TH E ETUD E 7 1 iDVTC E practica l point } by Eminen t Teacher ^ I S HERVEfi' S piI^S T IiflW . MADAME A. PUPIN. One will occasionally see a young girl with a natural inclination to do things "jus t so " ; to arrange her little belongings in a systematic way, so they can be found without trouble ; and to study her lessons by a certain method which makes them easier to get—and how often has she been greeted by the remark, "Wha t an old maid you are ! " And one will sometimes find a young man with habits of neatness and order, who dislikes to have others use his books and tools, and then leave them in unwonted places, and who steadily refuses to indulge in pleasure until he has first finished his studies for the day ; this one hears himself everywhere called " a regular Miss Nancy." Strange to say, the people who make these remarks are often adults, who ought to know better ; who ought to remember that the universe is governed by law, and if it were not for the order in nature, they could never be certain of anything. Young people, when you hear these appellations, do not regard them as a reproach, but rather as a compli-ment. You might retort thus : "Yo u call me an old maid ? That must be because I do things a little better than others." Or, " A Miss Nancy am I ? Well, my mother's name was Nancy, and she was the most perfect being I ever knew, and I should be glad to be like her." By persisting in regarding these remarks as compli-ments, they will cease to wound you, and finally you will cease to hear them. Above all, do not be ridiculed into giving up a good habit which may be one of the elements of a perfect character. WHY ? S. N. PENFIELD. HAVE you never seen the little boy who is always asking questions ? Who wants everything explained to his satisfaction? Who is always asking "wh y " ? He generally becomes quite a nuisance to his friends, and certainly so when, as often happens, he asks questions that his friends can not answer. Curiosity may even sometimes get its owner into trouble, as happened to Bluebeard's wives. But there is one place where curiosity is quite pardon-able. That is in the theory and practice of music. The child, the man, or the woman who, in music, always asks for a reason, is the one who goes the deepest into the science and becomes the most proficient. Every law of harmony, every correct fingering of a passage, every proper shading of a phrase, has its reason and its justi-fication. The law, or the fingering, or the shading for which no good reason can be found is worthless, and the pupil should be encouraged to discover and to appreciate these reasons. The ear is, of course, in the last analysis, the chief arbiter. But the ear must be cultivated and trained, and this is a long and gradual process. We attain it, however, much more rapidly if we ask questions. To be sure, an answer is not always forthcoming, yet it stimulates the teacher to hunt up the answer for himself, and what one discovers for himself he knows much bet-ter than if told by others. Yet all of us are apt to jump at conclusions and to pass immature judgments. It is, in fact, characteristic of the American people that they are impatient of all slow processes, and arrive at hasty conclusions and unsound views. Certainly, we pay the penalty in the crude com-positions and performances that flood the land. Admit that the average taste is low and that the sup-ply is created by the demand, still this proves that the public is content to accept things as it finds them, takes things on trust, accepts the dictum of some teachers, some newspapers, or other oracle—in other words, does not seriously ask " why " ? Yet it is quite possible for questions to be asked that would puzzle an experienced teacher to answer, and the teacher oftentimes finds it more convenient to choke off inquiries than to expose his own ignorance. It is true that sometimes foolish and silly questions will crop out, yet the latter are easily turned off; and even if a legiti-mate question should prove too much for the teacher, it should set him to thinking and investigating for him-self. Scholars should always be taught and expected to ask " why " ? Then when they themselves in turn be-come teachers they will not be annoyed at being asked questions. HO W T O STUD Y JVIUSIC SUCCESSFULL Y A T JiOJVIE AJ4D ABROAD . THOMAS TAPPER. RECENTLY some one—named Robbins, if I remember rightly—who knows nothing about my business sent me a "Treatise on the Culture of the Duck" ; the physio-logic culture is referred to, of course. The book is evi-dently based on personal experience, as the following ideas show ; these are not quotations, but remembrances of the abundant good sense in the book : 1. Do not expect to make success of ducks unless you are willing to work day and night. 2. Do not expect to get results without plenty of inti-mate contact with mother earth. 3. The business is not to be fairly judged by what children and decrepits get out of it. The healthy labor of healthy people is demanded all the time. 4. Two ill-looking ducks in a box of superior ones will spoil the whole collection. One day a young musician read this, and exclaimed in a fury : "Bu t what of our genius and special gifts and hope and inspiration ! Have we not these greater possessions, and are they not to be treated quite as they dictate ? Is not their province their own ? Is it not true that nothing else in the world can be managed quite the same? Isn't it true that the genius has one way and the plodder another ? '' There is a passage in a book which treats in a homely way j ust such cases : " A good, quiet hen, who attends closely to her busi-ness, will always hatch as large a proportion of her eggs as a good incubator ; but there are so many with disposi-tions quite the opposite of this that it leaves the odds largely in favor of the machine." JVlUSICAIi **EADIfi G CLtUBS. CARL W. GRIMM. So much is to be learned about music which can not well be taught in a piano lesson that thoughtful teachers find therein a difficult problem to solve. Pupils come to a teacher in order "t o learn to play the piano"—in short, to acquire technical skill. To gain this, it is certainly not necessary to know anything of musical history, biography, or fiction. Yet how soon such knowledge shows itself, both in the appreciation and performance of music ! It promotes mental growth. The lesson is taken up with the playing of, and instruc-tion in, exercises, scales, studies, and pieces; when and where should the pupil get that so important accessory information? Some can be induced to read good maga-zines and books on musical subjects. Others buy the books, but never read them, which is no better than if they had not procured any. I suggest to teachers the formation of reading classes with their pupils. It will attract attention to a neglected part of musical culture. Seeing others take an interest in it, might stir up many an indifferent pupil. The for-mation of these clubs will be quite easily possible in smaller cities and towns, because the distances are not great and pupils not so scattered. You could have them meet regularly every two or three weeks at your studio, or at some pupil's home. Do not allow any refreshments to be served, for it is a feature that will prove harmful in many ways to the undertaking. If there are to be any treats, let them be musical performances. You could permit any one to join, even such persons as never were your pupils. The more people you can gather around you, the greater your influence. Charge a small initiation fee and dues. Use the money thus gained to buy new books. You can have regular officers,—presi-dent, secretary, etc.,—but must make yourself the lead-ing and guiding spirit. Select the books for the library and select the readings. Do not ask any member to write on a given theme. There are so many excellent books on every subject in music—better than any ama-teur can make them. Sooner ask the chosen readers to peruse their selections very carefully beforehand. Short, interesting articles are especially required. THE ETUDE is indisputably an inexhaustible mine of golden thought nuggets. Assign something to every member to read before the club during the season ; make out a plan accordingly. Have a great variety of subjects, but do not have too many readings at one time ; "short and sweet" is always desirable. RECITAL * PHOGHKJKS. PERLEE V. JERYIS. THERE is much sound common sense in what Mr. Jon Buron says in regard to pupils' recitals in the Janu-ary ETUDE. I want to add to his list of pieces a few others that I have found excellent for teaching purposes as well as effective and "taking " for public perform-ance. They may not be new to teachers, but having tried them all at recitals by my pupils I can recommend them as sure to take with a miscellaneous audience. Spring Dawn Mazurka. Danse Rustique. Idyll, op. 39. Shadow Dance, op. 39. To a Wild Rose. Water Lily. Yalse Arabesque. Sorrentina. Wm. Mason: Silver Spring. Romance Etude. Eachmanin off: Prelude. Liadow : Music Box. MacDowell: Improvisation. Novelette. March Wind. Romance, op. 39. Iheo. Lack: Song of the Brook. Pendant la Valse. Rubinstein: Kamennoi Ostrow. Paul Wachs: Ballet Mignon. Moszkowski : Yalse Brillante. Tschaikowsky : Troika. Grieg : Papillon. Heller: Brooklet. Schumann: Nightpiece No. 4. Novelette, B-minor. Jensen : Murmuring Breezes. Mtyer-Helmund: Arabesque. R. H. Woodman: Romance. Chaminade: Lolita. Pierrette. Minuet, B-minor. Henselt: La Gondola. Schytte : Forest Elves. Liszt : Liebestraume, No. 3. Gondoliera. Maiden's Wish (Chopin). To Spring. Novelette, F-major. Romance, F-sh&rp. Canzonetta. Brook. The Flatterer. Scarf Dance.
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