. .._. “puma a. Ly. ; . 3.» mm: . ,sz xi ’ 4x1.» W93” LIBRARY :30 3 Michigan State University This is to certify that the thesis entitled NICOLAS MEDTNER- COMPOSER, PIANIST, AND TEACHER (TRANSLATION OF MEDTNER'S NOTES COMPILED INTO A BOOK THE DAILY WORK OF THE PIANISTAND COMPOSER BY M. GURVICH AND L. LUKOMSKY, WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HIS STUDENT, P. VASILIEV presented by Liudmila Bondar has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for the M.M.A degree in Piano Pedagogy Major Professor’s Signature 5W0? Date MSU is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution PLACE IN RETURN BOX to remove this checkout from your record. TO AVOID FINES return on or before date due. MAY BE RECALLED with earlier due date if requested. DATE DUE DATE DUE DATE DUE 5/08 K./Prq/Acc&Pres/ClRC/Date0ue Indd NICOLAS MEDTNER - COMPOSER, PIANIST, AND TEACHER (TRANSLATION OF MEDTNER’S NOTES COMPILED INTO A BOOK THE DAILY WORK OF THE PIANISTAND COMPOSER BY M. GURVICH AND L. LUKOMSKY, WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HIS STUDENT, P. VASILIEV) By Liudmila Bondar A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF MUSICAL ARTS School of Music 2003 ABSTRACT NICOLAS MEDTNER - COMPOSER, PIANIST, AND TEACHER (TRANSLATION OF MEDTNER’S NOTES COMPILED INTO A BOOK THE DAILY WORK OF THE PIANISTAND COMPOSER BY M. GURVICH AND L. LUKOMSKY, WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY HIS STUDENT, P. VASILIEV) Bv d Liudmila Bondar The purpose of this research was a) to translate into English the book The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer by the Russian pianist Nicolas Medtner; b) to help to improve piano instruction; and c) to obtain more information about his life, philosophy, and pedagogical principles. The specific problem was the translation itself. The book is a compilation of the pianist’s private notes made during the process of his practice or lessons with his students and was not intended by him for publication. Therefore, many difficulties arose while trying to interpret the author’s thoughts clearly and correctly. Sometimes one Russian word in his notes can have several meanings, so one must rely on context to find the English word or expression that exactly corresponds to that in the Russian language. In order to get more information about Medtner’s life, philosophy, and pedagogical principles the researcher undertook a trip to Russia and England, and established contacts with Medtner’s relatives and acquaintances and gained their consent to participate in the research. The methodology involved the taping of the interviews with these people, making copies of unpublished documents (letters. post cards, letters of recommendations, pictures) and collecting articles from periodicals and newspapers from their private collections. I have included much of this material in this project. Copyright by LIUDMILA BONDAR 2003 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to all the people who helped me in my work on the present theses. I am particularly grateful to my advisor. Dr. Midori Koga, for the encouragement and support in this project. Special thanks to Dr. Cynthia Taggart, in whose research class this project was outlined and consequently, step-by-step. took on the present shape. I would also like to express deep appreciation to Dr. Frederick Tims and Prof. Ralph Votapek. who served as committee members. for their help in making this project possible. Most importantly. I give warm thanks to Dr. Anna Celenza and Dr. Mary Black, who read my manuscript and made many helpful comments regarding the translation. I would be remiss if I did not warmly acknowledge the help of my friends who have encouraged me and helped me in many different ways. TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................... l About the Topic ..................................................................... 1 Biography ............................................................................ 3 Medtner as pianist ............................................................... 8 Medtner’s aesthetic principles ................................................. 10 Medtner’s religion ............................................................... 12 Purpose and problems ............................................................ 15 Methodology ...................................................................... 1 7 CHAPTER 2 TRANSLATION OF THE BOOK ‘THE DAILY WORK OF THE PIANIST AND COMPOSER’ .............. 21 Editorial Comments (written by M.Gurvich and L. Lukomsky) ......... 22 Medtner’s notebooks (written by P.Vasiliev) .............................. 25 1 General Maxims in Pianist’s Work ............................................. 39 To the performers ............................................................... 41 11 Certain Elements of Musical Performance .................................... 46 About tempo and rhythm ....................................................... 46 About imagination .............................................................. 47 Do not exhaust the hearing .................................................... 48 The principles of work while learning a piece .............................. 50 The red thread of the theme and tempo ...................................... 54 About the pedal .................................................................. 55 Work immediately before the concert performance ........................ 56 Preparation for recording ....................................................... 57 About instruments ............................................................... 58 Indications on certain pieces ................................................... 59 [11 About Exercise ..................................................................... 69 General Maxims .................................................................. 69 About mistakes of the fingers and finger touch .............................. 71 About the center of the movement ............................................. 74 Velocity ........................................................................... 75 About the function of the wrist ................................................ 81 Octaves ............................................................................ 82 Double notes ...................................................................... 83 Chords ............................................................................. 84 TriIls ............................................................................... 84 Leaps ........................................................................... 85 IV Notes on the Work of the Composer .......................................... 86 On practical work ................................................................ 86 About the will in artistic creative activity .................................... 91 About the spirit and the matter in modern art ................................ 92 Contrasts ......................................................................... 95 About the Form .................................................................. 97 Practical considerations about the development of the melodic seeds... 98 More diversity in the expounding ............................................. 102 Appendix (written by P. Vasiliev) ............................................ 106 Medtner’s Exercises ............................................................ 108 CHAPTER 3 ................................................................................... 128 SUMMARY AND RECCOMMENDATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ................................................................ 128 Recommendations For Future Research ............................................ .130 APPENDICES ................................................................................. I 33 APPENDIX A UCHRIHS Approval ........................................................... 134 APPENDIX B UCHRIHS Renewal ............................................................. 135 APPENDIX C Consent Form .................................................................... 136 APPENDIX D Consent Form In Russian ........................................................ I37 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS .................................................................. 138 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................... 158 vi LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Nicolas and Anna Medtner (date unknown) ................................................ 139 Anna and Nicolas Medtner, 1925. Pine Bush, NY. (in the Warrens’ home) .......... 140 The Medtner’s departure from New York to Europe. April 15‘, I925 .................. 141 The letter of recommendation for N. Stember written by N. Medtner and A.Glazunov (date unknown) .......................................... 142 The letter of support for N. Stember written by S. Prokofieff. N.Y., January 215‘, 1930 .................................................................. 143 Medtner’s grave in Hendon cemetery. London ............................................ 144 The text form Easter Greeting card to N. Stember written by A. Medtner after N. Medtner's death (date unknown) ............................... 145 Nikolay Stember (1892-1982) Medtner’s pupil and nephew ............................ 146 Sergei Prokofiev (the photo with the Prokofiev‘s inscription to N. Stember) .............................................................................. 147 The opening of Medtner’s Prelude op. 54 with N. Stember’s pencil marks ................................................................ 148 The inscription on the music of Medtner’s "Sonata-Ballade.” written by the author to N. Stember ...................................................... 149 Olga Stember, Daughter of N. Stember. Medtner‘s pupil and nephew ........................................................................... 150 Ksenia Litvinova. Daughter of N. Stember's sister Nadezhda .......................... 151 Elena Tarasova, Medtner’s Grandniece .................................................... 152 Metropolitan Anthony of Sourazh (Bloom), the priest who served Medtner’s funeral .................................................................. 153 Deacon Peter Scorer, Grandson of philosopher S. Franck, Medtner’s friend .......... 154 Anna Salaman, Daughter of the sculptor M. Salaman. Medtner’s friend ............... 155 Medtner’s drawing on a greeting card to Salaman family ................................. 156 Medtner’s home on Golders Green, London ................................................ 157 vii Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION About the Topic Nicolas Karlovitch Medtner (1880-1951) was a wonderful Russian pianist, composer, and teacher. I found his book The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer in the library of the Krasnoyarsk Institute of Arts, where I was studying at that time. I was preparing for my most important graduate recital, The State Exam, which is usually taken at the end of the last school year. The book overwhelmed me and helped me in preparing for my exam and in understanding my playing better. The composer's utterances, in spite of their personal nature, contained many interesting ideas. There were musical exercises included that Medtner himself practiced and recommended to his students. There is currently no English translation of this work. which is unfortunate, as it might help other pianists, as it has helped me. Therefore, I decided to translate the work. It would be the first translation of this book. since no attempt to interpret it into a different language has been undertaken before. When I lived in the state of New York in 1995-96, I became acquainted with an elderly woman, Olga Nikolayevna Stember. At that time I only knew that her father was a pianist and that their family was somehow related to Medtner. When I was at her house I saw a picture of Prokofieff with an inscription dedicated to her father N. Stember. In addition, I saw some of the letters of Anna Medtner, who was N. Medtner‘s wife. Therefore, when I began to work on this thesis, I decided to contact Olga Nikolayevna. After getting in touch with her, I realized that her connection with Medtner was even closer than I expected. Her father was not only Medtner’s nephew, but also his student, and she had in her possession many things related to the composer, among them the unpublished personal letters to and by him. The fact that Nicolas Stember was Medtner’s nephew was avoided in press and publicity about Medtner. It was only mentioned that Stember was a student of Medtner’s. The Soviet government tried to conceal everything that related to living abroad, because immigration to another country was considered a perpetration against the government itself. Thus, if a famous or historically important person had relatives abroad, those people would not be mentioned as relatives. The connection between Nicolas Stember and Nicolas Medtner exemplifies the Soviet regime. Through Olga Stember I also discovered that there were other relatives of Medtner’s in Moscow, and she recommended that I contact them. I telephoned them and obtained their consent to interview them in my research. Besides that, I Ieamed some facts about the composer's life that were never published or mentioned in the Soviet press, due to state politics. I Ieamed that Nicolas Medtner was a religious person and that his spiritual father, bishop Anthony Bloom still lived in London. Another further musical connection was that Bishop Bloom‘s mother was a sister of Alexander Scriabin. My meeting with Bishop Anthony Bloom took place in London during my trip in the summer of2002. Biography Dear Nikolay Karlovitch You are not with us, but until at least one of those who knew You are still alive. You will be our leading light and guide, and, what is more important- our Musical Conscience I. Dobrovein.’ Nicolas Medtner (1880 - 1951) played a great role in not only the history of Russian music, but of Western European music as well. However, being a contemporary of two other giants of Russian music, Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, he was and still is overshadowed by their glory. Musicologist L. Sabaneyev writes: “I think, that Medtner as a composer must be propagandized, for his music is not of the kind that comes to the audience by itself. It is necessary that the listener himself come to it and that he be helped in that.”2 His name is undeservedly forgotten, though his contribution to music’s three spheres, i.e.. composition, performance, and, most of all, pedagogy, is immense. He was a great philosopher. and his notes, which drew my attention. are perfect evidence of that. Medtner was born on January 5, 1880, in Moscow. Nicolas was the fifth child of the Medtner family. His father, Karl Medtner, was a factory manager, but he had a great passion for poetry, as he was a Goethe-worshipper, and was a man with broad cultural interests. He contributed to his children’s love for art, literature. and music. Medtner’s ' Apetyan, Z. Start ’1'. materialy, vospominaniya. [Recollections, articles, memories] 2 From a letter by music critic and musicologist L. Sabaneyev , date unknown (from private collection). mother, Alexandra, came from a family of musicians and was a singer in her younger years. She was the first to give Nicolas piano lessons when he was 6 years old. At the age of 10. Nicolas began taking lessons with Fyodor Goedike, his mother’s brother, who was a professor at the Moscow Conservatory. Even at this early age the boy preferred to study the serious music of such composers as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and Scarlatti. Once, when he was 12, he came home from the high school and declared that he was quitting the gymnasium and going to the Conservatory. His parents were shocked by this statement. but his brother Emil and uncle Fyodor supported his decision to enter the Moscow Conservatory. There he studied piano with Anatoly Galli, Paul Pabst, Vasily Sapelnikov, and Vasily Safonov. These were the stars of the Russian piano world at that time; Pabst was a pupil of Liszt, Galli was a pupil of Zverev (the teacher of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin). and Safonov was the director of the Conservatory. When Medtner was graduating from the conservatory he performed to public acclaim one of the most difficult of piano works - Balakirev’s Islamey. He played it “with a swoop,”3 and it was very brilliant. Upon graduation Medtner was awarded the ‘Small Gold Medal’ (the Great Gold Medal was awarded to those who finished with two majors - piano and composition). Safonov said about his student that “with so prodigious a talent, Medtner should have been given a diamond medal. had such a thing existed.”4 Safonov predicted a brilliant pianistic future for his student, but Medtner wanted to dedicate himself to composition. In 1908 Medtner was appointed professor of piano at the Moscow Conservatory. After one year, he resigned the position due to interference of his duties with his 3 Medtner, N. The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer. Introduction by P. Vasiliev. 4 Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: His Life and Music. England: Scolar Press, 1995 compositional activities. In 1915 he accepted the position again and taught there until 1921, the year when the Medtners left their native country. The political situation in Russia during these years forced the Medtners to leave. On the 12th of March, 1917, the riots against the Tsar and his regime occurred. The Tsar was forced to abdicate his throne. The activities of the Bolshevik party were spurred by Lenin and were gaining more and more power over the entire situation. Finally. the Revolution broke out on November 7‘“. 1917. Although Medtner said once that he understood nothing about politics, he could not ignore these events. As a representative of the intelligentsia, he was depressed about the Revolution and the new regime. His own family was to suffer a great deal at its hands. “In Moscow, desperate shortages of food and fuel, the breakdown of public services, and the general chaos drove many of its citizens to seek refuge in the countryside... Those who could, looked for ways of escaping abroad. Among the first to go, in December 1917, was Rachmaninoff, who providentially had been offered a concert tour of neutral Scandinavia, enabling him to obtain an exit visa to travel there with his family; he never returned.”5 In 1918, Medtner’s mother died, which was a blow for Nicolas. All of the other members of the family were ill as well. The political situation became dispiriting and the counter-revolution broke out. Many of the former tsarist officers were put in prison and then shot. Medtner’s brother, Karl, was one of those jailed officers and was awaiting the firing squad. When the 5 Martyn. B. Nicolas Medtner: His life and Music. England: Scolar press. 1995 Medtners learned this shocking news. Nicolas hurried at once to the jail. When those in charge found out that a brother of a 'luminary of Russian music’ was being kept in prison, they immediately set Karl free. At the same time, Karl, when summoned from cells, thought that his last moment had come. The other blow that Medtner could not avoid was the state appropriation of the family business. This was very difficult for his father to accept and he never recovered from the shock. In 1921 Nicolas Medtner and his wife Anna went to Germany. When Medtner traveled there earlier in 1905, he had been overwhelmed with German musical life and had acquired fame with the audiences there. Sadly, this time his optimism turned into disappointment. His discouragement came mostly from the change in people’s attitudes towards music. His name was forgotten, he could not establish a steady concert schedule, and new names, such as Busoni and Schoenberg. whose music Medtner could not abide, were gaining greater popularity. During the 1924-25 season, Rachmaninoff arranged a concert tour for Medtner in America. Medtner’s “First impressions of America were more favorable than they had expected; the fine autumn weather helped, and soon the presence and active support of the Rachmaninoff family [...] as well as the friendship they developed with the musicologist Alfred Swan and his wife. were a source of great comfort in this bewilderingly new country. especially as Medtner was unable to speak English.”6 Yet more encouraging were Medtner’s concerts. American critics were enthusiastic about the pianist’s performances and called him “a new luminary of the pianistic world, a veritable giant of the keyboard.”7 The performance of his First 6 Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: his Life and Music 7 Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: his Life and Music Concerto with Frederic Stock in Chicago, “created a sensation... and was recalled by vociferous applause, by shouts of approbation and much hand clapping.”8 His solo recitals were few and relatively minor occasions due to their haphazard organization. Medtner’s tour in America, that started out so promisingly, came to a somewhat disappointing conclusion. After a recital at New York’s Aeolian Hall on February 2nd, 1925, musicologist Alfred Swan, who was Medtner’s friend said that the composer felt a gap between himself and his public. Critic Ernest Newman wrote: [Medtner’s] music does not make an immediate appeal to the man in the street, but it certainly grows on the musician. It is as stark and strong as Brahms at his best; there is never a superfluous bar in it, never a superfluous note in the chord; it is sinewy, athletic, and for its weight amazingly flexible, for Medtner is a master of combined and contrasted rhythms. The thought is rarely on the surface, but when one makes it one’s own, it is the kind one likes to live with. It is sad to think of the reclame that has come to fifty mediocrities in the last decade or so. while a fine mind like Medtner’s goes on its way almost unregarded by the crowd.9 Following this the Medtners moved to France and stayed there for ten years. Right after their arrival in France they found a cottage that had no electricity or other conveniences. Since it was a secluded place with a garden of roses and fruit trees, the Medtners felt that they were in a peaceful and quiet sanctuary, far in spirit from the commercialized environment of America and from the ‘contaminated’ Parisian musical life. The musical climate of Germany, America, and France did not satisfy him, because 8 Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: his Life and Music 9 Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: his Life and Music he could not find the solidarity of his views with the audiences in these countries. This made the composer feel nostalgic about Russia, where he could not return. During this period. Medtner participated in concerts in Warsaw, Berlin, Leipzig, Riga, Tallinn, and England. In 1927, he had a concert tour in Russia, and in 1929- 30 he played a number of concerts in America and Canada. Medtner left France in 1935 and settled in Golders Green, London, devoting himself to composing. In 1943 Medtner started to feel the first signs of heart disease. In the second half of 19405 he started to make recordings of his music on commission of His Highness the Maharajah of Mysore, Jaya Chamaraja Wadiyar. The Maharaja was impressed by Medtner’s music and wanted to bring it to the notice of a wider public. This work gave Medtner new strength and energy. The last two years of his life he struggled with heart attacks and increasing weakness. Medtner died in 1951 in London. Medtner as pianist The first professor who influenced Medtner was Paul Pabst, a virtuoso from Germany and a pupil of Liszt. He was a professor at Moscow Conservatory. Among his students were Konstantin lgumnov, Alexander Goldenweiser, Leonid Maximov, composer Sergei Liapunov. Alexander Goedicke, and others. Pabst’s method was based on playing a piece through and writing some notes concerning its interpretation on the score, but speaking little about technical problems or correcting faults. Medtner will eventually use the same method for himself and his students. With Pabst, Medtner Ieamed the works of Beethoven and Schumann’s Toccata and Concerto. (which always remained in his repertoire). Liszt’s Rigoletto Paraphrase. and others. Medtner’s next teacher was the Russian virtuoso Vasily Sapelnikov, who was a student of Alexander Villoing, and who had taught Anton and Nikolay Rubinstein, Theodore Leschetizsky. and Louis Brassin at the Conservatory in St. Petersburg. However the year with Sapelnikov did not prove to be successful, and in his last two years Medtner started to work with Vasily Safonov, who was the director of Moscow Conservatory and held a position as principal conductor of the New York Philharmonic. Among his students were Alexander Scriabin, Joseph and Rosa Lhevinne. “Safonov’s unique pedagogical gift was to find and correct student’s weaknesses so that the physiognomy of their playing would change within 3- 4 months.”'0 He published a book New Formula, in which he offered some exercises. Medtner’s playing was distinguished by “extraordinary” clarity, especially in the lower register of the piano. His phrasing and subtleties of nuances and pedaling were unforgettable traits of his playing. The range of different kinds of staccato - light, crisp, dancing and the use of short (comma-like) silences, the feeling for rubato, and strongly individual rhythms were personal characteristics of Medtner’s performing art. He was an extremely disciplined and diligent person and was convinced that the purpose of music was to ‘elevate the soul’, and the mission of the musician, to convey the meaning of music. His discipline revealed itself in everything, and he arranged all aspects of his life down to the smallest detail. He scheduled his practice, his concerts and recitals, his walks, and was even particular about the foods he ate. During his practice, Medtner constantly kept notes in which he wrote down his thoughts about the methods of work on particular pieces, and to what he should pay special attention. The discipline, the organization, and control over his practice were '0 Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: His Life and Music among the most important principles of his work. Medtner thought that everything. i.e., technique, emotions. mood, and spirit, ought to be controlled when practicing or performing. He did not encourage emotional exaggeration, but at the same time he was against merely virtuosic playing devoid of the warmth of the performer’s soul. In treating technical problems, Medtner always suggested one to listen for the melodic line. Later on, these notes were compiled into the book “T he Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer." The notes in this book are informal but may give piano performers and instructors ideas and pedagogical principles that would be useful in their daily work. Medtner’s aesthetic principles Medtner was a fighter for pure art. He was far from being a fashionable or popular composer and felt a great distaste for everything with these features. His life unfolded amidst a turbulent stream of new and revolutionary ideas in music, and Medtner, with all his passion and strength. swam against this new stream. This was the time when composers such as Prokofieff, Schoenberg, Stravinsky and others appeared on the musical scene. Medtner categorically rejected these peoples’ work. He believed that they rejected old principles and proclaimed ugly artificial new ones. To him, it was as if the leaves and branches of one tree would say to its roots that the first can perfectly grow without the latter. He tried to convince public opinion that what those musicians did was false - a tree cannot grow without its roots; it will fall down. A house cannot be built without a foundation; it will collapse. And music cannot be created without traditions. IO But his voice and voices of his friends and colleagues who were the adherents of the old school and venerators of traditions were lost in the ever-growing population of such innovators. In his struggle for pure art. Medtner was called by Russian musicologist ' g ' ° “I l Dobrovein ‘ the Musrcal Consc1ence. He also said: “A great happiness fell to my lot and to that of my contemporaries’, a happiness of knowing and loving such a person-the conscience, such a fine and pure as a child. knight without fear and without reproach on the walk of life and musical pursuits. This is Medtner.”12 Medtner poured out all of his indignation about the overthrowing of the immutable laws of music by the new generation of composers in his book “The Muse and the Fashion. ” There were some names in music whom Medtner read as anathema - for example, Prokofieff, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg. Nikolay Stember and Prokofieff studied together with Esipova. They were friends with each other, but Stember, knowing Medtner’s dislike for Prokofieff‘s music, never pronounced the latter’s name in front of his teacher and uncle. All my pianistic life, starting with the early teens and finishing with some meetings here in America, I never talked to uncle Kolia about Prokofieff, neither did I talk about his music. nor about his (uncle Kolia’s) attitude towards Prokofieff’s music. 1 even never said to uncle Kolia, that I know Prokofieff, that we studied together with Esipova and that we were sort of friends.'3 One day Prokofieff came to Medtner without notifying him beforehand. While being ushered into the study. he said. “I know, Nikolay Karlovitch, that you do not like ” Apetyan, Z. Vospominaniya. stat 'i. materialy [Recollections, articles. materials]. 7 . . ,. . . . . " Apetyan, Z. Vospomtnamya, stat l, materialy [Recollections, articles, materials]. '3 Letter by N. Stember from America to his sister in Moscow, December 6, 1972. ll 14 and handed over a copy of his Tales of my music, but perhaps this would please you,” the Old Grandmother, Op. 31. Anna disappeared to prepare lunch, and, when she returned she was amazed to find the two composers in amicable conversation. However, whatever Medtner may have said out of politeness at that time, Prokofieff’s pieces did not impress him. Here there is one more example of Medtner’s attitude towards contemporary musicians. When Medtner lived in Berlin he wrote to Goldenweiser in one of his letters: “Do you know who teaches composition here in the Hochschulle? None other than Ferruccio Busoni, a man possessing no understanding of composition, and who in print and otherwise mutilates the great composers but is himself unable to write even decent piano exercises... Schoenberg too plays an important role here, but of him one can only speak after having taken a fair dose of bromide...”'5 Medtner’s religion The events and attitudes in the musical life of Russia was a smaller reflection of what was happening in politics of Russian government. At that time the new generation was shattering old traditions, and the newly formed Soviet State was destroying the foundations of people’s beliefs during and after the Revolution. Promising workers and peasants a better life, the new government with the hands of those workers and peasants, overturned the Tsar and declared that there was no God. The words of Karl Marx, '4 Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: His Life And Music. ”Martyn, B. Nicolas Medtner: His Life And Music. ‘Religion is the opium of the people’, were cited by the Soviets who forbade religion. Any word pronounced by anyone in support of God or any religion could result in death for that individual. These conditions intimidated people, because it was like having a gun near one’s temple - one step in the wrong direction and the trigger is pulled. These conditions made life of for the deeply religious Medtners unbearable in Russia. They were forced to leave. In her interview, Olga Stember stated that Medtner was a religious person and that he had a contact with the Orthodox bishop (priest at that time) Anthony Bloom, who had been living in London. Olga Stember told me that Bishop Anthony was Medtner’s F ather-confessor (spiritual father). He blessed and confessed Medtner before he died. In addition, he performed his funeral service. Anthony Bloom knew Medtner well, because the relationships between the spiritual father and son are special in the Russian Orthodox church. In the Soviet Union, during the time before the Perestroika, any relationships with the church were persecuted. Biographies of any famous person were devoid of information about their religious beliefs and relationships with the church. Soviet censors would eliminate this information, because atheism was the political and religious viewpoint of the government. Soviet media, with all its power, was corrupting facts about famous people. For this reason, published materials about Nicolas Medtner contain no mention of his religious faith, and it was only through my conversation with Olga Stember and other relatives that it became clear to me how deeply this part of his life affected him. During my trip to Russia I visited private collections and was given access to many letters and post card greetings written on the occasion of religious holidays by Medtner or his wife to their relatives. Elena Tarasova, Medtner’s grandniece in Moscow, talked about one event that may indicate that the Medtners were religious people and show how much the Soviet people were terrified by the government for their beliefs. When Medtner’s wife, Anna, was about to die, she lost her ability to speak, and by making some signs she tried to express a final wish. Finally, the mother of Elena Tarasova understood that she was asking for a priest to whom she could make her final confession. The priest came, gave her communion, and secretly served a funeral service (panikhida) in her apartment in Moscow where she lived since Nicolas Medtner‘s death. Interviewing Elena Tarasova I felt some tension in our conversation on the subject of religion. Even nowadays she was speaking about that with a fear, which was sown into people’s hearts by the old regime. There are many letters from Moscow and New York (collected by the researcher) that may also support the belief that the Medtners were religious people. This excerpt from Anna Medtner’s letter is one of them: “...the letters about Kolia are the best of all. There are a great number of them, I even did not expect that. Many of them are from unfamiliar people, for example, I got marvelous letters from the bishop Johan Shakhovskoi. All of his letters are good to be compiled into one book. I did not know that so many people loved Kolia. The flowers to be put on his coffin were coming from all countries, for example, from Canada. I ordered, that the funerals to be with full choirs and all four-funeral services. All foreigners were astounded with the solemnity of the Orthodox service, beauty of the hymns. Many people, who do not understand the language, said that they could feel the entire deep meaning of what was going on in the temple.”'6 Another example that may illustrate the religious attitudes of the Medtners is an Easter greeting card, written by Anna Medtner to Nadezhda Dmitrievna Stember, the mother of Nikolay Stember (the original Russian text is presented on the illustration on pg 145): Truly He is risen! 1 kiss you three times. my dear Nadezhda Dmitrievna. and ask You to forgive my late greetings, but they are always alive... Soon I will write You in detail about my (Kolia’s) businesses. The entire archive will be in Your country, in the Library on Congress. But we are far from everything being finished. May God grant us to live to that moment! I embrace and kiss You warmly. God save You. A. Medtner The inscription on Medtner’s Grave provides more evidence “for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15: 5). Purpose and Problems The purpose of the research is to introduce Medtner’s teaching and performing principles as well as his music to the scholarly community in the United States. '6 A letter from Anna Medtner to N. Stember (date unknown). written after N. Medtner’s death. 15 His life, philosophy, pianistic style, and most of all his pedagogical ideas are interesting sources of study. His attitude towards music was that it must not be polluted with heretical tendencies. such as modernism and that there always must be a desire for beauty. His life represented a struggle for preservation of its real values. His book “The Muse and the Fashion” is a good example of this struggle. He could not accept mere virtuosity in playing music. He considered the performance dead if it was not inspired with feelings. The soul must bring life to the music. From both pedagogical and performance points of view, his most valuable contribution to music may be his notes that are compiled into the book entitled “The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer. " These are notes written for himself during his own practice or lessons with his students. The knowledge that one may gain from reading this book is incredible as I found when I was a young student. This is a written source that could be valuable for pianists. as they can discover many interesting technical and musical details that would help them in their playing. In fact, other musicians may benefit from it. This thesis is a translation of his book ”The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer" and the purpose is to introduce American musicians to the philosophy and pedagogy of this great Russian pianist and composer. Because this book abounds with uncommon Russian expressions, and because Medtner did not mean this book to be published, the translation was cumbersome, and the result may seem disjunct and incomplete at times. The reader must remember that he wrote these notes for himself with words that perhaps only he understood. These notes serve a purpose of a reminder to Medtner himself about what was discovered during his previous practicing in order to 16 ‘refresh his memory’ and remind him what he had discovered practicing a piece a while ago. Some sentences were difficult to explain even in Russian. For example, his expression about the touch ‘prima ballerina’ was translated word by word, and the people who helped me with editing questioned me what it meant. However, Medtner did not explain the meaning of it. Thus the readers will need to be more creative in interpreting the meaning of phrases of this kind. The other obstacle was to translate as close to the original as possible. Some of the expressions could not be rendered literally into English, because they are idiomatic and intrinsic only to Russian language. In such instances the researcher was compelled to find the compromise. For example, in the Russian language you can use one word for ‘arm,’ ‘hand,’ and ‘wrist,’ but when translating this book the researcher had to make a choice depending on the context. Methodology The biggest part of the research is the translation. The process of the work was hindered by the linguistic differences. Perhaps anyone who undertakes the attempt to interpret from one language to another would face these difficulties. In fact, the aggravating circumstance was that Medtner wrote these notes for himself and sometimes he did not bother to explain what he really meant by one phrase or another. These phrases served the purpose of memos or reminders in order for him to be most productive in future practice or work sessions. In addition, this research was not confined to translation alone. The other goal was to find more information about the composer. For that purpose the researcher traveled to the state of New York and, thanks to the Grant from the Graduate school, to Russia and England to meet Medtner’s relatives and acquaintances. The researcher acquired information from the Moscow Conservatory, from the British Library, from private archives. and from interviewing the following people: Olga Stember (b.1927) —— Nikolay Stember’s daughter. Ksenia Litvinova (b1920)- daughter of Nadezhda Stember (by husband Litvinova). Nikolay Stember’s sister (Nikolay Stember was Medtner’s nephew and pupil). Elena Tarasova (b 1929)- Medtner’s grandniece, the daughter of Mednter’s niece Vera Tarasova. Metropolitan Anthony of Sourazh (Bloom), (b. 1914), who served Medtner’s funeral service. Deacon Peter Scorer — grandson of the philosopher S. Frank. Anna Salaman — the daughter of the sculptor M. Salaman, who made Medtner’s bust after the composer’s death. The compilation of Medtner’s notes The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer, the translation of which is offered herein, is supplemented with editorial comments written by compilers M. Gurvich and L. Lukomsky and the introductory article. The introductory article “Medtner’s notebooks” and the text of the Appendix is written by Medtner’s student P. Vasiliev. He was a professional pianist, but not a professional writer. Thus, his writing style is missing sequential and smooth transitions from one topic to another. Medtner’s notes were compiled into a book by M. Gurvich and L. Lukomsky, who broke them into four categories: 18 I. General Maxims in Pianist’s Work; 11. Work on Certain Elements of Musical Performance; 111. About exercise; IV. Notes on the work of the composer. Each of these categories in turn is subdivided into smaller subtitles according to the thematic content. The end of the book contains exercises which Medtner himself used and offered to his students. The following chapter is the direct translation of the Russian edition of the book The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer. Though difficulties arose in the process of translation, they were solved in order to preserve the peculiarities of the Russian language. The differences between the two languages are evident also in the fact that in Russian the sentences are structured in a different way than in English, and they could be long. This did not work well for the English language at all times. Thus, the researcher had to break the long sentences into short ones. At the beginning of certain sections, number symbols may be seen, for example, 19/1, or 1924, or 5/11-1936 and others. These refer to the date of the notes. The first one stands for January 19 (no year), the second date indicates the year but gives no indication of day and month, and the last one is the most specific. since it provides both the day and month as well as the year — February 5th, 1936 Certain words or phrases in the Russian edition were typed with single spaces between each letter, most likely for extra emphasis. Apparently, Medtner somehow highlighted them in the original, either by underlining them or by writing them with more 19 space between the letters or somehow else. In order for these words and sentences "not to blend” with the others, the publishers found a way to highlight them in the printed edition by typing them with extra spacing. Thus, the English translation maintains the same style of type. In addition, spacing of the diary is unusual, inconsistent. The translator made an attempt to keep format the same in the translation, as in the original 20 Chapter 2 N. K. Medtner The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer. The pages from the notebooks Compilers M. A. Gurvich and L. G. Lukomsky (Translated into English by Liudmila Bondar) 21 Editorial Comments. (by M. Gurvich and L.Lukomssky) While composing or practicing. Nikolay Karlovitch Medtner usually kept brief notes. He wrote down the pieces he was working on, how much he practiced, and what required special attention. These notes were of diverse character. Sometimes they contained a principle or general point, but most often they were short reminders to himself, made at a certain stage of learning a piece. Medtner insistently recommended that his pupils immediately write down the thoughts that emerged during practice. He thought that it was unnecessary to overburden the memory, because simple and obvious truths can sometimes be forgotten during the work process. Even though he was considered to be such an important musician and pianist, Medtner acknowledged it was necessary to constantly remind himself: “listen and listen, do not look at the keyboard”, “close your eyes”; “down with accents. sharp strokes, and any tightness”; “elbows apart and free; do not coerce the finger lever” and so on. The notes are very intimate, and Medtner intended them only for himself. Therefore, some records of deeper thoughts are distinguished by such laconism that their meaning may not immediately be understood and demands a slow, thoughtful reading. For example, “everything must be at hand”; “remember tempos in connection with the tone of the given piano”; “give what comes naturally”; “remember about broad lines. waves, and perspectives”. In his personal practice as well as in his work with students, Medtner was creatively looking for new ways. rejecting the dogmatic approach. Thus, although his indications seem sometimes contradictory. they are actually are an adjustment to the to [J peculiarities of psychology, to the shape of the hands of a performer, and to the interpretation of the different pieces depending on what stage the work is in. Medtner’s notebooks give us a rare opportunity to peek into the creative laboratory of this prominent composer and performer, who thought deeply about the process of his work and could organize it beautifully. Namely the latter allowed Medtner to create 62 opuses and in addition to reach remarkable perfection as a performer, although he spent no more that four hours a day on his piano practice (two hours each morning and evening). Many thoughts from these notes can help the young musicians find productive ways of working. Exercises are given in the appendix. These are partly from Medtner’s book and partly dictated by Medtner to his students. Besides the exercises, Medtner constantly used for training studies by Kramer. Sonatas by Scarlatti, preludes and fugues from the “Well Tempered Clavier" by J—S. Bach. 32 Variations by Beethoven. almost all the Etudes by Chopin, some Etudes by Liszt for training. In addition to his own works. Medtner’s concert repertoire included a number of compositions by other composers: J. S. Bach. Preludes and Fugues form the "Well Tempered Clavier: c minor, C# major, B flat major from the 1St volume. and (1 minor from the 2'”. D. Scarlatti. Various Sonatas (B flat major. d minor. F major): W. A. Mozart. Concerto in A major. Beethoven. Concerto in G major, 32 Variations , Sonatas D major, op.10, #3 C major, op. 53. e minor, op. 90. f minor, op. 57, Turkish March transcribed by Rubinstein, “The Chorus of the Dervishes”, transcribed by Saint- Saens; Schumann. Toccata; Chopin. All etudes op 10 and 25, Fantasy f minor, ballades F major and f minor, polonaises e flat minor and f# minor. preludes (especially G major, D flat major); Liszt. Polonaise, ‘Feux follets’, ‘Gnomenreigen’; Rachmaninoff. Etudes- Tableau and Preludes The notebooks are preserved in the guise of separate pages, which are not always dated. The earliest notes are from the year 1916, the latest - from 1940. In the present publication the notes are unified in the chapters where the thoughts on performance and composing are put together. The book consists of four chapters: 1. General indications in the pianist’s work 11. Certain elements of musical performance 111. About the exercises IV. Thoughts on the work of other composers The peculiarities of the author’s language are completely preserved. The footnotes and comments to the exercises are written by the compilers: M.A. Gurvich and LG. Lukomsky ; the introductory article “About Medtner’s notebooks” and the text of the Appendix are written by PL Vasiliev. Medtner’s notebooks. (by P. Vasiliev) Nearly one hundred years have passed since the birth of the prominent musician Nikolay Karlovitch Medtner. He lived a long life (from 1880 to 1951), and his formation as a person and composer relates to the end of the 19"1 century, and the years of his maturity —to the beginning of the 20”1 century. This must bekept in mind while reading his diary or notes, where sometimes expressions are encountered that are not entirely understandable to the modern reader, but which nevertheless very aptly characterize his creative process. full of inspired thoughts and feelings. The expression that “artistic creative activity is mediumlike” means that talent and inspiration are the necessary conditions that create the environment in which to foster creativity. Medtner’s creative work is significant not just for its content, but for its scope as well. He needed much time to realize his plans. Therefore he sought “quietness and solitude”, and he was extremely careful of his time. He was oppressed by “the everyday burly-burly and meetings with people” at unexpected hours. Being a master of the first rank in his art, one who did not write an arbitrary note. Medtner cared about the creation of conditions necessary for working out the absolute clarity and preciseness of his individual writing. Talking about “the struggle with the bustle” and “ the negative life phenomena,” he meant everything that bothered and distracted him from inspired creativity that was possible only with absolute “comfort of the soul.” His works are deeply humanistic in their substance. and in no way did he shut himself in an “ivory tower.” Medtner left a bright and unique imprint not only on Russian art, but one can bravely admit, on the world’s art. as well. He was born in Moscow on January 5, 1880 (December 24‘ 1879 old style). The composer’s father, Karl Petrovich Medtner, came from the city of Pamu (Estonia) and in his young years studied philosophy with fascination and wrote poems. The composer’s mother, Alexandra Karlovna, born Goedicke, passionately loved music and was the first to have an influence on the musical fate of her son. She began to teach him to play the piano when he was six years old. Medtner’s piano studies continued later under the direction of Fyodor Karlovitch Goedicke, Alexandra Karlovna’s brother. who prepared Medtner to enter the Moscow Conservatory. In the junior division of the Conservatory, Medtner studied with A.I. Galli, when he moved to the senior division, he studied with RA. Pabst, a pupil of Liszt. Pabst was a wonderful musician and a prominent pianist. With his sudden death their lessons came to an end, and during his last three years at the Conservatory. Medtner was taught by V. I. Safonov, the director of the Moscow Conservatoire and a talented conductor and chamber pianist. With Safonov’s guidance. Medtner finished the Conservatory and was awarded the small gold medal (the great gold medal was awarded only to those who finished in two majors: both piano and composition). An oral legend has preserved two stories that characterize Medtner’s performing abilities at this time. Safonov himself declared once that Medtner should have been awarded the Diamond medal had such a thing existed. Medtner’s performance in the open Conservatory student concert made a great impression on the famous pianist, Joseph Hofrnan, who was astounded not only by Medtner’s playing but by the great endurance and willful concentration of the young artist, who tossed off at full speed the ”Islamey” by Balakirev. Safonov prophesied a brilliant pianistic career, but Medtner rejected this career at first, preferring to dedicate his time to the studies of composition. Apparently, this decision had been growing in Medtner for a long time; he paid great attention to the direction of his studies. It is significant, for example, that he stopped attending counterpoint studies under Sergey Taneyev, whose attitudes on teaching of this discipline strongly contradicted with the inner order of Medtner’s thoughts. In spite of everything. ‘the dictates of the muse’(Pushkin, A.S.) even at that time powerfully indicated to the future composer the way that he should go. and helped overcome the influence of the authorities -- Safonov and Taneyev. Taneyev sympathized with Nikolay Karlovitch’s decision to concentrate his forces mainly on composition and move the piano practice into the background. This firm decision soon justified itself. when Medtner introduced his First Piano Sonata in F minor, Op. 5, (written during his twenties) to Taneyev, the former teacher highly praised the work, and said that Medtner was born with sonata form. In addition to this sonata. Medtner wrote many other works in this genre each extremely different in its thematic content, piano writing. and form. In these sonatas Medtner expressed his originality. Besides the sonatas. Medtner wrote for the piano a great quantity of Fairytales (more than thirty), three books of ‘Forgotten Melodies,’ three ‘Hymns to Labor’, three ‘Novels’ and other works. His over one hundred songs, on the texts of the greatest German and Russian poets, deserve close attention. In these Medtner is revealed to us as an artist responding to the diverse subjects of the creation of the world and human existence. The music here is organically fused with the human word, the meaning of which was keenly felt and musically realized. embodying the “word” into the very diverse melodic and harmonic images. Thus, Medtner’s creative activity was given mainly to the piano and to the voice. His strength as a composer. in building large scale musical canvasses, revealed itself in full strength in his three concertos for piano and orchestra, of which the first, perhaps, is the most significant. His inexhaustible creative fantasy is especially felt in these three works, which are in no way alike. Medtner wrote four monumental chamber works as well: three sonatas for piano and violin and a quintet for piano and string quartet. The quintet was his last work, wherein the freshness of inspiration is matched with his exclusive mastery of the form and content. Like Chopin, Medtner is organically tied to the piano. From it he extracted his special “Medtnerian” melodies and harmonies. At the keyboard, familiar to him from the age of six, the composer heard new tone combinations and broadened the possibilities of the instrument, breathing an orchestra] power and color into it. Besides his creative gift, Medtner, as was stated above, possessed a distinctive talent as a performer. He beautifully interpreted all of his works, each time recreating for his listeners his artistic plans, which were fulfilled in his sonatas, fairy tales, and concertos. His playing was distinguished by utmost and, I would say, inspired precision of the tone. All musical elements: melody, harmony, rhythm, and dynamics, in relation to the coherence and revelation of the parts of the work - everything together formed the harmoniously sounding order, the name of which is Music. Not fortuitously Medtner said once: “ Beauty is always preciseness.” In his writing and performance he was, to repeat, precise. This seems like a simple everyday word. However, it hides in itself a very voluminous, meaningful content, which has an immediate relationship to beauty. In conversations Medtner turned the attention of his students to the conception that “piano playing. on one hand gets into the circus.” In other words, like circus artists who have a perfect command of their bodies, a pianist must perfectly manage his fingers and hands. They must absolutely obey the executive will of an artist. Medtner said that it is not enough just to have piano technique, it is necessary to be able to use it in any circumstance, and that in this ability the whole purpose of technique is hidden. He disliked the word ‘technique’ by itself, applied to piano playing. thinking that it was absolutely unable to explain the complicated psychological process that lies at the basis of playing the piano. These extractions from Medtner’s diaries, which relate to his piano practice, are extremely pithy, honest, and ingenuous self-confessions in which he writes about all of his goals in the field of pianism. This confession was not intended for publication, and it testifies to his incredible searching mind. which embraces. in this case, the tasks set before the pianist. Being on the whole. brief notes made by Medtner for himself, they acquire objective meaning and significance for pianists and other performers through their depth and sincerity in the essence of this subject. Medtner’s sober mind has a good understanding of all the difficulties, subtleties, and details of pianistic problems, and it also controls the human psychology with all its potentials and non-potentials. After reading Medtner’s diary, one gets the impression that he or she has spoken with a 29 psychiatrist from whom no nooks of the human mind can be hidden and who has Ieamed its complicated and oftentimes intricate system. In the notes our attention is drawn by two features that relate to Medtner himself as an incomparable poet of the piano. First, it is an unusual willful aspiration in resolving one problem or another, which he sets for himself for a given period of practice time. For example, he is not tired of writing down the commands that would remind him of his goal. Second, it is the complete subordination of the substance of the instrument and human organism to the superior principles of the mind and spirit of the artist. These principles justified and enlightened an analytical approach to acquiring a performer’s mastery. These principles also covered Medtner’s seeming, only seeming, rationality. Extremely expressive in this aspect was his instruction about “gathering the notes” of the given piece into an “artistic picture.” In other words, the notes by themselves are only the sounding matter, which really is brought to life only when the artist -performer inspiringly reads the meaning of these notes, filling them with the truth of poetry and beauty. The notes in the chapter on instruments are interesting. Here we learn about Medtner’s vivid attitude to “dead” substance, which he constantly wants to spiritualize: “The instrument never yields to the violence! The contact with the instrument is to be achieved by a more tender and subtle treatment of it!” Or: “A key loves tenderness! It answers with the beauty of tone only when it is touched tenderly!” Or: “Try to get (even on my leaden Steinway) beautiful tone, dolce legato even in exercises.” Medtner communicates with his Steinway as if he were talking with a living creature, calling it sometimes a “rude, furiously-willful beast,” or simply “brute,” and 30 after contrition about his behavior, he commands himself “never to part with the bad instrument,” to “try to get the best that is possible from every given instrument, and to not try to get more!!” Medtner pays a great deal of attention to hearing and listening during piano practice, completely rejecting the metronome, for it is just a “thermometer and it is incompetent in artistic motion.” “Correct the sound by the ear and the plasticity of the motions — by the sense of touch!” In that sense he makes a straight forward, irrevocable, and decisive conclusion: “The obstacle for both the hearing and the sense of touch is the sight! Especially if the eyes are tired of the keyboard.” Consequently, if the sight bothers the hearing. “it must be remembered that it is possible to listen only with closed eyes, and thus no one piece is Ieamed without playing with closed eyes. Listen!” And then: “Listen, listen, and listen. Draw the tones out of the deepest silence.” In his last trip to his native Russia in 1927. Medtner still played with closed eyes. saying once that it is easier for him to “submerge into the performer’s dream.” In the words “to submerge into the performer’s dream.” we read an extremely bright and precise formulation of the substance of the interpretation of a piece of music. Medtner’s style of playing with closed eyes in no way was a mannerism intended for a cheap effect with audiences. The perfect command of the instrument, maintained with tireless loving labor, let him think not of the substance of “techniques,” but instead allowed him, having his eyes closed, to get into the Silence (Silence with a capital letter). As he asserts in one of his notes “everything must be born out of Silence.” In this sense, it is impossible not to recall the beginning of the tenth stanza of Pushkin’s poem “Autumn,” where the poet simply and clearly tells his readers about his artistic inspiration: 31 And I am forgetting the world — and in the sweetest silence I am sweetly put asleep by my imagination. Inside me, I can feel, the poetry awakens: My soul is overwhelmed by lyric animation It trembles. sounds and seeks. as if it’s in a dream. To let the feeling flow in free manifestation ...17 Pushkin, too, knew about the Silence. and his soul ached with “lyric animation.” and effiJsed in a “free manifestation.” “as if it’s in a dream.” Medtner’s piano diary is a tool that can be used in the attempt to explain, recreate, and recall his artistic image. From these notes we discover how inspired daily work led him to the heights of mastery. In glorification of Labor (with the capital letter, as well) three hymns by Medtner are included. or one might say “sung”. In the end of his book “The Muse and the Fashion” he openly said: “We ...must get works of art by hard labor, as workers in the mines. but not try to pick them as we would pick flowers during a stroll”'8. Performance and interpretation of a piece of music is an action that gives birth to every composition, and the more polished the interpreter’s work, the more truthful and fresh is the recreation of the initial images of the composer’s artistic intention. Medtner’s piano diaries explain the meaning of the word “mastery.” They disclose a perspective for this word, satiating it with a perfectly concrete meaning of knowledge and ability. '7 A. S. Pushkin. Works, v. 1. Moscow. 1962, pg. 341. '8 Medtner. The Muse and the Fashion. Paris: TAIR, 1935. pg. 154. 32 In the correspondence between Tchaikovsky and Taneyev there is one passage that brightly characterizes the artistic images of both composers. At least, in this case their exchange of thoughts reveals the attitude of both composers regarding the process of creation. Taneyev writes that he has a question on how to write operas and tells about his ways of working, which are thoroughly thought over, and mentions long meditation embracing subject in all its details. Then he asks Tchaikovsky how he writes opera. Tchaikovsky answers. that “operas (as well as everything else) are to be written as God puts it into one’s heart.”l9 Here are two polar views on the subject of the creative process. We can assume that Tchaikovsky, beset by the multitude of themes, melodies. and the abundance of inspiration. either did not think over the methodology of his work, or simply did not want to speak out about his personal world even in correspondence with his student and fiiend. Something of this kind can be found in relation to two other prominent contemporary musicians in their attitude to their art. I refer to Rachmaninoff and Medtner. It is known that Nikolay Karlovitch tried several times to begin a conversation with Rachmaninoff on different topics related to musical art with which he was concerned. Every time, Rachmaninoff either did not answer the question or changed the subject. Nevertheless. it is known that Rachmaninoff spoke in praise of Medtner’s decision to write his book “The Muse and the Fashion”, which was published by Rachmaninoff s publishing house “TAIR”. From Rachmaninoff s correspondence with Medtner it is seen that the former showed a great interest in the latter’s book and excitedly waited for its completion. This '9 P. I. Tchaikovsky. S. l. Taneyev. Pis’ma {The Letters} / Compiled and edited by Zhdanov. — Moscow. 1951. P8 169. 33 is what he wrote to Nikolay Karlovitch: “In California... I received the first part of your book. I read it at a stretch and want to express to you my congratulations in terms of your achievement in the new field. There is so much that is interesting, apt, sharp-witted, deep and timely! Even if this sickness20 will be gone somehow, which I confess, I do not foresee, its description will remain forever. And what an apt name you gave to your book! On the whole, I am very satisfied and will happily publish your book as soon as l t!”2' From come to Europe. 1 am looking forward to seeing the second part of i Rachmaninoffs next letter it is clear that he received the second part. He tells Medtner: “Yesterday in the train all day long I read your book. What a miraculous and intelligent I”22 This is Rachmaninoff’s attitude toward Medtner’s book, which person you are appeared in print more than forty years ago but still maintains its meaning. in spite of its author’s idealistic attitudes. Medtner’s notes, offered here to the readers and related to the “practical studies” (as Medtner called them), can be viewed, in essence, as a certain addition to his book “T he Muse and the Fashion, ” an addition. in which for us there is the same acute wit, desire to know himself and to figure out all the difficulties of a composer’s labor, inasmuch as his constant activity in the fields of composition and performance are not separated from one another. His assertions and conclusions are precise and definite: “An objective look and contemplation are important not only as general principles, but, in particular, as artistic ones.” In other words. Medtner asserted that an artistic principle is a consequence or only a part of the general maxims in the business of organization of one’s 2° Meaning the ignorance by many modern composers of the major-minor system. 2' From the correspondence of N. Medtner and S. Rachmaninoff. — Sovetskaya musica, 1961. No. 11, pg. 85. 22 The above mentioned, pg. 86. 34 own intellect: “While, the subjective self-contemplation generates either conceited feelings or desperation, the objective one gives peace and silence (the same way, as peace and silence contribute to a certain extent to the development of this ability; that is why it is necessary to avoid the everyday bustle)” Medtner talks about “fatigue”, which for him is a symptom of “senselessness;” talks about “impatience” which, as he asserts, is related to “stagnation and idleness...” Unusually expressive is his exclamation: “It is necessary to shake the will! It is essential to work out an economic and strategic plan during practice. Work less, but more intensively in respect to the plan. In this case, both strength and time will be saved.” Very expressive here is the word “strategic”. The composer is likened to a strategist, who must have in his field of vision all the circumstances of the struggle. the battle with himself. Now we know how voluminous Medtner’s artistic work was because it encompasses his creative activity (over 60 opuses), his speculations on art (his book "The Muse and the Fashion" is the result of speculations over decades), his concert activity, and his pedagogy. All these considerations determine artistic ways Medtner has chosen and his awareness of the conditions that contributed to his growth. They are instructive for the artist himself and for the other musicians alike. All his life Medtner lived under the burden of his creativity. It is not accidental that chapter six of his book starts with an expression which is essential and important to his aesthetic views: “Every artist, like Atlas, is destined to carry on his shoulders all the heavy load, i.e. burden, of all elements of his art. Every attempt to get rid of any element 35 depreciates his load.”23 Apparently, the thought of a possibility of depreciation of the artist’s burden inescapably held Medtner’s mind. Medtner dedicated all his strength to the service of his art and he looked for ways that led to the best realization of his goal. “The mind — is the lackey of the spirit. and it (in other words, the mind. — P.V.) is to be held in subordination for it did not take too much will.” “It is necessary to be able to write thoughts down. to write them in different ways. Write your thoughts down every day, for at least a half an hour a day.” “Do not think of publishing! Believe in your theme, in general!” “ Do not pursue yourself, but just observe yourself. Remember that while disappointed, one should not contemplate one’s disappointment, for a person invariably gets used to what he contemplates.” “Remember that the thoughts are directed by the brain, which. though it is in the service of the spirit, at the same time is not a spirit but flesh, and thus requires regular rest, just like the arms and legs.” “ Take rests more often! Make your imagination work! Imagine a piece (as if in a dream) in a final appearance, as if it were written down already and performed. Make your imagination work! By means of imagination climb out of your surroundings, out of the everyday things if they are not conducive to creative work...” All of the above citations brightly reveal the artistic way Medtner had chosen and what goals he had set for himself in developing his musical speech, in which melody and its harmonic accompaniment. contrapuntal structure, rhythm. form and shape are all the fruits of inspired labor. He very much loved and valued Pushkin’s poem “The Muse”, which he set to music. Among the words there is this passage: Since morning till night in the silent shadows of oaks N. Medtner. The Muse and the Fashion. 36 I diligently listened to the lessons of a mysterious maid. . .24 This diligent listening “to the lessons of a mysterious maid”, in other words, to his muse, led Medtner to the perfection of his musical speech, to the discovery of new, often unexpected findings in one and the same harmonic system which was used by Bach, Glinka. Mozart, Grieg, Chopin, and Tchaikovsky. Once Medtner noticed: “Every composer is learning from his own themes.” This profound observation in the highest degree bears testimony to Medtner’s nature. He really listened to his themes and Ieamed from them. They helped him to make out subtle considerations regarding the form of a piece of music in general. His “practical considerations about the development of melodical seeds” could have made up a superior philosophical-poetical chapter in a textbook on tonal forms. These sayings acquire special value because they are the living word of a great artist, who synthesizes his thoughts about creative activity. not the dead scholastic counting of schemes, advices. instructions. and allotments. Here we encounter the essence of the creative activity of Domenico Scarlatti, whom Medtner highly valued and about whom he once said: “How wonderful it would be if I could reach such clarity and transparency of writing!” Here we find both his peculiar view on the meaning of Wagnerian leitmotivs and the disclosing of the essence of variation form. In general, the book is the composer’s experience. as if he temporarily stops the flow of his creativity and looks and examines the very channel of this torrent. .. “Think with images! In other words, detach yourself from the specifically musical process of thinking. But in addition to this beware of two dangers: formlessness on the one hand, and getting into ruts or stencils”. 3‘ A. s. Pushkin. Compositions. v.1. pg- 123- 37 “Strategic plan” in Medtner’s own compositional work was tightly bound to the exact distribution of his daily work. He creatively referred to hours as to a “straw” which he was trying to catch, in order not to be drowned in the ocean of time. All of his notes, whether they are in the field of piano practice or composition, all speculations and expressions, stand as testaments that his artistic imagination was directed by a certain “straw,” a salutary compass, which did and has helped him to cross the ocean of art, avoiding chaos and “formlessness” on the one hand, and getting into “ruts and stencils” on the other. We must think that boundless love to Truth and Beauty in art inspired Medtner to the zealous service of them. P. Vasiliev. 38 Every artist must be both modern and old as world. N. Medtner. I GENERAL MAXIMS IN PIANIST’S WORK.25 08/2426 First of all — seating posture! And lowering down the insides27 - detendre. 1. Remember art, i.e. not of force and velocity alone, but of plasticity, grace, and expression which are given w i t h o u t t e n s i o n. along with the absolute freedom of feeling. I\) . Polish entire sections and episodes in terms of tone and plasticity. 3. Listen more with eyes closed when playing -— then the fingers will obey more. P: In general the power over the material is acquired only when it is acquired above oneself. 5. Be the listener! Damn “emotions”, cramps, will and so on! 6. Remember the principle content is in the vertical line. not just in the horizontal line. 7. The harder the passage. the more placid and imperturbable must be the general condition of the performer. 8. Lower the eyelids and shoulders as if falling asleep. 25 In the beginning of the first chapter there are several pages adduced from Medner’s notes on a certain day with no changes in the order of lay-out. 26 The year of notes in this case, as well as in some other ones. was impossible to determine. 27 "The lowering down of the insides” is to be understood in a sense of absolute physical and psychological relaxation. 39 9. Learn by isolating the difficulties! Each hand alone! 10. With the ear draw out the tone that you would like to hear. 11. Every day play a couple of pieces in polished condition, but without sweat. 12. Play chords and everything that requires stretches by shrinking, or gathering in, the hand. 1. Pauses of lifts, instances of silence, tapering-offsll 2. Let your ear rest by sometimes playing the passage not only without pedal, but also not very legato. i.e. not holding over the keys. 3. Do not exhaust yourself only with strength, but also with speed. i n t e r c h a n g i n g tempos and techniques. 4. Always be aware of what you are working on, what you are doing precisely. what your goal is; i.e. while working a l w a y s t h i n k. However, when performing. stop thinking.and onlylisten. 5. In overcoming certain spots, make them more difficult, i.e. exaggerate their difficulty, but when performing, play them lightly, flexibly, and lithely. 6. Never lose the taste for tone. Everything always must sound beautifully. 7.Work mainly without the pedal! 19/1 Practiceforevennessoftone without even the smallest of a c c e n t s. and train the integrity and suppleness of the arms’ movements. This is necessary: prior to the beginning of the work. concentrate and know 40 w h at to do and how to do it; read over the former notes that refer to piano practice; do not play even exercises mechanically. not to mention pieces. Work always with f o c u 5. To the performers 1924 About putting together the notes of a given piece into an artistic picture. Putting together: 1) themes and melodies. 2) harmonies. 3) rhythm and tempo. In the first i n s t a n c e — the art of highlighting a melody and counterpoising the secondary, d y n a m i c s and t o u c h . staccato and legato; in the second i n s t a n c e — the role of consonances and dissonances; modulations and so on. in the third — rests. long notes etc. Air! Placidity and movement. * S l o w must be able to become f a s t: forte — piano; piano — forte; staccato —- legato; legato — staccato; e n e r g e t i c — g e n t l e; g e n t l e (tender) — energetic; difficult —easy:easy—moderate. January 1936 In practice, the presence of excessive legato (while playing fast passages in slow tempo). and excessive swampiness of fingers. is as unrealistic as excessive expression 41 and accentuation. Play lightly (leggiero).28 and in general, possibly more evenly in tempo and tone, making only the most necessary nuances. 1. Reduce the whole piece to a common denominator in terms of t e m p o and coloring. 2. Remove any nervous tension from the performance. 3. Smile and do not get upset over trifles. Play with taste and delight!! 4. During practice the hands and arms must experience physical pleasure and comfort, as the car must always experience the aesthetic pleasure! 5. If without delight -- either do not play pieces at all, or play them evenly, softly, without emotion. 6. The fingers must always be light and resilient. They should never get stuck in the keys, but bounce back off them29 (this is especially important in “Feux follets”30). Relax more often. Shake the hand in order to shake out all the strength and speed that are hiding in it and cannot manifest itself in the presence of the excessively disciplined attitude to it. Remember of the touché “prima ballerina” and apply it to a l l p a s s a g e s. 31/1—1936. About the touché "p r i m a b a l l e r i n a”: after exaggerated legato (like wearing swamp boots for soil exploring) it is necessary to go over all the boggy places as if in ballet shoes, easy, stepping precisely and quickly taking the feet (fingers) away. 28 Medtner considered playing leggiero (as is clear from further notes) an important method of exercise (practice) 29 Here and in similar cases Medtner always had in mind that the finger stroke is so fast that afterwards the finger momentarily leaves the key. 30 Medtner talks about Liszt’s etude "Feux follets” 42 Most importantly is ears, ears, and ears!!! If they lose their due attention, and cease listening and controlling each and every note in all its intensity, then everything consequently c r a w l s o f f in different directions and the f i n g e r s s to p obeying Always remember pauses, breaths. and at least instant s i l e n c e 5: without them musicisturned intoa chaotic noise. 3/1 Do not let rapidity and bravura devour the artistic expression and the subtlety of nuances. The instrument never yields to violence. The contact with it is to be reached by more gentle and subtle handling of it. 5/1 Remove all harsh movements. sounds and jabsl! Work more with supple motions! Do not dash. do not be adventurous and do not play out of tune! Do not long for faster tempos!!! Study in correct tempos that would be apt for performance! Learn by rote all passages in a faster tempo than is necessary.3 ' Learn everything in correct sonority, avoid muddle and abruptness! Play in medium tempo with all nuances and pedal. When playing up to an exaggeratedly fast tempo. lessen the strength and pedal! 3' This directive is related to a certain stage of work on a piece. 43 Rely upon the most important thing. which is nonetheless unnoticeable to you — .individual interpretation. l8/IX 1. Play more short pieces! 2. Learn the nuances! Constantly listen to what is important. 3. Do not exhaust the fingers and ears with excessive legato. Play more cleanly in terms of lifting the finger that has played its note. Take away the fingers! Touché — prima ballerina! 4. Study the I” movement of the Sonata-Ballada more. 19/IX 5. Play over the previously Ieamed in two ways: a) slow precise tempo, forte, without p e d a l. o r g a n - Bach-style touch. playing everything but thoroughly taking the fingers and hands off; b) lively. precise, but supple tempo with the pedal thoroughly highlighting what is important and not p o u n d i n g out the details — while the hand remains flexible. 2/11 — 1936 1. Shake out the rapidity and force.32 2. But at the same time practice the subtle touches ppp. dolcissimo!! 3. Practice to soften the rhythmical lines! More lyricisml! 4. Do not over sharpen what already is sharp!! 33 Refer to page 69, about Rachmaninoffs technique. 44 3/11—1936 Remember the broad lines. waves. perspectives!!! Posture! Do not sit down carelessly! 4/11—1936 Freedom of the body! Concentrated tranquility! Think of what is important! 5/11—1936 Euphoria! Smile! Close the eyes literally and figuratively. Listen to what is important! Remove the secondary! Think with broad perspectives! 45 II CERTAIN ELEMENTS OF MUSICAL PERFORMANCE. [About tempo and rhythm] Away with the metronome-thermometer. It is incompetent to a r t i s t i c movement. Always start with determining the t e m p o of the piece and the c h a r a c t e r of i t s motion (a1 rigore33 or flessibile34). The indications of the author — Allegro, Andante - are dependent on the imagination of the fullness or lack of motion. Look at the shortest note values in a piece. Allegro with the shortest note values of eight notes must be faster than the Allegro with the shortest note values of sixteenth or thirty-second notes. Tempo to a certain extent is dependent on the intensity of the touch of the performer, the tone of the piano, and finally, acoustics. Rhythmic flexibility (“rubato”) consists of the barely noticeable consequence of accelerations and retardations, which do not disturb the due correlation of duration of the adjacent notes. This flexibility always maintains the main, common axis of tempo. 13/III — 1936 Start working with the pieces in performance tempo!35 33 In very strict time (It). 34 Flexibly (It). 35 The directive is related to the distribution of work, which is recommended to be started with such pieces that could already be performed in real tempo. 46 18/X —l 936 Practice at first up to tempo, for only then do the d i f f i c u l t i e s and the ways of surmounting themgetoutlined. [About imagination] 2/11 {-1930] It is necessary to lead yourself into the realm of imagination and technical methods according to each piece. By the way: one helps the other! Remember that playing pianissimo the pieces that h a v e a l r e a d y b e e n l e a r n e d does not weaken the fingers. but simply gives them a r e s t and therefore the s t r e n g t h! i.e. from pp toffis the same way as from ff to pp. 3/XI —1932 Everything must come out, be born out of s i l e n c e. Bring the silence into everything. The silence and the freedom of the fingers comes when the perspective of the thought. the r e d t h r e a d of the theme. is visible. Therefore. you should close your eyes!!! 24/IX — 1933 Remember that it is possible to listen only with closed eyes, and thus n o p i e c e is le a r n e d without playing with closed eyes. L i st e n! 26/X —l 934 Listen, listen, and listen. Draw the sounds out of the deepest silence. 47 21/IX— 1933 Play the learned pieces more often with eyes closed and with the presence of imagination, and l i s t e n i n g to the entire tone picture. Use more t o u c h and pl 3 s t i c i t y, as one would use in short pieces 22/—l933 Practice mainly p l a y i n g t h r o u g h pieces in even, medium tempo, with absolute repose, and then with closed eyes —— perform them in f u l l tempo, as if in concert. Do not waste time in endless rote. Do It ot exhaust the 1St finger with exessive crossings. 2/I —1940 Practice playing pieces in tempo more, but observe plasticity of movements and tone qualityl! Economy of pedal! ll/X—1933 Learn the art waves. but not the single notes and fragments. [Do not exhaust the hearing] 1/11 — 1937 1. The e a r, exhausted by exercises, becomes unable to control and imagine. Once it is irritated, the whole playing becomes irritated, unequal, not precise. 2. Give yourself up to the memory of feeling and s o u l. A person who strains his rational memory can never remember the very essence. 19/IX —1933 48 When tired. set about only practicing s l o w. s i n g i n g a n d e a s y p i e c e s. for which there is never enough of time. a: January [1924] Close the eyes! Listen! By listening correct the tone, and by sense of touch — the plasticity of movements! Both the hearing and the touch are bothered by the sight! Especially, if the eyes are tired of the keys. Remember that exhausted hearing, as well as exhausted fingers, cannot control tone quality, and in general it is not able to function. but causes general irritation and antipathy for work. For fruitful artistic work, the sense of pleasure and relish is necessary! In order to constantly have this feeling. the hearing is not to be exhausted by monotonous sounds (touch), especially forte. In addition. the hands are not to be tired by monotonous motions, technical difficulties, or ways of playing. It is necessary to change tone, touch, technique. and methods of playing constantlyll Do not get stagnated in anything, ever. 3/1X —1936 Play more without the pedal!! Do not exhaust the hearing!!! 6/XI —l932 Melody, melody, and melody! Smooth out the lines and accents!!! 49 7/XI-1932 Take care of your hearing! The hearing is more important than the fingers, its fatigue affects entire technique! 3/10—1933 Do not tighten up when tired. Remember,thattension,too, imperceptibly gets learned!! [The principles of work while learning a piece] The exercise in leg ato! l3/XII —l939 Remember that legatissimo is so often missing in modern performers (even with singers) and that this is the basis of substantial sonority. For example, without this 9936 and legatissimo, in “Tendre reproche” and the middle part of the “Hurdy-gurdy Player the First Hymn —it is better not to play these sort of pieces. This could be reached not only by feeling but also by work. as well. More subtle artistic work. 8/1 -1939 Nothing sounds well! Put yourself together, think, find the reason why, and eliminate it!!! 9/1 —1939 36 "The tender reproach” and "The Hurdy-gurdy Player” -from “Romantic sketches” 50 Energetic touch, accents. staccato and so on are exhausting the fingers and especially the fingertips, i.e. the sense of touch. Thus, learn these sort of things (for the sake of finger memory) more often legato. with a level and tender touch. During this tender touch the fingers and hands are resting and become flexible. Play more lightly (leggiero) and piano in concert tempo and even faster, to work out the l i g h t n e s s o f v e l o c i t y ! But observe absolute exactness! 2/1— 1936 The loss of piano dynamic is the loss of forte. and vice versa! Avoid the inert tone; mezzoforte is a symptom of weakness and loss of control of sound. 10/XII —1939 Remember the action and the result: 1. In the action. i.e. in the hand movements, the stroke of every key, and position. - in everythingtheremustbeafeelingofthe greatest convenience and c o m f o r t. 2. In the result. try to achieve the utmost artistic b e a u t y o f to n e. 7/X {-1936] A key loves tenderness! Only to tenderness does it answer with the beauty of tone! P l a y more w i t h t h e n u a n c e 5. Practice submerging yourself in l i s t e n i n g. Look for the subtle nuances. 51 22/XII — 1939 Play everything with separate hands! Correct every passage in terms of plasticity and tone color! 24/ XII —1939 Do not drag lyrical piecesll Learn them fast and smoothly. “Hymn,” “Pastoral,” “Matinata.”37 26/XI — 1939 Set to work more energetically. Do not approach your work like in fumbling manner like a swimmer approaches cold water. Set about practicing a great number of pieces and passages! The more the work and its diversity, the better it comes off. 26/l - 1939 When only forte is needed, do not play fortissimo. Observe the economy of strength!! Do not use energy where it is necessary to sing! Do not frown when you need to smile! l9/X —l 924 Sometimes. to find the tone. emerge from a distance. pianissimo. 27/X —1932 37 “Hymn.” op. 49; "Pastoral" from "Sonate-Idylle.” op. 56: "Canzona marinara.” op.39. 52 Remember that every episode. and even an entire piece. has its coloring. its internal gesture! 27/IX 1924 Play over the pieces in one planned tempo watching for equal tone. 26/I Besides the qualities of a Steinway and the majority of other modern pianos, that demand much greater strength of the right hand. it is necessary, i n g e n e r a l a n (I always to moderate the left hand,since most of the time it contains the accompanying voices’. Not only should the left hand be moderated in force, but in expression, too — legato. because extra fat and inadequate airiness of the left hand destroys the relief of the main part in the right hand. 1. Practice the left hand leggiero and pianissimol.’ 2. Practice with light tone in general! Do not lose coloring during exercisesll 3. Practice in general liberation from accents, especially in octaves and in repeated notes. First, accent by 4. then by 8. by 16, by 32 and. so on —until any accents are removed. 29/I Try to listen to the total combination of all voices — the entire v e r t i c a l l i n e! In addition, listen to and peer into the perspective of the horizontal line. i.e. master the swells and tapering-offs (for example. the end of “Elfenmarchen”38). 38 "The tale of elves”, op. 48 53 [The red thread of the theme and tempo] 13/1 —1934 Remember the even, slow tempo and immediately following it with d o u b l e d tempo (i.e. slow and twice as fast)... Remember the necessity of c h a n g i n g t o u c h e s in work. i.e. different types of strokes and movements, and changes of tempos. as well. Never play for a long time with one touch and in one tempo. 28/XII —1939 It is necessary to play through all pieces in a concert tempo with the nuances. but without temperamental excitement and charge. Even though technique is energy, one needs to tell unadvanced sluggish students again and again that e x c e s s i v e energy makes technique h e a v y a n d a w k w a r d. Practice removal of energy. temperament, accents. sharp movements, jolts! 30/VIII -1933 Play over forgotten pieces—piano. dolce.andwithoutthepedal. Do not get impatient — molto tranquillo. In precise coordination of the hands (drop and lift). imitate an orchestra and chamber ensemble. Tutti — solo.” 39 In the records of Medtner’s lessons. made by his student R. Fein. there is the following indication: “The strokes. slurs entrances, taking the hands off — all of it must have orchestral preciseness. 54 29/X —1932 Remember to exercise in light, lively execution of lyrical things, without pedal. Play the first movement of the “Romantica” as a passage in medium tempo!4O [About the pedal] 19/X {-1936} Playing without the pedal enablesourfingerstofindthe necessary nuances. movements. and positions and at the same time gives 0 u r e a r s a breake and full tranquility to our body. 15/XI —1929 Pedal! Do not exhaust by it. More US. 'A. '/2 pedal! Coordinate the mechanical change of the left and right pedals with the nuance: solo and tutti.’.I 23/X {-1936] The most important exercise is the establishment of the external and internal center. which is especially evident when playing without the pedal“. One must be one’s own conductor and be the most possibly strict to the orchestra players —— fingers. Two main principles of work. One - gymnastic, rough, technical — is to make everything more difficult. Another —artistic. exquisitely technical. plastical —is to simplify everything. In the first case, playing the simplest examples. say to oneself: ‘How difficult everything is!’ " In the second, playing the most difficult examples, say to oneself: ‘How easy everything is! ' ” ‘0 Sonata-Romantica, op. 53 No. l. 4' Refer to pg. 73 “ About the center of movement” 55 [Work immediately before the concert performance] 7/IX —1936 Before the performance, i.e. on the eve of the concert, leave out the rough gymnastic motions and t r a i n i n gl! Do not exhaust your hand and hearing!! Train only the comfort, lightness and flexibility of hands. and most important — the beauty of tone!! 13/11 — 1936 In order not to get tired, play more (before the concert) in medium tempo, medium tone. with minimum pedal. Play over all pieces from beginning to end this way!! Before the concert do not exhaust yourself with an excessive speed, nor excessive slowness, or force. Straighten and release fingers! No violence whatsoever!!! Yield to exhaustion! 7/X - 1933 Play through all the pieces of the program fr 0 m b e g i n n i n g to e n d. 31/X —1933 Executeallpiecesin medium motion. with all the nuancefl 3/XI —1932 1. Tranquil playing of the entire program. 2. Training of difficult spots. 3. Performance. 56 7/XI — 1932 Before the concert play everything calmly and evenly, but g i v e freedom to thoughts and imagination! The freedom of gesture and imagination. Before the concert do not get tired by over pedaling or extreme tempos. Everything is without pedal and in medium tempo. Close your eyes and remember that all of this is not in resistance to the waves of artistic images and feelings. Only these waves can remove or expunge all the agitation. Give oneself up to changes of feelings. but do not stagnate in a single one. [preparations for recording] 15/III — 1936 Evenness, exactness, smoothness. Try to achieve the preciseness and evenness without tension in piano dynamic!! Smooth out all the accents and level all the rhythmic and tempo nuances!! Everything must be heard. but everything must be influenced by the main subject, i.e. thematic red line. Butmostimportantisthe economy of movements. Everything must be under the hand. Everything is concentric, balanced, and in everything t r a n q u i l p o w e r is to be present. Lower the shoulders, freedom of breath! Lower the body from the inside. less the fingers be 57 w a t c h i n g ! Lessonaccents,joltsandany mechanical energy. Never force anything! Give what comes naturally! The mechanical energy (abundance of accents) and any forcing imperceptibly transform an artistic p e r f o r m a n c e into a gymnastic exercise, in which, of course, it is impossible to do everything by taking the line of least resistance. Forget about technique. work, the gymnastic element and other boring subjects. [About instruments] 24/1 —1939 Do not try to curb the Steinway! Every accent or stroke with temperament makes this gruff animal furiously obstinate. The more indifference. the better this beast works. 24/X1 -I939 Try to achieve at all costs (even on my leaden Steinway!), b e a u t i f u l tone,dolce.legato—even in exercises. 2/1—1936 Never complain about the instrument. but try to master it at all costs. IO/XII — 1939 Never get disappointed with a bad instrument. It is unproductive to whimper about bad pianos. 58 Try to put forth the best that can be produced on every given instrument. and do not worry about getting more!! Take care of the fingers. The Steinway cannot be overpowered; play primarily piano dynamic. Moderate the left hand! The Steinway demands it! Without it, nothing can sound. [Indications for certain pieces] [Sonata-Reminiscenza]42 23/IX —1933 For “Reminiscenza” and cantilenas in general: 1. Down with finger articolando: 2. Absolute preciseness and suppleness in the pressing and releasing of keys, and movements. 3. Absolutely different technique, but still technique; 4. The suppleness of tone; duration of long notes. Listen until the end! 5. The red thread of the melody-theme. Down with harsh accents. always a soft hand! 6. The evenness of perspective and motion [Sonata-Romantica] Slow, singing pieces, like “Reminiscenza” and the first movement of the “Romantica,” learn fast. 29/X —1932 ”2 Sonata-Reminiscenza from the first cycle of “Forgotten Melodies”. op. 38. 59 The first movement of the “Romantica”43 play as a passage in medium tempo. Remember to sometimes exercise singing pieces lightly and vividly, and without pedal. [The Second Concerto] 31/VIII- 1936 The first and other movements of my concerto — present a diversity of colors and dynamics!!!!! A sustained straight line of tempo-rhythm motion! And possibly greater diversity of tonal colors. ION Ill — 1936 Romantic character pieces are to be learned in a more level, smoother, calmer, livelier. and more balanced manner. [“Romanza” from the Second Concerto] Do not spoil the lyrical, tender piano sections with accents! In general. less accents! I! 1/ IX — 1936 Exercise the lightest and most tender touch to the keys! Melodica! Lyrics! 13/XII — 1939 Less passion and climaxes! [The Fairy Tale a moll, op. 51. Novel]44 15/VI — 1936 1. Do not waste strength ([7)! !! "'3 Sonata -Romantica, 0p.53 No. l. 4’ Novel G-dur, op. 17. 60 2. Practice taperings (piano). 3 Play more lightly, lowering the nerves and the insides!!! Singing pieces (Fairytale a-moll. op. 51 and Novels) play piano cantabile and flowing. [The Sonata —Fairytale]45 13/1 — 1937 Andante from “Marchen-Sonata” - play in a more animated tempo and with a light. singing touch. [The Fairytale e-moll. op. 14. Sonata g-moll] 29/ -l936 1. Do not play in slow tempos unrealistically, [but play] with a deep and legato- like touch... It is necessary to use rallentando for the things that will be in a faster tempo. 2. For God’s sake, more affection, lyricism, tenderness — even in such things as “Ritterzug,”46 and most important the g-minor Sonata! 3/111 —1936 Remember the natural position of the elbows, especially the right arm, and 99 particularly in C-major theme of the “Ritterzug. There should be energy in the fingers in piano dynamic. Practice more diminuendo taperings, for example. “Ritterzug’s” last page! 45 “Sonata-Fairytale,” op. 25 No. l. 46 “The March of the Knights” from the Fairytale e-moll, op. 14 No. 2. 61 Pause, piano, and repose from pedal sonorityI! [Sonate-Idylle] 13/1 {-1924] Play everything more lightly, without pressure, without unnecessary expression. stresses, temperament and the like. Do not drag tempos and straighten out the line of motion and dynamic. This is especially important in Sonate —Idylle!!47 Set free the nerves and muscles. Let the music sound by itself! Do not interfere! 3/II Moderate “the sounding copper” of the Steinway!!! Take care of the ears! Lessen the left hand! This is especially important to apply in the Sonate —Idylle. Play more in tempo without the pedal, checking out all the sustained. notes and legatol! Especially. do not forget about imagination in pieces like “Elfenmarchen” and “Sonate-Idylle. 8/Il[- 1932] Do not forget about the primary dynamic nuances in Sonate-Idylle. 1St movement < l >; 2"d movement: ”7 Sonate-Idylle, op. 56. 62 Besides that, less pedal and more precision concerning the maturity of a note!! In order to get yourself on track, do not forget about important dynamic nuances, such as phrase expression. and sing them along in your mind while executing! Expression is declamation. In addition, it is necessary not to forget movement, i.e. the dance! In addition, it is necessary not to forget the general tone, the coloring of a piece, and do not break out of it l8/X —I 924 Free the tempo and tone, do not force it. but listen. Perspective. Dance!!! Expression. Declamation. Dance. General coloring. [Fairytale e-moll. op. 34] 9/1 —1937 Remember the necessity to learn the accompaniment and melody, or a passage and melody. or counterpoint and theme with different touches. It is especially important in the accompaniment and melody (for example, Fairytale e-moll, op. 34, and in all cases of passages in the left, and melody in the right hand). The touch of the passage is to be always Ieggiero, piano-energico, with light but resilient fingers. The touch of the melody is a deep, flexible legatissimo. Adjustment of the elbows to the position of the hand!! Freedom of the elbows, 63 but along with their absolute concentration“. In the Fairytale e-moll, op. 34 —the elbows are to be apart from the body. 1.3/11 — 1936 In sitting posture remember the elbows! Elbows apart, lower the shoulders. Arms lower! The torso is to be moved depending on the position of arms! All of this is important everywhere, but especially in the Chopin’s Etude f-moll, op. 25 and in the Fairytale e-moll, op. 34. In. the Etude f-moll remember as well the bass and pedal!! Practice in sustained piano. “Tendre reproche,” Fairytale e-moll, op.34, “Sarabande.” And Fairytale-scherzo‘w. The medium tempo is Tranquillo cantabile. Sustained notes! Shade the accompaniments. The evenness of the whole line. 13/III — 1936 Do not exaggerate the articolando, especially in the Fairytales in f—sharp minor50 and e-moll, op.34. The fingers are to be closer to the keys. and the whole coloring is to be maintained in piano-dolce. Do not exaggerate the articolando and al rigore di tempo, as well. Give ample scope to the melody’s breath and to the difficult passages, but do not take hard tempos. Everything is to be more light and singing! Do not press down the melody! Give {Play} the cantabile lightly, freely, piano. 48 "Concentration is understood in the sense of goal orientation, to which the words in the next phrase: ‘the elbows are apart’, indicate. ’9 “The Tender Reproach,” "Sarabande,” and "Fairytale-scherzo” are from the “Romantic Sketches.” op.56. 5° “The Fairytale” F-sharp-minor, op. 51. 64 Close the eyes. Practice in tranquility. in order to not play too fast and not too slow. . o :] [Sonata-Mmaccrosar 23/IX —I 933 The difficult spots (like the “Thunder” fugue) play mainly in medium tempo, tranquilly, keenly, and with all the nuances. The training of the fugue (the “Thunder”): play fast and light, but with all the contrasts and relief. Do not jerk! Smooth out the unnecessary accents and heaviness. [The Fairytale d-moll. op 51] 19/1 Play all the pieces in medium tempo more often without even the slightest tightening of hands {arms} and the insides! Especially. it is important for the Fairytale d- moll. op. 51. 21/1 Do not spend much time for exercises and slow tempos. Play more in medium and fast tempos. Draw the fingers to the keys as close as possible!! 3/II About a technical method, for example, in the Fairytale d-moll, op. 51. 5' Sonata-Minacciosa. op.53 No. 2. 65 It is to be practiced only with this method, which lies in minimal separations of the hand from the keys (despite the staccato-leggiero), i.e. in almost absolute flat motion of the fingers and hands and in greatest lightness (pp, leggiero) of the touch! ! !52 In addition it is to be in tempo — allegrissimo. 12/XI —l932 The Fairytale d-moll, op. 51, and the Finale of the Appassionata learn almost only in fast tempo, but altemateforte with pianissimo. [Sonata-Epica]53 5/I — 1939 In the Scherzo of the Epica play more piano and legato. Remember a feature of Steinways is deprivation of the strength of the tone in the presence of a sharp staccato. Listen and highlight the dolce of the theme (on the pedal). [Beethoven] 23/X —1933 Do not rend the keys away! More smoothness and lightness. Remember the pauses — i.e. taking-offs of the hands, especially in Beethoven! Do not fidget the hand {arm}! Straighten out the fingers. 52 The analogus indication to the Elfemnarchen (op. 48): “Do not exaggerate when taking off the hands! Take off the hand more smoothly (without the sharpness of the staccato), especially while performing cantilenas! In general. both the falling down and taking off the hands are to be produced more flat to a lesser extent!” 53 Sonata-Epica for violin and piano. op. 57. 66 For the sake of evenness of the scales — the sustained position. Practice the hard easily! I.e.. for example. “Dervishes”54 and alla Turca. 3/X —- 1933 The pathetic spots practice exclusively technically, with suppleness, without pedal, and in precise tempo. Tempo! Always faster. 2/IX —1936 In “Dervishes” lessen the middle fingers. Practice faster, lighter, and many times in a row!!! [Dithyramb E flat major}55 19/III —1936 What is hard is to be played lightly on purpose. Bulky is to be brought to the lightest and equal sonority! Dithyramb! The main sonorities are the bass and the melody! The main thing in the piece structure is to execute the runs, intermediate voices in the motion to the perspective.56 29/11 The pieces of a dense chordal style (like the Dithyramb) are to be Ieamed more lively and with even tone. without any rubatos. 54 L. Beethoven — K. Saint Saens. The Choir of the Dervishes. 55 Dithiramb in E-flat major. op. 10. 56 From the notes of R. Fein made during Medtner’s lessons: “While playing a piece. it is to be heard as if in perspective. Forward!” 67 [The Fairytale F-sharp minor. op. 51] l2/XI —1932 Level the tempo and tone. Clear out the melodic line! Euphony! Suppleness. The medium individual color of the piece. For [the Fairytale] f sharp minor there should be the harpsichord tone with only left pedal. Long and sustained notes. Start with actual tempos and then equalize. [The Second “Hymn to Labor”] The ieces like the Second H mn57 must be exercised as sin in cantilena, but not P y g 8 only tutti forte. 57 “At the Anvil” from the “Hymns to Labor.” op. 49. 68 III ABOUT EXERCISE” [General maxims] 1924 1. The sitting posture First, sit with as much comfort and stability as possible. The torso of the body must be the solid and stable center, but not in a state of convulsive tightness. It can reflect only the very wide lines of movements. but not the small ones. It can follow the movements of hands to the right and left (i.e. upward and downward), but possibly less in back and forth movements. The head must only think and listen but not dangle. It must belong to the concentrated listener and well as thinking performer, but not help the movements of arm’s technical work. 2. Arm position The most normal position of the arms is such that the elbows are moved away from the torso, i.e. as if they are going apart in opposite directions, and hands, visa verse. sort of meeting each other. Thus, the arms most of the time form such a figure: C D but not such: D C III * 58The directions in the chapter III do not have purely technical character, because the sharp demarcation of virtuosic and artistic problems was not intrinsic to Medtner. 69 The condition and position of the elbows and hands already can be more free than that of the torso. The elbows already reflect the less broad lines than those of the torso, and the hands yet smaller. But still, these are the lines. i.e. the groups of notes but not separate notes, the movements of which are reflected just in the fingers, in other words in the smallest and thus the most mobile limb of the entire pianistic system. 2l/I Play fewer exercises and exercise more often using separate passages from pieces. Often such passages are passed by. and one does not notice their original specialty and does not see in them as a special technical problem. Pick out more specific spots and adjust the arm to them. The more examples you can adjust your arm to, the more different they are, and the more suppleness and ability to changes it acquires. Of exercises. the best of many in this respect are the famous ones from Tausig.59 If the initiative of the stroke comes from just the finger lever — this is not a useful thing. Thus, it is necessary to develop those muscles of the hand, so that the finger becomes only a vehicle for the stroke, but not its initiator. Rachmaninoff s technique - his energy, strength, fastness. and preciseness - are based in the way he shakes the motion from the inside; he never forces his fingers. 59 Besides the Tausig’s exercises Medtner often recommended the following numbers from the I" book of exercises of J. Brahms: No. 2,3,7 - 19. 21 - 25 (refer to Brahms’ The Everyday exercises). 70 [About mistakes of the fingers and finger touch] l/I — 1936 1. Every awkwardness, knot, mistake, or confusion of the fingers happens mainly because of psychological reasons or because of nervousness. If a certain passage is Ieamed thoroughly and is worked out both technically and plastically, then it is necessary to take away the reflex on details and play with the whole artistic wave 2. Less exercises. gymnastic, exaggeratingly slow tempos, exaggerated legatissimo-stretch, exaggerated pressure on the keys and so on. 3. Do not forget to play each hand separately. 2/I — 1936 A mistake and confusion of the fingers occur: 1. Either because of inability to spot the technical trimming in every difficult passage or part of it (the next to last page of the “Feux follets”). 2. Or because of wrong listening. that is when the ear is not concentrated on what constitutes the main content. In addition, it is necessary to play more with the required touch and dynamic nuance. SNIII — 1929 l. Constantly think (in exercises, as well) about ease and freedom (Lockerheit) of the arms and fingers. and about beautiful tone as well. 2. Do not play too many exercises and gymnastic excerpts in a row. Constantly interchange this sort of practicing with the excerpts from pieces and cantilena fragments. 71 3. For the sake of purity of difficult passages: Flat fingers in legatissimo. and most important - more cool-heartedness. 4. Down with all sharp. eccentric movements. 5. Sustain for a long time one even sonority (pp, p, mfl f) and then train the very gradual crescendo and diminuendo (on big perspectives). 6. Arm is to be lower and more tenacious. 7. Never accent on the wide line of crescendo or diminuendo — it breaks the line. 8. The most possible neamess of the fingers to the keys. 9. In work and exercises observe that everything is played to the degree of absolute clarity. For this it is useful sometimes to sustain longer the general background in forte. 3/XII —— 1939 Remember: 1) The intensity of the stroke without tightening. 2) The suppleness of the movements without unnecessary reels and jolts. 3) The freshness of the hearing (the changing of the tone and smoothing out the accents). 4) The efficacy of the arm position along with its centralization. 5) Approach the maximum speed. 6) Straight fingers 20/l — 1936 72 Practice more the passages and touches found in actual pieces. 22/1 — 1936 Along with the deep stroke, legatissimo. Lento, and forte practice more often in the fastest tempo, in the closest and lightest touch of the fingers, without arm jolts or accents, and sempre pianissimo, slightly bringing about the main content. Exercise in contrasts. i.e. sudden change offf and pp of energico and dolce. 24/1 —I936 Mirror! I60 4/IX 1. Remember, that normally the right hand must be brighter than the left (in defiance of the sonority of modern pianos). 2. Exercise more in piece touché! I.e. play exercises with free arm {hand}, moderating the left hand, bringing about higher voices. and even using the pedal sometimes. 3. The technique of the subtlest touches to a key and of taking the fingers offl! 4. Practice not only in straightening the lines of tempo, but in smoothing out the unnecessary rhythmisation. 5. The elbows apart! 6. Practice more in bringing out the melody (for example, in the “Tragica”6| ). ”0 In order to get rid of unnecessary reflex movements or grimaces. Medtner recommended his students to put a mirror next to them (on the left or right side). 73 16/VIII — 1936 Fewer exercises. Sculpture the passages! Deep stroke! The precise positions of the arm {hand}! Do not play different things in the same manner. Every passage (every phase of the passage) has its own position. its nature!! In this sense, check the passages from oz Beethoven’s Concerto . [About the center of the movement] 24/V —I932 In piano playing, as well as in the whole musical action, the first and main thing is to find the axis, foothold, or center, around which the entire movement would gather. This refers to the seating posture. to determining the fingering, ways of movements and to dynamic and rhythmic nuances. in other words — to everything. 1 IN 111 —1933 Always look for the center of gravity of the arm, from which one may move the arm in a certain direction. and change the positions. as well. 27/1— 1936 Look for an axis, common note. finger, buttress everywhere. Without it there is no clear playing and no confidence in the learned material! 24/1—1933 Possibly more notes for one movement. in one position (axis), as if from one gut. 6' Sonata-Tragica, op.39 from the second cycle of the “Forgotten Melodies” 62 Meaning Beethoven’s 4th concerto. 74 8/X Drawing of the torso nearer and further in relation to the technique and positions of passages. [Velocity] 30/VIII — 1936 Exercise all methods and touch, and execute them as clear as possible. Lifting up the fingers articolando-staccato (with fingers), legatissimo movements of the wrist — wing. 18/VIII—1936 In small entangled passages lift the fingers less! Exercise execution without lifting fingers. both. slow and fast! lS/III — 1936 Do not torture the fingers (poor animals!)! I! More freedom, less reflexl! 2/X —1933 Exercise fingers first as if they were schoolchildren!”3 Lift, energetic stroke (in piano) in slow tempo and hand compression, concentration in slow tempo. 63 This day Medtner was working on C hopin's C-sharp minor Etude. op.lO and wrote in his notes: “The fingers were getting stuck”. 75 II/ — 1936 In general do not exhaust the fingers with unnecessary energyl! During tiredness give a break to the fingers, even letting them play with flaccid strokes and not paying attention to some unevenness! After such a break they will play twice as evenly and precisely. than before!! 10/11 — 1936 Passages and difficult spots are learned only when they can be executed with confidence and without emotions and tension — smoothly, with suppleness, tranquilly. 25/1 - 1939 Exercise the quickness of the finger stroke (lever) along with absolute freedom (without any tension)... This stroke must come from within the hand and possess the plasticity of a ball or piano hammer, which would be the same when pressing a key and releasing it. 15/II — I936 Velocity requires not only the light touch of the keys. but obliteration of accents, as well. Velocity requires the utmost flatness and evenness devoid of tinges of strength, flatness and suppleness of hands, i.e. the absence of jolts, sharp lifts in staccato etc. 25/VIII — I936 The difficulty of Bach’s fugues lies in the initiative of the stroke of the fingers, just fingers. 76 I6/IV - 1936 Unevenness is often caused by the intensity of accents. Set the fingers free without any accents. then they will play precisely and smoothly. 16/11 —1936 Pour the passages out like from a jar. in other words. the right elbow is to the right, the left is to the left. 1.9/X — 1924 Do not skip training in continuously fast pieces. for example , Chopin’s etude in A-flat major, op. 25. 3/X —- 1933 Play more pieces from beginning to end!! Endurance. Change tone more often in technical work. II/X - 1933 Exercise with stops and sliding notes in difficult passages“. 26NIII 1. Do not lie heavily on the keys! Especially after the stroke! 2. Energetic piano! 3. All the energy must go into the keys. but not out of them. 4. Alternate the stretch with compressing the fingers, putting them together in a pinch (for example, in two octave chromatic scales which make use of the 5th finger). 5. Play the trills and tremolos as uninterrupted and closer to the keys as possible. 6" Meaning. a stop is followed by a group of fast and light notes. 77 6. Change the consistency (condition) of the hand and therefore (character of ) tone. 7. Play most of the time in even tempo. It means, that the tempo in general needs to be equalized the same way as the separate passages. 27NIII Constant definiteness. clarity of task during work! 12/ I — 1936 Practice in easy, free, and supple playing in tempo! Get rid of even the slightest tension or accents!! Quit the habit of always warming up on slow tempos with gymnastic techniques. Start right away easily and in tempo. Do not touch the keys with tension, fatigue, or onslaught! All of the playing, even in exercises. must boil down to comfort and euphony. 3/1 — 1934 It is necessary to smooth out all the difficulties: 1. In terms of tone. 2. In terms of movements and sensations of hands. 3. In terms of tempo. Everything is in orbit! Everything is without effort and jolts. 26/X1I —1939 78 Lubricate every movement, especially in arm’s movement and in more difficult positions!!! This is as important in the singing pieces as it is in the fast ones. 3/II Practice more in double tempos, i.e. slow and twice as fast. In fast double tempos bring out the red thread of the melody. Only the exercise in double tempos can bring you closer to the real speed!!! Exercise both tone and touch in those tempos!! 2/II Set the fingers and hands free more often! Down with any tension! When practicing stretches. keep the flexibility of the hands and touch cantabile. 13/l — I937 Exercises should not exceed half an hour at a time. Breathe more freely and easily! Absolute calmness internally and extemallyll Always produce beautiful tones. even in exercises! 22/XII —- 1939 Play more in medium tempo tranquilo, evenly, legato (almost not detaching the fingers from the keys) and there should be absolutely no jolts and accents. 4/1— 1934 Play with free strength jf as well as pp, and slow, as well as fast. 7/XII — 1939 Choose certain excerpts and passages from pieces as exercises in stretch, velocity, 79 endurance, lightness. strength. melodiousness etc. 26/11 In all fast passages (except the legato ones) practice with light touch on the keys. with flat fingers, non legato, so that the fingers do not get stuck, but rebound off the keys easily. Example: The Fairytale e-moll. op.34, Chopin’s Etude f-moll, op.25. No. 2. Quite opposite, dense harmonic chordal texture, which must sound cantabile (as. for example, it is in the Second Dithyramb), practice molto legatissimo and practice all the moments of stretch, required by the given chords”5 2/II [- I934] Aim for more fully played and leveled sound in the fastest tempos and without the pedaH 5/II [ -I934 ] Play all the way down to the depth of the keys. Work in even. tranquillo tempos. More gradations and colors in nuances. l/IX — 1933 Do not forget about medium tempos. Rapidity by assault! Do not let the fingers sink in! 10/IX — 1933 Practice in such rapid tempo, in which there is no time to think. Remember the free fingers (the stroke of S.V.R.)66. Remember positions for any given passage. (’5 I.e. practice separately every interval. which forms part of the chord. 6" Meaning the stroke of S. V. Rachmaninoff. 80 18/X -— I933 The real technique: the elbows are apart. straight fingers, closed eyes, free breath, free hand, and absolute absence of the stretch. Exercise with closed eyes! The steadfast center is the axis of passages! Smooth out the tempos (rubato). Take yourself into your hands! [About the function of the wrist] 29/VIII — 1936 Exercise setting free all the “hinges” of the arm!! (The Coda of Chopin’s Concerto!) More lightness. gentleness. and evenness. It is necessary for all passages to warm up and to exercise the hand, which is the wing! Along with that stop the initiative of the fingers — who are the levers. But exercise this with energy, which means not flabby. but with certain rhythm and resilience of hand. 20/X — 1933 The wrist staccato! Hands lower. The exactitude of the stroke along with the fastest motion without groping (i.e. without legatissimo). 81 [Octaves] 3l/VIII — 1936 Octaves: Sit deeper. lower. the torso should be further. lower the shoulders and insides, and set the arms free“. 15/IV — 1936 The octaves are not to be played by the hand alone. Move the torso back, bring the shoulders higher, and the elbows apart. Push somewhat forward!!! The center is the entire torso. It is not the octave that leads the torso. but the torso that leads the octaves. lI/II — 1936 Octaves — the wrist is to be exercised on the thumb! Especially the repeats!! The position of the middle fingers in octave passages!!! The 2nd and the 3rd fingers must be closer to one another. 12/1— 1936 In the octaves — the buttress is on the lSt fingerll 13/1— 1936 In the octaves watch only for the first finger and put it in a pr0per position“. 17/l — 1934 In the octaves and octave chords the ISI finger should be the buttress for the sake confidence and clarity“). Train rapidity and lightness. l/III — I936 (’7 This indication is for octaves performed by the hand. 68 Watch for the smoothness of the line in an octave passage. which depends on the move from the white to the black keys (it is important to determine precisely the position of 1S! first finger on the keys - its closeness to the black ones). 69 Meaning that the lSt finger is not relaxed. Closer to the keys! Lower the hands [arms]! Especially in octaves! l4/II — 1933 In difficult spots (especially tremolo. trills, octaves) lower down the insides!! 3 l/VII -1936 Remember the short. energetic stroke. especially in octaves. [Double notes] IO/II - 1936 In the double notes set free the inside fingers! I70 25/1— 1936 Exercise the wrist (staccato) in the double notes! For example. Liszt’s “Feux Follets”. In “Feux Follets” the movement of the wrist upward is to be on the strong beats of the measure. Compression of the hand in double stops! By all means do not stretch! Remember, that the body’s stable tranquility must not transform to its wooden torpidity. Relax the wrist and the fingers during training! Exercise in moderate. airy sonority! Without extra fat! 10/X — 1933 Do not force the finger lever. For the deep stroke (especially in double notes) make use of moving the fingers by the hand. 7° Meaning that the legato is only in the outside voices. 83 Along with the deep stroke. exercise the lightest touches. [Chords] Do not learn everything forte. Chords lighter, with relaxed hand, and with the minimal distance between the fingers and hands from the keyboard. l3/I In broad positions compress the hand on the chords (after taking the chords)". [Trills] 20/XII — 1939 The failure of the short trills is only because of the nervous breakdown. It is necessary to use the least tension and the least lift of the fingers, and to always learn the trills in piano dynamic. 24/VII — 1936 Try to learn the trills both non legato (with rebounding fingers) and legatissimo. 18/IX — 1933 Play exercises and especially trills pianissimo leggiero more often, and without effort. 19/IX - 1933 The trills (by 9-note triplets) in all major. minor, and chromatic scales pianissimo; flat fingers”. 7' Compress. meaning to put the hand together. as much as possible as the given chord permits. 84 9/II — 1936 Swing the wrist! In staccato and in tremolo! Broken octaves and sixths. T h e trill and the wrist! 24/X- 1932 The broken thirds. sixths. octaves, and trilled scales! [Leaps] 2/IX — I936 The leaps are to be taken more smoothly, without jolts, especially in the bass (the beginning of the development in the Concerto)”. 17/1 [- 1934] Remember the necessity to smooth out the movements, especially in the leaps and risky spots. 73 This indication refers to Medtner’s Second Concerto. 85 IV NOTES ON THE WORK OF THE COMPOSER [On practical work] T h e h e a I t h 1. D o n o t f a t i g u e. To the tired imagination, the fruits of the greatest inspiration do not say anything, and, vice versa, to the fresh one a simple element, even a triad, is enough to give this imagination a push. At the beginning of the work there is always the sense of abundance in presence, and then, after a failure in some trifle — the desperation and the loss of the faith in oneself appear. These contrasts — are the fruits of the tiredness of the nerves. The chara cter, will 2. T o l e r a t e. Remember that the work on oneself is no less important than the work on the material of one’s own talent. When else can a person work on oneself if not during the moments of stops, delays, failures in his constant work. Work on oneself, which plays a great role by itself, is at the same time important for everything else. Overcome desperation, restrain from wrath. Not to smoke an extra cigarette is not only good for you in general, but is also good for succeeding in private practice time. In other words, this is not only an exploit, but the labor, as well. T h e h e a l t h 1. F at i g u e is insensibility. Fatigue is manifested mainly in being satiated with work and even in the insensibility to the subject. At the first hint of this condition, one must 86 immediately stop working and leave. for practicing in this condition is not only nonsensical and fruitless, but is a sacrilege. The duration of the break must depend on the intensity of this condition. Here comes the conclusion: rest for short whiles, but more often. The character 2. I m p a t i e n c e is stagnation and sloth. Impatience often emanates from fatigue, as well, but in this case the above mentioned satiety is blended into this impatience. But sometimes impatience is manifested in insufficient concentration and focus in the work, whereas the subject itself may be contemplated with enough love. But this contemplation is not enough at all. You feel it with your consciousness, but your will is asleep. Here comes the impatience. Then, your will is to be given all sorts of tasks, that have or do not have direct relation to the subject of work: at all costs either write down what is contemplated. or transfer the contemplation to something else but with the aim to fix it, or, finally, set to some mechanical work, and so on. Therefore, it is necessary to shake up one’s will! In general, it is necessary to work out economical and strategic principles of working. Work less, but more intensively in terms of work planning. Then you will save more strength and you will have more time left. It is necessary not only to be able to think, but to observe the way your thought goes. In short, equalize the contemplation and the mechanical processes of work. 3. V a n i t y a n d b u s t l e. A very personal, subjective, master’s attitude to one’s own health, to one’s own character, and to one’s own talent generates either conceited feelings, or desperation. To master health or character does not necessarily mean to get well at once or to change one’s character sharply. To master, in this case, 87 means to accept the fact that there are certain things that are not up to our will to change. To master — means to think of one’s own body and character as of “brother donkey.”74 Actually, it is possible for the character, i.e. the “brother donkey”, to be changed only when a miracle is not required from it. Remember that all the miracles happen unnoticeably, quietly, and step by step, - the appearance of miracles in reality (not those in fairytales) is a long process, not an instantaneous one. He [“the brother donkey”] must work every day and train his will for every step. . [4] The principle of variety and unity isimportantnotonly in artistic shape, but in the process of work as well. The unity is to be adhered to in terms of the goal, which is outlined in work. But the diversity is in the ways of searching for this goal. One should not put oneself away from main occupations too often. Even if you are setting about something different for recreation, you must first compare it to the main one. I.e. if you set about reading a book and feel that it diverts you from the main things that your thoughts are occupied with, quit it. But talking, meeting with people, and the everyday bustle divert you most from your goal. Therefore, seek silence and solitude. * Do not practice one and the same detail for a long time. The details often divert from the goal. In the case of fatigue from the main work, i m m e d i ate 1 y s e t about doing something different. Asmuchasthisisdonefor the s a k e o f t h e m a i n g 0 a1, it will be very useful. One is not to be diverted from the main occupations if it is not for their sake, but for random purposes. It is necessary to 74 “Brother donkey” is a figurative expression. borrowed by Medtner from Francis of Assisi. 88 have a list of current occupations, main and secondary ones. Take notes in a special notebook. What is important is to be always busy. 1916 The secondary occupations are: 1) The reading of works of music and literature (make notes in special notebook). 2) Playing piano. 3) Correspondence and writing down your thoughts. 4) Liquidation of unfinished works. 5) Working out and putting manuscripts into shape. Write down the composed things. Instrumentation! Move the more advanced sketches. Put into shape, determine the accumulated rough drafts. at: Try as quickly as possible to determine your own ability or lack of ability for creative work, and for your fitness to withstand. If efforts are fruitless, this makes a human unfit for any other work. For the success of the composition one must start revising those parts of the sketch which are already more determined, and also those places and excerpts which are easier to move, and thus little by little submerge into the work, and embrace the whole. Do not persist if the work is not going well or when you are tired. 89 The theme in a piece must be developed b y i t s e l f . This notion does not exist in modemists’ practice. In place of the theme they develop their w i l l by itself. which is withstood by nothing. When moving ahead to work on a different draft, one should choose the same type of composition. not in terms of the character, but in terms of its purpose. In other words, if one tears oneself away from a concert draft, he is to set to work on a different concert piece. Therefore the composition of a work is not entirely interrupted because of an unsuccessful attempt. When encountering a failure in work, dig m o r e 0 ft e n into th e m a t e r i a I. It is not right to quit thousands of planned pieces because of two or three unsuccessful ones. Finally, it is much more shameful to destroy thousands of the seeds, than grow among several bad ones. Only mean ambition is afraid of the criticism; therefore, this fear is to be struggled against. Finally, no author is able to fully appraise his own works. He should feel some doubts about his impeccability in the role of a critic if he was not satisfied with his work for a long time or if for a long time he stayed in the state of self-contemplation. Going through the material, try to determine the character of the drafts, i.e. search for and sort the introductory and intermediate motives, complementary figures, passages, etc. Determine whether they are pianistic. violinistic. vocalistic. or orchestral (i.e. polynomial). 90 Do not force the thoughts in terms of the sort of performance. Out of the material choose mainly the most advanced drafts! Spare no details. parts of the piece or the whole piece if it detains the entire course of work. Do not be greedy! It is shameful! If the thoughts get clear only by the end of the work, do not consider the earlier portion of work lost, but do not forget what finally got clear, and try, after putting it down somehow (either with notes or with words) to move over to the next day of work. Rememberthat to work mean s—to learn. Ifyou leamsomething in the course of the work and it gives you the completed fruit — say thanks; or in case of no fruit, do not get impatient; first of all, because one is not to work and to learn for the fruit; second of all. the absence of such fruit does not mean that you did not learn anything. It just seems so because there is no book from which you studied, and no pages that could be counted. About the will in artistic creative activity The will in artistic creative activity. which in its essence is mediumlike, very often is a synonym for arbitrariness. 9l Do not a r b i t r a t e either in the scheme, or in the expounding. Before you set about the “hot” work, close your eyes, and in the silence imagine to yourself the given thought developed into the piece, for it undoubtedly exists as a piece and your task is to uncover its certain images, but not to make them up. This sort of meditation should necessarily suggest the sonority of interpretation and the lines of the shape of the given theme. Notes should be made immediately. it does not matter how: where possible — by notes, in other places - by words. and others — in a form of a diagram. It is necessary to workoutsome calmness and self—possession intheprocessofthe composer’s work. This work needs it no less than the virtuosic one. But the process never can be similar and constant. Do not break your head when you are tied into knots and difficulties. Curse everything that stops the thought and troubles you!! Look for the simplest, but legitimate conclusions. The motion of the will! But not the philistine will. but the artistic one. About the spirit and the matter in modern art The spirit now is "the spirit of denial. the spirit of doubt” (from the poem by Pushkin, AS), and in addition we can name the spirit of relativity, relativism In the matter (due to this factor) the loss of basic music elements is observed. There is the lack of mastery of the simplest harmonics (of modulation), simplest forms and so on in the composition and the lack of performers’ mastery in performing the simplest forms of the composition (chorale) or just a melody. In both cases there an absence of legato, thought connection, thinking, amalgamation, solidity, continuity of feeling... The same it is in perception. The listener does not keep track of the theme and its development into an organic piece, he does not tend to yield to thematic hypnosis, i.e. to breathe with the breath of the themes. From the very beginning he develops counter hypnosis with his “critique” and he tries to breathe his own way. The listener aims only for piquant details, and if he does not find them, he rejects the whole piece. Remember the nonstop struggle with “the spirit of denial and doubt!” The necessity of standing at one’s post! The struggle with the bustle and the thoughts about external! Do not dig into the temperament and always remember the theme! Do not forget the main things! Do not give yourself up to “soaring!” The mind is the lackey of the spirit, and is to be held in subordination, so that it does not take too much will. A thought which became a feeling, or a feeling which became a thought. are spiritual and give real treasures. The mind is working constantly — it is ordinary. It gets tired, becomes tedious and invents something “interesting and curious,” something that must not belong to art. One should learn to write down one’s thoughts, write them in all possible ways. Write every day. at least half an hour a day (besides the composition of current pieces). the material of the small pieces. Do not think about publishing... a]: 93 Develop in yourself great integrity and faithfulness to yourself — platonicism is not matched with any earthly conceptions about times, terms, duties... Either fully “recall” what was seen for its own sake, or deliver the commodity for the sake of glory and money, but in this case one is not to become meticulous and precise in one’s reminiscences. Out of all hindrances, the most terrible is the nerves. Nothing slackens the tempo and the rhythm of work as much as the nerves do. The feeling of rush, urge, throwing oneself from one thing to another, and the wish to do everything at once leads finally to hopeless fatigue and desperation. Realizing all this, it is necessary to have the command of the nerves, i.e., the command of the tempo and rhythm of one’s entire being, of every step and every thought. Then proceed to the work on a certain spot of musical matter, forgetting about the existence of all chaos of the matter. A proverb “the more haste. the less speed” is not made up for the neurotics. Believe in themes This belief must be manifested not in quitting a theme as a useless one because of its unsuccessful development, and not in working it over again, for if it has some value, it will cast its beams on the succeeding material, even if what succeeds is not ‘extraordinarily interesting.’ Do not be worried about ‘interesting!’ It is the last business in art. The value and organic integrity of an artistic work is determined by its theme and the potential of the form concentrated in it. but not by “interesting” tricks or the size of the form. Believe in your own theme in general 94 Eternal undermining of oneself, eternal urge and mistrust that something may turn well out of the planned work, - this is one of the main reasons of the failure in one’s work. In this respect the memory suffers more than anything else. Trying to remember something, one is able to strain his memory, but not to recall, and then the memory finally loses its precision. Do not practice two pieces, which use one key, one time signature, tempo, and what is most important, one form of composition. Move from a piano piece to a vocal one. from a vocal piece to one for violin. etc. Do not set about new thoughts, while exhausted and irritated with oneself by unsuccessful practice. for it will only spoil these thoughts. In general. think of the calmness of the soul. If you feel sick at heart. do not set about anything with this sickness. Do not require the immediate realization of dreams. Do not be stingy with your labors. R e p e t i t i o n is in the limits ofthe form and in general. The repetitions in nature are never precise and literal. Contrasts 1) Vivid or energetic movement - calm, singing movement. 2) Dense, thick writing — transparent. light writing. 95 3)Melodics-passage,motion. 4) Asserting cadences - questioning. evasive ones. 5) Homophonic style — polyphonic. 6) Briefness - longitude of themes. 7) Rhythm, registers, keys. etc. Avoid unnecessary developments and runs in short pieces. When having an abundance of the material, i.e. when having many sketches, and many variants in the limits of every sketch, it is necessary to stop being greedy, and to waste your time choosing variants or the sketches themselves, but recklessly discard everything that is harder, heavier, and more difficult, etc. To make it short — get ahead through the stacks of the piled material! Do not stop and do not look into this chaosll 21: Do not pursue yourself. just observe yourself. Remember that when disappointed one should not contemplate his disappointment. for a person always becomes drawn into what he contemplates. The most useful of all is to throw out of your mind everything that got you disappointed. and the disappointment itself. Make yourself think, speak, or read of other things. Remember, that a thought is directed by the brain. and though the brain serves the spirit, it is not the spirit in essence. but the flesh and thus requires regular rests. as well as arms and legs. Rest more often! While practicing mechanically, hide your feelings in your pocket. 96 Make your imagination work! Imagine a piece (as if in a dream) in a final look. as if it were already written and performed. Make your imagination work! By means of imagination climb out of your surrounding, out of everyday things if they are not conducive to the creative work. In essence, we, no less than children, need to play the little horse game, or doll game, namely, we constantly need to transgress time and to change the so called reality, and if we no longer are able to do so, this is due mainly to the facetious and exaggerated respect to the so called real or childish “true.” About the form (Practical conceptions) The form is not separable from the content when one is inspired, but since the inspiration is not always to be counted on, the form sometimes introduces itself as any substance. If our soul and body were in constant health and harmony with each other, we would not separate them. We do separate our soul and body because we often lack something either in one or in the other. Everything positive always connects, whereas the negative separates. It is impossible not to take this fact into account. Even though our main task is supposed to be the struggle with the origin of the negative that separates. nevertheless we must be armed in the event of temporary victory of the negative, such as in the event of illness, otherwise the temporary victory may become the final one and the illness will terminate in death, which is final separation of the soul from the body, or of the content from the form. 97 [Practical considerations about the development of the melodic seeds] 1) The briefest sentence may have additions. Additions are a great motivating power in form. All of Scarlatti’s form — is a sequence of additions. 2) Repetition in essence is the most undesirable factor in the form. But even this, taken in the form of variation. i.e. in form of development, abridgement, or changes, is able to give new light to what is said and thus is able to assist the form’s development and growth. The degree of the potentials of variation form is seen in Wagner’s leitrnotifs, which played a colossal role in the development of the form. 3) The choice out of what has been said is a form of repetition, form of variation, or a leitmotif to a certain degree, but since in this case only the wretched part is chosen out of what has been said, as if, for example. we chose only one word, this method is more free and has a greater potential, than just a variation. It is a free discussion about what is said. A highlighted word. casting new light onto what has been said. at the same time is able to acquire its own thematic meaning. 4) The most ideal factor of the growth of the form is the attachment of the new to what has already been said. It is distinguished from an addition by the independence of its meaning. But this same independence makes this method the most difficult in terms of preservation of integrity and unity with the preceding material. This method is greatly depended on inspiration, since the independence of the new from the preceding material must only be the superficial, apparent one. and the ties — mysterious. However. it is possible to outline certain ways of preservation of those ties to a certain degree and thus sort of break the mysteriousness of it. but just “sort of ’ break. because the use of 98 these ways can not always guarantee the real internal ties. These ways are: the preservation of the unity of tempo, of the bar division, and of key, the unity of the conclusive harmony with that of the beginning of the new content, and, finally, the foretelling of the new content. The fewer these methods are, the more the attachment of the new may seem mechanical, arbitrary, and the more cyclic will be the form. This refers only to the pieces of limited size, since in a large scale piece or cycle, the same method will contribute to absence of the diversity along with the integrity of the form. 5) The composition of an introduction to the melody can play a role in the further development of it. 6) The great masters often interrupted the flow of the melody with passages. harmonic sequences, and so on, in other words, frankly rested from melodic tension. This method, though it is more suitable in a large scale forms, sonatas or symphonies, is still acceptable in small melodic forms. 7) Avoidance of frequent cadences. 8) Nuances. 9) Images, lines, and gestures. Having an idea of some images, graphic lines or gestures is sometimes able to lead the thought out of the dead end or clichés. 10) Expounding. Remember that the expounding often affects the way the thought goes. Very often the thought stagnates from working for a very long time on only piano, only vocal, or any other composition. Move over from one to another! 99 Do not be afraid of an external non-logic or incoherence, but the internal one!! Braver. more decisive. lighter. simpler!!! Think not only with the themes and melodies. but with harmonies — modulations. passages. rhythms etc. as well. Think with images! It means, sometimes isolate yourself from a specifically musical process of thinking. But along with this, look out for two dangers: on one hand the shapelessness and on the other hand getting into the rut or a stencil. First give your thought absolute freedom and write and outline its free flow, and only then relentlessly criticize. Literary phrases or gestures are sometimes able to enliven the formal “depictiveness” much more than theoretical considerations. Think by the nuances! Simplicity! Remember. that in art (and in any creative activity) everything good and works well, if it is suitable. A dazzling motive, rhythm, harmony, or sonority, put in a wrong place and/or wrong time, lose its brilliance, and visa versa — the simplest elements are able to dazzle. if they are used in the right place. Brevity! Add as few as possible flights of fancy to what naturally pours out. A lyrical poem is lyrical when it on the whole was poured out naturally. Regardless of how much the author would change it afterwards. any change must relate to the details but not the whole. 100 Expounding. Compose such forms of accompaniments, which are the most diverse, economized, and characteristic!!! Think according to the nuances!! The expounding is dependent upon the nuances of the thought — the general background is always better. Think up to tempoll Do not think about everything at once! When any plan of a form or expounding comes into your mind. you should not immediately try to use and measure almost all the material into this plan, but calmly separate out of it the most suitable, and carefully, without force, try to fulfill the given plan using at least several motives. Do not consider every plan that strikes you as the only possible way of fulfillment of the material. It is better to write down and collect all of these plans for your memory. Remember. Choose the work according to the pulse of the given day. One day the pulse is buoyant and energetic — then do not set about working on themes with a contemplative. calm mood. Likewise, do not set about brisk, lively themes when the pulse is weaker and is conducive to contemplation. Do not block the main thoughts! 9/II — 1933 More air, rests! Do not fill all the registers up with harmonic notes, voices, and counterpoint. Do not be afraid of the wide position of the voices and of their notorious sonority! Take turns in letting each of them be silent or sound! 10/II — 1933 Think of tempo. 101 Look at the clock from time to time! Do not spend more than a half hour on one detail. Due to fatigue it only will slip away! Move over to something different! More diversity in the expounding l) Tutti and solo of the parts. 2) Nuances and the movement (figurations). 3) Dialogues and rests. 4) Relief of the voices and the relief of the accents in doubling. 5) Diversity and freedom of using registers. 6) Tapering-offs and swells. The move to something different, I mean to a different theme, different tempo, or different key is necessary for the refreshment of the imagination and thus important not for this different work alone, but for the preceding one too, for after returning to the first work, everything becomes clearer and livelier. Therefore the first work is able to fascinate again. 10/ll — 1933 It is not that music exists for the instrumentation, but visa versa. Always proceed from the themes and from something of your own, and do not look at someone else’s. The examples of alien instrumentation are related to alien music. Do not let the negative phenomena of life pull down the spiritual strengths. For the creative work (especially for the artistic one) it is necessary to be able to stop life!! It is impossible to paint a landscape while looking out of the windows of an express train! March 1933 The rendering of the most sacred, the most musical thoughts is incomprehensible to the mind. Musical thoughts, i.e. the themes, grains cannot be and have never been the result of conscientious logical reasoning, but they fall from above in the guise of an unexpected surprise. All the following work (often called the development), though it occurs with the participation of conscientiousness. has meaning only when this conscientiousness is faithful to the theme. 28/111 — 1933 The same as ‘play easily when difficult,’ - likewise write easily, when difficult. i.e. everywhere where there the knots are tied, where the musical fabric becomes viscid and difficult. write down this place in the most simplified way and go on. “Look into the root.”75 Leave the themes and thoughts. live their simplest. unfeigned life and do not think of the bustle of the technique. Lowering down of the insides ( the same as when playing!) December 1936 Simplify and shorten as much as possible. 7 . 5 Russran proverb 103 When experiencing the absence of the proper exaltation of the strengths or tone of your spirit, then occupy yourself with composition only in the mornings before the first meal. Do not get stuck in one spot in the composition or into one sketch when the work is not coming along. Work according to Dr. Spir’s prescription: without tension and only with the presence of pleasure, not setting for yourself any tasks. Sing and breathe more! Develop in yourself the graphomany. Every time lightly outline a general sketch for yourself. Eliminate the external obstacles (pencils, bad paper and others). When writing, do not think of the former sketches (which are the notes of a mad man), but write easily from memory as if a thought just struck your mind. Look at the forest, not at the individual trees alone! Beyond the trees (the details) one must see the forest (the whole). Remember as well, the composer’s work is to be treated with more, not less respect than that of a performer. Remember that graphomany is dangerous only for publishing, namely as a habit without control, as a process, given out as a result. But for the work process itself, the graphomany is a necessary passion, and woe to him who is afraid of a pen or a pencil. Remember that the perfection of the form is not in the perfection of the details or single parts, and sometimes does not even lie in the perfection and depth of certain melodies and themes. The perfection of the form sometimes requires rest after depth, 104 strength, and tension of the material, sometimes requires neutrality or paleness of the details. Beethoven is thus the greatest creator of the form, because he did not think over a gnarled counterpoint. did not correct it, but was going ahead. and saw it from the height of the eagle’s flight. Sometimes he juxtaposed the themes of the greatest inspiration and revelation with themes that are more simple. almost pale. as for example the A major theme in the Allegretto of the Seventh Symphony. Remember the equalization of the imagination and reasoning. Sing! Sing more often. hum, and sing out your thoughts... Remember the equilibrium of contemplation and action, of passive perception. listening to what sounds inside, and active realization, manifestation of it on paper. Be not only a pot in which something is boiling by itself, but be yourself, be an active man. Simplify everything to the maximum. 105 APPENDIX Some of he proffered exercises written by Medtner for himself were recommended to his students. Everyone who is interested in enhancing his/her piano abilities and in acquiring freedom and control over the keyboard will find useful and necessary material in these exercises. Medtner considered it necessary and very important, having in mind the highest artistic aims, to work every day on the perfection of the performing apparatus by means of which these aims are to be achieved. Independence, flexibility, tenacity, the strength of fingers, the suppleness of the movements of hands, the diversity of the touch to the keyboard (touché), and the tone related to that touch — everything must be enveloped by the conscientiousness of an artist. Everything must be subject to artistic consideration. From the notes of Nikolay Medtner it is evident, with what a vigilant eye he peered into the performing tasks set before him, with what persistent, loving attention he worked on their resolution. Under his fingers even the exercises were turned into a chain of beautiful tones. It is not accidentally that we encounter among his sayings the following instructions: “Do not play mechanically, even exercises!” Or: “Never lose the artistic tastel”, “Everything must always sound beautiful.” The next observation of his is also a very valuable one: “Even though technique is energy. this is needed to be said over and overagaintotheunadvanced,inept,and sluggish students,but excessive energy makes technique h e a v y a n d a w k w a r d. Practice removing the energy, 106 temperament, accents, sharp movements, jolts!” It is helpful to have in mind yet another observation: “Do not spend much time on exercises and slow tempos. Play more in medium and fast ones. The maximal drawing of the fingers to the keys! !” These exercises will undoubtedly bring help to those who work in the field of pianism. Before learning them one must thoroughly familiarize oneself with Medtner’s piano diaries where the musician wrote with the fullest clarity and exactitude the experience of his creative labor. which led him to the height of performing art. P. Vasiliev. 107 MEDTNER’S EXERCISES 108 Med tner’s Exercises 1 Exercises for Five Fingers By semitones By whole tones By one and a half tones 5 4 3 2 and soon - I - ---IIIlI-Il :-:- -rl--r--r'- 45 LL 2 I l 3 2 2 1 I ’ I I L % l 3 3 3 3 3 3 The following variants were recommended: Every time the left hand rs not written out It should be played silently The sustained tones should be taken Silently 109 and so on Exercises which maintain the fingering of scales 3 The two-octave chromatic scale which makes use of fingering through the fifth finger 4 5- 1 2 ‘ r . n—— I --‘l-l ""----- 7 FIJI -:--- I‘I-l Ill rfl-_-_--UI 110 Trill Exercises Piano 111 l.. “V'I'. "' '--w ----I "rIIV "" r-" "' ’ l I I. t l l 4 I . I I I and soon ll3 114 and so on 115 Exercises for stretch By minor thirds) 12RH 45 12323454 4212323 434 L.H. 4 5 By major thirds We 1 , Wee-en— By forths By augmented fourths By fiflhs The fingering indicated in the beginning should be maintained all the way to the end. Medtner recommended playing this exercise mainly in a slow tempo, lingering all the fingers as much as possible (leagatissimo) along with the entire freedom and flexibility of hand. One should not practice the cxericse in wider finger positions before absolute freedom is reached in the narrow position. 116 4 4 l4 3 2 5 3 5 2 1 ..l 9 |:I El -_ -2. in -' A-l-‘_ -I' (nu.- r L 1 ”T r ' e L, J T 1111 117 Exercises for double notes and soon 118 and so on 119 0 and so on 121 Octaves and Chords 123 By major seconds By minor thirds 4 This exercise could be played on the triad and the diminished seventh chord By major thirds 5 and so on 5 Continue to play all intervals within the Iirnits of an octave 125 Exercise to the Fairytale in B-minor, op. 34 Exercise to the Danza Silvestra (The Forest Dance) - - I I ---f ---I.T" 0 This scheme should be used for exercising each finger on the background of the few: tones of the diminished seventh chord c) 0 mid 500n andsoon soon Up and down the scales 2 5 4 2 2 2 2 36 1 1 1 I 3 and soon and soon kh] 38 and backwards 127 Chapter 3 Summary and Recommendation for Future Research The purpose of the research was a) to translate Medtner’s book The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer; b) to improve piano instruction; and c) to obtain more information about the life. philosophy. and pedagogical principles of Medtner. The particular problem was the translation of the book itself. What is offered to the reader in the second chapter of the present thesis is the translation of the book. The difficulty of the task was mainly the stylistic work on the translation of the sentences. In the Russian language, sentences are structured in a different way than those in English. The feeling of fluency was absent because sometimes the phrases in the book (even in Russian) have a dual meaning. The book The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer has its weaknesses. As was mentioned before. the introduction to the book was written by Medtner’s pupil P. Vasiliev, who was not a professional writer. The publishers, M. Gurvich and L. Lukomsky sorted out these notes and divided them into four chapters: 1. General Maxims in Pianist’s Work; 11. Certain Elements of Musical Performance; 111. About Exercise; IV. Notes on the Work of the Composer. The section titled “About the Form” is presented, but since the original editors did not number it as a separate chapter, the researcher, committed to the literal translation of the book, also did not label this material in a chapter number so as not to add anything that did not exist in the original. Similarly, dates are very often encountered in the book. They are indicated by Medtner who did not bother to accurately observe their order, since he did not intend them for publication. He also labeled them in an inconsistent manner. For instance, we see examples, such as: 8/24. or 1924, or January 1936, or 31/1-1936. For others, he used Roman numerals to indicate the month but did not have any indications of the year. At other times, he used Arabic numerals to indicate the month, day, and the year. There are also some other peculiarities in the book. This is indicative of the fact that the editors preserved Medtner’s notebooks in the shape that Medtner himself wrote them. In many places in the introduction, P. Vasiliev quotes Medtner without referring to the quotations’ sources. The other characteristic feature of the book itself is the use of brackets for some subtitles. These brackets do not belong to Medtner, but were added by the publishers, for reason of sorting out the notes according to their subject. These brackets were kept in the English translation in order to retain similarity to the Russian edition. In general, the researcher’s task was to translate Medtner’s book The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer as literally as possible with few editorial corrections. The originality of the Russian text was preserved as much as possible. The book was issued in Russia in a very limited number of copies as a study aid for music students, teachers, and performers in order to help them to overcome the difficulties in their daily work. practice and performance. The other problem the researcher faced was to collect and organize the wealth of materials received from Medtner’s friends and relatives, whom the researcher interviewed in Moscow (Russia), London (England) and New York State. These were private letters, personal thoughts on paper, and letters of recommendation to and from Medtner. None of these materials were meant for publication, as nor were Medtner’s notes The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer. These newly discovered materials will be of great interest for musicians in general, and especially for pianists. Unfortunately, it is impossible to include all of them within the confines of this thesis. Recommendations for Future Research Medtner suggested to his pupils to keep notes by writing the thoughts that come during practice. The influence of teacher to student is seen in the example of pianist Nikolai Stember. He was Medtner’s pupil, and Medtner passed on to him the necessity of writing one’s thoughts. From Stember’s daughter, Olga, the researcher received the writings of her father about pianistic art. His notes “About the styles of pianism. ” “About Bach’s Well-Tempered C lavir, " “About the New Musical School " and others are of a great value to the pianists and teachers of piano. The researcher plans to translate these into English in the future. These notes will be very interesting to the other musicians, as well. Also, exploration into the succession of Medtner’s pianistic and pedagogical style through his pupils would be a great field for firture research. Medtner taught in Moscow Conservatory from 1915 to 1921 until his emigration. Therefore, one may still find Medtner’s “Grand students” at the Moscow Conservatory and throughout Russia. He lived in France for ten years during his emigration period and certainly left some students 130 there. England, where Medtner lived from 1935 until his death in l951,would also be a great source for collecting further information about the composer. The British Library has unique materials housed in its archives donated by Medtner’s pupil Edna Iles. Anna Medtner wrote in an Easter greeting card to N. Stember’s mother, Nadezhda. Dmitrievna that “the entire archive will be in the Library of Congress.” Therefore, the Library of Congress would also be a good place to research additional information about Medtner. The other interesting field for research would be the religious aspect of Medtner’s life, namely its influence on Medtner’s music. The main composition of his life was the Quintet, which the composer worked on intermittently for some 45 years. The first sketches date back to 1904 and the work was completed in 1948. The work has direct connection with Medtner’s religion, Russian Orthodoxy. In fact, the origin of the music for the Quintet comes from the ancient music of the Russian Orthodox Church. This work is very unique and takes a special place among Mednter’s works, because he regarded it as a musical testament and as a work dedicated to God. The influence of religion is evident in all Medtner’s music. After Medtner’s immigration from Russia, due to the Soviet regime, the religious part of the composer’s life was totally ignored. Mention of Medtner’s religion could be found in books published in America and England but not in the former Soviet Union. All of these new future findings will help musicians benefit from the philosophical and pedagogical aspects of Medtner’s life. teaching, composing and performance. This research and the translation of the book The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer makes Medtner wisdom and experience accessible to English-speaking musicians. pianists and teachers of piano today. 132 APPENDICES 133 APPENDIX A UCRIHS APPROVAL MICHIGAN STATE u N 1 v E R s 1 T Y May 22, 2001 TO: Midori KOGA 4665 Jadestone Dr. Williamston, Ml 48895 RE: IRB# 01-336 CATEGORY: EXPEDITED 2-F, 2-G APPROVAL DATE: May 22, 2001 TITLE: NIKOLAI MEDTNER, EVERY DAY PRACTICE (WORK) OF A PIANIST AND COMPOSER The University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects' (UCRIHS) review of this project is complete and I am pleased to advise that the rights and welfare of the human subjects appear to be adequately protected and methods to obtain lnforrned consent are appropriate. Therefore, the UCRIHS approved this project. RENEWALS: UCRIHS approval is valid for one calendar year, beginning with the approval date shown above. Projects continuing beyond one year must be renewed with the green renewal form. A maximum of four such expedited renewals possible. Investigators wishing to continue a project beyond that time need to submit it again for a complete review. REVISIONS: UCRIHS must review any changes in procedures involving human subjects, prior to initiation of the change. If this is done at the time of renewal, please use the green renewal form. To revise an approved protocol at any other time during the year, send your written request to the UCRIHS Chair, requesting revised approval and referencing the project's IRB# and title. Include in your request a description of the change and any revised instruments, consent forms or advertisements that are applicable. PROBLEMS/CHANGES: Should either of the following arise during the course of the work, notify UCRIHS promptly: 1) problems (unexpected side effects, complaints, etc.) involving human subjects or 2) changes in the research environment or new information indicating greater risk to the human subjects than existed when the protocol was previously reviewed and approved. OFFICE OF RESEARCH If we can be of further assistance, please contact us at (517) 355-2180 or via email: AND UCRIHS@msu.edu. Please note that all UCRIHS forms are located on the web: GRADUATE http://www.msu.edu/user/ucrihs STUDIES Sincerely, University Commlttee on W 7 Research Involving /" f t '/ ,1 Human Subjects Michigan State University 246 Administration Building Ashir Kumar, M.D. East Lansing, Michigan r' . 488244046 Inte rm Chair, UCRIHS 517/355-2180 FAX 517/353-2976 Wen? wvmmsuedu/user/ucrihs E-Mail:ucrihs@msu.edu AK: bf CCI Liudmilo Bondar PO. Box 6776 134 East Lansing, MI 48826 OFFICE OF RESEARCH ETHICS AND STANDARDS university Committee on W Involving Human Subjects Midiigm State University 202 Girls Hall East Lansing, MI 48824 51 ”355-2180 FAX: 517/432-4503 Email: ucrihsOmsuadu APPENDIX B UCRIHS RENEWAL MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY May28,2002 TO: Midori KOGA 4665 Jadestone Dr. VWlIiamston, Ml 48895 RE: IRB # 01-336 CATEGORY: 2-F, 2-G EXPEDITED RENEWAL APPROVAL DATE: May 21, 2002 TITLE: NIKOLAI MEDTNER. EVERY DAY PRACTICE (WORK) OF A PIANIST AND COMPOSER The University Committee on Research Involving Human Subjects' (UCRIHS) review of this project is complete and I am pleased to advise that the rights and welfare of the human subjects appear to be adequately protected and methods to obtain informed consent are appropriate. Therefore, the UCRIHS APPROVED THIS PROJECTS RENEWAL This letter also approves the revised consent form. RENEWALS: UCRIHS approval is valid for one calendar year, beginning with the approval date shown above. Projects continuing beyond One year must be renewed with the green renewal form. A maximum of four such expedited renewal are possible. Investigators wishing to continue a project beyond that time need to submit it again for complete review. REVISIONS: UCRIHS must review any changes in procedures involving human subjects, prior to initiation of the change. If this is done at the time of renewal, please use the green renewal form. To revise an approved protocol at any other time during the year, send your written request to the UCRIHS Chair, requesting revised approval and referencing the project's IRB# and title. Include in your request a description of the change and any revised instruments, consent forms or advertisements that are applicable. PROBLEMSICHANGES: Should either of the following arise during the course of the work, notify UCRIHS promptly. 1) problems (unexpected side effects, complaints, etc.) involving human subjects or 2) changes in the research environment or new information indicating greater risk to the human subjects than existed when the protocol was previously reviewed and approved. If we can be of further assistance, please contact us at 517 355-2180 or via email: UCRIHS@piIot.msu.edu. Sincerely, M17 U Ashir Kumar, M.D. UCRIHS Chair AKIbd cc: Liudmila Bondar PO. Box 6776 East Lansing, MI 48826 135 APPENDIX C MAY I 3 2002 Attachment #1 ofl9. Consent You arebeingaskedto participateinaresearch designedtopreservethememoryof Russian pianist, composer, and teacher Nikolai Medtner. The research consists of several parts. Besides the translation of a book The Everyday Work of a pisnkt and Composer, the research will involve finding out more information about him and introducing Medtner‘s method and philosophy of teaching piano. In order for the project to be implemented the contact with persons who were the composer’s fiiendsorarehisrelativesisneeded. Youwillbeinterviewedbythe researcher. I'hequesdonsareabmnhispianomethodlnsplilosophy,hisreligion,his biographical data etc.. Insdditionto theinterviewsyouwillbevideo and\oraudiotaped, inorderforthe researchertousethis informationintheprojectwhichmaybepublished uponits completion. Video tape may be shown to the public and there is no promise of confidentiality for the subjects. All of the video or' audio tapes are solely under my control and they will not be kept in any laboratory or library etc.. An interview may last 2-4 hours and can be stopped at your will. Your participation is completely voluntary. Shouldyouhaveanyquestionsorconcemsthatmayberaisedbyparficipafing instudy please contact the researcher : Liudmila Bondar, P. O. Box 6776, East Lansing, M I. 48826 tel: (517) 336-7048 or principle investigator. Dr. Midori Koga, phone: (517) 655-9165 and/or if you have any questions about participants’ rights as human subjects of research, pleasecontact IRB chairperson: AshirKumarMD. 202 Old Hall East Lansing, M. I. 48824-1046 phone: (517) 355-2180 Signature of Participant Date Signature of Researcher Date WW FOR THIS project EXPIRES: MAY 2 1 2003 SUBMIT RENEWAL APPUCATION ONE MONTH PRIOR TO ABOVE DATF 'rn man-rm II: 136 APPENDIX D Cornacue Bac npocrrr nprnnrrs yqacme a accnenoaarmn, aarrpasnennou na coxpaaeane mm pyccxoro mimosa-rope, rnranncra a nenarora Huxonas Men-reps. Home nepeaona mm «I'Ioacennesnaa pa6ora nnanacra a sounosrrropa», accnenosanae 6yner Brahman. aaxoxnenne 6onsme anthopsrauna 0 new a oanaxowtenne c Mernepoacm nemnou a dmnocorbaer‘i npenonasanaa rhop'remraao. 11.11:! mm, m6u ocyrnec'ram 31m npoerrr, accnenoaarerno neoéxoznmo ycranosm son-ran c momma, 611mm anasnnnnr Memepa rum em poncmemmxanm. Bu Gynere nmepauoapoaanu accnenoaareneu Bonpocu, smopue Ban 6ynyr sensual, Gym racemes Memeposcxom rmarracmqecxoro uemna, ero panocorbun, ero peinmm, a me Gaorparbnnecm caenennii Home mm, rnrrepsuo Gym sanncarns as anneo arm aynno uneasy, am new Irr06ar accnenoaa'renb nor noaxe acnonssoam nonyqennyro narbopuamno a csoeu npoerre, xmopur‘i mom 6m onyfimnrosaa no cnoeuy sanepmernno. Buneo unease uoxer 6m nomaaa nyénnxe a seam metre sax yqacmmros Gynyr coxpanenu 6es oGemarma xoadrnnenuaansnocm. Bce anneo arm aynuo nnernnr crporo non norm somponeu a as 6ynyr xpanrrrsca H]! a tram nafiopa'mpnmr, 6a6nno'rexax a 1:11. Hrrnepsuo uoxer mnrrscx or Z-x no 4-x lrecon rr uoxer 6m ocranosneno no Bameuy xenamno. Bame yqacrne cosepmenno no6poaorrsao. EcrmyBac nosnunryrsonpocuso speeramemyaacma, nomyfimoGPamafi'recb nenocaencmenno x accnenosa'rerno rum no anpecy: Liudmila Bondar (J'Iromnma Bonnapb) PO Box 6776 East Lansing, MI 48826 Ten.(517) 336-7048 mm x rnaanouy accnenoaa'remo (pyxosoznnemo): llornopy Mnnopn Kora (Midori Koga) Ten. (517)655-9165 a tame, ecnn y sac aosnmcny'r moéue eonpocu, cmocmensno Bamnx npas, m yaacrnaxoa accncnosanna, nowryiicra, xomarrnpyfi're c sanenylomnsr IRB Amuposr Kyuapou: Ashir Kumar MD. 202 Old Hall East Lansing, MI 48824-1046 phone: (517) 355-2180 Signature of Participant Date Signature of Researcher Date UCRIHS APPROVAL FOR THTSTijem EXPIRES: ' MAY 2 1 2003 SUBMIT RENEWAL APPUCATION ONE MONTH PRIOR TO ABOVE DATE TO CONTINUE LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 138 Nicolas and Anna Medtner (date unknown) I39 Anna and Nicolas Medtner, 1925, Pine Bush, NY. (in the Warrens’ home: the paintings on the wall are by VStember, N.Stember’s father) [ Natalia Warren was N.Stember’s sister] I40 The Medtner’s departure from New York to Europe, April lst, 1925. (from Icfl to right, K.Warren, an unknown person, N.Medtner, A.Medtner, N.Warren, and N. Stember). 141 TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN Ii: is a. pleasure to recommend Mr.N1cholas Stember as a snot saluted pianist and music teacher. s. sarcasm)... after the death of Prof. .a-sport ' The letter of recommendation for N. Stember written by N. Medtner and A.Glazunov. (date unknown). I42 .‘I.\_.\'(ililt”01121.5 - \r-zw Yr rm; (‘r'i‘r (Sun-131' Nuln‘rrrcnx II« ”'1”. gm. 53/41; 293a VII/Ill. VII, Sfemfii/‘L, i 67-59, 5%. other“ viral vl/ew 51m 0&6). wake-z t/iifi. 512%, in 1 '1’?) 11m (5&2: J" Ami; g ,7 rib/f J amt/£107 waif/“727%, _ W 7 Into! flit [Later/W 0‘1- W57 gig/{km I V ' . a.» 74/47.», M ”C: Wt? 3mm... ’i....ii .. a; [mat than new 5mm, alt-mime amt-a iMI'W, (Mid {/ww gm affua/zgwtcw 11f {1‘ WW R W1? "WW We! (hmm/ )3 :7 Mn W72 77ml" VH4- "Lapse/Mar fit, MW 0?] viiadomu “3144/ch/- [it «i. Minn-"E W Many WM .7002, WM! 191% you an. emcee in (04mm draw an flow/wt. 4 if“? I - - rfr . [’4‘ ’i. I" fit '1 ( .I ~ ‘I (W / \., #0077 ”7% Jay ,1 ~ . 5W4“ The letter of support for N.Stember written by S.Prokofiefi', New York City, New York, January 218‘, 1930. 143 Medtner’s grave n Hendon Cemetery, London, England. I44 Text from Easter Greeting card to N.Stember written by A. Medtner afier N. Medtner’s death (date unknown). The English translation is on page 14 I45 fiw '5‘. z ””2?” vrrfl—o .... .r‘ I ‘ a'l‘. ../.r .y: 1‘ {>1 ""1. [I NICHOLAJ STEMBER Pz‘Jnfsr-Accornpanisr Q14 Nikolai Stember (1892-1982) Medtner’s pupil and nephew. I46 Sergei Prokpfieff This photo was presented to N. Stember during Prokofieff,s visit to America in 1930. Inscription on the picture: “To Kocky Stember in memory of our plesent meeting in America. Prokoflef 1930. I47 The opening of Medtner’s Prelude op.54 with N. Stember’s pencil marks. I48 The inscription on the music of Medtner’s “Sonata-Ballade”, written by the author to N.Stember. “To my dear pupil N.Stember from N.Medtner.” I49 Olga Stember (b. 1927). Daughter of N. Stember, Medtner’s pupil and nephew, Whitney Point, New York, July 2001. I50 Ksenia Litvinova (b. 1920) N.Stember’s sister’s daughter Nadezhda , Moscow, Russia, July, 2001. I5I Elena Tarasova (b.1929) Medtner’s grandniece, Moscow, Russia, July 2001. 152 / “Ila IJ‘ All“ .III:.'.‘. “III limit I a... I,\ Metropolitan Anthony of Sourazh (Bloom), (b. 1914), London, England, August 2002 I53 Deacon Peter Scorer, grandson of the philosopher S. Franck, Exeter St. Davids, England, August 2002 I54 ilLIl U... ullj gal lIII‘ . Anna Salaman, London, England, August 2002. 155 "flu-t mums M74. «95.; .4.» \ _‘ w 2‘53)... 630qu: “j? M Medtner‘ 5 drawing on a greeting card to the Salaman family, (date unknown) I56 Medtner’s home on Golders GTeen, London, England. 157 BIBLIOGRAPHY 158 Bibliography Apetyan, Z. A (ed). N.K. Medtner. Pisma [Letters]. Moscow: “Sovetskii Compositor”, 1973. Apetyan, Z. A. (ed.), N. K. Medtner: Vospominaniya, stat ’i, materrialy [Recollections, articles, materials], Moscow: Sovetskii kompozitor, 1981. Bukinin, M. Nikolai Metner (Vospominaniya) [Nicolas Medtner (The Recollections)]. An article from the news paper Novoye Russkoye Slovo [The New Russian Word]. December 2, 1951. Gabruk, S. Aspects of Style in Selected Piano Works of Nikolay Medtner. A DMA Document, Michigan State University. Goldshtein, M. Nicolas Medtner. From the series of “Russkiye Musykal’nyie Portrety” [Russian Musical Portraits]. Russkaya mysl’ No. 2364, September 13, 1973. Gurvich, M. A and Lukomsky, L. G (eds.). N. K. Medtner: Povsednevnaya rabota pianist'a i compositora. [The Daily Work of the Pianist and Composer]. Moscow: Musika, 1979. Holt. R. (ed). Nicolas Medtner. A Memorial Volume. . London, Dennis Dobson LTD. Holt. R. Nicolas Medtner (1880-1951). An article from “The Gramophone” journal. Klimov. E. Vstrechi [The Meetings]. An article from the Novoye Russkoye Slovo. March 13, 1977. Medtner, N. The Muse and the Fashion. (the defense of the fundamentals of musical art). Paris, 1935. 159 Martyn, Barrie. Nicolas Medtner. His Life and Music. Scolar Press, England. Ashgate Publishing Company, Vermont, USA. 1995 Shchneierson, G. Novoe o Metnere [New about Medtner]. An article from the journal "Sovetskaya Musica“ . Moscow, 1956, No. 7. N. Stember. Pis ’ma v redalaiyu [The Letters into the editorial’s office]. To the attention of the piano teachers. The New Russian Word, December 3, 1942. Zetel. I. .N. K. Medtner-pianist. [Medtner the Pianist]. Moscow: Musika, 1981. 160 Millllllllllllllllllll Illl Vlllllllllllll lllllllllm 3 1293 03062 6976