Page:Anecdotes of Great Musicians.djvu/255

Rh  he carried to such excess that it resulted in an incurable lameness. By this, his career as a virtuoso was nipped in the bud.

For a while he was cast down by this misfortune, but soon determined to turn his energies to composition, and the result is that we have in his works a series of compositions second only in value to those of Beethoven.

This experience of Schumann's embittered him against all contrivances for aiding the pupil to more quickly acquire piano technic; and in his "Rules for Young Musicians" he warns all against mechanical apparatus. But because he made a failure of his clumsy contrivance is no reason why the student of to-day should be prejudiced against the contrivances which modern thought and skill have arranged to more quickly assist him toward his goal, at the same time saving him and his neighbors many hours of painful sounds.  

Madame Mara, one of the greatest singers Germany has produced, had her musical talent brought to light by a peculiar incident when she was a child.

Her father, besides teaching music, was a repairer of instruments. Frequently the little girl would perch herself on a high stool and gravely watch him while he mended some broken violin. One day he left a repaired instrument lying on his bench, and the inquisitive child undertook to play it and try to get from it the music she had heard others bring from the same source. But in her ignorance she broke one of the strings.

On her father's return she was roundly scolded and promised that a recurrence of such meddling would bring severe punishment. For some days this threat had the desired effect, but the wish to again produce the attractive tones made the little one forget the admonition, and again she tried her hand at playing, but this time she was caught in the act. 