nce. Months may be
spent upon comparatively simple compositions, such as the Haydn Sonatas
or the Mozart Sonatas, and the musical public is blind to the additional
finish or polish so evident to the virtuoso.

PRAISE THAT IRRITATES

"The opposite of this is also true. A little show of bravura, possibly
in a passage which has not cost the pianist more than ten minutes of
frivolous practice, will turn many of the unthinking auditors into a
roaring mob. This is, of course, very distressing to the sincere artist
who strives to establish himself by his real worth.

"Of course, there are some compositions which present difficulties which
few work hard enough to surmount. Among these might be mentioned the
Godowsky-Chopin _etudes_ (particularly the _etude_ in A flat, Opus 25,
No. 1, which is always especially exasperating for the student
sufficiently advanced to approach it); the _Don Juan Fantasie_ of Liszt;
the Brahms-Paganini _variations_ and the Beethoven, Opus 106, which,
when properly played, demands enormous technical skill. One certainly
saves a lot of bother when one discards it from one's repertoire. If
these four pieces are not the most difficult pieces, they are certainly
among the most difficult.

WHY NOT SEEK THE BEAUTIFUL?

"But why seek difficulty when there is so much that is quite as
beautiful and yet not difficult? Why try to make a bouquet of oak trees
when the ground is covered with exquisite flowers? The piano is a solo
instrument and has its limitations. Some piano music is said to sound
orchestral. As a matter of fact, a great deal of it would sound better
with the orchestra.

"Real piano music is rare. The piano appears to be too small for some of
our modern Titans among the composers. When they write for the piano
they seem to be exhibiting a concealed longing for the one hundred or
more men of the modern orchestra. One of the reasons why the works of
Debussy appeal to me is that he manages to put so much color into his
piano pieces without suggesting the orchestra. Much of his music is
wonderful in this respect, and, moreover, the musicians of the future
will appreciate this fact more and more.

EXERCISES THAT GIVE IMMEDIATE HELP

"No one exercise can be depended upon to meet all the varied conditions
which arise in the practice of the day, but I have frequently employed a
simple exercise which seems to 'coax' the hand into muscular activity in
a very short time. It is so simple that