Тhе present war has opened the eyes of the world to many important facts; one of these, which is most welcome to all lovers of music, is that the German attempt to conquer sound, if legitimate in the past, has become quite illegitimate now, when her composers are chiefly musical pygmies. Professor Wassily Safonoff has rendered a signal service in distinguishing what is really great and what is not. He may therefore be described as one of the principal pioneers in this new musical crusade.

This Russian professor occupies a high position as a pianist, as an orchestral conductor, and as a musical pedagogue, not only in Russia and England, but also in America, and, in fact, everywhere. German influence in music presents the same features as it has done in every other art: domineering absorption in every direction. Nowadays, Germany cannot occupy the position she had some thirty years ago—not only in politics, but also in art. At present, the tendency is more and more to study all rising contemporary talents, and to foresee their future grandeur. It is evident that the arrogant German attitude even in music is entirely unjustified and in the background.

But to return especially to Professor Safonoff and the services he is now rendering. He has created a new formula for achieving musical excellence and even perfection in piano-playing (“New Formula for the Piano Teacher and Piano Student” London: J. and W. Chester, 3s. net).

Czerny, Clementi, and Kramer were in former years enthusiastically recognized as leading authorities for that attainment. Mr. Safonoff’s system of instruction and cultivation of music is going to replace the past century’s German leaders in these branches, who, as in the case of so many other arts and crafts of German origin, will now occupy a lower place.

The chief aim in Mr. Safonoff’s system of instruction is to give the pupil the possibility of attaining the same result of perfection by a shorter cut—namely, by economizing the student’s exercising time. This attainment is based on considering chiefly the power of the thumb as the high principle for forming, building, and directing a musical technique to advantage.

Thus Professor Safonoff’s coming edition of “Piano Practice” is comparatively small, containing twenty pages of moderate formulae, which consequently can be combined into various aspects.

The thumb plays the prominent part in his system for the practice of scales, arpeggios, etc. The masters of the past also knew this, but they left unnoticed the possible variations which give a complete independence of action to the other fingers. Also a novel introduction in this new system is the possibility of practising these exercises without striking a sound on a dumb piano. Both pedagogues and the pupils will soon find out the utility of Professor Safonoff’s formula. When this new system is successfully mastered there is no difficulty in performing exercises with double notes (tierces and sextas).

At first, this exercise seems tedious and trying, but in the end, the pupil attains the required velocity and independence of the fingers, and can correct and strengthen whatever faults have been contracted under other systems.

It is obvious that this system takes less time than the usual musical exercises, and at the same time has the effect of increasing the intellectual attention.

Of special interest and importance are the observations on rhythm, and there is abundance of good advice in this direction. It is to be expected that Professor Safonoff’s work will command great attention; the more so as the London publisher, Mr. Chester, has had it translated into other languages, including Russian; the original being written in English.

“Ars una species mille,” as Mr. Safonoff remarks; his method is not difficult, and if taken up rightly will correct any former defects in finger practice.

Thus with Mr. Safonoff’s new innovation, the German systems will be left behind, and their former despotism will be dethroned.

When a country—as also a private individual—loses every ideal of morality, of justice or charity, a general collapse manifests itself in every direction—in politics, in literature, in arts, etc. Even scientific discoveries assume a hideous form which only bring misery and provoke universal maledictions, such as Zeppelins, submarines, and liquid fire, to mention only a few at random. This moral collapse may be easily traced to Germany’s so-called triumphs of 1871. Volumes could be written on this theme. “Qui mal embrasse, mal étreint.” But today I will not desert our great Professor Safonoff’s powerful thumb and indicate his Russian work in musical progress. It certainly deserves study and gratitude.

OLGA NOVIKOFF née KIRÉEFF