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diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d7b82bc --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,4 @@ +*.txt text eol=lf +*.htm text eol=lf +*.html text eol=lf +*.md text eol=lf diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..87d6916 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #51365 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51365) diff --git a/old/51365-8.txt b/old/51365-8.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 0ab19b6..0000000 --- a/old/51365-8.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,2141 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Ignaz Jan Paderewski, by Edward Algernon Baughan - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Ignaz Jan Paderewski - -Author: Edward Algernon Baughan - -Release Date: March 5, 2016 [EBook #51365] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IGNAZ JAN PADEREWSKI *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings, Bryan Ness, Martin Pettit and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - - - - - -LIVING MASTERS OF MUSIC - -EDITED BY ROSA NEWMARCH - - -IGNAZ JAN -PADEREWSKI - - -[Illustration: IGNAZ PADEREWSKI - -_From a charcoal sketch by Mr. Emil Fuchs, reproduced by kind permission -of the artist_] - - - - -IGNAZ JAN -PADEREWSKI - -BY EDWARD ALGERNON BAUGHAN - -[Illustration] - - -LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD -NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY. MCMVIII - - -Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO. LIMITED -Tavistock Street, London - - - - -CONTENTS - -CHAP. PAGE - I. EARLY LIFE 1 - - II. FROM WARSAW TO PARIS 11 - - III. HIS DÉBUT IN LONDON 16 - - IV. IN AMERICA 25 - - V. LATER TOURS 35 - - VI. PERSONAL TRAITS 40 - - VII. HIS VIEWS ON MUSIC AND TEACHING 54 - -VIII. AS PIANIST 62 - - IX. AS COMPOSER 78 - - - - -ILLUSTRATIONS - - _To face page_ - -IGNAZ PADEREWSKI _Frontispiece_ - -_From a charcoal sketch by Mr. Emil Fuchs, reproduced -by kind permission of the artist_ - -PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN 4 - -_From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne_ - -PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF TWENTY 8 - -_From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne_ - -IGNAZ PADEREWSKI 30 - -_From a drawing by Venino of New York, reproduced -by the kind permission of Mr. Daniel Mayer_ - -THE VILLA RION-BOSSON, PADEREWSKI'S -RESIDENCE NEAR LAUSANNE 40 - -_From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler_ - -ANOTHER VIEW OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON 42 - -_From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler_ - -GATEWAY OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON 44 - -_From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler_ - -PADEREWSKI AT HOME 62 - -_Reproduced from the original sketch by Mr. Emil -Fuchs, by permission of the artist_ - -A MEMORY SKETCH OF PADEREWSKI, BY -ORLANDO ROULAND 64 - -_Reproduced by the kind permission of the artist_ - -IGNAZ PADEREWSKI 78 - -_From a bust by Mr. Emil Fuchs, reproduced by the -kind permission of the sculptor_ - - - - -I - -EARLY LIFE - - -The professional critic is rather at a disadvantage in dealing with an -idol of the public. His occupation compels him to find a reason for his -appreciations; he may not be enthusiastic without measure, for his -nature makes him see both brilliancy and flaws in the rarest gems of -art; indeed, the flaws act as a foil to the brilliancies. And so it -comes about that the professional critic is often at loggerheads with -the verdict of the public, or appears to be so. The public has hailed -Paderewski as the greatest of living pianists. The critic may feel that -in many respects he is, but cannot, if he would, endorse that -enthusiastic verdict without clauses of limitation, and if he be not a -master of his craft his verdict will seem all limitations and but very -little enthusiasm. One recognises the greatness of Paderewski, but at -the same time the mind thinks of the subtle Chopin-playing of Pachmann, -the noble Beethovenish moods of d'Albert and Lamond, the clearness and -demoniac brilliancy of Busoni's technique in Liszt, the grace of Pugno's -Mozart-playing, the ruthless force of Rosenthal and the magical deftness -of Godowsky. These pianists have their specialities in which not even a -Paderewski can surpass them and in some cases cannot equal them. On the -other hand, he possesses that curious magnetism which always enchains -the attention of the public. It cannot be explained; yet the critic must -admit its existence in the case of Paderewski or stultify himself. If -sensitive to the poetic appeal of music he must feel, too, that at its -best the pianist's playing has a glamour and an individuality which are -to seek in the performances of many pianists who possess greater -technical ability, and that all his interpretations are informed by a -sincere musical nature. - -It may seem absurd and unnecessary to insist on this in the case of a -great virtuoso, for assuredly in piano playing, as in acting or singing, -the nature of the artist counts for everything. But the word artist has -become so vulgarised that it has lost its meaning, and we are inclined -to separate technical ability from innate musical genius and to judge -performers rather by what they can do than by what they think and feel. -This is naturally the attitude of the specialist in forming an opinion -on the respective merits of different players. It is not possible to -dogmatise about poetic feeling or insight: we have to take these -qualities for granted. On the technical side there is a standard by -which we may judge apart from any question of taste. Yet in the end the -specialist who may go into raptures over the beauty of tone which -Pachmann has made his god, or may be hypnotised by the wonderful fingers -of a Godowsky, has to fall back on the inexplicable in attempting an -appreciation of such gifted artists as Joachim, Ysaye, Sarasate, or -Paderewski. Technical standards do not avail. And the curious point is -that the great artist, the musical executant who can think his own -musical thoughts, compels our admiration even though we may criticise -his playing in technical detail. - -Paderewski is one of the few players who has that effect on all kinds -of music-lovers. There are many reasons why the pianist should have made -the effect he has. There are many reasons why he should be exceptional. -For one, he was a public pianist by after-thought; at a comparatively -early age, when other artists are theorising about life he was living it -in earnest, and, above all, he was a Pole, a member of that -extraordinary nation which has given birth to Chopin, Tausig and many -minor stars in the musical firmament. Paderewski is a Pole to his -finger-tips. He has the fire, the dreaminess, the power of fantasy of -that race. It comes out in his playing and especially in his -compositions. - -Podolia, the province of South-west Russia in which he was born on -November 6, 1860, is a fertile district, of which the Polish population -is quite considerable. The pianist's recollection of his childhood on -his father's farm in this garden of Russia must be full of pleasantness. -The father seems to have been a man of pronounced character. A gentleman -farmer of position he was also an ardent patriot. Three years after the -birth of his son he was "suspect" and was banished to Siberia. His exile -did not last long, but the iron had entered into his soul, and although -he lived until 1894 he was broken in spirit and his chief pleasure in -life was centred in the growing reputation of his son. The pianist did -not inherit his musical talent from his father but from his mother, who -died when he was still a child. - -[Illustration: PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN - -_From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne_] - -It is difficult not to be sceptical of the anecdotes related of the -childhood of celebrated musicians. But no doubt some of these stories -have a basis of truth, and certainly musical talent shows itself at a -very early age. It is said that young Ignace, long before he could play, -would climb to the piano-stool and attempt to produce as beautiful a -tone as possible. Of the ordinary early tuition he appears to have had -none, his mother having died when he was a child. A travelling fiddler -gave the boy a few lessons on the piano, but it may be imagined that -they were not of a very complete kind. Later on an old teacher of the -instrument was engaged to pay a monthly visit to the farm, and he taught -the boy and his sister to play simple arrangements of operatic airs. -This early life spent away from strong musical influences saved -Paderewski from the usual prodigy period in the career of pianist, for -it was not until he was twelve years of age that he went to Warsaw where -he was able to have regular music-lessons at the Conservatoire. There he -studied harmony with Roguski and the piano with Janotha, the father of -Natalie Janotha. In those days Paderewski did not show any particular -bent towards playing the piano but rather towards composition (he had -begun to compose in the old days on the farm) and general musical -knowledge. His first public appearances were not so much as pianist as a -composer who played his own music. He was then sixteen years old and it -would be interesting to know how the immature pianist impressed his -Russian audiences. That his technique was of the weakest may be judged -from the fact that he afterwards confessed that all the pieces he played -were really his own, inasmuch as when he could not manage the difficult -passages he merely improvised. - -Miss Szumowska, a pupil of Paderewski's, has related a curious anecdote -of their first tour. Paderewski "had announced a concert at a certain -small town, but, on arriving, found that no piano was to be had for love -or money. The general was perfectly willing, on being applied to, to -lend his instrument; but when the pianist tried it he found, to his -dismay, that it was so badly out of repair that some of the hammers -would stick to the strings instead of falling back. However, it was too -late to back out. The audience was assembling and in this emergency a -bright thought occurred to the pianist. He sent for a switch, and -engaged an attendant to whip down the refractory hammers whenever -necessary. So bang went the chords and swish went the whip, and the -audience liked this improvised duo more, perhaps, than it would have -enjoyed the promised piano solo." - -The young pianist evidently did not consider that his musical education -was complete, for at the end of the tour he returned to Warsaw and -studied for two years at the Conservatoire there. At the age of eighteen -he was appointed a professor of music and after a year he married. All -the world knows that his wife died a year later, leaving him an invalid -son in whose existence, until his death a little while ago, the pianist -was wrapped up. It was not a very bright beginning of his professional -career, for his earnings at the Warsaw Conservatoire had meant -comparative privation for his wife and himself. In some natures, -perhaps, this early tragedy would have killed ambition but hardly in an -artist. Without holding with the comfortable sentimentalists that grief -is as necessary to the artist as rain to the flowers, it may be asserted -that concentration on work is the natural result of life going awry. -This is not, as the sentimentalists imagine, peculiar to genius of the -artistic type, but is common to all men who are not invertebrate. - -[Illustration: PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF TWENTY - -_From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne_] - -Paderewski himself has disclaimed the pretty stories which made the -death of his wife the impetus to his after career as pianist. "I was a -professor at the Warsaw Conservatoire," he told an interviewer, "and I -had to work awfully hard. Previous to this I had made a concert tour in -Russia. In Warsaw I gave lessons from morning to night. It was not -interesting. In fact, it was slavery. One day I asked myself why I -followed such an arduous profession, and so I decided to go to -Leschetitsky in Vienna, and become a performer, since in that way I -should work hard a few years and afterwards have a life of ease, to be -idle, or devote myself to composition as I pleased." As a matter of -fact, Paderewski did not go from Warsaw to Vienna, but first paid a -visit to Berlin, where he studied composition with Kiel and afterwards -with Heinrich Urban. He was able to hear much more music than was -possible in Warsaw and in every way his musical education was being -rounded off. At twenty-three years of age he was appointed professor of -music at Strasburg. That appointment may be considered the turning point -of his career, not because the professorship in itself was anything very -brilliant, but because it brought him into contact during a vacation -with the celebrated Polish actress Mme. Modjeska. She was practically -the first to recognise in the dreamy young pianist something out of the -common. She has described him as "a polished and genial companion; a man -of wide culture; of witty, sometimes biting tongue; brilliant in table -talk; a man wide awake to all matters of personal interest, who knew and -understood the world, but whose intimacy she and her husband especially -prized for the elevation of his character and the refinement of his -mind." - -The effect such a friendship had on the young artist may be well -imagined. It is probable that even in the Warsaw days Paderewski had the -dream of being able to take up the career as virtuoso, but it might have -remained a dream, for a young man of twenty who has not blossomed forth -as a recital pianist is hardly likely in the ordinary run of things to -make any great name for himself as a public pianist. All the players of -genius have been prodigies, or would have been had there existed a -market for musical wonder-children in their day. Paderewski is the -exception. That he had the ambition of making a career for himself as -virtuoso even during the Warsaw days may be admitted, but it is probable -that had he not been encouraged by his brilliant countrywoman, Mme. -Modjeska, he would not have taken practical steps to realise the dream. - - - - -II - -FROM WARSAW TO PARIS - - -In the fact that a young professor of music, who was not without note in -his own circle, should have decided to give himself up to several years -of arduous study, we may perhaps find some indication of Paderewski's -tenacity of purpose. In 1886, at the age of twenty-six, he placed -himself under Leschetitzky's guidance, and for four years he studied -with the famous professor and his wife, Madame Essippoff. It is not too -much to say that Paderewski has made a brilliant name for his teacher as -well as for himself. Of course, Leschetitzky had a big reputation as a -teacher long before his famous pupil went to him, but it was not a -world-wide reputation, as it now is. Every season we hear pianists in -London who proudly emblazon their programmes with "pupil of -Leschetitzky"; they are as numerous as the many "pupils of Liszt," and -in many cases have as much right to the description. The difficulty is -to decide (from the many articles written by his self-styled pupils) -what is the method taught by this Viennese magician and it is almost as -difficult to draw any clear conclusion from their playing. A consistent -and illuminating account of the great teacher and his methods has been -given, however, by Miss Hullah in a volume of this series. Leschetitzky -has not any hard and fast methods. Mr. Henry C. Lahee, in his "Famous -Pianists of To-day and Yesterday," has this to say of the great teacher: -"Leschetitzky's method is that of common sense, and is based on keen -analytical faculties. He has the genius for seizing on what the finest -artists do in their best moments, observing how they do it physically, -and, in a sense systematizing it. He has his own ideas of how to train -the hand for all that it requires, but he never trains the hand apart -from the ear. He has no 'method' except perhaps in the technical -groundwork--the grammar of pianoforte playing--and this is taught by his -assistants. So long as the effect is produced, he is not pedantic as to -how it is done, there being many ways to attain the same end." - -In general it may be said that the Leschetitzky pupils have "style." The -fault of the school, if one may judge by its exponents, is a desire to -be brilliant and startling at all costs. In the case of a player who has -no musical individuality of his own, and has acquired technical facility -out of all proportion to his musical endowment and general education in -the art, the Leschetitzky tuition seems to make for hardness and a -perverse brilliancy. Of course Paderewski himself would have been a -remarkable player no matter under whom he had studied, but the surety -and firmness of technique which Leschetitzky evidently knows how to -impart were just what he required. It must not be forgotten, too, that -when Paderewski went to Vienna he was practically an artist, an -all-round, well-educated musician, who, from the first, had been -interested in the historical as well as the poetic side of his art. In -addition, need it be said that he was a man of uncommon mind far removed -from the type of virtuoso who inspires his soul from the keys of the -pianoforte. No teacher and no method can produce the pianist of -"genius." The platitude is excusable in the face of the absurd things -which have been written concerning the effect of Leschetitzky's -teaching. - -That Paderewski gained much from it is clear enough from the fact that a -year after going to Vienna he made his début there as virtuoso with much -success, and from that time onward his progress was gradual until in -1888 he found himself the sensation of Paris. But it was by no means a -case of the kind of artistic conquest which the popular novelist -invariably describes when writing of musicians. The first recital at the -Salle Erard in 1888 was, indeed, but poorly attended, and, except that -no performer of genius ever makes his first appearance without his -reputation having preceded him among the inner circle of his brother -musicians, the début might have fallen as flat as the ordinary recital -by an ordinary, unknown pianist. As it happened, both Lamoureux and -Colonne, who were present, were so impressed by Paderewski's gifts that -both made him an offer to play at the well-known orchestral concerts -associated with their names. M. Lamoureux's offer, being made first, -was accepted, and the new pianist was thus given an opportunity of -performing before an enormous audience. He made his mark immediately, -and was invited to play at one of the Conservatoire concerts, a -distinction which, no doubt, he fully appreciated. From Paris Paderewski -naturally cast his eyes on London, but it was not until May 1890, that -he gave his first recital here. Again his triumph was not immediate, in -the novelist's sense, and there was certainly some uncertainty in his -reception by the critics, but he did triumph in the end. - - - - -III - -HIS DEBUT IN LONDON - - -The statement that the London critics did not recognise Paderewski's -greatness is often made to their discredit, but a close examination of -all that was written at the time does not bear out the accusation. It -was rather that the criticism was a trifle too guarded, and that to some -extent the journalists were prejudiced against the pianist through no -fault of his own but because he had been described as "The Lion of the -Paris Season." Also, although this may seem a trivial reason, the -recital took place on one of those pleasant days of our May when rain -and wind make conditions in London anything but merry. At any rate all -who were present at that first recital agree that the audience was -coldly critical. We do not accept the verdict of Paris on musical -matters, and the average Englishman is apt to suspect charlatanism in a -musician whose "wonderful aureole of golden hair" had been so sedulously -advertised. There is no doubt the sensitive pianist felt this atmosphere -keenly. He is always nervous when he begins his recital even to this -day. "The mere fact of knowing a great audience waits on your labours," -he once remarked to an interviewer, "is enough to shake all your nerves -to pieces." There is no question that at the first recital he was not at -his best, and that there was good ground for the accusation of -"sensationalism" which was brought against him by several critics. But, -at the same time, his other merits were amply recognised. To prove this -I give some selections from the criticisms of the first recital. They -should be documents of some interest to the historian of the future. - -"The player's loudest tones," said the _Times_, "are by no means always -beautiful, but the amount of fire and passion he gave to three of -Chopin's most difficult studies and to certain passages in Schumann's -Fantasia in C major produced a profound effect.... It is in Chopin ... -M. Paderewski is at his best, and here not so much in the sentimental -side of the master's work as in his passionate and fiery moods." On the -whole the "notice" had much of praise for the new pianist. The _Morning -Post_ contented itself with the expression of opinion that the pianist's -reading of compositions by Mendelssohn, Handel, Schumann, Chopin, -Rubinstein, Liszt and Paderewski was "by no means conventional, nor was -it always entirely artistic." - -The _Daily Telegraph_ contained the most important criticism of the new -pianist. "Mr. Paderewski astonishes, and the good English public will -run after him, no matter what the character of the astonishment may -be.... Mr. Paderewski is a monstrously powerful pianist, and herein lies -his quality for the lover of marvels. The lover of music will sit at his -feet on other grounds; but the main point is that the Polish artist -appeals to both classes, and they comprise everybody.... We do not -pretend to much admiration for the Mr. Paderewski who astonishes. It was -impossible to find any even for Rubinstein, when he appeared as a -Cyclops wielding his hammers with superhuman energy, making the -pianoforte shake to its centre, and not always hitting true and -straight. That which was refused to the Moldavian Colossus is not likely -to be secured by Mr. Paderewski, the less because he transcends his -exemplar in fury and force of blow. It may safely be declared that no -one present at St. James's Hall on Friday afternoon had ever before -heard Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue in E minor so played--with clang -and jangle of metal, and with such confusion of sound that trying to -follow the working of the parts, resembled looking at moving machinery -through a fog. It was the march of an abnormally active mammoth about -the keyboard, while the wondering observer expected the pianoforte to -break down at any moment." The critic (Mr. Joseph Bennett from internal -evidence) had the same complaint to make of the performance of Handel's -"Harmonious Blacksmith." "Plainly," the critic adds, "we do not like Mr. -Paderewski as an exponent of physical force. The result of his labours -may be marvellous but it is not music." After this castigation came -praise. "There is another Mr. Paderewski whom we can well abide. He is -gentle and pleasant, refined and poetic to a degree which makes him -altogether charming. This, we suspect, must be the true Paderewski, the -other being, in the old demoniacal sense, 'possessed.' If so, is there -no power to cast out the evil spirit?" As examples of the "true -Paderewski" the critic praised the playing of some Chopin compositions -and two of the pianist's own pieces. - -The critic of the _Standard_ was quite as severe on the "sensational" -aspects of Paderewski's playing. "It was quickly manifest," he wrote, -"that the performer was more anxious to astonish than to charm. His -rendering of a Prelude and Fugue in E minor of Mendelssohn was utterly -at variance with the traditional methods of interpreting the music of -this composer, and in Schumann's Fantasia in C, op. 17, we were -constantly met by surprises. The playing was marked by violent -contrasts, the pace and tone being sometimes reduced far more than the -directions given by Schumann seem to warrant, while at others the -physical powers of the executant were exercised in a manner that -resulted in much noise, but little music. The same exaggerations of -style were perceptible in Chopin's Etudes in C minor and F, op. 10, and -G sharp minor, op. 25. It must be said in M. Paderewski's favour that he -plays fewer wrong notes than most pianists of his school, and, further, -that his tone in _pianissimo_ passages is bell-like and delicate. He is, -in brief, a _virtuoso_ of no common order, but that he is entitled to -the higher rank of an artist is more than can be said, judging from -yesterday's performance." In a criticism of the third recital the critic -still complained of Paderewski's occasional exaggeration, but on the -whole the notice was a shade more appreciative, although London was -still left in doubt as to whether the pianist was "entitled to the -higher rank of artist." - -The _Daily News_ thought that the leonine attributes with which -Paderewski was accredited in "his own advertisements" were "fully -exemplified in the Prelude and Fugue of Mendelssohn which opened the -programme. Mendelssohn of all composers can least bear heroic treatment -from the ultra vigorous among modern pianists, and the Fugue especially -suffered." The critic admired the pianist's Chopin playing, but added -that "he was most in his element in his own music." The pianist's -talent was thus summed up: "In short, of M. Paderewski's ability there -can be no question; and while audiences will probably prefer the -exquisite delicacy and poetical feeling which he displays in his calmer -moments to the extravagance in which he indulges when in the Ercles -vein, it is obvious that his talent lies chiefly in his interpretation -of the music of the modern and romantic schools, in which during the -current London season he bids fair to create some sensation." The critic -thought that Paderewski somewhat modified his super-abundant energy at -the second recital, which seems to have been the general opinion, and -naturally was not shared by Mr. G. Bernard Shaw, who had just begun to -write musical criticism for the _World_. "There is Paderewski, a man of -various moods, who was alert, humorous, delightful at his first recital; -sensational, empty, vulgar and violent at his second; and dignified, -intelligent, almost sympathetic at his third. He is always sure of his -notes; but the licence of his tempo rubato goes beyond all reasonable -limits." The "almost sympathetic" is distinctly good. With the exception -of the _World_ the weekly papers were not at that time remarkable for -their musical criticism, but it may be mentioned that the _Saturday -Review_ ventured to state that no one who had heard Paderewski at the -second recital would deny that "he is one of the most remarkable artists -who has been heard of late years." - -The most frankly enthusiastic of all the criticisms appeared in the -_Globe_. The writer was "inclined to think" that Paderewski surpassed -all the pianists who had recently visited London (Sofie Menter, -Sapellnikoff, Schönberger and Stavenhagen) and was, indeed second only -to Rubinstein among living pianists. "His mastery of the keyboard is -complete, his touch is so exquisite, both in _fortissimo_ and -_pianissimo_ passages, and in the three intermediate gradations of tone, -that every shade of expression is at his command, and in the art of -singing on the pianoforte he can only be compared with Thalberg. There -is no kind of _charlatanerie_ in his playing; wrapt up completely in the -works he performs he devotes himself to their exposition, and while thus -engaged appears to ignore the presence of an audience." The critic's ear -was not hurt by the loudness with which the pianist played -Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue and Handel's "Harmonious Blacksmith" -and it was predicted that the remaining recitals would be crowded by -music-lovers, who would recognise in Mr. Paderewski one of the greatest, -if not absolutely the greatest, of living pianists. And this prediction -was realised to the full. It is very easy for those who may accept -ready-made the world's opinion of a famous artist to fall foul of the -want of enthusiasm with which he was at first received by the -professional critics. Their experience tells them that no -instrumentalist or singer can be adequately judged by one recital and -there is no doubt Paderewski showed the more violent and _bizarre_ side -of his temperament when making his début here, perhaps from nervousness -or perhaps from a natural desire to astonish, for musical artists, -however great, are but human after all. At any rate as one recital -followed another the tone of London criticism became warmer, and by the -time the series had come to an end Paderewski had established his fame -in London on a sound basis. It may be said, without indiscretion, that -although the recitals were an artistic success they only produced just -under Ł280 gross. - - - - -IV - -IN AMERICA - - -On November 17, 1891, eighteen months after his London début, Paderewski -made his first appearance in New York. The success he had made in London -naturally excited the curiosity of New York amateurs and critics and the -pianist's first American recital attracted a brilliant audience. That -does not mean that the special public was ready to fall on its knees and -worship Paderewski. On the contrary, it seems as if the critics and -amateurs of New York take a special pleasure in upsetting the verdict of -London if they can, and Paderewski had to face an audience eager to -compare its impressions with what had been written in London about this -new star in the musical firmament. According to all accounts the same -thing happened in New York as had already happened in London. The -public immediately recognised the uncommon qualities of the new artist, -and not having any hard-and-fast critical standards to employ as a test -of his playing, and being impressed by the romantic simplicity of his -bearing, hailed him as a great artist _sans phrase_. On the whole, the -critics were not wildly enthusiastic. They recognised the talent of the -new pianist, but they did not immediately label him as "great." The -usual comparisons were made, not always to Paderewski's advantage. But -while the critics were making up their minds the public decided for -themselves. Two concerts with orchestra were given, and when Paderewski -began a series of recitals, it was found that the Madison Square Garden -Hall was too small to hold all his admirers, and the Carnegie Hall which -has seating accommodation for 2700 persons and standing-room for nearly -another 1000, had to be re-engaged. New York was even quicker to -discover the greatness of the pianist than London. During his six months -stay in America, Paderewski gave no less than 117 recitals. It was only -to be expected that he would be engaged for a second tour in the -following season. This visit, beginning in the autumn of 1892, was even -more successful than the first. In New York he gave two orchestral -concerts and nine recitals in the large Carnegie Hall, and from New York -he began his triumphant progress through the States. No pianist had -excited such a furore of interest. A paragraph in a newspaper of the -West gives some idea of this. "Paderewski played on Monday evening in -Cleveland, and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad Company ran -special trains, one from Sandusky and the other from Norwalk, for the -benefit of the residents of those two cities who wished to hear him. The -receipts equalled the enthusiasm. Practically Paderewski could rely on -filling the largest concert-hall in America. The Chicago Auditorium -realised Ł1400 for one concert. Sixty-seven recitals, given in -twenty-six cities, brought in Ł36,000, the largest sum hitherto earned -in America by any instrumentalist. Rubinstein had not touched the record -made by Paderewski, although the Russian pianist, late in life, was -offered Ł500 an evening for a tour in America." It is possible, however, -that the Ł1000 paid by Mr. Robert Newman for an orchestral concert at -the Queen's Hall was the largest fee ever received by Paderewski. These -figures may seem a prosaic proof of the popularity of the pianist in -America, but they certainly prove that the public genuinely admired the -artist. - -At the end of this second tour there was a regrettable incident at the -Chicago World's Fair. Paderewski, at great personal inconvenience and -considerable financial loss, had promised to take part in the two -opening concerts of the series to be given at the exhibition under the -conductorship of the late Mr. Theodore Thomas, for whom the pianist had -a warm personal admiration. In America Paderewski had played on the -Steinway piano, and the famous firm, not approving of the system of -awards at the exhibition, were not exhibitors. The Board of Directors -informed the artist that he must play on an instrument by an exhibiting -firm, but Paderewski naturally declined to change his piano at the last -moment. Quite a newspaper war arose, until the directors were made aware -that an artist has some rights, and then they gave way. The incident is -worth mentioning because it is often stated in private that great -pianists are in receipt of salaries from pianoforte manufacturers in -exchange for which they are bound to play on their instruments. However -this may be with others it is not so with Paderewski. Here in England he -invariably plays on an Erard, because the instrument is to his taste and -the manufacturers have always done their best to adapt their pianos to -Paderewski's requirements. The pianist himself, at the time of the -Chicago incident, felt compelled to write a letter to a New York paper -which had editorially expressed the opinion that it "was not very -generous on Mr. Paderewski's part to sell himself to a piano firm." "I -must emphatically deny," he wrote, "that I am bound by contract or -agreement, either in writing or verbally, to the use of any particular -make of piano. In this respect I am at perfect liberty to follow my -convictions and inclinations, and this privilege I must be free to -exercise in the prosecution of my artistic career. Throughout the wide -world any artist is permitted to use the instrument of his choice, and I -do not understand why I should be forced to play an instrument of a -manufacturer strange to me and untried by me, which may jeopardise my -artistic success." This dignified protest should be sufficient -contradiction of the persistent rumours that Paderewski has been bound -to play certain pianofortes. Those who understand the light in which an -artist views the instrument he plays know full well that the use of a -certain piano could not possibly be a mere matter of financial -arrangement. - -The success of Paderewski in America was indeed phenomenal. It rivalled -that of Rubinstein, and was financially more brilliant. It became quite -the proper thing, an American biographer has told us, to crowd on to the -platform at the end of a concert and induce the pianist to play a few -more selections in an informal way. In Texas whole schools marched many -miles to hear him, and such was the interest aroused by his personality -that crowds frequently waited at railway stations merely to see the -train pass, in hopes of catching a glimpse of his remarkable -countenance. Sometimes crowds would line the streets from his hotel to -the concert hall and make it impossible for him to get past. - -[Illustration: IGNAZ PADEREWSKI - -_From a drawing by Venino of New York, reproduced by the kind permission -of Mr. Daniel Mayer_] - -The pianist was fortunate in having an agent or manager of energy in -Mr. Hugo Görlitz, who directed the first three tours in America. The -distances to be traversed make an artistic visit to the States something -of an ordeal for a sensitive artist. Rubinstein found it unbearable and -not even the offer of a very handsome fee could in the end persuade the -great Russian pianist to revisit America. M. Paderewski's manager, -however, did his utmost to make the travelling as little arduous as -possible. He himself has given an account of the manner in which -Paderewski travelled in America. "In travelling in a private car in -America," Mr. Görlitzt told an interviewer some years ago, "one is -entirely independent of hotels, which in most cases are fine comfortable -buildings, but with very bad service and cooking; hence the artist, who -lives very irregularly, and when his nerves are highly strung, is not in -possession of a good appetite, must have everything to his liking; and -the only way to obtain that in America is by engaging one of the private -Pullman cars, which contain all modern luxuries and comforts. Before -starting on a tour on the car a series of menus is prepared and, in -accordance with the same, the car is provided with everything but fish -and bread, which can be obtained at the different stations by -telegraphing through the commissariat department of the Pullman Company. -Then the head waiter takes charge of the stores and prepares the menus -in the most tempting fashion. As a rule Paderewski takes his principal -meal after his concert, and, as his concert is generally usually over at -half-past ten at night, his dinner hour is eleven o'clock. But the main -comfort consists in not having to rise early in the morning after a hard -day's work, for, without having to notify any one, the car will be hung -on to an express train and he wakes up at his next station. Then there -is usually a side track, where there is very little noise, for the car -to remain during the day. In the observation room of this car we carried -an upright piano, so that the master could practise whenever he found it -necessary to do so, and as we did not enter a hotel for three weeks -during our trip, this was the only way for him to keep in practice. - -"With regard to Paderewski's journey, everything is arranged for him -weeks before hand, so that it works like a machine. Whenever we arrive -in a town, a carriage has to be waiting at a station, and the same in -the evening from the hotel to the hall and back again. This, in many -instances, is essential as he leaves the concert platform so exhausted -that he might easily contract an illness if he were not immediately -taken to his hotel without any delay on the way. On one occasion, -however, all our arrangements were upset in consequence of a snow-storm, -which delayed the train from Toronto, Ontario, to Suspension Bridge. We -arrived, instead of twelve o'clock in the day, at seven o'clock in the -evening. At eight there was to be a concert at Buffalo, New York: it was -impossible to get there in time, so we telegraphed to inform the -audience that if they would wait an hour longer the artist would appear -and play his programme through. But the only way for him to accomplish -this was to dress in the train. When he had decided to do so, it was -found that our baggage had been removed into the Custom House, and the -Custom House attendants, not knowing of the arrival of this train, had -gone home. The only possible way to get at his dress-suit was for me to -break open the Custom House window, go in, bring out his dress-suit and -lock up the box again. I accomplished this without being detected, and -we arrived, finally, at Buffalo in time for the concert." - -Mr. Görlitz's account gives the English reader a vivid idea of the -arduous work before a celebrated artist. How a pianist can be in a good -mood for his art after a few weeks of such high-pressure work is not -easy to understand. On the whole M. Paderewski has stood the arduous -work of his American recitals extremely well, but in 1896 at the end of -a tremendous tour through the United States he was compelled to take a -rest, cancelling an engagement to play a new fantasia by Sir Alexander -Mackenzie at one of our Philharmonic Concerts, and postponing a recital -already arranged for him in London. - - - - -V - -LATER TOURS - - -It will not be necessary to describe in detail the triumphant career of -the virtuoso in America and Europe. Such a description would become a -mere catalogue of towns visited with an enumeration of the fees -received, enlivened by a few more or less apocryphal anecdotes. It will -be sufficient to say that M. Paderewski's second tour in America -included sixty-seven concerts in twenty-six cities and that the receipts -amounted to $180,000 (about Ł36,000), a sum which had never been reached -by any instrumentalist. As far as England is concerned the highest fee -paid the pianist was that given by Mr. Robert Newman, which I have -already mentioned. It must be confessed that the pianist's agent in -England, Mr. Daniel Mayer, the well-known concert agent, has managed -his affairs with the utmost discretion. We have never had an -opportunity of becoming surfeited with M. Paderewski's talent. His -visits have been comparatively few and far between and the announcement -of a recital to be given by him in London arouses a curious interest. -This is the more remarkable when we remember that the pianist has been -accepted as the chief virtuoso of his instrument ever since 1891, a -season after he made his début here. In July of that year he gave a -Chopin recital which drew the largest audience since the last recital of -Rubinstein, and also appeared at a Philharmonic and a Richter concert. -In fifteen years many new pianists have come forward, and, of recent -years, season after season has gone by without Paderewski having given a -series of concerts. His last recital was held in November 1902. It might -be thought that he would be forgotten in the midst of such fine playing -as we hear in London; but the pianist has one of those temperaments -which impress themselves on the public, so that even quite young people -who cannot have any close acquaintance with his playing know all about -Paderewski and are ready to sacrifice time and patience to attend one -of his rare recitals. Those who understand the temper of London will -agree that many a fine artist's reputation has suffered from his -recitals being so frequent that they become almost a drug in the market. -We have never had an opportunity of becoming tired of M. Paderewski.[1] - -Before leaving the subject of the pianist's active career as virtuoso a -few words must be said on his rather tardy conquest of Germany. It is a -strange fact that the Berlin public and critics invariably lag behind -the rest of the world in accepting a new virtuoso. Signor Busoni, for -instance, had to wait some time for the enthusiasm which had greeted his -playing in England. He was accused of dealing with the great classical -composers in a virtuoso spirit. With regard to Paderewski it is said -that there was a good reason for his dislike of Berlin in particular. -After playing his own concerto with the orchestra of the Berlin -Philharmonic Society on one occasion he was repeatedly recalled and had -to play an encore, for which he selected a piece of Chopin's. The late -von Bülow, the conductor, is said to have openly shown his resentment of -the ovation accorded to the pianist. During his playing of the encore -Bülow indulged in an apparently uncontrollable series of sneezes, which -it may be imagined, rather upset the pianist. But it can hardly be true -that so trivial a reason made Paderewski dislike the idea of Berlin. If -so he might put our own Manchester on the black list, for a few years -ago he was obliged to stop in the middle of Chopin's Ballade in G minor -and leave the platform in consequence of the inconsiderate restlessness -of part of the audience who would enter and depart from the hall during -the performance. - -But if it is with some difficulty that he is persuaded to play in -Germany, it cannot be because of a want of enthusiasm on the part of -amateurs. In May of 1894, three years after he had finally captured -London, he played his Polish Fantasia at the Nether-Rhenish Musical -Festival, held at Aix-la-Chapelle. The enthusiasm he aroused was -extraordinary. Encouraged by this reception, he gave recitals in Leipzig -and Dresden during the following year. "Not since Liszt has a pianist -been received as Paderewski was last night," and "Never since the Albert -Hall was built has such applause been heard there as last evening," are -typical extracts from the Press notices. The _Tageblatt_ critic wrote: -"Paderewski has for some years been enjoying the greatest triumphs in -Austria, France, England and America, but, for unknown reasons, avoided -Germany almost entirely. Concerning his colossal success in our sister -city of Dresden our readers have already been informed. Such positively -fabulous enthusiasm no other artist has aroused in Leipzig as far back -as our memory goes. The public did not applaud; it raved. If Paderewski -has hitherto avoided Germany in the belief that he might be coolly -received, he must have been radically cured of that idea last evening." -At this recital, which was given in aid of the Liszt Memorial, the -audience insisted on the pianist playing for more than an hour after the -programme had been completed, and would not leave the concert-hall until -all the lights were extinguished. - -FOOTNOTE: - -[1] His recital on June 18 of this year drew an enormous audience to the -Queen's Hall. - - - - -VI - -PERSONAL TRAITS - - -"Paderewski," said Pachmann in one of those speeches with which he -sometimes enlivens his recitals, "Paderewski is the most modest artist -that I have ever seen. I myself am the most unmodest artist, except Hans -von Bülow. He is more unmodest than I am." It is curious, indeed, how -little is known at first hand of Paderewski. Knowledge of him as a man -is confined to the friends with whom he is intimate. The outside world -knows no more than that he is an accomplished linguist and a man of -considerable reading and catholic tastes; that he is the soul of -generosity to those with whom he is acquainted; that he is an expert -billiard player--a talent he may have learnt from his master -Leschetitzky; that he is a brilliant conversationalist; that he smokes a -great many cigarettes; and that he is fond of staying up until the -early hours of the morning. It is not, perhaps, so generally known that -he is an expert swimmer. With regard to the billiard playing, the -pianist once explained to an interviewer the place it takes in the -economy of his life. The necessity of practising during his tours for a -series of recitals has sometimes meant playing nearly seventeen hours a -day, counting the time taken by the recitals themselves--a circumstance -which has often happened during the pianist's American tours--and M. -Paderewski confessed it was playing billiards that had saved his life. -"If I walk or ride, or merely rest," he said, "I go on thinking all the -time, and my nerves get no real rest. But when I play billiards I can -forget everything, and the result is mental rest and physical exercise -combined." - -[Illustration: THE VILLA RION-BOSSON, PADEREWSKI'S RESIDENCE NEAR -LAUSANNE - -_From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler_] - -Very few people understand what a life of nervous stress a great pianist -must lead. When Paderewski, in the ordinary course, has to prepare for a -recital tour, he seldom practises less than ten or twelve hours a day. -And that does not end his work, for he once told Mr. Henry T. Finck, the -celebrated American critic, that he often lies awake for hours at night, -going over his programme mentally, note for note, trying to get at the -essence of every bar. Mr. Finck goes on to say: "This mental practice at -night explains the perfection of his art, but it is not good for his -health. Indeed, if he ever sins, it is against himself and the laws of -health. He smokes too many cigarettes, drinks too much lemonade, loses -too much sleep, or sleeps too often in the daytime. For this last habit -he is, however, not entirely to blame; for whenever he gives a concert, -all his faculties are so completely engaged that he is quite exhausted -at the end, and unable to go to sleep for hours." - -[Illustration: ANOTHER VIEW OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON - -_From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler_] - -The pianist's life has its compensations, however. He is not one of -those artists whose whole life is made up of concert-tours, and this is -even less the case now than it was some years ago. In the intervals -between his tours he lives an ideal life in his Swiss home, busy with -composition, which from the very first was his real aim in life. A -writer in a German newspaper has given an interesting account of -Paderewski's home on the lake of Geneva. "It is situated some distance -away from the road, yet is easily accessible. If you visit the pleasing -little town of Morges, on the lake of Geneva, and walk westward to the -picturesque village of Islochenaz, you will, in a quarter of an hour, -reach a shady park, amid which the châlet de Riond Bosson presents an -imposing appearance. If you heed the warning notice on the gate: -'N'entrez pas sans sonner. Prenez garde aux chiens,' you may enter the -grounds without danger. At most you will risk having your clothes torn, -for Paderewski's dogs have particularly sharp teeth. By way of -compensation, there are many beautiful things to see on the other side -of the wire fence. Of course, the little castle of the Polish virtuoso -is not open to everybody, not even in the absence of the owner, but all -may visit the beautiful park which was planted by the Duchess of -Otranto. The widow of Fouché, the notorious Police Commissioner of -Napoleon I., bought this place in 1823, and occupied it a long time. -After her death the Châlet de Riond Bosson came into the possession of -her heirs, the Vicomte d'Estournel and the Comte Le Marois, who sold it -in 1898 to Paderewski. On emerging from the shady walks of the park, the -visitor comes upon an enchanting scene. In the foreground lies the -antique little town of Morges; behind it is the semicircular blue -expanse of the lake, and beyond that tower the snowy peaks of the Alps. -Behind the orchard is a big greenhouse containing nothing but grapes for -the table." Paderewski by no means spends his time in the _dolce far -niente_ for which there would be an excuse in so beautiful a spot. In -addition to his composition he interests himself in everything connected -with his estate, and particularly, like M. Jean de Reszke, in the -breeding of live-stock. - -[Illustration: GATEWAY OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON - -_From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler_] - -The reserve which his bearing on the concert platform suggests is the -effect of an artist's well-poised, nervous control. In private life -among his intimate friends he is a most sympathetic, pleasant companion, -ready and able to talk brilliantly on other arts than his own, as well -as on literature and life itself. Among those whose appreciation he -values, he is willing to exercise his particular art without any of that -false pride which has been characteristic of some virtuosi. Mr. Hermann -Klein, in his interesting "Thirty Years of Musical Life in London" -(Heinemann), gives an instance of this. Paderewski had been asked to -meet Sir Arthur Sullivan, Signor Piatti, Sir Alexander Mackenzie and a -few other well-known musicians at a dinner-party in Mr. Klein's house on -May 3, 1904. "Just before dinner a quaint sort of letter was placed in -my hand. It was from some one in the famous pianist's entourage, -reminding me that M. Paderewski was very fatigued after his heavy work -in the provinces, and begging that I would under no circumstances ask -him to play that evening. I was half amused, half annoyed by this -unexpected communication, which, of course, I knew better than to regard -as inspired by my guest of honour himself. However, I thought no more -about it until after dinner, when I took an opportunity to inform -Paderewski, in a whispered 'aside,' of the strange warning I had -received. I assured him seriously that I had not the slightest idea of -asking him to play, and that my friends were more than satisfied to have -the pleasure of meeting him and enjoying his society. He replied:-- - -"'Do you imagine I think otherwise? This is a case of "Save me from my -friends!" That I am tired is perfectly true. But when I am in the mood -to play fatigue counts for nothing. And I am in that mood to-night. Are -you really going to have some music?' - -"'Yes, Piatti has brought his 'cello, and he is going to take part in -the Rubinstein sonata in D.' - -"'Then I should like to play it with him; and more besides, if he will -permit me, Piatti and I are now old colleagues at the "Pops," and we -always get on splendidly together.' - -"What could I say?--save express my gratitude, and apprise my friends of -the treat that was in store. It was the more welcome because it was -virtually unexpected. An unalloyed delight was the performance of that -lovely sonata by the Prince of 'cellists and the greatest of living -pianists. Both seemed to revel in the beauties of a work admirably -designed for the display of their respective instruments, and the -rendering was in every way perfect. After it was over, dear old Piatti, -who rarely talked much, said to me in his quiet way, 'I quite enjoyed -that. I have played the sonata with Rubinstein many times, but it never -went better than to-night.' Later on he played again; and so did -Paderewski--with Sullivan close by his side, watching with fascinated -eyes the nimble fingers as they glided over the keys. That evening the -illustrious pianist was inspired. Fatigue was forgotten; indeed, he -seemed much fresher than on the preceding night, when he introduced his -fine Polish Fantasia at the Philharmonic. He went on and on from one -piece to another, with characteristic forgetfulness of self, and it was -well on to dawn before we parted." - -This type of anecdote is told of most great instrumentalists, and -especially of Rubinstein. To the lay mind it always seems strange that -an artist who earns fabulous sums from public and private recitals -should display his gifts for the mere love of the thing, but to the -artist himself there is an enjoyment in the appreciation of a few gifted -brother-artists which not all the thunder of popular applause can equal. -And M. Paderewski is, above all, an artist. His public career of course -necessitates advertisement, but he has never sought after means to bring -himself forward apart from his playing. In consequence an air of mystery -surrounds him as an atmosphere. On the few occasions when he has broken -through this retirement it has always been for the sake of some project -connected with his art or to show his esteem for a fellow artist. As an -instance of this may be mentioned the fund for the encouragement of -American composers which he founded after his 1895-96 tour. He placed a -sum of Ł2000 in the hands of three trustees of which the interest was to -be devoted to triennial prizes for composers of American birth -irrespective of age or religion. - -Another instance is the prominent part he meant to take in the -testimonial given to Mme. Modjeska at Boston in May 1905. It will be -remembered that the great pianist as a young man owed a deal to the -encouragement of the celebrated actress, and it may be imagined how -ardently he desired to make some public acknowledgment of his -friendship. Unfortunately the serious accident which brought about the -nervous breakdown of the pianist happened just previous to the benefit -performance. The American Press teemed with alarmist reports of the -permanent character of this breakdown, and to some extent there was -justification for them. According to M. Paderewski's business manager, -Mr. J. G. Francke, the following are the facts of the case: "I was with -M. Paderewski when the accident occurred in Syracuse which upset his -nerves. We were coming from Auburn, twenty-six miles from Syracuse, -where the artist had been playing. We had a special engine. When the -switch leading from the Auburn line to the tracks of the New York -Central Railroad, half a mile from the station, was entered, the -switchman gave our engine-driver the signal to stop. This signal was -disregarded. The switchman, noting the arrival of the Buffalo express, -threw our engine off the track, and just in time, or we should have been -cut to pieces by the incoming train. M. Paderewski was seated at the -head of the table where he was supping. The force of the sudden jolt -threw him against the table as it hurled us to the floor. He did not -suffer much from the shock at the time, but he felt it more the next -day. A muscle in the back of his neck, connected in some way with the -muscles of the spinal column, was affected by the collision. That has -been his trouble. He did play after that in some Canadian cities, but -the complaint developed in Boston, and overwhelmed him eventually." On -April 29 he had arrived in Boston but was too ill to play at the -Symphony Concert to be held in aid of the Orchestral Pension Fund. This -and his inability to assist at the Modjeska benefit seemed to have -preyed on his mind and naturally did not improve his condition. - -To the committee of the Modjeska Testimonial the pianist sent a -characteristic letter--a letter which is no mere expression of regret -but is of value in our understanding of the pianist, since throughout it -there breathes a love of his country worthy of Chopin himself. "For many -months," Paderewski wrote, "I have been looking forward to the 2nd of -May, anticipating one of the greatest joys of my career. The thought of -joining you all on this solemn occasion has been my pride for many -months. The sudden adversity of fate makes me feel now grieved and -humiliated, and words cannot express all the bitterness of my -disappointment. But there is still a pride and a joy I cannot be -deprived of--the pride of belonging to the same country, to the same -race which sent into the wide world one of the greatest and noblest -artists of all times and nations; the joy of being one of many to whom -Mme. Modjeska has been good, kind and generous. The first encouraging -words I heard as a pianist came from her lips; the first successful -concert I had in my life was due to her assistance. Unable to be -present, I beg of you to convey to Mme. Modjeska the homage of profound -admiration and gratitude, and to extend my sincerest thanks to all who -contribute to make this the day of legitimate and crowning triumph for a -career great, noble, pure and beautiful." - -The passionate love of his country which this letter expresses will not -be new to those who are acquainted with the pianist, nor, indeed, to -those who only know him through his compositions. Once before, in 1893, -when a guest of the New York Lotus Club, he had given public utterance -to the same passion. "I loved your country," he said in his after-dinner -speech, "before I knew it, for the very simple reason, allow me to tell -you, that this country is the only one in which hundreds of thousands of -Poles are living freely and enjoying liberty; the country in which every -countryman of mine may speak whatever he likes of the past and future -of his country without fearing to be arrested. A few years ago, at the -same time that you were fighting the glorious fight against slavery, our -poor nation made its last effort for liberty. Our fate was -different--you have succeeded, and we have not; but still you gave us a -great deal of happiness in the feeling that we were not alone." - -Perhaps it is not very safe to take into account the environment of an -artist in any criticism of his artistic achievements, but there is more -reason for it in the case of an executant musician than in that of a -composer, for the one so clearly makes capital of all that he is, -whereas the other often only rises to creative serenity by forgetting -his surroundings. It was in that atmosphere created by his will that -Wagner composed "Die Meistersinger," for instance. At any rate the -spirit of passionate rebellion is often to be heard in Paderewski's -playing, especially of Chopin, and it may well be that the early death -of his first wife had the effect of deepening his nature. In other -directions, too, he has known sorrow, for his only son, who recently -died, was for years a confirmed invalid. It is pleasant to think that -the pianist's life has been brightened since 1899 by his marriage to the -Baroness Hélčne von Rosen. - - - - -VII - -HIS VIEWS ON MUSIC AND TEACHING - - -It is not often that Paderewski has expressed his thoughts on his art, -but by careful research I have come across a few interviews here and -there which have something of value in them, and, I think, are worth -quoting. Again I must quote Mr. Henry T. Finck, an enthusiastic admirer, -who can speak with first-hand authority of the pianist's musical faith. -His taste, we are told, is remarkably catholic. "He likes Grieg's songs -better than his pianoforte works, while Brahms's piano pieces, as he -once said to me, hardly exist for him! 'They seem all treble and -bass!'[2] But he admires the chamber music of Brahms. His worship of -the romantic Chopin, Liszt and Schumann does not interfere with his -enjoyment of the classical Mozart and Beethoven. He adores Bach and -Schubert, and at the same time he is a thorough Wagnerite. To hear -'Parsifal' or 'Tristan,' he says, you ought to go to Bayreuth; for the -'Meistersinger' to Vienna, for 'Tannhäuser' to Dresden; while of 'The -Flying Dutchman' the best performance he ever heard was at a small -German city of thirty thousand inhabitants. This catholicity of taste -compares strangely with Rubinstein's rather limited enthusiasms." There -are certainly few pianists who have shown so eclectic a taste in their -playing as Paderewski has always displayed. It would be difficult, -indeed, to decide from his interpretations what composers appeal to him -most, for while at one moment you are ready to declare that no pianist -can surpass him in a performance of the music of Liszt and Chopin, at -the next a singularly noble and sensitive interpretation of a Beethoven -sonata will compel you to place Paderewski as the most sympathetic -player of Beethoven in the world. But this aspect of the pianist's -gifts may be more conveniently dealt with in the next chapter. - -In the few public utterances he has made on his art, Paderewski has at -once paid a tribute to his instrument, and has emphasised the enormous -difficulty in becoming a master of it. "Assuredly the piano is the -greatest of musical instruments," he once exclaimed. "Its powers, who -has yet been able to test them to the full? Its limitations, who shall -define them? No sooner does one fancy that nothing further can be done -to enhance its possibilities than inventive ability steps forward and -gives to it a greater volume, a more velvety smoothness of tone." On -another occasion he said of the piano: "It is at once the easiest and -the hardest. Any one can play the pianoforte, but few ever do so well, -and then only after years and years of toil, pain, and study. When you -have surmounted all difficulties, not one in a hundred amongst your -audience realises through what labour you have passed. Yet they are all -capable of criticising and understanding what your playing should be. -Any one who takes up piano-playing with a view to becoming a -professional pianist has taken on himself an awful burden. But better -that than the drudgery of giving pianoforte lessons. The one is only -purgatory, but the other--hell!" - -Of course Paderewski has not made teaching a serious part of his career -since he became famous as a virtuoso, but at least one pupil of his, Mr. -Ernest Schelling, has made public appearances, and in his early days -Paderewski knew what teaching meant. To a London evening paper[3] he -once gave the benefit of his experience. He was particularly severe on -the teaching professed by young girls who, having had a superficial -training, endeavour to turn their limited talents to effect when a -living has to be earned or supplemented. - -"To teach or to learn to play the piano or any other instrument we must -commence at the beginning. The pupil must first be taught the rudiments -of music. When those have been mastered he must next be taught the -technique of his instrument, and if that instrument be the piano, or the -violin, or the harp, or the violoncello, the muscles and joints of the -hands, wrists, and fingers must be made supple and strong by playing -exercises designed to accomplish that end. At the same time by means of -similar exercises, the pupil must also be taught to read music rapidly -and correctly. When this has been accomplished she should render herself -familiar with the works of the masters--not by having them drummed into -her by her instructor, but by carefully studying them for herself; by -seeking diligently and patiently for the composer's meaning, playing -each doubtful passage over and over again in every variety of -interpretation, and striving most earnestly to satisfy herself which is -the most nearly in harmony with the composer's ideas. The chief aim of -every teacher of the pianoforte should be to impart to his pupils a -correct technique and to enable them to play any composition at sight -with proficiency and correctness; but how much, or rather how little of -this kind of teaching is practised by many so-called music teachers? -Many really competent music teachers have assured me that of all the -pupils who came to them from teachers of lesser reputation to be -'finished' there is not one in ten who has ever been taught to play all -the major and minor scales in all the various keys." - -Paderewski insisted on the necessity of amateurs learning compositions -by heart, and was careful to point out that the pupil must not be made -mentally weary by over-practice. "Physical weariness from too much -practice," he added, "is just as bad as mental. To over-fatigue the -muscles is to spoil their tone, at least for the time being, and some -time must elapse before they can regain their former elasticity and -vigour." On the importance of a healthy muscular system to the pianist -Paderewski wrote at some length in a magazine.[4] - -"It is highly desirable that he who strives to attain the highest -excellence as a performer on the pianoforte should have well-developed -muscles, a strong nervous system, and, in fact, be in as good general -health as possible. It might be thought that practice on the pianoforte -in itself would bring about the necessary increase in muscular power and -endurance. This, however, is not altogether the case, as it sometimes -has a distinctly deteriorative effect, owing to the muscles being kept -cramped and unused. The chief muscles actually used are those of the -hand, the fore-arm, neck, small of the back, and the shoulders. The -latter only come into play in striking heavy chords for which the hands -and arms are considerably raised from the keys; in light playing the -work is chiefly done from the wrists, and, of course, the fore-arm -muscles which raise and lower the fingers. It is not so much that -greater strength of muscle will give greater power for the pianoforte, -but rather that the fact of the muscle being in good condition will help -the player to express his artistic talent without so much effort. To -play for a great length of time is often very painful, and you cannot -expect a player to lose himself in his art when every movement of his -hands is provocative of discomfort, if not actual pain. Sometimes, -indeed, a great amount of playing brings on a special form of complaint -known as 'pianist's cramp,' which may so affect the muscles and nerves -that the unfortunate artist thus afflicted finds his occupation gone. I -have frequently found that though, whilst playing, I have experienced no -trouble from my muscles being overtaxed, afterwards the reaction has set -in, and I have had no little exhaustion of the shoulders and neck, and I -have also suffered from severe neuralgic pains affecting the nerve -which runs from the head and conveys impulses from the brain to the -deltoid muscle. Weakness in the small of the back has been by no means -uncommon." - -As to the higher side of pianoforte teaching, Paderewski thinks that all -theoretical teaching is a mistake, "for when you have reasoned out an -effect you have lost that over which you have reasoned? You must teach -the student to feel." There must be no hard and fast rules. All depends -on the mood and the atmosphere. And that appears to be the spirit of the -teaching of Leschetitzky, the master of Paderewski. - -FOOTNOTES: - -[2] In London Paderewski has not entirely neglected Brahms's -compositions. Among others he has played the "Paganini" and the "Handel" -variations.--E. A. B. - -[3] The now defunct _Sun_. - -[4] Eugene Sandow's _Physical Culture_. - - - - -VIII - -AS PIANIST - - -The critic who would give a true appreciation of Paderewski as artist -must at once admit that he has the power of moving an audience as no -pianist since Rubinstein has been able to move it. In the opening -chapter I touched on some generalities with regard to Paderewski's -position in the world of piano-playing, and I referred to the -modifications in the verdict of the general which the critic must make. -In the difference between his outlook and the public's will be found his -divergence from the critical and popular estimation in which the great -pianist is held. I will at once confess that a professional critic is -apt to be too theoretical in his judgments: it is, if viewed aright, the -defect of his merits. We are compelled to give reasons for our likes and -dislikes, and these in turn are apt to proceed too much from the -intellect and not sufficiently from the emotions. The public, on the -other hand, has no hard-and-fast theories concerning piano playing, -singing or conducting. Provided an instrumentalist or a conductor -creates a "sensation" no close inquiry is made into a sacrifice of -artistic virtue. In the following appreciation of Paderewski as pianist -I have been at pains to collate my own opinions with those of men who -have, it seems to me, some authority to write on the subject. I may say -in passing that it is extraordinary how little of the criticisms penned -on the different recitals give the reader any clear and general idea of -Paderewski. His interpretations and playing are praised or blamed, but a -writer in a daily paper has to take it for granted that the pianist's -gifts and limitations are known and understood. Indeed, a journalist who -should sit down to pen a general criticism of a celebrated artist would -be considered a kind of critical Rip van Winkle. That is a pity, because -criticism demands reconsideration every few years. How could we tell of -what a pianist's fingers might be capable until we had heard Leopold -Godowsky? How judge of the future of opera until we had heard Puccini's -"Madame Butterfly"? For this reason contemporary Press criticisms of -Paderewski do not tell us very much. But here and there, scattered up -and down the pages of weekly periodicals and magazines, I have come -across passages which give a good idea of his powers and his -limitations. I propose to quote a couple of these as preliminary to my -own estimate of the pianist. - -[Illustration: PADEREWSKY AT HOME - -_Reproduced from the original sketch by Emil Fuchs by permission of the -artist_] - -In all criticism comparison must play an important part. However great -may be the natural gifts of a critic his verdict on a particular artist -is of not much value unless he has some clear standard of technical and -interpretative excellence. Those who remembered Rubinstein at his best -were on firmer ground in judging the new star, Paderewski, than those -who knew him not. For this reason the enthusiastic estimate of Dr. -William Mason, the well-known American writer on music and professor of -the piano, has peculiar value. Dr. Mason, it should be stated, studied -in Germany under Moscheles, Dreyschock and Liszt. In an interesting -critical study of Paderewski, written in 1893, he compared the playing -of that artist with the playing of many others, including Pachmann, -Rosenthal, D'Albert, and Scharwenka, and, while recognising their worth, -came to the conclusion that Paderewski was "an exceedingly rare -occurrence, indeed phenomenal." - -[Illustration: A MEMORY SKETCH OF PADEREWSKI, BY ORLANDO ROULAND - -_Reproduced by the kind permission of the artist_] - -"As Moscheles played Bach half a century ago, and as Rubinstein played -him later on, so does Paderewski play him now--with an added grace and -colour which put these great contrapuntal creations in the most charming -frames. It is the great, deep, musical playing combined with the calm, -quiet repose and great breadth of style. Paderewski has an advantage -over Rubinstein, however, in the fact that he is always master of his -resources and possesses power of complete self control.... In Rubinstein -there is an excess of the emotional, and while at times he reaches the -highest possible standard, his impulsive Nature and lack of -self-restraint are continually in his way, frequently causing him to -rush ahead with such impetuosity as to anticipate his climax, and, -having no reserve force to call into action, disaster is sure to follow. - -"Of five prominent pianists, in Liszt we find the intellectual emotional -temperament, while Rubinstein has the emotional in such excess that he -is rarely able to bridle his impetuosity, Paderewski may be classified -as emotional-intellectual--a very rare and happy blending of the two -temperaments--and Tausig was very much upon the same plane, while Von -Bülow has but little of the emotional, and overbalances decidedly on the -intellectual side. - -"It seems to me that in this matter of touch Paderewski is as near -perfection as any pianist I ever heard, while in other respects he -stands more nearly on a plane with Liszt than any other virtuoso since -Tausig. His conception of Beethoven combines the emotional with the -intellectual in admirable poise and proportion. Thus he plays with a big -warm heart as well as with a clear, calm, discriminative head; hence a -thoroughly satisfactory result.... In musical conception he is so -objective a player as to be faithful, true, and loving to his author, -but withal he has a spice of the subjective, which imparts to his -performance just the right amount of his own individuality. - -"The heartfelt sincerity of the man is noticeable in all that he does -and his intensity of utterance easily accounts for the strong hold he -has over his audiences. Paderewski's playing presents the beautiful -contour of a living, vital organism.... It possesses that subtle quality -expressed in some measure by the German word _Sehnsucht_, and in English -as intensity of aspiration. This quality Chopin had, and Liszt -frequently spoke of it. It is the undefinable poetic haze with which -Paderewski invests and surrounds all that he plays which renders him so -unique and impressive among modern pianists." - -The foregoing estimate represents the discrimination of an enthusiastic -admirer. Its value consists of its recognition of the power of -Paderewski's personality. No criticism of his technical mannerisms -alone--however much he may lay himself open to it--will give a true idea -of the great pianist. Among the many estimates of Paderewski written in -this country one of the most balanced and illuminative was penned by the -late Arthur Johnstone, for many years the musical critic of the -_Manchester Guardian_:--"Mr. Paderewski's distinguishing quality is a -certain extraordinary energy--not merely a one-sided physical, or even -a two-sided physical and intellectual, energy; it is of the fingers and -wrists, of the mind, the imagination, the heart and the soul, and it -makes Mr. Paderewski the most interesting of players, even though to the -extreme kind of specialist, absorbed in problems of tone production, he -is not the most absolute master of his instrument at the present day. -His art has a certain princely quality. It is indescribably _galant_ and -_chevaleresque_. He knows all the secrets of all the most subtle dancing -rhythms. He is a reincarnation of Chopin, with almost the added virility -of a Rubinstein. No wonder such a man fascinates, bewilders and enchants -the public! Greatly surpassed by Busoni in the interpretation of -Beethoven, by Pachmann in the touch that persistently draws forth -roundness, sweetness and fulness of tone, and by Godowsky in the mastery -of intricate line and the power of sucking out the very last drop of -melody from every part of a composition, Paderewski still remains the -most brilliant, fascinating and successfully audacious of present-day -performers, and in preferring him the general public is probably right, -though the keen student of the pianoforte in particular may learn more -from Godowsky, and the earnest lover of the musical classics in general, -more from Busoni." - -In much the same vein I wrote of a recital held at St. James's Hall in -1901. "The fascination of Paderewski held criticism in check. I know -that his Beethoven in C was smallish Beethoven; that there were many -spots of virtuoso exaggeration of contrast; but I also know that the -_adagio molto_ had a poetry of expression which many better-balanced -pianists miss, and that the last movement had a growing power which -carried one away. I know, too, that Schumann's sonata in F sharp minor -was too exaggerated, that its force was often too febrile. I will even -admit that Paderewski's technique is not always as clear as it might be; -that for perfection of finger dexterity Rosenthal, Godowsky, Busoni and -Pachmann surpass him. If you press it, I will confess that Paderewski's -force is hysterical, an explosion of exacerbated nerves; that, -metaphorically, he has his back to the wall and with tight-drawn lips is -fighting for his life. His strength, you may say, is almost a weakness. -It has no reserve and occasionally it is perilously akin to ranting. He -is also too fond of unnecessary dynamic contrasts--the sign of the -virtuoso all the world over, whether he be a pianist or a chorus-master. -I would not even combat the assertion that he often allows a fastidious -brain to prompt new readings when novelty is unnecessary, and I must -admit that he has the abominable trick of opening his chords--the kind -of thing one expects in a third-rate pianist bidding for a cheap -popularity. Is the catalogue of defects full? If not, insert some more, -and then-- - -"Why, then, I will still assert that Paderewski is the greatest of -living pianists. He has what so many of them do not possess--a strong -individuality and real insight as a musical poet. D'Albert might play -that Beethoven sonata with a nicer balance and a more intellectual -grasp; but he would not create that glowing atmosphere. Paderewski's -reading cannot be held up as a model to young men and maidens. It was -very subjective. I do not ask Paderewski to be anything but himself, for -his self interests me. But, at any rate, the performances of Haydn's -Variations in F minor and Mozart's Rondo in A minor were perfect enough -in restraint and classical grace to rank as models. They seemed to me to -represent the normal Paderewski. - -"And his Chopin playing particularly appeals to me. Pachmann, in the -lesser Chopin, and Godowsky as well, play with more polish of phrase, -and they have a more extended gamut of dynamic _nuances_; but neither -plays as a poet would play, and Chopin, with all his absolute musical -fastidiousness, was a poet. Pachmann is too pre-occupied with mere -beauty of tone and with the rhetoric of antithesis; Godowsky with the -perfection of finger technique. Busoni's Chopin playing can alone be -compared to Paderewski's, for Busoni has a poet's imagination. But -Paderewski has more emotional fibre." As a marginal note to this -criticism, it should be said that the pianist was not at his best in -that year. The tendency to nervous explosions was not so marked when he -visited us the following summer. - -It must be confessed that Paderewski's repertoire is rather limited. He -never makes experiments with the compositions of new men, and I do not -remember if he has ever played anything of Alkans or of César Franck. -The plan of his programmes is apt to be stereotyped--a group of pieces -by Bach, Handel, Scarlatti--or other of the harpsichord composers; then -a sonata of Mozart or Beethoven, followed by the German romantic school, -and ending with Chopin, Liszt, and Rubinstein, or his own compositions. -Still, it is very difficult for a pianist to import novelty into the -programme of a recital, and until quite recently modern composers have -ignored the piano. But if Paderewski's repertoire is not very extended, -his sympathies are catholic enough. There is only one other pianist who -can be compared with him in this respect--Busoni. The rest have such -limitations of sympathy that one could wish they would follow Pachmann's -example and confine themselves to the composers they understand. -Paderewski is, perhaps, at his best in the playing of Chopin and Liszt, -and, at the other extreme, in his reproduction of the old harpsichord -music. The racial spirit in him, which I have already shown is a real -part of his composition, enables him to realise the bigger Chopin as no -other pianist realises him. In the Chopin which mainly demands agility -of finger and a refined sense of harmony, Busoni and Pachmann excel -Paderewski; but neither can play the great Scherzo in C sharp minor as -Paderewski plays it. His Beethoven is unequal. Sometimes, if in the -mood, he will give you a performance of one of the later sonatas which -cannot be surpassed for grandeur and glow of emotion (he could never be -a mere "classical" Beethoven player); at other times his readings are -rather small and not sufficiently architectural. He has done wonderful -things with the "Moonlight" and "Waldstein" sonatas, however. His -Beethoven is never uninteresting, and it is something that he spares us -the hard austerity of some of the Beethoven playing which is so highly -praised in these days. - -It has been well said that Paderewski treats Bach as a modern -romanticist, following the example of Liszt in this. The Bach worshipper -of a certain type is not likely to admire Paderewski's readings, but the -pianist certainly does bring out all the beauty of the composer's music. -If Mme. Schumann's idea of her husband's music was right, then -Paderewski is apt to treat him too much as a virtuoso composer. His -playing is a trifle wanting in the true German reflectiveness, but the -romance is realised. The concerto is one of Paderewski's finest -achievements, however. When an appeal is not made to his Slav -temperament, Paderewski's mind seems to find most pleasure in the -refinement of Weber, Mendelssohn, and Mozart. He has done a great deal -to rehabilitate Mendelssohn. He made serious musicians ashamed of their -estimate of the "Variations Sérieuses," and he reset the exquisite gems -of melody enshrined in the "Songs without Words," made so dim by the -clumsy handling of generations of schoolgirls. - -In all Paderewski does there is evidence of much musical thought. That -is to say, even when he treats a composition to a new, and, as it seems, -a sensational performance, the conception is consistent throughout. And -that is one of the reasons why the pianist carries you away even when he -runs counter to theories or prejudices. Your mind may be critically at -work throughout the whole performance, but you feel at the same time -that the player is not making a bid for the popularity of empty -sensationalism. Those who accuse him of that are wrong. They forget that -with all his intense quietude of manner, Paderewski is at heart a Pole, -and that the very nervous force which enables him to play with glowing -power is also apt to make him exaggerated and exuberant; but the musical -intellect has artistically planned out these outbursts, which are seldom -merely physical. - -The weakness of his playing on its technical side lies in a tendency to -smudginess of execution. Paderewski cannot lay claim to the absolute -clearness of Busoni; nor has he the magical fingers of a Godowsky. But I -am not at all sure that the defects of his technique are not an -expression of his merits as a tone poet. It is inconceivable that a -player of Paderewski's fiery and nervous temperament should be a perfect -mechanician. Moreover, his lapses from technical rectitude are never -lapses from the higher technique of the piano. No pianist so well -understands how to produce beautiful tone; no pianist has such a variety -of touch; and none such a grasp of the art of pedalling and phrasing. -The Paderewski tone is a thing by itself. Above all, he is a master of -rhythm. The wonderful, subtle _nuances_ of _tempo rubato_ which -distinguish his playing are the expression of a genuine, musical nature. -Sometimes this extraordinary grasp of rhythm may lead him to attempt -effects which were not, perhaps, within his composer's intentions, but -they are musical effects and not merely capricious. In brief, Paderewski -appeals to lovers of music, not because he is the most wonderful player -of his instrument that has ever existed, but because he is a genuine -tone-poet, a man of exceptional nature and rare temperament. - -Perhaps he has summed himself and his aims as well as any one else could -sum them up. "If I were asked," said the great pianist to an -interviewer, "to name the chief qualification of a great pianist, apart -from technical excellence, I should answer in a word, genius. That is -the spark which fires every heart, that is the voice which all men stop -to hear! Lacking genius, your pianist is simply a player--an artist, -perhaps--whose work is politely listened to or admired in moderation as -a musical _tour de force_. He leaves his hearers cold, nor is the appeal -which he makes through the medium of his art, a universal one. And here -let me say, referring to the celebrated 'paradox' of Diderot, that I am -firmly of the belief that the pianist, in order to produce the finest -and most delicate effects must feel what he is playing, identify himself -absolutely with his work, be in sympathy with the composition in its -entirety, as well as with its every shade of expression. Only so shall -he speak to that immense audience which ever depends on perfect art. -Yet--and here is a paradox indeed--he must put his own personality -resolutely, triumphantly into his interpretation of the composer's -ideas." - - - - -IX - -AS COMPOSER - - -It will be remembered that Paderewski began his musical career with the -aim of being a composer, and through all the stress of his life as a -virtuoso he has never lost sight of that aim. Indeed, he has more than -once expressed the intention of retiring gradually from the concert -platform in order that he may devote all his time to composition. The -work he has already done is not to be passed over lightly as a pianist's -music. Paderewski has certainly more originality than Rubinstein, and as -he is now only in his forty-seventh year there is every possibility that -he will make a name for himself as composer. It has already been related -that Paderewski was by way of being a prodigy composer. At the early age -of seven he wrote a set of Polish dances, but none of his compositions -was published until he was twenty-two years of age. These early works, -numbering some forty pieces, include Mazardas, Polonaises, Krakowiaks, -and other Polish dances, a Caprice, an Intermezzo, a Sarabande, an -Elegy, and many Mélodies, all of them surcharged with national spirit. -It is facile criticism to trace the influence of Chopin in these -pianoforte pieces of Paderewski's, and it is too often forgotten that -many of the characteristics of the great composer's music were drawn -from Polish music. Paderewski himself once remarked on this point: "The -moment you try to be national, every one cries out that you are -imitating Chopin, whereas the truth is that Chopin adopted all the most -marked characteristics of our national music so completely that it is -impossible not to resemble him in externals, though your methods and -ideas may be absolutely your own." - -[Illustration: IGNAZ PADEREWSKI - -_From a bust by Mr. Emil Fuchs, reproduced by the kind permission of the -sculptor_] - -Of the smaller compositions of Paderewski the most famous is, of course, -the Minuet, which has nothing in it of Polish colour, but is a charming -and skilful essay in the old style. A writer in a German periodical has -told an amusing, if apocryphal story of this Minuet. "When Paderewski -was a professor at the Warsaw Conservatoire, he was a frequent visitor -at my house, and one evening I remarked that no living composer could be -compared with Mozart. Paderewski's only reply was a shrug of the -shoulders, but the next day he came back, and, sitting down at the -piano, said, 'I should like to play you a little piece of Mozart's which -you perhaps do not know.' He then played the Minuet. I was enchanted -with it and cried, 'Now you will yourself acknowledge that nobody of our -time could furnish us with a composition like that.' 'Well,' answered -Paderewski, 'this Minuet is mine.'" The worthy German writer could have -had but a superficial knowledge of Mozart's style of harmony. But the -Minuet is certainly a charming little piece. Hardly less remarkable in -its daintiness is the "Chant du Voyageur," number 3 of Opus 8, and the -Thčme Varié, Opus 11 is very skilful in its harmonic treatment of a -naďve, eighteenth century tune. The Variations and Fugue and Humoresques -ŕ l'antique enable one to understand how Paderewski can play Scarlatti, -Couperin, and Rameau with such intimate sympathy. These works may be -said to represent one side of his talent, perhaps not the most original. -In direct contrast with them are his fiery Polish dances--his -Cracovienne and Polonaises. In his later compositions he has given up -his imitations of the antique and has been gradually finding his own -utterance in the idiom of national music. In his early life, however, he -composed a short sonata for violin and piano, which, as far as I know, -has not been performed in England; but, of course, the pianoforte sonata -in A minor, Op. 17, which was written when he was twenty-eight years of -age, is the most important contribution in a more or less "classical" -style which has come from his pen. It served to introduce Paderewski as -a composer to an English audience on the occasion of his first recitals -at St. James's Hall in 1890. "In point of form this Concerto," wrote Mr. -C. A. Barry in his analytical notes, "which is far more a matter of -evolution than a stringing together of tunes, closely follows the -traditionally classical lines, and is strikingly free from irrelevant -and episodical passages, except such as immediately grow out of the -subject-matter. In spirit it is strongly pervaded by the -characteristics of Polish national music, with its proud, chivalrous and -dreamy accents." Much of the music is of a virtuoso character, but the -Romanza, an Andante, is a little gem of inspiration, and the finale is -full of vivacity and spirit. Paderewski himself makes a very effective -composition of this Concerto. - -A considerable period elapsed between the composition of the Concerto -(in 1888) and that of the Polish Fantasia, which was first performed at -the Norwich Festival of 1893. It was actually written in the summer in -that year. In this work national feeling is very strongly marked. This -betrays itself in the treatment, and in the themes, which although the -composer's own, are distinctly Polish in character. The work is full of -colour, picturesqueness and romance, and in general it has the air of a -Rhapsody. In the slow movement there is a power of combining themes -which Paderewski had not previously shown, and the orchestra is handled -with much skill both in the matter of instrumentation and in its -combination with the piano. The Fantasia, which was afterwards repeated -at a Philharmonic concert, placed the composer on a higher plane than -anything he had hitherto done. - -That Paderewski did not mean to confine himself to compositions for the -piano and orchestra was soon proved by rumours of an opera on which he -was engaged. Nothing of importance came from his pen until "Manru" was -produced at Dresden on May 29, 1901, but the pianoforte score had been -finished as long ago as 1895. As Paderewski had not hitherto composed -anything of moment for the voice--his four songs, Op. 7, and the late -set of six which Mr. Edward Lloyd sang to the composer's accompaniment -are fanciful but of no great importance--there was much anticipation as -to the result of his new departure. It should be said that at one time -the composer was in negotiation with the late Sir Augustus Harris for -the production of the opera at Covent Garden, but he could not see his -way to accept the suggested alterations which the impresario thought -necessary. As a matter of fact most of these alterations were made when -the work was performed at Dresden. It was generally admitted, and the -criticism was upheld when "Manru" was mounted in New York in 1902, that -the opera suffers from its libretto. - -The plot was borrowed from a Polish Romance, Kraszewski's "The Cabin -behind the Wood," by the librettist, Dr. Alfred Nossig and sets forth -how Manru, a gypsy, has won the love of a Galician maiden, Ulana, and -has married her in the gypsy fashion. On her return to her native place, -seeking her mother's forgiveness and help, she is received with -contumely and a mother's curse. Her kind friends prepare her for the -inconstancy of Manru by citing instances of the general fickleness in -love of all gypsies, and Ulana, in order to keep Manru's love, seeks the -help of Urok, a dwarf and magician who has the reputation of being a -sorcerer. By the aid of a magic draught she keeps Manru to her side for -a time, but the gypsy blood will out and, fascinated by a girl of his -own race, he rejoins his tribe. This is not to the liking of the gypsy -chief, Oros, who is in love with the same woman, Asa, and Manru's -rehabitation is opposed. Matters then become too complicated for opera, -and that is the weakness of the libretto. Oros finding his authority has -no weight with the tribe breaks his staff and Manru is proclaimed chief -in his stead. Ulana, in despair at the loss of her husband, hurls -herself over a precipice, and Oros coming secretly on Manru and his new -love Asa suddenly attacks his rival and throws him into the abyss. A -strain of symbolism runs though the story. Thus Manru is not merely -fickle, but is torn this way and that by his love for Ulana and his -racial passion for music. You may, if you choose, look on Ulana as the -embodiment of human love and Asa as representing the spiritual love of -the artist. - -Dr. Schuch conducted the first performance at Dresden. Herr Anthes was -the Manru; Herr Scheidmantel was the Urok; Fraulein Krull the Urana and -Frau Kramma the Asa. The reception of the work was cordial but it does -not seem to have been enthusiastic. Some of the critics were reminded of -Bizet; others noted a strong likeness to Wagner; and through all the -note of Polish music was detected. As the work has never been performed -on the English stage it is not easy to say how it would shape as an -opera. The vocal score has not been published. A concert performance of -some of the chief scenes was given, however, at the Crystal Palace, on -December 13, 1902, Signor Randegger conducted and Fraulein Krull came -from Germany to sing the soprano music. Mr. John Coates sang the music -of Manru. The excerpts consisted of a duet from Act II. with Ulana's -cradle song; the prelude and incidental music from Act III. with Manru's -long soliloquy "Luft, luft! Ich ersticke," and a gypsy march; the love -duet of Manru and Ulana from Act II., and the ballet music from Act I. -As the programme also contained the Concerto and the Polish Fantasia we -were able to form some opinion of Paderewski as a serious composer. - -"The connection of the music of 'Manru' with these concertos," I wrote -at the time in the _Daily News_, "must have struck the dullest ears.... -So far the music has a style of its own. But it struck me that in the -vocal selection from 'Manru' the folk-song element did not mix well with -sundry Wagnerisms of which Paderewski has made use. Thus in the scene -from Act II., Manru, who is watching Ulana nursing her child, hesitates -between expressing himself in the mode of a Slavonic folk-song and in -the style of Siegfried's forging outbursts. The orchestra has no -hesitation at all, but plumps for Wagner. Paderewski is most -interesting to me when he forgets all he knows of Wagner. The folk -cradle-song of Ulana, for instance, is more genuine music than Manru's -long monologue 'Luft! luft!' from Act III. which is full of Wagnerian -mannerisms, culled from Hans Sachs' monologues and elsewhere. Again, the -ambitious love duet from Act II. does not make its mark. Paderewski has -not yet the strength of technique for a love duet conceived more or less -on the lines of the 'Tristan' love duet. The vocal parts have not -striking enough intervals. The writing for the voices and orchestra is -too close, and, in general the part writing does not move with -sufficient freedom. The concert room performance of selections from -operas is a great test of their absolute musical qualities, a test which -very few works can stand in part, and none altogether. For that reason -one cannot come to any very definite opinion of the 'Manru' music. The -rushing of the strings up and down the chromatic scale, the free use of -muted horns, of gong and cymbals struck with a drumstick, sound -theatrical in a concert room, but they might pass as effective in the -opera-house. And I should think Paderewski has musically caught the -atmosphere of the story. Certainly he has in the orchestral description -of Manru's dream, in which the memories of his love jostle with his -gypsy desire to wander free and untrammelled. The Gypsy March, with -which the scene ends, is also striking. In fact, all the music which has -a folk-song character is successful; and perhaps on the opera-stage the -second-hand Wagnerisms would not be so noticeable." - -The opera had previously been performed at the Metropolitan Opera House -in New York, on February 15, 1902. It had not been adequately rehearsed -although the principal singers--M. Bandrowsky (Manru), Mme. Sembrich -(Ulana), Miss Fritzi Scheff (Asa), Mr. David Bispham (Urok) and Herr -Muhlmann (Oros)--seem to have done their work well enough. Opinions as -to the merits of the opera were divided. The libretto was blamed for its -weaknesses, and Paderewski's Wagnerisms were duly impaled. After a third -performance, Mr. H. T. Finck was of opinion that "Manru" gained by being -heard repeatedly "While some of its melodies are so catchy that they can -be remembered at once, the orchestra score grows more and more -beautiful, and what is particularly odd is that the reminiscences of -other composers become less noticeable." The composer himself had a good -deal to say to an interviewer of the _New York Herald_ on this question -of reminiscences in his opera. - -"In music absolute originality does not exist. It is the temperament of -the composer that makes his work. In method one cannot help but follow -those who have gone before. When a great genius like Wagner introduces a -method that will give better expression to an idea it is not only not a -sin to follow it, but it is a duty to follow it. In employing such a -method it concerns not so much the idea as its treatment in a musical -way. A piece of music must be built like a house or a church. You would -not accuse an architect of being a copyist if he put windows in a house, -would you? And yet he is merely doing what others have done. Likewise -when you read the works of the great poets, you would not accuse -Browning or Longfellow of plagiarism if they used the same style of -verse as some one else? Their thoughts you would consider and not so -much their method. Music, you see, is different from poetry. It appeals -to the ears. A sound, or a combination of sounds in a work that only -have to do with the method, may remind one of some other music, and the -whole is set down as not original. Let us look at the prelude to the -third Act in 'Manru.' That has been criticised. There is one run, a -little run, that reminds one of 'Die Walküre.' I knew it. I tried to -avoid it, but could not. Others heard it and they talk of the suggestion -from 'Die Walküre.' Yet the first theme is not the same. The second -theme is not the same, the orchestration is not the same. I defy any one -to show that anything except this one little run is borrowed. Yet for -this detail of method the prelude is condemned. If I were to make an -analysis, I could show a likeness in method among the greatest of -composers. For instance, look at Schumann's Concerto in A minor. The -first theme is taken almost wholly in method from Mendelssohn. And -Wagner, in his first period and even well into the second period, is not -entirely original. One may easily find the influence of Weber and then -of Meyerbeer. Beethoven was not free from the influence of other -masters, for, in his works, we often find the suggestion of Mozart. And -witness also the first concerto of Chopin. Is it not suggestive very -strongly of Hummel? And 'Carmen.' Can we not find here an enormous -influence exerted by Gounod? And it not only reminds you of Gounod, but -some of the themes, as sung, are taken wholly from Spanish music. The -'Habanero' is not even Bizet's, but in all the scores that are published -is shown to be taken from a composer who was alive when the opera was -written." - -The composer made out a good case, but he forgot that, as Weingartner -once pointed out, the most subtle form of musical imitation is that of -mood and style, and not necessarily of themes. However, "Manru" contains -sufficient originality to make the musical world look forward with -interest to the production of the new opera on which Paderewski has been -engaged. I had hoped that it would have been possible to round off this -estimate of the pianist as composer by a consideration of a symphony at -which he has been working. It was to have been performed at one of the -concerts of the London Symphony Orchestra this season, but it was not -ready in time. This work together with the new opera, will enable the -musical world to come to a definite conclusion as to the place -Paderewski will occupy as a composer. - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Ignaz Jan Paderewski, by Edward Algernon Baughan - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IGNAZ JAN PADEREWSKI *** - -***** This file should be named 51365-8.txt or 51365-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/3/6/51365/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings, Bryan Ness, Martin Pettit and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: Ignaz Jan Paderewski - -Author: Edward Algernon Baughan - -Release Date: March 5, 2016 [EBook #51365] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IGNAZ JAN PADEREWSKI *** - - - - -Produced by Donald Cummings, Bryan Ness, Martin Pettit and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - - - - - -</pre> - - -<div class="center"><a name="cover.jpg" id="cover.jpg"></a><img src="images/cover.jpg" alt="cover" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<p class="bold2">LIVING MASTERS OF MUSIC<br />EDITED BY ROSA NEWMARCH</p> - - -<p class="bold2 space-above">IGNAZ JAN<br />PADEREWSKI</p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><a name="illusfront.jpg" id="illusfront.jpg"></a><img src="images/illusfront.jpg" alt="IGNAZ PADEREWSKI" /></div> - -<p class="bold">IGNAZ PADEREWSKI</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a charcoal sketch by Mr. Emil Fuchs, reproduced by kind permission -of the artist</i></p> - -<hr /> - -<div class="center"><img src="images/titlepg.jpg" alt="title page" /></div> - -<hr /> - -<h1>IGNAZ JAN<br />PADEREWSKI</h1> - -<p class="bold">BY EDWARD ALGERNON BAUGHAN</p> - -<div class="center space-above"><img src="images/logo.jpg" alt="logo" /></div> - -<p class="bold">LONDON: JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD<br /> -NEW YORK: JOHN LANE COMPANY. MCMVIII</p> - -<hr /> - -<p class="center">Printed by <span class="smcap">Ballantyne & Co. Limited</span><br /> -Tavistock Street, London</p> - -<hr /> - -<h2><span>CONTENTS</span></h2> - -<table summary="CONTENTS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><span class="smaller">CHAP.</span></td> - <td><span class="smaller">PAGE</span></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>I.</td> - <td class="left"> EARLY LIFE</td> - <td><a href="#Page_1">1</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>II.</td> - <td class="left"> FROM WARSAW TO PARIS</td> - <td><a href="#Page_11">11</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>III.</td> - <td class="left"> HIS DÉBUT IN LONDON</td> - <td><a href="#Page_16">16</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IV.</td> - <td class="left"> IN AMERICA</td> - <td><a href="#Page_25">25</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>V.</td> - <td class="left"> LATER TOURS</td> - <td><a href="#Page_35">35</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VI.</td> - <td class="left"> PERSONAL TRAITS</td> - <td><a href="#Page_40">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VII.</td> - <td class="left"> HIS VIEWS ON MUSIC AND TEACHING</td> - <td><a href="#Page_54">54</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>VIII.</td> - <td class="left"> AS PIANIST</td> - <td><a href="#Page_62">62</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td>IX.</td> - <td class="left"> AS COMPOSER</td> - <td><a href="#Page_78">78</a></td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<h2>ILLUSTRATIONS</h2> - -<table summary="ILLUSTRATIONS"> - <tr> - <td colspan="3"> </td> - <td><i>To face<br />page</i></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="2" class="left">IGNAZ PADEREWSKI</td> - <td><a href="#illusfront.jpg"><i>Frontispiece</i></a></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a charcoal sketch by Mr. Emil Fuchs,<br />reproduced -by kind permission of the artist</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN</td> - <td><a href="#illus04.jpg">4</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF TWENTY</td> - <td><a href="#illus08.jpg">8</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">IGNAZ PADEREWSKI</td> - <td><a href="#illus30.jpg">30</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a drawing by Venino of New York,<br />reproduced -by the kind permission of Mr. Daniel Mayer</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">THE VILLA RION-BOSSON, PADEREWSKI'S<br /> -RESIDENCE NEAR LAUSANNE</td> - <td><a href="#illus40.jpg">40</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">ANOTHER VIEW OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON</td> - <td><a href="#illus42.jpg">42</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">GATEWAY OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON</td> - <td><a href="#illus44.jpg">44</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">PADEREWSKI AT HOME</td> - <td><a href="#illus62.jpg">62</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>Reproduced from the original sketch by Mr. Emil<br /> -Fuchs, by permission of the artist</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">A MEMORY SKETCH OF PADEREWSKI, BY<br /> -ORLANDO ROULAND</td> - <td><a href="#illus64.jpg">64</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>Reproduced by the kind permission of the artist</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td colspan="3" class="left">IGNAZ PADEREWSKI</td> - <td><a href="#illus78.jpg">78</a></td> - </tr> - <tr> - <td></td> - <td colspan="2" class="left"><i>From a bust by Mr. Emil Fuchs, reproduced by the<br /> -kind permission of the sculptor</i></td> - <td> </td> - </tr> -</table> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>I</span> <span class="smaller">EARLY LIFE</span></h2> - -<p>The professional critic is rather at a disadvantage in dealing with an -idol of the public. His occupation compels him to find a reason for his -appreciations; he may not be enthusiastic without measure, for his -nature makes him see both brilliancy and flaws in the rarest gems of -art; indeed, the flaws act as a foil to the brilliancies. And so it -comes about that the professional critic is often at loggerheads with -the verdict of the public, or appears to be so. The public has hailed -Paderewski as the greatest of living pianists. The critic may feel that -in many respects he is, but cannot, if he would, endorse that -enthusiastic verdict without clauses of limitation, and if he be not a -master of his craft his verdict will seem all limitations and but very -little enthusiasm. One recognises the greatness of Paderewski,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span> but at -the same time the mind thinks of the subtle Chopin-playing of Pachmann, -the noble Beethovenish moods of d'Albert and Lamond, the clearness and -demoniac brilliancy of Busoni's technique in Liszt, the grace of Pugno's -Mozart-playing, the ruthless force of Rosenthal and the magical deftness -of Godowsky. These pianists have their specialities in which not even a -Paderewski can surpass them and in some cases cannot equal them. On the -other hand, he possesses that curious magnetism which always enchains -the attention of the public. It cannot be explained; yet the critic must -admit its existence in the case of Paderewski or stultify himself. If -sensitive to the poetic appeal of music he must feel, too, that at its -best the pianist's playing has a glamour and an individuality which are -to seek in the performances of many pianists who possess greater -technical ability, and that all his interpretations are informed by a -sincere musical nature.</p> - -<p>It may seem absurd and unnecessary to insist on this in the case of a -great virtuoso, for assuredly in piano playing, as in acting or singing, -the nature of the artist counts for<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span> everything. But the word artist has -become so vulgarised that it has lost its meaning, and we are inclined -to separate technical ability from innate musical genius and to judge -performers rather by what they can do than by what they think and feel. -This is naturally the attitude of the specialist in forming an opinion -on the respective merits of different players. It is not possible to -dogmatise about poetic feeling or insight: we have to take these -qualities for granted. On the technical side there is a standard by -which we may judge apart from any question of taste. Yet in the end the -specialist who may go into raptures over the beauty of tone which -Pachmann has made his god, or may be hypnotised by the wonderful fingers -of a Godowsky, has to fall back on the inexplicable in attempting an -appreciation of such gifted artists as Joachim, Ysaye, Sarasate, or -Paderewski. Technical standards do not avail. And the curious point is -that the great artist, the musical executant who can think his own -musical thoughts, compels our admiration even though we may criticise -his playing in technical detail.</p> - -<p>Paderewski is one of the few players who<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span> has that effect on all kinds -of music-lovers. There are many reasons why the pianist should have made -the effect he has. There are many reasons why he should be exceptional. -For one, he was a public pianist by after-thought; at a comparatively -early age, when other artists are theorising about life he was living it -in earnest, and, above all, he was a Pole, a member of that -extraordinary nation which has given birth to Chopin, Tausig and many -minor stars in the musical firmament. Paderewski is a Pole to his -finger-tips. He has the fire, the dreaminess, the power of fantasy of -that race. It comes out in his playing and especially in his -compositions.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus04.jpg" id="illus04.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus04.jpg" alt="PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN" /></div> - -<p class="bold">PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF ELEVEN</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne</i></p> - -<p>Podolia, the province of South-west Russia in which he was born on -November 6, 1860, is a fertile district, of which the Polish population -is quite considerable. The pianist's recollection of his childhood on -his father's farm in this garden of Russia must be full of pleasantness. -The father seems to have been a man of pronounced character. A gentleman -farmer of position he was also an ardent patriot. Three years after the -birth of his son he was "suspect" and was banished to Siberia. His exile -did not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span> last long, but the iron had entered into his soul, and although -he lived until 1894 he was broken in spirit and his chief pleasure in -life was centred in the growing reputation of his son. The pianist did -not inherit his musical talent from his father but from his mother, who -died when he was still a child.</p> - -<p>It is difficult not to be sceptical of the anecdotes related of the -childhood of celebrated musicians. But no doubt some of these stories -have a basis of truth, and certainly musical talent shows itself at a -very early age. It is said that young Ignace, long before he could play, -would climb to the piano-stool and attempt to produce as beautiful a -tone as possible. Of the ordinary early tuition he appears to have had -none, his mother having died when he was a child. A travelling fiddler -gave the boy a few lessons on the piano, but it may be imagined that -they were not of a very complete kind. Later on an old teacher of the -instrument was engaged to pay a monthly visit to the farm, and he taught -the boy and his sister to play simple arrangements of operatic airs. -This early life spent away from strong musical influences saved -Paderewski from the usual<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span> prodigy period in the career of pianist, for -it was not until he was twelve years of age that he went to Warsaw where -he was able to have regular music-lessons at the Conservatoire. There he -studied harmony with Roguski and the piano with Janotha, the father of -Natalie Janotha. In those days Paderewski did not show any particular -bent towards playing the piano but rather towards composition (he had -begun to compose in the old days on the farm) and general musical -knowledge. His first public appearances were not so much as pianist as a -composer who played his own music. He was then sixteen years old and it -would be interesting to know how the immature pianist impressed his -Russian audiences. That his technique was of the weakest may be judged -from the fact that he afterwards confessed that all the pieces he played -were really his own, inasmuch as when he could not manage the difficult -passages he merely improvised.</p> - -<p>Miss Szumowska, a pupil of Paderewski's, has related a curious anecdote -of their first tour. Paderewski "had announced a concert at a certain -small town, but, on arriving, found that no piano was to be had for love -or money.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span> The general was perfectly willing, on being applied to, to -lend his instrument; but when the pianist tried it he found, to his -dismay, that it was so badly out of repair that some of the hammers -would stick to the strings instead of falling back. However, it was too -late to back out. The audience was assembling and in this emergency a -bright thought occurred to the pianist. He sent for a switch, and -engaged an attendant to whip down the refractory hammers whenever -necessary. So bang went the chords and swish went the whip, and the -audience liked this improvised duo more, perhaps, than it would have -enjoyed the promised piano solo."</p> - -<p>The young pianist evidently did not consider that his musical education -was complete, for at the end of the tour he returned to Warsaw and -studied for two years at the Conservatoire there. At the age of eighteen -he was appointed a professor of music and after a year he married. All -the world knows that his wife died a year later, leaving him an invalid -son in whose existence, until his death a little while ago, the pianist -was wrapped up. It was not a very bright beginning of his professional<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span> -career, for his earnings at the Warsaw Conservatoire had meant -comparative privation for his wife and himself. In some natures, -perhaps, this early tragedy would have killed ambition but hardly in an -artist. Without holding with the comfortable sentimentalists that grief -is as necessary to the artist as rain to the flowers, it may be asserted -that concentration on work is the natural result of life going awry. -This is not, as the sentimentalists imagine, peculiar to genius of the -artistic type, but is common to all men who are not invertebrate.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus08.jpg" id="illus08.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus08.jpg" alt="PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF TWENTY" /></div> - -<p class="bold">PADEREWSKI AT THE AGE OF TWENTY</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a photograph by Mr. A. Schnell, Lausanne</i></p> - -<p>Paderewski himself has disclaimed the pretty stories which made the -death of his wife the impetus to his after career as pianist. "I was a -professor at the Warsaw Conservatoire," he told an interviewer, "and I -had to work awfully hard. Previous to this I had made a concert tour in -Russia. In Warsaw I gave lessons from morning to night. It was not -interesting. In fact, it was slavery. One day I asked myself why I -followed such an arduous profession, and so I decided to go to -Leschetitsky in Vienna, and become a performer, since in that way I -should work hard a few years and afterwards have a life of ease, to be<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span> -idle, or devote myself to composition as I pleased." As a matter of -fact, Paderewski did not go from Warsaw to Vienna, but first paid a -visit to Berlin, where he studied composition with Kiel and afterwards -with Heinrich Urban. He was able to hear much more music than was -possible in Warsaw and in every way his musical education was being -rounded off. At twenty-three years of age he was appointed professor of -music at Strasburg. That appointment may be considered the turning point -of his career, not because the professorship in itself was anything very -brilliant, but because it brought him into contact during a vacation -with the celebrated Polish actress Mme. Modjeska. She was practically -the first to recognise in the dreamy young pianist something out of the -common. She has described him as "a polished and genial companion; a man -of wide culture; of witty, sometimes biting tongue; brilliant in table -talk; a man wide awake to all matters of personal interest, who knew and -understood the world, but whose intimacy she and her husband especially -prized for the elevation of his character and the refinement of his -mind."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span></p><p>The effect such a friendship had on the young artist may be well -imagined. It is probable that even in the Warsaw days Paderewski had the -dream of being able to take up the career as virtuoso, but it might have -remained a dream, for a young man of twenty who has not blossomed forth -as a recital pianist is hardly likely in the ordinary run of things to -make any great name for himself as a public pianist. All the players of -genius have been prodigies, or would have been had there existed a -market for musical wonder-children in their day. Paderewski is the -exception. That he had the ambition of making a career for himself as -virtuoso even during the Warsaw days may be admitted, but it is probable -that had he not been encouraged by his brilliant countrywoman, Mme. -Modjeska, he would not have taken practical steps to realise the dream.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>II</span> <span class="smaller">FROM WARSAW TO PARIS</span></h2> - -<p>In the fact that a young professor of music, who was not without note in -his own circle, should have decided to give himself up to several years -of arduous study, we may perhaps find some indication of Paderewski's -tenacity of purpose. In 1886, at the age of twenty-six, he placed -himself under Leschetitzky's guidance, and for four years he studied -with the famous professor and his wife, Madame Essippoff. It is not too -much to say that Paderewski has made a brilliant name for his teacher as -well as for himself. Of course, Leschetitzky had a big reputation as a -teacher long before his famous pupil went to him, but it was not a -world-wide reputation, as it now is. Every season we hear pianists in -London who proudly emblazon their programmes with "pupil of -Leschetitzky"; they are as numerous as the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></span> many "pupils of Liszt," and -in many cases have as much right to the description. The difficulty is -to decide (from the many articles written by his self-styled pupils) -what is the method taught by this Viennese magician and it is almost as -difficult to draw any clear conclusion from their playing. A consistent -and illuminating account of the great teacher and his methods has been -given, however, by Miss Hullah in a volume of this series. Leschetitzky -has not any hard and fast methods. Mr. Henry C. Lahee, in his "Famous -Pianists of To-day and Yesterday," has this to say of the great teacher: -"Leschetitzky's method is that of common sense, and is based on keen -analytical faculties. He has the genius for seizing on what the finest -artists do in their best moments, observing how they do it physically, -and, in a sense systematizing it. He has his own ideas of how to train -the hand for all that it requires, but he never trains the hand apart -from the ear. He has no 'method' except perhaps in the technical -groundwork—the grammar of pianoforte playing—and this is taught by his -assistants. So long as the effect is produced, he is not pedantic as to -how<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span> it is done, there being many ways to attain the same end."</p> - -<p>In general it may be said that the Leschetitzky pupils have "style." The -fault of the school, if one may judge by its exponents, is a desire to -be brilliant and startling at all costs. In the case of a player who has -no musical individuality of his own, and has acquired technical facility -out of all proportion to his musical endowment and general education in -the art, the Leschetitzky tuition seems to make for hardness and a -perverse brilliancy. Of course Paderewski himself would have been a -remarkable player no matter under whom he had studied, but the surety -and firmness of technique which Leschetitzky evidently knows how to -impart were just what he required. It must not be forgotten, too, that -when Paderewski went to Vienna he was practically an artist, an -all-round, well-educated musician, who, from the first, had been -interested in the historical as well as the poetic side of his art. In -addition, need it be said that he was a man of uncommon mind far removed -from the type of virtuoso who inspires his soul from the keys of the -pianoforte. No teacher and no method can produce the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span> pianist of -"genius." The platitude is excusable in the face of the absurd things -which have been written concerning the effect of Leschetitzky's -teaching.</p> - -<p>That Paderewski gained much from it is clear enough from the fact that a -year after going to Vienna he made his début there as virtuoso with much -success, and from that time onward his progress was gradual until in -1888 he found himself the sensation of Paris. But it was by no means a -case of the kind of artistic conquest which the popular novelist -invariably describes when writing of musicians. The first recital at the -Salle Erard in 1888 was, indeed, but poorly attended, and, except that -no performer of genius ever makes his first appearance without his -reputation having preceded him among the inner circle of his brother -musicians, the début might have fallen as flat as the ordinary recital -by an ordinary, unknown pianist. As it happened, both Lamoureux and -Colonne, who were present, were so impressed by Paderewski's gifts that -both made him an offer to play at the well-known orchestral concerts -associated with their names. M. Lamoureux's offer, being made first, -was<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span> accepted, and the new pianist was thus given an opportunity of -performing before an enormous audience. He made his mark immediately, -and was invited to play at one of the Conservatoire concerts, a -distinction which, no doubt, he fully appreciated. From Paris Paderewski -naturally cast his eyes on London, but it was not until May 1890, that -he gave his first recital here. Again his triumph was not immediate, in -the novelist's sense, and there was certainly some uncertainty in his -reception by the critics, but he did triumph in the end.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>III</span> <span class="smaller">HIS DEBUT IN LONDON</span></h2> - -<p>The statement that the London critics did not recognise Paderewski's -greatness is often made to their discredit, but a close examination of -all that was written at the time does not bear out the accusation. It -was rather that the criticism was a trifle too guarded, and that to some -extent the journalists were prejudiced against the pianist through no -fault of his own but because he had been described as "The Lion of the -Paris Season." Also, although this may seem a trivial reason, the -recital took place on one of those pleasant days of our May when rain -and wind make conditions in London anything but merry. At any rate all -who were present at that first recital agree that the audience was -coldly critical. We do not accept the verdict of Paris on musical -matters, and the average Englishman is apt to suspect<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span> charlatanism in a -musician whose "wonderful aureole of golden hair" had been so sedulously -advertised. There is no doubt the sensitive pianist felt this atmosphere -keenly. He is always nervous when he begins his recital even to this -day. "The mere fact of knowing a great audience waits on your labours," -he once remarked to an interviewer, "is enough to shake all your nerves -to pieces." There is no question that at the first recital he was not at -his best, and that there was good ground for the accusation of -"sensationalism" which was brought against him by several critics. But, -at the same time, his other merits were amply recognised. To prove this -I give some selections from the criticisms of the first recital. They -should be documents of some interest to the historian of the future.</p> - -<p>"The player's loudest tones," said the <i>Times</i>, "are by no means always -beautiful, but the amount of fire and passion he gave to three of -Chopin's most difficult studies and to certain passages in Schumann's -Fantasia in C major produced a profound effect.... It is in Chopin ... -M. Paderewski is at his best, and here not so much in the sentimental -side<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span> of the master's work as in his passionate and fiery moods." On the -whole the "notice" had much of praise for the new pianist. The <i>Morning -Post</i> contented itself with the expression of opinion that the pianist's -reading of compositions by Mendelssohn, Handel, Schumann, Chopin, -Rubinstein, Liszt and Paderewski was "by no means conventional, nor was -it always entirely artistic."</p> - -<p>The <i>Daily Telegraph</i> contained the most important criticism of the new -pianist. "Mr. Paderewski astonishes, and the good English public will -run after him, no matter what the character of the astonishment may -be.... Mr. Paderewski is a monstrously powerful pianist, and herein lies -his quality for the lover of marvels. The lover of music will sit at his -feet on other grounds; but the main point is that the Polish artist -appeals to both classes, and they comprise everybody.... We do not -pretend to much admiration for the Mr. Paderewski who astonishes. It was -impossible to find any even for Rubinstein, when he appeared as a -Cyclops wielding his hammers with superhuman energy, making the -pianoforte shake to its centre, and not always hitting<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span> true and -straight. That which was refused to the Moldavian Colossus is not likely -to be secured by Mr. Paderewski, the less because he transcends his -exemplar in fury and force of blow. It may safely be declared that no -one present at St. James's Hall on Friday afternoon had ever before -heard Mendelssohn's Prelude and Fugue in E minor so played—with clang -and jangle of metal, and with such confusion of sound that trying to -follow the working of the parts, resembled looking at moving machinery -through a fog. It was the march of an abnormally active mammoth about -the keyboard, while the wondering observer expected the pianoforte to -break down at any moment." The critic (Mr. Joseph Bennett from internal -evidence) had the same complaint to make of the performance of Handel's -"Harmonious Blacksmith." "Plainly," the critic adds, "we do not like Mr. -Paderewski as an exponent of physical force. The result of his labours -may be marvellous but it is not music." After this castigation came -praise. "There is another Mr. Paderewski whom we can well abide. He is -gentle and pleasant, refined and poetic to a degree which makes<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span> him -altogether charming. This, we suspect, must be the true Paderewski, the -other being, in the old demoniacal sense, 'possessed.' If so, is there -no power to cast out the evil spirit?" As examples of the "true -Paderewski" the critic praised the playing of some Chopin compositions -and two of the pianist's own pieces.</p> - -<p>The critic of the <i>Standard</i> was quite as severe on the "sensational" -aspects of Paderewski's playing. "It was quickly manifest," he wrote, -"that the performer was more anxious to astonish than to charm. His -rendering of a Prelude and Fugue in E minor of Mendelssohn was utterly -at variance with the traditional methods of interpreting the music of -this composer, and in Schumann's Fantasia in C, op. 17, we were -constantly met by surprises. The playing was marked by violent -contrasts, the pace and tone being sometimes reduced far more than the -directions given by Schumann seem to warrant, while at others the -physical powers of the executant were exercised in a manner that -resulted in much noise, but little music. The same exaggerations of -style were perceptible in Chopin's Etudes in C minor and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span> F, op. 10, and -G sharp minor, op. 25. It must be said in M. Paderewski's favour that he -plays fewer wrong notes than most pianists of his school, and, further, -that his tone in <i>pianissimo</i> passages is bell-like and delicate. He is, -in brief, a <i>virtuoso</i> of no common order, but that he is entitled to -the higher rank of an artist is more than can be said, judging from -yesterday's performance." In a criticism of the third recital the critic -still complained of Paderewski's occasional exaggeration, but on the -whole the notice was a shade more appreciative, although London was -still left in doubt as to whether the pianist was "entitled to the -higher rank of artist."</p> - -<p>The <i>Daily News</i> thought that the leonine attributes with which -Paderewski was accredited in "his own advertisements" were "fully -exemplified in the Prelude and Fugue of Mendelssohn which opened the -programme. Mendelssohn of all composers can least bear heroic treatment -from the ultra vigorous among modern pianists, and the Fugue especially -suffered." The critic admired the pianist's Chopin playing, but added -that "he was most in his element in his own music."<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></span> The pianist's -talent was thus summed up: "In short, of M. Paderewski's ability there -can be no question; and while audiences will probably prefer the -exquisite delicacy and poetical feeling which he displays in his calmer -moments to the extravagance in which he indulges when in the Ercles -vein, it is obvious that his talent lies chiefly in his interpretation -of the music of the modern and romantic schools, in which during the -current London season he bids fair to create some sensation." The critic -thought that Paderewski somewhat modified his super-abundant energy at -the second recital, which seems to have been the general opinion, and -naturally was not shared by Mr. G. Bernard Shaw, who had just begun to -write musical criticism for the <i>World</i>. "There is Paderewski, a man of -various moods, who was alert, humorous, delightful at his first recital; -sensational, empty, vulgar and violent at his second; and dignified, -intelligent, almost sympathetic at his third. He is always sure of his -notes; but the licence of his tempo rubato goes beyond all reasonable -limits." The "almost sympathetic" is distinctly good. With the exception -of the <i>World</i> the weekly papers were not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span> at that time remarkable for -their musical criticism, but it may be mentioned that the <i>Saturday -Review</i> ventured to state that no one who had heard Paderewski at the -second recital would deny that "he is one of the most remarkable artists -who has been heard of late years."</p> - -<p>The most frankly enthusiastic of all the criticisms appeared in the -<i>Globe</i>. The writer was "inclined to think" that Paderewski surpassed -all the pianists who had recently visited London (Sofie Menter, -Sapellnikoff, Schönberger and Stavenhagen) and was, indeed second only -to Rubinstein among living pianists. "His mastery of the keyboard is -complete, his touch is so exquisite, both in <i>fortissimo</i> and -<i>pianissimo</i> passages, and in the three intermediate gradations of tone, -that every shade of expression is at his command, and in the art of -singing on the pianoforte he can only be compared with Thalberg. There -is no kind of <i>charlatanerie</i> in his playing; wrapt up completely in the -works he performs he devotes himself to their exposition, and while thus -engaged appears to ignore the presence of an audience." The critic's ear -was not hurt by the loudness with which the pianist played -Mendelssohn's<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span> Prelude and Fugue and Handel's "Harmonious Blacksmith" -and it was predicted that the remaining recitals would be crowded by -music-lovers, who would recognise in Mr. Paderewski one of the greatest, -if not absolutely the greatest, of living pianists. And this prediction -was realised to the full. It is very easy for those who may accept -ready-made the world's opinion of a famous artist to fall foul of the -want of enthusiasm with which he was at first received by the -professional critics. Their experience tells them that no -instrumentalist or singer can be adequately judged by one recital and -there is no doubt Paderewski showed the more violent and <i>bizarre</i> side -of his temperament when making his début here, perhaps from nervousness -or perhaps from a natural desire to astonish, for musical artists, -however great, are but human after all. At any rate as one recital -followed another the tone of London criticism became warmer, and by the -time the series had come to an end Paderewski had established his fame -in London on a sound basis. It may be said, without indiscretion, that -although the recitals were an artistic success they only produced just -under £280 gross.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>IV</span> <span class="smaller">IN AMERICA</span></h2> - -<p>On November 17, 1891, eighteen months after his London début, Paderewski -made his first appearance in New York. The success he had made in London -naturally excited the curiosity of New York amateurs and critics and the -pianist's first American recital attracted a brilliant audience. That -does not mean that the special public was ready to fall on its knees and -worship Paderewski. On the contrary, it seems as if the critics and -amateurs of New York take a special pleasure in upsetting the verdict of -London if they can, and Paderewski had to face an audience eager to -compare its impressions with what had been written in London about this -new star in the musical firmament. According to all accounts the same -thing happened in New York as had already happened in London. The -public<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span> immediately recognised the uncommon qualities of the new artist, -and not having any hard-and-fast critical standards to employ as a test -of his playing, and being impressed by the romantic simplicity of his -bearing, hailed him as a great artist <i>sans phrase</i>. On the whole, the -critics were not wildly enthusiastic. They recognised the talent of the -new pianist, but they did not immediately label him as "great." The -usual comparisons were made, not always to Paderewski's advantage. But -while the critics were making up their minds the public decided for -themselves. Two concerts with orchestra were given, and when Paderewski -began a series of recitals, it was found that the Madison Square Garden -Hall was too small to hold all his admirers, and the Carnegie Hall which -has seating accommodation for 2700 persons and standing-room for nearly -another 1000, had to be re-engaged. New York was even quicker to -discover the greatness of the pianist than London. During his six months -stay in America, Paderewski gave no less than 117 recitals. It was only -to be expected that he would be engaged for a second tour in the -following season. This visit, beginning in the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span> autumn of 1892, was even -more successful than the first. In New York he gave two orchestral -concerts and nine recitals in the large Carnegie Hall, and from New York -he began his triumphant progress through the States. No pianist had -excited such a furore of interest. A paragraph in a newspaper of the -West gives some idea of this. "Paderewski played on Monday evening in -Cleveland, and the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railroad Company ran -special trains, one from Sandusky and the other from Norwalk, for the -benefit of the residents of those two cities who wished to hear him. The -receipts equalled the enthusiasm. Practically Paderewski could rely on -filling the largest concert-hall in America. The Chicago Auditorium -realised £1400 for one concert. Sixty-seven recitals, given in -twenty-six cities, brought in £36,000, the largest sum hitherto earned -in America by any instrumentalist. Rubinstein had not touched the record -made by Paderewski, although the Russian pianist, late in life, was -offered £500 an evening for a tour in America." It is possible, however, -that the £1000 paid by Mr. Robert Newman for an orchestral concert at -the Queen's Hall was the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span> largest fee ever received by Paderewski. These -figures may seem a prosaic proof of the popularity of the pianist in -America, but they certainly prove that the public genuinely admired the -artist.</p> - -<p>At the end of this second tour there was a regrettable incident at the -Chicago World's Fair. Paderewski, at great personal inconvenience and -considerable financial loss, had promised to take part in the two -opening concerts of the series to be given at the exhibition under the -conductorship of the late Mr. Theodore Thomas, for whom the pianist had -a warm personal admiration. In America Paderewski had played on the -Steinway piano, and the famous firm, not approving of the system of -awards at the exhibition, were not exhibitors. The Board of Directors -informed the artist that he must play on an instrument by an exhibiting -firm, but Paderewski naturally declined to change his piano at the last -moment. Quite a newspaper war arose, until the directors were made aware -that an artist has some rights, and then they gave way. The incident is -worth mentioning because it is often stated in private that great -pianists are<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span> in receipt of salaries from pianoforte manufacturers in -exchange for which they are bound to play on their instruments. However -this may be with others it is not so with Paderewski. Here in England he -invariably plays on an Erard, because the instrument is to his taste and -the manufacturers have always done their best to adapt their pianos to -Paderewski's requirements. The pianist himself, at the time of the -Chicago incident, felt compelled to write a letter to a New York paper -which had editorially expressed the opinion that it "was not very -generous on Mr. Paderewski's part to sell himself to a piano firm." "I -must emphatically deny," he wrote, "that I am bound by contract or -agreement, either in writing or verbally, to the use of any particular -make of piano. In this respect I am at perfect liberty to follow my -convictions and inclinations, and this privilege I must be free to -exercise in the prosecution of my artistic career. Throughout the wide -world any artist is permitted to use the instrument of his choice, and I -do not understand why I should be forced to play an instrument of a -manufacturer strange to me<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></span> and untried by me, which may jeopardise my -artistic success." This dignified protest should be sufficient -contradiction of the persistent rumours that Paderewski has been bound -to play certain pianofortes. Those who understand the light in which an -artist views the instrument he plays know full well that the use of a -certain piano could not possibly be a mere matter of financial -arrangement.</p> - -<p>The success of Paderewski in America was indeed phenomenal. It rivalled -that of Rubinstein, and was financially more brilliant. It became quite -the proper thing, an American biographer has told us, to crowd on to the -platform at the end of a concert and induce the pianist to play a few -more selections in an informal way. In Texas whole schools marched many -miles to hear him, and such was the interest aroused by his personality -that crowds frequently waited at railway stations merely to see the -train pass, in hopes of catching a glimpse of his remarkable -countenance. Sometimes crowds would line the streets from his hotel to -the concert hall and make it impossible for him to get past.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus30.jpg" id="illus30.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus30.jpg" alt="IGNAZ PADEREWSKI" /></div> - -<p class="bold">IGNAZ PADEREWSKI</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a drawing by Venino of New York, reproduced by the kind permission -of Mr. Daniel Mayer</i></p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span></p><p>The pianist was fortunate in having an agent or manager of energy in -Mr. Hugo Görlitz, who directed the first three tours in America. The -distances to be traversed make an artistic visit to the States something -of an ordeal for a sensitive artist. Rubinstein found it unbearable and -not even the offer of a very handsome fee could in the end persuade the -great Russian pianist to revisit America. M. Paderewski's manager, -however, did his utmost to make the travelling as little arduous as -possible. He himself has given an account of the manner in which -Paderewski travelled in America. "In travelling in a private car in -America," Mr. Görlitzt told an interviewer some years ago, "one is -entirely independent of hotels, which in most cases are fine comfortable -buildings, but with very bad service and cooking; hence the artist, who -lives very irregularly, and when his nerves are highly strung, is not in -possession of a good appetite, must have everything to his liking; and -the only way to obtain that in America is by engaging one of the private -Pullman cars, which contain all modern luxuries and comforts. Before -starting on a tour on the car a series of menus is prepared<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span> and, in -accordance with the same, the car is provided with everything but fish -and bread, which can be obtained at the different stations by -telegraphing through the commissariat department of the Pullman Company. -Then the head waiter takes charge of the stores and prepares the menus -in the most tempting fashion. As a rule Paderewski takes his principal -meal after his concert, and, as his concert is generally usually over at -half-past ten at night, his dinner hour is eleven o'clock. But the main -comfort consists in not having to rise early in the morning after a hard -day's work, for, without having to notify any one, the car will be hung -on to an express train and he wakes up at his next station. Then there -is usually a side track, where there is very little noise, for the car -to remain during the day. In the observation room of this car we carried -an upright piano, so that the master could practise whenever he found it -necessary to do so, and as we did not enter a hotel for three weeks -during our trip, this was the only way for him to keep in practice.</p> - -<p>"With regard to Paderewski's journey, everything is arranged for him -weeks before<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span> hand, so that it works like a machine. Whenever we arrive -in a town, a carriage has to be waiting at a station, and the same in -the evening from the hotel to the hall and back again. This, in many -instances, is essential as he leaves the concert platform so exhausted -that he might easily contract an illness if he were not immediately -taken to his hotel without any delay on the way. On one occasion, -however, all our arrangements were upset in consequence of a snow-storm, -which delayed the train from Toronto, Ontario, to Suspension Bridge. We -arrived, instead of twelve o'clock in the day, at seven o'clock in the -evening. At eight there was to be a concert at Buffalo, New York: it was -impossible to get there in time, so we telegraphed to inform the -audience that if they would wait an hour longer the artist would appear -and play his programme through. But the only way for him to accomplish -this was to dress in the train. When he had decided to do so, it was -found that our baggage had been removed into the Custom House, and the -Custom House attendants, not knowing of the arrival of this train, had -gone home. The only possible way to get at his dress-suit<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span> was for me to -break open the Custom House window, go in, bring out his dress-suit and -lock up the box again. I accomplished this without being detected, and -we arrived, finally, at Buffalo in time for the concert."</p> - -<p>Mr. Görlitz's account gives the English reader a vivid idea of the -arduous work before a celebrated artist. How a pianist can be in a good -mood for his art after a few weeks of such high-pressure work is not -easy to understand. On the whole M. Paderewski has stood the arduous -work of his American recitals extremely well, but in 1896 at the end of -a tremendous tour through the United States he was compelled to take a -rest, cancelling an engagement to play a new fantasia by Sir Alexander -Mackenzie at one of our Philharmonic Concerts, and postponing a recital -already arranged for him in London.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>V</span> <span class="smaller">LATER TOURS</span></h2> - -<p>It will not be necessary to describe in detail the triumphant career of -the virtuoso in America and Europe. Such a description would become a -mere catalogue of towns visited with an enumeration of the fees -received, enlivened by a few more or less apocryphal anecdotes. It will -be sufficient to say that M. Paderewski's second tour in America -included sixty-seven concerts in twenty-six cities and that the receipts -amounted to $180,000 (about £36,000), a sum which had never been reached -by any instrumentalist. As far as England is concerned the highest fee -paid the pianist was that given by Mr. Robert Newman, which I have -already mentioned. It must be confessed that the pianist's agent in -England, Mr. Daniel Mayer, the well-known concert agent, has managed -his<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span> affairs with the utmost discretion. We have never had an -opportunity of becoming surfeited with M. Paderewski's talent. His -visits have been comparatively few and far between and the announcement -of a recital to be given by him in London arouses a curious interest. -This is the more remarkable when we remember that the pianist has been -accepted as the chief virtuoso of his instrument ever since 1891, a -season after he made his début here. In July of that year he gave a -Chopin recital which drew the largest audience since the last recital of -Rubinstein, and also appeared at a Philharmonic and a Richter concert. -In fifteen years many new pianists have come forward, and, of recent -years, season after season has gone by without Paderewski having given a -series of concerts. His last recital was held in November 1902. It might -be thought that he would be forgotten in the midst of such fine playing -as we hear in London; but the pianist has one of those temperaments -which impress themselves on the public, so that even quite young people -who cannot have any close acquaintance with his playing know all about -Paderewski and are ready to sacrifice<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span> time and patience to attend one -of his rare recitals. Those who understand the temper of London will -agree that many a fine artist's reputation has suffered from his -recitals being so frequent that they become almost a drug in the market. -We have never had an opportunity of becoming tired of M. Paderewski.<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a></p> - -<p>Before leaving the subject of the pianist's active career as virtuoso a -few words must be said on his rather tardy conquest of Germany. It is a -strange fact that the Berlin public and critics invariably lag behind -the rest of the world in accepting a new virtuoso. Signor Busoni, for -instance, had to wait some time for the enthusiasm which had greeted his -playing in England. He was accused of dealing with the great classical -composers in a virtuoso spirit. With regard to Paderewski it is said -that there was a good reason for his dislike of Berlin in particular. -After playing his own concerto with the orchestra of the Berlin -Philharmonic Society on one occasion he was repeatedly recalled and had -to play an encore, for which he selected a piece of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span> Chopin's. The late -von Bülow, the conductor, is said to have openly shown his resentment of -the ovation accorded to the pianist. During his playing of the encore -Bülow indulged in an apparently uncontrollable series of sneezes, which -it may be imagined, rather upset the pianist. But it can hardly be true -that so trivial a reason made Paderewski dislike the idea of Berlin. If -so he might put our own Manchester on the black list, for a few years -ago he was obliged to stop in the middle of Chopin's Ballade in G minor -and leave the platform in consequence of the inconsiderate restlessness -of part of the audience who would enter and depart from the hall during -the performance.</p> - -<p>But if it is with some difficulty that he is persuaded to play in -Germany, it cannot be because of a want of enthusiasm on the part of -amateurs. In May of 1894, three years after he had finally captured -London, he played his Polish Fantasia at the Nether-Rhenish Musical -Festival, held at Aix-la-Chapelle. The enthusiasm he aroused was -extraordinary. Encouraged by this reception, he gave recitals in Leipzig -and Dresden during the following year. "Not<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span> since Liszt has a pianist -been received as Paderewski was last night," and "Never since the Albert -Hall was built has such applause been heard there as last evening," are -typical extracts from the Press notices. The <i>Tageblatt</i> critic wrote: -"Paderewski has for some years been enjoying the greatest triumphs in -Austria, France, England and America, but, for unknown reasons, avoided -Germany almost entirely. Concerning his colossal success in our sister -city of Dresden our readers have already been informed. Such positively -fabulous enthusiasm no other artist has aroused in Leipzig as far back -as our memory goes. The public did not applaud; it raved. If Paderewski -has hitherto avoided Germany in the belief that he might be coolly -received, he must have been radically cured of that idea last evening." -At this recital, which was given in aid of the Liszt Memorial, the -audience insisted on the pianist playing for more than an hour after the -programme had been completed, and would not leave the concert-hall until -all the lights were extinguished.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTE:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> His recital on June 18 of this year drew an enormous -audience to the Queen's Hall.</p></div></div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>VI</span> <span class="smaller">PERSONAL TRAITS</span></h2> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus40.jpg" id="illus40.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus40.jpg" alt="THE VILLA RION-BOSSON, PADEREWSKI'S RESIDENCE NEAR LAUSANNE" /></div> - -<p class="bold">THE VILLA RION-BOSSON, PADEREWSKI'S RESIDENCE NEAR LAUSANNE</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler</i></p> - -<p>"Paderewski," said Pachmann in one of those speeches with which he -sometimes enlivens his recitals, "Paderewski is the most modest artist -that I have ever seen. I myself am the most unmodest artist, except Hans -von Bülow. He is more unmodest than I am." It is curious, indeed, how -little is known at first hand of Paderewski. Knowledge of him as a man -is confined to the friends with whom he is intimate. The outside world -knows no more than that he is an accomplished linguist and a man of -considerable reading and catholic tastes; that he is the soul of -generosity to those with whom he is acquainted; that he is an expert -billiard player—a talent he may have learnt from his master -Leschetitzky; that he is a brilliant conversationalist; that he smokes a -great many cigarettes; and that he is fond of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span> staying up until the -early hours of the morning. It is not, perhaps, so generally known that -he is an expert swimmer. With regard to the billiard playing, the -pianist once explained to an interviewer the place it takes in the -economy of his life. The necessity of practising during his tours for a -series of recitals has sometimes meant playing nearly seventeen hours a -day, counting the time taken by the recitals themselves—a circumstance -which has often happened during the pianist's American tours—and M. -Paderewski confessed it was playing billiards that had saved his life. -"If I walk or ride, or merely rest," he said, "I go on thinking all the -time, and my nerves get no real rest. But when I play billiards I can -forget everything, and the result is mental rest and physical exercise -combined."</p> - -<p>Very few people understand what a life of nervous stress a great pianist -must lead. When Paderewski, in the ordinary course, has to prepare for a -recital tour, he seldom practises less than ten or twelve hours a day. -And that does not end his work, for he once told Mr. Henry T. Finck, the -celebrated American critic, that he often lies awake for hours at night, -going<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span> over his programme mentally, note for note, trying to get at the -essence of every bar. Mr. Finck goes on to say: "This mental practice at -night explains the perfection of his art, but it is not good for his -health. Indeed, if he ever sins, it is against himself and the laws of -health. He smokes too many cigarettes, drinks too much lemonade, loses -too much sleep, or sleeps too often in the daytime. For this last habit -he is, however, not entirely to blame; for whenever he gives a concert, -all his faculties are so completely engaged that he is quite exhausted -at the end, and unable to go to sleep for hours."</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus42.jpg" id="illus42.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus42.jpg" alt="ANOTHER VIEW OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON" /></div> - -<p class="bold">ANOTHER VIEW OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler</i></p> - -<p>The pianist's life has its compensations, however. He is not one of -those artists whose whole life is made up of concert-tours, and this is -even less the case now than it was some years ago. In the intervals -between his tours he lives an ideal life in his Swiss home, busy with -composition, which from the very first was his real aim in life. A -writer in a German newspaper has given an interesting account of -Paderewski's home on the lake of Geneva. "It is situated some distance -away from the road, yet is easily accessible. If you visit the pleasing<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span> -little town of Morges, on the lake of Geneva, and walk westward to the -picturesque village of Islochenaz, you will, in a quarter of an hour, -reach a shady park, amid which the châlet de Riond Bosson presents an -imposing appearance. If you heed the warning notice on the gate: -'N'entrez pas sans sonner. Prenez garde aux chiens,' you may enter the -grounds without danger. At most you will risk having your clothes torn, -for Paderewski's dogs have particularly sharp teeth. By way of -compensation, there are many beautiful things to see on the other side -of the wire fence. Of course, the little castle of the Polish virtuoso -is not open to everybody, not even in the absence of the owner, but all -may visit the beautiful park which was planted by the Duchess of -Otranto. The widow of Fouché, the notorious Police Commissioner of -Napoleon I., bought this place in 1823, and occupied it a long time. -After her death the Châlet de Riond Bosson came into the possession of -her heirs, the Vicomte d'Estournel and the Comte Le Marois, who sold it -in 1898 to Paderewski. On emerging from the shady walks of the park, the -visitor comes upon an enchanting scene.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></span> In the foreground lies the -antique little town of Morges; behind it is the semicircular blue -expanse of the lake, and beyond that tower the snowy peaks of the Alps. -Behind the orchard is a big greenhouse containing nothing but grapes for -the table." Paderewski by no means spends his time in the <i>dolce far -niente</i> for which there would be an excuse in so beautiful a spot. In -addition to his composition he interests himself in everything connected -with his estate, and particularly, like M. Jean de Reszke, in the -breeding of live-stock.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus44.jpg" id="illus44.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus44.jpg" alt="GATEWAY OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON" /></div> - -<p class="bold">GATEWAY OF THE VILLA RION-BOSSON</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a photograph by Mr. Jean Bauler</i></p> - -<p>The reserve which his bearing on the concert platform suggests is the -effect of an artist's well-poised, nervous control. In private life -among his intimate friends he is a most sympathetic, pleasant companion, -ready and able to talk brilliantly on other arts than his own, as well -as on literature and life itself. Among those whose appreciation he -values, he is willing to exercise his particular art without any of that -false pride which has been characteristic of some virtuosi. Mr. Hermann -Klein, in his interesting "Thirty Years of Musical Life in London" -(Heinemann), gives an instance of this. Paderewski had been asked to -meet Sir<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span> Arthur Sullivan, Signor Piatti, Sir Alexander Mackenzie and a -few other well-known musicians at a dinner-party in Mr. Klein's house on -May 3, 1904. "Just before dinner a quaint sort of letter was placed in -my hand. It was from some one in the famous pianist's entourage, -reminding me that M. Paderewski was very fatigued after his heavy work -in the provinces, and begging that I would under no circumstances ask -him to play that evening. I was half amused, half annoyed by this -unexpected communication, which, of course, I knew better than to regard -as inspired by my guest of honour himself. However, I thought no more -about it until after dinner, when I took an opportunity to inform -Paderewski, in a whispered 'aside,' of the strange warning I had -received. I assured him seriously that I had not the slightest idea of -asking him to play, and that my friends were more than satisfied to have -the pleasure of meeting him and enjoying his society. He replied:—</p> - -<p>"'Do you imagine I think otherwise? This is a case of "Save me from my -friends!" That I am tired is perfectly true. But when I am in the mood -to play fatigue counts for nothing.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span> And I am in that mood to-night. Are -you really going to have some music?'</p> - -<p>"'Yes, Piatti has brought his 'cello, and he is going to take part in -the Rubinstein sonata in D.'</p> - -<p>"'Then I should like to play it with him; and more besides, if he will -permit me, Piatti and I are now old colleagues at the "Pops," and we -always get on splendidly together.'</p> - -<p>"What could I say?—save express my gratitude, and apprise my friends of -the treat that was in store. It was the more welcome because it was -virtually unexpected. An unalloyed delight was the performance of that -lovely sonata by the Prince of 'cellists and the greatest of living -pianists. Both seemed to revel in the beauties of a work admirably -designed for the display of their respective instruments, and the -rendering was in every way perfect. After it was over, dear old Piatti, -who rarely talked much, said to me in his quiet way, 'I quite enjoyed -that. I have played the sonata with Rubinstein many times, but it never -went better than to-night.' Later on he played again; and so did -Paderewski—with Sullivan close by his side, watching with fascinated -eyes the nimble<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span> fingers as they glided over the keys. That evening the -illustrious pianist was inspired. Fatigue was forgotten; indeed, he -seemed much fresher than on the preceding night, when he introduced his -fine Polish Fantasia at the Philharmonic. He went on and on from one -piece to another, with characteristic forgetfulness of self, and it was -well on to dawn before we parted."</p> - -<p>This type of anecdote is told of most great instrumentalists, and -especially of Rubinstein. To the lay mind it always seems strange that -an artist who earns fabulous sums from public and private recitals -should display his gifts for the mere love of the thing, but to the -artist himself there is an enjoyment in the appreciation of a few gifted -brother-artists which not all the thunder of popular applause can equal. -And M. Paderewski is, above all, an artist. His public career of course -necessitates advertisement, but he has never sought after means to bring -himself forward apart from his playing. In consequence an air of mystery -surrounds him as an atmosphere. On the few occasions when he has broken -through this retirement it has always been for the sake of some project<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span> -connected with his art or to show his esteem for a fellow artist. As an -instance of this may be mentioned the fund for the encouragement of -American composers which he founded after his 1895-96 tour. He placed a -sum of £2000 in the hands of three trustees of which the interest was to -be devoted to triennial prizes for composers of American birth -irrespective of age or religion.</p> - -<p>Another instance is the prominent part he meant to take in the -testimonial given to Mme. Modjeska at Boston in May 1905. It will be -remembered that the great pianist as a young man owed a deal to the -encouragement of the celebrated actress, and it may be imagined how -ardently he desired to make some public acknowledgment of his -friendship. Unfortunately the serious accident which brought about the -nervous breakdown of the pianist happened just previous to the benefit -performance. The American Press teemed with alarmist reports of the -permanent character of this breakdown, and to some extent there was -justification for them. According to M. Paderewski's business manager, -Mr. J. G. Francke, the following are the facts of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span> case: "I was with -M. Paderewski when the accident occurred in Syracuse which upset his -nerves. We were coming from Auburn, twenty-six miles from Syracuse, -where the artist had been playing. We had a special engine. When the -switch leading from the Auburn line to the tracks of the New York -Central Railroad, half a mile from the station, was entered, the -switchman gave our engine-driver the signal to stop. This signal was -disregarded. The switchman, noting the arrival of the Buffalo express, -threw our engine off the track, and just in time, or we should have been -cut to pieces by the incoming train. M. Paderewski was seated at the -head of the table where he was supping. The force of the sudden jolt -threw him against the table as it hurled us to the floor. He did not -suffer much from the shock at the time, but he felt it more the next -day. A muscle in the back of his neck, connected in some way with the -muscles of the spinal column, was affected by the collision. That has -been his trouble. He did play after that in some Canadian cities, but -the complaint developed in Boston, and overwhelmed him <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></span>eventually." On -April 29 he had arrived in Boston but was too ill to play at the -Symphony Concert to be held in aid of the Orchestral Pension Fund. This -and his inability to assist at the Modjeska benefit seemed to have -preyed on his mind and naturally did not improve his condition.</p> - -<p>To the committee of the Modjeska Testimonial the pianist sent a -characteristic letter—a letter which is no mere expression of regret -but is of value in our understanding of the pianist, since throughout it -there breathes a love of his country worthy of Chopin himself. "For many -months," Paderewski wrote, "I have been looking forward to the 2nd of -May, anticipating one of the greatest joys of my career. The thought of -joining you all on this solemn occasion has been my pride for many -months. The sudden adversity of fate makes me feel now grieved and -humiliated, and words cannot express all the bitterness of my -disappointment. But there is still a pride and a joy I cannot be -deprived of—the pride of belonging to the same country, to the same -race which sent into the wide world one of the greatest and noblest -artists of all times and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span> nations; the joy of being one of many to whom -Mme. Modjeska has been good, kind and generous. The first encouraging -words I heard as a pianist came from her lips; the first successful -concert I had in my life was due to her assistance. Unable to be -present, I beg of you to convey to Mme. Modjeska the homage of profound -admiration and gratitude, and to extend my sincerest thanks to all who -contribute to make this the day of legitimate and crowning triumph for a -career great, noble, pure and beautiful."</p> - -<p>The passionate love of his country which this letter expresses will not -be new to those who are acquainted with the pianist, nor, indeed, to -those who only know him through his compositions. Once before, in 1893, -when a guest of the New York Lotus Club, he had given public utterance -to the same passion. "I loved your country," he said in his after-dinner -speech, "before I knew it, for the very simple reason, allow me to tell -you, that this country is the only one in which hundreds of thousands of -Poles are living freely and enjoying liberty; the country in which every -countryman of mine may speak whatever he<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span> likes of the past and future -of his country without fearing to be arrested. A few years ago, at the -same time that you were fighting the glorious fight against slavery, our -poor nation made its last effort for liberty. Our fate was -different—you have succeeded, and we have not; but still you gave us a -great deal of happiness in the feeling that we were not alone."</p> - -<p>Perhaps it is not very safe to take into account the environment of an -artist in any criticism of his artistic achievements, but there is more -reason for it in the case of an executant musician than in that of a -composer, for the one so clearly makes capital of all that he is, -whereas the other often only rises to creative serenity by forgetting -his surroundings. It was in that atmosphere created by his will that -Wagner composed "Die Meistersinger," for instance. At any rate the -spirit of passionate rebellion is often to be heard in Paderewski's -playing, especially of Chopin, and it may well be that the early death -of his first wife had the effect of deepening his nature. In other -directions, too, he has known sorrow, for his only son, who recently -died, was for years a <span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>confirmed invalid. It is pleasant to think that -the pianist's life has been brightened since 1899 by his marriage to the -Baroness Hélène von Rosen.</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>VII</span> <span class="smaller">HIS VIEWS ON MUSIC AND TEACHING</span></h2> - -<p>It is not often that Paderewski has expressed his thoughts on his art, -but by careful research I have come across a few interviews here and -there which have something of value in them, and, I think, are worth -quoting. Again I must quote Mr. Henry T. Finck, an enthusiastic admirer, -who can speak with first-hand authority of the pianist's musical faith. -His taste, we are told, is remarkably catholic. "He likes Grieg's songs -better than his pianoforte works, while Brahms's piano pieces, as he -once said to me, hardly exist for him! 'They seem all treble and -bass!'<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a> But he admires the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span> chamber music of Brahms. His worship of -the romantic Chopin, Liszt and Schumann does not interfere with his -enjoyment of the classical Mozart and Beethoven. He adores Bach and -Schubert, and at the same time he is a thorough Wagnerite. To hear -'Parsifal' or 'Tristan,' he says, you ought to go to Bayreuth; for the -'Meistersinger' to Vienna, for 'Tannhäuser' to Dresden; while of 'The -Flying Dutchman' the best performance he ever heard was at a small -German city of thirty thousand inhabitants. This catholicity of taste -compares strangely with Rubinstein's rather limited enthusiasms." There -are certainly few pianists who have shown so eclectic a taste in their -playing as Paderewski has always displayed. It would be difficult, -indeed, to decide from his interpretations what composers appeal to him -most, for while at one moment you are ready to declare that no pianist -can surpass him in a performance of the music of Liszt and Chopin, at -the next a singularly noble and sensitive interpretation of a Beethoven -sonata will compel you to place Paderewski as the most sympathetic -player of Beethoven in the world. But this aspect of the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span> pianist's -gifts may be more conveniently dealt with in the next chapter.</p> - -<p>In the few public utterances he has made on his art, Paderewski has at -once paid a tribute to his instrument, and has emphasised the enormous -difficulty in becoming a master of it. "Assuredly the piano is the -greatest of musical instruments," he once exclaimed. "Its powers, who -has yet been able to test them to the full? Its limitations, who shall -define them? No sooner does one fancy that nothing further can be done -to enhance its possibilities than inventive ability steps forward and -gives to it a greater volume, a more velvety smoothness of tone." On -another occasion he said of the piano: "It is at once the easiest and -the hardest. Any one can play the pianoforte, but few ever do so well, -and then only after years and years of toil, pain, and study. When you -have surmounted all difficulties, not one in a hundred amongst your -audience realises through what labour you have passed. Yet they are all -capable of criticising and understanding what your playing should be. -Any one who takes up piano-playing with a view to becoming a -professional pianist has taken on<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span> himself an awful burden. But better -that than the drudgery of giving pianoforte lessons. The one is only -purgatory, but the other—hell!"</p> - -<p>Of course Paderewski has not made teaching a serious part of his career -since he became famous as a virtuoso, but at least one pupil of his, Mr. -Ernest Schelling, has made public appearances, and in his early days -Paderewski knew what teaching meant. To a London evening paper<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a> he -once gave the benefit of his experience. He was particularly severe on -the teaching professed by young girls who, having had a superficial -training, endeavour to turn their limited talents to effect when a -living has to be earned or supplemented.</p> - -<p>"To teach or to learn to play the piano or any other instrument we must -commence at the beginning. The pupil must first be taught the rudiments -of music. When those have been mastered he must next be taught the -technique of his instrument, and if that instrument be the piano, or the -violin, or the harp, or the violoncello, the muscles and joints of the -hands, wrists, and fingers must be made supple and<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span> strong by playing -exercises designed to accomplish that end. At the same time by means of -similar exercises, the pupil must also be taught to read music rapidly -and correctly. When this has been accomplished she should render herself -familiar with the works of the masters—not by having them drummed into -her by her instructor, but by carefully studying them for herself; by -seeking diligently and patiently for the composer's meaning, playing -each doubtful passage over and over again in every variety of -interpretation, and striving most earnestly to satisfy herself which is -the most nearly in harmony with the composer's ideas. The chief aim of -every teacher of the pianoforte should be to impart to his pupils a -correct technique and to enable them to play any composition at sight -with proficiency and correctness; but how much, or rather how little of -this kind of teaching is practised by many so-called music teachers? -Many really competent music teachers have assured me that of all the -pupils who came to them from teachers of lesser reputation to be -'finished' there is not one in ten who has ever been taught to play all -the major and minor scales in all the various keys."</p> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span></p><p>Paderewski insisted on the necessity of amateurs learning compositions -by heart, and was careful to point out that the pupil must not be made -mentally weary by over-practice. "Physical weariness from too much -practice," he added, "is just as bad as mental. To over-fatigue the -muscles is to spoil their tone, at least for the time being, and some -time must elapse before they can regain their former elasticity and -vigour." On the importance of a healthy muscular system to the pianist -Paderewski wrote at some length in a magazine.<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a></p> - -<p>"It is highly desirable that he who strives to attain the highest -excellence as a performer on the pianoforte should have well-developed -muscles, a strong nervous system, and, in fact, be in as good general -health as possible. It might be thought that practice on the pianoforte -in itself would bring about the necessary increase in muscular power and -endurance. This, however, is not altogether the case, as it sometimes -has a distinctly deteriorative effect, owing to the muscles being kept -cramped and unused. The chief muscles actually used are those of the -hand, the fore-arm, neck, small of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></span> the back, and the shoulders. The -latter only come into play in striking heavy chords for which the hands -and arms are considerably raised from the keys; in light playing the -work is chiefly done from the wrists, and, of course, the fore-arm -muscles which raise and lower the fingers. It is not so much that -greater strength of muscle will give greater power for the pianoforte, -but rather that the fact of the muscle being in good condition will help -the player to express his artistic talent without so much effort. To -play for a great length of time is often very painful, and you cannot -expect a player to lose himself in his art when every movement of his -hands is provocative of discomfort, if not actual pain. Sometimes, -indeed, a great amount of playing brings on a special form of complaint -known as 'pianist's cramp,' which may so affect the muscles and nerves -that the unfortunate artist thus afflicted finds his occupation gone. I -have frequently found that though, whilst playing, I have experienced no -trouble from my muscles being overtaxed, afterwards the reaction has set -in, and I have had no little exhaustion of the shoulders and neck, and I -have also suffered from severe<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span> neuralgic pains affecting the nerve -which runs from the head and conveys impulses from the brain to the -deltoid muscle. Weakness in the small of the back has been by no means -uncommon."</p> - -<p>As to the higher side of pianoforte teaching, Paderewski thinks that all -theoretical teaching is a mistake, "for when you have reasoned out an -effect you have lost that over which you have reasoned? You must teach -the student to feel." There must be no hard and fast rules. All depends -on the mood and the atmosphere. And that appears to be the spirit of the -teaching of Leschetitzky, the master of Paderewski.</p> - -<div class="footnotes"><h3>FOOTNOTES:</h3> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> In London Paderewski has not entirely neglected Brahms's -compositions. Among others he has played the "Paganini" and the "Handel" -variations.—E. A. B.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> The now defunct <i>Sun</i>.</p></div> - -<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> Eugene Sandow's <i>Physical Culture</i>.</p></div> -</div> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>VIII</span> <span class="smaller">AS PIANIST</span></h2> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus62.jpg" id="illus62.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus62.jpg" alt="PADEREWSKY AT HOME" /></div> - -<p class="bold">PADEREWSKY AT HOME</p> - -<p class="center"><i>Reproduced from the original sketch by Emil Fuchs by permission of the artist.</i></p> - -<p>The critic who would give a true appreciation of Paderewski as artist -must at once admit that he has the power of moving an audience as no -pianist since Rubinstein has been able to move it. In the opening -chapter I touched on some generalities with regard to Paderewski's -position in the world of piano-playing, and I referred to the -modifications in the verdict of the general which the critic must make. -In the difference between his outlook and the public's will be found his -divergence from the critical and popular estimation in which the great -pianist is held. I will at once confess that a professional critic is -apt to be too theoretical in his judgments: it is, if viewed aright, the -defect of his merits. We are compelled to give reasons for our likes and -dislikes, and these in turn are apt to proceed too<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span> much from the -intellect and not sufficiently from the emotions. The public, on the -other hand, has no hard-and-fast theories concerning piano playing, -singing or conducting. Provided an instrumentalist or a conductor -creates a "sensation" no close inquiry is made into a sacrifice of -artistic virtue. In the following appreciation of Paderewski as pianist -I have been at pains to collate my own opinions with those of men who -have, it seems to me, some authority to write on the subject. I may say -in passing that it is extraordinary how little of the criticisms penned -on the different recitals give the reader any clear and general idea of -Paderewski. His interpretations and playing are praised or blamed, but a -writer in a daily paper has to take it for granted that the pianist's -gifts and limitations are known and understood. Indeed, a journalist who -should sit down to pen a general criticism of a celebrated artist would -be considered a kind of critical Rip van Winkle. That is a pity, because -criticism demands reconsideration every few years. How could we tell of -what a pianist's fingers might be capable until we had heard Leopold -Godowsky? How judge of the future of opera<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span> until we had heard Puccini's -"Madame Butterfly"? For this reason contemporary Press criticisms of -Paderewski do not tell us very much. But here and there, scattered up -and down the pages of weekly periodicals and magazines, I have come -across passages which give a good idea of his powers and his -limitations. I propose to quote a couple of these as preliminary to my -own estimate of the pianist.</p> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus64.jpg" id="illus64.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus64.jpg" alt="A MEMORY SKETCH OF PADEREWSKI, BY ORLANDO ROULAND" /></div> - -<p class="bold">A MEMORY SKETCH OF PADEREWSKI, BY ORLANDO ROULAND</p> - -<p class="center"><i>Reproduced by the kind permission of the artist.</i></p> - -<p>In all criticism comparison must play an important part. However great -may be the natural gifts of a critic his verdict on a particular artist -is of not much value unless he has some clear standard of technical and -interpretative excellence. Those who remembered Rubinstein at his best -were on firmer ground in judging the new star, Paderewski, than those -who knew him not. For this reason the enthusiastic estimate of Dr. -William Mason, the well-known American writer on music and professor of -the piano, has peculiar value. Dr. Mason, it should be stated, studied -in Germany under Moscheles, Dreyschock and Liszt. In an interesting -critical study of Paderewski, written in 1893, he compared the playing -of that artist with the playing of many<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span> others, including Pachmann, -Rosenthal, D'Albert, and Scharwenka, and, while recognising their worth, -came to the conclusion that Paderewski was "an exceedingly rare -occurrence, indeed phenomenal."</p> - -<p>"As Moscheles played Bach half a century ago, and as Rubinstein played -him later on, so does Paderewski play him now—with an added grace and -colour which put these great contrapuntal creations in the most charming -frames. It is the great, deep, musical playing combined with the calm, -quiet repose and great breadth of style. Paderewski has an advantage -over Rubinstein, however, in the fact that he is always master of his -resources and possesses power of complete self control.... In Rubinstein -there is an excess of the emotional, and while at times he reaches the -highest possible standard, his impulsive Nature and lack of -self-restraint are continually in his way, frequently causing him to -rush ahead with such impetuosity as to anticipate his climax, and, -having no reserve force to call into action, disaster is sure to follow.</p> - -<p>"Of five prominent pianists, in Liszt we find the intellectual emotional -temperament,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span> while Rubinstein has the emotional in such excess that he -is rarely able to bridle his impetuosity, Paderewski may be classified -as emotional-intellectual—a very rare and happy blending of the two -temperaments—and Tausig was very much upon the same plane, while Von -Bülow has but little of the emotional, and overbalances decidedly on the -intellectual side.</p> - -<p>"It seems to me that in this matter of touch Paderewski is as near -perfection as any pianist I ever heard, while in other respects he -stands more nearly on a plane with Liszt than any other virtuoso since -Tausig. His conception of Beethoven combines the emotional with the -intellectual in admirable poise and proportion. Thus he plays with a big -warm heart as well as with a clear, calm, discriminative head; hence a -thoroughly satisfactory result.... In musical conception he is so -objective a player as to be faithful, true, and loving to his author, -but withal he has a spice of the subjective, which imparts to his -performance just the right amount of his own individuality.</p> - -<p>"The heartfelt sincerity of the man is noticeable in all that he does -and his intensity of<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span> utterance easily accounts for the strong hold he -has over his audiences. Paderewski's playing presents the beautiful -contour of a living, vital organism.... It possesses that subtle quality -expressed in some measure by the German word <i>Sehnsucht</i>, and in English -as intensity of aspiration. This quality Chopin had, and Liszt -frequently spoke of it. It is the undefinable poetic haze with which -Paderewski invests and surrounds all that he plays which renders him so -unique and impressive among modern pianists."</p> - -<p>The foregoing estimate represents the discrimination of an enthusiastic -admirer. Its value consists of its recognition of the power of -Paderewski's personality. No criticism of his technical mannerisms -alone—however much he may lay himself open to it—will give a true idea -of the great pianist. Among the many estimates of Paderewski written in -this country one of the most balanced and illuminative was penned by the -late Arthur Johnstone, for many years the musical critic of the -<i>Manchester Guardian</i>:—"Mr. Paderewski's distinguishing quality is a -certain extraordinary energy—not merely a one-sided physical, or<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></span> even -a two-sided physical and intellectual, energy; it is of the fingers and -wrists, of the mind, the imagination, the heart and the soul, and it -makes Mr. Paderewski the most interesting of players, even though to the -extreme kind of specialist, absorbed in problems of tone production, he -is not the most absolute master of his instrument at the present day. -His art has a certain princely quality. It is indescribably <i>galant</i> and -<i>chevaleresque</i>. He knows all the secrets of all the most subtle dancing -rhythms. He is a reincarnation of Chopin, with almost the added virility -of a Rubinstein. No wonder such a man fascinates, bewilders and enchants -the public! Greatly surpassed by Busoni in the interpretation of -Beethoven, by Pachmann in the touch that persistently draws forth -roundness, sweetness and fulness of tone, and by Godowsky in the mastery -of intricate line and the power of sucking out the very last drop of -melody from every part of a composition, Paderewski still remains the -most brilliant, fascinating and successfully audacious of present-day -performers, and in preferring him the general public is probably right, -though<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span> the keen student of the pianoforte in particular may learn more -from Godowsky, and the earnest lover of the musical classics in general, -more from Busoni."</p> - -<p>In much the same vein I wrote of a recital held at St. James's Hall in -1901. "The fascination of Paderewski held criticism in check. I know -that his Beethoven in C was smallish Beethoven; that there were many -spots of virtuoso exaggeration of contrast; but I also know that the -<i>adagio molto</i> had a poetry of expression which many better-balanced -pianists miss, and that the last movement had a growing power which -carried one away. I know, too, that Schumann's sonata in F sharp minor -was too exaggerated, that its force was often too febrile. I will even -admit that Paderewski's technique is not always as clear as it might be; -that for perfection of finger dexterity Rosenthal, Godowsky, Busoni and -Pachmann surpass him. If you press it, I will confess that Paderewski's -force is hysterical, an explosion of exacerbated nerves; that, -metaphorically, he has his back to the wall and with tight-drawn lips is -fighting for his life. His strength, you may say, is almost a weakness. -It has no<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span> reserve and occasionally it is perilously akin to ranting. He -is also too fond of unnecessary dynamic contrasts—the sign of the -virtuoso all the world over, whether he be a pianist or a chorus-master. -I would not even combat the assertion that he often allows a fastidious -brain to prompt new readings when novelty is unnecessary, and I must -admit that he has the abominable trick of opening his chords—the kind -of thing one expects in a third-rate pianist bidding for a cheap -popularity. Is the catalogue of defects full? If not, insert some more, -and then—</p> - -<p>"Why, then, I will still assert that Paderewski is the greatest of -living pianists. He has what so many of them do not possess—a strong -individuality and real insight as a musical poet. D'Albert might play -that Beethoven sonata with a nicer balance and a more intellectual -grasp; but he would not create that glowing atmosphere. Paderewski's -reading cannot be held up as a model to young men and maidens. It was -very subjective. I do not ask Paderewski to be anything but himself, for -his self interests me. But, at any rate, the performances of Haydn's -Variations in F minor<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span> and Mozart's Rondo in A minor were perfect enough -in restraint and classical grace to rank as models. They seemed to me to -represent the normal Paderewski.</p> - -<p>"And his Chopin playing particularly appeals to me. Pachmann, in the -lesser Chopin, and Godowsky as well, play with more polish of phrase, -and they have a more extended gamut of dynamic <i>nuances</i>; but neither -plays as a poet would play, and Chopin, with all his absolute musical -fastidiousness, was a poet. Pachmann is too pre-occupied with mere -beauty of tone and with the rhetoric of antithesis; Godowsky with the -perfection of finger technique. Busoni's Chopin playing can alone be -compared to Paderewski's, for Busoni has a poet's imagination. But -Paderewski has more emotional fibre." As a marginal note to this -criticism, it should be said that the pianist was not at his best in -that year. The tendency to nervous explosions was not so marked when he -visited us the following summer.</p> - -<p>It must be confessed that Paderewski's repertoire is rather limited. He -never makes experiments with the compositions of new men, and I do not -remember if he has ever<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span> played anything of Alkans or of César Franck. -The plan of his programmes is apt to be stereotyped—a group of pieces -by Bach, Handel, Scarlatti—or other of the harpsichord composers; then -a sonata of Mozart or Beethoven, followed by the German romantic school, -and ending with Chopin, Liszt, and Rubinstein, or his own compositions. -Still, it is very difficult for a pianist to import novelty into the -programme of a recital, and until quite recently modern composers have -ignored the piano. But if Paderewski's repertoire is not very extended, -his sympathies are catholic enough. There is only one other pianist who -can be compared with him in this respect—Busoni. The rest have such -limitations of sympathy that one could wish they would follow Pachmann's -example and confine themselves to the composers they understand. -Paderewski is, perhaps, at his best in the playing of Chopin and Liszt, -and, at the other extreme, in his reproduction of the old harpsichord -music. The racial spirit in him, which I have already shown is a real -part of his composition, enables him to realise the bigger Chopin as no -other pianist realises him. In the Chopin which<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span> mainly demands agility -of finger and a refined sense of harmony, Busoni and Pachmann excel -Paderewski; but neither can play the great Scherzo in C sharp minor as -Paderewski plays it. His Beethoven is unequal. Sometimes, if in the -mood, he will give you a performance of one of the later sonatas which -cannot be surpassed for grandeur and glow of emotion (he could never be -a mere "classical" Beethoven player); at other times his readings are -rather small and not sufficiently architectural. He has done wonderful -things with the "Moonlight" and "Waldstein" sonatas, however. His -Beethoven is never uninteresting, and it is something that he spares us -the hard austerity of some of the Beethoven playing which is so highly -praised in these days.</p> - -<p>It has been well said that Paderewski treats Bach as a modern -romanticist, following the example of Liszt in this. The Bach worshipper -of a certain type is not likely to admire Paderewski's readings, but the -pianist certainly does bring out all the beauty of the composer's music. -If Mme. Schumann's idea of her husband's music was right, then -Paderewski is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span> apt to treat him too much as a virtuoso composer. His -playing is a trifle wanting in the true German reflectiveness, but the -romance is realised. The concerto is one of Paderewski's finest -achievements, however. When an appeal is not made to his Slav -temperament, Paderewski's mind seems to find most pleasure in the -refinement of Weber, Mendelssohn, and Mozart. He has done a great deal -to rehabilitate Mendelssohn. He made serious musicians ashamed of their -estimate of the "Variations Sérieuses," and he reset the exquisite gems -of melody enshrined in the "Songs without Words," made so dim by the -clumsy handling of generations of schoolgirls.</p> - -<p>In all Paderewski does there is evidence of much musical thought. That -is to say, even when he treats a composition to a new, and, as it seems, -a sensational performance, the conception is consistent throughout. And -that is one of the reasons why the pianist carries you away even when he -runs counter to theories or prejudices. Your mind may be critically at -work throughout the whole performance, but you feel at the same time -that the player is not making a bid for the popularity of empty<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span> -sensationalism. Those who accuse him of that are wrong. They forget that -with all his intense quietude of manner, Paderewski is at heart a Pole, -and that the very nervous force which enables him to play with glowing -power is also apt to make him exaggerated and exuberant; but the musical -intellect has artistically planned out these outbursts, which are seldom -merely physical.</p> - -<p>The weakness of his playing on its technical side lies in a tendency to -smudginess of execution. Paderewski cannot lay claim to the absolute -clearness of Busoni; nor has he the magical fingers of a Godowsky. But I -am not at all sure that the defects of his technique are not an -expression of his merits as a tone poet. It is inconceivable that a -player of Paderewski's fiery and nervous temperament should be a perfect -mechanician. Moreover, his lapses from technical rectitude are never -lapses from the higher technique of the piano. No pianist so well -understands how to produce beautiful tone; no pianist has such a variety -of touch; and none such a grasp of the art of pedalling and phrasing. -The Paderewski tone is a thing by itself. Above all, he is a<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span> master of -rhythm. The wonderful, subtle <i>nuances</i> of <i>tempo rubato</i> which -distinguish his playing are the expression of a genuine, musical nature. -Sometimes this extraordinary grasp of rhythm may lead him to attempt -effects which were not, perhaps, within his composer's intentions, but -they are musical effects and not merely capricious. In brief, Paderewski -appeals to lovers of music, not because he is the most wonderful player -of his instrument that has ever existed, but because he is a genuine -tone-poet, a man of exceptional nature and rare temperament.</p> - -<p>Perhaps he has summed himself and his aims as well as any one else could -sum them up. "If I were asked," said the great pianist to an -interviewer, "to name the chief qualification of a great pianist, apart -from technical excellence, I should answer in a word, genius. That is -the spark which fires every heart, that is the voice which all men stop -to hear! Lacking genius, your pianist is simply a player—an artist, -perhaps—whose work is politely listened to or admired in moderation as -a musical <i>tour de force</i>. He leaves his hearers cold, nor is the appeal -which he makes through the medium<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span> of his art, a universal one. And here -let me say, referring to the celebrated 'paradox' of Diderot, that I am -firmly of the belief that the pianist, in order to produce the finest -and most delicate effects must feel what he is playing, identify himself -absolutely with his work, be in sympathy with the composition in its -entirety, as well as with its every shade of expression. Only so shall -he speak to that immense audience which ever depends on perfect art. -Yet—and here is a paradox indeed—he must put his own personality -resolutely, triumphantly into his interpretation of the composer's ideas."</p> - -<hr /> - -<p><span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></span></p> - -<h2><span>IX</span> <span class="smaller">AS COMPOSER</span></h2> - -<div class="center"><a name="illus78.jpg" id="illus78.jpg"></a><img src="images/illus78.jpg" alt="IGNAZ PADEREWSKI" /></div> - -<p class="bold">IGNAZ PADEREWSKI</p> - -<p class="center"><i>From a bust by Mr. Emil Fuchs, reproduced by the kind permission of the sculptor.</i></p> - -<p>It will be remembered that Paderewski began his musical career with the -aim of being a composer, and through all the stress of his life as a -virtuoso he has never lost sight of that aim. Indeed, he has more than -once expressed the intention of retiring gradually from the concert -platform in order that he may devote all his time to composition. The -work he has already done is not to be passed over lightly as a pianist's -music. Paderewski has certainly more originality than Rubinstein, and as -he is now only in his forty-seventh year there is every possibility that -he will make a name for himself as composer. It has already been related -that Paderewski was by way of being a prodigy composer. At the early age -of seven he wrote a set of Polish dances, but none of his compositions -was published until he was twenty-two<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span> years of age. These early works, -numbering some forty pieces, include Mazardas, Polonaises, Krakowiaks, -and other Polish dances, a Caprice, an Intermezzo, a Sarabande, an -Elegy, and many Mélodies, all of them surcharged with national spirit. -It is facile criticism to trace the influence of Chopin in these -pianoforte pieces of Paderewski's, and it is too often forgotten that -many of the characteristics of the great composer's music were drawn -from Polish music. Paderewski himself once remarked on this point: "The -moment you try to be national, every one cries out that you are -imitating Chopin, whereas the truth is that Chopin adopted all the most -marked characteristics of our national music so completely that it is -impossible not to resemble him in externals, though your methods and -ideas may be absolutely your own."</p> - -<p>Of the smaller compositions of Paderewski the most famous is, of course, -the Minuet, which has nothing in it of Polish colour, but is a charming -and skilful essay in the old style. A writer in a German periodical has -told an amusing, if apocryphal story of this Minuet.<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span> "When Paderewski -was a professor at the Warsaw Conservatoire, he was a frequent visitor -at my house, and one evening I remarked that no living composer could be -compared with Mozart. Paderewski's only reply was a shrug of the -shoulders, but the next day he came back, and, sitting down at the -piano, said, 'I should like to play you a little piece of Mozart's which -you perhaps do not know.' He then played the Minuet. I was enchanted -with it and cried, 'Now you will yourself acknowledge that nobody of our -time could furnish us with a composition like that.' 'Well,' answered -Paderewski, 'this Minuet is mine.'" The worthy German writer could have -had but a superficial knowledge of Mozart's style of harmony. But the -Minuet is certainly a charming little piece. Hardly less remarkable in -its daintiness is the "Chant du Voyageur," number 3 of Opus 8, and the -Thème Varié, Opus 11 is very skilful in its harmonic treatment of a -naïve, eighteenth century tune. The Variations and Fugue and Humoresques -à l'antique enable one to understand how Paderewski can play Scarlatti, -Couperin, and Rameau with such intimate<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span> sympathy. These works may be -said to represent one side of his talent, perhaps not the most original. -In direct contrast with them are his fiery Polish dances—his -Cracovienne and Polonaises. In his later compositions he has given up -his imitations of the antique and has been gradually finding his own -utterance in the idiom of national music. In his early life, however, he -composed a short sonata for violin and piano, which, as far as I know, -has not been performed in England; but, of course, the pianoforte sonata -in A minor, Op. 17, which was written when he was twenty-eight years of -age, is the most important contribution in a more or less "classical" -style which has come from his pen. It served to introduce Paderewski as -a composer to an English audience on the occasion of his first recitals -at St. James's Hall in 1890. "In point of form this Concerto," wrote Mr. -C. A. Barry in his analytical notes, "which is far more a matter of -evolution than a stringing together of tunes, closely follows the -traditionally classical lines, and is strikingly free from irrelevant -and episodical passages, except such as immediately grow out of the -subject-matter. In spirit it is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span> strongly pervaded by the -characteristics of Polish national music, with its proud, chivalrous and -dreamy accents." Much of the music is of a virtuoso character, but the -Romanza, an Andante, is a little gem of inspiration, and the finale is -full of vivacity and spirit. Paderewski himself makes a very effective -composition of this Concerto.</p> - -<p>A considerable period elapsed between the composition of the Concerto -(in 1888) and that of the Polish Fantasia, which was first performed at -the Norwich Festival of 1893. It was actually written in the summer in -that year. In this work national feeling is very strongly marked. This -betrays itself in the treatment, and in the themes, which although the -composer's own, are distinctly Polish in character. The work is full of -colour, picturesqueness and romance, and in general it has the air of a -Rhapsody. In the slow movement there is a power of combining themes -which Paderewski had not previously shown, and the orchestra is handled -with much skill both in the matter of instrumentation and in its -combination with the piano. The Fantasia, which was afterwards repeated -at a Philharmonic concert, placed the<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span> composer on a higher plane than -anything he had hitherto done.</p> - -<p>That Paderewski did not mean to confine himself to compositions for the -piano and orchestra was soon proved by rumours of an opera on which he -was engaged. Nothing of importance came from his pen until "Manru" was -produced at Dresden on May 29, 1901, but the pianoforte score had been -finished as long ago as 1895. As Paderewski had not hitherto composed -anything of moment for the voice—his four songs, Op. 7, and the late -set of six which Mr. Edward Lloyd sang to the composer's accompaniment -are fanciful but of no great importance—there was much anticipation as -to the result of his new departure. It should be said that at one time -the composer was in negotiation with the late Sir Augustus Harris for -the production of the opera at Covent Garden, but he could not see his -way to accept the suggested alterations which the impresario thought -necessary. As a matter of fact most of these alterations were made when -the work was performed at Dresden. It was generally admitted, and the -criticism was upheld when "Manru" was mounted in New<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span> York in 1902, that -the opera suffers from its libretto.</p> - -<p>The plot was borrowed from a Polish Romance, Kraszewski's "The Cabin -behind the Wood," by the librettist, Dr. Alfred Nossig and sets forth -how Manru, a gypsy, has won the love of a Galician maiden, Ulana, and -has married her in the gypsy fashion. On her return to her native place, -seeking her mother's forgiveness and help, she is received with -contumely and a mother's curse. Her kind friends prepare her for the -inconstancy of Manru by citing instances of the general fickleness in -love of all gypsies, and Ulana, in order to keep Manru's love, seeks the -help of Urok, a dwarf and magician who has the reputation of being a -sorcerer. By the aid of a magic draught she keeps Manru to her side for -a time, but the gypsy blood will out and, fascinated by a girl of his -own race, he rejoins his tribe. This is not to the liking of the gypsy -chief, Oros, who is in love with the same woman, Asa, and Manru's -rehabitation is opposed. Matters then become too complicated for opera, -and that is the weakness of the libretto. Oros finding his authority has -no weight with the tribe breaks<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span> his staff and Manru is proclaimed chief -in his stead. Ulana, in despair at the loss of her husband, hurls -herself over a precipice, and Oros coming secretly on Manru and his new -love Asa suddenly attacks his rival and throws him into the abyss. A -strain of symbolism runs though the story. Thus Manru is not merely -fickle, but is torn this way and that by his love for Ulana and his -racial passion for music. You may, if you choose, look on Ulana as the -embodiment of human love and Asa as representing the spiritual love of -the artist.</p> - -<p>Dr. Schuch conducted the first performance at Dresden. Herr Anthes was -the Manru; Herr Scheidmantel was the Urok; Fraulein Krull the Urana and -Frau Kramma the Asa. The reception of the work was cordial but it does -not seem to have been enthusiastic. Some of the critics were reminded of -Bizet; others noted a strong likeness to Wagner; and through all the -note of Polish music was detected. As the work has never been performed -on the English stage it is not easy to say how it would shape as an -opera. The vocal score has not been published. A concert performance of -some of the chief scenes was given, however, at the Crystal Palace,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span> on -December 13, 1902, Signor Randegger conducted and Fraulein Krull came -from Germany to sing the soprano music. Mr. John Coates sang the music -of Manru. The excerpts consisted of a duet from Act II. with Ulana's -cradle song; the prelude and incidental music from Act III. with Manru's -long soliloquy "Luft, luft! Ich ersticke," and a gypsy march; the love -duet of Manru and Ulana from Act II., and the ballet music from Act I. -As the programme also contained the Concerto and the Polish Fantasia we -were able to form some opinion of Paderewski as a serious composer.</p> - -<p>"The connection of the music of 'Manru' with these concertos," I wrote -at the time in the <i>Daily News</i>, "must have struck the dullest ears.... -So far the music has a style of its own. But it struck me that in the -vocal selection from 'Manru' the folk-song element did not mix well with -sundry Wagnerisms of which Paderewski has made use. Thus in the scene -from Act II., Manru, who is watching Ulana nursing her child, hesitates -between expressing himself in the mode of a Slavonic folk-song and in -the style of Siegfried's forging outbursts. The orchestra has no -hesitation at all, but plumps<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span> for Wagner. Paderewski is most -interesting to me when he forgets all he knows of Wagner. The folk -cradle-song of Ulana, for instance, is more genuine music than Manru's -long monologue 'Luft! luft!' from Act III. which is full of Wagnerian -mannerisms, culled from Hans Sachs' monologues and elsewhere. Again, the -ambitious love duet from Act II. does not make its mark. Paderewski has -not yet the strength of technique for a love duet conceived more or less -on the lines of the 'Tristan' love duet. The vocal parts have not -striking enough intervals. The writing for the voices and orchestra is -too close, and, in general the part writing does not move with -sufficient freedom. The concert room performance of selections from -operas is a great test of their absolute musical qualities, a test which -very few works can stand in part, and none altogether. For that reason -one cannot come to any very definite opinion of the 'Manru' music. The -rushing of the strings up and down the chromatic scale, the free use of -muted horns, of gong and cymbals struck with a drumstick, sound -theatrical in a concert room, but they might pass as effective in the -opera-house. And I should think Paderewski<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span> has musically caught the -atmosphere of the story. Certainly he has in the orchestral description -of Manru's dream, in which the memories of his love jostle with his -gypsy desire to wander free and untrammelled. The Gypsy March, with -which the scene ends, is also striking. In fact, all the music which has -a folk-song character is successful; and perhaps on the opera-stage the -second-hand Wagnerisms would not be so noticeable."</p> - -<p>The opera had previously been performed at the Metropolitan Opera House -in New York, on February 15, 1902. It had not been adequately rehearsed -although the principal singers—M. Bandrowsky (Manru), Mme. Sembrich -(Ulana), Miss Fritzi Scheff (Asa), Mr. David Bispham (Urok) and Herr -Muhlmann (Oros)—seem to have done their work well enough. Opinions as -to the merits of the opera were divided. The libretto was blamed for its -weaknesses, and Paderewski's Wagnerisms were duly impaled. After a third -performance, Mr. H. T. Finck was of opinion that "Manru" gained by being -heard repeatedly "While some of its melodies are so catchy that they can -be remembered at once, the orchestra score grows more and more<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span> -beautiful, and what is particularly odd is that the reminiscences of -other composers become less noticeable." The composer himself had a good -deal to say to an interviewer of the <i>New York Herald</i> on this question -of reminiscences in his opera.</p> - -<p>"In music absolute originality does not exist. It is the temperament of -the composer that makes his work. In method one cannot help but follow -those who have gone before. When a great genius like Wagner introduces a -method that will give better expression to an idea it is not only not a -sin to follow it, but it is a duty to follow it. In employing such a -method it concerns not so much the idea as its treatment in a musical -way. A piece of music must be built like a house or a church. You would -not accuse an architect of being a copyist if he put windows in a house, -would you? And yet he is merely doing what others have done. Likewise -when you read the works of the great poets, you would not accuse -Browning or Longfellow of plagiarism if they used the same style of -verse as some one else? Their thoughts you would consider and not so -much their method. Music, you see, is<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span> different from poetry. It appeals -to the ears. A sound, or a combination of sounds in a work that only -have to do with the method, may remind one of some other music, and the -whole is set down as not original. Let us look at the prelude to the -third Act in 'Manru.' That has been criticised. There is one run, a -little run, that reminds one of 'Die Walküre.' I knew it. I tried to -avoid it, but could not. Others heard it and they talk of the suggestion -from 'Die Walküre.' Yet the first theme is not the same. The second -theme is not the same, the orchestration is not the same. I defy any one -to show that anything except this one little run is borrowed. Yet for -this detail of method the prelude is condemned. If I were to make an -analysis, I could show a likeness in method among the greatest of -composers. For instance, look at Schumann's Concerto in A minor. The -first theme is taken almost wholly in method from Mendelssohn. And -Wagner, in his first period and even well into the second period, is not -entirely original. One may easily find the influence of Weber and then -of Meyerbeer. Beethoven was not free from the influence of other -masters, for, in his works,<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span> we often find the suggestion of Mozart. And -witness also the first concerto of Chopin. Is it not suggestive very -strongly of Hummel? And 'Carmen.' Can we not find here an enormous -influence exerted by Gounod? And it not only reminds you of Gounod, but -some of the themes, as sung, are taken wholly from Spanish music. The -'Habanero' is not even Bizet's, but in all the scores that are published -is shown to be taken from a composer who was alive when the opera was -written."</p> - -<p>The composer made out a good case, but he forgot that, as Weingartner -once pointed out, the most subtle form of musical imitation is that of -mood and style, and not necessarily of themes. However, "Manru" contains -sufficient originality to make the musical world look forward with -interest to the production of the new opera on which Paderewski has been -engaged. I had hoped that it would have been possible to round off this -estimate of the pianist as composer by a consideration of a symphony at -which he has been working. It was to have been performed at one of the -concerts of the London Symphony Orchestra<span class='pagenum'><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span> this season, but it was not -ready in time. This work together with the new opera, will enable the -musical world to come to a definite conclusion as to the place -Paderewski will occupy as a composer.</p> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Ignaz Jan Paderewski, by Edward Algernon Baughan - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IGNAZ JAN PADEREWSKI *** - -***** This file should be named 51365-h.htm or 51365-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/3/6/51365/ - -Produced by Donald Cummings, Bryan Ness, Martin Pettit and -the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at -http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images -generously made available by The Internet Archive/American -Libraries.) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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