Mechanical Music Digest  Archives
You Are Not Logged In Login/Get New Account
Please Log In. Accounts are free!
Logged In users are granted additional features including a more current version of the Archives and a simplified process for submitting articles.
Home Archives Calendar Gallery Store Links Info
MMD > Archives > November 1997 > 1997.11.01 > 05Prev  Next


Gottschalk's Reputation
By Larry Lobel

Ray Fairfield wrote:

> [Gottschalk] lacked discipline and focus, and refused to play much
> of anybody else's music, focusing primarily on promoting his own.
> At any rate, an interesting fellow who left some engaging music.

That was Harold Schoenberg's opinion, which is, in my opinion, WRONG.

If you read Gottschalk's book, "Notes of a Pianist," it becomes hard to
accuse him of "lack of discipline and focus," as he spent the better
part of his life enduring great hardships to perform his own music
because he believed in it's value and wanted to introduce it to people,
and he felt there were already enough virtuosos playing the same old
stuff by the German masters.

He also thought that his own writing for piano was better than
Beethoven's.  Whether true or not, he acted on his principles, not
out of laziness, as Schoenberg implies.

As to whether Gottschalk was the "king of pianists" this is a subjective
judgment, but he was certainly extremely renowned and beloved in his
time, and if you read contemporary reviews of his playing he was
definitely considered among the top three or four pianists living at
the time.

I had to correct this misimpression, which most readers of Schoenberg
will take at face value, and urge you not to believe everything you
read, especially if it comes from only one source.

Larry Lobel
Virtuoso Piano Service


(Message sent Sun 2 Nov 1997, 02:52:00 GMT, from time zone GMT-0500.)

Key Words in Subject:  Gottschalk's, Reputation

Home    Archives    Calendar    Gallery    Store    Links    Info   


Enter text below to search the MMD Website with Google



CONTACT FORM: Click HERE to write to the editor, or to post a message about Mechanical Musical Instruments to the MMD

Unless otherwise noted, all opinions are those of the individual authors and may not represent those of the editors. Compilation copyright 1995-2024 by Jody Kravitz.

Please read our Republication Policy before copying information from or creating links to this web site.

Click HERE to contact the webmaster regarding problems with the website.

Please support publication of the MMD by donating online

Please Support Publication of the MMD with your Generous Donation

Pay via PayPal

No PayPal account required

                                     
Translate This Page