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18
October 7, 1949
Mr. Artur Rubinstein c/o Hurok Attractions Inc. 711 Fifth Avenue New York 22, New York
Dear Mr. Rubinstein:
I am sorry to say that we cannot use your piece on Chopin. It is my understanding that your review of the Gide book will appear on page one of the Book Review on October 16. And as I told Mr. Hyams when he sent proofs of your intro duction to the new book on Chopin, we feel that we should not have an article on the same subject by the same man in both our Book Review and our Magazine sections of the same day.
We debated whether to use your article in our Magazine section the following Sunday, but then decided that so much would be published about Chopin on the anniversary of his death that our piece would seem to be late.
I explained all this to Mr. Hyams. I don’t know whether he communicated our sentiments to you. I hope that we’ll be able to get another article from you on some other occasion.
I should like to take this opportunity, too, to tell you how much I have enjoyed your concerts. I am one of your most ardent fans.
Sincerely yours
Daniel Schwarz Sunday Department DS: far enc. October 17, 1949 is a memorable date for millions of people all
over the world; Frederic Chopin, Poland’s greatest composer, died on this
day, a hundred years ago, at the premature age of 39, a sick man during
most of his life.
Yet his star shines brighter from year to year. Chopin left to
humanity an imperishable gift, a treasure of music which places him among
the immortals.
The hundredth anniversary of his death is being commemorated in
many countries with great solemnity. His music will be heard everywhere;
1949 is Chopin’s yearI
I shall attempt to explain the unique phenomenon of the Polish
master’s ever growing popularity by analyzing his place in music and his
contribution to the piano literature. Chopin’s outstanding quality is,
. I would say, his absolute originality. Ilis music from the first note to
the last has a stamp of its own. One oan easily mistake Bach for Handel,
or Mozart for Haydn, it is possible to interchange Lfendelssohn, Schumann
and Brahms - practically all composers follow at first -Hie traces of their
masters. Chopin was himself from the start. The secret of his originality
lies in the novelty of his harmonies, in.his daring modulations, in his
free use of dissonance whioh he employed solely for obtaining the desired
effect and chiefly in the sensibility of his melodic lino.
There is something else in his must _ I mean the source of his inspiration Hie found it entirely in the soil of his native country.
The exhuberant and nostalgic character of Polish songs end dances went
deeply into his blood and its essence runs throi^h all his works.
educated in Jarsaw, ho received his musical training at an early age from Adalbert Zywny, a Czech emigrV and a good all-round musician; later ho studied harmony and counterpoint with Joseph Elsner, director of
- 1 - the Warsaw conservatory and operatic composer of the old Italian style.
These two men, his only masters, taught him all they knew, especially, as
Liszt said, "these things which are the most difficult to learn; to be
exacting to one *s self and to value patience and labor.”
Chopin, like Mozart, began to improvise at the piano and to compose
at the age of 5; his first appearance in public as a pianist in 1818, was
a sensation. vJhen in 1825 the fifteen year old youth played his first com
positions in a concert at ¿arsaw, Poland realized that it ovmed an authentic
musicial genius. Two years later Chopin had written already various mazourkas,
polonaises, a trio for piano and strings, a sonata and other pieces. His
first printed work was the Rondo in C-Mnor op. 1 and shortly after came of the variations the publication/on "la ci darem la mano" as his opus 2, the work which
inspired Schumann to open an article on Chopin with the words: "Hats off gentlemenl A genius! "
In ihe beginning of the 19th century opera was considered the
highest expression of musical thought and the best road to success for
striving composers. Symphonic and choral works had to fight for their
survival. The capitals of Europe were overrun by child prodigies, pianists,
violinists, and singers. Liszt and Paganini were on top of the world. It takes an artistic integrity of very high order to recognize the limitations of one's own creative powers. Chftpin fortunately possessed this virtue. As a young student he was continuously urged by both Zywny and Elsner to follow the example of the great masters by creating works in larger forms. Later on, when Chopin's fame as a composer was well established, family and friends tried to induce him to write an opera which Poland expected of him. Such an undertaking, they said, might bring him great moral and material gain. Although it was not an easy matter to dismiss such advantages and underrate their
- 2 - importance, Chopin never submitted to the pressure of his friends. He
knew he had to compose for the piano, and for this instrument alone.
With the exception of a few early compositions for piano and
orchestra (where the part of the latter is negligible), a trio, a
cello sonata and some songs, his musical production was devoted in
its entirety to the keyboard.
Besides character, Chopin possessed high idealsj in a letter
to his parents, describing a meeting in Paris with the famous pianist
Kalkbrenner, he writes: "I shall never become a Kalkbrenner; he will
not be able to alter my perhaps daring but noble resolve - to create
a new era in art,” This "new era in art" was obviously meant to in
clude both composition aid interpretation. This brings us to Chopin,
the pianist.
Thanks to reports of such unquestionable authorities, as Liszt,
Schumann, Mendelssohn, and Moscheles, to quote only these four, we can an form/almost exact idea of his playing, A synthesis of their impressions
shows that he was endowed with exceptionally fleet aid flexible fingers; a free, but strong sense of rhythm and a tone.'tie quality of a sirging voice. They all agree that he was unequaled in the use of the pedal, producing, with its help, sonorities of unsurpassed beauty.
The interpreter bore the same stamp of originality as the composer; they were in some sort interdependent. Solely a composer who is at the same time a great pianist could have invented the intricate technical problem of the Etudes, the diffe-rent passages of the Scherzi, 1/ or the elegant^ fioriture of the nocturnes.
Chopin wished to mate a career as a virtuoso, he had no rival to fear, not even Liszt; but according to -the sources mentioned above, his tone was insufficient for large halls, his dynamic scale never
- 3 - reachlfi^ a real ’’forte”. Increasingly poor health and the resulting
physical weakness, in addition to a paralyzing stage fright with which
Chopin was afflicted, forced him to abandon his pianistic ambitions.
Looking back on his life after a century, I feel inclined to
thank God for this fact. The hardships of travel might have been
detrimental to his creative powers and to his artistic self control.
,7e have a good example for the advance of this theory in the career
of Liszt, who had the gift for writing great music and in some instances
succeeded in doing so - yet most of his works, due to his movemented
life, lacked the unity of style indispensable for the making of a work of art.
I cannot denounce strongly enough the oountless biographers,
critics, novelists and, quite recently, cinema producers, who consistently
and perniciously misrepresent Chopin’s personality, both as an artist
and as a man. They portray him as a romantic, neurotic, and morbid
character, to quote only a few adjectives? they insinuate that his
works express nothing more than his moral and physical sufferings aid
sentimental deceptions» In their opinion his music should be heard in
intimate surroundings, played in soft tones, an imaginary moonlight shining cm- proee-dings.' All this Hohsdn^; iiScStdiStaiy, shSSd*
its bad effect on quite a few of Chopin's interpreters, though mostly
amateurs. Their sugary( nauseating sentimentality exaggerated use of pedal, and wrongly applied "rubato" are the complete contradiction of the master's intentions. The worst of it is that they claim this kind of interpretation to be the image of Chopin's own playing, thus pre senting it as a sort of tradition. It is true that Chopin himself had to play with a subdued sonority due to his lack of strength, but his piano’ was sufficiently varied so as to allow him to produce all
0 4- the contrasts. He was weak, but not a weakling. Quite to the contrary; possessed of a dynamic, but well controlled moral power, he created many works of the most heroic and passionate character. To play them well requires more physical strength than most pieces of other composers.
His Concert!, Sonatas, great Polonaises, Scherzi, Balladas, and Etudes present technical difficulties which only a few pianists can master.
Chapin expressed in many occasions his admiration for Liszt’s playing of his Etudes arid he is supposed to have kissed the hand of his athletic pupil Guttman, after the latter's particularly powerful performance of the Scherzo in C Sharp. Contrary to the general belief, Chopin, in my
opinion, was not a romantic composer. I even venture to affirm that
there was nothing romantic in his nature. Everything in his way of
living, in his manner and tastes, proves my theory. Meticulous to the
point of pedantry, he treated every detail at hand with the greatest
care. The letters to his friend and factotum Jules Fontana abound in
businesslike and shrewd instructions for the sale of his piano pieces,
without ever discussing their emotional values. Chopin used- to spend
many hours with his tailors, paying great attention to the choice of
the right stripes for his trousers or the quality of the velvet for
his waistoats. He was always immaculately dressed. Much of the same
pedantry is to be found in his working methods, like for instance, in
his predilection for giving even numbers to pieces written in the
same form (24 Etudes, 24 Preludes, 4 Balladas,.4 Scherzi), showing
the artisan rather than the artist. Nothing annoyed him more than
the arbitrary practice of his publishers in providing some of his
pieces with sub-titles like, ’’The Haindrop Prelude”, "The Bells",
"Revolutionary Etude”, or "Military Polonaise." His own titles
were simple and without literary implication. Chopin’s musical
inspiration was. never dependent on his personal moods; the livliest - 5 - iiazourkas were of the better periods of his life, he created that tragic piece, The Sonata with the funeral March. In a recently published letter to the Countess Delphine Potocka, he laughs at critics who ...."think I am writing with tears of blood because of my despondency. In reality I chiefly compose when it reins." Chopin saw his ideals in Bach and Mozart. The former's mastery of form and noble line of thought, the latter's purity of style and economy of means, served him as a constant lesson, while with all the admiration and respect for Beethoven's genius, he felt no affinity with the German master, due precisely to Beethoven's emotionally self revealing approach to music. ■ ith the work of his friends Schumann, Berlioz, end Liszt, the actual leaders of the romantic school, Chopin had nothing in common. Schumann's frequent use of literature in supportco’f music irritated him, "Schumann,”; rederick wrote to his- sister, "is going to cover me with ridicule by his exaggerated praise of my work." In other letters he expresses violent oricitism of Berlioz' excesses of orchestration and Liszt's bombastic style. Chopin respected above all reserve and transparence (my poor attempt at translation^ of the french "Jesure^ and "Curts'"') and s^ed it throughout his own -ork. He labored sometimes for months on a short prelude, eliminating notes ratter than adding them,' perfection of form was his constant preoccupation. TO pianists Chopin is of an ioramfe importance. Thanks to him, the piano has become the unquestioned favorite among instruments, and his interpreters' gained a new lease on life. Before him many composers and the greatest among them, have -.,-ritten for the piano. 6 Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann have enriched its literature immeasurably, but the instrument itself was to them in some sort a utility capable of rendering with less effort works originally con ceived for orchestra or other instrumental combinations. In short, their music was not always intended for the piano. Hans von Bulow used to call the sonatas of Beethoven "disguised Symphonies” - Schumann’s piano sounds often like an orchestra and his orchestra like a piano. iVith a stroke of genius Chopin transformed this instrument of percussion into an enchanted garden. There is perfume, there is magic in the sheer sonority of his music. Jiving concerts on all continents, I have found in many countries a lack of understanding for certain composers and a marked preference for others; people of Latin descent are antagonistically inclired towards the music of Brahms; some think of Bach as ..too scholarly - of Mozart as too "easy”. (I heard this strange term used by many). and France dislikes Tschaikowsky and" Sibelius, while dngland/the United States greatly admire these masters. Chopin, and Chopin alone, achieved the unique miracle to be loved and understood in everv ID ' < place on earth where there is a pianojflo writd about Chopin, the man, is a difficult task. Being extremely reserved, he revehled " little of his thoughts and feelings, in ardent patriot, he lived in close contact with his Polish friends; they were the only ones who enjoyed his confidence. Conservative in his tastes for art, manners and speech, he disliked extravagence of every sort. Here is a short sketch of his life. Frederic Chopin was born at Zeli^foweiAfola, near iarsaw, February 22, 1810, the son of dicolas Chopin, teacher of French and tutor to the young count Skarbek at whose county estate he met Justine KirmSoWsKa, whom he married in 1806. Besides Frederic three daughters were born to the Chopins and they came to live in Warsaw, where the father was appointed professor of the Lyceum and kept a boarding school for its students. In these surroundings, Frederic received a good, general education. After having finished his studies with Zywny and Elsner at the age of 20 and with a well established .name in his native land, it was de cided to send him abroad. He was to conquer the world as a pianist as well as a composer. This was in 1830, the tragic year of the Polish revolution. Frederic learned the news of the takii^ of Warsaw by the Russians in Stuttgart, on his way to Paris. He reached the French capital in a state of despair and with little money - his concerts in Breslau, Dresden, Prague, Vienna and Munich were successful artistically, but not financially. Paris received the young Pole with open arms. 171th hi appearance, aristocratic manners, long but finely shaped nose, high forehead and expressive hands, he found in no time many friends and admirers. His Hocturnes, -ialtzes and Mazurkas appealed instantly to the taste of the Parisians end vron the hearts of the weaker sex. H^^s’'?oon'3S'iI^d'bF'dei21ds for Vssons. His popularity grew from day to day. Soon he became the favorite of Parisian society. Frederic settled down to composing and. teaching with excellent financial results. From time to time he accepted to play in public, but these concerts were given under special conditions; the tickets were to be sold privately to hia friends, no one else -was admitted, fiut'he loved to play in "seiszw»". There, surrounded by beautiful woimn and good friends, he was in his element} there he would play for hours. Often, having moved his listeners to tears with his music, he would break the spell by some improvised histrionics. A born mimic, he liked to give grotesque imitations of celebrities of the day to the great amusement of his audience. At one of these gatherings, he made the acquaintance of Madame George Sand, the noted writer. Their meeting was the beginning of a fonous romance which lasted ten years and still remains the subject of much controversy among his biographers. Chopin used to spend his summers at Uohant, George Sand’s estate, where he wrote many of his major works. In 1838 the lovers, accompanied by Mne. Sands’ children, left for the island of Mallorca, where Chopin was expected to recover his health; at that time the first, unmistakable signs of consumption began to show. Unfortunately, the climate of the Spanish island proved to be disastrous to i-Yederic. His illness increased to such an extent that he had to be brought back to Paris in a state of extreme weakness. After many minor quarrels, the friendship between George Sand and Chopin came to an end in 1847. George could not forgive Frederic for having helped her daughter Solange in her elopement v/ith the sculptor, Clesinger. The sudden change in his life and his habits deteriorated still more his vanishing strength, „hen in 1848 revolu tionary outbreaks occured in the streets of Faris, one of his pupils, miss Jane Sterling, persuaded him to accompany her and her sister, Lady Erskine, to their native Scotland. The fog and sharp air of this northern country proved fatal to his illness. He returned to Paris and died there on October 17, a hundred years ago. His funeral at the church de la Madeline, was attended by all Paris. Berlioz, Meyerbeer, Delacroix, and Prince Czartoryski were the pallbearers. The requiem of Mozart was performed during the - 9 - service. On the way to the cemetery of Pere Lachaise, Chopin’s famous funeral march was heard for the first time. Lfy only reason for writing this article is to put my love and my humble gratitude at the feet of the man whose genius was illuminating my whole life. Words cannot express my feelings, only one language - 10 -