelopment. or per-
haps too great a lack of these char
acteristics. that causes most of the
prodigies to sink into oblivion before
| they have reached the years of matur
| ity. There have been few instances OF
youthful prodigies advancing by dint
of practice to unheard-of technical
heights, but very, very few cases OF
reaching an artistic maturity.
INTERPRETATION of great compo
l. sitions is necessarily sealed book tC
the prodigy. He may be taught sem
blance Of Interpretation by hard worl
on the part of both his teacher an,
himself, but such reading cannot de
ccive an experienced hearer. Inter
probation in its highest form may b.
said to consist OF three things. tech
niQue. intellect and emotion, the latte
in every case being properly restrained
by the mind. but not so much as to be
come forced, strained or pedantic. Th'
| performer who knows where to draw
| this line Is truly the great artist.
| 1t Is in the lack Of the proper menta
development that most prodigieS raj
to reach the goal of artistry that thei
| friends hope to see them attain. II
the older generation of concertgoer
| the American tour of Josef Hofmann al
n child wonder will still be remcm
bered. But it must not be forgotten
that the wise parents of Mr.. Holman
withdrew him from the concert stag
after comparatively short term Of per
| formance and devoted the many year
10 the general mental development o
the remarkable youth along lines othe
than musical. 1t is probably this edu
cation that later enabled him TO be
come the great artist he is today, be
cause it would have been impossible 70
him to have reached the heights G
musical Interpretation which he ha
sealed without this general knowlcdg
and culture.
THE experience of Mr.. KreiSlcr wa
J. almost exactly similar. with the OK
rnption that he made even fewer publ
appearances than did Mr.. Hoffman, /
his extreme youth. In neither case di
tho lure of the money to be made frOr
constant appearances Of "bo' wonders
blind their parents TO the necessity {
general education for their remarkabI
progeny, and as n result both men ar
today among the very first Of the inter
prctative artists of the world.
There are today some artists of rr
markable executive talents on th
concert stage who also in early .yout
showed perhaps as much technlri
ability as the two cases cited. Ru
history shows that few of thcr
were ever withdrawn from the con
cert stage after their box office pOtCn
tialities had been discovered. The re-
suit in these cases is diamstrically or
posed to those of Kreisler and Hoffman
and goes to bear out the assertion ottr
made in this column that real intcrprc
tative ability must rest upon secuI
mental foundation rather than pm
digital agility, even when accompaniC
by the necessary temperament.
Temperament, in an executive arts
is a dangerous weapon, for 1t can g,
both ways. 1t is as necessary as tcrI
nioue, but it must be controlled by Il
. mental processes or II will carry i
l possessor into extremes If not actu
absurdities. The only way to obta
this mental control is by general educ
ton, and this is the chief reason wi
a highly developed intellc t is so rsNcl
! tial to the interpreter.
: DROBABLY the most wondcrf
i prodigy who ever lived was Mo2ar
9 and his genius manifested itself at 4
: exceedingly early agc. But here aga
! appears the wise father. who fbStcr'
the genius OF the child and not on
allowed but helped it to come to i
full fruition, Probably some of {
stories told Of Mozart in the years b,
{ fore he had reached the age of ten Ia
/ lost nothing in the telling of ccutu
h and half, but there cannot be Il
J.. slightest doubt that he was one Of Il
$ most gifted children who ever lived n
A. fo,t that thiu ,,.nc rooo i7oJ