Abstract

Records

The article presents views of the author on various musical performances. It is exceptional for pianist Vladimir Horowitz to play anything as simply-and I would say as well-as he does the Song Without Words Opus 62 No. 1, entitled "Sea Breezes," in his RCA Victor album of performer Felix Mendelssohn's piano music. Normally it is impossible for him to start a phrase without beginning to fuss with it, to twist it, to do everything with it but let it take its natural course and shape. He could say I am judging by what are only my personal ideas of how a musical phrase should be played and he would be right, except that those ideas are not something I dreamed up by myself. I got them from hearing phrases played by a long succession of musicians and today they are largely what I have learned.