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Jesus said to them: “I have come into this world so that a sentence may fall upon it, that those who are blind should see, and those who see should become blind. If you were blind, you would not be guilty. It is because you protest, ‘We can see clearly,’ that you cannot be rid of your guilt.”

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Views from the Choir Loft

Concerning “Finger Flapping”

Jeff Ostrowski · June 7, 2013

S I HAVE SAID in the past, I find it extremely difficult to write blogs about the great pianists. Every time I sit down to post a blog, I fail. Why do I fail? Because once I start selecting excerpts, I get really excited. I listen to piece after piece, saying, “Oh, I just have to talk about this.” Then I say, “Wow, this is the greatest. Oh, except for that one. Oops, I guess this one is the best. Oh, I can’t forget this other section.” By the time I’m finished, I end up not posting a single thing, because I feel “guilty” not posting a billion other fantastic, unbelievable, magnificent excerpts. It’s quite frustrating.

A Franciscan priest used to tell us, “The problem with some of these young priests is that every time they preach a sermon they feel compelled to tell the congregation everything they know.”

Therefore, I will try to do a better job in the future when it comes to the great pianists. I will attempt to “contain myself” and not feel compelled to share “everything I know” in each blog post. But just know this: there’s a ton more awesome stuff out there!

HOSE OF US who have spent our entire lives being obsessed with the Golden Age Pianists know that there is so much to “listen for.” We listen to the same masterpieces over and over again, always finding new things which amaze us. “Oh, listen to what he does with the left hand here,” we say. “Oh, listen to how she shapes this long phrase,” we say. And so on and so forth.

What I find hilarious is listening to the really great masters. On the one hand, they’re supreme musicians (not just technicians): musicians of the highest order. On the other hand, their fingers can blow every other “finger flapper” out of the water, even when they’re old! I love thinking about how every young pianist in the world can sit in front of a piano for a billion hours, yet never play thirds as fast or as clear as, say, Josef Lhevinne. Notice that I said “clear.” It’s not just about speed. It’s also about articulation.

Let’s start with a little excerpt by Josef Hofmann. Hofmann was being recorded live (as he almost always was) celebrating 50 years since his debut. The guy had already stopped practicing 30 years ago, mainly so he could focus on his inventions (he had many patents to his name, several of them of epic importance to the world). Yet listen to how he can still play left hand passages faster than every youngster in the world (toward the end of the excerpt):

      * *  Excerpt: Rubinstein Concerto “live” [Mp3]

By the way, you probably noticed that Fritz Reiner’s orchestra was (oddly) not even close to staying together.

OK, let’s consider another example. Listen to how Hofmann’s supreme fingers allow him to not use pedal, where almost every other pianist would:

      * *  Excerpt: Chopin Polonaise “live” [Mp3]

For the record, that’s the first time that passage appears. Each time it reoccurs, he grows stronger and more powerful. By the final repeat, he actually does use more pedal in that section. Hofmann was quite an “architect” when it comes to the overall shape of the piece. The elderly Hofmann does the same thing in his “live” recording of the Waldstein Sonata. Each time the theme returns, he adds more pedal and grows stronger (using other effects). Here’s the very first time the section appears, and note how very little pedal is used:

      * *  Hofmann “live” Waldstein (Last Movement) [Mp3]

Not bad for a guy who stopped practicing thirty years prior! Nice left hand! I’ve been talking about this very thing (and, indeed, showing people excerpts about this) since I was about 10 years old, and it’s still amazing. Harold Schonberg was right when he talked about the fact that all other pianists sound “thick” compared to Hofmann. For another example, just listen to the elderly Hofmann play this cadenza:

      * *  Excerpt: Beethoven Concerto “live” [Mp3]

When Horowitz was “on,” he was doubtless up there with the very best of them, musically and as a technician. I laugh when people say, “Horowitz was a great technician, but he wasn’t a true musician, like Claudio Arrau.” I laugh when I hear such nonsense. Arrau was a nothing, a nobody, a small person compared to Horowitz as a technician and a musician. Recordings prove this to anybody who cares to listen. By the way, speaking of Horowitz the technician, here’s Vladimir proving that his repeated notes are faster and more articulate than all the young “finger flappers” combined:

      * *  Excerpt: Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 “live” [Mp3]

Finally, listen to how even after 50 years before the public, Hofmann can still “storm the gates” with the best of them:

      * *  Excerpt: Concerto by Hofmann’s Master “live” [Mp3]

Uh oh. It’s happening again. There is so much more I want to share . . . sonatas, nocturnes, more concerti, ballades . . . I better stop for now. But, God willing, I will have an opportunity to share much, much more soon!

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Josef Hofmann Pianist Extraordinaire Last Updated: June 13, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Michigan. —(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    How Well Does ICEL Know Latin?
    This year, the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June 2025) falls on a Sunday. It’s not necessary to be an eminent Latin scholar to be horrified by examples like this, which have been in place since 1970. For the last 55 years, anyone who’s attempted to correct such errors has been threatened with legal action. It is simply unbelievable that the (mandatory) texts of the Holy Mass began being sold for a profit in the 1970s. How much longer will this gruesome situation last?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Is the USCCB trolling us?
    I realize I’m going to come across as a “Negative Nancy” … but I can’t help myself. This kind of stuff is beyond ridiculous. There are already way too many options in the MISSALE RECENS. Adding more will simply confuse the faithful even more. We seriously need to band together and start creating a “REFORM OF THE REFORM” Missale Romanum so it will be ready when the time comes.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Common” Responsorial Psalm?
    I try to avoid arguing about liturgical legislation (even with Catholic priests) because it seems like many folks hold certain views—and nothing will persuade them to believe differently. You can show them 100 church documents, but it matters not. They won’t budge. Sometimes I’m confronted by people who insist that “there’s no such thing” as a COMMON RESPONSORIAL PSALM. When that happens, I show them a copy of the official legislation in Latin. I have occasionally prevailed by means of this method.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    When to Sit, Stand and Kneel like it’s 1962
    There are lots of different guides to postures for Mass, but I couldn’t find one which matched our local Latin Mass, so I made this one: sit-stand-kneel-crop
    —Veronica Brandt
    The Funeral Rites of the Graduale Romanum
    Lately I have been paging through the 1974 Graduale Romanum (see p. 678 ff.) and have been fascinated by the funeral rites found therein, especially the simply-beautiful Psalmody that is appointed for all the different occasions before and after the funeral Mass: at the vigil/wake, at the house of the deceased, processing to the church, at the church, processing to the cemetery, and at the cemetery. Would that this “stational Psalmody” of the Novus Ordo funeral rites saw wider usage! If you or anyone you know have ever used it, please do let me know.
    —Daniel Tucker

Random Quote

In the United States, Archbishop Kenrick had said in his “Moral Theology” that it was acceptable to sing the “Véni Sáncte Spíritus” before the sermon.

— Monsignor Schmitt (1977)

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  • Is the USCCB trolling us?
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  • “Common” Responsorial Psalm?

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