material from the ,google ,print        
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-------------------      ,transcriber's 
,note3                                  
,inconsistent hyphenation in the        
original document has           been    
preserved4                              
,obvious typographical errors have been 
corrected4 ,for           a complete    
list1 please see the end of this        
document4                               
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-------------------         99       99 
99       99       99     ,,the          
,,pianolist     ,,the ,,pianolist  ,a   
,,guide ,,for ,,pianola ,,players  ,,by 
,,gustav ,,kobb  ,,author ,,of ,,how    
,,to ,,appreciate ,,music1 ,,etc4  ,,new
 ,,york ,,moffat1 ,,yard  ,,company     
#aijg     ,,copyright #aijg1 ,,by       
,,moffat1 ,,yard  ,,company ,,new ,,york
  ,published ,november1 #aijg   ,,press 
,,of ,,the ,,new ,,era ,,printing       

,,company ,,lancaster1 ,,pa     ,,to    
,,my ,,friend ,,joseph ,,hutchison      
,,stevenson     ,,contents   ,i4 ,,the  
,,title ,,and ,,purpose ,,of ,,this     
,,book                           #a     
,,ii4 ,,the ,,charm ,,of ,,playing ,a   
,,musical ,,instrument ,,yourself       
#aj  ,,iii4 ,,first ,,steps ,,of ,,the  
,,musical ,,novice                      
#ci  ,,iv4 ,,the ,,thrill ,,of ,,the    
,,great ,,masters                       
#hc  ,v4 ,,an ,,open ,,sesame ,,to      
,,chopin                                
#aag  ,,vi4 ,,notes ,,on ,,some ,,other 
,,masters                               
#ada  ,,vii4 ,,educational ,,factors    
#aej  ,,viii4 ,a ,,few ,,don',,ts ,,for 
,,pianolists                            
#aei     ,i4 ,,the ,,title ,,and        
,,purpose ,,of ,,this ,,book   ,my book1
 ,how to ,appreciate ,music1 in the     
chapter devoted to the pianoforte1      
contains a paragraph relating to the    
,pianola and its influence in           
popularizing music and stimulating      

musical taste4 ,i confess that before ,i
 started that paragraph ,i was puzzled  
to know what term to use in designating 
the instrument ,i had in mind4          
,mechanical piano-player is a           
designation which not only does not     
appeal to me1 but1 furthermore1 fails to
 do justice to the instrument1 which1   
although mechanical in its working1 is  
far from being mechanical in its        
effects4  ,the result8--,i took a cross 
cut and arrived straight at the word    
,pianola as being the name of the most  
widely known piano-player1 and happily  
derived from the name of the most widely
 known instrument1 the pianoforte or1 as
 it is more popularly termed1 the piano4
 ,for this reason the term ,pianola was 
used in the paragraph referred to and   
now is employed in this book2 and1 for  
the same reason1 this book is called    
,the ,pianolist4 ,it is believed to be  
the title least requiring explanation1  
if1 indeed1 it requires any explanation 
at all4 ,right here1 however1 ,i must   

add that the company which manufactures 
the ,pianola objects to the use of the  
word as a generic term4  ,so much for   
the title4 ,now for the purpose of this 
book4  ,soon after the publication of   
,how to ,appreciate ,music ,i discovered
 that the paragraph concerning this new 
musical instrument had made a hit4 ,it  
was widely quoted as evidence of the    
up-to-dateness of the book and ,i began 
to receive letters from pianola owners  
who were pleased that the merits of the 
instrument should have been recognized  
in a serious book on music4 ,among these
 was a letter from a ,mr4 ,harry ,mason1
 of ,detroit1 suggesting that ,i should 
write a book for the use of those who   
owned piano-players4 ,mr4 ,mason and    
myself never have met4 ,he knows me     
merely as an author of a book on music4 
,all ,i know of him is that he is one of
 the editors of a druggists' trade paper
 in ,detroit4 ,yet from him has come the
 suggestion which has led me to write   
this book1 although1 to judge from his  

letter1 he had not been deeply          
interested in music until he began to   
use a player and1 through it1 was led to
 ask for a book which would tell him1 in
 untechnical language1 something about  
an art that was beginning to have       
eloquence and meaning for him4 ,to me   
this is highly significant1 for there   
must be thousands of others like him all
 over the country1 to whom1 in the same 
way1 the great awakening just is coming 
through the pianola--at first a means of
 amusement1 then an educator with the   
element of amusement1 but of a higher   
order1 left in6  ,shortly after ,i      
received ,mr4 ,mason's letter an        
incident added greatly to the force of  
his suggestion4 ,i always have been very
 fond of ,schubert's ,rosamunde         
impromptu4 ,the first person ,i heard   
play it publicly was ,annette ,essipoff1
 a ,russian pianist and one of the very 
few great women pianists of the world4  
,frequently ,i have heard it since then1
 but never so charmingly interpreted    

excepting--,but that is the most        
interesting part of the story4  ,one    
night ,i was at my desk in my study1    
when1 suddenly1 ,i heard the strains of 
this impromptu1 which is an air with    
variations1 from the direction of the   
drawing room4 ,it was sweet and tender1 
graceful and expressive1 according to   
the character of the variations2 and1   
when the last variation began with a    
crispness and delicacy that made me     
wonder what great virtuoso was at my    
pianoforte without my knowing it1 ,i    
hurried to the drawing room and1        
entering it--found my fourteen year old 
daughter seated at a pianola4 ,the      
instrument had arrived only a short time
 before from the house of a friend who  
had gone ,south for the winter4 ,my     
daughter never had had a music lesson1  
never had heard ,schubert's ,rosamunde  
impromptu4 ,yet she had1 without any    
effort1 been the first to take me back  
to ,essipoff's playing of ,schubert's   
charming work6 ,it would have been      

ludicrous had it not meant so much4 ,in 
fact it was ludicrous because1 a few    
days before1 when the instrument had    
just been delivered and set up1 ,i had  
been deceived in much the same manner by
 her playing of a composition by ,grieg4
  ,but to return to the ,schubert       
impromptu4 ,essipoff1 my young daughter1
 the associate editor of a druggist'    
paper in ,detroit1 and myself2 the first
 a great virtuoso1 the second a         
schoolgirl1 the third a writer on a     
trade paper1 the fourth a music         
critic--what a leveller of distinctions1
 what a universal musical provider the  
pianola is6 ,ten years ago the virtuoso 
and the music critic would have been the
 only ones concerned4 ,the schoolgirl   
and the trade paper editor wouldn't have
 been in it4 ,now1 the schoolgirl was   
playing like a virtuoso and the writer  
on drugs and druggists was giving hints 
to the music critic4 ,a great leveller1 
placing the musical elect and those who 
formerly would have had to remain       

outside the pale1 on a common footing6  
,this may not always appeal to the      
musical elect1 but think what it means  
to the great mass of those who are      
genuinely musical but have lacked the   
opportunity for musical study or to     
those whose taste for music never has   
been brought out4  ,to paraphrase a few 
sentences from my ,how to ,appreciate   
,music that have been much quoted3--    
',are you musical8'  ',no1' nine persons
 out of ten will reply2 ',i neither play
 nor sing4'  ',your answer shows a      
complete misunderstanding of the case4  
,because you neither play nor sing1 it  
by no means follows that you are        
unmusical4 ,if you love music and       
appreciate it1 you may be more musical  
than many pianists and singers2 or      
latent within you and only awaiting the 
touchstone of music there may be a      
deeper love and appreciation of the art 
than can be attributed to many          
virtuosos4 ,for most of a virtuoso's    
love and appreciation is apt to be      

centered upon himself4 ,and when you    
say1 ',i cannot play1' you are mistaken4
 ,you are thinking of the pianoforte4   
,you may not be able to play that4 ,but 
you or any one else can play the        
pianola1 and that instantly places at   
your command all the technical resources
 of which even the greatest virtuosos   
can boast4  ,one purpose of this book   
thus is to bring home to people an      
appreciation of what this modern        
instrument is1 whether it is regarded as
 a toy with which the business man      
amuses himself with two-steps and       
ragtime after business hours1 or as a   
serious musical instrument4  ,another   
purpose1 and a large one1 is to furnish 
pianolists with a guide to the music    
which they play1 or might play if their 
attention were directed to it and to    
some of its characteristics1 and to     
point out the importance of the         
instrument in developing a love of good 
music4  ,i also have in writing this    
book a purpose which ,i may describe as 

personal4 ,i believe ,i was the first   
,american to publish an analysis of the 
,wagner music dramas that seemed to be  
what the public wanted1 and the first to
 contribute to a magazine of general    
circulation an article on ,richard      
,strauss4 ,it is a matter of pride with 
me always to be found on the firing     
line--even if it is the privilege of    
those who watch the battle from a safe  
distance to dictate the despatches and  
take the credit for the result to       
themselves4 ,and so1 ,i wish to be the  
first to write a book on the pianola1 an
 instrument of such importance to the   
progress and popular spread of music    
that1 at the present time1 we can have  
but a faint glimmering of the great part
 it is destined to play4     ,,ii4 ,,the
 ,,charm ,,of ,,playing ,a ,,musical    
,,instrument ,,yourself   ,how ,i wish  
,i could play like that6 ,what is more  
common than this exclamation from people
 who are listening to a great virtuoso  
or even only to a fairly clever amateur8

 ,they realize that1 no matter how much 
they may enjoy a performance1 there is  
much greater fascination in being the   
performer4 ,not a musical person but    
would play if he could4 ,why1 however1  
that if8 ,it no longer exists4 ,it has  
been eliminated4 ,the charm1 the        
fascination of playing a musical        
instrument yourself can be yours1 and   
the only if to it is--if you have       
intelligence enough to appreciate what  
that means4  ,what formerly was an      
insuperable obstacle1 the lack of       
technical facility--the real inability  
to play--absolutely has been done away  
with4 ,there is no excuse for anybody's 
not playing who wants to4 ,the pianola  
furnishes the technique1 the dexterity1 
the finger facility1 or whatever you may
 choose to call it4 ,so far as this is  
concerned the instrument itself makes   
you a virtuoso--places you on a par with
 a ,liszt1 ,paderewski or ,rosenthal4   
,it does so mechanically1 yet without   
the sharpness and insistent preciseness 

of a machine4 ,its action is pneumatic  
and the effect of the compressed air is 
to impart to its touch--the manner in   
which its fingers strike the keys--an   
elasticity which at least is comparable 
with the touch of human fingers4 ,as a  
friend of mine1 a lawyer1 who has owned 
three pianolas and who actually has been
 made musical through them1 expresses   
it3--,when you've got a mechanical      
device as good or nearly as good as a   
virtuoso1 you've got something of       
enormous importance to the whole world4 
,and so you have4  ,i find a great      
feature of the so-called mechanical     
piano-player lies in what it allows you 
to do yourself4 ,it provides you with   
technique1 but1 to use a colloquial     
phrase1 you can still call your soul    
your own4 ,the technique1 the substitute
 for that finger facility which only    
years of practice will give1 is the     
pianola's2 but the interpretation is    
yours6 ,the instrument provides the     
devices for accelerating or retarding   

the time and for making the tone loud or
 soft1 but when to whip up the time or  
to slow down1 when to use the sustaining
 or the soft lever or when to swell     
through a crescendo from pianissimo to  
fortissimo--all that is left to your own
 taste1 judgment and discretion4 ,there 
is1 indeed1 among the improvements      
introduced in the pianola a contrivance1
 of which more hereafter1 by which      
complete directions are given for the   
interpretation of the roll of music that
 is being played4 ,these directions1    
however1 are not compulsory4 ,they are1 
in each instance1 based on high         
authority and are of great value even to
 persons who are thoroughly familiar    
with the music1 but they need not be    
followed if the player does not want to 
follow them4 ,he is likely in the       
beginning to accept the directions1 the 
so-called metrostyle marking1 as he     
would the instruction of a high class   
teacher1 while1 later on1 he may incline
 to regard the metrostyle as indicating 

the general spirit in which the piece   
should be interpreted1 but vary it in   
detail as his mood or fancy dictates4   
,the metrostyle may1 in fact1 be called 
the pianolist's coach1 giving him the   
kind of hints and directions which even 
the greatest players and singers value4 
,something1 however1 of the pianolist   
himself1 something of his own thought   
and feeling goes into every             
interpretation4 ,that this is so is     
proved by the fact that no two          
pianolists interpret the same           
composition alike4 ,there are           
differences1 more or less marked1 just  
as there are when the same piece is     
played by two pianists4 ,in the broader 
outlines1 in general spirit1 the        
interpretations may be the same1 but    
they will be distinguished by subtle    
shadings that indicate temperamental    
differences4 ,the perspective of a      
landscape varies when viewed from       
different windows2 so does life when    
observed from different points of view2 

so does the interpretation of a         
composition when played by different    
people on the pianola4  ,were the       
instrument purely a mechanical device to
 wind up and set going1 the artistic    
results of which it is capable never    
would have been obtained1 and1 ,i may   
add1 this book never would have been    
written4 ,the fact that artistic        
expression instead of machine-like      
precision has been its aim is what has  
caused its possibilities as a musical   
instrument to appeal to me4 ,it cannot  
be sufficiently urged that in this      
country1 as in every other1 there is an 
immense amount of latent musical taste  
awaiting only the touchstone of hearing 
music or1 better still1 the fascination 
of personally producing music1 to assert
 itself4 ,before the invention of the   
piano-player hearing music was the only 
touchstone2 through the piano-player    
there is added the fascination of being 
yourself a participator in producing the
 music you hear4 ,when ,theodore ,thomas

 said ,nothing so awakens interest in   
music as helping to make it1 he hit the 
nail on the head4 ,after playing all    
this music ,i want to go to concerts    
next winter4 ,i'd like to hear how the  
',fifth ,symphony' sounds on the        
orchestra1 said my little girl after the
 pianola had been in the house only a   
week4 ,all this music8 ,yes indeed4     
,more than she could have become        
familiar with in six months'            
concert-going and instruction4 ,and we  
always had said that she wasn't musical6
  ,this fascination of personally       
producing music is such a great factor  
in the spread of musical taste that it  
is well worth looking into further4     
,there always is more pleasure in doing 
something than in watching some one else
 do it4 ,take the average amateurs who  
get together for music4 ,they enjoy what
 they play a thousand-fold more than if 
they were listening to the greatest     
virtuosos playing the same program4     
,why8 ,because always there is more     

satisfaction in doing the thing itself  
than merely in contemplating the result 
of what some one else is doing4 ,and so1
 with music1 to experience the full     
fascination the divine art can exercise 
on us mortals1 we must take an active   
part in the making of it4 ,through the  
pianola the opportunity of taking an    
active part in the making of it is open 
to everybody4 ,remember what my friend  
said4 ,it is worth repeating4 ,when     
you've got a mechanical device as good1 
or nearly as good as a virtuoso1 you've 
got something of enormous importance to 
the whole world4 ,mechanical1 remember1 
only in a certain sense4 ,were it wholly
 mechanical it never could be as good1  
or nearly as good1 as a virtuoso4  ,now 
let us see how this personal affiliation
 of pianola and pianolist1 of instrument
 and player1 has been worked out1 so    
that the player is not a mere human     
treadmill pumping air into a cabinet on 
castors1 but--whether he be a lawyer1   
merchant1 financier1 dressmaker1        

milliner1 or society leader2 one of the 
,four ,hundred or one of the eighty     
million--a musical artist with an       
unlimited repertory4  ,the pianoforte is
 the most universal musical instrument  
of the civilized world4 ,i once turned  
the old question1 ,what is home without 
a mother1 into ,what is home without a  
pianoforte8 ,practically no household   
that makes claim to refinement is       
without one4 ,only too often1 however1  
even in such homes1 it is merely an     
article of drawing room furniture1      
because no member of the household can  
play it4 ,there it stands waiting for   
the chance visitor who can strike the   
keys and make the strings vibrate with  
music4  ,imagine that you are a member  
or let us say the head of that          
household4 ,you can't play a note and   
yet you are fond of music4 ,this        
fondness for music manifests itself in  
different degree in different people and
 somewhat according to their            
opportunities4 ,you may be a hardworking

 business man and when you come home    
from business1 you want diversion1      
amusement4 ,for some one to suggest a   
classical concert to you would make you 
feel like being asked to begin the day's
 work all over again without a night's  
rest in between4 ,as for ,wagner1 that  
would be worse than straightening out an
 intricate account after a day spent in 
poring over a ledger4 ,no4 ,music       
without any tune to it may be all right 
for some people1 but comic opera is good
 enough for you4 ,you like that coon    
song you heard the other night4 ,how you
 would enjoy playing it on the          
pianoforte if you only knew how6 ,but   
you don't1 so you have to pay a         
speculator three dollars for a seat if  
you want to hear it again4  ,suppose the
 days of miracles weren't past and1 by  
some miracle1 you suddenly found        
yourself in command of the technique of 
the pianoforte--able to play whatever   
you wanted to4 ,you'd buy that coon song
 and some other pieces of light music1  

and then you'd hurry home to your       
pianoforte and play them off as fast as 
you could1 while the family stood around
 and listened and marvelled4  ,that is  
precisely the miracle the pianola       
performs for you4 ,it gives you1 from   
the moment it enters your house1 control
 over the keyboard of the pianoforte    
that so long has stood mute in your     
home4 ,all you have to do is to put in  
the perforated music roll1 work the     
pedals--and the music begins4 ,supposing
 it is that coon song from the comic    
opera you liked so much4 ,the first time
 you play it1 you may be so interested  
in the instrument's accurate            
reproduction of the tune that you don't 
stop to think of the expression4 ,the   
chances are1 however1 that your delight 
over what you have accomplished will    
lead you to play the song right over    
again4 ,now you begin to realize that   
there was something more than mere      
accuracy in the delivery of the melody  
when you heard it at the theatre4 ,there

 was interpretation1 that something     
which the individual artist puts into   
everything he does4 ,you will recall    
that while the piece was taken pretty   
fast as a whole1 some phrases were taken
 faster1 others more slowly4 ,you have  
been told that by moving a little lever 
to the right or left1 you can produce   
these effects4 ,you try it4 ,when you   
come to a phrase that should be taken a 
little faster1 you move the lever       
slightly to the right--and the          
pianoforte responds4 ,it is the same    
when you move the lever to the left for 
the slower phrases--the pianoforte      
responds and the phrase is retarded4    
,two other levers control the volume of 
sound so that you can play any part of  
the piece louder or softer if you want  
to4 ,it is not at all unlikely that you 
may vary these details to suit yourself1
 instead of simply being guided by your 
recollection of what you heard at the   
theatre4 ,in a word you yourself become 
on the spot an interpreter of music1 put

 something of yourself into what you    
play4 ,the instrument instead of being  
merely a machine that grinds out music  
is a machine only in so far as it takes 
the place of technique1 of finger       
facility4 ,the expression1 the real     
interpretation1 that which gives one the
 fascination of playing1 is your own4   
,that's your first experience with the  
instrument4 ,pretty soon you are apt to 
have another experience that is even    
more valuable4 ,you stocked up pretty   
well with the music of the day1 the     
current ,broadway comic opera and       
musical comedy successes4 ,gradually1   
however1 that pet coon song of yours    
will begin to pall on you a little4 ,the
 very jingle to the tune that made it   
catch your fancy so quickly causes you  
to tire of it1 and so it goes with the  
other pieces whose rhythm is so marked  
and continued with such great precision 
and whose tunefulness was so obvious    
that they made an instantaneous         
impression upon your musically untrained

 sense of hearing4 ,you are beginning to
 find out what any one who is trained in
 any art is bound to discover sooner or 
later4 ,the things most easily          
understood are not apt to give the most 
lasting pleasure4 ,some one suggests to 
you that you try one of the lighter     
classical pieces4 ,you don't like that  
word classical1 it suggest heaviness1   
lack of tunefulness1 the kind of thing  
that may be all right for some people1  
but never1 you think1 would suit you4   
,at last1 however1 you yield4 ,you      
inquire for something of the kind and   
are advised to try ,mendelssohn's       
,spring ,song4 ,much to your surprise   
you don't find it heavy at all4 ,in fact
 you recall once having heard it played 
between the acts in a theatre and having
 thought it rather pretty4 ,its rhythm  
isn't as persistently emphatic as that  
of ragtime1 nor does its melody stand   
out in such sharp relief1 but instead of
 wearying you on repetition1 you like it
 better every time you play it4         

,encouraged by this experience you next 
purchase the same composer's ,spinning  
,song4 ,this may not appeal to you so   
much at first4 ,it seems to run along   
very rapidly without any very clearly   
defined melody4 ,still1 it is by the    
same composer as the ,spring ,song1 so  
it may be worth trying over again4 ,it  
is more familiar now1 and you begin to  
associate the rapid1 whirring phrases   
with its title--with the idea of        
spinning4 ,how clear it suddenly        
becomes4 ,you even conjure up in your   
mind the picture of some young woman in 
quaint garb seated at a spinning wheel  
in an old-fashioned room--and you find  
yourself experiencing all the pleasure  
that comes from association of ideas1   
the keenest enjoyment that art affords4 
,you are making rapid progress now1 so  
rapid that it is as impossible as       
unnecessary to follow you step by step4 
,the main point is that you are becoming
 truly musical and at the same time     
enjoying it4 ,what might be all right   

for some people has become all right for
 you too4 ,you have been repaid a       
thousand-fold for the little effort it  
cost you to discover through the gradual
 development of a taste that had lain   
dormant1 the kind of music that lasts4  
,the same thing is true of your whole   
family4 ,it has become musical1 and in  
an incredibly short space of time4 ,the 
pianola has done it1 and done the same  
thing in thousands of other cases4  ,now
 take the case of some one whose musical
 taste1 to begin with1 is more advanced4
 ,supposing that1 instead of having had 
your musical horizon bounded by coon    
songs and comic operas1 you were an     
attendant at orchestral concerts1 song  
and pianoforte recitals and grand opera4
 ,you are a genuine music lover1        
genuinely musical1 but you can't play4  
,you long to reproduce and express at   
home the music you have heard elsewhere4
 ,if only1 after hearing ,paderewski    
play your favorite ,chopin nocturne1    
which1 as with so many other music      

lovers1 is the exquisite one in ,g      
major1 ,opus #cg1 ,no4 #b1 you could go 
to your own pianoforte and play it6 ,you
 think it is one of the most beautiful  
compositions in the whole repertory1 and
 of all pianists whom you have heard1   
,paderewski1 in your opinion1 plays it  
better than any other4 ,there are pieces
 that sound more difficult and you have 
been told that it doesn't call for      
advanced technique as much as it does   
for soul4 ,that is what your favorite   
virtuoso seems to you to put into       
it--soul1 his own soul1 interpreting    
himself1 unconsciously expressing his   
own thoughts and feelings1 through those
 of the composer4 ,that is what you are 
convinced you could do1 if only you knew
 how to play2 for you are musical1 very 
musical1 almost1 in fact1 to your finger
 tips4 ,but these1 alas1 never have been
 trained to command the keyboard4 ,you  
are getting along well in business1     
making money and all that2 and yet you  
look upon your life as half a failure   

because1 although you have the          
temperament artistic1 you are unable to 
gratify fully your passion for music4   
,you can listen1 but you can't play4    
,you can hear ,paderewski interpret your
 favorite nocturne1 but you can't go    
home to your own pianoforte and let your
 fingers conjure up memories of it on   
the keyboard4 ,you have a beautiful     
pianoforte in your house--for the use of
 others4 ,you'd be willing to mortgage  
half your income for life1 if you could 
learn to play it yourself4 ,but it's too
 late for that now4 ,so you think4  ,but
 one day you drop in at a friend's house
 and from the drawing room come strains 
of your favorite ,chopin nocturne4      
,something about it reminds you of the  
way ,paderewski plays it4 ,who can it   
be8 ,you know that your friend doesn't  
play the pianoforte4 ,but1 as you stand 
in the doorway1 hesitating whether to go
 in or not1 it is he who looks out at   
you from behind the instrument and nods 
to you to come in4 ,you drop into a     

chair and listen and wonder4 ,the       
nocturne comes to an end1 your friend   
rises1 greets your wondering look with a
 smile1 and meets your amazed query with
 one word3 ,pianola6  ,it sounded like  
,paderewski1 you stammer in a dazed sort
 of way4  ,why shouldn't it8            
,practically1 ,i have been taught how to
 play it by that great artist4 ,he takes
 out the roll and brings it over for you
 to look at4 ,on it you see1 reproduced 
in facsimile this autographed           
certification3      ,the line on this   
roll indicates the tempo according to my
     interpretation4                    
,i4,j4 ,paderewski4  ,the roll1 as the  
expression goes1 has been metrostyled by
 the virtuoso himself4  ,i didn't know  
you had one of these instruments4 ,why  
haven't you told me8--,how long have you
 had it8  ,about a week1 he answers4    
,and you can make it sound like that8   
,of course ,i can4 ,nothing easier4     
,just stand behind me and watch4  ,he   
replaces the music roll and1 as he      

pedals and it unrolls1 he shows you how 
easy it is with the metrostyle to follow
 the red line marked by ,paderewski to  
indicate how he plays the piece4        
,according to my idea1 continues your   
friend1 he plays some parts of the      
second melody a little too slowly--makes
 it too sentimental1 instead of         
poetically expressive4 ,you may observe 
that ,i don't always follow the line4   
,that's one of the great things about   
the instrument4 ,you can profit by the  
directions just as much as you want to1 
but you can disregard them whenever you 
have a mind to4 ,it may seem            
presumptuous to differ1 even in a small 
detail1 from a great virtuoso like      
,paderewski1 but every virtuoso has his 
idiosyncrasies and we1 who1 after all1  
have been listening to music all our    
lives and have heard all the great      
pianists from ,rubinstein to ',paddy'   
himself and all the women pianists from 
,essipoff to ,bloomfield-,zeisler1 are  
entitled to some ideas of our own4 ,as  

,i just said1 one of the great things   
about the instrument is that it allows  
us this latitude4 ,i call it a cinch6   
,now here's something else4 ,we know    
,richard ,strauss' big tone poems1 the  
biggest things in music since ,wagner4  
,but did you know that he's written some
 charming little pieces for pianoforte8 
,just listen to this4 ,it's a           
',trumerei' or ',revery1' a delicious   
little dreamy improvisation4 ,he        
'metrostyled' it himself and1 as ,i've  
never heard anyone play it1 ,i'm only   
too glad to have his directions4 ,they  
give you the general hang of the thing  
'right off the reel1' so to speak4 ,but 
later on1 when ,i become more familiar  
with it1 if ,i want to vary the         
interpretation according to my own mood 
of the moment1 ,i can4 ,it's a great    
thing1 though1 to find out how famous   
living composers1 like ,richard         
,strauss1 ,grieg--here are a couple of  
rolls from his ',peer ,gynt' suite      
metrostyled by himself--,saint-,sans1   

,elgar1 or even composers of first rate 
lighter music1 like ,moszkowski and     
,chaminade1 conceive that they want to  
have their works interpreted2 or how    
great virtuosos1 like ,paderewski1      
,rosenthal and other pianists1 play     
them2 or gifted instructors in music1   
like ,carl ,reinecke1 would have them   
performed4 ,it's like taking lessons in 
interpretation from these people4       
,there's another matter that will       
interest you4 ,take pieces like         
,rubinstein's ',melody in ,f' or the    
best known selection from his           
',kammenoi1 ,ostrow1' where the melody  
lies1 in the former in between the      
accompaniment1 in the latter below      
it--you recall1 of course1 how the      
accompanying figure hovers above it4 ,in
 pieces like these it is important that 
the melodic line should be clearly      
distinguished1 otherwise it will be     
smothered4 ,fortunately an attachment to
 the instrument1 the themodist1 enables 
you to bring out the melody and1 at the 

same time does not prevent your         
retarding or accelerating the general   
movement of the piece or of varying the 
volume of sound as much as you like4    
,while ,i've had the instrument only a  
little while1 ,i've been struck with    
something else4 ,i find that you can    
accomplish a good deal through what ,i  
may call 'foot-technique1' varying the  
degree of strength with which you use   
the pedals that pump in the air4 ,by    
this means you can play louder or softer
 at will and by a sharp pressure        
emphasize individual chords and phrases4
 ,this1 ,i find1 makes the              
interpretation seem more personal than  
when ,i use the sustaining and soft     
levers alone4 ,altogether ,i'm beginning
 to look upon myself as a virtuoso1 and 
the best thing you can do1 old man1 is  
to take my advice and become one too4   
,fortunately you are musical enough and 
intelligent enough to appreciate the    
philosophy and significance of the      
instrument--that it supplies what you   

haven't got1 the technique1 but that you
 give it the expression1 the soul2 that 
although it is not a pianoforte1 but an 
attachment to that instrument1          
nevertheless1 in playing it1 you express
 something of yourself1 something of    
your inner being1 something of your     
higher artistic nature through it4      
,there is a large class of people to    
whom the piano-player is or should be a 
great boon4 ,i mean those who play the  
pianoforte1 but not well enough to play 
publicly or professionally4 ,to this    
class belong the thousands of music     
teachers and the amateurs4 ,the majority
 of them may be more truly musical than 
many of the virtuoso pianists1 but they 
are lacking in technique4 ,for the      
technical standard is growing higher    
every year4 ,comparatively few music    
teachers have much opportunity of       
hearing music1 the result being that    
they find it difficult to keep up with  
the times4 ,they become old-fashioned1  
and in these progressive days to become 

old-fashioned means to be forced to drop
 out4 ,they lack the technique to run   
through the modern repertoire1 and the  
time to hear others in it4 ,it hardly is
 necessary to point out what the        
pianola1 which gives them complete      
technical mastery of the keyboard1      
should be to them4  ,as regards the     
amateur ,i can cite my own case as an   
example4 ,i had progressed on the       
pianoforte until ,i was able to play    
,liszt's arrangement of the ,spinning   
,song from ,wagner's ,flying ,dutchman4 
,it is a difficult piece1 but there is a
 great deal of pianoforte music that is 
more difficult and that was entirely    
beyond me4 ,moreover the fact that ,i   
was able to play this composition after 
much assiduous practice1 did not mean   
that ,i could play equally difficult or 
even considerably less difficult music  
with ease by sight4 ,the repertoire of  
even the best amateur is apt to be a    
small one4 ,he gains his general        
knowledge of music from what he hears4  

,with me1 in time1 as with so many      
amateurs1 pianoforte playing had to     
yield first place to my regular work4 ,i
 took up writing and that became        
paramount4 ,i began to lose my          
pianoforte technique1 and ,i should not 
like to say how many years it is since  
,i lost the ability to play ,liszt's    
arrangement of the ,spinning ,song from 
the ,the ,flying ,dutchman1 the         
,butterfly etude of ,chopin and other   
works that ,i had had at my fingers'    
ends4 ,often1 when ,i went to pianoforte
 recitals and heard these compositions  
played1 ,i grieved over what ,i had     
lost--through sacrificing the pianoforte
 to the pen4  ,i grieve no longer4 ,i   
have acquired a perfect technique1 the  
technique of a great virtuoso--through  
the pianola4 ,it is a key that has      
unlocked for me the whole repertory of  
music4 ,with it ,i can play the most    
difficult work ever written as easily as
 ,i can a five-finger exercise4 ,it     
gives me the technique1 but all that is 

summed up in the one word expression1 ,i
 am at liberty to put into the music    
myself4  ,in the whole world there are  
perhaps two1 at the most three          
pianoforte virtuosos who really deserve 
to be called great4 ,to listen to them  
is the acme of musical delight4 ,but    
right next to this comes the performance
 of any musical person1 whether a child 
or grown up1 on the pianola4 ,it is     
better than the playing of any virtuoso 
not absolutely of the very first rank1  
and infinitely preferable to the playing
 of the most gifted amateur1 while the  
performance of the average amateur      
almost is juvenile compared with it4    
,moreover there are pieces of which the 
,liszt ,campanella1 the ,mendelssohn    
,rondo ,capriccioso and the ,rosamunde  
impromptu of ,schubert1 are examples1   
that1 when played on the pianola by a   
musical person1 sound just as well as if
 they came from under the fingers of the
 greatest living virtuoso--possibly     
better4  ,these are not dreams1 they are

 facts2 and discoverable in due time by 
everyone who is made musical through the
 instrument of which ,i am writing2 and1
 in an incredibly short time by any one1
 already musical1 who takes it up4      
,moreover they are facts readily        
susceptible of explanation1 and here it 
is3--,all technical difficulties being  
eliminated by the pianola1 the player is
 free to give his whole attention to    
interpretation1 to that subtle something
 which we call expression1 and which    
constitutes the supreme quality of a    
musical performance4     ,,iii4 ,,first 
,,steps ,,of ,,the ,,musical ,,novice   
,i confess that when ,i first thought of
 writing this book my intention was to  
plan it somewhat on the same lines as   
the usual ,how to ,listen to ,music     
book1 but to make it somewhat simpler4  
,as the catalogue of pianola music      
includes everything from ,bach to       
,richard ,strauss it seemed to me that  
it would be easy to give the reader a   
course in musical development1 beginning

 with the simpler pieces of ,bach1 like 
the bourres and gavottes2 then taking up
 the sonatas of ,mozart and ,beethoven2 
the compositions of the romantic school 
from ,schubert to ,chopin2 and ending   
with the modern school of ,wagner1      
,liszt and ,richard ,strauss--in other  
words giving a survey of the whole      
evolution of music4  ,this would        
coincide with the ordinary course of    
musical instruction1 which naturally    
ranges from what are considered the     
easier and simpler pieces to the more   
difficult ones1 early music being less  
complicated and making less demand upon 
the player's technique than music of the
 present day4 ,but ,i had forgotten one 
important point which is1 that on the   
pianola nothing is difficult1 that with 
this modern instrument the question of  
difficulty entirely disappears1 and that
 the most hair-raising1 breath-catching 
exploits of virtuosity are as easy for  
the pianolist as the most commonplace   
five-finger exercises are for the       

pianist4 ,in other words1 the pianolist 
can approach music from a wholly new    
standpoint4 ,for him music exists simply
 as music4 ,its history1 its evolution1 
which latter after all is a matter      
purely technical1 need not concern him  
at all4  ,i was brought to this view by 
a rather startling discovery4 ,i think  
it will seem equally startling to any   
one who has studied music in the usual  
way--the laborious technical development
 involved in acquiring the mastery of a 
musical instrument1 generally the       
pianoforte4 ,in discussing ,chopin's    
,etude in ,a flat1 ,op4 #aj1 ,no4 #aj1  
one of the greatest virtuosos of his    
day1 ,hans van ,blow1 said that he who  
can play this study in a really finished
 manner may congratulate himself on     
having climbed to the highest pinnacle  
of the pianist's ,parnassus1 as it is   
perhaps the most difficult piece of the 
entire set4 ,the whole repertory of     
piano music does not contain a study of 
perpetual movement so full of genius and

 fancy as this particular one is        
universally acknowledged to be1         
excepting perhaps ,liszt's ',feux       
,follets' 7,will-o'-the wisps74 ,in     
looking over the catalogue of music for 
the mechanical piano-player ,i find that
 this immensely difficult study by      
,liszt1 so difficult that ,von ,blow    
classes it with the ,chopin study1 the  
highest pinnacle of the pianist's       
,parnassus1 is listed with the popular  
pieces4 ,thus a composition which taxes 
the resources of the greatest virtuosos 
to the utmost and which few if any      
amateurs can play at all1 presents no   
difficulties whatsoever to the pianolist
 and actually becomes popular4 ,the same
 thing is true of the ,liszt ,bell      
,rondo 7,la ,campanella74 ,this         
delicate1 dainty yet immensely difficult
 work1 which most amateurs know only    
from hearing it played in pianoforte    
recitals because they themselves can do 
no more than stumble through it1 is1    
like the ,feux ,follets1 a popular piece

 in the repertory of the pianolist4     
,such an astounding result is possible  
only upon the pianola which absolutely  
eliminates all technical difficulties   
and leaves the player free to select his
 music without regard to such           
difficulties4  ,another matter connected
 with the pianolist's repertory opens up
 a field for speculation into which1    
fortunately1 it is quite possible for   
the layman to follow the musician and to
 appreciate the point ,i wish to make4  
,as many purchasers of pianolas are     
people who never have received musical  
instruction1 it might be supposed that  
the most popular selections for the     
instrument would be either bits of      
musical slang like twosteps and ragtime1
 or1 at the best1 simple pieces in the  
recognized classical forms4 ,but the    
result of the spread of musical taste   
through this new instrument is wholly   
different and wholly novel from the     
standpoint of conventional musical      
experience4 ,the public1 the great      

musical public created by an instrument 
which does away with all considerations 
of technique and leaves the player free 
to select what he wants to play1 no     
matter how difficult it may be when     
played on the pianoforte1 sweeps aside  
all conventions which learned           
commentators1 critics and writers on the
 history and evolution of music have    
sought to establish and in fact have    
succeeded in establishing for those who 
have been obliged to study music in the 
ordinary way1 and boldly selects as     
first choice from the vast array of     
compositions ,liszt's ,rhapsodie        
,hongroise ,no4 #b1 with the ,tannhuser 
overture of ,wagner a close second4 ,in 
other words the musical public when left
 to itself and not led--or led          
astray--by pedants begins at the right  
end of musical evolution which is the   
end1 the supreme efflorescence1 and not 
the beginning4 ,conceding that the      
evolution of the human race began with  
the monkey and ends with ourselves1 it  

may be said1 metaphorically1 that the   
musical public1 when left to itself1    
declines to monkey with the monkey1 but 
at once proceeds to pluck the full      
flower of evolution1 the human4 ,for if 
any musical compositions are human      
documents that term is applicable to the
 ,second ,rhapsody and to the ,tannhuser
 overture4 ,each tells a vivid story and
 tells it according to the canons of    
art1 life and truth4 ,the unfortunate   
student of music1 shackled by           
instruction that aims mainly at teaching
 him how to play an instrument and      
ignores the higher side of art1 plods   
through the classical repertory until he
 gets an idea that music consists of    
nothing but symphonies and sonatas1     
which is as absurd as it would be to say
 that poetry consists of nothing but    
sonnets1 whereas a couple of dozen good 
sonnets are enough for the literature of
 any language4  ,indeed1 while          
instruction in the other arts steadily  
is being modernized and steadily aims to

 familiarize the student with their     
higher aspects1 little progress has been
 made in the teaching of music4 ,it     
still is in a state comparable only with
 that which existed in the teaching of  
languages when instruction in these was 
given according to the system of        
,ollendorf1 with its series of foolish  
questions and answers3--  ,is this the  
sword of the grandfather8  ,no1 it is   
the false curl of the grandmother4  ,a  
five finger exercise1 or an             
old-fashioned technical study with its  
dry little theme in the treble and its  
foolish little answer in the bass1      
always suggests to me something along   
the lines of the ,ollendorfian          
phraseology3--  ,is this musical phrase 
beautiful8  ,no1 but it is great for    
limbering up the little finger4  ,often 
since giving thought to the new         
instrument which wholly eliminates the  
question of technique from pianoforte   
playing1 ,i have wondered if the        
importance attached to limbering up the 

little finger has not given us a wrong  
musical perspective2 whether            
compositions musically of little value  
have not assumed enormous importance in 
the curriculum and been retained there1 
because they developed finger facility  
in certain directions4 ,for example to a
 pianist the ,school of ,velocity by    
,czerny and the ,gradus ad ,parnassum by
 ,clementi1 two series of famous        
technical studies1 mean everything4 ,to 
the pianolist they mean nothing--need   
mean nothing4 ,as for the ,school of    
,velocity he can by simply moving the   
tempo lever to the right make the       
pianola play so fast that1 if old       
,czerny still were alive1 he would lose 
his breath listening to it4 ,as for the 
,gradus ad ,parnassum1 the difficulties 
which ,clementi piled up in the         
pianist's path1 the pianolist overleaps 
as lightly and casually as if wholly    
unaware of their existence4 ,he may     
never have heard of these technical     
works yet1 if he has natural musical    

instinct or has developed it through the
 piano-player1 he will be as correct in 
his judgment of what to play and how to 
play it1 as if he had devoted his whole 
life to an arduous study of pianoforte  
technique4 ,the pianolist's experience  
with music is wholly musical1 while the 
pianist's is largely technical4 ,for    
observe1 that while a music teacher     
often selects a piece for his pupil1 not
 so much because it is beautiful but    
because it follows up and supplements   
the technical exercise which the pupil  
has been practicing1 the pianolist's    
point of view in choosing his repertory 
is not obscured by any consideration of 
this kind4 ,scratch a ,russian and you  
find a ,tartar2 scratch musical         
instruction of the average kind and you 
find technique4 ,the pianolist's        
progress is determined by music's appeal
 to his soul2 the average music pupil's 
by what he can accomplish with his      
fingers4 ,in this way1 as ,i already    
have suggested1 certain pieces have     

acquired an importance far out of       
proportion to their musical value1 and  
have retained their position not only in
 the curriculum but1 unfortunately1 even
 in the concert repertory4  ,there is a 
lot of this dry wood in music and the   
unfortunate student is compelled to chop
 it until1 when he sees a real tree1 he 
thinks it is all wrong because it has   
green leaves instead of withered ones   
and strong1 sappy branches instead of   
little twigs that snap off at the least 
touch4 ,this is the reason that modern  
music1 although it is the most natural  
music ever written1 has to be           
explained--because students prejudiced  
by pedantic instruction have become so  
accustomed to the artificial that they  
cannot appreciate what is natural2 just 
as experts in primitive art fail to     
appreciate the beauty of the later      
schools of painting4  ,to me it is      
positively exhilarating that the great  
mass of those people who have become    
devotees of the mechanical piano-player 

do not stop to ask what is the relation 
of this or that composition to the      
development of music or its place in    
musical evolution2 but1 taking music    
simply as music1 confidently place      
pieces like the ,second ,rhapsody or the
 ,tannhuser overture on the pianola and 
are thrilled by the artistic realism of 
these compositions4 ,unconsciously they 
are supporting the contention of those  
advanced thinkers in music who place the
 expression of life and truth above     
artificial form4 ,suppose a paint brush 
were invented which would give complete 
mastery of the technique of painting to 
the person in whose hand it was placed4 
,would that person go to work copying   
the old masters8 ,no4 ,he would paint   
the sea1 the low meadow land1 the foot  
hills1 the mountains1 the waving grain1 
the forest1 the man he admired1 the     
woman he loved4 ,and so it is that the  
player who has the technical mastery of 
the pianoforte placed1 so to speak1 at  
his disposal1 is led by instinct toward 

the most modern expression of musical   
thought and genius4  ,in his book1 ,the 
,temple of ,art1 ,ernest ,newlandsmith  
has a chapter on musical education in   
which he points out that after all a    
pianist's fingers and muscles are simply
 mechanical contrivances for striking   
the keys1 and that to gain complete     
control or mastery of this mechanical   
process requires incessant drudgery and 
labor1 such mastery being attained only 
by very few people4 ,the average pianist
 never gains the power of even striking 
the notes in really difficult music2 yet
 for an artist to infuse the exact      
expression of his feeling into a work1  
he must not only be able to do this1 but
 must also be able to vary this striking
 of notes by the most minute and subtle 
degrees of intensity1 and that without  
experiencing any difficulty whatever1 so
 that his entire attention may be       
devoted to his feeling4 ,all this the   
pianolist gains without any of that     
drudgery so apt to obscure correct      

musical perspective1 so that1 to quote  
again from ,mr4 ,newlandsmith1 it is a  
matter of wonder that any one can be    
found to speak against mechanical       
piano-players1 when they remember that  
they are only mechanical to the extent  
that a pianist has to be4 ,they are not 
intended to play of themselves1 like a  
musical box1 but are controlled by the  
performer's feeling4  ,the first steps  
in music are apt to be two-steps4       
,marches and dances of a popular kind   
and the seemingly inevitable coon-song  
may be regarded as the infant's food of 
the musical novice4 ,for a person whose 
love of music still is latent1 may not  
arrive at once at the ,second ,rhapsody 
or the ,tannhuser overture4 ,the friend 
to whom ,i have dedicated this book     
began with the lightest kind of music1  
the kind he now regards as trash4 ,for  
from knowing nothing at all about music1
 he has become1 through the             
piano-player1 an ardent lover of all    
that is good in the art4 ,nevin's       

,narcissus happened to be included in   
his first set of rolls4 ,he tried it    
over1 but thought it dull4 ,after a     
while1 however1 when the other rolls    
began to pall on him1 he played it again
 and found in it something that he      
missed in the others4 ,this was the     
first step toward better things1 and    
step by step thereafter he gained in    
musical taste until now his judgment is 
unerring4  ,nevin whose death six years 
ago and at a comparatively early age1   
was a distinct loss to music1 was one of
 the small number of composers who have 
written music of the lighter kind which 
yet is thoroughly good1 music that is   
pleasing without being trivial1         
melodious without a suggestion of the   
commonplace1 and thoroughly sound in    
workmanship4 ,this ,american composer   
was exceptionally apt at reproducing in 
music a mood or fancy and at painting in
 tone the charms of a romantic locality4
 ,possibly no gentler rise from what is 
known as the light classic to the       

classic can be provided than through    
him4 ,therefore ,i begin with him1      
although he is a thoroughly modern      
composer1 my aim being gradually to lead
 the pianolist from enjoyment of lighter
 works1 of the kind1 however1 which     
possess genuine musical merit1 to an    
appreciation of the greater             
masterpieces4 ,sometimes ,i have        
selected only one work by a composer    
and1 except in the case of ,chopin1     
never more than a few examples from any 
composer4 ,but the works which ,i cite  
and describe in more or less detail1    
should suffice to stimulate the         
pianolist to explore more fully the     
range of the composers ,i mention1 and  
of others4 ,i give merely a taste2 the  
catalogue of music rolls supplies the   
full menu4  ,to some this arrangement   
may seem haphazard4 ,nevertheless it has
 system and purpose4 ,the usual method  
followed in books that aim to be musical
 guides would have been much easier4    
,mine ,i believe best adapted to the    

needs of the average pianolist1 who1 it 
may be assumed1 at the time he purchases
 his instrument1 knows little or nothing
 about music of the higher kind2 whose  
taste1 in fact1 still is to be          
developed4  ,i cannot imagine any one so
 obtuse to musical impressions as not to
 find ,nevin's ,valse ,caprice1 ,op4 #f1
 ,no4 #a1 thoroughly delightful4 ,it is 
the first of a set of several pieces    
comprised in his sixth work1 this fact  
being expressed by the designation ,opus
 #f1 ,no4 #a4 ,the piece is full of     
pretty sentiment and ,i always like to  
imagine that it describes an episode    
during a dance4 ,it has charming        
melodies4 ,ornamental figurations in the
 accompaniment1 now above1 now below1   
give the effect of whispered questions  
and answers during the dance4 ,the      
questions--put by the man--are pressing 
and ardent1 the answers--from the       
girl--playful and parrying4 ,sometimes  
they even ripple with chaff4 ,yet1      
toward the end of the dainty little     

composition1 they become tinged with    
sentiment1 as if she were afraid she    
might have gone a little too far and    
might spoil things and thought it just  
as well to let him know in time that1   
after all1 she was not turning a wholly 
deaf ear to his pleading4  ,this piece  
,i would follow with ,nevin's           
,intermezzo1 ,op4 #g1 ,no4 #c4 ,although
 it belongs to an entirely different    
work ,i enjoy playing it immediately    
after the waltz and imagining that it   
relates to the same young couple--that  
he has led her out into the conservatory
 or on to a terrace overlooking a       
moonlight garden and under these        
romantic circumstances1 is urging his   
suit more persistently than before4     
,she1 however1 is a little too fond of  
flirting to let her real sentiments be  
known at once4 ,but when1 as if giving  
up the riddle in her dancing eyes and   
seemingly mocking smile1 he appears     
about to lead her back into the         
ballroom1 there is1 at least so ,i like 

to read the music1 a pretty little      
laugh1 as much as to say1 ,can't you    
read my real feelings under my mask of  
banter1 a tender glance indicated by a  
retard on a charmingly expressive little
 turn of the melody--and she is in his  
arms4  ,now ,i would repeat the waltz1  
to indicate that1 carried away by their 
happiness1 they have gone back into the 
ballroom and thrown themselves heart and
 soul into the dance4 ,and there you    
have a little ,nevin suite telling a    
pretty story4  ,to me one of this       
composer's most fanciful tone paintings 
is1 ,in my ,neighbor's ,garden1 ,op4    
#ba1 ,no4 #b4 ,this is one of a series  
of pieces the complete title of which is
 ,may in ,tuscany1 and which he composed
 during a sojourn in ,florence4 ,you can
 hear a bird sing all through this      
piece1 and that the composer so intended
 it1 became clear to me when ,i found   
that its original title was ,rusignuolo1
 ,italian for nightingale4      ,make   
haste to mount1 thou wistful moon1      

,make haste to wake the nightingale3    
,let silence set the world in tune      
,to harken to that wordless tale        
,which warbles from the nightingale4    
,those lines from ,christina ,rosetti's 
,bird ,raptures1 seem to me perfectly   
reflected in ,nevin's composition1 and  
equally so are these lines from the same
 poet's ,twilight ,calm3--              
,hark6 that's the nightingale1          
,telling the self-same tale     ,her    
song told when this ancient earth was   
young3     ,so echoes answered when her 
song was sung         ,in the first     
wooded vale4  ,or this from ,byron's    
,parisina3--      ,it is the hour when  
from the boughs       ,the nightingale's
 high note is heard2     ,it is the hour
 when lovers' vows       ,seem sweet in 
every whisper'd word4  ,nevin's         
,barcarolle is another beautiful        
composition1 which conveys the listener 
to ,venice with its picturesque canals  
and ancient palaces4 ,it is a night     
scene1 and reminds me of ,wagner's      

description of the singing of the       
gondoliers at night in one of his       
letters from ,venice3 ,ah1 music on the 
canal4 ,a gondola with gaily colored    
lights1 singers and players4 ,more and  
more gondolas join it4 ,the flotilla1   
barely moving1 gently gliding1 floats   
the whole width of the canal4 ,at last1 
almost imperceptibly1 it makes the turn 
of the bend and vanishes4 ,for a long   
while ,i hear the tones beautified by   
the night4 ,finally the last sound1     
dying away1 seems to dissolve itself    
into the moonlight1 which beams softly  
on1 like a visible realm of music4      
,there is an entire ,venetian suite by  
,nevin which he composed during a stay  
in the ,italian city4 ,one day he gave  
his gondolier a day off1 and the boatman
 took his sweetheart1 who lived on the  
mainland and never had been in ,venice1 
through the waterways4 ,it was this     
which suggested to ,nevin the           
composition of the suite1 which he      
entitled ,a ,day in ,venice4 ,the best  

known number from it is the ,venetian   
,love ,song4  ,moskowszki is another    
good composer of light music1 and like  
,nevin1 what he writes is thoroughly    
original4 ,his ,serenata ,op4 #ae1 ,no4 
#a1 is one of the prettiest of modern   
pieces1 and a perfect example of what a 
serenade should be--a graceful melody   
over an accompaniment of guitarlike     
chords4 ,there is an intervening part   
with much ornamentation1 which has the  
effect of improvising1 a delicious      
little run leading back to the first    
melody which now should be played very  
softly and with slight retardations1 as 
if the serenader were departing and the 
music dying away4 ,from ,foreign ,parts1
 ,moskowszki's ,op4 #bc1 is one of the  
best known modern compositions4 ,it     
consists of several numbers each        
representing a country and composed in  
true national style and with as much    
success as if1 were such a thing        
possible1 the composer were a native of 
each of these countries and were        

thoroughly imbued with its spirit4 ,of  
these separate numbers ,i am inclined   
especially to recommend to the pianolist
 ,germany1 with its beautiful1 broad1   
sustained melody1 thoroughly ,german in 
contour and expression1 and among the   
most beautiful melodies composed in     
modern times2 and ,spain1 one of the    
most brilliant little rolls for the     
piano-player--gay1 spirited and full of 
snap and go1 the movement never flagging
 from beginning to end4 ,moskowszki has 
shown himself most happy in catching the
 spirit of ,spanish music4 ,he has a    
book of ,spanish dances and two ,spanish
 albums full of music of most varying   
mood1 yet every mood characteristic of  
,spain and its people1 now gay1 now     
languorous1 now dashing1 now subdued1   
now softly whispering1 now full of verve
 and passion1 like the ,bolero1 the     
fifth of the ,spanish ,dances1 ,op4 #ab1
 with its sharply accentuated rhythm and
 dashing melody1 which toward the end   
fairly swirls with excitement4  ,a      

,moment ,musical1 ,op4 #g1 ,no4 #b1 was 
the composition which gave ,moskowszki  
his first taste of international fame1  
but in spite of much that is genuinely  
beautiful1 especially in its opening    
melody1 ,i think the work suffers from  
undue length4 ,by all means1 however1   
the pianolist should not neglect this   
composition4 ,were ,i asked1 however1 to
 select the work which seems to me to   
bring out in the most favorable relief  
,moskowszki's traits as a composer it   
would be his ,waltz1 ,op4 #cd1 ,no4 #a4 
,it has an introduction beginning with a
 phrase in the bass like a man asking   
the honor of a dance with an attractive 
girl1 followed by a little upward run1  
the gleam of the smile with which she   
gives assent4 ,then there are short1    
crisp1 bright phrases1 as though she    
enjoyed the knowledge that every one is 
looking at her as he leads her out and  
whispers compliments4  ,the introduction
 with all these interesting             
preliminaries over1 the waltz itself    

opens with a melody full of sentiment   
and almost personal in its persistent   
suggestion of wooing4 ,at the same time 
it has a graceful swing that carries it 
along like an undercurrent1 with rising 
and falling inflections1 and1 like the  
,nevin waltz1 with much dainty          
ornamentation1 as if the couple were    
conversing in low tones while dancing4  
,then there is a brilliant episode when 
individuals seem lost sight of in the   
general vividness of the scene with its 
gaily colored costumes and flash of     
jewels4 ,there are alternating          
sentimental passages until1 toward the  
end1 the first melody bursts into a     
fortissimo--a great rising inflection1  
insistent and impassioned--then a final 
pitch of excitement as all seem to throw
 themselves into the whirl and the waltz
 reaches a brilliant end4 ,while ,nevin 
in the waltz which ,i selected from     
among his works1 appears to tell the    
story of two people1 ,moskowszki here   
places before our eyes a vivid ballroom 

scene with one particularly handsome    
couple as the center of attraction1     
without1 however1 letting us wholly into
 their secret4 ,the waltz1 though long1 
is of never-flagging interest4  ,this   
composer's opus #cd is an orchestral    
suite 7,premire ,suite d' ,orchestre7 of
 which the second number is an          
,allegretto giojoso1 a playful1         
sportive1 chic and graceful movement1   
with a tender melody in the middle part1
 at first heard alone1 then with a      
sparkling accompaniment4 ,this piece    
having originally been scored for       
orchestra1 it is quite possible to      
detect orchestral instruments like      
flutes and clarionets in some of the    
brilliant runs4 ,the pianola roll is a  
reproduction of an arrangement for four 
hands1 that is1 for two players at one  
piano1 yet only one player is required  
to produce the full effect of a         
pianoforte duet arranged from an        
orchestral composition4  ,moskowszki is 
a prolific composer1 and it is well     

worth the pianolist's while to          
thoroughly explore the catalogue of his 
works4 ,much modern music merely echoes 
what has gone before and may be summed  
up as watered ,chopin4 ,therefore1 even 
if ,moskowszki's compositions are in the
 lighter forms1 their originality and   
melodiousness make them worthy of       
ranking high among modern salon pieces4 
,one of the prettiest and deservedly    
popular little works in the modern      
repertory is the ,paderewski ,minuet1   
,op4 #ad1 ,no4 #a4 ,modern minuets are  
echoes of the classical period4         
,compositions of this kind are to be    
found in the sonatas and symphonies of  
,haydn1 ,mozart and ,beethoven and even 
further back in the suites of ,bach4    
,accordingly the ,paderewski ,minuet1 in
 keeping with the form1 is simple and   
clear-cut and gracefully melodious4 ,at 
the same time1 however1 it is modern in 
the brilliant ornamentation introduced  
in the middle part of the composition   
which in a minuet is called the trio4   

,the minuet was a stately dance4 ,the   
word is derived from the ,french menu   
meaning small and referring to the short
 steps taken in the dance4 ,originally  
the music to it was brief1 but as a     
complement1 a second minuet was added   
which1 in time1 became the trio1        
so-called1 because it was written in    
three part harmony4 ,this was followed  
by a repetition of the first minuet4    
,while the designation trio has been    
retained to this day1 the three part    
harmony no longer is considered         
obligatory4 ,the minuet is one of the   
very few of the older dance forms which 
have not become obsolete4  ,it was a    
square dance1 the steps consisting of a 
coupe 7a salute to one's partner1 while 
resting on one foot and swinging the    
other backward and forward7 a high step 
and a balance4 ,in the ,paderewski      
minuet the stately1 ceremonious         
character of this dance is preserved    
together with its old fashioned1 nave   
grace and charm4 ,it is quite possible  

while playing it to see the dancers at a
 ,french court ball or in the ballroom  
of some chateau1 the women1 beauties of 
their day1 in high pompadour with puffs 
and curls powdered white1 with petites  
mouches1 little moon and star-shaped    
beauty spots1 on their faces2 square cut
 bodices1 lace stomachers1 paniers over 
brocaded skirts with lace panels2 feet  
encased in high heel satin slippers with
 jewelled buckles2 and gracefully       
managing their ostrich feather fans as  
they curtsy to their partners2 the      
latter wearing wigs also powdered white1
 long coats of brocade1 elaborately     
embroidered waistcoats with lace jabots1
 satin knee breeches1 silk stockings and
 a garter with jewelled buckle on the   
right leg1 and helping themselves to    
snuff out of gold or silver boxes during
 brief pauses in the dance4 ,such is the
 picture that can be conjured up in     
imagination while playing the           
,paderewski minuet4  ,quite different   
yet equally effective in its way is his 

,cracovienne ,fantastic1 ,op4 #ad1 ,no4 
#f4 ,the cracovienne is a ,polish dance 
for a large and brilliant company and   
just as ,paderewski recalled in his     
minuet the stately assemblage of days   
long past1 so in his cracovienne he     
gives us a brilliant picture of a       
ballroom scene in his native ,poland    
when that country was still in its glory
 and not partitioned among three nations
 of ,europe4 ,the reiteration of its    
characteristic rhythm gives it peculiar 
fascination4 ,it is clearly and         
distinctly melodious1 with bright1      
flashing runs giving it brilliancy4     
,again different in style from any of   
the preceding are the works of ,ccile   
,chaminade4 ,not only is this composer a
 woman1 she is a ,french woman and1 like
 a ,french woman1 essentially clever and
 chic4 ,she may be a trifle more        
superficial than the composers ,i have  
mentioned1 but her music is clean-cut1  
clear as a crystal1 and1 like everything
 about a refined woman1 the quintessence

 of neatness4 ,it is quite as if ,mme4  
,chaminade's maid laid out her musical  
thoughts as well as her dresses1 being  
sure to have every frill and furbelow in
 its place1 whether it be the robe d'   
interieur which she is to wear at       
breakfast1 her robe de ville for        
calling1 or her robe de soire4 ,true it 
is that serious musicians are apt to    
wear a somewhat supercilious expression 
at mention of her music and to pronounce
 it clever rather than deep1 yet it is  
equally true that it takes its place    
among the best salon pieces of the day  
and gains value if only from the fact   
that this bright ,french woman has      
skillfully refrained from attempting    
flights for which her graceful wings are
 not strong enough4 ,most of her music  
is characterized by a fascinating       
archness and coquetry and requires quick
 and sudden changes in time for its     
proper interpretation4 ,while rarely    
attempting the larger musical forms1 she
 has been an industrious student of the 

best music1 so that all her compositions
 are what is called well made1 correct  
according to the rules of musical       
science1 yet in melodic and harmonic    
inspiration characterized by originality
 and musical inventiveness4 ,she writes 
with judgment1 refinement and taste1    
avoiding on the one hand the pitfall of 
pretentiousness1 and1 on the other1 the 
monotony of platitude found in the works
 of those who compose in the larger     
forms but lack the originality to fill  
them with new and interesting matter4   
,it is a great thing to know your       
limitations1 yet to be able to do vivid 
and original work within them4  ,brief  
as is ,chaminade's ,serenade1 ,op4 #bi1 
its melody is charming1 it is ably      
harmonized and it appeals to the heart4 
,there is not a commonplace bar in it4  
,it is one of those delicate bits of    
inspiration which survive other and     
seemingly grander works1 the grandeur of
 which1 however1 is in course of time1  
discovered to be mere hollow            

pretentiousness4 ,it is a capital       
example of the manner in which this     
composer writes in the small            
genre--delicate1 refined and sensitive4 
,she has been highly successful in      
compositions in dance form1 managing    
these without a suggestion of the       
trivial4 ,thus her ,air de ,ballet1 ,op4
 #cj1 ,no4 #a1 is full of brilliancy and
 nervous energy without ever            
degenerating into vulgar noisiness4     
,another ,air de ,ballet by her from the
 ballet ,callirhoe1 to which her widely 
known ,scarf ,dance also belongs1 is    
crisp1 bright and dainty4 ,callirhoe is 
a ballet-symphonique for stage          
performance and its production showed   
her to be so well grounded in her art   
that it does not suffer even under the  
pressure of rapid composition1 or of    
being obliged to work on time4 ,the     
commission for this ballet was offered  
to ,godard1 a well-known ,french        
composer4 ,he was1 however1 occupied    
with an opera and declined the work1 at 

the same time recommending that the     
commission be offered to ,chaminade4 ,it
 was accepted by her and within six     
weeks from the day when she began work  
upon it1 it was completed even to the   
scoring for orchestra4  ,while the      
pianolist hardly can go amiss in        
choosing from among the list of         
,chaminade's compositions ,i may mention
 as especially characteristic her       
,arabesque1 ,humoresque1 ,la ,lisonjera 
7,flatterer7 ,pierrette1 ,scaramouche   
7,mountebank7 and ,spinning ,wheel4     
,chaminade's compositions are so popular
 in this country yet so little is known 
about her personally1 that ,i have      
secured a few personal data concerning  
her from my friend1 ,mr4 ,percy         
,mitchell1 who is attached to the staff 
of an ,american paper in ,paris4 ,mme4  
,carbonel-,chaminade has a shock of     
dark1 curly1 short-cropped hair which   
gives her a boyish aspect1 a touch of   
masculinity further emphasized by a     
tailor-made costume with stiff1 white1  

turned-down collar and loosely tied     
scarf4 ,beyond this aspect1 however1    
there is nothing mannish about her4 ,she
 cares neither for sport nor exercise in
 general2 her principal occupation is   
musical composition1 her chief          
relaxation practicing the pianoforte two
 hours a day2 and she reads an immense  
amount of poetry from which she         
carefully selects the words for her     
songs4 ,society she abhors1 but she     
attends scrupulously to her large       
correspondence4 ,very many of these     
letters come from ,america1 and in a    
practical spirit truly ,american seek   
information regarding the interpretation
 of her works4 ,how should your         
',serenade' be phrased8--,i am learning 
the ',scarf ,dance4' ,by this same mail 
,i am sending you a copy of it4 ,would  
you kindly mark the phrasing in it and  
return it to me8 ,in connection with    
questions of this kind it is interesting
 to note that practically all of        
,chaminade's compositions have been     

metrostyled for the pianola by the      
composer herself4 ,the pianolist at     
least will not find it necessary to     
trouble her with questions like the     
above4  ,probably no composer has had   
one set method of work4 ,it is apt to   
vary according to surroundings4 ,so with
 ,chaminade4 ,she may write while seated
 at her pianoforte1 testing her thoughts
 on the keyboard and even working them  
out in detail before putting them on    
paper4 ,or she may sit at her table1 a  
vast velvet-covered affair taking up    
nearly half of her studio4 ,sometimes an
 idea that has haunted her for weeks may
 take definite shape while she is       
speeding on a train to fulfill a concert
 engagement and she will jot it down in 
spite of the roar and vibration of      
railway travel4 ,as the train rushes on 
the composition may be completely worked
 out in the composer's mind before the  
journey's end1 and so retentive is      
,chaminade's memory that1 when she      
returns to her villa in ,vsinet1 near   

the forest of ,st4 ,germain not far from
 ,paris1 she can seat herself at her    
table and copy the work from that mental
 vision of it which she had on the      
train4  ,some years ago during a        
semi-professional tour which she made   
through ,roumania1 ,servia and ,greece1 
she was invited to play for the students
 of the ,athens conservatory4 ,when she 
stepped on the stage she saw row after  
row of young people armed with the      
printed music of what she was about to  
play and prepared in a cold-blooded1    
business-like way to open the music of  
the first number on the program and to  
follow the concert note for note from   
the printed scores from beginning to    
end4 ,imagine the effect upon her nerves
 produced by the rustling of one hundred
 pages all being turned at the same     
instant at intervals during the concert2
 and even now she laughingly confesses  
that she was nearly overcome with stage 
fright and prays she may never have to  
endure again such an ordeal as the music

 students of ,athens unwittingly        
prepared for her4  ,with the exception  
of ,nevin1 the composers whose works ,i 
have mentioned are living and actively  
engaged in composition4 ,the piece to   
which ,i now desire to call the         
pianolist's attention belongs to the    
dawn of the romantic period in music4   
,it was composed by ,weber who died in  
#ahbf1 is entitled ,invitation to the   
,dance1 was written a few months after  
his happy marriage with the opera singer
 ,caroline ,brandt1 and is dedicated to 
,my ,caroline4 ,because ,weber was one  
of the first composers who rank as great
 to give distinctly descriptive titles  
to compositions1 and because of certain 
other characteristics in his works1 he  
is regarded as the founder of the       
romantic school of music--music which is
 not simply sufficient unto itself but  
has a secondary meaning that adds       
immeasurably to its interests2 music    
which seeks to suggest a definite mood  
and even to throw a realistic picture of

 some scene in nature or some human     
experience upon a background of harmony 
and instrumental coloring2 and which    
cares less for the artifices of form    
than for the expression of the true and 
the beautiful from the standpoint of    
modern art4  ,the ,invitation to the    
,dance derives further interest from the
 fact that it was the first composition 
to lift the waltz1 which up to that time
 had been employed simply as an         
accompaniment for dancing1 to the level 
of other legitimate and recognized      
artistic musical forms4 ,the composition
 opens with an introduction in slow     
time1 the first phrase unmistakably     
being the voice of the man conveying to 
the lady an invitation to dance4 ,you   
hear her playful objection--undoubtedly 
she wants to be asked a second time--the
 repetition of his invitation1 her      
assent1 the short dialogue as the two   
step out on the floor2 brief1 but       
resonant preluding chords2 then the     
free1 elastic rhythm of the waltz       

followed by its gay1 dashing melody4    
,there is an exuberance of runs and     
ornamentations until the first feeling  
of elation lapses into a second dreamy1 
languorous waltz melody1 as if the      
dancers were floating on the scented    
atmosphere of the ballroom4 ,in portions
 of this there is a sentimental colloquy
 between the couple whom we met in the  
introduction1 the two voices being      
clearly differentiated4 ,the little duet
 between them adds to the beauty and    
interest of this portion of the work1   
the melody of which simply is exquisite4
 ,then everything whirls and sparkles   
again and1 when the dance has ceased1   
there is a briefer recapitulation of the
 introduction1 the lady is led back to  
her seat1 and the episode comes to an   
end4  ,the pianolist may now place      
,liszt's ,campanella 7,bell rondo7 on   
the instrument4 ,originally this was    
composed by the famous violinist        
,paganini1 ,liszt transcribed it for the
 pianoforte and so successfully that now

 it is better known in his version than 
in its original form4 ,it is a piece    
which can be described only by one      
word--delicious4 ,its title is          
immediately understood by the           
unmistakable silvery tinkle of a bell in
 the high treble1 constantly recurring1 
but always with added instead of        
diminishing1 beauty4 ,on the pianoforte 
it demands virtuosity of the highest    
rank1 yet for the pianolist it is as    
easy to play as is the simplest         
pianoforte piece intended for a         
beginner4  ,and so1 having begun this   
chapter with ,nevin1 one of the lighter 
composers of pronounced merit1 the      
pianolist already finds himself playing 
a work by ,weber and another by ,liszt1 
two of the most famous figures in       
musical history4 ,even if1 as ,i trust  
will be the case1 he becomes so         
interested in the works ,i have cited in
 this chapter1 as to try much other     
music by the same composers1 he will1 in
 an almost incredibly short space of    

time1 be ready for the thrill of the    
great masters--which shows that1 after  
all1 the sequence ,i am following in    
this book is not as haphazard as some   
may think4     ,,iv4 ,,the ,,thrill ,,of
 ,,the ,,great ,,masters   ,in his      
choice of music the pianolist need not  
pause to consider the slow evolution of 
the art from the simple to the more     
complex1 since for him nothing is       
complex4 ,thus he is free to disregard  
all traditions1 even such an absurd one1
 for example1 as that which insists that
 a sonata or symphony should be played  
as a whole1 that1 if a work in this form
 consists of three or four movements1   
none of these should be lifted out of   
the whole and played as a separate      
composition4  ,the pianolist calmly     
looks upon these movements as so many   
different pieces and chooses between    
them4 ,thus among the hundred classical 
compositions most in demand by          
pianolists1 the slow movement of        
,beethoven's ,fifth ,symphony ranks     

seventeenth1 while the first is as far  
down on the list as thirty-seventh1 and 
the roll with the last two movements as 
sixty-fifth4 ,that in future the        
consensus of opinion of thousands of    
music lovers who are unhampered by      
pedantic tradition1 will have immense   
influence in determining the standard of
 composers and of their several works1  
and will have immense effect in         
hastening the introduction and          
appreciation of works by new composers1 
in spite of opposition from the         
ultra-conservative element1 goes without
 saying1 and will be one of the most    
important factors in the revolution this
 new musical instrument is destined to  
effect4  ,all this readily can be       
appreciated when the attitude of this   
great musical public toward ,liszt's    
,hungarian ,rhapsodies is taken into    
account4 ,for years the critical camp   
has been divided on ,liszt1 some        
considering him a composer whose        
unequalled greatness as a player of the 

pianoforte led him to write music that  
was superficially brilliant but barren  
of genuine musical inspiration4 ,others1
 like ,henry ,t4 ,finck and that band of
 advanced commentators on music among   
whom ,i am proud to number myself1      
unhesitatingly rank him with the        
greatest composers4 ,this phase of      
musical life1 this warring of factions1 
the pianolist happily ignores entirely1 
and following his unbiased intuition1   
places ,liszt's second ,hungarian       
,rhapsody at the head of the repertory1 
closely follows it with the twelfth and 
fourteenth1 and1 all told1 includes nine
 of these fifteen compositions in the   
top list of one hundred pieces of       
serious music which have proved most    
popular with pianola players4 ,the      
pianolist is not aware of the fact1 but 
that most inexorable of all critics1    
time1 most emphatically justifies his   
choice4  ,liszt brought out these       
rhapsodies fifty-three years ago4 ,they 
are not compositions which suddenly are 

offering themselves as candidates for   
popular favor4 ,for more than half a    
century has passed over these master    
works1 which still are as fresh and     
modern as if they had been struck off   
but yesterday in the white heat of      
inspiration4 ,their roots go back even  
further than fifty-three years4 ,as long
 ago as #ahch ,liszt published them as  
short transcriptions of ,hungarian      
tunes4 ,then he worked them over and1 in
 #ahdf1 issued them in somewhat more    
elaborate form as ,melodies ,hongroises4
 ,still further elaborated they became  
in #ahed the ,rhapsodies ,hongroises as 
we know them4  ,these rhapsodies reflect
 the weird romanticism of that most     
mysterious and fascinating of races1 the
 ,gypsies1 as successfully as ,chopin's 
music reflects the crushed aspirations  
of his unhappy country1 ,poland4        
,although they are called ,hungarian1   
they are neither derived from nor       
founded upon national ,hungarian music1 
but are purely of ,gypsy origin4 ,the   

,hungarians1 however1 have adopted the  
,gypsies as their national musicians1   
and it is by reason of this adoption1   
or1 in order to express through the     
title this mutual assimilation1 that    
,liszt has called these rhapsodies      
,hungarian4 ,with a ,gypsy parentage so 
authentic that he speaks of the melodies
 on which they are based1 as the songs  
without words of the ,gypsies1 his      
rhapsodies form the only channel through
 which the intense inner life and mystic
 idealism of this strange race has found
 expression4 ,they are the long         
suppressed cry of souls struggling for  
self utterance and they constitute      
nothing less than an epic1 the ,iliad1  
of that strange race which centuries ago
 cast itself upon the continent of      
,europe like a wave coming1 none knew   
from where or whither bound4  ,this     
race1 as ,liszt describes it in his book
 on ,gypsy music1 brought no memories1  
betrayed no hope2 possessed no country1 
religion1 history4 ,divided into tribes1

 hordes and bands1 wandering hither and 
thither1 following each the route       
dictated by chance1 they still preserve 
under the most distant meridian1 the    
same infallible rallying signs1 the same
 physiognomy1 the same language1 the    
same traditions4 ,the ages pass4 ,the   
world progresses4 ,countries make war or
 peace1 change masters and manners1 but 
this people that shares the joys1 the   
sorrows1 the prosperity and the         
misfortunes of none other2 that laughs  
at the ambitions1 the tears1 the combats
 of civilization2 still obstinately     
clings to its hunger and its liberty1   
its tents and its tatters1 and still    
exercises1 as it has exercised for      
centuries1 an indescribable and         
indestructible fascination upon poetic  
minds1 passing it on as a mysterious    
legacy from age to age4  ,such is the   
race of which ,liszt recites the epic in
 the ,hungarian ,rhapsodies4 ,they      
portray the life1 the scenes1 the mood  
of the ,gypsy camp1 vividly1            

brilliantly1 yet with an undercurrent of
 tragedy--the tragedy of homeless       
wanderers4 ,because they represent life1
 because they are true to life1 because 
they depict life with a wonderful union 
of realism and beauty1 they will1 in    
spite of critical detraction1 live as   
long as the ,bach fugues1 the ,beethoven
 sonatas or the ,wagner music dramas4   
,an elaborate musical analysis of these 
wonderful works would be futile4 ,they  
are too racial1 and in parts too        
pictorial to be dissected in narrative  
style4 ,what ,i have said of the race   
from which they derive their            
characteristics should serve as a       
general explanation of their purport4   
,the second1 twelfth and fourteenth     
rhapsodies are admirable examples of the
 series4 ,in general these ,hungarian   
,rhapsodies open with a few brief bars  
suggestive of tragic recitative1 which  
leads into a broad yet strongly marked  
and searching rhythm1 upon which is     
built a slow1 stately yet mournful      

melody1 broken in upon here and there by
 strange weird runs and rapid passages4 
,these latter serve a double purpose4   
,they imitate the curious olian harp    
effects of the most characteristic      
instrument of the ,gypsy orchestra1 the 
cembalon1 a large1 shallow box with     
strings about as numerous as those of   
the pianoforte1 and played with two     
little mallets1 with which the player   
produces the weird arpeggios or rapid1  
broken chords and the improvised runs   
characteristic of ,hungarian ,gypsy     
music2 and they also prepare the player 
and listener for the rapid movement into
 which the slow melody passes over1     
finally to dash into the very frenzy of 
emotional and physical excitement4      
,these three divisions1 the slow        
movement introduced by a recitative1 the
 rapid movement following1 and the still
 more rapid one with which the          
rhapsodies generally end1 are based upon
 three distinct kinds of melodies of the
 ,gypsies1 and their startling contrast 

contributes to the effectiveness of the 
composition4 ,the slow melody in the    
first part of the rhapsodies 7a         
different melody in each rhapsody of    
course7 is the lassan1 a sad song giving
 utterance to the pathos of the race4   
,the dance music that follows1 so full  
of playful humor1 grace1 caprice1       
coquetry and dashing contrast1 is the   
frischka2 while the delirium1 almost    
demoniac in its fury1 with which the    
rhapsody rushes to its intoxicating     
finale1 and compared with which the     
,italian tarantella and even the        
,dervish dance of the ,east are tame1 is
 the czardas4 ,in playing these         
rhapsodies one must try to imagine a    
,gypsy camp1 the flicker of firelight in
 the deep forest or on the wild plains  
of ,hungary1 a sense of loneliness or of
 vast distance1 forms of swarthy men and
 women suddenly appearing from a shadowy
 background to be illumined for a moment
 in the light of the fire1 their        
swaying1 whirling forms vanishing the   

next1 back into the vague darkness from 
which they issued4 ,of the ,hungarian   
,rhapsodies hostile critics may say what
 they please2 he who plays them         
understandingly1 will feel in them the  
thrill of a great master4  ,a           
composition of impassioned1 yet mournful
 beauty is ,liszt's ,liebestraum 7,dream
 of ,love7 one of a set of three        
nocturnes1 this one being based upon a  
well known ,german poem1 ,freiligrath's1
      ,o love as long as love thou      
canst1       ,o love as long as love    
will keep2     ,the day will come1 the  
day will come1       ,when at a grave   
you stand and weep4  ,liszt's ,at the   
,spring is a charming composition       
somewhat in the same style as the       
,campanella1 but instead of describing  
silver-toned chimes of bells1           
reproducing the purl of a bosky spring4 
,one hears the clear rippling water and 
sees its sparkling jets in glints of    
sunlight1 as it dashes against the      
stones1 and its shimmering spray4 ,the  

work is the forerunner and model of     
numerous similar pieces1 all of them1   
however1 lacking its freshness and      
originality and its high order of       
musicianship4  ,the pianolist who is led
 by the examples of ,liszt's music which
 ,i have cited to choose liberally from 
the numerous compositions by him in the 
catalogue of music rolls1 hardly can go 
amiss4 ,if1 however1 he prefers to leave
 this for some other time1 and to turn  
to another composer1 he will find       
,mendelssohn's ,rondo ,capriccioso1 ,op4
 #ad1 a capital roll4 ,this rondo was   
composed in #ahbf1 the same year in     
which he wrote the overture to          
,shakespere's ,midsummer ,night's       
,dream1 with its wonderful depiction of 
fairy life4 ,the ,rondo ,capriccioso    
might be part of the ,midsummer ,night's
 ,dream music1 it is so much in the same
 character4 ,nothing could be more crisp
 and dainty4 ,it seems to depict elves  
romping through the forest by moonlight4
 ,nor is it without romantic moods1 as  

if love-making were going on even among 
these light-footed1 light-hearted       
revelers4 ,but when this is said1 it    
still is all touch and go2 a breath1 a  
sigh1 the iridescence of the moonglade  
on a woodland lake--then off and away3--
      ,over hill1 over dale1            
,through brush1 through brier1     ,over
 park1 over vale1       ,through flood1 
through fire1     ,i do wander          
everywhere1     ,swifter than the moon's
 sphere2     ,and ,i serve the fairy    
queen1     ,to dew her orbs upon the    
green4  or      ,light as any wind that 
blows       ,so fleetly did she stir1   
,the flower she touch'd on dipt and     
rose1       ,and turned to look at her4 
,this ,rondo ,capriccioso is indeed a   
fascinating piece1 written in its       
composer's most facile vein4 ,it is one 
of the finest rolls from among which the
 pianolist can select4 ,there can be no 
doubt that ,mendelssohn has been losing 
ground as compared with the enormous    
popularity which he enjoyed in his      

lifetime4 ,but the pendulum has swung   
too much the other way4 ,certain of his 
compositions have been too much         
neglected4 ,the ,rondo ,capriccioso is  
one of them4 ,as it actually sounds     
crisper and daintier on the pianola than
 on the pianoforte no matter by whom    
played1 it enjoys well merited          
popularity in the pianolist's repertory 
and may contribute toward restoring the 
appreciation of ,mendelssohn's music to 
its proper balance4  ,i would be greatly
 surprised if a beautiful work like     
,schubert's ,rosamunde impromptu were   
not among the most popular pieces of the
 pianolist's choice4 ,the word impromptu
 is sufficiently self-explanatory1 but  
it needs to be pointed out that this    
work of ,schubert's differs from the    
usual impromptu in being an air with    
variations1 the variations1 however1    
giving the impression of free fantasies 
or improvisations on the original air4  
,there are five variations and the      
composition ends with a repetition of   

the air4  ,the work is written in the   
truest ,schubertian style4 ,i like to   
fancy that the melody with its serene1  
lyric beauty is a picture of the fair   
,rosamunde herself4 ,the first          
variation1 a plaintive melody over an   
agitated accompaniment1 ,i should be    
inclined1 still referring to ,rosamunde 
and regarding each variation as         
expressing an experience in her life1 to
 entitle ,moods4 ,the second variation  
is more playful in character but without
 any loss of romantic charm1 and ,i     
should say that we might call it an     
expression of her ,fancies4 ,the third  
an impassioned meditation1 a cry from   
the heart1 ,rosamunde's heart1 may be   
called ,love4 ,the fourth variation1    
which again is frankly playful like the 
second1 is ,hope4 ,the fifth1 as        
brilliant as a cascade on which the sun 
is shining1 is ,joy4 ,it ends suddenly  
without coming to a full stop in the    
musical sense1 and1 after a pause1 the  
original air now couched in broad and   

beautiful chords1 begins in the lower   
register1 rises successively to the     
middle and higher ones1 then dies       
away--an exquisite ending4 ,is this not 
,rosamunde1 the more charming for the   
romance of which she is the heroine2    
,rosamunde1 looking at her engagement   
ring1 musing on the past and trustful of
 the future8  ,schubert was one of the  
most famous song composers and ,liszt in
 addition to being an original composer1
 rendered a great service to music by   
transcribing1 in most admirable style1  
many of ,schubert's most famous songs   
for pianoforte4 ,widely known as they   
are for voice1 they have through these  
transcriptions become almost as familiar
 for pianoforte4 ,the delicate and      
dainty ,hark1 ,hark the ,lark is a      
favorite work in ,paderewski's          
repertory4 ,so spontaneous was          
,schubert's inspiration that he wrote   
the music of this song at a tavern where
 he chanced to see the poem in a book   
which he was examining4 ,if only ,i had 

some music paper6 he exclaimed4 ,one of 
his friends promptly ruled lines on the 
back of his bill of fare and ,schubert1 
with the varied noises of the tavern    
going on about him1 jotted down the song
 then and there4  ,another splendid     
,schubert song that has been made       
popular on the pianoforte through       
,listz's transcription is ,the ,erlking4
 ,as it ranks among the greatest songs1 
and by many people actually is          
considered the greatest1 the            
illustration it affords of the rapidity 
with which ,schubert worked is most     
interesting4 ,two friends calling upon  
him one afternoon1 toward the close of  
the year #ahae1 found him all aglow     
reading ,the ,erlking aloud to himself4 
,having read the poem1 he walked up and 
down the room several times1 book in    
hand1 then suddenly dropped into a      
chair1 and1 without a moment's pause and
 as fast as his pen could travel over   
the paper1 composed the song4 ,schubert 
had no pianoforte1 so the three men     

hurried over to the school where        
formerly he had been trained for the    
,imperial choir--this was in            
,vienna--and there ,the ,erlking was    
sung the same evening and received with 
enthusiasm4 ,afterwards the ,court      
organist played it over himself without 
the voice1 and1 some of those present   
objecting to the dissonances which      
depict the child's terror of the        
,erlking1 the organist struck these     
chords again and explained how admirably
 they expressed the situation described 
in the poem and how well they were      
worked out musically4 ,schubert was only
 thirty-one when he died and was only   
eighteen when he set this poem of       
,goethe's to music1 yet the whole song  
is almost ,wagnerian in its descriptive 
and dramatic qualities1 and its climax  
thrilling4  ,the work of ,beethoven's   
which seems most to appeal to the       
pianolist is the ,moonlight sonata4     
,possibly the attractive title1 which1  
however1 ,beethoven probably did not    

give to it1 may have something to do    
with its selection4 ,but why not        
attribute its popularity to the fact    
that the music bears out the title8  ,a 
sonata is a composition in several      
movements1 usually four1 and follows a  
clearly outlined1 in fact1 an almost    
rigid form1 not to say formula4 ,it     
attained its highest development during 
the classical period and left its       
impress upon all the larger compositions
 of that time1 for a symphony is nothing
 more than a sonata composed for        
orchestra1 instead of for the           
pianoforte1 and trios1 quartets1 and    
other pieces of chamber music of the    
classical period are sonatas for the    
corresponding combination of            
instruments4  ,the ,moonlight ,sonata1  
however1 is less rigid in form than the 
average sonata4 ,in it1 in fact1        
,beethoven may be said to have broken   
away from form1 for after the word      
sonata he adds the qualifying phrase    
quasi una fantasia1 signifying that1    

although he calls the work a sonata1 it 
has the characteristics of a free       
fantasy4  ,instead of opening with the  
usual rapid movement1 the work begins   
with a broad and beautiful slow one1 a  
sustained melody1 a poem of profound    
pathos in musical accents4 ,this is     
followed by a lighter allegretto which  
,liszt called a flower 'twixt two       
abysses1 the second abyss being the last
 movement1 which is one of ,beethoven's 
most impassioned creations4 ,at the end 
both of the first movement and of the   
allegretto the usual wait between the   
divisions of a sonata is omitted1       
,beethoven giving the direction attacca 
subito il sequente1 literally meaning   
attack suddenly the following1          
indicating an inner relationship between
 the movements so close that there must 
be only the briefest possible pause     
between them4  ,this sonata is a true   
drama of life1 a story of unrequited    
passion4 ,it is dedicated to one of the 
great beauties of ,beethoven's time1 the

 ,countess ,giulietta ,guicciardi4      
,although it is known that the composer 
subsequently was deeply in love with her
 cousin1 the ,countess ,therese         
,brunswick1 he is believed to have been 
in love with ,giulietta at the time he  
wrote the ,moonlight ,sonata4 ,the      
countess was not insensible to his      
passion4 ,she already was engaged to    
,count ,gallenberg1 but one day1 coming 
excitedly into the presence of her      
cousin ,therese1 she threw herself at   
the latter's feet1 like a stage         
princess1 and exclaimed3 ,counsel me1   
cold1 wise one6 ,i long to give         
,gallenberg the mitten and marry the    
wonderfully ugly1 wonderfully beautiful 
,beethoven1 if only it did not involve  
lowering myself socially4 ,and so she   
gave up ,beethoven and led a life1 none 
too happy1 with her ,count4 ,connecting 
the ,moonlight ,sonata with this episode
 in ,beethoven's life1 the first        
movement of the sonata may appropriately
 be regarded as a song of love1 deeply  

pathetic because no response is evoked  
by the longing it expresses4 ,the second
 movement1 the graceful allegretto1 is  
the coquetish ,giulietta who would not  
lower herself socially by marrying a    
genius4 ,the third movement is the      
rejected lover crying out his passion   
and despair to the night4  ,from        
,beethoven to ,grieg1 from ,vienna to   
,norway1 from the greatest master of the
 classical period to a composer who     
still is living and who has been called 
not inaptly1 the ,chopin of the ,north1 
may seem a long step4 ,but the pianolist
 can travel with seven league boots4    
,grieg's most widely known compositions 
are four of the pieces of incidental    
music which he wrote to ,ibsen's drama  
,peer ,gynt4 ,peer ,gynt is the ,faust  
of ,norwegian literature4 ,without      
attempting here to follow up this       
parallel1 it may be said that he is a   
curious combination of ne'er-do-well1   
dreamer and philosopher1 with a         
pronounced streak of impishness running 

through his character and giving a touch
 of the extravagant and grotesque to    
many of his actions and to some of them 
even a suggestion of the weird and      
supernatural4  ,peer ,gynt has its roots
 in ,norwegian folklore and was written 
by ,ibsen in ,italy when he was about   
thirty-seven years old1 and it precedes 
the problem plays by which he is best   
known1 although ,peer's character is in 
itself a complex problem4 ,grieg in his 
incidental music1 adroitly avoids the   
difficult task of interpreting or even  
hinting at the curiously contradictory  
nature of the principal rle in the play1
 one of the most interesting            
psychological studies in modern         
literature4 ,his music deals with the   
more superficial aspects of the story   
and is pictorial rather than            
intellectual or profoundly emotional4   
,the principal selections for the       
piano-player from the ,peer ,gynt music1
 are contained on two rolls with two    
selections to each roll4 ,one of them   

gives the music of ,anitra's ,dance and 
,in the ,hall of the ,mountain ,king2   
the other the scenes ,daybreak and      
,death of ,aase4 ,were these selections 
to be arranged in the order in which    
they occur in the drama it would be     
necessary to begin with the ,the ,hall  
of the ,mountain ,king and follow this1 
in the order mentioned1 with ,aase's    
,death1 ,anitra's ,dance and ,daybreak4 
,on the rolls1 however1 the pieces are  
not arranged in the order of their      
occurrence in the play1 but in the      
sequence which is most effective from a 
musical standpoint--just as in this book
 ,i have purposely refrained from       
following any set1 historical sequence1 
but have adopted a purely musical method
 of guiding the pianolist from music of 
the lighter kind to that of a more      
serious character4  ,anitra's ,dance is 
an episode of the drama laid in ,morocco
 which ,peer has reached in the course  
of his wanderings4 ,anitra is a         
lithe-limbed daughter of the ,east who  

entrances ,peer with her dancing1 and1  
when he promises to endow her with a    
soul1 promptly informs him that she     
would rather have the opal from his     
turban2 gradually coaxes all his jewels 
from him2 then swiftly throws herself   
upon his horse and gallops away1 showing
 herself a true exemplar of the eternal 
feminine1 so called1 ,i presume1 because
 it eternally is getting the better of  
the eternal masculine4 ,be that as it   
may1 ,anitra's ,dance is the very       
essence of witchery and grace4 ,in the  
scene ,in the ,hall of the ,mountain    
,king the trolls gather for the marriage
 of ,peer to the ,troll ,king's         
daughter4 ,when ,peer1 at the last      
moment1 refuses to go through the       
ceremony1 the trolls dash at him4 ,one  
bites himself fast to his ear4 ,others  
strike him4 ,he falls4 ,they throw      
themselves upon him in a heap4 ,at this 
critical moment1 when he is writhing    
beneath them in torture1 the sound of   
distant church bells is heard1 the      

trolls take to flight1 the palace of the
 ,mountain ,king collapses and ,peer is 
standing alone on a mountain4 ,the scene
 may be construed as one of his         
supernatural experiences1 as a          
nightmare1 or as the allegory of a      
stricken conscience4 ,daybreak which    
opens the second roll is in ,egypt1     
,peer standing before the statue of     
,memnon in the first hush of dawn and   
waiting for the rays of the rising sun  
to evoke the music which according to   
tradition many thousand years old1 is   
drawn from the statue by the sunrise4   
,in this number ,grieg paints the colors
 of an ,oriental daybreak rather than   
attempts to convey the thrill of an     
ancient sculpture1 on the edge of the   
great desert1 thrilling with song at the
 first kiss of the rising sun4 ,in the  
,death of ,aase ,peer watches his       
mother's life slowly ebb away and seeks 
to divert her mind from death by        
grotesque tales1 even throwing himself  
astride a chair and persuading her      

through subjective suggestion1 that he  
is the forerider of a beautiful chariot 
in which she is seated1 so that the poor
 woman1 who all her life long has felt  
the pinch of penury1 dies with a vision 
of wealth and glory before her eyes     
created for her by the son1 worry over  
whom has hastened her death4 ,in keeping
 with the lyric trend of his genius1    
,grieg has ignored the grotesque and    
ghastly humor of the situation1 and has 
contented himself with portraying its   
sombre and tragic aspect1 his music     
being in character somewhat like a      
funeral march4  ,the pianolist will find
 a characteristic ,norwegian touch in   
,grieg's ,bridal ,procession ,passing   
,by1 ,op4 #ai1 ,no4 #b1 from his        
,sketches from ,norwegian ,life4 ,it    
begins with a curiously droning rhythm1 
played softly as though the procession  
were approaching from a distance4 ,over 
this rhythm is introduced a piquant     
march figure1 hopping and skipping along
 as if the musicians were dancing at the

 head of the marchers4 ,as the          
procession approaches and the music     
becomes louder1 one hears in the bass an
 accentuation of the characteristic     
rhythm1 like the tap of a bass drum4    
,when the march has swelled to a forte1 
it sinks to a brief piano1 as if the    
winding path had led the procession away
 again4 ,then there is another brief    
outburst1 this time fortissimo1 as if   
the marchers were quite near2 and then a
 pianissimo1 as if they had passed      
behind a hill and almost out of hearing4
 ,the music grows loud again1 the       
procession goes by1 and there is a      
delicious effect as the march dies away 
in the distance1 the rhythmic beats with
 which it opened becoming softer and    
softer1 while the little hopping and    
skipping march-figure1 somewhat         
curtailed1 flutters over it4  ,grieg's  
,peer ,gynt suite was composed for      
orchestra1 but was arranged for         
pianoforte by the composer4             
,notwithstanding the fact that in its   

original form the suite is intended to  
be played by a large body of instruments
 of different tone coloring and that    
arrangements for pianoforte of          
orchestral works usually are so complex 
that even great pianists find difficulty
 in rendering them effectively1 the     
,peer ,gynt selections are among the    
most attractive in the pianolist's      
repertory4 ,for1 through the instrument 
on which he plays1 he is able to        
overcome the most complicated chords and
 the most difficult and complex runs1 as
 easily as if they were music of the    
simplest kind4 ,if the pianola sometimes
 is called mechanical1 the injustice    
thus done it is due to its superhuman   
capacity of playing with perfect ease   
things that are wholly beyond the       
fingers even of the greatest virtuosos1 
yet can be rendered fluently and also   
expressively by the pianolist who has   
genuine feeling for music4  ,it is this 
combination of technique and expression 
that gives to ,liszt's enormously       

difficult pianoforte transcription of   
,saint-,sans' symphonic poem1 ,danse    
,maccabre1 which even for orchestra is  
an extremely difficult piece1 its place 
in the pianolist's repertory4 ,this is  
one of the most interesting of modern   
compositions1 and most graphically      
descriptive of its subject1 which is the
 ,dance of ,death1 maccabre being       
derived from the ,arabic makabir1 which 
signifies a place of burial4 ,both in   
the literature and in the painting of   
the ,middle ,ages in ,europe and        
particularly in church decoration1      
figures the legend that once a year on  
,hallowe'en the dead arose from their   
graves for a wild and hideous dance1    
with ,king ,death himself as master of  
ceremonies4 ,saint-,sans' symphonic poem
 realistically describes these scenes1  
and1 as if to attribute the inspiration 
for his music to its precise origin1 the
 composer has placed above his score a  
poem by ,henri ,cazalis4 ,mr4 ,edward   
,baxter ,perry has made a free          

transcription of this poem1 which1 at   
the same time1 serves capitally as a    
description of the music3      ,on a    
sounding stone1     ,with a blanched    
thigh-bone1     ,the bone of a saint1 ,i
 fear1     ,death strikes the hour      
,of his wizard power1     ,and the      
specters haste to appear4      ,from    
their tombs they rise     ,in sepulchral
 guise1     ,obeying the summons dread1 
,and gathering round     ,with obeisance
 profound1     ,they salute the ,king of
 the ,dead4      ,then he stands in the 
middle     ,and tunes up his fiddle1    
,and plays them a gruesome strain4      
,and each gibbering wight     ,in the   
moon's pale light     ,must dance to    
that wild refrain4      ,now the fiddle 
tells1     ,as the music swells1     ,of
 the charnal's ghastly pleasures2       
,and they clatter their bones     ,as   
with hideous groans     ,they reel to   
those maddening measures4      ,the     
churchyard quakes     ,and the old abbey
 shakes     ,to the tread of that       

midnight host1     ,and the sod turns   
black     ,on each circling track1      
,where a skeleton whirls with a ghost4  
,the night wind moans     ,in shuddering
 tones     ,through the gloom of the    
cypress tree1     ,while the mad rout   
raves     ,over yawning graves     ,and 
the fiddle bow leaps with glee4      ,so
 the swift hours fly     ,till the      
reddening sky     ,gives warning of     
daylight near4     ,then the first cock 
crow     ,sends them huddling below     
,to sleep for another year4  ,the       
composition opens weirdly with the      
hollow strokes of the hour4 ,there is a 
light1 staccato passage suggesting the  
spectres tiptoeing from their graves to 
take their places in the fantastic      
circle4 ,then comes one of the most     
strikingly realistic passages in the    
composition--,death attempting to tune  
up his fiddle1 an effect that is        
repeated at intervals throughout the    
composition4 ,after reading the poem1   
the pianolist will not require a        

detailed description of the work4 ,he   
will recognize the details even to the  
moaning of the night wind and the       
crowing of the cock1 the scurry of the  
spectres and their final wail1 as the   
grave closes upon them for another year4
     ,v4 ,,an ,,open ,,sesame ,,to      
,,chopin   ,the goal of all pianists is 
,chopin4 ,as the list of one hundred    
favorite compositions for the pianola   
includes no less than twenty-six works  
by this composer1 he would seem to be   
the goal of the pianolist as well4      
,chopin now is recognized universally as
 one of the great composers4 ,but during
 his lifetime he was much criticised1   
called morbid and effeminate and a      
composer of small ideas because he wrote
 almost entirely in the smaller forms4  
,as if size had anything to do with the 
beauty of a work4 ,in every art the best
 work of each great man should be ranked
 with the best of all other great men4  
,some geniuses express themselves on a  
larger1 but not necessarily on a greater

 scale1 than others4 ,in poetry1 for    
example1 ,poe's ,raven is not to be     
ranked below ,milton's ,paradise ,lost  
because shorter2 nor in music need a    
,chopin ballad be placed below a        
,beethoven symphony because not so      
extended as the latter4 ,every genius1  
however1 must expect to be condemned    
until ,time silences criticism of his   
work4 ,for ever since men began to      
create rare and beautiful things1 there 
have been other men who1 having failed  
therein1 have found a bitter consolation
 in sitting in crabbed and ill-tempered 
judgment upon their successful betters4 
,another point raised against ,chopin   
was1 that practically he confined       
himself to composing for pianoforte4 ,a 
sufficient answer to this is1 that his  
music made the pianoforte what it is4   
,for he was the first composer who      
appreciated the genius of the           
instrument1 discovered its latent tone  
colors and developed its resources to   
their full capacity for artistic beauty 

and expression4 ,chopin was the first to
 make the pianoforte both shimmer and   
sing4 ,rubinstein said that the art of  
music could go no further than ,chopin  
and called him the pianoforte bard1     
rhapsodist1 mind and soul4 ,how he wrote
 for it ,i do not know1 but only an     
entire passing over of one into the     
other could call such music into life4  
,george ,sand 7,mme4 ,dudevant7 the     
famous ,french authoress with whom      
,chopin had a love affair that was one  
of the tragedies of his life1 said that 
he made the instrument speak the        
language of the infinite4 ,he did not   
need the great material methods of the  
orchestra to find expression for his    
genius4 ,neither saxophone nor          
ophicleide was necessary for him to fill
 the soul with awe4 ,without church     
organ or human voice he inspired faith  
and enthusiasm4  ,although ,chopin      
figures on almost every pianoforte      
recital program the average amateur has 
comparatively slight knowledge of the   

range of his genius4 ,only the player   
able to go over his works in person can 
acquire such knowledge1 and the number  
of amateurs possessed of sufficient     
technique to play ,chopin's music is    
very small4 ,but to-day1 writes ,mr4    
,ashton ,johnson in his ,hand-,book to  
,chopin's ,works1 owing to the invention
 of the pianola and the fact that all   
,chopin's works1 including even the     
least important of the posthumous       
compositions1 are now available for that
 instrument1 the whole domain of his    
music is1 for the first time1 open to   
all4 ,those who wish may pass the portal
 hitherto guarded by the dragon of      
technique and roam at will in his       
entrancing music land4  ,chopin was a   
native of ,poland4 ,he was born near    
,warsaw in #ahaj4 ,when the ,poles lost 
their country it was as if their grief  
and the melancholy of their exile found 
expression through ,chopin's music4 ,he 
became the musical poet of an exiled    
race4 ,the most significant years of his

 life he spent in ,paris surrounded by  
the aristocracy of his own country1 who 
yet had no country1 and by the          
aristocrats of art4 ,liszt1 ,heine1     
,meyerbeer1 ,bellini and other famous   
men1 as well as famous women1 were his  
personal friends4  ,the affair with     
,george ,sand left on his music the     
imprint of sorrow1 poignant grief1 and a
 pathos reaching down into the depths of
 tragedy4 ,different in character was   
his idealization of the beautiful       
,countess ,delphine ,potocka4 ,the      
episode is fully set forth in my ,loves 
of the ,great ,composers4 ,one of       
,chopin's favorite musical amusements1  
when a guest in the house of intimate   
friends1 was to play on the pianoforte  
musical portraits of the company4 ,one  
evening in the salon of ,delphine's     
mother1 he played the portraits of the  
two daughters of the house4 ,when it    
came to ,delphine he gently drew her    
light shawl from her shoulders1 and then
 played through it1 his fingers1 with   

every tone they produced1 coming in     
touch with the gossamer like fabric1    
still warmed and hallowed for him from  
its contact with her4 ,it was ,delphine 
who soothed his last hours by singing   
for him as he lay upon his death bed4   
,she was one of the very few people to  
whom he dedicated more than one of his  
works4 ,both his second concerto 7in ,f 
minor1 ,op4 #ba7 and his most familiar  
waltz1 the ,op4 #fd1 ,no4 #a1 bear her  
name4 ,chopin as a pianist1 showed      
decided preference for the slow movement
 of the concerto1 a movement which is of
 almost ideal perfection1 now radiant   
with light and anon full of tender      
pathos1 to quote from ,liszt4 ,it is    
indeed1 an exquisite idyll1 beautifully 
melodious and replete with delicate     
ornamentation4 ,because of its beauty   
and its association with ,delphine1 ,i  
would suggest that the pianolist begin  
with this larghetto4 ,there is another  
reason for the suggestion4 ,in its      
ornamentation it illustrates to         

perfection that characteristic of       
,chopin's music known as the tempo      
rubato4 ,much of ,chopin's music has in 
addition to inspired melody1 an         
iridescence as if produced by cascades  
of jewels4 ,these are ornamental notes  
which yet are not ornamental in the     
limited meaning of the word2 for in     
spite of all their light and shade and  
their play of changeable colors1 they   
form part of the great undercurrent of  
melody4 ,there are various technical    
definitions of tempo rubato1 but ,liszt 
described it poetically and yet exactly 
when he said1 ,you see that tree8 ,its  
leaves move to and fro in the wind and  
follow the gentlest motion of the air2  
but its trunk stands there immovable in 
its form4 ,or the effect might be       
compared with the myriad shafts from the
 facets of a jewel1 vibrating brilliance
 in all directions1 while the jewel     
itself remains immovable1 the center of 
its own rays4 ,these effects readily are
 discoverable in the larghetto of the   

,potocka concerto4  ,the pianolist      
should then take up the valses of       
,chopin beginning with ,op4 #fd1 ,no4   
#a1 like the concerto1 dedicated to     
,delphine4 ,this is the most familiar of
 all the ,chopin waltzes1 so familiar   
that it frequently is referred to in a  
derogatory way as hackneyed4 ,yet1 when 
properly played1 it is one of the most  
effective of his compositions in this   
genre4 ,of the ,chopin waltzes in       
general1 it should first be said that   
they are not dance-tunes but            
expressions1 alternately brilliant1     
charming and sad1 of the intimacy of the
 ballroom1 and that they possess an     
innate grace which no other composer has
 been able to impart to the form4 ,they 
have been characterized as salon music  
of the noblest kind and were well       
described by ,schumann when he said that
 if they were played for dances1 half   
the ladies present should be            
countesses--which exactly hits off the  
distinguished quality of these valses4  

,to play them is like looking at a dance
 through a fairy lens2 they seem like   
improvizations of a musician during a   
dance and to reflect the thoughts and   
feelings that arise as he looks on1     
playing the waltz rhythm with the left  
hand1 while the melody and the          
ornamental note groups indicate his     
fancy--love1 a jealous plaint1 joy1     
ecstasy and the tender whisperings of   
enamored couples as they glide past4    
,gliding is the word that has been      
applied to the smooth brilliance of the 
,potocka valse4 ,there runs a story     
regarding this composition that ,george 
,sand had a little dog that used to     
chase its own tail around in a circle1  
and that one evening1 she said to       
,chopin1 ,if ,i had your talent1 ,i     
would improvise a valse for that dog1   
whereupon the composer promptly seated  
himself at the pianoforte and dashed off
 this fascinating little improvisation4 
,it is ,parisian in its grace and       
coquetry and ends with a rapid run1 the 

last note of which is like the rhythmic 
tap of the foot with which a dainty     
ballet dancer might conclude a lightly  
executed pas4  ,in striking contrast to 
this is the ,valse1 ,op4 #cd1 ,no4 #b4  
,this is in a minor key and instead of  
representing the abandon of the dance1  
it seems rather to depict a melancholy  
lover allowing his eyes to travel slowly
 around the ballroom in a futile search 
of his heart's desire4 ,the prevailing  
tone of the composition rather is that  
of an elegy--the burial of fond hopes4  
,stephen ,heller1 pianist and composer1 
tells of meeting ,chopin in the store of
 a ,paris music publisher4 ,heller had  
come in to order all the valses4        
,thereupon ,chopin asked him which he   
liked best1 and when ,heller mentioned  
this sad one in slow time1 ,chopin      
exclaimed1 ,i am glad you like that one1
 for it also is my favorite1 and he     
invited ,heller to have luncheon with   
him4  ,perhaps the most brilliant and   
extended of the valses is ,op4 #db4 ,in 

this ,chopin imposes upon the triple    
waltz time1 a melody that is in double  
time--that is1 while you count one1 two1
 three for the accompaniment1 one1 two  
will suffice for the melody above it4   
,the effect of this device has been     
described as indicative in this waltz of
 the loving1 nestling and tender        
embracing of the dancing couples4 ,it is
 followed in the music by sweeping      
motions free and graceful like those of 
birds4 ,the prolonged trill with which  
the piece begins1 seems to summon the   
dancers to the ballroom1 while the waltz
 itself1 is an intermingling of         
coquetry1 hesitation and avowal1 with a 
closing passage that is like an echo of 
the evening's events4  ,these three     
waltzes1 if played in the order in which
 ,i have mentioned them1 make a capital 
valse suite1 and another could be made  
by taking in the following order1 the   
dashing ,posthumous ,waltz in ,e minor1 
the ,c minor1 ,op4 #fd1 ,no4 #b1 with   
its veiled1 sad beauty2 and the         

brilliant ,op4 #cd1 ,no4 #a4  ,in his   
,nocturnes those sombre poems of night1 
,chopin seems weaving his own shroud4   
,but if1 like ,robert ,louis ,stevenson1
 ,chopin loved the darkness and its     
melancholy murmuring1 and if there was a
 touch of morbidness in his nature1 yet1
 like ,stevenson1 he had in him a strain
 of chivalry4 ,mr4 ,huneker1 therefore1 
in his book on ,chopin1 is quite right  
when he says of the nocturnes that if   
they were played with more vigor1 a     
quickening of the time pulse and a less 
languishing touch1 they would be rescued
 from a surplus of lush sentiment4      
,undoubtedly1 the most popular of the   
nocturnes is the one in ,e flat1 ,op4   
#i1 ,no4 #b4 ,in fact it is so popular  
that when any one is asked to play      
,chopin's ,nocturne1 this one is meant4 
,because it is popular1 it is sneered at
 by some critics1 but it possesses a    
lyric beauty quite its own and sometimes
 surprises even the weary teacher with a
 waft of unexpected freshness1 like the 

fleeting odor from an old and much used 
school book in which violets have been  
pressed4 ,a sustained love song1 it ends
 with a cadence that should be played   
with a rippling delicacy suggestive of  
moonlight on a lake in the garden of an 
old chateau4  ,there are nocturnes of   
,chopin's composed on a larger scale    
than the ,opus #cg1 ,no4 #b1 but to my  
taste there is none more beautiful4 ,it 
bears a striking resemblance to a       
passage in ,george ,sand's diary        
describing a voyage with ,chopin to the 
island of ,majorca4 ,the night was warm 
and dark1 illumined only by an          
extraordinary phosphorescence in the    
wake of the ship2 everybody was asleep  
on board except the steersman1 who1 in  
order to keep himself awake1 sang all   
night1 but in a voice so soft and so    
subdued that one might have thought he  
feared to arouse the men of the watch4  
,we did not weary of listening to him1  
for his singing was of the strangest    
kind4 ,he observed a rhythm and         

modulation totally different from those 
we are accustomed to1 and seemed to     
allow his voice to go at random1 like   
the smoke of the vessel carried away and
 swayed by the breeze4 ,it was a reverie
 rather than a song1 a kind of careless 
floating of the voice1 with which the   
mind had little to do1 but which kept   
time with the swaying of the ship and   
the faint lapping of the dark water1 and
 resembled a vague improvization        
restrained1 nevertheless1 by sweet and  
monotonous forms4  ,how suggestive this 
is of the nocturne6 ,the undulating     
accompaniment1 the scintillation of the 
treble1 suggests the gliding1 gently    
rocking motion of the vessel and the    
phosphorescence in its wake2 while the  
second theme of the nocturne would1 even
 without any suggestion from the passage
 in ,george ,sand's diary1 be taken for 
a barcarolle1 a reverie sung at night1  
now rising1 now dying away1 but with the
 pulse of a musical poet throbbing      
through every note--the most beautiful  

melody1 ,i think1 ,chopin ever wrote4   
,and speaking of this melody as an      
improvization1 reminds me of those other
 improvizations by ,chopin1 the         
,impromptus1 in which he has displayed  
his genius as convincingly as in any of 
his other works4 ,they are fresh and    
untrammeled in their development1 and as
 full of sunlight as the nocturnes are  
of darkness4 ,the one in ,a flat major  
was dedicated to the ,countess de ,loban
 as a wedding present1 and was a        
farewell to her as a pupil4 ,brilliant1 
joyous and iridescent in its opening and
 closing sections1 that in the middle   
voices vague and tender regret4 ,the    
composition sometimes is spoken of as   
the ,trilby impromptu4 ,it is the one   
,du ,maurier made ,trilby sing under the
 hypnotic influence of ,svengali4  ,had 
,chopin's directions for the destruction
 of certain of his manuscripts after his
 death been carried out1 the world would
 be the poorer by the loss of his       
,fantaisie ,impromptu1 published as ,op4

 #ff4 ,it is difficult to understand why
 he should have wanted this work        
destroyed1 since it produces a sinuous1 
interwoven1 flowing effect1 interrupted 
by a middle melody of much sentiment and
 beauty4 ,it has been very well         
described by ,mr4 ,perry in a brief poem
 entitled ,the ,fantaisie ,impromptu3   
,the sigh of ,june through the swaying  
trees1     ,the scent of the rose1 new  
blown1 on the breeze1     ,the sound of 
waves on a distant strand1     ,the     
shadows falling on sea and land2        
,all these are found       ,in this     
stream of sound1     ,this murmuring1   
mystical1 minor strain4      ,and stars 
that glimmer in misty skies1     ,like  
tears that shimmer in sorrowing eyes1   
,and the throb of a heart that beats in 
tune     ,with tender regrets of a      
happier ,june1       ,when life was new 
,and love was true1     ,and the soul   
was a stranger to sorrow and pain4  ,a  
reading of this poem conveys to the     
player the correct mood in which to     

interpret the impromptu4  ,by way of    
contrast ,i follow these careless       
raptures--careless only in their effect 
of spontaneity--with the famous ,marche 
,funbre1 the funeral march which forms  
the third movement of ,chopin's sonata  
in ,b flat minor1 ,op4 #ce4 ,this has   
been called the best funeral march ever 
written for the pianoforte4 ,at         
,chopin's own funeral it was played     
scored for orchestra4 ,in my opinion it 
is not only the best funeral march ever 
written for the pianoforte1 but the most
 intrinsically beautiful and sad funeral
 march ever composed4 ,its opening      
suggests the solemn tolling of great    
bells1 the heavy march rhythm gives the 
effect of the slow procession of        
mourners2 and the dirgelike music1 soft 
and muffled at first1 grows in power    
like the measured1 inflexible rhythm of 
fate4 ,then it seems as if the mourners 
had arrived at the open grave1 for the  
music voices a weeping melody1 pure and 
tender and sweet2 then the march rhythm 

makes itself heard again and the        
procession leaves the grave1 the music  
dying away in the distance4 ,this is the
 funeral march of a nation1 of ,chopin's
 own beloved ,poland4  ,chopin wrote two
 sets of twelve ,etudes4 ,they gave an  
entirely new significance to the term4  
,for the ,chopin etudes not only are    
supreme as studies4 ,they are supreme as
 music as well4 ,before they were       
published the usual musical study was   
something very dry and set4 ,how        
different these superb compositions are 
from studies such as are comprised in   
,czerny's ,school of ,velocity1 which   
make you feel like employing the        
velocity you have acquired to run away  
as quickly as possible from the school1 
whereas the ,chopin etudes are so full  
of melody and of the rarest and the most
 beautiful musical effects1 that to play
 any one of them suffices to whet the   
appetite for the others4 ,the pianolist 
might well go through the entire two    
sets of twelve4 ,it would open up a new 

musical world to him4 ,here ,i can only 
point out three4 ,opus #aj1 ,no4 #e1 is 
the ,black ,key etude1 so called because
 all the notes of the right hand are on 
black keys4 ,this is a brilliant study  
with a very charming ending4 ,opus #be1 
,no4 #i1 is the so called ,butterfly    
,wings etude1 a designation which       
expresses its general characteristic of 
lightness and grace1 but fails to make  
allowance for the accent of passion in  
the rising and descending passage that  
occurs about the middle and which should
 be brought out when it is correctly    
interpreted--which usually it is not4   
,the greatest of all the etudes is the  
,revolutionary1 ,op4 #aj1 ,no4 #ab4 ,it 
was written by ,chopin in #ahca1 when he
 heard the news that ,warsaw had been   
taken by the ,russians1 and it expresses
 the tornado of emotion that swept over 
him when he realized that ,poland was   
about to sink beneath the triple        
onslaught of ,russia1 ,austria and      
,germany4 ,this composition which1 mind 

you1 goes by the simple name of study1  
is one of the most tremendous outbursts 
of wrath in music--a storm of the soul  
without even such lyric episodes as     
those which form islands of calm in the 
torrential last movement of ,beethoven's
 ,moonlight ,sonata4 ,well may ,mr4     
,huneker say that the end rings out like
 the crack of creation4 ,it is          
elemental4  ,this etude1 certain of the 
,polonaises1 the ,scherzos1 the         
,ballades and the ,fantaisie in ,f      
minor1 reveal a fire1 passion and virile
 power that will surprise those who have
 formed their estimate of ,chopin from  
the mournful nocturnes and brilliant    
waltzes4 ,the so-called ,military       
,polonaise1 ,op4 #dj1 ,no4 #a1 is so    
replete with the spirit of war that in  
the middle portion it is easy to hear   
the roll of drums and the clash of      
battle4 ,it was of this polonaise       
,chopin said1 ,if ,i had the strength to
 play it as it should be played ,i would
 break all the strings of the           

pianoforte4  ,the most effective of the 
polonaises1 his opus #ec1 also breathes 
forth martial ardor and defiance4 ,it   
begins with a stirring call to arms1    
followed by the swinging measure of the 
polonaise proper with a melody that     
suggests soldiery on prancing steeds and
 with flashing sabres1 defiling in      
review before battle4 ,this is followed 
by a trio in which a rapid octave figure
 in the bass1 beginning softly and      
growing louder and louder until it      
reaches a crashing climax1 with strains 
like a bugle call ringing out above it1 
depicts a cavalry charge coming from the
 distance1 drawing nearer and nearer and
 sweeping past with a mighty roar4      
,there is a story that while ,chopin was
 composing this polonaise1 he was so    
affected when playing over the nearly   
completed work1 that1 seized by a       
peculiar hallucination1 he saw the walls
 of the room open and1 approaching from 
the outer night1 a band of medieval     
,polish knights mounted and in armor1 as

 if they had risen from their ancient   
graves and ridden on the clouds to      
appear in response to the summons of his
 music4 ,the somewhat vague passage     
which follows the climax of the cavalry 
charge and leads back to the main       
subject possibly may be accounted for by
 this strange experience4               
,unfortunately there is no opportunity  
here to take up the ,scherzos1 so unlike
 the coquettish1 bantering pieces of the
 same name by other composers1 ,chopin  
seemingly representing tragedy mocking  
itself1 as any one playing the ,b flat  
minor ,scherzo1 ,op4 #ca1 may hear for  
himself2 the ,ballades1 so eloquently   
narrative of love and adventure1 the ,a 
flat major and the ,g minor being       
especially popular in the pianolist's   
repertory2 and the ,fantaisie1 in ,f    
minor1 one of the greatest compositions 
for pianoforte4 ,as for the ,mazurkas   
and ,preludes1 pieces that are among    
their composer's happiest creations1 ,i 
can do no more than call the pianolist's

 attention to their existence and advise
 him not to neglect them4     ,,vi4     
,,notes ,,on ,,some ,,other ,,masters   
,besides those composers1 one or more of
 whose works ,i have described in some  
detail1 there are others who at least   
should be touched on1 always bearing in 
mind1 however1 that one of the aims of  
this book is to stimulate the pianolist 
to explore for himself4 ,bach1 ,hndel1  
,haydn and ,mozart can be studied most  
profitably in connection with the       
courses that are referred to in the     
chapter on ,educational ,factors which  
follows4 ,there too will be found       
reference to the thorough courses on    
,wagner1 one a general course on that   
composer1 the other a special course on 
his ,ring of the ,nibelung4  ,a line of 
composers that may well interest the    
pianolist has come to the front in      
,russia4 ,rubinstein1 whose ,melody in  
,f and ,kammenoi1 ,ostrow1 ,no4 #ag1 are
 among the popular selections in the    
pianolist's repertory was a ,russian1   

who1 however1 from a musical standpoint1
 expressed himself in ,german4 ,to a    
certain extent the same is true of      
,tschaikowsky4 ,his music is universal  
rather than national4 ,it has1          
nevertheless1 the ,russian tang to a    
greater degree than ,rubinstein's1 and  
,tschaikowsky is classed correctly as   
the head of the ,russian school and one 
of the greatest of modern composers4    
,his ,pathetic ,symphony1 which has been
 metrostyled by ,edouard ,colonne1 a    
distinguished ,french orchestral        
conductor1 is a noble work4 ,among      
smaller pieces which the pianolist      
readily will appreciate1 are the ,song  
without ,words1 ,op4 #b1 ,no4 #b2 an    
attractive ,valse  cinq ,temps1 with its
 oddly extended rhythm2 the very        
characteristic ,november1 in the        
,troika1 ,op4 #cg1 ,no4 #aa2 an         
expressive ,barcarolle and the          
selections from his ,casse ,noisette    
7,nutcracker7 ballet suite4  ,next to   
,tschaikowsky's ,song without ,words the

 most widely known short piece for      
pianoforte by a ,russian composer is    
,rachmaninoff's ,prelude1 ,op4 #c1 ,no4 
#b1 a broad and sonorous work with a    
splendid climax4 ,a little ,waltz1 ,op4 
#aj1 ,no4 #b1 is captivating2 and a     
,serenade1 ,op4 #c1 ,no4 #e1 has an     
originality and charm quite its own4 ,a 
very beautiful ,moment ,musical1 ,op4   
#af1 ,no4 #e1 does not seem to have been
 included as yet in the catalogue of    
music rolls1 an honor to which it       
clearly is entitled4 ,arensky1          
,balakirew1 ,csar ,cui1 ,glazounow1     
,karganoff1 ,liapounow1                 
,rimsky-,korsakow1 ,sapellnikoff and    
,taneiew are other interesting figures  
of the ,new-,russian school of which so 
much is heard at present4  ,dvorak who  
was a ,bohemian wrote much music        
distinctly and fascinatingly            
characteristic of his native land4 ,he  
was1 however1 broad enough in his tastes
 to recognize1 during his sojourn of    
three years in ,america1 the beauty of  

the ,negro plantation melodies and to   
compose upon several of these as themes1
 his symphony ,from the ,new ,world1    
sometimes called more briefly the       
,american ,symphony4 ,this symphony1 two
 works of chamber music1 also composed  
during his residence in ,america1 and   
his compositions in his native ,bohemian
 musical idiom usually are ranked higher
 than his more cosmopolitan efforts4    
,his ,humoreske1 ,op4 #aja1 ,no4 #e1 the
 ,slavic ,dances and ,on the ,holy      
,mount are among his compositions       
unmistakably ,bohemian in origin4       
,while ,saint-,sans1 having worked more 
successfully in the larger orchestral   
forms1 is ranked first among            
contemporary ,french composers1 and     
,chaminade leads as a composer of clever
 salon music1 the pianolist can add some
 attractive pieces to his repertory from
 the compositions of ,delibes and       
,godard4 ,delibes is the composer of the
 opera ,lakm1 and the ,airs de ,ballet  
from this1 as well as the selections    

from his ,coppelia and ,sylvia ballets1 
will be found spontaneous and original4 
,in fact in all instances in which music
 composed in dance forms has survived1  
this will be found due to a decided     
strain of individuality and resulting   
originality in the composer4 ,the ,valse
 ,lente from the ,coppelia ballet is    
among the hundred most popular pieces in
 the pianolist's repertory2 and well up 
in the same list is ,godard's graceful  
,second ,mazurka1 ,op4 #ed4  ,among the 
most distinguished modern composers is  
the ,american1 ,edward ,alexander       
,mac,dowell4 ,he is living1 but his work
 is over2 for1 unfortunately1 his mind  
has given way4 ,his ,scotch ,poem with  
its graphic musical representation of   
the sea beating against a rockbound     
coast and its lyric episode consisting  
of a trist ,scotch ballad1 is highly    
dramatic1 while his ,sea ,pieces are    
among the most poetic of contemporary   
compositions for pianoforte4 ,his       
,witches' ,dance is highly descriptive1 

and in whatever direction the pianolist 
may familiarize himself with the music  
of ,mac,dowell1 he will be found a      
highly original1 eloquent and expressive
 composer1 whose fame1 already          
established1 is bound to grow with the  
lapse of time4  ,this chapter may       
fittingly be concluded with a brief     
reference to two great ,german          
composers1 ,schumann and ,brahms4       
,although popular is not a word         
ordinarily associated with ,schumann1   
two of his shorter pieces1 ,trumerei    
7,revery7 and ,warum 7,why7 are great   
favorites4 ,schumann did much for the   
development of music that has a distinct
 meaning and his works frequently bear  
titles that are suggestive of some mood 
or scene1 like ,at ,evening1 ,soaring   
7,aufschwung1 sometimes translated as   
,excelsior71 ,carnaval1 a series of     
twenty-one pieces descriptive of        
carnival scenes2 and the ,novelettes4   
,brahms is far more of a melodist than  
his critics give him credit for1 but his

 clearness of expression is interfered  
with by the relentless scientific       
accuracy with which he works out his    
ideas1 to which method he is apt to     
sacrifice only too often the innate     
beauty of his thoughts4 ,he seems1      
however1 to be slowly gaining ground1   
but more through his songs than through 
his instrumental works excepting those  
of chamber music4 ,yet any one who will 
seriously study ,brahms and begin with  
the shorter pianoforte pieces1 ,op4 #gf 
and ,op4 #aaf-aai1 will find mines of   
purest musical gold1 where1 perhaps1 he 
least expected to discover them4        
,entirely different in style from       
,brahms' other works are his ,hungarian 
,dances1 in which he has taken dance    
themes of the ,hungarian ,gypsies and   
skillfully worked them up into pieces   
that are melodiously and rhythmically   
fascinating and unreservedly popular4   
,they are much played by pianolists4    
,let me point out again1 here1 that1    
however unsystematic the arrangement of 

this book may seem to the musical       
pedant1 ,i have followed a certain      
sequence--one of my own devising and    
which seemed to me best adapted to give 
the pianolist a bowing acquaintance with
 some of the great composers that would 
lead him to wish for a closer intimacy  
with these and others4 ,what ,i have    
kept in mind1 and very clearly1 is the  
fact that ,i am dealing with a player   
for whom all technical difficulties have
 been eliminated by the very instrument 
on which he plays4 ,the complete control
 it gives him of all technical resources
 is what makes the old method of        
analyzing pieces according to their     
historical sequence not only unnecessary
 but futile in a book of this kind4     
,nevertheless1 so perfectly does this   
instrument adapt itself to all music1   
that any one who desires to trace up the
 technical evolution of the art from    
,bach to the present day1 will find it  
the readiest means for accomplishing his
 purpose1 especially if he uses in      

conjunction with it the educational     
courses referred to in the next chapter4
     ,,vii4 ,,educational ,,factors4    
,it is not overstating the case to say  
that the pianola is the first practical 
means ever devised in history through   
which people in general1 whether they   
have had previous instruction in music  
or not1 can become familiar with the    
world's best musical compositions4 ,not 
only can they familiarize themselves    
with the past1 they are able to keep up 
with the present4 ,for example1 many of 
,richard ,strauss's works1 including    
selections from ,salome1 are to be found
 on the rolls prepared for this modern  
instrument4 ,in fact every new composer 
whose work has any significance is      
represented in the catalogue of music   
rolls4 ,supposing a pianolist is        
planning to attend an opera or a        
concert4 ,it would have to be a very    
peculiar opera or a very peculiar       
concert program which he could not      
obtain and try over beforehand4         

,needless to say that1 by trying it over
 beforehand1 his appreciation of the    
performance would be increased a        
thousandfold4  ,singers who cannot      
accompany themselves on the pianoforte1 
will find this new instrument a boon4   
,for there is a special list of         
accompaniments in which the principal   
works in the vocalist's repertory are   
represented4 ,lovers of chamber music in
 which the pianoforte figures1 will find
 pieces like sonatas for pianoforte and 
violin or violoncello1 trios for        
pianoforte1 violin and violoncello1     
pianoforte quartets1 quintets and       
similar works1 arranged so that the     
pianolist can play the pianoforte part4 
,this is the first time ,i ever have    
heard every note of the pianoforte part 
of the ,schumann quintet1 said the first
 violinist of a well known string       
quartet to ,mr4 ,e4,r4 ,hunter1 a       
professional pianolist1 after a         
performance of this famous work with    
,mr4 ,hunter at the pianola4  ,the      

importance of the educational value of  
this new instrument is recognized by    
many of the leading educators in music4 
,harvard1 ,yale1 ,columbia1 the         
,university of ,california1 the         
,university of ,michigan1 ,vassar and   
many other institutions of learning use 
the instrument in connection with their 
musical courses4 ,at ,harvard1 in       
connection with the lectures on music1  
the students are not only allowed but   
encouraged to go in groups of six or    
eight to the hall in which the          
instruments are installed1 and play for 
themselves the symphonies of ,beethoven1
 the music dramas of ,wagner and other  
music that has formed the subjects of   
the lectures4 ,as a self-educator1      
writes ,henry ,t4 ,finck1 this          
instrument is worth more than all other 
instruments combined1 for the reason    
that any one can1 without practice1 play
 on it any piece ever written4  ,under  
the editorship of ,carroll ,brent       
,chilton1 assisted by a staff of        

musicians and writers on music1 among   
them ,paul ,morgan and ,edward ,ziegler1
 thorough educational courses for       
pianolists have been devised4 ,the      
courses collectively are known as ,the  
,new ,musical ,education1 and are       
conducted in connection with the        
,music-,lovers ,library of music rolls4 
,these courses are admirably arranged4  
,there is a ,popular ,course on the     
,great ,composers with a supplementary  
one on the ,modern ,great ,composers4   
,the former is divided into five        
lessons3 ,bach and ,hndel2 ,haydn and   
,mozart2 ,beethoven and ,schubert2      
,schumann and ,mendelssohn2 and ,chopin 
and ,wagner4 ,the course on the modern  
great composers also is divided into    
five lessons3 ,liszt and ,wagner2       
,chopin and ,brahms2 ,tschaikowsky1     
,dvorak and ,paderewski2 ,saint-,sans1  
,moskowszki and ,chaminade2 and ,grieg  
and ,mac,dowell1 the last named the most
 distinguished among ,american          
composers4  ,care has been taken in     

arranging these two courses not to aim  
above the head of the musical novice4   
,for example1 in dealing with ,bach and 
,hndel1 two of their lighter pieces are 
taken up and analyzed4 ,biographical    
data are given and1 in addition to the  
pieces that are analyzed1 supplementary 
rolls of seven compositions by ,bach and
 five compositions by ,hndel are given1 
together with lists of reference books4 
,the other lessons in these two courses 
are planned in the same popular style4  
,they give the pianolist a              
bird's-eye-view of music and its        
development from ,bach to ,wagner4  ,the
 ,new ,musical ,education also takes up 
the great composers separately and gives
 most thorough-going courses on them4   
,the ,beethoven course1 for example1 is 
arranged in twelve lessons4 ,the course 
furnishes the student with the          
,beethoven biography by ,crowest2 with  
twelve lesson pamphlets1 each pamphlet  
relating to a division of the course and
 written by ,thomas ,whitney ,surette2  

with twelve scores1 orchestral and      
pianoforte2 and sixty-two educational   
music rolls4 ,the scores correspond with
 the twelve works discussed in the      
twelve lessons1 each lesson being       
devoted to the analysis of one          
composition4 ,the rolls include not only
 those which give the works complete1   
but also special rolls with music       
quotations illustrating the points made 
in the lesson pamphlets4 ,the various   
musical forms employed by ,beethoven are
 explained and analyzed1 and in the     
complete rolls the different sections   
characteristic of each form are clearly 
indicated in print1 so that the student1
 having read the analysis1 can follow it
 intelligently on the roll4 ,there are  
many other practical details of this    
kind in all the courses and which go to 
enhance their value to the              
pianolist-student4  ,there are two      
splendid ,wagner courses to which ,i    
direct special attention because of the 
frequent performances of his works in   

opera and concert1 and because a        
comprehensive knowledge of the          
development of his theories adds so     
greatly to the enjoyment of his music4  
,the first course begins with his early 
opera ,rienzi and ends with ,parsifal4  
,all his works for the stage are        
embraced in this course which consists  
of ten lessons1 each lesson having1 in  
addition to the ordinary rolls1 a       
quotation roll1 illustrating the points 
in the lesson pamphlets1 and in the case
 of the music-dramas1 giving the leading
 motives1 so that the student can       
familiarize himself with these1 and with
 their significance in the drama1 and   
readily recognize them when he hears    
them1 while playing the complete rolls  
or at a performance4  ,the second       
,wagner course relates to the ,ring of  
the ,nibelung4 ,it takes up             
consecutively the four great divisions  
of the work1 ,rhinegold1 ,the ,valkyr1  
,siegfried and ,dusk of the ,gods1      
devoting a lesson to each4 ,each lesson 

contains a quotation roll of leading    
motives and the following examples from 
the scores3--,lesson ,i41 ,rhinegold4   
,prelude and scene of the               
,rhine-,maidens1 ,loge's ,narrative1 and
 the finale of the work4 ,lesson ,,ii41 
,the ,valkyr4 ,siegmund's ,love ,song1  
,ride of the ,valkyries1 and the ,magic 
,fire ,spell4 ,lesson ,,iii41           
,siegfried4 ,forge ,song1 ,siegfried and
 the ,forest ,bird1 ,siegfried and      
,brnnhilde4 ,lesson ,,iv41 ,dusk of the 
,gods4 ,siegfried's ,rhine ,journey1    
,song of the ,rhine-,maidens1           
,siegfried's ,funeral ,march4 ,i know   
from the experience of one of my        
pianolist friends1 how admirable this   
course is4 ,he took it before hearing   
the ,ring for the first time1 with the  
result that he knew the music and the   
names of all the leading motives1       
recognized them whenever they occurred  
in the score1 and in consequence1       
enjoyed the performance as much as if he
 had become familiar with it through    

repeated hearings4 ,i may add that the  
catalogue of music rolls contains a     
complete collection of ,wagner's works1 
making the music of this composer       
accessible to the pianolist whether he  
wishes to play it for study or          
enjoyment4  ,the pianolist holds in his 
hand the future of the development of   
music in this country4 ,the instrument  
on which he plays is the only practical 
means as yet devised of making the great
 masterpieces of music penetrate to the 
minds and hearts of the masses4 ,art has
 to advance on its own shoulders4 ,i    
cannot rest contentedly on the past1 ,i 
cannot take a step forward without its  
aid4 ,the pianolist has both the past   
and present of music at his command4    
,,viii4 ,a ,,few ,,don',,ts ,,for       
,,pianolists4   ,by way of postscript ,i
 give here a few hints to pianolists4   
,general directions on how to play the  
pianola are provided in pamphlets and   
circulars which can be obtained without 
charge1 and ,i do not propose to        

traverse these4 ,the instrument is      
capable of great brilliancy and great   
power1 greater than lie in the ten      
fingers of any pianist4 ,this very fact 
is what has caused the instrument to be 
called mechanical4 ,but in reality it is
 the fault of the player1 because1      
carried away by the capacity of the     
instrument1 he is apt in the beginning  
to play too loudly and too brilliantly4 
,one of the first don'ts for the        
pianolist is that he refrain from       
putting the instrument to the full test 
of its--not really mechanical but       
superhuman--capacity for brilliancy and 
power4  ,indeed1 not only the beginner1 
but all pianolists should bear in mind  
that the chief distinction of the       
instrument lies in its exceeding        
delicacy4 ,no virtuoso can play as      
delicately and lightly and1 at the same 
time1 as distinctly as can the pianolist
 those rapid pianissimo runs and those  
exquisite traceries and ornamentations  
which are found in modern music2 all of 

which does not mean that the pianolist  
never should play loudly and            
brilliantly1 but that he should not     
allow himself to be carried away by the 
possibilities of the instrument in these
 directions4  ,certain refinements of   
interpretation which the pianist long   
has made his own also should be         
observed4 ,don't start a trill and keep 
it up with an evenly sustained strength 
of tone and rapidity from beginning to  
end4 ,begin it a shade slower and a     
shade more softly than the tempo and    
dynamic signs indicate1 let it swell and
 grow louder1 then taper down1 and      
slightly retard the turn which leads    
back to the melodic phrase4 ,this is not
 a hard-and-fast rule1 but one which    
usually it is safe to follow4 ,the      
pianolist can execute his trills with a 
combination of delicacy and clearness   
that is absolutely unique4  ,don't rip  
off runs as if you were tearing cloth4  
,come down with decision on the first   
note1 begin somewhat slower than the    

indicated tempo and then increase the   
time to the proper acceleration4 ,this  
is the true virtuoso effect1 adopted1 no
 doubt1 because on the pianoforte it is 
easier to execute a run in this manner2 
and so1 however erroneously1 it has come
 to be considered the genuine musical   
way--showing that even in art we are    
creatures of habit4  ,don't use the     
sustaining pedal too frequently1 not    
even as frequently as indicated on the  
rolls4 ,the pedal directions on the     
rolls follow those of the printed sheets
 too closely4 ,the pianist often is     
obliged to use the sustaining pedal to  
hold a note that he cannot keep down    
because his fingers are otherwise       
employed4 ,but the music rolls are cut  
so that every sustained note is held    
down as long as the composer directs    
that it should be4 ,remember too that   
the term loud pedal as applied to the   
sustaining pedal1 as it properly is     
called1 is incorrect4 ,this pedal       
sustains but does not increase the power

 of the sound that is produced4 ,that   
effect is secured by a stronger pressure
 of the feet upon the pumping pedals4   
,in fact by varying the degree of       
pressure of the feet on the pumping     
pedals the pianolist can vary the degree
 of sound from a whispered pianissimo to
 the strongest fortissimo4  ,the        
pianolist should remember that1 as the  
instrument on which he plays relieves   
him of all burdens of technique and     
enables him to play anything1 no matter 
how difficult1 with absolute technical  
accuracy1 it is all the more his duty to
 play with as much expression as he can 
call forth from his inner nature4       
,emotion1 the power of expression1 the  
art of interpretation1 can be developed 
by practice as well as any other latent 
capacity4 ,it is an excellent plan for  
the beginner to take one piece1 the     
,nevin waltz that ,i have described1 for
 example1 and play it over many times1  
not necessarily at the same sitting1 in 
fact better not2 but without attempting 

anything else4 ,each time let the       
pianolist try to get more meaning1 more 
expression out of it than he did before4
 ,he will find1 if he does this1 that1  
when he takes up another composition1   
the expression1 the art of              
interpretation1 will come to him more   
naturally and more quickly1 until1 from 
an ignorant beginner1 he soon will have 
developed into a musical artist who can 
give himself and hundreds of others the 
most exalted pleasure--that of listening
 to music1 not to mere playing4         
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