The Artist and The Audience

New Zealand Listener, Volume 3, Issue 75, 29 November 1940, Page 11

The Artist and The Audience

Here is Ignaz Friedman's view of the artist’s duty to his art and his audience: "A great artist, a virtuoso, must be formed, must be educated, and he must look upon his art as a religion. Otherwise he is not really a star of. the first magnitude, and is confusing virtuosity with a specialty, and religion with a knowledge of human nature. And a knowledge of human nature is something which any old salt acquires in the course of numerous sea voyages. The only artist who never wearies his auditors is the one who tells a story at the piano. So long as he relates a narrative, he may do so without words, without gestures or mimicry, and yet speak of joy, and of sadness, of love, triumph, hope and death, of exotic lands, joy and disappointment, and children’s games. And most of those who are listening to him know, or believe they know, what it is all about. Incidentally, much listening to music and much playing of music make much thinking upon music a duty. If this be not the case, then the pianist’s progress across the keys is like a walk taken by a blind man in a_ splendid flower garden. All that the listener is aware of is fragrance." Next week, on Tuesday, December 3, Ignaz Friedman will give a public perform. ance in Auckland. Details are announced in the 1YA programmes.