Evening star., 1947-09-28
Fine Artistry +
Often Is Found
In Nonso1oists
By Eleno de Soyn

What a come down for Josef
Hofmann to become a mere accom-
panist,' said dowager aloud to her
companion, while a violin and
piano recital was in progress. This
happened in the 1930s, when Hof-
man gave program here jointly
with a violinist, several years before
his golden jubilee as concert artist
in 1887, which he celebrated at the
age of go. In spite of the sighting
remark it was actually he who was
the star in this ensemble.
No doubt, the mediocrity of
musicianship in non professional
players, or in those who STYLED
themselves as accompanies, gave a
black eye to one of the highly spe-
cialized professions today. The
great number of perfect recitals by
two renowp artists, collaborating
and sharing equally in the per-
formance of sonata, have helped
to strengthen the cause of pianists
and of the role they play in an
ensemble. Yet occasionally one still
runs across people who are not
aware that there are two distinct
fields, that of an accompanist and
that of an ensemble player, both of
equal Importance.
In chamber music works, where
piano is used, great soloists have
elevated the art of playing together
to an unprecedented degree, while
equally great accompanies brought
performances of songs and shorter
compositions to the highest per-
fection of ensemble At the turn
of the century sonata recitals by
Eugene Ysaye and Raoul Pugno,
blazed a trail to be followed by
others. In our day the collabora-
ton of Josef Szigeti with Alfred
Cortot or that of Busch and Serkin
is something to be remembered.
Leadership Divided.
In presentation of a sonata,
leadership is equally divided be-
tween two instruments. In other
forms of chamber music, it is the
pianist who leads. Ensemble piano
parts are difficult and modernists
surpass classicists in intricacies of
cross rhythms, ingenuity of the
pattern and its complexity. In
thrusting through a maze of notes,
almost orchestral in scope, the
ensemble pianist, not unlike con-
ductor, is responsible for every
member of his group. Having the
complete score in front of him, he
alone has the means of checking
entries and of knowing the i'm
portance of every note in the whole.
OF course, with artists at each
stand, the purely rhythmical exacti-
tude is assured. Expert orchestra
or chamber music players are
schooled to read at sight anything
placed before them. Yet it falls
upon a pianist to whip a compost
ton into shape. This holds good
especially in new, unfamiliar works
where each musician has cognizance
only of the part he plays. Members
of groups, brought together for one
or two rehearsals and asked to per-
form a new composition in public,
have been heard to say 1--WE don't
know what it is all about"
This is where the pianist steps in.
1t remains for him to outline the
course, to maintain balance, to stress
the fine points and to help each
associate toward understanding and
expression. Should he be inferior
to the rest of the players, or dele
gate leadership to another instru-
mentalist, the ensemble is generally
weak. The ideal leader is unobtru-
sive, brilliant executant, stable,
resourceful, knows the art of give
and take and, above all, has vision.
The modern accompanist must
have all Of this plus gift to merge
his personality into that of soloist
The part he plays in recital is by
no means inferior and the best con-
f1rmation of this lies in the fact that
noted instrumentalists, when includ-
ing a sonata in their program,
choose to play it with, their accom-
panists. Even in the COS, pianists
of more than ordinary ability, in
cluding the great conductor Artur
Nikisch, did not think it beneath
their dignity to lend support TO
vocalists such as Lii lehman,
Schumann-Heink or Elena Ger
hardt. Nikisch, being the perfect
accompanist he was, loved to sit
down at the piano and thunder out
the "Erlking" or to create an ex-
quisite background for any song
chosen by the soloists on his orches-
trail programs. Alfred Reisenauer,
famous disciple of Liszt ane a great
pianist, did not consider it come
down to accompany. Jointly with a
tenor, he gave entire recitals de-
voted exclusively to Liszt's songs.
Ferrucio Busoni, another famous
soloist, is known to have played
accomplishments for Michael Press
in a program of violin selections.
Specialties Developed.
AS the field for accompanies
widened and the work grew more
and more complicated, distinct types
of specialists developed. Some per-
fecteds themselves in the vocal roper
toire, others in the instrumental or
operate. An accompanist who can
adapt himself to the style of the
soloist, who can blend his touch
with a voice or an instrument, who
can establish the right mood in
prelude and sustain it throughout,
is an artist in his own right and still
a rare find.
With the growing demand for
more and better accompanies, the
need has become greater than the
supply. Year after year, a staggering
number of youngsters participate
in tournaments, but what happens
to them and to the thousands who
study piano, will never be known.
1t is clear that many of those who
play in public on these or other
occasions have not actually the
necessary knowledge to help them
selves when they are on their own.
Good sight readers are few, nor are
thero r,oopv ubo have ac0l1irad the /