Metodo Caland Deppe

••
ARTISTIC
PIANO-PLAYING
AS TAUGHT BY
LUDWIG Di!PPK
TOGETHER WITK
PRACTICAL ADVICE ON
QUESTIONS OF
TECHNIC
BY
FRA.ULBJN ELIZABETH CALAND
.AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION BY
llVBLYN SUTHERLAND STEVRNSON
N,w YoaK: G. SCHIRMER
~ . -- -- - ~ -
LUDWIG DEPPE
fRL. ELISABETH CALAND
,.
..
PART I.
Artistic Piano Playing

As· TAUGHT BY
LUDWIG DEPPE
-BY-
Fraulein Elisabeth Caland

AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION BY
Evelyn Sutherland Stevenson
" The freedom which 1s rightly considered to be the very es-

sence of beauty 1s not lawlessness, but the harmony of laws;
it 1s not capnce, but a supreme and intnns1c necessity; 1i 1s
not a limitation, on tAe contrary 1i 1s infinity. "-Schiller.
THE OLYMPIAN PUBLISHING Co.,

Nashville, Tenn.
I<)Oj,
HARVARD UNIVERSITY '· •
NOV 21 1961
EDA KUH,l L.v~u .. ,J.)lC LIBRARY
Copyri&"ht, 1903.
By EVELYN SUTHERLAND STEVENSON.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PART I.
CHAPTER I.
The Necessity for Co-operative Action in the Muscles of the Upper
Part of the Body. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
CHAPTER II.
Position of Hand and Arm-Tone Production..................... 26
CHAPTER III.
The Binding of Several Tones-Scahi-Playing-The Management
of the Hand,· .................................. ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . · 33
'-- CHAPTER IV.

Concerning Practice.............................................. 47
CHAPTER V.
•
The Simple Movement-Playing from Memory ................... . 56
CHAPTER VI.
Some Practical Hints for the Player ............................. . 61
CONCLUSION.
Concerning Interpretation ....................................... . 65
PART II.
PREFACE ..... ;................................................. 79
FIRST PREPARATORY EXERCISE...... .. . .. .. . . . .. .. .. .. .. . 81
Chords~Accented Passages.
SECOND PREPARATORY EXERCISE ...................... :... 88
Legato, Staccato, and Mezzo-legato Playing.
THIRD PREPARATORY EXERCISE............................ 91
Binding of Widely Separated Tones-Arpeggio Chords.
FOURTH PREPARATORY EXERCISE....... .. .. . . .. .. .. .. . . .. 97
The "Shaking Movement."
FIFTH PREPARATORY EXERCISE ...................... ,.____ 101
Successions of Thirds, Sixths, Octaves, Etc.-Repetitions
of Single Tones-Binding of Widely Separated
Chords Without Use of Pedal.
SIXTH PREPARATORY EXERCISE .......... . 104
Trills.
•
PREFACE.
"A knowledge of the thing to be achieved-a clear idea of what
constitutes a beauty and what a blemish-<lannot fail to be of
service. "-Herbert Spencer.
"Piano-playing is mainly a matter of the mind, and not pri-

marily of the muscles."-W. S. B. Mathews.
A NIMATED by recollections of Miss Amy Fay's "Music

Study in Germany,'' I started for Berlin in the summer
of 1899 with pleasant anticipations of possible music-
study under the direction of Ludwig Deppe; therefore it was
proportionately disconcerting to find, on arriving at that city,
that it was too late, by some nine years, to avail myself of the
coveted instruction. But the name continued to hold a fascina-
tion for me, and it was doubtless for this reason that, when
glancing idly in a music-store window, my eye was caught by
a little book bearing the title, '' .Die .Deppe' sche Lehre des
Klavierspiels." It proved to be tolerably stiff reading for a
novice in German, but, nevertheless, I extracted therefrom
quite enough to stimulate my already vivid interest in the sub-
ject, and to induce me to seek out the writer cf the book, upon
whose shoulders it seemed the mantle of Deppe bad fallen.
· Then followed eight months of earnest study, under the artistic
control of Frl. Ca.land, w!o, truly endowed with "a double
portion" of her master's spirit, imparted to me the guiding
principles of his sy1,1tem with a delightful enthusiasm which
could not fail of its object. Therein I proved the truth of
Goethe's assertion that "the instruction which the true artist
gives us opens the mind; for, where words fail him, deeds
speak.'' And it is in grateful recognition of the inspiration
and uplift which ea.me to me through the teachings of those
months that I now present the accompanying translation to
English readers.
If it be true that "genius is a kind of god-like insanity,"
then Deppe was no genius. But an eminently artistic teacher
9
10 PREFACE.
of the piano be certainly was, for, possessing in the highest

degree that characteristic which, according to Mr. W. S. B.
Mathews, '' distinguishes the artistic teacher from the peda-
gogue," his chief concern was always to awaken a keen sense
of tonal beauty in the minds of his pupils, and to train them to
• apply the test of tonal result to all their work. Tone was to
Deppe the guiding star whose vivifying rays must illumine all
tecbnic, and no technic measured up to his standard unless it
worked for-not against-the production of a broad, pure and
noble tone. That a tone of this description could ever result
from mere "finger-hitting" was to him an unthinkable prop-
osition, for in such case no dexterity nor fluency of execution
can ever disguise the superficial origin of the tone. But, when
band and fingers are sustained and reinforced by free move-
ments of the arm, and by the co-operative working· of the
powerful muscles of upper-arm and back, then not only is the
tone-quality rendered far more intense and vital, but there
occurs also a wholesome distribution of effort over every part
of the playing apparatus from shoulder to finger-tips ;
scarcely less important is the fact that the player thereby
acquires, in a remarkably short space of time, a well-defined
feeling of mastery of the keyboard.*
It may be thought by some, that too much is made in this
book of the carrying of the liand b~the arm, but this insistence
is justified when one reflects on the consequences entailed by
n~glect of this one simple rule. Take, for instance, a player
who bas what is called a "logy " touch. In the majority of
cases it will be found that he not only expects his fingers to
produce the necessary tones, but also to sustain the greater
part of the weight of the arm, and to drag that member.over
the keyboard. Now, when the fingers are forced to work
under such hampering conditions is it at all surprising that the
tone-quality should be rough and uneven, the passage-work
heavy and lifeless, and scale-performance punctuated by a
series of unlovely jerks ? A hesitating and incoherent style of
* It is said that the free and graceful arm-movements or violin players gave Deppe his
first.conception of the unnecessary limitations in this regard which had heretofore been
imposed upon pianists.
•
PREF.AGE. 11
playing, blurred chords, unsteady performance of scales and

runs, touching of wrong keys~ faulty tempo and rhythm -all
of these may doubtless originate in the.imperfeet musical sense,
or the erroneous mental conception of the performer, yet none
the less is it true that the very same faults frequently arise
from no other cause than the failure of the arm to carry the
hand from point to point with sufficient freedom and steadiness
of movement to insure certainty of touch. And because this
carrying movement of the arm is ever a curvilinear one, hand
and fingers are thereby enabled to descend vertically on any
desired keys instead of in a slanting direction. The advantages
herein involved are too obvious to need emphasis. But it
should never be forgotten that clear and definite mental work
must precede the physical; if the rnind dictates the curves
which arm and hand shaU describe in the performance of any
tonal form, then it is tolerably certain that the movements will
realize Deppe's ideal concerning them, and that they will truly
be '' the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual
grace.'' .
As to the Deppean five-finger exercises, their apparent sim-
plicity is but a '' delusion and a snare,'' as anyone may prove
by practical test. To depress a single key, and at the same
time to control the non-playing fingers so completely that the
ivory on which they are poised does not even tremble, is a task
requiring physical and mental tension of no ordinary kind, and
it will be found that these exercises, when properly performed,
exact all the patience and concentration of mind which the
player can command. And as their twofold object is mental
control of the fingers, and the conscious production of a perfect
tone, it follows that there must not be a moment's inattention,
nor a single automatic movement. :Hut fortunately the reward
is commensurate to the effort involved, for the fingers thereby
develop independence and equality of power in a marvelous
degree. Particularly noticeable is the ability of a player so
trained to give prominence to any voice of a chord at will-an
ability which is as essential to the adequate performance of
Brahms' music as to that of Bach.
•
12 PREF.ACE.
' I
Just here seems a. favorable opportunity to refute the prev-
alent notion that the sphere of Deppea.n playing is so circum-
scribed as to take in only the classical masters, with Mozart at
their head, and to exclude the majority of the modern school
of composers. That this is a. most mistaken idea. I can prove
from personal experience, for the works used in connection
with my own study of Deppe's principles were by the follow-
ing composers only: Ba.eh, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Liszt,
Grieg, Rubenstein and Brahms.
It has been well said that ''Art has no fatherland, and all
that is beautiful ought to be prized by us, no matter what
region or clime has produced it;" therefore whatever may be
the differences of opinion as to the value of Deppe's contribu-
tion to the art and science of piano-playing, let it at least be
remembered how much he did to promote musical playing--
being really a pioneer in this line among his German confreres
-and how wholesome has been his influence in bringing about
more natural and spontaneous methods of practice. And, while
no one can truthfully assert that the present advancement of
piano technic is due to any single musician, yet assuredly the
link which Deppe forged in the ever-lengthening chain laoks
neither beauty nor significance. This fact gives rise to a hope
that this modest volume may prove a not unwelcome addition
to our very meagre literature on the subject of tone-producLon,
for, though truth is but one, its expressions are many.
As for the imperfections and shortcomings of this little work,
visit them on the inadequate pen of the tyro in the art of trans-
lating ; but " if there be any virtue, if there be any praise,"
let these fall to the share of Elisabeth Caland, the gifted artist
who is so successfully continuing the work of Ludwig Deppe
in the imperial city of Berlin. E. S. S.
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn., March, 1903.
•
INTRODUCTION TO THE GERMAN EDITION.

"What is good is effective, generative; makes for itself room,
food, and allies."-Emerson.
T O PLAY good music, and at the same time study the piano
very badly-such is the fate of the average pianist."
So wrote Frederick Wieck, that old pedagogue of the
pi:mo, in his little book, entitled "Piano and Song;" and his
shrewd observation has lost little of its truth or force with the
passing years. That it carries weight even now can hardly be
gainsaid} in view of the all-too-prevalent virtuosity, which,
tnking technic as its main object, effectually removes it from its
true sphere as a servant of art. The majority of modern
pianists concentrate their attention in large measure upon the
exterior means of execution, the result being that rapidity and
brilliancy, dash and bravura, have been developedandelaborated
to an extraordinary degree. On the other hand, the cultivation
of a thoughtful, sincere, and reflective style of playing-so
essential if one would render the imperishable works of the old
masters in their original integrity and purity-has suffered
from proportionate neglect. This state of affairs brings to mind
a saying of Hans von Buelow, as quoted by Pfeiffer: "Mozart is
terribly difficult; a time will come--and perhaps very soon
when a Mozart sonata will find more favor in the concert hall
· than Liszt's Rigoletto Fantasia."*
And so it has come to pass that many pianists, who can dash
off the most difficult concert pieces with flourishing facility, are
yet destitute of the power to draw from the keys a simple and
perfect legato. This £act takes on added significance when it is
at the same time borne in mind that the piano, by reason of its
present state of perfection in character and calibre, can justly
claim from the pianist the finest gradations of touch, and the
utmost conceivable delicacy of manipulation. This opinion is
• Studlen bei Hans von Buelow; p. 96. (18)
•
14 ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYING.
also advanced by Klose, in his little work, "Die Deppe'sche

Lchre."
But about this very matter 0£ tone-production there exists,
strange to say, no unity 0£ method whatever. Proo£ 0£ this,
i£ proo£ be needed, is amply atforded by a glance at the widely- •
divergent theories advocated by the different conservatories and
schools 0£ music-a diversity which clearly demonstrates that,
as regards this important £actor in piano study, "discord rules
supreme." An explanation 0£ this circumstance may, perhaps,
1e found in that fundamental difference in construction which
separates the piano from wind-and-stringed instruments, as well
as from the human voice. A vocalist, or a performer on most
orchestral instruments, does not find his tones ready-made for
him} but must learn how to find and produce them for himsel£.
But when he turns to the piano, there are the keys lying ready
to his hand, and a tone 0£ some sort may be had, with deceptive
ease, through the mere depression 0£ a key. And this unique
l.!haracteristic 0£ the piano was precisely what the acute and
experienced musician, Deppe, had in mind when he affirmed : .
'"For piano playing alone there remains something more to be
done." And it is this same characteristic which, in a certain
sense, renders the piano better adapted than any other instru-
ment to form an artist.
Ludwig Deppe was born on Novembeir 7, 1828, at Alverdis-
sen, Lippe-Detmold, Germany. Cradled in poverty, he was
compelled to shape his own artistic career with labor and pains.
T 1.1at his efforts were not unattended with success is sufficiently
indicated by the £act that his compositions-notably a Sym-
phony in F Ma.for, an Overture to Zriny, and an Overture to
Don Carlos-were received with much approbation in different
cities.
The city 0£ Hamburg saw the beginning 0£ his artistic career,
and it was there also that he gave his first lessons in music.
In 1862 he founded a Vocal Academy, which he managed until
1866. As distinguished musician and leader 0£ the orchestra,
he directed the Silesian Musical Festivals in masterly style.
Later, removing from Hambllll'g to Berlin, he continued to
ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYING. 15
elaborate the system of piano study which he had formulated,

and strove with all the intensity of his nature to propagate it.
In 1887 came his appointment to the post of Royal Capell-
meister, in which capacity he diirected the Royal Opera during
the two following years. He accepted this position solely that
he "might aid in the accomplishment of tlie personal wishes and
artistic designs of Count Hochberg." (See Zwei Jahre Capell-
me-ister, by Ludwig Deppe.) Yet, in spite of the varied and
taxing demands on his time and strength, his "passion" to im- ·
pa•rt true piano instruction knew not the slightest abatement.
His pupils, also, permeated by the high ideals of their master,
and animated by a wish to help him in their realization, fol-
lowed his teachings with most earnest fidelity.
It was on the 5th of September, 1890, that Deppe died. His
comparatively eaJrly removal was a hard blow to his pupils, who
had cherished the hope of receiving, through long years yet to
come, the inspiring teachings of one who had revealed to them
heights and depths of musical science of which they had not
dreamed.
A concise article, relative to Deppe's theory of tone-produc-
tion, was published in 1885, under the title, Affections of the
.Arui in Piano Players. Therein the author announced his in-
tention of publishing his piano studies in one large work; and
lie adds, "besides some few finger exercises, I hope, also, to give
various movements for the strengthening of the shoulder and
arm muscles, which movements shall have special reference to
the anatomy of the upper part of the body:" It is probable that
the detailed descriptions and clear explanations so indispensable
in a printed treatise--but not demanded to the same degree in
oral instruction-may have seemed too dry and tedious a task
to one endowed with Deppe's ideal power of comprehension. At
all events, the projected work never appeared, though he himself
showed me materials in readiness for it.
When listening to the playing of great artists we are enrap-
tured by their unique and wonderful gifts, while, at the same
time, we derive an additional delight from the natural grace
uud unassuming simplicity with which they render the hardest
~
lo .ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING.
and most involved passages. From these premises Deppe

argued that, if certain laws underlying this beauty of execution
could on~ be discovered and systematized, then less-favoTed
musicians, with ordinary, normal talents, might at least hope to
attain to the productiop. of a beautiful tone, and to artistic in-
terpretation of a composition-although the results thus attained
must, naturally, fall short of those arising from the intuition of
genius.
To find out these laws, then, was the task which Deppe set
himself. Closely observing the playing of all the great pianists
of his day, he came to the following conclusion: Tones produced
in accordance with certain exact laws of beauty must of neces-
sity be themselves also beautiful. He said: "Gifted mortals
play by the grace of God; nevertheless, any one may, by my ,
system, acquire a mastery of technic."
Deppe was very urgent in his desire that I should reduce his
system to writing, and thus render it permanent. It was my
wish to arrange and complete his notes and records imme-
diately after his death; the pressure of circumstances, however,
has delayed the fulfillment of my intention until now, some seven
years later. And if, by virtue of the veneration I cherish for
the master, my inexperienced pen succeeds in at least suggesting
Deppe's ideal, my aim will be fully realized. ·
Before concluding this introduction, I wish to acknowledge
my indebtedness to two of Deppe's pupils-Anna Clark-
Steinger and her husband, Mr. Frederick Clark-who, in a
series of twelve preparatory lessons, gave me a clear conception
of the Deppean principles.
In the Deppe Method of piano playing are comprised the
ideas of a great artist---of one who devoted his whole life to the
endeavor to bring about the realization of his ideals. Serene
in the face of hostile criticism, unwearied by his incessant war-
fare against incredulity, he never gave up the struggle, being
ever sustained by his unfaltering conviction that truth and right
must, sooner or later, win their way. For, in the words of·
Joh. von Mueller, "though there be times when truth and good
meet with no response, Y.et always shall that which is eternal
find its time and season." ELIS.A.BETH 0ALAND.
Wiesbaden, May, 1897.
(Present address, Oharlottenburg-Berlin.)
.ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING. 17
CHAPTER I.
The Necessity for Co-operative Action in the Muscles of
the Upper Part of the Body.
"A leading trait of grace is continuity, flowingness. Motion
in curved lines is economical motion. Given certain successive
positions to be assumed by a limb, then if it be moved in a
straight line to the first of these positions, suddenly arrested,
and then moved in another direction straight to the second
position, and so on, it is clear that, at each arrest, the momentum
previously given to the limb must be destroyed at a certain cost
of force; whereas, if, instead of arresting the limb at its first
position, its motion be allowed to continue, and a lateral force
be impressed to make it diverge towards the second position, a
curvilinear motion is the necessary result ; and by making use
of the original momentum, force is economized."- Herbert
Spencer; Scientific, Political and Speculative Essays; page 384.
D EPPE had as motto this phrase : "When it looks pretty,

then it is right." Now, what was his reason for deem-
ing an attractive appearance to be so essential an ele-
ment in piano playing i By way of answer, consider for a mo-
ment the conditions which produce this effect. Piano playing
"looks pretty" only when the pianist-making use of just those
movements which are absolutely necessary to the clear setting
forth of the musical idea-€liminates from his playing all in-
coherent and doubled ( or simultaneous) movements; for these,
heing inharmonious and disturbing in their character, not only
exert a destructive influence on the unity of a composition, but
they also effectually obscure the artistic thought with which it
is interwoven. Art never obtrudes its purpose; therefore a
work of art ceases to be true to its name if, in the rendering of
it, the performer gives undue prominence to his own efforts. In
such case, the hearer receives an impression which true art quite
forbids-namely, that the means of expression constitute the
end and aim of the art. According to Schiller, "Grace should
nlw!ys be pure Nature-that is, spontaneous ( or, at least,
18 ARTISTIO PIANO PLAYING.
a17pea.r so), and a truly graceful person will never seem to be

conscious of the possession of that charm."*
It was never Deppe's idea that anyone should be content with
learning to strum a little upon the piano in a mechanical way;
on the contrary, he held that even the shortest and simplest piece
of music might-and should-be played with such artistic grace
and finish as to turn it into a masterpiece. And herein is sug-
gested something of the far-reaching character of the Deppe
J\fethod. Certain it is that to any earnest student who rightly
discerns its true and inward meaning, and who attains to a
physical and mental mastery of the subject, is thereby guar-
anteed a realizing sense of power and of freedom hitherto un-
known.
In entering upon the main subject of this chapter, it is, first
of all, necessary to obtain a clear conception of the nature of the
movements termed "doubled" or "simultaneous" by the master,
and to see just why they mar the harmony of an artistic inter•
pretation. To aid in this design, suppose we take a familiar
illustration from everyday life, as afforded by the initial at-
tempts of a novice in the art of skating. How wildly and aim-
k·ssly the arms are thrust out in all directions, and with what
convulsive je:rks and twists the upper part of the body repeats
the awkward gyrations of the limbs as the learner strives to move
forward, and, at the same time, avoid -a fall I After a little
,practice, however, many of these doubled and unnecessary move-
ments disappeared. Day by day the joints become firmer and
the mm;cles more controlled; day by day tbe movements grow
more regulair, rhythmical, and beautiful, until, at last, the whole
appearance is a delight to the eye, and there is nothing to de-
tract from the pleasure of watching the finished skater as he
glides gracefully over the ice.
Observations of swimmers, riders, fencers, etc., will give
results similar to the above, and will create the conviction that
all physical exercises might be learned in simpler fashion, and
with far less expenditure of time and energy, if the mechanism
o-f the muscular system were first thoroughly comprehended.
• Ueber Anmut und Wuerde.
.ARTISTIO PI.ANO PLAYING. 19
From such study there would naturally arise an exact knowledge

of how best to shape each movement in order to reap a maximum
of result from a minimum of effort.
In the article by Deppe, of which mention is made in the
preface, there is a humorous reference to these simultaneous
movements when occurring in piano playing; he speaks of those
pianists who "saw the air with their hands, and who move their
elbows after a fashion which calls up visions of a cobbler at work
on his bench." Nothing caused him greater nervous irritation
1han to see and hear a pianist in whose performance one sought
in vain for a sweet and mellow tone, or a beautiful :movement.
The fusion of these two things-i. e., beauty of movement and
beauty of tone-was to him a law of primary importance in the
art of :music. In other words, he claimed that all movements on
the keyboard could be shaped in such wise that beauty of tone
wonld be the natural consequence of beauty of movement.
For if, in the acts of ordinary life, a graceful movement pro-
duces _a pleasing result, with how much greater force and sig-
nificance will this law apply to piano playing-a manifestation
of art which justly holds so high and resthetic a place!
"When_ it looks pretty, then it is right" So said Deppe,
and, in this connection, it is interesting to remember Niemet-
schek's description of the playing of l\fozM"t: "He has such
beautiful little hands, and he moves them over the keys so
naturally and easily, that the eye is delighted, while at the same
time the ear is charmed by his tones."* While we by no :means
assert that Deppe considered beautiful little hands to be essen-
tial to grace and euphony in playing, it is none the less true
that he never accepted a pupil until he had :first carefully ex-
amined the confor:mation of the hand.
Turn to Dubois Reymond's book, U eber die U ebung, and you
will read that "perfection in any physical exercise involves not
only familiarity with the necessary movements, but, in an equal
degree, the elimination of all that are aimless and superfluous."
And'Schopenhauer, in Das Objekt der Kunst, writes as follows:
"Grace consists in this, that each :movement, each change of posi-
• Otto Jahn; Ll!e of Mozart, page 133.
tion, shall be effected in the easiest, best-adapted, and least-con-

straining manner." :Making the application to piano-playing,
it then becomes in order to ask: How may the hands be moved
over the keyboard so as to answer the demands of grace, while,
at the same time, each movement is of the easiest and most ap-
propriate kind ? Such is the problem for which the Deppe
'Method provides a solution.
Since any evidence of strenuous effort renders it impossible
to convey an impression of ease and lightness, it follows that the
h:md must, first of all, be emancipated-that is to say, it must
be quite freed from the hampe:ring weight of the arm. "The
hand must be light as a feather;"' repeated Deppe often. But
how shall it be rendered light? The hand will be light only
when it is carried, instead of carrying itself, over the keyboard.
The lightness and freedom thus imparted to the hand is effected
through the agency of the shoulder and ann muscles, which sup·
port and carry the hand; and, with a view to strengthening these
parts of the body, Deppe recommended to his pupils various
phyi::ical exercises, notably those performed on the horizontal
bar. In addition he i::ent them to the parade ground, there to
watch the ·soldiers drilling, and to see how the Tecruits learn to
regulate and control their muscular movements. I myself had
to practice with dumb-bells, and even to carry one in my daily
walks, holding it first in one hand, then in the other. When I
came to Deppe for a lesson his first act was always to grasp my
hand in greeting; to meet his Tequirements, it had to be "light
as a feather," so that he could guide it in any direction he
pleased, and yet never have the sensation of sustaining any
weight whatsoever.
This light, free hand ranks first among the qualifications of a
heaven-born artist, though not always is such an one conscious of
his endowment in this regard. Deppe's idea of its importance
receives confirmation from a letter of Buelow's (Musikalisches
Wvchenblatt, 1896, No. 23), wherein he states his desire to rid
himself, under the guidance of Liszt, of the "awkward con-
straint" characterizing his execution.
Now, how does one "carry" the hand? By enlisting the aid
ARTISTIO Pl.ANO PLAYING. 21
of, first, the muscles of

the shoulder, then those
of the upper arm, and,
lastly, those of the fore-
arm. In order to have
practical demonstration
of this fact, and to prove
experimentally that the
hand is really ''light''
under these circum-
stances, try executing,
with much care, the fol-
lowing exercise: First,
raise the a r m , very
slowly, till it assumes
the attitude shown in
Plate I, bnt do not ele-
vate the shoulder in the
slightest degree. After
retaining the arm for a
moment in this posi- '
tion, let it sink, still PLAT£ 1 •
slowly, till the finger-tips touch the keys, so lightly that they arc
not depressed. D·uring the, whole cowrse of this exercise, con-
centrate the entire attention on the action of the muscles of the
back and shoulder, in order to gain. a vivid and conscious per-
ception of the truth that these muscles do work conjointly in the
t,u1k of carrying and sustaining the arm. Unless this simple
exercise be performed with thoughtfulness and deliberation, it
will be quite fruitless, for then the sensation which proves the
co-operative working of the muscles under consideration will not
be experienced. ·
A low chair for the use at the piano is an indispensable re-
quirement; its height should be so regulated that, when the hand
rests in the proper position on the keys, the line formed by the
forearm is an ascending one, and the level of the white keys is
seen to be somewhat above that of the elbow. ( See Plate II,
22 .ARTISTIC PI.ANO PL.AYING.
Chapter II.) Deppe considered the low piano-chair a matter

of paramount importance, and not without reason, for by it,i use
tht: necessary co-operation of the back and shoulder muscles with
those of the arms is, practically, rendered compulsory.
The frequent repetition of the following exercise will be
found an effectual way of gaining the requisite feather-light
hand: Raise the arm till it assumes the position shown in Plate
VI, Chapter III; then, by a conscious 'll,Se of the baclc. and
shoulder m'll,Scles, describe slow, circular movements with the
entire arm, moving it freely in the shoulder socket, and allowing
the hand to hang loosely from the wrist. Though the hand is,
necessarily, sustained by the wrist, the wrist by the forearm,
and that, in turn, by the upper arll), yet in none of these mem-
bers should there be any exertion of independent activity. The
arm must be in a state of complete rest and passivity, and simply
allow itself to be guided as a whole through the prescribed mo-
tions. Given these conditions, the hand will surely prove ~'as
light as a feather." Since this exercise-which is not specially
fatiguing-does not demand the use of a piano, it will be found
profitable to practice it in front of a mirror, and obtain thereby
a profile view of the movements. One may test the 1wrfection
0£ this exercise by watchful attention to the bend of the elbow;
for, from first to last, the angle between upper arm and forearm
must remain absolutely unaltered; in actual piano practice this
angle, of course, undergoes constant change of dimensions. It
will easily be perceived that this co-operative employment of the
· muscles may be learned, if necessary, more readily through
practical instruction in a lesson-hour than from any theoretical
description.
At this point the majority of pianists will be ready to ask:
lVhy should I make use of the muscles of my shoulder and back
when playing the piano ?
Because, in the first place, the hand must be, according to
Deppe's rule, "as light as a feather," and, as we have seen, this
lightness is an impossibility unless the shoulder, not the hand,
sustains and carries the weight of the arm.*
• When the performer sit.s high, it is inevitable that at least a part of the weight of the
arm must be borne hy the lingers. under which circumstances the hand st once becomes
h~avy; hence it is clear why the master insisted that only a low chair should be used at the
p1ano.-[E. S.S.]
Secondly ( in conformity with a foundation law of the mus-

cular economy), one who observes this principle in his playing
will not only expend less vital force, but will use bis ·strength
more harmoniously. Now, in the opinion of Herbert Spencer,
as given in his essay on "Gracefulness," "truly graceful mo-
tions are those performed with comparatively little effort;" and
again, he adds: "The graceful way of performing any evolution
is the way that costs the least effort." Let us consider why this
is the case.
When Dubois-Reymond declares that "one cannot imagine a
Liszt or a Rubenstein without muscles of iron," and that, fur-
thermore, "the bow of J oachim's violin travels several furlongs
during the performance of a symphony,"* he brings home to
u.s most forcibly, by means of these illustrations, some concep-
tion of the tremendous expenditure of energy involved in the
playing of an artist. That the hand alone can meet such a de-
mand is obviously impossible, seeing that, in itself, it possesses
a relatively small amount of muscular power. It therefore
becomes evident that those who follow the example of the great
artists, and enlist the help of all available muscles, will not only
cornmand greater strength, but strength of a far more enduring
character.
Such, then, is the principle we may term "muscular synergy."
The effect of its operation in piano-playing is the production
of an absolutely noble and beautiful tone, a tone pervaded with
a strange charm, a tone which never wounds the ear by its
h'lrdness-in short, a tone which is the exact opposite of that.
produced by a detached finger-stroke. Be it played forte or
piano, never does this tone lose its rare sweetness, nor an in-
herent quality of intensity by virtue of which it is invested
with such marvelous carrying power.
This harmonious interworking of the muscles of the upper
part of the body was an underlying and essential principle in
Deppe's teaching. Nor is its influence limited to the sphere of
tone-production; on the contrary, it forms the basis-as we shall
see later-for the artistic and spontaneous rendering of an en-
• Ueber die Uebung; page 24.
24 ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING.
tire work of art. A paragraph from Souriau's "Esthetique du

M ouvement" may appropriately be quoted here:
"When we have to make an exertion of strength, muscular
synergy is requisite in ord'er to avoid fatigue. Not only do we
spare ourselves, in this way, a painful sensation of strained
effort, but we actually develop more of real energy. Force is
not transmitted to the muscles, but is engendered by them; and,
each of them having but a limited amount of energy at its diir
posal, it follows that, if we wish to put into any movement
every available atom of energy, then we must obtain the con-
current working of the greatest possible number of muscular
:fibers. In order that these diverse muscular actions shall not
counteract one another, it is indispensable that they be fash-
ioned under the law of a common rhythm, and this is what we
understand by muscular synergy. In executing any movement
which is somewhat complicated the muscles do not work simul-
taneously, but act one after the other; and the efficacy of the
result depends on the perfection of the rhythm which is be-
stowed upon this series of partial efforts. It is necessary that
these be combined in such a way that each muscle shall come
into action at the most favorable moment. The habit of this
rhythm once formed, it appears to us a perfectly natural pro-
ceeding; at first it is, of course, not so easy. When we have to
make an unaccustomed movement, we soon realize that we must
first find out a certain method by which to shape that move-
ment."
This law of "muscular synergy," which Souriau considers of
such vital importance, forms, as it were, the keystone of the
arch in the Deppe Method of piano playing. At this point it
may be well to mention that all well-formed children have, by
nature, a "light hand;" later, through the occupations of daily
life-such as writing and other hand work-this natural light-
ness is o:ften lost. But it may be recovered, even in adult lif~,
and the habit of "harmonious co-operation of the muscles" again
contracted, if only care be taken that the movements have their
beginning in the right source of power-that is to say, in the
muscles of the back. For, in the words of Herder, "If the body
ARTISTIO PI.ANO PLAYING. 25
is regular-that is equal on each side--then the center of

gravity is found in the middle, and the arms poise themselves
evenly on either side. In all creatures of nature there exists
this center of gravity which is the governing or ruling point,
and which regulates the movements of each side of the body."*
In order to have practical demonstration of the truth of this
assertion, return again to the exercise described in connection
with Plate I.
* Vom Angenehmen in Gestalten.
CHAPTER II.
Position of Hand and Arm; Tone Production.
"Whoever will achieve great things must be capable of deep
penetration, keen discrimination, broad combinations, and stead-
fast perseverance. "-Schiiwr.
A S HAS already been intimated in the preceding chapter,

one of D!3ppe's first requirements was the use of a low
chair at the piano, its height to be regulated by the
relative positions of hand and elbow.* If, when the hand is
laid on the keyboard, the level of the elbow is seen to be a trifle
lower than that of the white keys ( see Plate II), then the
height of the piano chair is correct, and the player is ready
to assume the Deppe hand position, as follows: The right arm
being raised and carried freely by the muscles of the shoulder,
the hand, "light as a feather," is slowly lowered until the finger
tips touch lightly the keys** G, A, B, O, and D, but without
depressing them in the least-an achievement which becomes
possible only when the hand is entirely supported by the arm,
..and the arm by the shoulder. The elbow should be as close to
the body as is possible without undue compulsion, and tlie line
formed by the fifth finger, the outside of the hand, and the fore-
arm should be a straight one-that is to say, the forearm should
form a right angle with the keyboard. (This feature is shown
with admirable clearness in Plate III.) A regulator for this
lin~ is found in the middle finger, on which the hand may turn
as on a pivot until the correct position is found, and the finger!5
assume the curved and tranquil attitude depicted in Plates II
and III. It will be found needful to guard carefully against
unconscious elevation of the shoulder, and equal care must be
taken that the entire pose of hand, arm, and body remains
• To avoid the necessity of using an inconveniently low chair, Bechstein, of Berlin, has
constructed, after Deppe's plans, a piano having longer legs than those of the ordinary
instrument.
,.,. First space above staff; treble clef.
•
quite easy and unconstrained. "Always amiable" (liebens-.

wueirdig), said Deppe. The wrist-which is more or less ele-
vated during the execution of runs, etc.-is now to be held but
slightly higher than the back of the hand, so that the latter
hns a barely perceptible slope upward toward the wrist. A
point to be closely watched is the position of the outside of the.
ha'l}d; so far from being permitted to sink at all, it should be
forned upward from the keyboard to a height a little above the
level of the thumb. Naturally there will result a certain
obliquity in the line of the second finger; and the thumb, curved
outwards at the first joint, will have little more than its tip on
the keyboard.
PLATS II.
The first exercise, preliminary to any actual finger work,

consists merely in an endeavor to hold the hand and arm, with
perfect immobility aruf yet without stiffness, in the position
nbove described-a £eat which experience will prove to be much
E1asier in theory than in practice. A profile view of the correct
attitude is given in Plate II, while Plate III shows the hand as
seen from above.
I.et us now consider some of the advantages accruing from
thiE- hand-position.
(1) Owing to the straight line running through the hand
nnd arm, the muscular connection between the two becomes of
the most direct and positive kind. When the hand is allowed
•
28 .ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYING.
to t-urn out at the wrist, this "rapport" is summarily broken at

that point, and the fourth and fifth fingers-no longer lying
parallel with the keys, but stretched diagonally across them-
suffer a proportionate loss of freedom and of power.
(2) The very important muscles which lie along the under
( or inner) side of the forearm are now brought into exactly
PLATE 111,
that position which is most favorable to their free and unham-

pered co-operation with the muscles of the upper arm; hence
:follows a notable increase in their strength and efficiency.
(3) Through the agency of this hand-position the fingeri;i
are effectually aided in attaining to cornplete independence,
and equality of power.
Now we come t.o the few finger exercises which Deppe pre-
scribed and which he always prefaced by a command to con-
centrate the whole attention on the movement to be performed,
the player making, as it were, a mental map of the entire rout.a
from brain to finger tips.*
First place the hand upon the keyboard in the manner of the
preliminary exercise, and with the fingers on the same keys.
Then raise the fifth finger a very little from its key ( the other
fingers remaining poised lightly on their respective keys), but
be careful not to· raise it t.oo high, else there will result a
"crack" in the muscles, and, according to Deppe, there will be
a consequent interruption of the connection between hand and
arm. By a direct effort of the will maintain the finger in its
elevated position for a moment; then, by a single, quick, de-
cisive movement bring it on to the key below. The finger
ehould not be thrown on the key, nor should the tone be the
result of a push or a blow thereon; on the contrary, the move-
ment should be so direct, so rapid, so devoid of all outward ap-
pearance of effort, as t.o give the impression that the finger has
simply been allowed to fall of its own weight upon the key.
Deppe always said, "Do not strike ; let the fingers fall ;" and
he used this expression in order that his pupils might have their
att.ention effectually directed to the importance of the apparent
unpremeditation which underlies artistiu tone-production.
Later we shall return to this subject.
After the fifth finger has gone through several careful repe-
titions of the above exercise-each time returning to its exact
original position--execute the same movement with the other
fingers, each in its turn, meanwhile maintaining the most com-
plete tranquillity in the hand itself and in the unemployed
fingers. Each separate finger, quite unaffected by the task
which its neighbor has to perform, must carry out with perfect
independence the commands transmitted to it from the brain.
In this manner one may, by watchful observation, obtain an
exact idea of the extent t.o which his fingers actually work under
the conscious direction of the will. At first the effort to maintain
• Deppe was accustomed, just here, to point first at the forehead, and then at the finger tips.
30 .ARTISTIO PIANO PLAYlNG.
the hand in the strict Deppean position will occasion a certain

amount of trembling in hand, arm, and finger; but, after a short
time of practice has brought the fingers under better domina-
tion, this feeling of tension will disappear. Still further prac-
tice will so "educate" the hand-to use Deppe's word-that the
fingers will learn to yield instant obedience t.o the will, and a
tranquil pose of the hand and of the unemployed fingers will
become habitual with the player.
At this point one is ready to proceed t.o the binding together
of two consecutive t.ones, beginning with the fifth finger as
before, and listening with keen attention to make sure that each
tone, as it dies away, is really carried over to the next one, in
pure legato style. The liaison should be so perfect that, in
expressive German parlance, "no air is perceptible between the
tones," and to this end it is essential that the ear be trained to
possess a fine critical faculty.
The next step is to use two fingers simultaneously-under
precisely the same conditions as at first-in producing the thirds
B-D; B-D; A-0; A-0; G-B; G-B, etc., thus prepar-
ing the hand for binding together, as smoothly as if they were
single tones, the thirds B-D, A-0; A-0, G-B, etc. The
left hand goes through the same exercises, three octaves lower on
the keyboard, except that the fifth finger, instead of the thumb,
reets <'~ the key G. It will be found that the effect of the
,vork performed is, in a measure, communicated from one hand
to the other, with beneficial result; and, since the hands go
through the same exercises, under identical conditions, it fol-
lows that they are finally brought under absolutely equal con-
trol. These exercises-the only ones which Deppe prescribed-
form the daily bread of a Deppean pupil, and even a very ad-
vanced player will prove that they constitute, when practiced
with deliberation and accuracy, an unrivaled means of dis-
cipline for hands and fingers.*
A tone produced according to these rules will, of necessity,
be weak in the beginning; indeed, to avoid forcing the tone,
• Allow me to emphasize the fact that, from first to lest, the hand and arm find no point
of support on the keyboard. Therein these exercises differ radically, therefore, from various
similar ones in which certain keys are held down by one or more fingers during the perform-
ance of the exercise.-[E. S.S.]
it should, at first, be barely audible. Naturally it is not pos-

sible to produce a tone having much volume when the mind and
will a1·e entirely absorbed in the effort to make each movement
of the fingers in exactly the right manner, and at the same time
to govern the operation of the muscles from shoulder to finger-
tips. But, after the precise position of the hand has been ac-
quired, and the working of the muscular mechanism has been
mastered both physically and mentally, then the tone will ever
grow in beauty and in sonority, and will be so spontaneous, so
expressive, so instinct with life, th!lt the player's wondering joy
and satisfaction will likewise increase as the days go by.
The concentration of musical sensitiveness in the finger-tips
is a faculty which only thoughtful practice can develop. This
sensation may be compared, in some degree, •to that experi-
enced by a performer on a stringed instrument; that is to say, a
similarly close and intimate connection should exist between
the fingers of a pianist and the keys of his piano. As a help-
ful exercise in this direction, Deppe required his pupils fre-
quently to hold a rubber ball in the hand, lightly pressing it
meanwhile with the finger-tips, thus arousing and strengthening
a delicate touch perception, and developing "consciousness"
( Bewusstsein) in the extremities of the fingers.
This exercise served at the same time another purpose, for the
muscles of the palm, being called into play to hold the ball
firmly in the hollow of the hand, gained thereby an added
power.
And so, little by little, this sensibility will reach higher de-
velopment, and "the mutual discipline of hands and brain," as
Deppe termed it, will gradually receive more thorough under-
standing; then the bud will unfold into the beautiful and con-
'summate flower, and one will realize the truth and force of
the axiom, "first a little tone (Toenchen) and then a tone."*
]'or "it should never be forgotten that apparently insignificant
trifles may have great results, seeing that the materials
for the most marvelous building must first be accumulated grai:n
by grain." (Schiller.)
*Klose: Die Deppe'sche Lehre.
Now, the scales will no longer be hammered out of the piano;

on the contrary, it will seem to the hearer as if the performer
drew the tones from the instrument at the tips of his :fingers.
And, just as after a rain, one may notice a railing gemmed with
a row of sun-illumined raindrops, so now the tones of a scale
will pearl forth, each tone just as pure, as round, and as crystal-
clear as its neighbor.
CHAPTER III.
The Binding of Tones-The Playing of Scales-The Lead-
ing of the Hand .
•
" Forms ascend in order from the lowest to the highest. The
lowest form is the angular, or the terrestial and corporeal. The
second, and next higher form is the circular, which is also called
the perpetual-angular, because the circumference of a circle is a
perpetual angle. The form above this is the spiral, parent and
measure of circular forms. The form above this is the vortical,
or the perpetual-spiral; •the next the perpetual-vortical, or
the celestial ; last, the perpetual-celestial, or the spiritual."
-Swedenborg.
(Quoted in Emerson's "Representative Men.")
I N THE execution of runs, and in the binding together of

the various tones, chords, etc., which go to make up a piece
of music, it is, of course, necessary that the hand move
freely from one part 0£ the keyboard to another. Now, in
nature, all beautiful movements are more or less curved in their
form; and, furthermore, Spencer asserts that "motion in curved
lines is economical motion." These two principles-beauty of
form and conservation of energy-Deppe applied to the science
o:f piano-playing, and he termed the resultant motion of hand
and arm the "simple, rovmaed movement," in contradistinction
to the complicated, doubled, and angular movements of the aver-
age pianist; it corresponds to the "perpetual spiral" of Sweden-
borg. "Since the hand must never be inert or passive, but
always consciously alive," this movement is a continuous one,
beginning with the first note of a piece, and ending only when
the last tone has been sounded; therefore it is unsurpassed as a
means whereby a composition may be rendered in most com-
pact and perfect form; £or, since all meaningless and super-
fluous motions are avoided, the movement adapts itself with
the utmost nicety to the varying demands of the music. Even
when a rest occurs, the movement is not interrupted, for the
3
84 .ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING.
hand, when liited from the keyboard, is carried to the keys next
to be played in a cnrve, the magnitude of which is accurately
proportioned to the duration of the rest.* So unbroken is the
rhythm of the composition, through the use of this simple means,
that, as Deppe said, "the very rests become music." And so
this curved and continuous movement, always reflective in its
character, forms, as it were, a connecting thread, running
through and uniting the ideas of the entire piece. •
Herder, in his treatise, "Vom Schoenen und Angenehmen
der Umrisse, Farben, and Toene," page 62, has somewhat to
say regarding this circular co-ordination of the melodic chain:
"A cycle unites all tones and successions of tones by an in-
dissoluble bond,. in such a way that, with one tone, we have all
the others, and we are given not only one melody, but the
whole series of melodies which H certain definite scale can
produce. And just as a beautiful form is never born from
the straight line and the square alone ( although these consti-
tute the basis of accuracy in art as well as in geometry), so
harmony-which is to tone what geometry is to f orms--can
never give rise to the ever-changing melody of passion unless
each sentiment has its curve, its climax, its aim, and its meas-
ure. The multitude of lines lying between the straight line
and the circle are all lines of beauty, and, in music, these lines
are melodic curves, each having its own path, distinct from that
of any othE'r, but all united by one eternal law, the law of the
tone-c ird e.'·'
Herder, it will be seen, regards the circular movement as
being the generator not only of single tones, but of any succes-
sion of tones. Now, let us try to make clear how Deppe put
this principle to practical use. How, for instance, shall one
play the scale of C Major~
In the :first place, all the tones, as has been said, will be pro-
duced as the result of a circle-forming movement, the first arc
of the circle being in evidence as the hand describes the ascend-
ing scale. The elbow being held as close to the side as is con-
sistent with a free and relaxed condition of the arm, the hand
•On this point see "Die Deppe'sche Lehre," by Klose; page 17.
is then carried on to the keyboard, with wrist well raised. With

the second note of the scale, however, the wrist must be lowered
a little, and with the third note, it should sink sufficiently to
reinstate the hand in the regulation position. This movement
Llf gradual return to the prescribed position marks the begin-
ning of the curvilinear movement, which finds further expression
as the hand is moved, slowly and with reflection, over the fol-
lowing keys~ Each finger is conducted to a point exactly ouer
the key which it ·is to depress, and thus, as no finger need ever
forestall the progressive movement of hand and arm by an in-
dependent stretching out toward its key, it follows that the
liarmony of the ensemble is never disturbed. And so, while the
fingers take the first three keys, the hand is carried, by a
lateral and progressive movement of the wrist, so far to the
right that the passing under of the thumb, as it sinks on F, is
barely perceptible to the eye; as for the second, third, fourth,
and fifth fingers, they have but to take the keys over which
they naturally find themselves. The third finger, it will be re-
membered, serves, by virtue of its position, as a regulator for
the straight line which one must always imagine as running
through hand and forearm. One ·of Deppe's sayings concern-
ing the legato scale was, "The binding of tones should be in
the hand itself"-that is, there must be a conscious realization
of the fact that real tone-producing power resides in the alter-
nate movements of expansion and contraction of the hand.
If the position of ,the hand in runs and the scales is correct,
it will appear to be carried in a slightly oblique fashion over
the keyboard, a circumstance which recalls a statement of Amy
Fay's, in her book, ":Music Study in Germany" (page 291):
"Deppe's way of playing avoids throwing the hand out of posi-
tion and the smoothness and rapidity of the scale
must be much greater. The direction of the hand in running
passages is always a little oblique. When Deppe was
6xplaining this to me, I suddenly remembered that when he
(Liszt) was playing scales or passage, his fingers seemed to lie
across the keys in a slanting sort of way, and to execute these
mpid passages almost without any perceptible motion."
In playing the descending scale, the hand describes the second

half of the ellipse. The wrist, governed by the shoulder and
upper arm, retains the hand in the correct, slightly
oblique attitude, and above all allows no alteration of
this pose during the passing over of the third and
fourth fingers. In the left hand the direction of the slant
is, of course, reversed. The most palpable advantage of this
hand position is the one alluded to by Miss Fay: the displace-
ment of the hand incident to the passage of the thumb is re-
duced to a minimum, and, owing to this suppression of dis-
turbing movements, the hand appears to descend the keyboard
:in an unbroken line. As the hand moves toward either ex-
t!'emity of the keyboard, the upper part of the body must bend
slightly in that direction; in this way the mutual relation of
han<l, arm; and upper arm remains unaltered, and the hand,
as it fa moved over the keys, can retain the strict Deppean pose
in all its characteristic tranquillity. The accompanying engrav-
ing represents the position the hand assumes at the critical
movement in a descending scale, and shows how there is no
necessity for any movement of anticipation on the part of
fingers, hand, wrist, or forearm. The thumb is just in the act
of sinking on F, and at the same instant the hand-through the
agency of upper arm and shoulder, and without any independ-
ent action of the lingers-is carried as a whole to a point where
the third finger drops easily on E. Thus, as has been said, the
PLATE IV.
disturbing movements are reduced to the smallest possible di- ·

mensions, and therefore the player arrives at a legato scale in
the most natm·al manner possible.
While the players's mental perception of the curved character
of the movement must he very clear and well-defined, yet the
consciousness thereof should exist only in himself; "good deeds
should be done in silence," Deppe was wont to say. The auditor
will observe only the easy and graceful raising and lowering of
the hand; and the curved movement will reveal itself only in
the instant when the hand is poised on the keyboard or lifted
from it. In the one case, the elevated wrist, with which the
hand approaches the keyboard, assumes the normal position,
with a supple downward and outward motion, at the instant
the fingers take the first key; in the other a gradual raising of
the wrist is the beginning of the movement which removes the
hand from the keyboard. The elevation of the wrist should be
somewhat marked during the execution of runs, but, generally
speaking, it should keep the prescribed position, as shown in
Plate II, where it is seen to be just a trifle higher than the
knuckles. As for the back. of the hand, it must remain in a
state of controlled tranquillity-a very different thing from
inert passivity-the while the :fingers, intellectualized ( durck-
dackt) to the very tips, take the keys over which they are con-
ducted by hand and arm.
This "simple, curved movement" of Deppe's teaching lends
itself readily to the performance of any musical form. As an
instance of its perfect adaptation to the task of binding a suc-
cession of runs, take the following example from the first
Etude in Ozemy's School of Velocity. Its performance will
give rise to a (laterally) circular movement of the hand, the
path it thus describes being represented by the continuous line
drawn on the keyboard in the accompanying engraving. This
line shows the path followed by the right hand during the first
four measures of the Etude, and one should carefully follow
the course of this line, in imagination, from beginning to end,
bearing in mind, meanwhile, the corresponding music. It will
then be readily perceived that the first half of each rounded
movement there depicted is the result of the performance of the

corresponding measure, and that tlie second half is created by
the movement which the hand makes when binding the end of
one measure to the beginning of the following one. The mental
perception of the uninterrupted cha,racter of the movement must
he keen and vivid; then it will not be difficult to see how beau-
tifully the movement which places the hand on the keyboard
is rounded out and completed by the one which lifts it there-
from. (And it may be said, also, that there could be no better
illustration than this Etude of the commingling of Deppe's two
foundation principles-grace of form and conservation of
energy.) By virtue of this continuous movement all succeed-
ing measures may be rendered in exact conformity with the
manner of the first one, each in turn being attacked with an
elevated but pliant wrist which, at the third note, assumes the
level customary in running passages. ( See paragraph on scale
playing.) Since the hand, as has been said, is carried over
the desired keys, and since nothing is demanded of the fingers,
save that they take, in the best possible manner, the keys over
which they are thus conducted, it follows that the tones will be
produced with little or no outward sign of effort. When hand
or finger tries to anticipate this progressive carrying movement
of the arm, the inevitable result will be an inharmonious and

superfluous movement; therefore it is well to remember Deppe's
rule, that the center of gravity of the palm should always be
directly over the keys that are to be played.
PLATE V.
The downward movement of hand and arm upon the keys

was termed by Deppe the "controlled free fall';" the movements
which prepare for this important one are clearly shown in
the accompanying engravinirs; In Plate V the hand has been
PLATE VI.
photographed in the typical Deppean pose it assumes when

first it leaves the keys, ,vhile in Plate VI this movement is con-
tinued and the hand, supported in utmost freedom by the arm,
hovers over the next chord or passage to be played. Deppe
used the term "controlled free-fall" as applicable in equal de-
ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYING.
gree to the movement of a finger in the production of a single

tone, and to the descent of the hand as a whole upon the keys.
In either case it was, of course, a forcible, if paradoxical, ex-
pression, designed to impress upon his pupils' minds the spon-
taneity which should characterize both tone-producing and tone-
uniting movements. The descending movement should be so
direct and unwavering, so devoid of all hesitancy or incoher-
ence, that it will look as if hand and arm had simply been
allowed to fall of their own weight upon the key. In like
manner each curvilinear movement should create the impression
that it is involuntary-that it is a natural outgrowth of the
music, and not something forced or extraneous.
While there must be no constraint in the attitude of arm or
body during the performance of the Etude we have just been
Jiscussing, yet nevertheless it will not do to lose sight of the
repeated cautions regarding the position of the elbow. The
elbow is particularized because its superior mobility makes it
readily inclined to go out of range; but, unless it is kept as
near the body as may be, its conspicuous activity will effect a
radical change in the correct hand and· arm positions, and its
quite superfluous movements will destroy that s.ense of repose
and harmony which should form an integral part of all per-
formance. To sum all up, the elbow should be, as it were, the
center of gravity of the arm, or, as Deppe expressed it, "the
elbow should be like lead"-that is, it should always be held as
if a weight were adherent to its under side. As for the un-
necessary movements referred to, they may be totally avoided
simply by the use of a low piano chair, and, as this also in-
sures the co-operation of the essential muscles in back and
shoulder, the student is able to give all his attention to pre-
venting hand or forearm from leaving the proper pose. Given
these conditions, perfection in movement and in tone-produc-
tion is a matter of time and practice only. Most children, of
normal build, have by nature a ''light hand" at the piano
( though-alas !-it is often rendered quite the reverse by erro-
neous teaching), and it is, therefore, rarely needful to explain
to them anything concerning the supporting and carrying
ARTISTIO PI.ANO PLAYING. 41
powers of upper arm and shoulder muscles. All the attention

of the teacher may, in such cases, be concentrated on securing
from the little pupil graceful and simple movements, and a
musical tone.
The beauty of the Deppe system lies in this: that any piece
may be played-like the few measures borrowed from Czerny-
with a continuous, curvilinear movement. But the curves de-
scribed by hand and arm in their evolutions over the keyboard
must mver exceed the limits of strict necessity. When osten-
tatious or exaggerated in character, then, in place of seeming
t.o be the "outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual
grace," their disproportion will excite only laughter--so true
is it that "from the sublime to the ridiculous is but a step."
Naturally, it is easier to determine and to follow the proper
movement line in a scale than in a piece of music, for in the
latter many curves melt and blend into one another, and groups
of tones must often be taken with a single inpulse of the mind,
and a single curved movement of hand and arm. But all these
and similar difficulties will explain themselves if only the
player is careful to begin his experiments with very simple
pieces, ~nd thereby learn to conform his movements with ex-
tictitude to the style and content of a composition. One who
wat.ches such a player attentively, and follows each motion with
his eye, will sometimes fancy himself to be on the point of
grasping the underlying principle which originates and governs
the graceful and uninterrupted movement. But ever the law
eludes him, for, as Souriau says in his book on "l'EsthetiqtU
du Mouvement," ''it often happens that what one takes to be a
single curve is, in reality, a series of different curves."
When Deppe uttered the axiom, "a flat pose of the hand
sounds flat"-i. e., lifeless or wooden-he meant thereby to
emphasize the importance of making every movement a curved
one, for it is only by an awkward and angular movement that
one can lay the hand "flat''_ upon the keys, and the inevitable
consequence thereof is a hard, unmusical tone. But the placing
of the hand, with wrist well raised, upon the keys, is the be-
ginning of a curvilinear movement ; this is continued in the
pliant, downward-and-outward motion with which the wrist re-

turns the hand to the normal position; and it finds further
expression as the wrist rises again, with an equally :flexible,
yet controlled, movement, and thus prepares the hand for a
new descending curve. In this manner the hand describes, at
each successive displacement, a curve which joins itself to the
one next following; thus the moi•ement becomes an unintet·-
rupted one, because the ha,nd is mea,nwhile carried over the
keys by the same continuous movement that enchains the sepa-
rate curves.
·when this combination movement of wrist, hand, and arm
has been made one's own, then will come of itself a clear per-
ception of the fact that this "simple movement" lends itself with
equal readiness to the performance of runs, thirds, sixths,
arpeggios, chords, octaves, trills, and staccato passages-though
naturally, in the execution of such varying forms, many dif-
ferent muscles will be brought into play and will exert a degree
of force ·proportionate to the demands of the passage to be
played. The player should always endeavor to create for him-
self a menfol picture of a composition, in which these various
arpeggios and runs, chords and octaves· figure as entwining
ropes of pearls; he should follow in imagination the curving
lines formed ·by the execution of such passages, and have a
vivid_ consciousness of the fact that by his two hands these in-
visible threads are to be ceaselessly interwoven.
Progressions of thirds and sixths are played with the hand
and wrist in the position so often described, special pains bei:qg
taken to insure infinite lightness in hand and wrist-a condi-
tion absolutely essential to smooth and rapid progression of
the fingers. Given this condition, if the fingers are also thor-
oughly alive to their task, and are cnrried over the keys to be
played, then the tones ·will be bound with such perfection that,
to use Deppe's phrase, "there wi11 not be room between them
for the tiniest grain of sand."
The same co.riditions obtain for the execution of arpeggios
and hroken chords.. As usual, the hand returns to regulation
position during the playing of the first three notes, thus be-
ARTISTIC PIANO P:C.AYING. 43
ginning that curved movement, the characteristic form of which

is never absent ( during preparatory practice, be it said) from
the mental consciousness of the player. During an ascending
arpeggio or broken chord--embodying the first half of the cir-
cular movement-the hand is managed precisel_y as in a scale,
the only difference being that greater intervals now separate the
tones. And so, by the elastic outward movement of the wrist,
governed as before by upper arm and shoulder, the hand is con-
ducted over the keys in a slightly oblique position, which re-
duces the passage of the thumb to a point almost of impercepti-
bility. At the same time, by means of the mentally-con-
trol1ed expansion and contraction of hand and fingers, the in-
dividuJ:1.l tones, drawn from the instrument by the sensitive
finger tips, will sound consciom, and alive ("bewusst und
beseclt"). In the descending arpeggio (second half of the cir•
cular movement) the wrist must now maintain a restraining in-
fluence on the hand, for, according to Deppe, "if the hand,
under such circumstances turns to the left at the wrist in order
. to facilitate the passage of the third and fourth fingers, then
their respective tones will be produced by means of a detached
stroke or blow Qf the finger-a heterogeneous, mechanical, and
utterl_y superfluous- action, which will materially impede the
harmonious progression of the melodic thought."* He held
the opinion that any anticipatory movement on the part of
hand, forearm, or finger-any isolated activity of these mem-
bers-was certain to cause a variation in the normal hand posi-
tion, and to derange, more or less, by consequence, the entire
playing apparatus. Under such circumstances the fingers and
the upper arm are no longer "en rapport," for the communica-
tion between them has been interrupted by some independent,
~rbitrary movement, to right or left, of a finger, the hand, or
the forearm. This erroneous movement, however, should by no
means be confounded with that indispensable and elastic lateral
movement of the wrist which is directed and controlled b,v
upper arm and shoulder. In the latter case, the hand will
always be found in the correct position-that is, with a straight
•Klose: Die Deppe'sche Lehre, paJ(e 13.
44 .ARTISTIO PI.ANO PLAYING.
line running through hand and forearm--simply because cor-

rect hand position and perfect wrist movement are both depend-
ent upon the same cause-namely, the operation of upper arm
muscles, ably supported by those of back and shoulder.
The basal principles in chord-playing are the same as already

specified. When the chords are separated by wide intervals, or
are detached (as in the above example), then the magnitude of
the arc deecribed hy hand and arm must be proportionate to the
duration of the rests, and to the force demanded in the execu-
tion of the chords; such a chord will be in evidence to the
player's consciousness in the lower half of the circular move-
ment which produces it. In a legato chord passage, however,
the chord lies, as it were, in the middle of the circle, which is,
of necessity, as small in dimensions as it is rapid and. unob-
trusive of accomplishment, and which must be under such strict
mental control that the hand obtains only the exact time
requisite to describe the curve through which it grasps the next
chord. Thanks to the uniting powers of these scarce-percepti-
ble curves, the legato of such a passage becomes irreproachable.
Deppe explained the practical application of the curved move
ment to the playing of chords as follows: The hand, with wrist
well ·raised and entirely under the domination of the will, is
laid upon the keyboard, and, the very instant the sensitive
finger tips have depressed the desired keys, the wrist is made
to yield with an elastic downward motion which gradually re·
stores the hand to the normal position. Whether this wrist
movement shall be slow or rapid depends entirely on the dura-
tion of the chord, for "there must not be an instant's pause in
the movement; on the contrary, its continuity must be abso·
lute," while, at the same time, it is natural, simple, and graceful
in appearance. Therefore, the wrist inflection must continue
without the sliihtest jerk or interruption until it is merged in
the movement which lifts the hand from the keys, preparatory
to the taking of the next chord in the same manner as before.
It cannot be repeated too often, however, that this movement~
though carried out with all necessary pliancy and grace, must
ever have behind it the co-operation and controlling power of
the superior muscles of arm and shoulder. Tones produced
in this manner will actually seem to be hovering in the air,
and will possess a beauty so ideal that all thought of the ma-
teriality of the instrument from which they emanate will en-
tirely disappear.
The movement form in staccato playing is exactly the same.
The firm and sensitive finger tips must, of course, leave the
keys with the utmost rapidity, once the tones have been taken,
and the "simple curved movement" is naturally of the smallest
possible dimensions; in fact, it may be reduced to such a degree
in rapid playing that, through the inwardly controlled
rhythmical operation of arm and shoulder muscles, the motion
of the hand on the key will come finally to resemble a regu-
lated trembling, or vibration, the result of each vibration being
the production of a tone. This description applies equally to
the playing of octaves, for in their rapid execution exactly the
flame diminution of the movement takes place. The hand must
be "light as a feather," and freely supported by arm and shoul-
der, the fingers being tense and curved, and the wrist firm, yet
dastic; then a vibratory motion, which originates in the back
and shoulder, is transmitted to the hand, each vibration produc-
ing an octave with a precision and regularity proportionate to
the concentration of mind exerted by the performer.
Trills are executed according to the same general princi-
ples-that is, the shaking movement of the hand is governed by
upper arm and shoulder; the finger tips do not leave the.surface
of the keys. The more intensity one wishes to infuse into the
tones, the greater must be the degree of tension in those muscles
which carry the hand over the desired keys, and which co-
operate with it in tone production.
That wonderful unity of design which serves to distinguish
the Deppe Method from all others renders it unnecessary to go
into further detail with regard t:o other technieal figures.· Let
it suffice to say that they all rest on the same simple founda-
tion principles as laid down in Chapter I: The "feather-light"
hand, freely supported arid carried by the arm; correct and
logical hand-and-arm positions; the production of tone through
a seeming "free fall" of arm, hand, or finger; the curvilinea1·
rn01,ement in tone-production and tone-uniting; and the men,-
tally-controlled contraction of the hand, always demanding an
instant, elastic, lateral movement of the wrist. One who
makes these principles his own-not less through reflection than
through practice-will find that he gradually arrives at sponta-
neons comprehension of every teehnical problem.
A performance after this manner will always appear to cost
little effort, simply because, as has been said, a minimum of
labor is made to yield a maximum of result. Every movement
of the player has its own special raison d'etre, and is made with
some definite end in view, and the whole general effect is one of
such simplicity that an observer is apt to cherish the delusion
that he, too, could play in just that manner. But this apparent
simplicity is, in reality, an attribute of art in its highest mani-
festations, for, as Frederick Wieck said: "Pure, genuine beauty
is always synonymous with simplicity." Schiller, also, wrote
as follows: "True beauty is founded on the strictest precision,
on the most exact distinctions, and on the highest intrinsic
necessity, but these attributes should rather allow themselves
to be sought £or than thrust themselves forcibly forward.
Perfect conformity to law there must be, but it should seem
to be pure nature. A work which fulfills these conditions will
fully satisfy the understanding as soon as study has been made
of it, but precisely because it is truly beautiful, its conformity
to law i~ only suggested, never obtr·c1cted; and, therefore, it does
not appeal to the understanding alone; on the contrary, it ad-
dresses itself as a harmonious entity to the entire man, t:o all
his faculties together; it is nature speaking to nature."*
* Ueber die notwendigen Grenzen beim Gebrauch schoener Formen.
ARTISTI<J PIANO PLAYING. 47
CHAPTER IV.
Concerning Practice.
" Taste the most refined,
Feeling the most profound,
Hearing the most delicate.
With the whole soul,

With the whole heart,
With the whole understanding."
-Friedrl.ch Wieck.
T HE TONE.:._so small in the beginning-will be

found to increase in volume daily, in propor-
tion as the pupil acquires equal domination over
the different joints and muscles, and learns to employ
his fingers in conscious and reflective fashion. Mean-
while there will go on, coincidently, a gradual enlightenment of
the understanding, and a deepening of that power of percep-
tion, of intelligent insight which is so essential to the artistic
interpretation of a composition. Deppe was wont to liken this
interdependent development of tone power and of musical
understanding to the process of growth in a seed planted in the
soil. Hidden away in the seed is the entire plant-in embryo
-which later is to unfold itself, and yet, in the first weeks after
planting, it is often hard to realize that the seed is alive at all.
Rut although it gives no sign, the plant is none the less devel-.
oping all the while. One day it suddenly appears above
ground, spreads out its leaves, waxes larger day by day, and
:finally, when arrived at full strength, displays the blossoms,
which are sign and token of its maturity.
The building of a house served Deppe £or another illustra-
tion. First a firm foundation must be laid to form a support
for all that shall follow. Then come walls, floors, staircases,
etc., and, after months of strenuous toil-always preceded by
logical reflection-the whole structure is crowned by the roof,
and from the windows the owner may freely gaze on every side.
And just so it is with the Deppean scholar. Such an one, striv-
ing ever to reach his ideal, will derive a very real pleasure,
even in the beginning, from his attempts to produce a perfect
tone, for this is, as it were, both foundation and corner-stone
of the stately structure he hopes to build according to the mas-
ter's principles. By means of a technic which adjusts itself
with precision to the varying demands of a composition, he is
taught to avoid all movements possessed of no definite aim, and
to adapt each of his movements to the content of what he wishes
to play. And by reason of the manner of tone-production, with
its accompanying activity of the intellectual faculties, there
arises that sense of happiness, of exaltation, which is alway.s
attendant on the consciousness of having done genuine artistic
work.
It goes without saying, however, that much industry, pa-
tience and energy are necessary if one will attain to results
worthy of the beautiful art of music. Nor is it less essential
that the student endeavor to cultivate in himself the utmost
purity of taste, and a fine musical ear, and that he strive, by
every possible means, to fan the flame of artistic enthusiasm in
his soul. Meanwhile the mutual "discipline of brain and
hands" must go steadily on, till the whole playing apparatus,
from shoulder to finger tips, is used harmoniously and with re-
flection.
Deppe made his pupils practice very slowly, and frequently
with each hand separately; thus there was ample opportunity
for the heedful attention which alone can insure that one tone
shall not predominate over another, but that all shall be equally
pure and clear. When the pupil, after some weeks of this
slow, single-handed practice, had assimilated the composition
to such a degree that each tone and movement had special
reference to the musical content thereof, then he was allowed
to use both hands simultaneously, but still in the same slow
tempo. Once the piece was fairly well learned, it was laid
aside "to ripen," and another took its place and was treated
in precisely the same manner. Through this progressive ac-
tivity, physical and mental, the growth of musical sense and

perception was wonderfully stimulated, and musical ideas ren-
dered clear and coherent. After four to six weeks of retire-
ment, the pieces laid one side were brought again to the light
of da.y, and polished into readiness for performance.
In order to find difficult or typical passages for parallel prac-
tice, Deppe examined large numbers of etudes and pieces and
selected therefrom such passages as seemed to him specially
useful; these he made his pupils study with particular care and
a!tention. Here are a few samples:
Czerny's School of Velocity. I.
School of Velocity, No. 23. II.
Cramer's Etudes, Book I, No. 9. III.
In Ex. I the hand must never be found out of the regula-

tion position; it must be carried over the keyboard by an un-
interrupted movement of the arm in such a way that the back
of the hand remains· tranquil, and the fingers have but to take
the keys lying directly under them. When it is necessary to
touch a black key, then the hand, by a movement of the shoulder
and upper arm, is conducted over that key in such a way that the
desired tone is produced without the slightest anticipatory
movement of the finger. This passage also exemplifies Deppe's
rule concerning the binding of tones ( see Chapter III) ; the
player must be vividly conscious that the hand itself, by alter-
nate movements of contraction and expansion, co-operates with
the fingers in producing each group of six tones.
4
The second example, also taken from Ozerny's "School of

Velocity," puts in practice another o:f Deppe's principles: "one
should draw the hand together till it resembles a walnut shell."
(A performance of this passage will render Deppe's meaning
quite clear; the shell-lik~ :formation o:f the hand will be ob-
served when playing the second half o:f the measure.) In other
words, there must be concentration of tone-producing power in
the palm of the hand. Even when tones or passages are more
or less widely separated-as, for instance, in the beginning of
this exercise--there is no need for the hand to leave the regula-
tion position and attempt to bridge the interval through inde-
pendent action of the fingers. This employment of "extr~me-
ous means" ( as Deppe termed it) always cuts short the syner-
getical working of the muscles, and, consequently, obscures tht
harmonious connection of the passage, mars the legato, and de-
stroys that appearance of unprerneditation so essential to ar-
tistic playing; nor can it ever be otherwise if a tone is produced
by a detached finger-stroke.
A further illustration of this principle is furnished by an
example from one of Oramer's Etudes. The problem in this
case is to execute the first five tones without a break, and with
no anticipatory movement o:f hand or finger. When the thumb
has reached G, then, instead of turning the hand sharply to the
right and throwing the finger on to the next key, the hand,
pivoting easily on the thumb, is carried in unaltered pose to a
point which enables the second finger to sink with perfect
naturalness onto its key. By this management of the hand
it is possible to obtain the most charming legato effects.
The following exercise in sixths is to be performed very
slowly; it was prescribed by Deppe at being helpful in the
acquisition of concentrated power in the muscles of the palm.
Each time that the fi:fth finger takes a new key, the fingers and
the hand, dominated by the will, "draw together like a walnut
shell;" then, as soon as the thumb takes its key, there follows
an equally controlled and deliberate opening out of the hand,
which, aided by a slight movement to the right of the wrist
and arm, enables the fifth finger to complete the measure with-
out causing any mat:erial deviation from the hand position

flhown in Plat:e III. If the "true inwardness" of this simple
exerci~ is fully comprehended, then its performance will be
found to involve considerable muscular t:ension, and to demand
the closest attention on the part of the player; it is therefore
a powerful agent in promoting the true "discipline of brain
and fingers." Nor is it less valuable as a means of concen-
trating att:ention and will in the tips of the fingers, for while
the fingers, directed by the will, draw together and then resume
the strict Deppean pose, each finger must, at the same time,
sustain a voluntary and conscious relation to its neighbor.
Not one of the five must go out of line in order to bring the
hand more quickly into the next position; on the contrary, each
finger, acting under equal mental control, must ally its move-
ments with those of the others.
.e I.J &fr' rJ.eto

:,
...
"The power and efficacy of the muscle movements involved
in this management of the hand result precisely from the alter-
nate expansion and contraction of the hand ; and an indirect
result of the observation of this principle is that there arises
a new idea of the office of the different fingers. The fourth
and fifth fingers are used more frequently, and the second and
third proportionately .less so, than before. In consequence the
fingers obtain what may be t:ermed equal rights; each takes
only its natural place on the keyboard, and is given no task
not logically belonging to it. (Klose, page 14.)
In the invariable and unvarying return of the hand to the
Deppean position there is involved an artistic principle of the
highest order; it appears as if the hand were "caressing"* the
keys-so sweet, so render, yet so full of nervous energy, are the
tones produced when curvilinear movements are employed.
•" Man solle die Tasren liebkosen." (Deppe.)
HARVARD UNIVERSITY
EDA KUHN LOEB MUSIC LIBRARY
Cl,.",.~ .'·-,.., .--.,L
''"'Gr
· c. 33, M..l\SS.
52 ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING.
A rule of great importance in this connection concerns the

management of the wrist: it "should revolve ( sick drehen)
as if on a pivot." This movement, apparently so natural and
spontaneous, is in reality of the utmost importance, seeing
that it insures a continually curved carriage of the hand.
Through the same influence the fingers take the keys in easy,
elastic curves, melting and blending into one another; and thus
is imparted the lovely legato quality which lends such charm
to the playing of a finished Deppean scholar.
In much piano playing of the average sort the main use of
the wrist would seem to be to throw the hand abruptly upward
and downward--a movement which Deppe uncompromisingly
rejected. According to his method the wrist movement is ever
a (laterally) rounded one--"the hand describing an arc"*-
which allows the wrist per£ect freedom of action in any desired
direction. Naturally those who are blessed with supple and
pliant wrists will always succeed in obtaining a more beautifu]
tone from the piano than those less favored in this respect ;
the same remark holds good as regards the elbow and shoulder.
Take yet another instance of the use of the curvilinear move-
ment, as exemplified in the performance of this passage from
Weber's Polacca in E Major:
"Here one must seduously avoid accenting the first tone in

each group-that were to suggest nothing but a row of petty
window-arches! Rather must the entire passage be rendered
with a beautiful and uninterrupted equality, a tranquillity of
•Klose: page 19.
surface, which shall convey the impression of a grand, un-

broken rainbow. Such interpretation and execution is impos-
sible to the player who, on the one hand, cannot mentally see
the radiant curve of the music, and who, on the other hand,
has not acquired, through practice and discipline, the co-oper-
ating curved movement of hand and arm."** ,
In· cases where tones are separated by considerable intervals,
there is still no need for disconnected movements of anticipa-
tion on the part of hand or forearm. . Such tones-as, for ex-
ample, in the following passage--may be bound in perfect legato
style by the simple expedient of carrying the hand, in a grac~
fol semi-circle, over the interjacent keys. And the result will
be the same even though the tones lie several octaves apart.
When connected by free, sweeping curves they will blend one
with another so beautifully that the legato will suffer not the
slightest interruption. I£ the player possesses a sufficiently
vivid mental conception of the invisible curves which ally the
tones, then their performance becomes, as it were, intellectual-
ized, and there is thus imparted to the tone vibrations so sus-
tained a quality that the resultant legato is correspondingly
perfect. In connection with t~is theory it is interesting to re-
member a remark quoted m Darwin's book, "Emotions in ]-fan
and Animals;" page 90. The great scientist was conversing
with a l\fr. Litchfield on the subject, "What is the essence of
musical expression?" and the latter said, among other things,
"the effect ( on the listener) is thus seen to depend not merely
on the actual sounds themselves, but also, in part, on the nature
of the action which produces the sounds."
A tone produced according to the principles laid down in
this chapter is always characterized by a high degree of carry-
"Klose: page 14.
.ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING.
ing power. Full of intensity and nervous energy-yet never

harsh nor "wooden"-it floats with ease into the remotest re-
cesses of a concert hall.
Deppe required two hours' daily practice from his students,
and allowed them to extend the time to three hours, but that
was the limit. Practice prolonged beyond this period became,
in his opinion, mechanical, and mechanical practice is of no
profit whatever to the player. Progress in music-as in other
arts-depends largely 9n the mental vigor which the student
brings to bear on his daily task, and certainly excessive key-
board work is as prejudicial to mental freshness as it is injuri-
ous to physical health.
Another Deppean rule forbids that a piece shall be played
even once in its exact tempo unless it has first been faithfully
practiced with painstaking slowness. And, however great the
proficiency of the player, the law holds good that each new
piece or etude must, in the beginning, have slow, single-handed
study; thus each detail of phrasing and execution can be sub-
jected to strong and perpetual control, and the movement forms
characteristic of each particular composition firmly impressed
on the memory. No matter what may be the degree of ad-
vancement through previous study, once the Deppean road is
entered, the novice therein is stringently cautioned against
playing even temporarily in his former style ( although later
these previous labors are turned to good account). But such
prohibitions are not long required, for, when once initiated, he
is quickly so enchanted with the purity, the nobility, and the
soul of the new music that there is no desire to return to the old.
The piano appears to him now a transfigured instrument,
and the tones pearl forth with a new richness and expression-
thanks to the harmonious and reflective character of the move-
ments which produce them. And, as the finger tips are daily
educated to greater sensitiveness and responsiveness, the tones
become increasingly pervaded with soulful beauty. The blend-
ing of all these conditions will unfailingly result in marvelously
clear, luminous, and expressive playing.
I£ a careful reader will turn to page 12 of Forkel's "Life of
Bach," and read what is there written concerning his method

of teaching, it will readily be perceived that Deppe's theories
do not lack distinguished support. "In commencing lessons
with a pupil Bach's :first care was always to teach his own
special style of touch. In his manner of holding the hand the
fingers were curved so that their tips formed a straight line;
each finger found itself, at the precise moment it was needed,
pvised above its proper key-not hurriedly dragged there; fur-
thermore, the keys were not struck, they were pressed down.
Two features are allied with this management of the hand:
( 1) No finger falls or is thrown on its key; on the contrary,
it is carried there with a certain definite feeling of inwa,rd
strength, and of mastery of the movement. ( 2) Owing to this
controlled power there obtains great equality of key pressure.
''All this taken together has this superlative advantage-all
wasting of strength through needless tension and constrained
movements is totally avoided.
"The motion of Bach's fingers in playing was so light and
easy as to be scarcely noticeable. The rounded form of the
hand was conserved even in the most difficult passages; the
:fingers never left the keys more than if executing a shake; and,
if one of them had a task to perform, the others maintained
that perfect tranquillity which Bach imposed on every part of
his body-a tranquillity which is never seen in those whose
hand is not light enough."
56 .ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING.
CHAPTER V.
The Simple Movement-Playing from Memory.
"It should not be forgotten that, even in those movements
which force of habit has made natural to us, there yet remains
something to be done by the will. Though we may have ac-
quired such grace that it 1s no longer needful to pay special
attention to the details of our movements, yet it by no means
follows that they are left to be carried out involuntarily and
automatically. Acquired grace is not mechanical grace. Ever
must the will hold the body so watchful and attentive that it
ini,tantly obeys the slightest command; ever must the will main-
tain harmony between those diverse forces which, if left with-
~ut government, so quickly become discordant. "-Souriau: L'Es-
thetf,que du Mowvement; page 195. ·
A T THIS point it is natural for one to inquire if it is

essential that even an advanced player shall subject every
movement to close scrutiny and reflection. Practically
speaking, it is only in a limited sense that such watchfulness
is required, and the reason thereof lies here: the initiatory
lessons demonstrate the foundation principles of the method
with such exactness and precision that the different members of
playing apparatus quickly form the habit of harmonious co-
operation, and their speedy and perfect control follows as a
logical consequence. The fingers, also, soon learn to take the
tones in conscious and reflective fashion, while the ear is trained
to listen with a critical attention which is quick to detect any
inequality in the volume or beauty of each tone. Let the
learner once thoroughly assimilate this "discipline of hand,s
and brain," and it will become to_ him as second nature, and
to play otherwise will seem well-nigh impossible. Nay, more,
the characteristic movement form will so insinuate inself into
the actions of his daily life that he will find himself, quite in-
vofuntarily, grasping or lifting articles with a "light hand',_
supported freely by arm and shoulder-and with an elevated
and pliant wrist. As a rather extreme instance of this ten-
dency, read the following cc;mcerning Mozart: "Nearly always
.ARTISTIO PI.ANO PLAYING. 57
he involuntarily held and moved his hands as if he were playing

the piano. His hands had such a confirmed disposition for
the keyboard that it was only by dint of pains and trouble he
managed to cut his meat at table."* A passage· from Dubois-
R'eymond's Ueber die 17ebung," page 25, may possibly serve as
scientific explanation of the above tendency: "The more a com-
plex movement is practiced, the more unconscious becomes that
preparatory activity of the nervous system on which it depends,
until, at last, the movement cannot be distinguished from an
involuntary and natural reflex movement. Erasmus Darwin,
grandfather of the celebrated naturalist, observes that an ap-
prentice in the art of turning must, at first, will each motion
of the hand, but, in time, the action becomes so identified with
the effect that the will of the operator appears to reside in the
moving edge of his chisel." From this we may gather how
effectually repetition can transform a conscious and voluntar.)
action into one which is, to all appearance, involuntary.
Now, in the beginning of one's study a:(ter Deppe's prin-
ciples it is undoubtedly needful to precede each movement with
careful reflection, to the end that all doubled and superfluous
movements may be avoided ; later this reflection is required
only to the extent of insuring the exact adaptation of the move-
ments to the musical content of what one wishes to play. And
this co-ordination of movement and content becomes graduaJly
easier to the player, in proportion as he obtains a clearer in-
sig4t into the significance of the "simple rounded movement,"
and into the manner of its execution. And in this co-ordina-
tion we see the condition which is most essential to the true
re--creation of a composition-the highest and purest task which
any artist can set himself to perform.
Let us now glance at the subject of playing from memoiry,
since its connection with the simple movement is of the closest
kind. In the opinion of Dubois-Rey:oiond "all bodily exer-
cises-such as fencing, riding, etc.-are not only gymnastics
of the muscles, but, in a very special sense, of the nerves also."
And, as we have seen in Chapter I, the same writer holds the
•Otto Jahn; Life of Mo~art, Vol. II., page 133.
view that "perfection in any physical exercise involves not only

familiarity with the necessary movements, but, in an equal
degree, the elimination of all that are aimless and superfluous.''
Now, piano playing is certainly the equal of most other physical
exercises in its demands, not only on ihe muscles, but on the
nervous system and brain of the player. Well then, since
the elimination of all purposeles.~ movements is one objective
point in the Deppe way of playing, is it not evident that the
Deppean student works under conditions which are peculiarly
£avorable to dirPCt and efficient operation of every £unction of
the brain ? The memory, in particular, being neither embar-
rassed nor obscured by incoherent and superfluous movements,
has perfect freedom for profitable exercise and for growth;
therefore its development is quickened, and the time. of labor
materially shortened.
Many pianists wear their nerves to threads through endless
and exhausting practice, and, in the uncertain hope of one day
seeing the reward of their labors, resign themselves to a per-
petual martyrdom-a martyrdom which claims as victims
every one within hearing of the ofttimes mechanical and mo-
notonous performance. To be sure, the more talented ones
do :finally arrive, after years of strenuous effort, at great :finger
dexterity in the rendering of various selections, but how de-
vious has been the route to the attainment of this result l
And, even under the most £avorable conditions, how few there
are who acquire a complete mental control of the music they
profess to play, or who become capable of an interpretation
which embodies the very soul and spirit of a composition !
But the Deppean scholar, on the contrary, sees the end from
the b'eginning, and, without any detours, steers straight for his
goal. Basing his work on Deppe's central idea, he employs
in his playing only purposeful movements--mow,ments which
stand in intimate relationship to the technical !lnd musical de-
mands of the composition. All haphazard work being thus
avoided, it is obvious that less practice will be required, for
such a player, making use of the "simple movement" with in-
telligence and with soul, will. turn to most profitable account
every moment of the time which he spends at the piano. And

if it were only by reason of this diminishing of the hours of
study-and the consequent removal of the danger of over-
straining the nerves-the Deppe Method should surely draw the
attention of all who are interested in music; and, as a matter
of fact, it was just this very characteristic which won for it the
unqualified approval of every physician to whom Deppe ex-
pounded: his leading principles.
Those whose study has been along the old lines frequently
make the mistake of demanding an unnatural exertion of
strength from the relatively weak muscles of hand and
fingers; and, but too often, they thereby bring upon themselves.
a train of evils-such as ganglion of the tendons and "players'
cramp"-while, in some cases, the whole constitution becomes
so undermined as to compel entire abandon~ent of piano study.
Such misfortunes are quite impossible to the true Deppean
student, for the use of a low piano chair insures the natural
and co-operative working of the muscles of the upper part of
the body, and the aim and result of this co-operation is to
render the hand "as light as a feather." And, being thus sus-
tained and reinforced by the action of the most powerful muscles
at the player's command, the hand is effectually preserved from
all the disastrous consequences which are inevitably entailed by
any abnormal or disproportionate exertion of strength.
. As we have already seen when on the subject of tone pro-
duction, Deppe spoke of allowing the fingers to fall on the
keys, with intellectualized finger tips-the "consciou1S prodhc-
tion of tone;"* and again, to denote the simple movements, he
used the phrase, "free and controlled fall of the arm." Now,
it stands to reason that his favorite expression, "free fall,'~
must be taken in a metaphorical, rather than literal, sense, for
certainly a "controlled" fall cannot strictly be designated
''free." The fact is, this term was used by Deppe in an ideal
sense, and as an illustration whereby he sought to convey to the
minds of his pupils a vivid conception of the spontaneity which
should characterize both movement and tone production.
*Klose: Die Deppe·sche Lehre, page 5.
A tone which owes its origin to a stroke from an inde-

pendent finger, acting in isolation, possesses an ostentatious
quality which brings the will and intention of the player into
full view; and tones so produced can never, according to Deppe,
form the basis for an artistic interpretation. He considered
''the production of tone through the apparently unpremeditated
fall of arm or finger to be an essential condition of a pU:re and
resthetic execution."
It will readily be conceded that the Deppe Method, which
this essay has endeavored to make clear, is founded upon an
artistic ideal of the highest kind; nor does this ideal lack au-
thorization, for the philosopher, Kant, has left on record that,
· in his opinion, "the test of perfection in a product of any of
the fine arts is that it shall seem to be the result of nature,
rather than of design."** Schopenhauer, also, speaks of the
artist's "tranquil and non-voluntary state of mind ;"t and
again, in his essay on Das Objekt der Kunst, page 266, he lays
down the principle that "it is only when man is entirely de-
tached from his own will and aims that there · is born that
purely objective, intuitive vision, which constitutes the true
germ and substance of a real work of art."
These citations may serve as confirmation of the leading
Deppean principle, not only in its application to tone produc-
tion, but also as regards its relation to the interpretation of a
work of art; for, as we shall see in the concluding chapter,
Deppe held that the objectivity which alone permits a work
to be presented to the hearer in all its original clarity, becomes
possible only by the artist's complete detachment from the sub-
jective.
..., Kritik der Aesthetisohen Urteilskraft, page 175
t Zur Metaphysik des Schoenen und Aesthetik, page 442.
CHAPTER VI.
Some Practical Hints for the Player .
.
'Through the compact unity which enchains melody and
harmony in such close intimacy, as well as through the distinct-
ness which characterizes each tone in a succession-qualities
which so effectually prevent all weakness and indecision-the
piano is classic. On the one hand, by making all the parts of
the ensemble work with reference to one another, it forbids any
individual voice to become unduly prominent; on the other, it
has about it something healthy, vigorous and strong, which
forms a wholesome contrast to the melting languor and the
nerve-exciting qualities of other instruments. From this point
of view, therefore, the admission of piano-pieces in concerts finds
psychological justification."- Vischer: Aesthetik Musik, page 1041.
B EFORE concluding this little work, we shall dwell

briefly on Deppe's teachings concerning the use of the
pedal; in this artistic subject, as in all other branches of
his art, he shows himself both savant ,and master. As the proper
employment of the' pedal is a study in itself, it will not be
possible to go into it in detail. There is, however, one general
rule of prime importance which is often transgressed with dis-
astrous effect to the performance : The foot, hovering lightly
over the pedal, should be so under the control of the player
that its impact thereon is inaudible, and the manipulation of
the pedal should be so noiseless, so unostentatious, that no
thought of its mechanism is obtruded on sight or hearing of the
listener.
Deppe recognized three distinct functions of the pedal in
piano playing, and named them accordingly-the legato pe<liil,
the pedal of mood, and the declamatory pedal. To discuss
these separately at any length would exceed the limits of this
treatise, so one example of each must serve to illustrate Deppe's
nomenclature; after studying these the student can, by experi-
ment, prove for himself what artistic possibilities are involved
in skillful pedaling. The · short, straight strokes in the en-
gravings are intended to indicate the precise moment when the
pedal is to be depressed and released.
The opening measure of Bach's Prelude in 0, from the Well-

tempered Olai•ichord, serves as an example of a passage requir-
ing the "legato pedal." The pedal is always lowered, lightly
but firmly, after the third tone ( in this instance, G) has been
sounded, and is released again immediately before the left hand
takes the fundamental bass note, C. After the eleventh tone
it is again depressed, and so on.
For the purpose of illustrating the "Pedal of mood," we have
chosen the eighteenth measure of Bach's Fugue in F Minor.
Here the pedal is lowered at the first beat of the measure, and
is held until the third beat. In this Fugue the pedal should
be employed lightly and sparingly, after the manner indicated

above. The effect on the hearer, said Deppe, will be to trans-
port him in imagination to a cathedral, illumined by cheerful
sunbeams streaming in through lofty windows.
A very good example of the use of the "declamatory pedal"
is found in the conclusion of Bach's second Fugue-the one in
0 Minor. In teaching this Fugue Deppe required that it
begin with precisely the degree of intensity characterizing the
resonance of the final chord in the preceding Prelude. He
claimed that this mode of transition from Prelude to Fugue
constituted, as it were, a mental thread uniting the two. In
ARTISTIC PIANO PLA. YING. 63
the accompanying illustration it will be noticed that the bass

tone C-as organ-point and fundamental bass-is held until
the final cadence, while the other two voices, often doubled,
develop their thought in all completeness.
I
-----t TI
-- • •
-------------
At the end of the second measure of the above example the
pedal is lowered just as the sixth, E-C is played. When the
pedal is released, the hand should also rise from the keys suffi-
ciently to enable it to take the sixth, F-D with a new motion of
the hand, the wrist being slightly raised. Immediately afterwards
the pedal is again depressed, and,_ at the instant of its release,
the hand is once more lifted, so that the first chord of the last
measure is produced by a fresh impulse of hand and arm. It is
especially necessary to raise the hand after sounding the last
sixteenth of the concluding measure, for then the delivery of
the final chord of the fugue will lose none of its due signifi-
cance. The tone-volume of this last chord, the chord of the
leading voices, should exactly equal that of the organ-
point, C, which, held down for two and a half measures, is still
heard in the second half of the final measure. "The pedal," said
Deppe, "is the lungs of the. piano," and the force of his simile
will become apparent when the ,above passage is accurately
played. Deppe always directed that one begin the theme of a
fugue piano, augment the tone for the accompanying voice ( or
answer), and rise to full int.ensity 't>nly upon the entrance of
the last voice. He exacted a b1X1ad and massive style of play-
ing in the performance of a fugue, and deprecated exceedingly
the introduction of petty crescendos and decrescendos, so trivial
and commonplace in their effect. A fugue should increase
gradually in tone-power till the cadence is reached where the
leading of the voices becomes more complicated; at this cadence
the tone must diminish somewhat, and then .swell anew, gain-
ing its greatest intensity at the final cadence, for the climax of
most fugues is found in their concluding measures. Should
. the fugue not be divided by one or more cadences, should it
instead unroll itself like a mighty, unbroken fresco ( as, for
instance, the :fi.ve-V'Oiced fugue in C sharp Minor, which is in-
terrupted by but a single cadence), then the gradations in tone-
power must be determined by the content of the fugue-that is
to say, the volume of tone must rise and fali in harmony with
the more or less complex development of the fugue and with the
expressive character of its content. No voice in a fugue
should be given undue importance, rather should the player en-
deavor to mentally follow the melody-thread of . each
voice with thoughtful attention, and ever strive to make the co-
ordination of voices as perfect as may be. Also, after a
ritardando passage, the return to the original -tempo should,
as a rule, be made gradually. A performance on these lines,
when aided by an artistic use of the pedal, becomes wonderfully
graphic and virante.
As for the una, cord a pedal-commonly called soft pedal-
Deppe compared it to a "buzzing," and allowed it to be used
only when expressly indicated by the composer. The player
should have in his own control the power of producing any
desired nuance of tone, and then there will be no need to have
recourse to an extraneous aid of such doubtful value.
The analysis ·of compositions by the old masters Deppe con-
sidered a most profitable exercise. For instance, he made his
pupils take Bach's Fugues, and write out the different voices-
soprano, alto, tenor, and bass---each on a separate staff, some-
times transposing them as well. He also trained them to dis-
cover and to write down the principal and secondary themes,
the t:riansitions, and the development of various Beethoven
sonatas; and in other compositions-such, for example, as the
.Beethoven string quartettes-they were taught to seek out, and
then to transcribe, the thread of the melody as played by the
different instruments. By such exercises his scholars acquired
a very clear insight into the structure of different composi-
tions, and were, at the same time developed and educated along
true musicianly lines.
CONCLUSION.
Concerning Interpretation.
"Although the virtuoso can but re-create a given subject,
although he is apparently only the medium of the ideal pre-
sented to his soul by the composer, yet must he be a poet in the
same degree as the painter and the sculptor-those direct in-
terpreters of Nature, each in his own way, who also sing, in a
certain sense, from the music-pages of the Creator. It matters
little that the work of the virtuoso is transient, while the wood,
the canvas, or the plaster lasts long, and the granite, the marble,
or the bronze defies the centuries ; the difference in outward con-
ditions, or in material details, changes nothing in the problem
presented to each of them by the God of Art. "-Franz Lf.BZt.
" The laws of morals are also those of art. "-Schumann.
0 NE who has thoroughly assimilated the philosophy as

well as the practice of the characteristic Deppean move-
ment form has taken a long step towards the attainment
of technical and resthetic beauty in execution and interpreta-
tion. Once it becomes a real possession it endows the player
with the power to produce the subtlest tone-shadings, and en-
ables him to reproduce a composition with technical accuracy
and rhythmic grace ; meanwhile the entire playing-apparatus,
through reflective exercise and discipline, arrives at the point
where it renders instant and unerring obedience to the slightest
direction of the will.
The curvilinear movement, which, like an unbroken mental
thread, runs through the entire piece--constitutes "a rhythm
which binds together the ensemble of voices." (Klose.) And
t.here is thus established, by means of this simple movement, a
certain degree of guidance and control, which has its effect, not
only on development and interpretation, but also on that artis-
tic freedom which the execution of a work of art imperatively
demands; and, through the same unobtrusive but powerful in-
fluence, the work is aided to appear in perfect and natural
unity. A composition so presented will create the impression-
Ii
by virtue of its vivante and homogeneous character, _and the

clear-cut simplicity of its delivery-that it neither could nor
should be performed in any other manner.
As has already been said, the fundamental principle in tone-
formation is spontaneity; in other words, there mnst be no ap-
pearance of effort. And this is a condition which is of equally
great importance i.n the realm of artistic execution and inter-
pretation. It. is a law which forbids one to throw a theme or
motive into abnormal relief, or to place undue and studied em-
phasis on certain passages; it is a law which condemns, as in-
artistic, all "playing for effect," all indulgence in those little
affectations and pretentious flourishes which are so plainly de-
signed to draw attention to the performer's facility. Now, to
interpret a composition means, in the true_ sense of the word,
that it is to be re-produced, or re-created. Therefore the artist
is not called upon to pour out a flood of exuberant sentiment,
nor to intoxicate by a sensuous revelry of tone, nor to make
an exhibition of either his personality or his finger-dexterity
through the medium of the music; the true artist-interpreter
has a widely-different aim. To himself he is but the mediat,or
who stands ready to interpret to the hearer the thought of the
composer, for, as Deppe himself said: "Only through complete
detachment from the subjective is it possible that there shall
exist that objectivity which alone can present a work to the
hearer in its entire and original purity, just as it sprang from
the soul of its creator." (Klose, page 57.) This is a principle
which applies with special force to classical music and its just
interpretation, for Deppe was a true high-priest of the classics;
and, indeed, no system is better adapted than his own to the
simple, classic, and perfect rendition of the works of the old
music-heroes. As to the piano itself "it is indeed subjective
in the sense that it is the instrument for the free outpouring
of melody, but it is, nevertheless, objective also; by reason of
its robust nature it resists excessively fine shadings of senti-
ment, it is antique."*
The works of modern masters allow, through their form and
* Viseher; Musik, page 1041.
ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYfNG. 67
content, considerable s-cope for one's subjective tendencies ro

assert themselves, and they may, therefore, be re-created through
a more or less direct expression of the "ego" of the player, as
long as this freedom of treatment does not lead to mutilation
of the composition. But stricter limitations must obtain when
we come to the works of the classical masters: Bach, who ex-
pressed the sincerity of his pious soul, and the vitality of his
sentiments within the adamantine limits of the strictest forms
of harmony and polyphony; :Mozart, whose objective creations
are radiant _with such transparent purity; Beethoven, who, tri-
umphant master of every law of his art, created those imper-
ishable masterpieces which stand as the climax of all music,
and which voice the mightiest emotions of the human soul;
the works of such masters as these can attain to clear and
perfect interpretation only when the player endeavors wholly
to forget himself, in order that through him the mind of the
composer may find utterance. "The task of the artist-interpre-
ter is thus seen to be twofold: First, to submit himself to the
unhindered influence of the work, and then to mterpret it."
(Klose, page 24.) ·when a composer, in his work of art,
causes us to perceiYe the subjective emotions of his soul-
clarified by his control over them-as an objective creation;
when he reveals to our inner consciousness the frame of mind
or mood which he depicts in his creation, not as his own, di-
rectly experience<l by him, but as felt, so to speak, by a person-
ality entirely detached from him; "when the work of art is,
therefore, something objective which has passed through the
medium of the human soul,"* then the reproduction thereof ·
can be a true one only when the artist first frees himself from
his subjective personality, in order to give the composer the op-
portunity to express himself, from within, through the medium
of his work. Hegel, also, confirmed this when he said that
"when the composition is of objective and sterling quality,
when the composer has striven to express in tone the real es-
sence of the subject or sentiment which filled his own soul,
then the reproduction must be equally true and genuine. In
* Schopenhnuer; Zur )letaphysik des Schoenen. puizP 446.
such circumstances the artist-executant not only need not add

anything of his own, but he dare not, lest he thereby injure
the artistic effect."*
Let us now tr_y to comprehend what Deppe meant when he
spoke of "detachment from the subjective." Every mortal who
,vorks with some high aim in view-be it scientific, literary,
artistic, or what it will--sets his whole physical and mental
strength towards the attainment of this aim, and, through this
concentration of all his faculti€s, he divests himself entirely,
at least for the time being, of all individual sentiment; his
personality is sacrificed to the purpose he has willed to serve.
If this be true concerning all who are inspired by a lofty pur-
pose, it will surely hold special significance in regard to the
mus1cia,n. He, of all men, should find this self-surrender a
perfectly natural procedure, for none pursues a higher ideal
than he, nor one which, in its realization, demands deeper
penetration, more delicate perception, or profounder absorb-
tion. The musician who devotes himself to the study of a
work with both intelligence and enthusiasm, grasps the thoughts
and sentiments of the composer "with the spirit and with the
understanding also,:, and so clearly does he perceive their inner
meaning, and so thoroughly does he assimilate them, that they
become, as it were, his own. As a result, the consciousness of
his own individual existence forsakes him for the moment;
the "subjective ego" being banished, he thinks and feels only
in the thought and feeling of the composition, and so loses
himself in it that the "object-ive ego," as we may call it, finds
through him its fit and adequate expression.
The degree of this surrender of one's personality at the call
of some engrossing purpose is dependent on one's mental en-
dowments, but a ~ertain measure of it is possible to everyone.
Schopenhauer expresses this thought in the following words:
"A man of high intellectual gifts leads two lives-one the
c.rdinary, everyday life, the other a purely intellectual life,
which sets him above and beyond the vicissitudes inseparable
from mortal existence. This higher life is made up of con-
,. Hegel; Aesthetik, Part III., page 216.
tinual thinking, learning, experimenting, and studying, and it

gradually grows to be the real life, to which the other is so
subordinated· that it becomes merely a means towards the end
in view."* And a~ain he .says: "There exists in all men-
excepting those who are absolutely destitute of resthetic sense-
the faculty 0£ so recognizing and grasping the vital and essen-
tial essence of an idea, as to thereby divest themselves, for an
instant, of all consciousness of self."**
.At this point it should be clear to the student how and why
physical, as well as psychological, freedom may be attained
through right understanding and practice of Deppe's principles.
This is the condition Souriau had in mind when he affirmed
that "grace is physical and mental freedom expressed in move-
ment. "t And when we embody this principle in piano play-
ing-as has been minutely set forth in these pages-and make
every movement connected therewith of the freest possible kind,
then takes place a blending of the subjective and objective
faculties. For, the free and graceful Deppean movement is
not an involuntary one, on the contrary it is distinctly a product
of the will;+ and, since the will and the understanding, work-
ing objectively, make of this free movement-form our sub-
jective property, there th~s arises a fusion of subjective and
objective, as has been said. ·
Herein we have tried to explain how we may make a wor~
of art intellectually our own, and may so assimilate it-without
undue objective influence thereon-that it shall find perfect
expression through our subjective sentiment and our sympa-
thetic insight. And it is only when subjective and objective
are thus interblended that execution and interpretation will
alike be characterized by that artistic symmetry and proportion
to which Friedrich Wieck referred when he said: "Reflection
in enthusiasm, unfailing self-control in the midst of fiery
ardor-these should rule and guide."
Schopenhauer's definition of genius may not be inappropri-
•Parerga und Paralipomema, page 87.
.. Welt als Wille und Vorstellung,
t l'Esthetique du mouvement; page 165.
t One is here reminded of Schiller's dellnition of grace: "Grace is beauty of form under
the inlluence of free-will." [E. S. S. J
•
'10 ARTISTlO PIANO PLAYING.
ate here: "Genius is nothing else than the most complete ob-
jectfrity, or objectiiie direction of the mind, in opposition to
the subjective dirrdion centred on oneself-that is to say, on
the wi]l. Therefore, genius is the power of maintaining one-
i,elf in a purely intuitive and perceptive state, of losing oneself
in contemplation, and of detaching this perceptive and con-
templative faculty 'from the service of the will to which it
was originally subjected. In other words, it is the power to
put self-interest and personal aims entirely out of sight in order
to become a purely perceptive subject-a limpid mirror of
the ·wor]d. And this power must not be merely a thing of the
rnoment--on the contrary it must endure as long, and with
as much concentration of mind, as is necessary to reproduce,
through the delibcrately-chosen resources of one's art, the con-
ception which has been received, and to fix in enduring thought
the vague and shifting visions which hover before the mind."*
,vhile these words of Schopenhaner serve as exposition of
t]w ps_vchological basis of those Deppean principles which gov-
ern the comprehension and reproduction of a work of art, the
following quotation substantiates those ideas cmw'rning the
liberating power of beauty, which are so intimately interwoven
with our master's teachings on artistic tone-production.
"Beauty exerts its power with an independPnce which shuts out
every extraneous influence; and it is not in so far as it aids
thinking-which would involve a manifest inconsistency-but
only in so far as it obtains for the infellecfoal faculties freedom
to manifest themsclres in conformity with their own proper
laws, can beauty become a means whereby man is led from
matter to form, from sentiment to laws, and from a limited to
an absolute existence."**
And now we cannot do better than to close this little treatise
"'ith the same motto which began it: "'Vhen it looks pretty then
it is right;" in this expression, as we have endeavored to show,
Deppe practically condensed his whole system o_f teaching. For
srncP, according to his theory, ideal tone-formation is the re-
*Objekt dn Kunst; p1tge 252.
••Schiller; l'eber die nesthetik Erziehung des ;\lenschen.
"
sult of simple and harmonious co-operative movements, and

since these movements, through the manner of their perform-
ance, respond at one and the same time to both the technical
and resthetic demands of a composition, then it is not difficult
to see how real, t.o him, was the bond, and how close the re-
lationship, between exterior beauty of execution and a rich,
pure, and lovely tone. Spontaneity-absence of all appearance
of effort-was to Deppe a fundamental condition underlying
not only tone-formation, but also the re-creation of an entire
work of art. Therefore he never gave prominence in his teach-
ing to "technic," or to "method," per se, but ever taught that
the technic of a composition is dependent upon its musical
content. Indeed, he taught that the two are as intimately
allied as soul is with body, for it is the content, or soul, of the
composition which must inspire that special movement-form
which shall best give outward expression to each thought of
the composer. For these reasons he rigorously eliminated every
movement not absolutely essential· to adequate performance;
for, he !:,aid, an irrelevant or aimless movement-or even a
correct movement, if it be made mechanically-will surely have
a disastrous influence on that harmony, and apparent simplicity
of exec1dion, so much to be desired in the presentation of a
work of art.
Tone-formation, and manner of interpretation or execution,
are, from a musical point of view, mutually dependent on each
other, since they spring from the same conception, and repose
on the same foundation. Deppe believed in Lessing's dictum:
"The first law of expression is the law of beauty,"* and there-
fore the union of beauty of movement with beauty of tone lies
at the very base of his system. And when he said that "in the
art of re-creating the works of others there can be only one
classic language, only one standard,"** he thereby expressed,
in other words, one of his main principles, namely, that spon-
taneity in the reproduction of a work of art becomes attainable
only when the correspondence between movement-form and
content is ideally perfect.
• Laokoon, pa!?" 16. .. Klose, page 23.
The means whereby one may arrive at euch interpretation

and execution have been discussed in the preceding chapters.
The player who rightly understands and assimilates the
principles herein laid down, who has acquired t.he faculty of
keen and vivid mental grasp of a composition, and who adds
thereto a genuine love for true and beautiful art-to such an
one will surely come the power to give artistic, yet unexagger-
ated, expression :o the deepest thought and emotions embodied
in a tone-creation. And then will be fulfilled the condition
Schiller had in mind when he wrote: "The soul of the hearer
must remain quite free and independent, and must issue from
the magic circle of the artist as pure and entire as if just from
the hands of the creator;" for "though there be a fine art of
passion, yet a passionate fine-art would be a contradictory term,
seeing that the inevitable effect of the beautiful is emancipation
from the passions."*
• Ueber die aesthetische Erziehung des Menschen, page 51.
PART II.
Practical Advice
-ON-
Questions of Technic
-BY-
Fr;ulein Elisabeth Caland
AUTHORIZED TRANSLATION BY
Evelyn Sutherland Stevenson

"The special and essential problem of man consists in this :
to apprehend, or to grasp, as a w1wle that which, in the diversity
of phenomena, can be conceived of as a rational unity. "-Pl.ato.
" Virtuosity is not the passive servant of a composition ; ·cre-

ative faculty, also, is demanded. The worth of virtuosity is
entirely dependent on the sensitive organization of the artist,
for without the vitalizing power of sentiment-to dictate the
forms which beauty shall assume, and to bestow the will to
reproduce them-virtuosity is but a lifeless mechanism, a mere
matter of calculation and flnger-dexterity."-Pranz Ll.azt.*
• See "Annalen des Fortschrltts." (Essay on Clara Schumann.)
PREFACE.-
A T the time when I brought "Die Deppe'sche Lehre des

Klavierspiels"* before the public I entertained little hope ·
that it would win many friends save in the ranks of
Deppe's disciples. But the many questions, letters, and ex-
pressions of endorsement, which have reached me since the ap-
pearance of the little book are proof sufficient that it has found
favor even in circles remote from Deppean influence, and I
have been thereby encouraged to supplement the above work
by the following pages of brief advice on various questions of
technic. It may be well to state that each suggestion and ex-
ercise herein contained has been tried and tested in my own
teaching, and has been proven to be of sound, practical value.
They serve as preparatory exercises .for rendering the hand
light and free upon the keyboard, and also as a means whereby
one may attain to that rnastery of orchestral tone-coloring,
which an artistic performance demands, without sacrificing in
the process the ideal t'one-quality inherent in Deppean playing.
All suggestions, theoretical and practical, stand in close rela-
tion to the above treatise, and therefore it is taken for granted
that their employment will be preceded by careful study and
practice of Deppe's foundation principles, for the exercises,
with few exceptions, would be of slender value to one who had
not undergone such preparation.
A necessary preliminary caution is this : Whatever stress
may be laid in these pages on the physical means through
which, in accordance with our basal principles, are attacked
the technical difficulties attendant on the execution of various
musical figures, yet one must never lose sight of the fact that
the production of a pure and beautiful tone is the first con-
sideration. However, absolutely mechanical work is in the
main excluded when one attains to complete control of the
• The Deppe Method of Piano Playing. .\n English translation of this book is embodied
in Part I of the present work.
80 .ABTISTIO PI.ANO PLAYING.
mechanism of shoulders and arms, hands and fingers, for it is

to the brain one must look for the source of such control.
Another point to which I particularly wish to direct atten-
tion is the importance of the Deppean five-finger exercises
which are explained and illustrated in my first book; their
execution should begin the day's work for even the most ad-
vanced player. These apparently simple exercises--devised
with such scientific ingenuity by our master, Deppe--demand
for their correct performance a hand-position from which re-
sults an ever-increasing freedom of movement; they thereby
form the foundation for the true "discipline of brain and
hands;" that theory of "psycho-physical tone-formation"
which, since 1860, has been Deppe's literary prop~rty. * More-
over, the effect of these few exercises is to induce a remarkable
lightness and relaxation in hands and fingers, and to render
them free, flexible, and ready for playing in the shortest pos-
sible time. The constraining power which, originating in the
brain, thus liberates hand and finger, is one of the most potent
£actors in producing a tone which is at once vital and poetic in
its quality.
When I wrote "Die Deppe'sche Lehre des Klavierspiels,"
I strove earnestly to present the principles of Ludwig Deppe
precisely as I had myself received them, but I wish to empha-
.size the £act that the following hints, and also the Appendix
to my Exercise Book** (in which is pointed out the most
direct road to rapidity in octave-playing) are founded on my
own personal knowledge and experience. Nevertheless, all
which has been thus independently put forth is to be considered
in the light of a natural and logical outgrowth from Deppean
principles. ELISAB;ETH CALAND.
Oharlottenburg-Berlin, April, 1902.
•In the year 1883 there was published, in the "Allgemeinen Zeitung," a criticism by Dr.
Stavenow on the playini;: of Anna Steiniger, a pupil of Deppe for some years; therein this
"psycho-physical tone-formation" finds commendatory recognition.
•• Ludwig Deppe's Fuenfflngeruebuni,:en und Uebungsmaterial;" text in German, French
Dutch and English. Ebeuer'sche Hofmusikalienhandlung. Stuttgart, 1000,
FIRST PREPARATORY EXERCISE.

Chords-Accented Passages.
I N many compositions there are chords which must be ren-

dered with peculiar :fulness and richness oi tone; or, it
may be, there are certain tones or passages which call for
marked vigor and -boldness of performance. If these and
similar demands are to be adequately met, then, as a first es-
sential, the hand must be made "light as a feather," through
the supporting power of arm and shoulder ( as explained in
Part I, Chapters I and II), and must be carried with firmly-
curved fingers, directly over the keys it is desired to play. If
PLATE I.
this is correctly done, the curve and tension* of the hand will
be the same as when it is stretched out over a large ball.
,\71ien the hand, thus prepared, is poised upon the desired
keys-but so lightly as not to depress them-then, the moment
• The player is expressly warned never to conround " tension " or " firmness " with stifl-
neas or inflexibility. The controlled "tension" of the muscles which Is insisted on through-
qut tb.is book implies always the power of instantaneous relaxation, ar yielding of the ten-
sion, when required, and-therefore-a certain elasticity. Rij$idity of any joint or member
woulcil be totally ,at variance witl;l m,Y meaning, and would hmdel', not further, the end in
Villw. ·
6
82 .ARTISTIC PI.A.NO PLAYING.
that the finger-tips feel the key-contact, the hand is suddenly

and forcibly impelled downward, not as the result of any in-
dividual movement of the hand itself, but solely as the result
of an impulse originating in the energetic contraction of cer-
PLATE II,
tain muscles of the back. From first to last the relative posi-
tions taken by wrist, hand, and :fingers, must remain absolutely
unaltered, nor must the inside angle of the elbow change in
84 ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYING,
dimensions. (See Deppe Exercise Book, page 111,) In other

words, it is positively essential that, as regards this movement,
one should think of the entire arm, from shoulder down, as a
whole, as if, so to speak, it possessed no joints whatever. Once
the tones have been sonnded, however, the fingers, still holding
down the keys, glide along them towards the back of the key-
board, and, at the same instant, the wrist is allowed to turn
slightly outwards ,with an elastic motion in which; of course,
the elbow must share; thus the movement shows itself here
also as a (laterally) curved one. (See Exercise Book, pagfl
115.) The main test of the whole process is the resultant tone-
quality, in which there should be no trace of harshness nor
roughness: When the mental conception is correct, and cor-
rectly carried out, and when the collective members-ii.rm,
wrist, hand, and :fingers-are steadfastly maintained in the pre-
scribed position, and under strict control, then the tones will
seem to float out upon the air, and will be so noble, so well-
sustained, and so richly colored as to suggest those .drawn from
an organ.
Plate I gives a profile view of the relative positions of hand,
wrist, and arm as they appear immediately after playing a;n
octave in above style, while Plate II shows how the hand looks
in the same circumstances when seen from above.
The preceding passages, taken from compositions -of Chopin,
Beethoven, and Liszt, are examples of the type of music where
the touch just described can be used with the happiest results.
A.RTisrW PIANO PLAY[NG. 85
One may also play in the same way the following etudes and
pieces by various composers: .
Biehl, Op. 154, Book II, No. 16. Staccato Chords; Czerny,
Op. 335, Book I, No. 11, and Book II, No. 13 ; Rachmanioff,
Op. 3, No. 2 ; Schumann, Variation II, from Symphonic
etudes; Liszt, Rhapsodie, No. 12, chords in the Adagio, page
4, etc.
One must not rashly jump to the conclusion that this method
of tone-production is applicable to forte passages only; on the
contrary, the tenderest pianissimo is equally attainable, through
precisely the same means, and without the slightest deteriora-
tion in vitality of tone. Arm, hand, and :fingers are main-
tained in the same firm pose as before, nor is there any change
in the movement which produces the tones; the only difference
lies in the fact that a much smaller demand is made upon the
energy of those muscles which, in either case, furnish the
motive-power for the movement-that is to say, the ·nmscles of
the back.
It may also be necessary to state, with some emphasis, that
the pose and movement just described are by no means in-
tended to be used indiscriminately in any and every passage
which calls for either unwonted energy or peculiar expressive-·
ness in performance. I£ expression and ideal tone-quality must
reach their highest manifestation, then Deppe's beautiful "free-
fall" movement comes into play. This movement, described in
Chapter III of Part I, consists in removing tension from the
arm, and simply allowing arm, hand, and fingers to fall with
.unhesitating directness upon the keys. As an ex~mple of a
composition demanding 'this touch we append a few measures
from Liszt's "Predication aux oiseaux" (Legende I, St. Fran-
cois d' Assise.). Here the fortissimo octaves and chords of
the bass are invested with a peculiarly solemn and pathetic
character simply through the "free-fall" of the left hand which
produces them, while the massive chords of the treble, on the
other hand, are taken with the firmly-curved :fingers and power-
ful movement described in the beginning of this chapter.
Both these modes of touch will prove themselves of the
86 ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYING
greatest artistic value in the rendition of Ohopin's Prelude,

No. 20, * given on a previous page. The heavy chords of the
·first four measures are played with hands and fingers in the
highest possible state of tension, and. with all the energy and
intensity which can possibly be summoned to aid in their exe-
cu tion. In the next four measures, marked piano, the hands
fall upon the keys with graceful freedom, the necessary fingers
taking the desired keys as the hand comes in contact with the
keyboard. (Note carefully that this £all of the hand is not
from the wrist.)
In the last measures of the Prelude, although hands and
arms resume, in a lessened degree, their primary state of con-
trolled tension, yet the most exquisitely delicate pianissimo be-
comes possible through a reduction of the motive-energy origi-
nating in back and shoulder. The hands are now raised as
little as may be from the key-surface when passing from one
chord to another, and the firm finger-tips are always poised an
• Concerning signs for use of pedal, see Part I, Chapter VJ.
ARTISTJO PIANO PLAYING. 87
imperceptible instant on the keys before depressing them to

produce a chord. Such subtle tone-shading, and such diminu-
tion of force are hereby attainable that the tones will at last
seem to ;be merely breathed forth from the instrument. Fo1·
the final chord of the Prelude, the first chord-touch is again
brought into requisition.
The artistic sense and cultivated intelligence of the player
must guide him in determining the character of a piece, and
in divining. the intention of the composer, so as to decide on
the touch and movement which will best aid him in bringing
any desired sentiment to its most perfect development. And
the kE)ener the musical feeling of· the artist-interpreter, the
easier it will be for him-through right adaptation of the
means here given-to stamp a composition by his playing as a
beautiful and hannonious work of art.
88 ARTISTlO PIA.Ito PLAYING.
SECOND PREPARATORY EXERCISE.

Lerato, Staccato, and Mezzo-Legato.
I N order to acquire certainty of touch, and perfect control

of the hand, in such passages as demand :3parkling bril-
liancy or unusual power in execution, it is recommended
that studies similar to the following be practiced with the
greatest possible velocity: Etudes No. 9 and No. 23, in the
Deppe Exercise Book (specially for the right hand); Gzerny,
School of Velocity, Book HI, No. 25, and Book IV, No. 36
(left hand) ; also No. 5 from first volume of Finger Dexterity,
by same composer. These studies are to be played through first
in legato, then in staccato, and, finally, in mezzo-legato, or
portamento, style. Legato playing has been fully discussed in
Chapter III of Part I.
In staccato-work each tone is the result of a regulated vi-
bratory movement of the hand; this vibration originates in
upper-arm and shoulder, and being transmitted to the hand,
sets it into rhythmic and rapid vibration, simila1· to that one
may notice in a steel spring.* By this method the fingers,
held ever with great firmness, are in contact with the keys for
the briefest conceivable instant of time. *•:f ( See Exercise
Book, page 113.)
In mezzo-legato playing-otherwise termed non-legato, por-
tamento, or quasi-staccato-there occurs a blending of legato
and staccato. The tones thus produced cannot strictly be called
bound, but neither are they detached or disconnected in effect;
the tone-quality is intense and vital, and the impression con-
veyed by adequate performance is one of great brilliancy and
reserve power. The impulse which gives rise to each tone
proceeds from shoulder downward, as in staccato ( the wrist
• The player should aim"at a velocity ot 8-12 tones per second.
** The usual varieties and graduations ot stacatto are performed, essentially, as here de-
scribed, the only difference being that. ir there must he special power or tone color in e.
passage, then there should he a proportionate degree ot gliding pressure in the contact ot the
fingers with the keys. ,
A.ltTJSTlO PIANO PLAY1NQ. 8t
being firm, yet clastie), but there is not a similar abrupt recoil
from th'€1 key after the tones have been sounded. Now the
:firmly-curved fingers are :raised as little as may be, in :fact only
enough to take the next tones, as in a legato passage. Each
:finger sinks into its key, not through an individual or detached
movement on its own part, but as the result of a vital and
powerful impulse which originates in shoulder and upper-arm,
and which is controlled and regulated by the will. And, be-
cause this power may be transmitted to all the fingers in the
same degree, they obtain what may be termed e11ual rights on
the keyboard, so that the same :fingering of a passage serves
equally well, no matter which of above three touches one uses.
If very full, sonorous tone is required, then more energetic
action must be demanded--not from hands and fingers, how-
ever, but from the pa1·ts possessing most inherent strength-
that is to say, from the muscles of the back and upper-arm.
As a result of this powerful co-operation it will seem as if the
whole weight of the arm sank full upon the key in the pro-
duction of each tone.
It is taken for granted, let me repeat, that a round, pure,
clear tone will, under all circumstances, be made the :first con-
sideration; there should be no hard nor unsympathetic tones
in even fortissimo passages. Absence of all hardness affords
conclusive testimony that correct muscular conditions obtain,
and that the different members of the playing apparatus are
firmly maintained in their relative positions to one another.
For there is nothing which more effectually prevents this hard-
ness of tone than rhythmical and co-operative action of the
muscles; when "muscular synergi' prevails, no finger hits the
key with a detached stroke, but must glide into it with more
or less of pressure in the contact.
l\fezzo-legato playing is specially conducive to strength and
firmness in the hand and fingers, and aids the player in ob-
taining perfect mastery of these members; it is therefore rec-
ommended to be faithfully practised by those whose hands and
joints are 1'.'eak, over-flexible, and difficult to control.
Grand arpeggios should also be practised in the three ways
here given; legato arpeggios are treated of in Part I, Ohapte1·

III. Useful studies for this purpose are the following:
Ozerny, School of Velocity, Book II, No. 12; Ozemy,
Finger Dexterity, Book I, No. 2; Ozerny, Finger Dexterity,
Book III. No. 21; Ozerny, Finger Dexterity, Book IV, No.
31; Deppe Exercise Book, page 60, No. 26.
ARTISTIC PIANO PLAYING. Ill
THIRD PREPARATORY EXERCISE.

(Exercise for binding widely separated tones-the "stretching
exercise.)
T ONES ;eparated from one another by wide intervals are

joined by means of the so-called ''stretching'' move-
ment-a term which Deppe, by the way, repudiated, £or
he never allowed an abnormal spreading-out of the hand, nor
extension of the fingers. In the appended example-the first
quarter of the.eighth measure of Chopin's Etude, Op. 25, No.
1-the left hand binds the bass tones with one another in the
manner pictured in the three following engravings.
Plate III shows the hand-and-arm position just after the
fifth finger has taken the first tone, E-flat.'
In Plate IV the movement is continued, and the third finger
is represented as pres'ling B-flat, while the second finger, car-
1·ied onward through the uninterrupted, curvilinear movement
of the arm, is about to take the key E-flat.
Plate V exhibits the attitude the hand assumes when the
thumb has just fallen upon D-flat.
The h2.nd is carried back again in the same manner, the
second finger taking E-flat, and . the third B-flat, as before, so
that, b.r the beginning of the second quarter of the measure,
when the fifth finger depresses E-flat, the hand returns grace-
fully to iti:. original position delineated in Plate III.
PLATE III.
•
.ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING. !13
PL.t.T ■ IT,
ARTISTlC PIANO PLAYING.
PLATB v.
It is important to watch that the fingers, although necessarily

somewhat spread out, are yet held as curved as possible, as
this aids in the essential concentration of power in the muscles
0£ the palm; and it is 0£ equal importance that the advancing
arm, moving freely in the shoulder-socket, shall carry the hand
in either direction over the desired keys. In Plate III the
arm is farthest from the body, in Plate IV it has advanced
much nearer, while in Plate V it may be seen close to the side.
And thus the pliant, but fully-controlled wrist, and the firm,
slightly-curved fingers, are conducted to and fro on the key-
board by a free and well-defined horizontal movement of the
arm.
Moreover, we may also see, through the testimony of these
engravings, that no finger ever reaches out, in advance 0£ the
arm, in an effort to touch a,. key by means 0£ a detached "stroke"
thereon; each one simply takes the key over whic"f,, it is brought
by the progressive movement of the arm. The wrist move-
ment in a passage of this kind is of course continually a hori-
zontal one, but it is never an independent movement to right
or left; each mo11ement of the w1-ist must be made strictly in
conjunction with that of the arm. When these conditions ob-
tain, and when the fingers are as curved as possible, it will
then be found easy to carry out Deppe's injunction, "The
shadow of the palm of the hand should lie directly over the
keys to be played."*
Plate I shows the correct hand-position for this exercise, as
seen from the side. It is, 0£ course, understood that the right
hand will go through similar exercises in the opposite direction.
For the training of the right hand in execution 0£ music of
this type practise the following studies :
Czerny, Finger Dexterity, N os. 15 and 19; A. Biehl, Op.
154, Book IV, No. 26; for left-hand practise take H. Seeling,
"Schilflieder," Op. 11, No. 4; A. Biehl, Op. 154, Book lV,
No. 27'; for the training of both hands the following compo-
sitions will be found useful: Schumann, Romance, F-sharp
maJor; Chopin, Op. 25, Etude No. 1, and Etude No. 13 (A-
• See Part I, Chapter III.
•
96 4,BTISTIC PIANO PLAYING.
flat major) ; Schumann, Intermezzo from the Faschings-

schwank.
The explanatory instructions which have been given, and a)so
the hand-and-arm positions showIL in the three p,lates, apply
in equal degree to the execution of arpeggio-chords, the only
difference being that each ch~rd should be thought of as a
whole, and should be grasped in a single, quick, decisive im-
pulse, originating, 0£ course, in the powerful muscles 0£ the
shonlder and back. As a result the tones forming each chord
·will follow one another with the utmost rapidity compatible
with clear-cut distinctness 0£ tone. The following pieces ex-
emplify this style 0£ playing:
Ludwig Schytte, Op. 75, Book 9, Etude 3; J. Moscheles,
Op. 'lO, Book 1, No. 2; Chopin, Op. 10, No. 11 (Etude).
Such studies as are here typifi.c<l can be delivered with ade-
quate brillian~.Y and 'verve only when the performer draws to
the fullest ex,tent upon the energy residing in the powerful
muscles 0£ the back. It will then appear, as has been said in
a previoui;- chapter, as if the arms £ell with their foll weight
upon the keys in t.he production 0£ each chord.
The following measures from Tschaikowsky' s Concerto, Op .
. 2!3, may he taken as an example of the passages which demand
above manner 0£ performance.
·ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING. 97
FOURTH PREPARATORY EXERCISE.

(The "shaking· movement.")
I N Plates VI and VII there is a very clear delineation of

the slow exercise to be used in preparation for the per-
formance of broken octaves, sixths, thirds, and other
tremolo :figures. The underlying principle of this movement
is the same as in the execution of trills, for the shaking, or
oscillating, motion of the hand is, in this case also, the result
of energy generated in the back and upper-arm, and the joints
are maintained in a similar state of firm, yet elastic, tension.
(See Part I, Chapter III).
Since any large movement is easier to watch, to control, and
. to execute, than a small one, this movement is, in the beginning,
of considerable magnitude, and is made q-µite slowly. Here,
also, the rule holds good that :fingers, wrist, and forearm, must
steadfastly retain their original relative positions, so that the
hand, with :fingers firmly curved, is supported, moved, and
guided solely by the arm. (See Exercise Book, page 111.)
By careful observation and experiment the player may as-
certain for himself that the curve-forming movement of the
hand, from fifth finger to thumb, which produces a broken
octave, is governed by muscles in the upper-arm and back, and
that the forearm neither turns in the elbow-joint, nor changes
its position in relation to the upper-arm.*
After several slow repetitions of this exercise, one should
then double the tempo, and repeat this process until, :finally,
the rapidity of the movement, and its ~onsequent dimunition,
reach a point where the :fingers no longer leave the surface of
the keys, and the movement itself is reduced to a vibration
thereon. When this degree of rapidity has been attained, the
* Marie Unschnld van Melasfeld, in her book, "The Hand of the Pianist" ipage 43 Fig
38), gives an apparently similar exercise as preparatory to octave-playing, but one' may
there observe that the turning of the hand occurs at the wrist only, and is so described in
the text-a fact which serves to entirely differentiate her exercise from the one here given
We cannot say too often, nor too emphatically, that movements produced solely by fingers
or forearm yield an entirey different tone, both as to volume and qualtity from that wliich
is the result of synergetical working of the muscles. The hardness of tone' which an isolated
movement always engenders is especially and unpleasantly apparent in forte passages.
7
PLATE VJ.
PLATE VII,
wrist will be found to have' assumed the pose shown in Plate

I, as a result of the above dimunition of movement.
This manner of playing may be used, wiih the happiest re-
sults, in such studies and pieces as the following:
8chytte. Op. 75, Book III, Ko. 1 (Octave Study); Clementi.
Gradus ad Parnassum (Carl Tausig), No. 28 in E-fl.at;
Cramer, Book I, No. 12 ; Loeschorn, Op. 38, Book III, No. 24;
Ozerny, Op. 740, Book I, No. 8; 0. L. Hanan, The Virtuoso
Pianist, No. 60 (Tremolo Study) ;Grieg, Op. 62, No. 4 (Lyris-
che Stueke); Chopin, Op. 28, No. 14 (Prelude); Benjamin
Godard, Op. 53 (En courant); Beethoven, Op. 541, No. 22
(Allegretto from this Sonata); Chopin, Etude No. 23 (No. 11
in Op. 25); Liszt, Ungarische Fantasie (Edition Peters),
pages 10 and 12, etc.
ARTIST10 PIANO PLAYING. 99
Through the use of this movement in passages such as the

two here borrowed from Beethoven and from Liszt, it will be
found that both tone-quality and rapidity can be perfected to
the last degree.
100 .ARTISTIO PI.ANO PLAYING.
ARTISTIC PlANO PLAY1NG-. 101
FIFTH PREPARATORY EXERCISE .

•
(Successions of Thirds, Sixths, Octaves, etc. Repetitions of
Single Tones. Binding of Chords Without Use
of Pedal.)
I N rapid performance of passages made up of thirds, sixths,

etc., the hand-position is the same as in simple scale-work.
( See Part I, Chapter III.) The wrist is turned a little
towards the outside, and the resultant slightly-oblique pose of
the hand greatly ·facilitates the passing under of the thumb.*
Here, also, hand and fingers are freely carried by the arm
over the keys to be played, and great dexterity in touching the
black keys is thus developed. Each movement should involve
the arm as a whole, and the relative positions of wrist and elbow
should remain well-nigh unaltered throughout the exercise.
The tone-figures which head this chapter are, as is well-
known, very difficult to execute in legato style, but, when played
with the light, freely-supported hand which Deppe enjoined,
the effect is to bind the various. chords and tones in a most
unmistakable manner. Just as in mezzo-legato playing, one
must now call in the aid of the vibratory movement; through
the controlling and regulating power of the superior muscles
which give rise to this movement, the tones never sound de-
tached, or jerky, but always even, smooth, and rich in quality.
I£ successions of thirds and sixths on the white keys are
played without alternation of fingers-that is, the thirds with
first and third, or second and fourth fingers, and the sixths with
first and fifth fingers, throughout-then a good legato is attain-
able through the above vibratory rapidity of movement, by
means of which eight to twelve tones per second are sounded.
•The emphasis I so frequently place on this inward-slanting position of the hand is just-
ified by the fact alluded to on page 112 of the Deppe Exercise Book, namely. that so many
"Piano Methods" prescribe an exactly opposite position, and direct that "the hands shall
be turned outwards, like the feet." For instance, on page 129 of "Aesthetik des Klavier-
splels," when Kullak is describing two principal forms which depend upon hand-position he
says: "The hand is turned slightly outwards at the wrist;" and similar directions may' be
found in the following works: D. Gottlieb Tuerk's Klavierschule: Hummel's Theoretische-
praktische Anweisung zum Pianofortespiel; Seifurt's Klavierschule; G. Damm's Klavier-
schule; H. Pohl's Klavierschule, etc.
Octaves on the white keys-"lightning octaves"-are played

in the same way, using, of course, the first and filth fingers.
There are many exercises which claim to give facility in chang-
ing fingers on the same key, when a single tone is to be, re-
peated, but it will be found that the connection between the
tones is much more ideal when the repetitions nre the result
of a vibratory motion communicated from the arm to a single
finger. When this method is employed, the same .finger, firmly
braced, £alls on the key as the result of each vibration of the
arm, and it then appears as i£ the key were pressed down dur-
ing the very instant when it is rising a£ter a previous pressure,
or as i£ the finger, never losing the feeling 0£ key-contact, caused
the key to rise as well as £all. In this way the most marvelous
rapidity is attainable, accompanied by the utmost purity and
distinctness 0£ delivery.
In Etude 32, Book IV, 0£ Ozerny's Finger Dexterity, there
occurs a repetition 0£ a single tone which £onus a good example
of above style 0£ execution. While the second, third, and fi.£th
fingers hold down the tones 0£ the chord, the repetition 0£ the
0 is effected by a joint vibratory movement of arm and thumb,
and not by repeated individual movements of the thumb itself.
The following measures from Liszt's variations on a motive
from Bach's "Weinen Klagen," will serve as practical illus-
tration of the type 0£ music where this manner 0£ playing will
be found specially appropriate and effective.
I£ the smooth and connected execution we have described
be desired, then undoubtedly the first condition to be sought is
absolute and unfaltering control 0£ every part of arm and
hand, down to the very finger-tips, the wrist, in particular, be-
ing maintained in the highest state 0£ finn, yet elastic, tension.
The arm must be used as i£ it were what is called a "simple
lever," moved and supported by the muscles 0£ the back.
Even when octave-passages involve both black and white
keys, the method above-described renders a legato performance
a possibility; the firmly-curved fingers glide on and off the
black keys as the result 0£ an impulse imparted to the hand by
the upper-arm, and, since hand and fingers are used as a whole
ARTlSTIO PIANO PLAYING. 103
Fr. Liszt. Variationen uber das Motiv von Bach "Weine1~Klngen".

i 1-
in producing the tones, the position of the fingers, as regards the

hand, remains unchanged. When a series of differing chords
is to be played, then, of course, the fingers must go a little out
of their original position in relation to the hand, but the move-
ment involved should be only just sufficient to place the fingers,
with the utmost rapidity, in readiness to take the next chord.
The wrist, also, must maintain its position firmly, but should
on no account be allowed to become rigid.
When shifting of the fingers is a necessity, the degree of
legato is, in any case, dependent upon the tempo ; 'if this does
not demand more than four or five tones per second, then the
legato becomes perfect.* Not only so, but it is attained in the
most natural manner possible, and attended with scarce any
evidence of effort, and this in spite of the fact that the binding
of widely-separated tone-figures has long been regarded as a
very difficult feat-indeed, a well-nigh impossible one when
attempted without the aid of the pedal.**
The following are examples for this way of playing: K ullak,
Octave School, Book II, No. 3; Ozerny, Legato and Staccato,
Book II, No. 16.
• On this point, see Pa.rt I, Chap. III.
•In Riema.n's "Anleitung zum Studium der Technischen Uebungen," page 33. he says:
"The lingers must change position with lightning rapidity ir a. chord-passage is to bear
even a semblances of legato; actual legato is, of course, not a possibility."
' SIXTH PREPARATORY EXERCISE.
Trills.
I T is a well-known fact that trills rank among the most diffi-

cult of all musical figures to execute with rhythmic pre-
. cision; nevertheless, they may be rendered in quite an ideal
manner by calling in the aid of that most useful "vibratory
movement" which originates in the muscles of the back and
upper-arm. Hand and arm should assume the pose shown in
Plate I, and the fingers, as well as the muscles involved, should
be characterized by similar firm tension. But the fingers, in-
stead of being curved "as if stretched out over a large ball,"
must be drawn so closely together that the thumb, held under-
neath the other :fingers, presses its tip :firmly against the tips
of the second and third fingers. All being now in readi-
ness for the preparatory exercise, the arm is raised with
a large, slow movement, and then allowed to fall* in such
a way that the three united :finger-tips depress the same key.
This movement is repeated again and again, in steadily in-
creasing tempo, the vibratory movement of the arm setting the
hand into more and more rapid motion, until at last the move-
ment diminishes to an exceedingly rapid vibration, or regulated
trembling, upon the surface of the key each vibration resulting
in a tone. ( See Exercise Book, page 113.)
It is of course understood that the arm must be used as a
whole in this preparatory exercise, each joint and muscle re-
maining :firmly in its original position from beginning to end.
When the rapidity of the tempo is at its height the :fingers do
not leave the key, but rise and fall with it, so that, in German
phrase, "there is no air between the tones," or, as Deppe said,
"There is not room between them for the tinest grain of sand."
•Concerning the "controlled free-fall," see Part I, Chap. III.
When this movement has been mastered,* then the fingers

resume the normal five-finger position usual in legato-playing,
and the player proceeds to take two adjacent keys so as to
form a trill, using for this purpose not only the movement
just referred to, but the movement of oscillation described in
Exercise IV. These two movements, oscillation and vibration,
co-operate in the greatest harmony, for both rest upon the same
foundation, since if either one is called into requisition in a
rapid performance, then the same muscles of back and upper-
arm-those which move the hand and fingers-are put in a
state of almost equal tension. The vibratory movement; how-
ever, demands a greater expenditure of energy than the other,
and, therefore, certain muscles of the forearm are then drawn
into co-operative use, although not directly active in producing
the movement itself. The one movement produces a vertical
vibration, and the other-the oscillatory movement-gives ris~
to a horizontal vibration of the hand. And the greater the de-
gree of regularity and lightness imparted to the movement,
through mastery of the muscular rhythm involved in the blend-
ing of the two vibrations, the more ideal will be the resultant
tone-color, from whispering pianissim9 to crashing fortissimo.
And, given this mastery, it will not seem difficult to the player
to sustain a trill-too often slighted in this regard-to any
required length, and to endow it with any degree of power
which a particular passage may demand. In presto trill-pas-
sages the activity of the moving members manifests itself ac-
cording to the laws governing the operation of a lever, and for
this reason a spectator receives the impression that the tones
are the result of the sole agency of hands and fingers, whereas
the real source of power should be looked for in the muscles of
the back and upper-arm. (See Exercise Book, pages 116 and
117.)
It may be mentioned here that Plates I and II of this Sup-
plement show exactly the hand-and-arm position suited to rapid
execution of octave scales and passages, for this depends on th1;1
• This vibratory movement should be perseveringly practised until one can produce lh-t2
repetitions of a tone per second; therefore, metronome should be set at 60. (Cowwrning
"Anschlagbewegungen," by Oskar Ralf, see" Klavierlehrer, No. 15, August 1, 1001.)
skilful blending of two movements : "First, the carrying of the

hwnd by the arm in any desired. direction, and, secondly, the
simultaneous generation of a regular, vibratory motion which
is transmitted to arm and hand, the :fingers being :firmly
curved." (See Exercise Book, page 115.)
Observation of these same engravings will also show that,
although the hand is inevitably spread out a little as the conse-
quence of spanning an octave, yet it is nevertheless turned i.,,,.
ward--that is, towards the thumb--as much as possible; it is
also clearly to be seen that the wrist is held just a trifle higher
than•the back of the hand. Deppean playing, as we know,
always requires this slight elevation of the wrist, for, when it
is held too low, certain muscles of the forearm are brought into
an activity which greatly encumbers the hand in its movements,
and impairs the lightness and freedom so essential in that mem-
ber. This elevation is succeeded, in movements of moderate
tempo, by an elastic downward and outward motion of the
wrist,· the moment the :fingers have produced the required tones
and are gliding inwards on the keys. (Exercise Book, page
113.)
In runs, and similar pa~s, the elevation is rather more
pronounced, and the yielding movement of the wrist is dis-
tributed among the :first three tones of the passage.*
.An exception to this rule occurs ( as has been pointed out in
this Supplement) in the performance of massive chords, and in
presto octave-, staccato-, or trill-passages-in fact, in any
tone-figure which demands marked sonority, or vivid tone-color.
In these cases the wrist must :find itself in the pose shown in
Plate I by the time the fingers come in contact with the surface
of the keys ; then, sharing the impetus derived from the ener-
getic action of the muscle of baclc and shoulder, it is slightly
lowered, but only as a natural concomitant of the depression
of the lceys by the firm hand and fingers.· At the conclusion of
each passage or musical :figure the hand should be lifted from
• Those plarers who, not having opportunity for oral instruction in Deppe's principles,
yet seek to model their playing according to the instructions !\iven in Part I, frequently
make the mistake of holding the wrist too high, which is in its way, as injurious as the
other extreme. The exact height of the wrist in ordinary playing is shown with the utmost
clearness in Plate II, Part I, and in Plate I, Part II.
ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING. 107
the keyboard with a decidedly elevated wrist, and then carried

by the arm over the keys in a curve of greater or less magnitude,
according to the exigencies of the case. This curvilinear move-
ment by which the hand is both laid upon the keys and lifted
from them, serves to bind chord with chord, and passage with
passage; therefore, since all curves, whether of tone-production
or ·tone-binding, blend into each other, the continuity of the
movement suffers no interruption. We wish to state emphati-
cally that each movement referred to in this treatise, whether
it be vibrating, gliding, or a simple pressure of the keys, must
always be accompanied by a mental conception of the character•
istic curve it possesses, though in ever so slight a degree; and,
no matter what the style of a movement, its beginning and end-
ing mnst be performed as above. And it is perhaps well to
repeat, with equal emphasis, that rule laid down in Part I,
Chapter II, which forbids one to raise the shoulder under any
circumstances.
The player has several times been enjoined to use the arm
"as a whole," or "as a simple lever," etc., but it should be care•
fully borne in mind that this condition is meant to obtain only
at the moment of tone-production. During this moment the
muscles concerned are in a c-0ndition of harmonious, rhythmic,
interdependent, co-operation, and, therefore, of firm, interlock-
ing tension, a tension which increases in proportion to the de-
gree of force exerted by the performer.
This "synergy of the muscles," as it is termed in Part I,
Chapter I, reaches its climax in the playing of heavy chords,
and strongly-accented passages, and there may then be per-
ceived a sudden swelling out of certain muscles, notably those
of the upper-arm. But, once the tones have been taken, there
ensues a controlled, yielding movement of the wrist, together
with an instant, concurrent, lessening of all muscular tension,
so that complete relaxation of the muscles is accomplished by
the time the hand is lifted from the keys. And, therefore,
when Deppe said "the muscles should now relax," or "the wrist
must now yield, with a controlled downward motion," he meant
thereby to draw attention to this important physiological fact:
A state of tension, or of firm, interlocking. of the muscles, must

invariably be succeeded by relaxation or devitalization ol every
joint and muscle used in playing.*
In order to derive the greatest amount of profit from this
little treatise it will be n~essary to bear in mind that it is
intended as a complement to my two former works, "Die Dep-
pe'sche Lehre des Klavierspiels," and Ludwig Deppe's Fuenf-
fingeruehungen und Uebungsmaterial, "** and the real value and
usefulness of the various exercises, etc., herein contained, can
be fully demonstrated only when they are tested in conjunction
with the principles laid down in these two books. However,
the main condition which makes for success· is undoubtedly
concentration of mind on the part of the player-a concentra-
tion which makes a random or mechanical movement an im-
possibility; for, when the movements are under the complete
domination of the will, there results that rhythmic and har-
monious co-operation of back, arm, and shoulder muscles, the
importance of which we have tried to show, And, the nearer
the player approaches to absolute mental control of his move-
ments-the more effectually he trains his muscles to instanta-
neously contract or relax, at his will-the larger the drafts he
makes on the energy latent in the powerful muscles of the
back-the more characteristic and individual will his playing
become.
The various exercises here given will doubtless, in the be-
ginning, seem complicated of execution; nevertheless, slow and
careful performance will prove them to be really easy, and to
involve comparatively little physical exertion. They serve as
* On this point see Emil Sochting's little work, "Die Lebres des freien Fables" (Otto
Wernthal, Magdeburg), where, on page Z"/, be refers to" stiffening" and to" relaxation" of
the arm-muscles, Also C. A. Ebrenrechter, of London, in his book, "Technical Study in
the art of Piano-Playing, on Deppe's Principles'' (first published as a series of articles in
"The Musical Standard," in 1890), writes as follows: "After the chord or single note has
been executed, the arm is lifted high, allowing thereby tl,e strained muscles to relax, re-
generatini thus their flexibility." See, also, tbe first chapter of "Die Deppe'sche Lehre des
Klaviersp1els" (Part I of this present book), where it is said that "this harmonious inter-
working of the muscles of the upper part of the body is an underlying and essential prin-
ciple in •· " • artistic and spontaneous tone-prodnction." 'l'he following quota-
tion on this subject is from the Appendix tomy Exercise Book, page 116: "Generally speak-
ing the beginner makes the mistake of expending a quite unnecessary amount of force.
Usually, too, he fatigues almost all his muscles at the same time, because he has not learned
how to brin8' them into play in due consecutive order, nor does he know how to apply those
laws according to which a muscle is first made firm, then maintained in that state of ten-
sion, and, finally, relaxed when its activity is no longer needed."
"* See footnotes to Preface.
a means whereby the most difficult musical figures may be per-

formed with exquisite tone-coloring, with any required degree
of velocity, and with a power and breadth of tone but seldom
heard. "Energy without roughness, tenderness without affec-
tation"*-such are the qualities thus placed within reach of
the player, and thereby shall the popular saying, "Er schuettelt
sich die schwersten Sachen nur so aus dem Aermel," find its
literal justification.
• See Preface to C. Mikull's Edition ot Chopin ·s Works.
SOME CRITICISMS OF
;t,fe ;t,eppe'scbe Jlebre bes

Jltlabtersptels.
" I congratulate you on your clear and beautifully
written work, in which you have given Deppe's princi-
ples with such fidelity and truth. The illustrations also
- are remarkably well done, and give an excellent idea of

the correct hand positions. Your book made so forcible
an impression on me that, while I read it, it seemed to
-
me as if I heard Deppe speaking." AMY FAY.
NEW YORK, July, 1899. (Author of 11
Muaic Study in Germany.")
'' Allow me to express to you my thanks for the inspira-

tion which I have received through vour presentation of the
Deppean theories regarding piano-forte playing. On the
path which each must make for himself one is thankful
for the smallest help, but indeed it is no trifle you have
bestowed upon us. I have been experimenting in the
matter of '' carrying the hand '' over the keys in such a
way as to develop grace in the binding of widely separated
tones, and already, after little practice, I can perceive
marked progress." DR. GRUNSKY,
STUTTGART, Oct., 1897 Musical Critic of the'" Schwaebischcn Mcrtur."
"This little book deserves more than passing notice

from both teachers and pupils; in it will be found many
pedagogical hints of distinct value."
sTuTTGART-LEIPZIG. NEuE Mus1K-ZE1TUNG.
"The Deppe method of piano playing, as explained

by Elisabeth Caland, forms ·a valuable contribution to our
- literature on this subject The treatise is very -
well written, and the reader will find therein much to
provoke reflection and to incite to imitation.''
EUGENE SEGNITZ.
I
MUSIKALISCHES WOCHENBLATT, May, 1900.
"This little book, so full of positive value and inspi-

ration, is hereby heartily recommended to all the readers
of our paper who are interested in piano playing. It is a
pleasure to welcome so interesting a presentation of the
subject." KAPELLMEISTER ARTHUR SMOLIAN.
KARLSRUHER ZEITUNG, Nov., 1897.

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••

llVBLYN SUTHERLAND STEVRNSON

N,w YoaK: G. SCHIRMER

Artistic Piano Playing

Fraulein Elisabeth Caland

Evelyn Sutherland Stevenson

" The freedom which 1s rightly considered to be the very es-

THE OLYMPIAN PUBLISHING Co.,

'-- CHAPTER IV.

"Piano-playing is mainly a matter of the mind, and not pri-

A NIMATED by recollections of Miss Amy Fay's "Music

of the piano be certainly was, for, possessing in the highest

playing, blurred chords, unsteady performance of scales and

INTRODUCTION TO THE GERMAN EDITION.

also advanced by Klose, in his little work, "Die Deppe'sche

elaborate the system of piano study which he had formulated,

lo .ARTISTIC PI.ANO PLAYING.

and most involved passages. From these premises Deppe

D EPPE had as motto this phrase : "When it looks pretty,

a17pea.r so), and a truly graceful person will never seem to be

From such study there would naturally arise an exact knowledge

tion, shall be effected in the easiest, best-adapted, and least-con-

of, first, the muscles of

Chapter II.) Deppe considered the low piano-chair a matter

Secondly ( in conformity with a foundation law of the mus-

tire work of art. A paragraph from Souriau's "Esthetique du

is regular-that is equal on each side--then the center of

A S HAS already been intimated in the preceding chapter,

quite easy and unconstrained. "Always amiable" (liebens-.

The first exercise, preliminary to any actual finger work,

to t-urn out at the wrist, this "rapport" is summarily broken at

that position which is most favorable to their free and unham-

the hand in the strict Deppean position will occasion a certain

it should, at first, be barely audible. Naturally it is not pos-

Now, the scales will no longer be hammered out of the piano;

I N THE execution of runs, and in the binding together of

is then carried on to the keyboard, with wrist well raised. With

In playing the descending scale, the hand describes the second

disturbing movements are reduced to the smallest possible di- ·

movement there depicted is the result of the performance of the

of the arm, the inevitable result will be an inharmonious and

The downward movement of hand and arm upon the keys

photographed in the typical Deppean pose it assumes when

gree to the movement of a finger in the production of a single

powers of upper arm and shoulder muscles. All the attention

pliant, downward-and-outward motion with which the wrist re-

ginning that curved movement, the characteristic form of which

line running through hand and forearm--simply because cor-

The basal principles in chord-playing are the same as already

With the whole soul,

T HE TONE.:._so small in the beginning-will be

tivity, physical and mental, the growth of musical sense and

School of Velocity, No. 23. II.

Cramer's Etudes, Book I, No. 9. III.

In Ex. I the hand must never be found out of the regula-

The second example, also taken from Ozerny's "School of

out causing any mat:erial deviation from the hand position

.e I.J &fr' rJ.eto

A rule of great importance in this connection concerns the

"Here one must seduously avoid accenting the first tone in