Page 45J+ JULY 1920 THE ETUDE can be connected without the slightest blur study the entire exercise without the pedal. Finally, go through the etude, making the melody connection with the pedal as when the middle line was played alone. Dr. Mason's directions follow: "This exercise is for the purpose of acquiring a true musical legato effect by means of the damper pedal. It is to be played with one finger throughout. First play it with the right hand, and take in turn the second, third, fourth and fifth fingers. Then go through the same process with the left hand. Use the down arm touch—see Part 1 of 'Touch and Tech-nic,' page 6. Keep the hand and arm in as limp a con-dition as possible. Play the melody with expression and make it perfectly legato by means of the damper pedal. The 'una corda' pedal may also be used in addi-tion, at the option of the player. This, however, will depend largely upon the instrument, as regards the musical quality of tone and the effect of which it is capable. The pedal is one of the most wonderful features of the pianoforte, and beautiful effects can be produced by the pedals used separately or in combi.-nation. No definite and infallible rules can be laid down for these, but the student must learn to listen intently and thus cultivate and develop a discrimination as to true musical effects. A pure musical legato can only be accomplished through the sense of hearing. The melody must predominate and be heard distinctly, but not unduly and out of proportion. The full chord must be heard at the close and left to fade gradually away." This etude may be followed by Dr. Mason's pedal study on Home, Sweet Home, in book 4, "Touch and Technic," which is also published in sheet form. It is an excellent plan then to take up the study of some p'ece for the left hand alone, as compositions of this kind depend for their effect largely upon a skillful use of the pedal. An easy left-hand piece is Krogmann's Waltz, Op. 8i. Zichy's charming Valse d' Adele is a composition of moderate difficulty; Joseffy's clever arrangement of the Gavotte in E, by Bach, is more dif-ficult, as is also the Nocturne, by Scriabine, and the well-known Lucia Sextette of Leschetizky. When through the foregoing studies the pupil has acquired a good working knowledge of pedaling, he may apply it in his playing. In doing this he should first determine the purpose for which the pedal is to be used, and never employ it without having a definite end in view. The pedal may be used: 1. To sustain a bass tone till the chord belonging to it is^ heard, as in the popular E flat Nocturne by Chopin. 2. To sustain a melody tone while the hands play a figuration above or below it, as in Gottschalk's Last Hope. 3. To sustain a harmonic passage underneath a melody, as in the D flat Etude of Liszt. 4. To connect chords and melody tones. 5. To color tones by the addition of their harmonics. 6. To produce special pedal effects. These latter are a fascinating study, and while simple in principle are difficult to explain in print. The ca-denza in the 31st measure of the Paderewski Minuet is a simple example. The pedal is put down at the begin-ning of the passage and held for one or two counts after the final note D is played. The pedal is then released, the D being meanwhile held with the finger. When all the tones are thus stopped and the D thrown into relief the pedal is again pressed down and, as it catches D, the hand is taken up, the tone still continu-ing to be sustained by the pedal. This is an effect that is very frequently made by the great artists. Another example is this from the Kamennoi Ostrow, by Rubin-stein : it to the end of the measure. While the pedal is sus-taining the arpeggio press down the C sharp of the sec-ond measure so gently that no tone is produced, hold the key and raise the pedal. All the tones will cease except the C sharp, which will sing in—what appears to the listener—an unaccountable manner. Now, while still holding the key, press the damper pedal, and, with the soft pedal down, play the second measure pianis-simo. This is a beautiful effect and one that is easily made. Some wonderful effects can be produced by what is called the "half pedal." Half pedaling depends for its effect upon the fact that vibrating strings in the upper part of the piano have less sustaining power than those in the bass. An example will make the principle of the half pedal clear. With the pedal down, play the chord of D flat on the upper part of the keyboard. Now raise and lower the pedal a few times very quickly in the manner of a trill and notice how the .tone diminishes till it ceases. Next play the lowest D flat on the keyboard and trill with the pedal in the same way. At the end of a few pedal movements quite a full tone will still be audible. Now play this: ifcta i With a few quick pedal movements the chord can be completely cut off while the bass still continues to sound. By a skillful application of the half pedal won-derful effects can be produced; the player by experi-menting can originate many novel ones. Much will be learned by studying the pedaling of the great concert pianists, Bauer, Hofmann, Gabrilowitsch and others. By this time the student should be so familiar with the principles of pedaling that he will be independent of pedal marks in his pieces. No attention should be paid to-these. Good pedaling is a question of ear. The pedal marks in most pieces are very inaccurate. Dr. Mason says: "No possible mark can be contrived for this purpose which will infallibly direct the player to the precise moment when the pedal should be taken or discontinued. Therefore, the student must dili-gently study the various examples given, and having thus learned certain typical uses of the mechanism give attention to pedal effects in all pieces which he may have to practice. The ear is always the l>est moni-tor and guide." In conclusion it may be said that pedal study should be commenced even with young children at the first les-son, or as soon as possible thereafter,* and continued till pedaling becomes almost a subconscious process. The writer is accustomed to begin the study with pupils while they are learning notation and the other funda-mentals of music. All the exercises in this article can be given the pupil by rote before he has even learned the letter names of the notes; the study can be made very interesting, and at the end of the first year or so pedaling—particularly if the pupil be musical— may become a process almost as unconscious as breathing. Technic or No Technic. Which ? By Mathilde BUbro A TRYING problem for the teacher of music is the pupil who "knows it all." For example, take Mary, a girl of sixteen, who once came to me from a near-by town for lessons. Mary had studied music for years, and should have been well advanced. Opening her folio when she came for her first lesson, she asked complacently what piece she should play. I wished to see only the technical development of her hands, so I laid aside the pieces, and told her to play one or two scales. "Scales!" she exclaimed. "Why, I haven't played one in years. I finished with THEM long ago!" "You are fortunate," I replied, much amused. "I haven't yet finished with mine, and I don't think Josef Hofmann is through with his—or Paderewski." The girl looked her astonishment; but in spite of her reluctance I insisted upon her trying .the C major scale. She' smeared through it with weak, lifeless fin-gers, blurring the disjointed effect by the liberal use of the pedal. Not a tone was clear. I glanced through the collection of pieces she had brought, all of them of the "sugary" type, embroid-ered with showy, insipid runs, but of no technical value—the stuff that can be played easily by untrained hands. Mary wanted to play one of these for me. but I told her not to trouble about it, as the scale had been suf-ficient. I then asked her what studies she had been using. "STUDIES!" Again she was astonished. She hadn't "used them for two years." She "used to have a Heller and a Czerny book; they were somewhere at home." Next came a theory test. It didn't go far. A tonic chord and Sanskrit were all the same to Mary. Evi-dently theory was of no importance; it was only "piano" she wished to study; but I quietly dismissed this idea, making^it clear that all pupils of mine must study theory. I saw at once that Mary had a most exaggerated opinion of her musical ability, thinking herself quite far advanced because she could "bluff" her way through a few simple fifth grade "pieces." Technic, theory, in-terpretation were meaningless words to her. Patiently I tried to explain that mere reading was only a starting point. "You might be able to read a Beethoven So-nata," I told her, "when you could not really execute a Czerny finger study." It was water on a duck's back. I started her with some much-needed technical work, and told her to bring the Heller and Czerny at her next lesson. For a month Mary showed no improvement, evidently slighting the technical work. Her hands were still life-less and flaccid. I was debating with myself whether I should give the girl up as hopeless, or make another month's effort to appeal to her intelligence, when the saving incident occurred which taught Mary her needed lesson. She conceived a great friendship and adinira-tion for Claire, who was one of my best students. Claire had always worked well, and consequently played with much admired ease and ability Mary was quite as good a reader, but Claire's execution w*i> too far superior to admit of comparison. The Real Test One day Mary asked me if she and Claire might play a duet at one of the Saturday class lessons. Girls who are chums love to play duets together. I considered, and then I told her yes; she and Claire might play Kow-alski's Hungarian March, if she felt sure that she could play with Claire. Mary was quite sure. "Come in and try it over for me on Friday," I added, for I knew what was going to happen. They came. Mary had t ken the treble part. "We must go slow, because it tires my hands," said Mary. "Not too slow, or you will tire the audience," I replied, setting the correct tempo. They started out bravely, but all too soon Mary's fingers and wrists began to "cave in." On the last page she broke down completely, crying out with vex-ation that she couldn't play those chords and runs so fast. I changed them, giving Mary the bass part, which is a little less taxing, though requiring good technic. Again she failed utterly, leaving Claire playing alone. The lesson sank in. Mary was pale with humiliation, and, needless to say, they did not play the duet for the Saturday class. At Mary's next lesson she asked me in quite a sub-dued manner when she could "play like Claire" if she did her work well. I talked to her encouragingly, explaining that Claire's good technic was the result of faithful practice. "Prac-tice only what I give you, Mary, and do that well," I told her. "Let the pieces alone, and educate your hands by exercises. It is now October. Work regu-larly and thoughtfully, and next July you will have new hands." I did not promise that in nine months Mary would "play like Claire." Claire had worked hard for years. "But I'll forget all my pieces!" said Mary in dismay. "Never mind that, dear," I reassured her. "Next summer you'll be glad you've forgotten them, and you'll be ready to play something better." I had no more trouble with Mary after she learned the wholesome lesson that "she had much to learn."
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