earnest wish, and, of course, persistent experiment at the key-board. A good ear is manifestly the first and chief essential. "One or two of the devices used in one-hand piano-playing may be named: (1 ) T o ensure distinctness in the melodic parts it is best that the accompaniment should not sound with the melody as in hymn-tunes, but immediately afterwards, this particularly when the melody is in the bass. The accompany-ing notes should be played either harmonically or melodically, while the principal melody notes are sustained throughout by whatever fingers can be given easiest to that part; or (2 ) the melody may be played in octaves or chords in the bass, sus-tained with the pedal, the harmonies following in the treble; or (3 ) some melodies may be played in octaves with the harmonies falling within the octaves. In slower music chords exceeding the octave can be played arpeggiando. For my own part, I have found inexhaustible pleasure in constructing endless little pieces of the gavotte and minuet style, all conveniently disposed so as to come easily within the limits of one hand, and over and over again I have put a strain on the credulity of amiable people, who heard me below stairs." There can be no doubt that the study of left-hand solos is of the very greatest advantage to all students, particularly from the third grade on. It is a wonderful medium for giving independence and freedom. Next time you hear the recital of a very great artist, notice that the right hand is not merely lead-ing the left hand, but that the hands are virtually playing a duet, each member being equally strong and capable. Even in the records of a great pianist, such as the record of the G Minor Prelude by Rachmaninoff, played by the master himself, one can readily hear the independence of the left hand. 726 The Undoing of Musical Vienna TH E ETUD E is in receipt of a pathetic appeal from Herr Paul Pichier, editor of the Musikpadagogische Zeitschrift of Vienna. The famous "Musikstadt" has suffered more than any other of the European music centers. Music took hundreds and hundreds of Americans to Vienna, and teachers there reaped rich rewards from their fees. Now, from the tone of Herr Pichier's letter, there are grave apprehensions among certain groups of teachers in Vienna regarding the restoration of the musical entente which meant so much to the musical capital in years gone by. They want to build the bridge again, and want us to know that they are in the position of humble peti-tioners. Humiliation, to a proud spirit, is a bitter punishment. Of course, the world owes a debt of artistic gratitude to the city that fostered Haydn, Mozart, Schubert, Bruckner, Beethoven, Brahms, Wolf, Czerny, Leschetizky and Mahler. It is true that Schubert and Mozart received scant material rewards from the Viennese—but they certainly got a stimulus from the intensely musical life of the city. Men like Emil Saner, Moritz Rosenthal and Herr Pichier, to whom Leschetizky left his library, are teaching in Vienna, and Americans surely can do nothing but wish them prosperity and happiness after the miserable disasters which their Government helped to bring upon them. Americans will still go to Vienna, but we can safely predict that they will not go in the swarms of former years. Vienna is grateful to America for what we have been enabled to do to keep the little children from death1 by starva-tion. There is no jo y greater than that of helping suffering humanity. There is nothing bigger in life than making your enemies your friends. Broadly speaking, there has never been any war between the artists of the contending countries. Artists are not war makers. The Viennese must know that America has no thought of revenge if students do not again pour in by the hundreds. It is merely because during the last ten years our own musical development offers so much to stu-dents that there is nothing on the other side of the Atlantic which we are willing to concede is superior. Nevertheless the atmosphere of Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert and Brahms is such that music lovers unnumbered will always make pilgrim-ages to the city of the Danube, and many will go as students. Government Scotches "Song Poem" Fraud FO R years TH E ETUD E has fought, "hammer and tongs," through publicity, to prevent its readers from being defrauded by what is now known as the "song poem swindle." The reason for this has been that, through our own daily mail, we have been amazed at the number of good folks who were buncoed by it. Now the Government which has suppressed many of the frauds has just issued a new and important fraud order against a par-ticularly active fraud conducted on a surprising scale by a man who, if our information is right, is only twenty-three years of age! The Writer, a concise and excellent little journal for prac-tical literary workers, devotes the better part of an entire issue to this fraud order. As an illustration of the extent of the workings of this instance of "frenzied composition" it is only necessary to say that the daily incoming mail of the man against whom the fraud order was issued was 700 pieces. Barnum's record was "one sucker a second," if we quote his immortal estimate correctly, and in these days of Ponzi and others the average is being maintained. This particular offender worked on composers through no less than sixteen different channels. That is, he would have a "company" in one place with a staff of one typist in the office, and similar companies or agents scattered around so that if the sucker did not bite at office number one he was angled for with slightly different bait from another office. There were fictitious magazines, spurious music publishing companies, fake literary bureaus and associations. FRAUD , FRAUD , FRAUD , all the way through. Here is a typical fraud "Song Poem" advertisement: Song Poems Wanted—Millions have been made in songs by song poem writers. We will publish your song poem, providing a beautiful musical setting and put it on the market for sale. Write at once for par-ticulars. J. C. D., Washington. The sucker nibbles and is sent an alluring but mystifying contract which, if he reads correctly, will oblige him to pay $40 for having his work published. The company then keeps within the letter of the law by publishing the work in such cheap form that the entire cost can hardly exceed $15. As for the sales that the author is planning to use as the basis of his fortune—well, they simply never come. The writer has, as a sop to his vanity, a hundred or so badly printed copies of an impossible composition which stands as much chance of a sale as a picture of Hindenburg would in Verdun. There is no reason why TH E ETUD E should go out of its way to "explode" over this fraud, except that our own corre-spondence, coming from all parts of the country, has shown us that the victims are usually unfortunates who are confiding and unsophisticated in matters of this kind. Therefore, if you, kind reader, hear of any one about to be victimized by this fraud, refer them to this editorial and ask them to remember. I. The proportion of songs of the leading publishers of the country (who have staffs of experts to pick them out) that ever pass the first legitimate edition is really very low. Only once in a long, long time does a song appear which has any chance for permanent success. The idea that millions of dollars can be systematically earned bv novices, with song poems, is a cruel bait employed solely by men whose customers are and must be "suckers." II. That the words of the song are by no means the deter-mitling factor in its success. There are countless instances of the same poem being set by different composers (some as many as thirty times), with one outstanding setting that succeeds. It is the music that counts, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, and not the poem. III. If you have a musical composition which you deem worthy of publication send it to three or four of the leading American publishers—if they reject it, better forget it. Under no circumstances ever pay for having it published, unless you have plenty of money and can afford to speculate upon its success. The United States Postal Department has done much to suppress such frauds, but others are sure to crop up. !!I I
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