natural linguists because we take the trouble to learn many languages
thoroughly in our youth." In 1913 Mr. Stojowski made a highly successful
tour abroad, his compositions meeting with wide favor.

[Illustration: S. STOJOWSKI]

XXI

WHAT INTERPRETATION REALLY IS

SIGISMUND STOJOWSKI

THE COMPOSER'S LIMITATIONS IN HIS MEANS OF EXPRESSION

It is difficult for some people who are not versed in the intricate
mysteries of the art of music to realize how limited are the means
afforded the composer for communicating to the interpreter some slight
indication of the ideal he had in mind when writing the composition. It
may be said that, while every great composer feels almost God-like at
the moment of creation, the merest fraction of the myriad beauties he
has in mind ever reach human ears. The very signs with which the
composer is provided to help him put his thoughts down on paper are in
themselves inadequate to serve as a means of recording more than a
shadow of his masterpiece as it was originally conceived. Of course, we
are speaking now in a large sense--we are imagining that the composer is
a Beethoven with an immortal message to convey to posterity. Of all
composers, Beethoven was perhaps the one to employ the most perfect
means of expression. His works represent a completeness, a poise and a
masterly finish which will serve as a model for all time to come. It
must also be noted that few composers have employed more accurate marks
of expression--such as time marks, dynamic marks, etc.

In all these things Beethoven was obliged to adhere to the conventions
adopted by others for this purpose of attempting to make the composer's
meaning clearer to other minds. These conventions, like all conventions,
are partly insufficient to convey the full idea of the composer, and
partly arbitrary, in that they do not give the interpreter adequate
latitude to introduce his own ideas in expression. The student should
seek to break the veil of conventions provided by notation and seek a
clearer insight into the composer's individuality as expressed in his
compositions. From this point of view the so-called subjective
interpretation seems the only legitimate one. In fact, the ones who
pretend to be objective in the sense of being literal and playing
strictly according to the marks of expression and admitting little
elasticity in the interpretation of these are also, as Rubinstein
pointed out, subjective at heart. This ma