The legendary pianists; Chopin by Ignace Paderewski

The following tape recorded program is made available to this station by the National Association of educational broadcasters. The legendary pianist. Washington State University brings you the first in a series of recitals by the keyboard giants of the early 20th century. The masters of piano are made most of their recordings before the era of modern electronics. These legendary concert artists made their records on thick rolls of perforated paper similar to the old player piano rolls designed for a much more complex instrument called the reproducing piano. The recital we will hear today is selected from more than a thousand of these roll recordings in the collection of Dr. Campbell stuff.

The chairman of the music department at Washington State University. The performance will be a Steinway. Do art reproducing piano and Dr. Stout's home. Before we introduce Dr. Stout and today's program I worried about the reproducing piano. These pianos reach the height of their popularity during the 1920s. They were the result of years of research by both American and European manufacturers on methods of capturing the dynamics of an individual piano performance as well as the actual notes. Eventually the manufacturers came up with a reproducing mechanism and role recording which could deliver a wide range of intensities in every register of the piano and could thus capture and reproduce even very subtle inner voice melodies. The mechanism was both expensive and complicated but it was capable of an amazingly faithful reproduction of the actual performance of an individual concert. The artist as a result nearly all of the great

pianists of the early 20th century were persuaded to cut reproducing piano rolls although they refused to have anything to do with the ordinary mechanical sounding Player Piano of the same period. The three most important reproducing mechanisms manufactured in this country where the empirical. Well do you mean your own and the do all these units were built into different makes of pianos of varying quality. The piano used in these programs is a six foot Steinway grand with the doo art reproducing action. The instrument was built in one thousand twenty six. Dr. Stout discovered it in New York several years ago and spent many months restoring it to its original working condition. Now here is Dr. Campbell stout to introduce today's legendary pianist. For the first program I have drawn from the performances of the almost legendary figure ignites Jan Potter asking to give you a recycle of piano music by the Polish composer Frederic Chopin.

But I was born in 1960 and spent his childhood on his father's farm in Poland. At the age of 12 he was sent to the Warsaw conservatory where he spent most of the time for the next 14 years as student and professor. At the age of 26 deciding to become a concert artist he moved to Vienna to study with letter to ski who is probably the most renowned teacher of that time. His parents debut in 1988 marked the opening of one of the most amazing musical careers on record. Three years later he made his first visit to the United States during this six months tour he gave one hundred seven recitals which included 18 appearances in New York City alone. His tour of America the following season covered a greater area and attracted more people. For example several hundred people from Texas were on hand for his Kansas City recitals. People from Phoenix travel to Los Angeles on a train load of young students from Montana made the trip through a blizzard to Salt Lake City for one of his concerts. For the next 20 years his reputation continued to grow as a concert ties all over the world. Throughout this period in

Potter Eskies life he had continued his interest in the Polish people and had gained the close friendship of statesmen and politicians of various countries. It is not surprising therefore that at the outbreak of World War One he devoted his attention and talents to political matters. He spent most of the war years in the United States lecturing and giving benefit recitals. And it was largely through his efforts and influence that Poland was re-united and granted independence following the war. Immediately after the armistice he returned to his native country and was a representative at the Peace Conference. When the new Polish Republic was created served as premier as well as Minister of Foreign Affairs. However due to political disputes he and his cabinet remained in power for only about 10 months after which time he returned to the life of a concert artist. During these next few years Paderewski continued to record his interpretations on the do art reproducing piano. And he is one of these performances that we hear first the Ballade in a flat major opus 47. You have just heard the Chopin Ballade in a flat major. The financial results of

Paderewski first postwar tour are indicative of his great popularity. It is reported that he earned four hundred sixty thousand dollars on this one tour. About that time he recorded for the door at company the Chopin waltz and E-flat Opus 42 which we will now hear. You have just heard waltz in A-flat Opus 34 number one by Chopin. I personally feel

that some of Chopin's most beautiful writing is found in the collection of more than 50 mazurkas. We will now hear about arrestee playing the One In A Minor Opus 17 number for this player role was released about one thousand twenty five. You have just heard the Chopin mazurka in a minor. But rest he continued to conjure tide until

939 when he made his last American tour while 15000 people were awaiting his appearance in Madison Square Garden. He collapsed from a mild heart attack and shortly afterwards returned to his estate in Switzerland for a short time during World War 2. He again served his country as president of the new Polish parliament in exile. Later called the Polish National Council. He returned to the United States late in 1040 to make his home in California and died in this country the following year for the last number on today's program we will hear the scarce so in C-sharp minor Opus 39. But a risky record of this for the reproducing piano about one thousand twenty eight. I am.

C-Sharp Minor scared so by Chopin as played by a potter ASCII

poses the first in the new series of half hour recitals of piano music played on the duo art. This has been the legendary pianists. It's a series of recitals from reproducing piano rolls by the great concert pianists of the early 20th century. Your host and commentator on these programs is Dr. Campbell Stout the chairman of the music department of Washington State University. The legendary pianists is produced by Omar Erickson for Washington State University Radio. Here Randall speaking. This is the AMA a radio network.