Violin Mastery | Page 7

artistry. Examine the
history of music--you will discover that any number of great masters,
great in the maturity of their genius, were great in its infancy as well.
There are Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Rubinstein, d'Albert, Hofmann,
Scriabine, Wieniawski--they were all 'infant prodigies,' and certainly
not in any objectionable sense. Not that I wish to claim that every
prodigy necessarily becomes a great master. That does not always
follow. But I believe that a musical prodigy, instead of being regarded
with suspicion, has a right to be looked upon as a striking example of a
pronounced natural predisposition for musical art. Of course, full
mental development of artistic power must come as a result of the
maturing processes of life itself. But I firmly believe that every prodigy
represents a valuable musical phenomenon, one deserving of the
keenest interest and encouragement. It does not seem right to me that
when the art of the prodigy is incontestably great, that the mere fact of
his youth should serve as an excuse to look upon him with prejudice,

and even with a certain degree of distrust."

III
EDDY BROWN
HUBAY AND AUER: TECHNIC: HINTS TO THE STUDENT
Notwithstanding the fact that Eddy Brown was born in Chicago, Ill.,
and that he is so great a favorite with concert audiences in the land of
his birth, the gifted violinist hesitates to qualify himself as a strictly
"American" violinist. As he expresses it: "Musically I was altogether
educated in Europe--I never studied here, because I left this country at
the age of seven, and only returned a few years ago. So I would not like
to be placed in the position of claiming anything under false pretenses!
HUBAY AND AUER: SOME COMPARISONS
"With whom did I study? With two famous masters; by a strange
coincidence both Hungarians. First with Jenö Hubay, at the National
Academy of Music in Budapest, later with Leopold Auer in Petrograd.
Hubay had been a pupil of Vieuxtemps in Brussels, and is a justly
celebrated teacher, very thorough and painstaking in explaining to his
pupils how to do things; but the great difference between Hubay and
Auer is that while Hubay tells a student how to do things, Auer, a
temperamental teacher, literally drags out of him whatever there is in
him, awakening latent powers he never knew he possessed. Hubay is a
splendid builder of virtuosity, and has a fine sense for phrasing. For a
year and a half I worked at nothing but studies with him, giving special
attention to technic. He did not believe in giving too much time to left
hand development, when without adequate bow technic finger facility
is useless. Here he was in accord with Auer, in fact with every teacher
seriously deserving of the name. Hubay was a first-class pedagog, and
under his instruction one could not help becoming a well-balanced and
musicianly player. But there is a higher ideal in violin playing than
mere correctness, and Auer is an inspiring teacher. Hubay has written
some admirable studies, notably twelve studies for the right hand,
though he never stressed technic too greatly. On the other hand, Auer's
most notable contributions to violin literature are his revisions of such
works as the Bach sonatas, the Tschaikovsky Concerto, etc. In a way it
points the difference in their mental attitude: Hubay more concerned
with the technical educational means, one which cannot be overlooked;

Auer more interested in the interpretative, artistic educational end,
which has always claimed his attention. Hubay personally was a _grand
seigneur_, a multi-millionaire, and married to an Hungarian countess.
He had a fine ear for phrasing, could improvise most interesting violin
accompaniments to whatever his pupils played, and beside Rode,
Kreutzer and Fiorillo I studied the concertos and other repertory works
with him. Then there were the conservatory lessons! Attendance at a
European conservatory is very broadening musically. Not only does the
individual violin pupil, for example, profit by listening to his
colleagues play in class: he also studies theory, musical history, the
piano, ensemble playing, chamber-music and orchestra. I was
concertmaster of the conservatory orchestra while studying with Hubay.
There should be a national conservatory of music in this country; music
in general would advance more rapidly. And it would help teach
American students to approach the art of violin playing from the right
point of view. As it is, too many want to study abroad under some
renowned teacher not, primarily, with the idea of becoming great artists;
but in the hope of drawing great future commercial dividends from an
initial financial investment. In Art the financial should always be a
secondary consideration.
"It stands to reason that no matter how great a student's gifts may be, he
can profit by study with a great teacher. This, I think, applies to all.