Piano Mastery | Page 2

audience spellbound, for there were
other artists equally well equipped. In a final analysis it was doubtless
Paderewski's wonderful piano tone, so full of variety and color, so vital

with numberless gradations of light and shade, that charmed and
enthralled his listeners. It mattered to no one--save the critics--that he
frequently repeated the same works. What if we heard the Chromatic
Fantaisie a score of times? In his hands It became a veritable Soliloquy
on Life and Destiny, which each repetition invested with new meaning
and beauty. What player has ever surpassed his poetic conception of
Schumann's Papillons, or the Chopin Nocturnes, which he made
veritable dream poems of love and ecstasy. What listener has ever
forgotten the tremendous power and titanic effect of the Liszt
Rhapsodies, especially No. 2? When Paderewski first came to us, in the
flush of his young manhood, he taught us what a noble instrument the
piano really is in the hands of a consummate master. He showed us that
he could make the piano speak with the delicacy and power of a
Rubinstein, but with more technical correctness; he proved that he
could pierce our very soul with the intensity of his emotion, the
poignant, heart-searching quality of his tones, the poetry and beauty of
his interpretation.
Paderewski is known as composer and pianist, only rarely does he find
time to give instruction on his instrument. Mme. Antoinette
Szumowska, the Polish pianist and lecturer was at one time termed his
"only pupil." Mr. Sigismond Stojowski, the Polish composer, pianist
and teacher has also studied with him. Both can testify as to his value
as an instructor.
Mme. Szumowska says:
"Paderewski lays great stress on legato playing, and desires everything
to be studied slowly, with deep touch and with full, clear tone. For
developing strength he uses an exercise for which the hand is pressed
against the keyboard while the wrist remains very low and motionless
and each finger presses on a key, bringing, or drawing out as much tone
as possible.
"Paderewski advises studying scales and arpeggios with accents, for
instance, accenting every third note, thus enabling each finger in turn to
make the accent impulse: this will secure evenness of touch. Double
passages, such as double thirds and sixths, should be divided and each
half practised separately, with legato touch. Octaves should be
practised with loose wrists and staccato touch. As a preparatory study
practise with thumb alone. The thumb must always be kept curved,

with joints well rounded out; it should touch the keys with its tip, so as
to keep it on a level with the other fingers. Paderewski is very
particular about this point.
"It is difficult to speak of Paderewski's manner of teaching expression,
for here the ideas differ with each composer and with every
composition. As to tonal color, he requires all possible variety in tone
production. He likes strong contrasts, which are brought out, not only
by variety of touch but by skilful use of the pedals.
"My lessons with Paderewski were somewhat irregular. We worked
together whenever he came to Paris. Sometimes I did not see him for
several months, and then he would be in Paris for a number of weeks;
at such seasons we worked together very often. Frequently these
lessons, which were given in my cousin's house, began very late in the
evening--around ten o'clock--and lasted till midnight, or even till one in
the morning.
"Paderewski the teacher is as remarkable as Paderewski the pianist. He
is very painstaking; his remarks are clear and incisive: he often
illustrates by playing the passage in question, or the whole composition.
He takes infinite trouble to work out each detail and bring it to
perfection. He is very patient and sweet tempered, though he can
occasionally be a little sarcastic. He often grows very enthusiastic over
his teaching, and quite forgets the lapse of time. In general, however,
he does not care to teach, and naturally has little time for it."
* * * * *
Mr. Stojowski, when questioned in regard to his work with the Polish
pianist, said:
"Paderewski is a very remarkable teacher. There are teachers who
attempt to instruct pupils about what they do not understand, or cannot
do themselves: there are others who are able to do the thing, but are not
able to explain how they do it. Paderewski can both do it and explain
how it is done. He knows perfectly what effects he wishes to produce,
how they are to be produced, the causes which underlie and bring them
about; he can explain and demonstrate these to the pupil with the
greatest exactness and detail.
"As you justly remark the quality of tone and the variety of tonal
gradations are special qualities of Paderewski's playing. These must be
acquired by