ed a pedagogue was: "How
do you form such wonderful artists? What is the secret of your method?"

[Illustration: LEOPOLD AUER, with hand-written note]

A METHOD WITHOUT SECRETS

"I know," said Professor Auer, "that there is a theory somewhat to the
effect that I make a few magic passes with the bow by way of
illustration and--_presto_--you have a Zimbalist or a Heifetz! But the
truth is I have no method--unless you want to call purely natural lines
of development, based on natural principles, a method--and so, of
course, there is no secret about my teaching. The one great point I lay
stress on in teaching is never to kill the individuality of my various
pupils. Each pupil has his own inborn aptitudes, his own personal
qualities as regards tone and interpretation. I always have made an
individual study of each pupil, and given each pupil individual
treatment. And always, always I have encouraged them to develop freely
in their own way as regards inspiration and ideals, so long as this was
not contrary to esthetic principles and those of my art. My idea has
always been to help bring out what nature has already given, rather than
to use dogma to force a student's natural inclinations into channels I
myself might prefer. And another great principle in my teaching, one
which is productive of results, is to demand as much as possible of the
pupil. Then he will give you something!

"Of course the whole subject of violin teaching is one that I look at
from the standpoint of the teacher who tries to make what is already
excellent perfect from the musical and artistic standpoint. I insist on
a perfected technical development in every pupil who comes to me. Art
begins where technic ends. There can be no real art development before
one's technic is firmly established. And a great deal of technical work
has to be done before the great works of violin literature, the sonatas
and concertos, may be approached. In Petrograd my own assistants, who
were familiar with my ideas, prepared my pupils for me. And in my own
experience I have found that one cannot teach by word, by the spoken
explanation, alone. If I have a point to make I explain it; but if my
explanation fails to explain I take my violin and bow, and clear up the
matter beyond any doubt. The word lives, it is true, but often the word
must be materialized by action so that its meaning is clear. There are
always things which the pupil must