It is often said that the pianist cannot easily
judge of the tonal effects he is producing, as he is too near the
instrument. With me this is not the case. My hearing is so acute that I
know the exact dynamics of every tone, every effect of light and shade;
thus I do not have to stand at a distance, as the painter does, even if
I could do so, in order to criticize my work, for I can do this
satisfactorily at close range.
"I hardly know when I learned technic; at all events it was not at the
beginning. At the start I had some lessons with quite a simple woman
teacher. We lived near Paris, and my elder sister was then studying with
Raoul Pugno; she was a good student and practised industriously. She
said she would take me to the master, and one day she did so. I was a
tiny child of about seven, very small and thin--not much bigger than a
fly. The great man pretended he could hardly see me. I was perched upon
the stool, my feet, too short to reach the floor, rested on the
extension pedal box which I always carried around with me, I went
bravely through some Bach Inventions. When I finished, Pugno regarded me
with interest. He said he would teach me; told me to prepare some more
Inventions, some Czerny studies and the Mendelssohn Capriccio, Op.
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