Piano Mastery

At Paderewski’s recitals, a hush settles over the audience—and the piano seems to speak in tones of startling color and force. What gives one player such power to hold listeners spellbound?

In this collection of conversations with pianists and teachers, Harriette Brower begins with the celebrated Polish musician Ignace Jan Paderewski and the art behind his playing. His advice is exacting: study slowly, listen closely to every tone, keep the fingers clear and firm, and choose each movement and fingering with care. But technique alone cannot explain the spell he casts. A player must make each shade of sound serve the music’s feeling, from a delicate Chopin nocturne to a thunderous Liszt rhapsody. How does Paderewski teach a student to hear—and create—the difference?

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