l-comprehensive technic is greater than ever before. But
the public demand for the purely musical, the purely artistic, is being
continually manifested.

"Modern composers are writing with this in view rather than huge
technical combinations. The giant of to-day, to my mind, is indisputably
Rachmaninoff. He is writing the greatest original music for piano of any
living composer. All of his compositions are pianistic and he does not
condescend to pander to a trifling public taste. He is a man with a
great mind, and, in addition to this, he has a delightful sense of
proportion and a feeling for the beautiful, all of which makes him a
composer of the master mould. His compositions will endure as long as
music.

MODERN COMPOSITIONS

"For others of the type of Scriabine I care less, although I am sensible
to the beauty of many of their compositions. They have not, however,
the splendid mould of Rachmaninoff, nor have they his vigorous
originality. Doubtless some of these men will produce great original
compositions in the future. Compositions that are simply not bad are
hardly worth the paper they are written upon, for they will not last as
long. The composition that will last is a great, new, original thought,
inspired, noble and elemental, but worked out with the distinctive
craftsmanship of the great master.

"I am very partial to Debussy. He has an extraordinary atmosphere, and,
after one has formed a taste for him, his compositions are alluring,
particularly his _Homage a Rameau_, _Jardins sous la pluie_ and _D'un
cahier d'esquisses_, which I have been playing upon my American tour.

THE MOST DIFFICULT COMPOSITIONS

"I have continually been asked, 'What is the most difficult
composition?' The question always amuses me, but I suppose it is very
human and in line with the desire to measure the highest building, the
tallest mountain, the longest river or the oldest castle. Why is such a
premium put upon mere difficulty? Strange to say, no one ever seems to
think it necessary to inquire, 'What is the most beautiful piece?'

"Difficulty in music should by no means be estimated by technical
complications. To play a Mozart concerto well is a colossally difficult
undertaking. The pianist who has worked for hours to get such a
composition as near as possible to his conception of perfection is never
given the credit for his work, except by a few connoisseurs, many of
whom have been through a similarly exacting experie