“I worked with Ysaye in Brussels and in his cottage at Godinne.  Here he taught much as Liszt did at Weimar, a group of from ten to twenty disciples.  Early in the morning he went fishing in the Meuse, then back to breakfast and then came the lessons:  not more than three or four a day.  Those who studied drew inspiration from him as the pianists of the Weimar circle did from their Master.  In fact, Ysaye’s standpoint toward music had a good deal in common with Rubinstein’s and he often said he wished he could play the violin as Rubinstein did the piano.  Ysaye is an artist who has transcended his own medium—­he has become a poet of sound.  And unless the one studying with him could understand and appreciate this fact he made a poor teacher.  But to me, in all humility, he was and will always remain a wonderful inspiration.  As an influence in my career his marvelous genius is unique.  In my own teaching I have only to recall his tone, his playing in his little cottage on the banks of the Meuse which the tide of war has swept away, to realize in a cumulative sense the things he tried to make plain to me then.  Ysaye taught the technic of expression as against the expression of technic.  He gave the lessons of a thousand teachers in place of the lessons of one.  The greatest technical development was required by Ysaye of a pupil; and given this pre-requisite, he could open up to him ever enlarging horizons of musical beauty.

“Nor did he think that the true beauty of violin playing must depend upon six to eight hours of daily practice work.  I absolutely believe with Ysaye that unless a student can make satisfactory progress with three hours of practice a day, he should not attempt to play the violin.  Inability to do so is in itself a confession of failure at the outset.  Nor do I think it possible to practice the violin intensively more than three-quarters of an hour at a time.  In order to utilize his three hours of practice to the best advantage the student should divide them into four periods, with intervals of rest between each, and these rest periods might simply represent a transfer of energy—­which is a rest in itself—­to reading or some other occupation not necessarily germane to music, yet likely to stimulate interest in some other art.

SOME INITIAL PRINCIPLES OF VIOLIN STUDY

“The violin student first and foremost should accustom himself to practicing purely technical exercises without notes.  The scales and arpeggios should never be played otherwise and books of scales should be used only as a reference.  Quite as important as scale practice are broken chords.  On the violin these cannot be played solidly, as on the piano; but must be studied as arpeggios, in the most exhaustive way, harmonically and technically.  Their great value lies in developing an innate musical sense, in establishing an idea of tonality and harmony that becomes so deeply rooted that every other key is as natural to the player as is the key of C. Work of