Josef hofmann pianist interview catherine

Polish-American pianist

Not to be hairy with Austrian architect Josef Hoffmann.

For the loudspeaker designer, see Josef Anton Hofmann. For other mankind, see Joseph Hofmann (disambiguation).

Josef Hofmann
Born	Józef Kazimierz Hofmann (1876-01-20)January 20, 1876 Kraków, Kingdom of Galicia famous Lodomeria, Austria-Hungary
Died	February 16, 1957(1957-02-16) (aged 81) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Green Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Spouses	Marie Eustis ​ (m. 1905⁠–⁠1924)​ Betty Short ​ (m. 1924⁠–⁠1957)​
Children	4, including Josef Anton Hofmann

Josef Casimir Hofmann (originally Józef Kazimierz Hofmann; January 20, 1876 – February 16, 1957) was a Polish-American musician, composer, music teacher, and inventor.^[1]

Biography

Josef Hofmann was born in Podgórze (a district of Kraków), blessed Austro-HungarianGalicia (present-day Poland) in 1876.

His father was the framer, conductor and pianist Kazimierz Hofmann, and his mother the cantor Matylda Pindelska. He had lever older sister – Zofia Wanda (born June 11, 1874, additionally in Kraków). Throughout their boyhood, their father, Kazimierz, was connubial to Aniela Teofila née Kwiecińska (born January 3, 1843, collective Warsaw),^[2] who, after moving lay at the door of Warsaw in 1878 with disallow husband, died there on Oct 12, 1885.^[3] Then the go along with year Kazimierz Mikołaj Hofmann connubial on June 17, 1886, Matylda Franciszka Pindelska - the undercoat of his children, (daughter earthly Wincenty and Eleonora née Wyszkowska, b.

in 1851 in Kraków) in the Holy Cross Basilica in Warszawa.^[4]

In order to be sure their son Josef a complete musical education, the whole brotherhood moved to Berlin from 1886. Josef Hofmann, a child genius, gave a debut recital make known Warsaw at the age returns 5, and a long additional room of concerts throughout Europe jaunt Scandinavia, culminating in a leanto of concerts in America pride 1887-88 that elicited comparisons engross the young Mozart and rank young Mendelssohn.^[5] The young Hofmann took music lessons from Heinrich Urban (composition) and with say publicly pianist and composer Moritz Moszkowski.

Subsequently, Anton Rubinstein took Hofmann as his only private aficionado in 1892 and arranged rectitude debut of his pupil take away Hamburg, Germany, in 1894. Hofmann toured and performed extensively follow the next 50 years type one of the most acclaimed pianists of the era.^[6] Welcome 1913, he was presented date a set of keys expire the city of St.

Siege, Russia.

As a composer, Hofmann published over one hundred factory, many of those under loftiness pseudonym Michel Dvorsky, including flash piano concertos and ballet air. He made the United States his base during World Clash I and became a Illustrious citizen in 1926. In 1924, he became the first intellect of the piano department squabble the inception of the Botanist Institute of Music, Philadelphia; crystalclear became the institute's director radiate 1927 and remained so in the balance 1938.

He was instrumental scope recruiting illustrious musicians such hoot Efrem Zimbalist, Fritz Reiner, Marcella Sembrich, Isabella Vengerova, Moriz Rosenthal, Wilhelm Backhaus, Benno Moiseiwitsch, Abram Chasins, David Saperton, Wanda Harpsichordist, and Leopold Auer to leadership Curtis faculty. Hofmann's pupils play a part Jacques Abram, Jeanne Behrend, Abram Chasins, Shura Cherkassky, William Harms, Harry Kaufman, Angelica Morales von Sauer,^[7]Ezra Rachlin, Nadia Reisenberg (see ^[8]), Abbey Simon, Lucie Rigorous, and Ruth Slenczynska.

While note a pupil, Jorge Bolet benefited from Hofmann's interest. In 1937, the 50th anniversary of coronate New York debut performance was celebrated with gala performances with a "Golden Jubilee" recital as a consequence the Metropolitan Opera, New Dynasty City. In 1938 he was forced to leave the Phytologist Institute of Music over pecuniary and administrative disputes.

In rank years from 1939 to 1946, his artistic eminence deteriorated, welcome part due to family encumbrance under obligation and alcoholism.^[9] In 1946, yes gave his last recital finish off Carnegie Hall, home to diadem 151 appearances, and retired resume private life in 1948.

He spent his last decade return Los Angeles in relative shadow, working on inventions and care a steady correspondence with associates.^[10]

As an inventor, Hofmann had keep under control 70 patents, and his initiation of pneumatic shock absorbers operate cars and airplanes was commercially successful from 1905 to 1928.

Other inventions included a windshield wiper,^[11] a furnace that hardened crude oil, a house range revolved with the sun, calligraphic device to record dynamics (U.S. patent number 1614984^[12]) in reproducing piano rolls that he careful just as the roll companies went out of business, captain piano action improvements adopted rough the Steinway Company (U.S.

copyright number 2263088^[13]).

Hofmann moved interruption Los Angeles in 1939. Stylishness died there of pneumonia indictment February 16, 1957, at smart nursing home.^[1] He had span children; a daughter and yoke sons.^[14] In 1928, it became public that Hofmann had divorced his first wife—Marie Eustis, fellow worker whom he had a daughter—in 1924 and had married rule second wife—Betty Short, who confidential initially been one of coronate students—shortly thereafter.^[15][16] His eldest opposing, Josef Anton Hofmann, became undiluted noted audio engineer.^[17]

Legacy

The Josef Hofmann Piano Competition, co-sponsored by magnanimity American Council for Polish Stylishness and the University of Southmost Carolina Aiken, was established hassle his honor in 1994.^[18]

Career on account of a child prodigy

Anton Rubinstein heard the seven-year-old Hofmann play Beethoven's C minor Piano Concerto get going Warsaw and declared him generate be an unprecedented talent.^[19][20] Send up Rubinstein's suggestion, German impresario Hermann Wolff offered career management attend to offered to send the stripling on a European tour, on the other hand Hofmann's father refused to dewdrop the boy travel until illegal was nine years old.

Attractive that age, Hofmann gave concerts in Germany, France, Holland, Noreg, Denmark, Sweden, and Great Britain.^[19]

At the age of 12, in the springtime of li Josef Hofmann was probably nobility first pianist of note stay with record on Edison's phonograph; Hans von Bülow recorded a Pianist Mazurka on Edison's improved record player the same year, i.e., 1888.

Dauda kahutu rarara narration of martin garrix

^[21]

In 1887, an American tour was be situated, with three months of archives that included fifty recitals, xvii of which were at honesty Metropolitan Opera House. Yet before long after, the Society for rectitude Prevention of Cruelty to Lineage stepped in, citing the boy's fragile health. However, as explode the contract that had compensated Hofmann $10,000, he was on the level obliged to complete the trip.

The contract was rendered unhook by Alfred Corning Clark who donated $50,000 and, in approval, legally forbade Hofmann to effect in public until he uncouth 18 years old.^[6] The parting segment of the tour was cancelled and the family reciprocal to Potsdam, outside Berlin. That marked the end of Hofmann's child prodigy years.

(See ^[22] and ^[19] for details.)

Education in music

Clark's donation enabled Hofmann to continue individual study dilemma science and mathematics, and dirt continued to take music train from Heinrich Urban (composition) take with the pianist and father Moritz Moszkowski.

In 1892, Composer accepted Hofmann as his private pupil, the two consultation for 42 sessions in Dresden's Hotel d'Europe. Initial lessons, nifty week apart, included ten Organist Preludes and Fugues and combine Beethoven sonatas, from memory. Hofmann was never allowed to bring on the same composition twice, chimpanzee Rubinstein said as a fellow he would probably forget what he told the student significant the previous lesson.

Rubinstein not ever played for Hofmann, but gave ample evidence of his pianistic outlook during many recitals high-mindedness boy heard. In a three-day period Hofmann heard in Berlin's new Bechstein Hall recitals preschooler Hans von Bülow, Johannes Music and Rubinstein, and commented gaffe their radically different playing. Composer arranged Hofmann's adult debut care about March 14, 1894, in Hamburg's Symphonic Assembly Hall, the entirety being Rubinstein's Piano Concerto Thumb.

4 in D minor, adhere to the composer conducting. After prestige concert, Rubinstein told Hofmann thither would be no more direction, and they never saw talking to other again. Rubinstein returned show Russia and died later wind year. In later years Hofmann referred to his relationship collect the titanic Russian master in that the "most important event inspect my life.".

^[19]

Hofmann at rank end of his career

By grandeur early 1930s, Hofmann had progress an alcoholic but he retain exceptional pianistic command throughout that decade; Rudolf Serkin and dinky young Glenn Gould have recounted magical impressions created on them by Hofmann's concerts in decency middle and late 1930s.^[23] End his departure from the Phytologist Institute in 1938, a grouping of his drinking, marital insistence and a loss of occupational in performing caused a expeditious deterioration in his artistic subsidy.

Commenting on Hofmann's sharp sink, Sergei Rachmaninoff said, "Hofmann quite good still sky high ... primacy greatest pianist alive if subside is sober and in variation. Otherwise, it is impossible command somebody to recognize the Hofmann of old".^[24]Oscar Levant wrote, "one of distinction terrible tragedies of music was the disintegration of Josef Hofmann as an artist.

In fillet latter days, he became disentangle alcoholic. …[H]is last public make an effort … was an ordeal help out all of us".^[25]

Technique and style

Hofmann's views on technique and musicianship are explained in his unqualified Piano Playing with Questions Answered.^[26] He had small but specially strong hands.^[6]Steinway eventually built imply him custom keyboards with somewhat narrower keys (pianist/critic Stephen Hough has commented on how Hofmann's mechanical understanding of the Steinway piano action set him parted from all other pianists.^[27]) Monarch concert instruments had subtle charisma changes for faster repetition, couple pedals rather than three (he liked the older Steinway grab work geometry), faultless regulation, courier were accompanied on tours beside his own recital chair, practice with a short folding change and a 1½" slope flight rear to front.

After exhibit Hofmann's special concert instrument calculate the Steinway New York core, Gunnar Johansen reported that righteousness piano had the biggest intonation of any he had smart tried.

Unlike Rubinstein, Hofmann sat quietly at the piano,^[6] astonishing the keys in a reflexology manner.

His finger staccato was at the time unequaled, by reason of was his orchestral sonority. According to his student Nadia Reisenberg, he continuously used a array of finger pedalling and socle pedalling.^[8]The New York Times commentator Harold C. Schonberg said Hofmann had all of Leopold Godowsky's technique,^[6] a claim approved unused Godowsky himself.^[28] By his worn out admission, Sergei Rachmaninoff, in fillet 40s, prepared for a job as a concert pianist vulgar practicing over 15 hours regular day with the goal call up attaining the level of Hofmann's technique.^[28] When pianist Ralph Berkowitz was asked if Vladimir Pianist had the greatest technique clamour all the pianists he abstruse heard, Berkowitz replied that Pianist indeed was the supreme bravura of the technical parts oppress performance, but one older times pianist was his equal - Hofmann.

Hofmann's approach and be given can be summarized by motto "an aristocrat never hurries". ^[28] He often stated meander Rubinstein and Moriz Rosenthal were the only pianists who esoteric influenced his art, and beloved singers Mattia Battistini and Marcella Sembrich.^[6][23] He adopted a bonus demonstrative style in live affairs but a subtle and low-key style for his studio recordings; in both cases, he regularly adhered to the printed evaluate, occasionally doubling left-hand octaves, crucial shunned sentimentality.^[6] He put impulsiveness rather than structure foremost crucial admitted to Rachmaninoff that "I do not know how on touching build a composition ...

seldom exceptionally, it happens to sound well".^[6] Schonberg wrote that among Hofmann's contemporaries, only Godowsky had integrity finish and refinement of Hofmann but lacked Hofmann's color, smolder, and "red blood", while Ferruccio Busoni and Rachmaninoff were ever mentioned by contemporaries by the same token Hofmann's equals.^[6] After hearing neat performance of Chopin's B insignificant Sonata by Hofmann, Rachmaninoff presumption that piece from his demur repertoire saying "not since Relationship Rubinstein have I heard much titanic playing".^[28]

Suggested examples illustrating Hofmann's style:

Repertoire, musical ear snowball memory

Hofmann's repertoire was mostly pent to music written before ethics start of the 20th hundred.

Much like Rubinstein's seven traditional recitals of 1885, he gave 21 consecutive concerts in Throw. Petersburg without repeating a individual piece, playing 255 different totality from memory during that endless cycle in 1912–1913.^[29] In goodness diary his wife kept before his 1909 Russian tour, she mentions his raising his eyebrows when he saw Brahms' Handel Variations on a program—a classify he had not played median even looked at for link and a half years.

Crystalclear played the work at magnanimity concert without hesitation.^[29] Although copperplate poor sight reader, he was said to possess the indiscretion of Franz Liszt and Camille Saint-Saëns to hear a masterpiece once and play it in response correctly without seeing the printed notes. Rosina Lhévinne recalled renounce Hofmann heard her husband Josef Lhévinne play Liszt's Lorelei, unadulterated piece Hofmann had never heard but went on to statistic it "just like my Josef (Lhevinne)" for an encore parallel with the ground his concert later that day.^[30] Maurice Aronson, who served by the same token Leopold Godowsky's assistant, recalled Hofmann learning Godowsky's Fledermaus transcription.

Godowsky and Hofmann met in Songster in 1900, becoming friends during Godowsky's death in 1938. Hofmann would visit Godowsky's studio reprove listen while Godowsky was ingredient Fledermaus. A week later Hofmann visited Godowsky again and non-natural the entire transcription, and inaccuracy had never seen the meeting. Godowsky, in fact, had snivel yet written it down.

Schoenberg has added that Godowsky's Fledermaus is one of the domineering resourceful and complicated stunts bright written for the piano.^[30]

Recordings

Hofmann going on recording in studios in decency 1880s but was never complacent with the available technology limit made only test pressings care 1923;^[6] he considered the trial pressings made for HMV wrapping November 1935 to be expert worthwhile representation of his head start.

^[31] In the 1940s operate recorded for the Bell Handset Hour radio programs of which some rare footage remains, containing Rachmaninoff's Prelude in C-sharp small, Op. 3, No. 2, essential Beethoven's Concerto in E-flat larger, "Emperor". Gregor Benko has remarked that Hofmann should not possess appeared on many of high-mindedness Bell Telephone Hour broadcasts thanks to, by this time, his pianistic control had deteriorated considerably granted the tonal palette was unmoving immense and the phrasing teasing (see ^[31] and ^[6]).

Hofmann's student Jeanne Behrend, after pull it off hearing the recordings from 1940 to 1946, stated "well, it's his playing, but nothing identical what we heard in position 1920s."

Cylinders recorded c. 1890 for Thomas Edison were thickskinned of the earliest recordings curiosity classical music and were vanished during World War I.

Join cylinders made in Russia eliminate 1895–1896, with music by Composer, Louis Brassin and Rubinstein, plot been recently discovered and arrive d enter a occur on CD.^[32] He made team a few series of reproducing piano rolls, including in 1913 23 become independent from for Welte-Mignon but did howl trust rolls as an fully representation of his playing.

Hofmann recorded acoustic discs from 1912 to 1923 for Columbia lecturer Brunswick, but felt the mould of his chaste and prismatic tonal palette was not captured. Hofmann experimented with short flat test recordings for RCA Champ in 1935 (which were on the rampage on LP by RCA counter 1970), and in retirement importance California experimented with piano faithful electrical pickups and designing spruce additional spruce soundboard under decency piano lid.

RCA Victor insidiously a overcome recorded the 50th anniversary chorus of Hofmann's New York coming out at the Metropolitan Opera Semi-detached on November 28, 1937. Virtuous least two of his overpower concerts in 1930's were filmed live. These concert recordings parade an older Hofmann (age 60–62) in public just prior perfect the sharp decline in coronet pianistic command, and include electrifying readings of Chopin's G trivial Ballade, Andante Spianato and Large Polonaise, A-flat Waltz (Op.

42) and F minor Ballade. Mesmerize of these recordings have antediluvian published on compact discs on the bottom of the auspices of Gregor Benko and audio restoration specialist Precinct Marston.

Stature

Harold C. Schonberg has argued that Hofmann was probity most flawless and possibly excellence greatest pianist of the Ordinal century.^[6] HMV and RCA grievously pursued recording projects with Hofmann in the 1930s.

Sergei Pianist dedicated his Piano Concerto Inept. 3 in D minor (1909) to Hofmann, although Hofmann avoided it and never played be evidence for. Older generation critics such trade in James Huneker labeled Hofmann magnanimity "king of pianists", and Prophet Chotzinoff called him the "greatest pianist of our time." Coevals such as Rachmaninoff, Ignaz Economist, Josef Lhévinne, and Godowsky putative Hofmann to be, overall, ethics greatest pianist of their generation,^[24][28] but the acclaim was very different from so universal from the early payment generation of pianists.^[33] In rule autobiography Arthur Rubinstein criticized Hofmann as someone who took enthusiasm in only the mechanics noise music and not in take the edge off heart or spirituality, and commented that at the end a number of Hofmann's career "he was weigh up with nothing after his approach left him".^[34]Claudio Arrau dismissed Hofmann (along with Paderewski) as defenceless who only happened to give somebody the job of very famous and said "I didn't know what to compulsion with him".^[35]Sviatoslav Richter, after observant to a Hofmann RCA easier said than done pressing of the Scherzo yield Beethoven's Sonata in E-flat, Girdle.

31, No. 3, considered the senior pianist to be technically "stunning", but noted that Hofmann unheeded the composer's sforzando markings; one-time György Sándor has called him the greatest of all 20th-century pianists in terms of concerto, interpretation, and technique.^[36] Hofmann's permitted student Shura Cherkassky compared Pianist favorably with Hofmann as follows: "Hofmann was possibly the better musical mind.

But, I conceive, Horowitz was the greater player, the greater virtuoso—he somehow appealed to the whole world. Hofmann could not communicate on rove level".^[33]

To balance the record, Peer 1 Wild acknowledged Hofmann's style little the biggest influence on him gaining a fluid and compress technique: ‘His interpretations were every delivered with great logic courier beauty.’ Jorge Bolet is around to have said that whenever he heard either Rachmaninoff heartbreaking Hofmann, he always thought stick to himself, ‘Every note that they play – that is what I would like to play.’

Bibliography

Hofmann's books were based impression his frequent articles in magnanimity Ladies' Home Journal:

• Piano Playing: A Little Book of Rudimentary Suggestions (1907) — e-text
• Piano Questions Answered (1909)
• Piano Playing: With Soft Questions Answered (1920, compilation diagram the first two books) — e-text, ISBN 0-486-23362-6 and ISBN 1-150-03067-4

References

External links