January 24, 1914 MUSICAL AMERICA 35 NOTED DUTCH PIANIST UNVEILS SECRETS OF TONE PRODUCTIO/V How Martinus Sieveking Works Out His Unusual Theories -Piano ~n His Paris Studio a Curious Instrument Adapted to Its Owner's Massive Bulk - A Fallacy to Insist That All Artists Use Keyboard of the Same Size-Sieveking as Player of His Own Compositions-A Past-master in the Production of Tone­ Color- Eccentricities of anArti~t of Remarkable Personality By C. PHILLIPS VIERKE Bureau of Musica l America, mt·nt. Near the music rest was a large 17, Avenue Niel, Paris, screwdriver and a wire string, evidence Jan uary 2, 1914. that I had distur bed my host in the HA T giant among pianists-in more gentle art of "tinkering." Valuable old 'senses than one-Martinus Sieve­ curios and some priceless ancient fur­ T niture adorned the apartment, but they king, lives in a quiet little flat at the did not hold my attention, because, while very foot of Passy hill, in the most un­ conversing with the pianist-composer, I approachable quarter of Paris. But if suddenly became aware of an insistent • only an pilgrimages ended so pleasantly! noisy obbligato. , These were my thoughts when I left the A Clock Collecto r musician's dweiling after some two This came from a curious source , as I hours ' in his company-two hours discovered when I looked about m~ and saw at least a score of clocks in the crammed with such interest that they apartment. , Grandfathers, astronomical, seemed to pass in as many' minutes. Louis XVI-clocks of a ll epochs and de­ When I rang at the door of his apart­ nominations seemed to be represented. ment it was Sieveking himself whO Sieveking later explained the mechanism opened. I had never met him, but, of a number of his "fav orites" '(he dis­ strange as was his attire, I had no di~­ cusses his clocks as if they were a s wlty in recognizing him from the PIC­ simply. c la ~s ifie~ as postage stamps) , but turesque description given me by some as It IS Slevekmg the musician who is Who had. of primary interest to the readers of ,The massive frame before me clad in MUSICAL AMERICA, the highly interesting brown woolen sweater was surmounted clock collection must be disregarded. by a head which would transport a "What have you been doing to Pade­ sculptor into the seventh heaven. Fea­ rewski in America?" asked Sieveking tures of Greek purity of contour were lapsing into English. "Surely a great Illustrating the Sieveking Method of Piano Playing-Below: The Position of Hand adorned by a fierce bristly moustache. artist such as he should be allowed a and Wrist (Mr. Sieveking Sits Very Low at the Piano), and, Above, Bad Posi­ little more scope. If he has been tion of the Finger-the Fin,ger Hooked and Thumb Bending Inward. Note the 'pounding' it was because the piano did not suit him. He could not perhaps Muscular Development of Mr. Sieveking's Forearm draw from the instrument what he de­ iftterpreted. The old but faithful piano level as the white, an arrangement which sir ed. Now that he is playing better 'he had seen its best days, but Sieveking also guarantee a faultless legato ~ouch. probably has a piano that responds more drew from it a tone of such sweet r es- Greater leverage and genera l ease m ex­ sym~atheti ca lly. What a fallacy it is, onance that all I could do when he had ecuting runs are characteristics of the for mstance, to say that all artists finished was to stare at him in amaze- Sieveking keyboard, which I was able to should be obliged to play on a keyboard ment. test satisfactor ily for myself on another of the same size! Look at my hands !" "How do you get all those marvelous' piano of the usual size. They. were massive but beautifully varieties of tone?" I a sked. A Formidable Athlete - pr,oportlOned, the muscles standing out "Ah! That is my secret!" he ejac­ like knots. ulated. "That is what I retired from One fact must be taken into considera­ "Godowsky is a small man," he con­ professional life six years ago to evolve tion, namely. that Martinus Sieveking is tinued, "but, as I am not obliged to wear 'and study. a man of stupendous muscular strength. Godowsky's gloves, shoes or hat, I don't "New method," he continued, in his Eugene Sandow, the famous expert in see why I should be compelled to play on quaint, short but emphatic English, physical culture, has declared him to be Godowsky's piano. which he has a habit of punctuating fre­ his finest pupil. He is also a trained Sieveking's Piano quently with an abrupt and forceful athlete, notably a swimmer, fencer and "Ja!" "It is best explained by calling it boxer. The width of Sieveking's biceps "Come and look at my piano," said the Deadweight method. Feel my arm." according to my own testimony would do Sieveking with a genial smile: I went I tried to lift his arm from the key­ credit to an ordinary man's thigh, and over to the instrument with him and ex­ board and managed to raise it a few they are as hard as steel. Yet this m,an amined attentively the famous inclined inches with a great effort. Then I let with the mass of muscular energy is keyboard slanting toward the body at a go and his fingers struck the keys with' completely without mannerisms. All his very perceptible angle. The white keys great violence. action comes from wrists a nd main ' measure a little more than an inch in Secret of Tone finger joints. His arms ' are moved in width, but are depressed with the same playing ever so little and his body not at ease as any others. When Sieveking sat "That is the secret of tone," said all, except in " sweeping" the keyboard. Martinus Sieveking, the Noted Dutch down at the piano he carefully changed Sieveking. "I do ' not press, but just al­ Sieveking has many remarkable pu­ low the weight of my arms to rest on Pianist and Teacher, of Paris, Who his house slippers for a pair of well­ pils, including Henri Etlin and Paul worn dancing pumps, for he declared he my hands. Absolutely new method! Announces TEat He Has Discovered Loyonnet, but he is to emerge from his never played in any others. My atten­ Many do it unconsciollsly, though. Also temporary seclusion before long and in­ a "New Method" tion was thus drawn to his feet and I notice that I move my fingers from the tends to prove his ideas by practical noticed that the pedals of the piano were hand joint and not from the middle demonstrations. The statement of his But, most wonderful of all were the e:yes placed not close together, but abo'ut four­ joint, which latter causes the whole hand which gazed at me full and firmly WIth which will interest the student most is teen inches apart. to be cramped." that, given a sound elementary musical a half irritated, half inquisitive expres­ Sieveking then played a composition sion: I was abashed and my words of "That's for balance," said the Dutch education and by following his method, giant. "When the pianist leans to one the manuscript of which he had been one can attain to virtuosity in two years. introduction were but feebly and hesi­ side to execute a r un his body then re­ copying that same day. It is a delight­ tatingly enunciated. The object of my And the teacher is willing to furnish a tains perfed poise. Isn't it extraor­ ful trifle called "Souffrance" and ex­ written guarantee to this effect! visit having been made clear, however, dinary that there have been innovations tremely modern in harmonization. After Sieveking, in the best of French, bade and changes in the constr uction of every that he <broke into the least known of Diminishing Attendance for St. Paul me enter. section of the piano since the days of the Beethoven sonatas, but one that he Two long, low rooms with the usual the clavecin, with the exception of the adores, .which was followed by Liszt's Popular Concerts Fr. nch doors, the first object to catch keyboard and the position of the transcription of the "Erl King." As ST. PAUL, Minn., Jan. 7.-The ninth my eye being the great piano built espe­ pedals? Sieveking played and evoked that ex­ popular concert by the St. Paul Sym­ cially for the pianist Colossus and the traordinarilv exquisite tone again I H is Own Comp os ition phony Orchestra, Walter Henry Roth­ largest in the world. It looked very watched his method. I noted that, at no well, conductor, with Rollin M. Pease, much the worse for wear. An old cam­ "This is my latest little piece to be time, even in purely staccato passages, bal'itone soloist, covered a program of era-such as is used by professional published. And Sieveking played did he raise his hands far from the key­ good music played with laudable skill, photographer:s-had been pl.aced on ~he "Cornemuse" to me, a bagpipe theme, board. This, he explained to me later, but lacking in inspirational quality. The tail of the mstrument, WhICh occupIed brilliantly thought out and harmonized, was on ' account of his inclined keys, audience was pitifully small. Neither about one~third the length of the apart- and which, needless to say, was superbly which places the black keys on the same the Strauss Waltz, "On the Beautiful Blue Danube," one of the orchestra's New Anthems BARITONE most compelling magnets for a popular By concert, nor Bizet's popular second "Car­ THOMAS ,FARMER Management: M H HANSON men" Suite sufficed to bring the desired H.