“I feel the artist has such a beautiful calling—­a glorious message—­to educate a people to see the beauty and grandeur of his art—­of the ideal!”

XXII

WILHELM BACHAUS

TECHNICAL PROBLEMS DISCUSSED

“How do I produce the effects which I obtain from the piano?”

The young German artist, Willielm Bachaus, was comfortably seated in his spacious apartments at the Ritz, New York, when this question was asked.  A grand piano stood close at hand, and the pianist ran his fingers lightly over its keys from time to time, or illustrated some technical point as he talked.

“In answer I would say I produce them by listening, criticizing, judging—­working over the point, until I get it as I want it.  Then I can reproduce it at will, if I want to make just the same effect; but sometimes I want to change and try another.

[Illustration:  WILHELM BACHAUS]

“I am particular about the seat I use at the piano, as I sit lower than most amateurs, who in general are apt to sit too high.  My piano stool has just been taken out for a few repairs, or I could show you how low it is.  Then I am old-fashioned enough to still believe in scales and arpeggios.  Some of the players of the present day seem to have no use for such things, but I find them of great importance.  This does not necessarily mean that I go through the whole set of keys when I practise the scales; but I select a few at a time, and work at those.  I start with ridiculously simple forms—­just the hand over the thumb, and the thumb under the hand—­a few movements each way, especially for arpeggios.  The principle I have referred to is the difficult point; a few doses of this remedy, however, bring the hand up into order again.”

The pianist turned to the keyboard and illustrated the point very clearly.

“As you see, I slant the hand considerably across the keys,” he said, “but this oblique position is more comfortable, and the hand can accommodate itself to the intervals of the arpeggio, or to the passing of the thumb in scales.  Some may think I stick out the elbow too much, but I don’t care for that, if by this means the scale becomes smooth and even.

OVERHAULING ONE’S TECHNIC

“I have to overhaul my technic once or twice a week, to see that everything is all right—­and of course the scales and arpeggios come in for their share of criticism.  I practise them in legato, staccato and in other touches, but mostly in legato, as that is somewhat more difficult and more beautiful than the others.