Rembrandt were Dutchmen, and, in a sense,
contemporaries. They used pigments and brushes, canvas and oil, yet the
masterpieces of each are readily distinguishable by any one slightly
familiar with their styles. It is precisely the same with pianists. All
of us have arms, fingers, muscles and nerves, but what we have to say
upon the keyboard should be an expression of our own minds, not a
replica of some stereotyped model.

When I listened to the first record of my own playing, I heard things
which seemed unbelievable to me. Was I, after years of public playing,
actually making mistakes that I would be the first to condemn in any one
of my own pupils? I could hardly believe my ears, and yet the
unrelenting machine showed that in some places I had failed to play both
hands exactly together, and had been guilty of other errors no less
heinous, because they were trifling. I also learned in listening to my
own playing, as reproduced, that I had unconsciously brought out certain
nuances, emphasized different voices and employed special accents
without the consciousness of having done so. Altogether it made a most
interesting study for me, and it became very clear that the personality
of the artist must permeate everything that he does. When his technic is
sufficiently great it permits him to speak with fluency and
self-expression, enhancing the value of his work a thousandfold.

BROAD UNDERSTANDING NECESSARY

"It would be a great mistake for the student to imagine that by merely
acquiring finger dexterity and a familiarity with a certain number of
pieces he may consider himself proficient. There is vastly more to
piano-playing than that. He must add to his digital ability and his
repertoire and comprehensive grasp of the principles of music itself.
The pupil should strive to accomplish as much as possible through mental
work. The old idea of attempting to play every single study written by
Czerny, or Cramer or the other prolific writers of studies is a huge
mistake. A judicious selection from the works of these pedagogical
writers is desirable but certainly not all of them. They are at best
only the material with which one must work for a certain aim, and that
aim should be high artistic results. It should be realized by all
students and teachers that this same study material, excellent in
itself, may actually produce bad results if not properly practiced. I
have repeatedly watched students practicing industriously, but