Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-16

The sounds Of piano music, agree
| ably softened, were coming from the
house to the left. Some one was play
ing . theme with variations.
There would come the melody, then
. few ornaments with the right hand,
put In as If the unseen player were
thoroughly enjoying every note.
Now that Is the type Of piano playing
! we like, and we believe that every one
| else likes it. too.
It may not display perfect technique,
but that is matter Of secondary I'M
portance, except to concert performers
on the concert stage.
A few mistakes, now and then, never
hurt a work Of music. in its execution
or reception.
One may feel sorry for those misguid-
| ed persons who are forever listening
for mistakes, and feeling that they have
been defrauded If a finger so much as
slips
These fault-nnders take their mission
very, very seriously, and may be seen
at any public concert, waiting like cats
at mice holes, eagerly hoping for flaw.
Very rarely do they hear one, of
cardinal points in the repertoire, as
much so as the very works played or
sung.
The happy point for the ordinary
listener to music is that he may enjoy
1t as 1t comes, mistakes and all, be-
cause most often he is not familiar
enough with the notes, as written, to
catch the mistakes.
Improvising, or making I'D a tune"
as one goes along has been an inpor-
tant part of the work of the real COM
poser, who most often Is an artist on
the technical side
To play the works Of others In the
same spirit is one of the most enjoy
able ways to play music, and certainly
one OF the best to listen to- everything
considered. for a certain informality IS
then introduced both into playing and
into hearing.
The very genius Of music, it would
seem, demands the impromptu. Such
renditions are much the same as the
fine table talk which once distinFuished
the use of words.
A musician, of whatever degree Of
ability, cannot play either his own or
other mems compositions "offhand"
without some degree of acquaintance
With them. An unstaged rendition,
therefore, beSpeaks an easy familiarity.
And 1t is this familiarity which makes
music which otherwise would be too
fine for us as easy as an old SHOE" and
as dSCCpGdDlS III lie quiet nome as IN
the concert hall. After ALL formal
gathering places have much to be said
against them.
Usually there is continuous low
murmur, or the sounds of steam radi-
ators clacking somewhere of stage; and
in Winter the clear atmosphere of
music, pure and undehled, is mutilated
by sundry coughings and sneezings.
There Is much to be said for what
may be called, for want of q better
term, the tmpromptu playing Of music
for enjoymentS sake.
The better class of home playing, we
believe, falls into this category. The
best illustration of it comes when the
performer permits his hands to wander
idly over the keys as the organist
did in 1.-THE Lost Chord" not con-
sciously thinking of his mission.
He will find that his musical memory
takes perfect charge of his hands. For
this type of playing there is no musical
instrument like the piano. The ability
to sustain notes, the perfect ease with
which glides and other ornaments may
be introduced, together with a certain
feeling" which comes to one upon
playing or hearing this instrument,
makes 1t ideal for the type of carelessly
careful playing we have in mind. We